Azurite (Daughter of the Mountain Book 1) (32 page)

“We all make mistakes,” Aaron said, “But you
must
tell Captain Maddox about this.  He deserves to know the reason why his squad was so unusually attacked.”

“What do you think he’ll say?”  Aaron looked sad for him.

“I don’t know.  I really don’t know.  I fear your bad judgment has proven perilous, Liam.  You’re going to have to answer for it.  Do all that’s good and seek what is true, Brother Rose.”

Liam glanced over to Captain Maddox who was sitting helplessly next to Korbin.  The dying Warden now had fresh trails of blood pouring from his nose and eyes where the flesh was deteriorating.  Maddox had his hand over his mouth, and it was easy to see he was holding back sobs of sorrow.  Aaron walked over to him and placed a hand on his arm then whispered something in his ear.  Maddox nodded, rubbing his eyes wearily.  He stood and brushed the dirt off the seat of his pants before following Aaron over to where Liam stood separated from the group.

By now, the remorse Liam was experiencing for his careless actions felt like a cinder block strapped to his shoulders.  He could barely look his Captain in the eye as he confessed to him the events he’d witnessed earlier that day in Spencer’s camp.  It was even harder for him to explain his decision to remain behind for his own self-indulgent reasons. 

Liam had no choice but to explain his relationship with Zora to the Captain, but he purposely omitted the details relating to her Chimera bloodline and the fact that she was able to Bond with Ithillium.  In fact, he made her out to be nothing more than a sweet, beautiful girl that he’d become infatuated with, instead of revealing her true identity as Spencer DeVore’s soon to be wife and the exiled heir to the Samarian throne.  All those complicated details would just further thwart an already precarious matter.  When Liam finished talking, it was obvious Captain Maddox was furious with him.

“This is a perfect example of why we do not get involved in the lives of Commoners!” Maddox chastised indignantly. 

“Spencer’s men spotted Avery and Korbin on their own,” Liam tried to debate.  “I wasn’t able to prevent that.  They would’ve sent out a search party of Carian soldier regardless.”

“There is always a small risk that we’ll be seen.  But it’s your responsibility to put your sworn duties before your own desires.  Had you not been taken by philandering with a Commoner woman, you would have seen the dangerous situation awaiting us!  You could have provided adequate warning that would have spared Korbin’s life!  Wardens are not born every day, Brother Rose.  Korbin’s death is a great loss that cannot be foolishly replaced.”  Maddox closed his eyes tight and heaved a sigh of frustration.

“I will have to appear before the Oligarchs and explain how Korbin died, as I am responsible for all of my men.  I cannot falsify the truth of the matter, and they will expect a course of disciplinary action for you.”  Maddox’s eyes were filled with so much disappointment it hurt Liam to look upon.  “From the moment we return to Cerendova, your service as a Warden is suspended.  I will submit this information to the Oligarchs who will decide on the duration of your punishment.” 

“What!” Liam exploded.  “Captain, you cannot take me away from my duties!”

“Then you should learn to abide by them!” Maddox snapped back.

Liam was boiling with anger.  It was hard enough to see Zora as the current situation stood, but now that his service was suspended, he wouldn’t be allowed to cross the Border at all.  His heart tightened at the realization that by the time his punishment was up, Zora could be gone from him completely.

“Brother Laine!” Maddox called out over his shoulder to where Aaron was standing yards away with the other men.  The Warden trotted over to his Captain.

“Sir?”

“From this moment on, your Zone has been reassigned,” Maddox stated harshly.  “You will take over Brother Rose’s Zone in Samaria.”

Aaron’s gold-flecked eyes jumped over to Liam questioningly, but Liam shunned his gaze. 

“And based on the information he’s given us about the condition of the northern web, I’m releasing you back into the Realm.  You will not be going home this time.”

There was silence between all three men as Maddox explained this.  Not only had Liam’s actions cost Korbin his life, now they were affecting Aaron as well.  Wardens were gone from Cerendova for months, even years at a time.  To deny one the pleasure of returning home was almost like a punishment.  Wardens accepted the unpredictability of their duties when they were sworn into position, but they were still human and capable of harboring resentment just like anyone else.  Besides, Samaria was Liam’s Zone and had been for decades.  Because he was now suspended, Aaron had to pick up the slack at a time when his Zone had become even more dangerous.   

“Brother Lain, give me your bow, please.”

“Sir?” Aaron asked again.  Liam could tell he was still trying to process this unfavorable turn of events.

“Your bow, Brother Laine.  Give it to me!” 

Aaron unstrapped his bow and handed it to Maddox then waited for further instruction.  The remaining Wardens were now watching the exchange between Maddox, Aaron, and Liam with extreme interest. 

“Thank you.  That’ll be all.”  Maddox’s fixed his gaze on Liam, and it was as cold as ice.  He thrust the bow into Liam’s hands with so much force the man almost fell over.

“As penance,” he explained with a voice full of venom, directing Liam towards Korbin’s withering body that was lying in a pool of his own blood.  Maddox’s hand was firm on Liam’s back preventing him from turning away from the sight before him.

“Penance?” Liam whispered to himself, suddenly realizing what Maddox wanted him to do.  Chills ran up and down his arms despite the warm southern air.  The man shook his head furiously.  “Captain?  No.  I won’t.  I-I can’t”

“Do it!” Maddox growled.  “This is your moment for atonement, Liam!  It’s your fault he’s suffering!  Let him die honorably among his living Brothers.”

When Liam went to protest again, Maddox’s burly fist made contact with his jaw. 

“Do as I say!” he commanded, pushing Liam violently towards Korbin’s body.  Liam gulped hard, ignoring the sting of pain from Maddox’s blow, forcing himself to walk over to his Brother who suffered as the Manchineel poison destroyed everything that made him human. 

Liam forced himself to look down at Korbin’s face.  His eyes were covered in red spider veins, and the flesh on the tip of his nose was nothing more than a gaping hole.  His gums were coved in blood as it dripped from the side of his mouth.  Liam wanted to yell and scream at such an injustice.  Korbin had done nothing to Spencer to deserve such a death.  How dare they murder him with no justification except for ancient prejudices based on nothing but lies.

“Korbin,” Liam stammered.  “Korbin, can you hear me?” 

The dying man moaned, and his eyes eagerly sought Liam’s face, although by now he was probably blind.  With trembling hands and blurred vision, Liam took a couple of steps back and put the bow and arrow up to his chest.  He steadied his breathing as he aimed, despite the sobs of sorrow building up in his throat.  He looked over his shoulder and saw all of his Brothers looking back at him, watching a circumstantial murderer wield his fatal hand.  Their faces were ravaged with sorrow masked by a veil of stone.

  Trembling, Liam let the arrow fly.  He watched as it landed right in Korbin’s exposed neck with a sickly thud.  The other Warden’s crowded close to Liam as he lowered the bow, sobs of grief convulsing through his body.  Korbin took a couple more forceful breaths then became stiff and motionless as he finally died. 

Liam chucked the bow to the side with a lamenting cry then bulled through the wall of men behind him.  He bolted as fast as he could from the horrifying scene, ignoring the protests of his Brothers as they called out his name.  He knew they were angry with him.  He also knew that they would forgive him, although he didn’t know if he could forgive himself.

Liam ran as fast as he could through the muddy wetlands, the stars spinning above him like a glittering crystal ball.  He ran till his lungs couldn’t take in enough oxygen to sustain the pounding of his heart and aching of his leg muscles.  He stumbled to a halt when the Border was in his eyesight, and he fell to the ground from both exhaustion and grief.  Tears covered his cheeks and he cried hysterically as a soft warm wind blew over him bringing smells of home.

In all his years living as a trained warrior, Liam Rose had never killed a man.  That was not the purpose of a Warden.  They were not taught to kill their brethren and those who were weaker than them, yet the first one he did kill was someone he’d known his whole life.  He was his family.  Everything that had happened tonight was forcing Liam to reconsider all the decisions he’d made in the last two days and their effects on the world as he knew it.

Liam truly thought he was doing the right thing in getting involved with Zora, promising to help her find answers to her unnatural scar and improving her ability to control her gifts.  If he did that, he’d be sparing her life in the end.  But maybe he was justifying his love for her with these excuses, and his selfish desire to put Zora above his Brothers had cost Korbin his life. 

Something in Liam’s mind told him that Zora Winnser was special.  He felt as if she had some important role to play in a world that was still ruled by archaic thoughts and ideals.  Liam was part of that now.  He had gotten too involved with her and there was no turning back. 

It was then that Liam recalled a brief conversation he’d had with Sariel as the pair was leaving Samaria on their way to Montanisto:
When it comes to Zora, nothing is black and white.

Maybe that was the way life was in general, and Liam was just starting to figure it out.

Part 3

‘Life cannot not exist without freedom.  Obtain liberty or die trying.’

              -Ancient Samarian proverb

Chapter 19

Alumhy, Samaria

The white rapids of the Argent River flowed viciously through the Anion canyon, snaking over and around massive rocks that mottled the wide riverbed.  Evangeline Winnser rode her mare alongside the rushing water, accompanied by twelve battle ready Samarian Guards, which included her personal Guard, Vincent.  The party was on their way to convene with Olger Guttensen, the Overlord of Nomanestan.

The two neighboring rulers had agreed to this meeting for two purposes, although Olger only knew of one.  The Overlord had expressed interest in renegotiating the terms of their agreement now that Evangeline had been able to pay him in gold, which came from her first shipment of azurite.  In addition to such negotiations, Evangeline wanted to petition the Overlord to surrender his men from along the banks of the Argent River so that she could have access to it.  Both countries shared the river, but she desperately needed unhindered use of it to transport larger quantities of azurite to her buyer.

              It had been several weeks since Evangeline had secretly met with the anonymous emissary, and since then everything that had been asked of Evangeline was quickly falling into place.  The Queen had been receiving waves of letter from the emissary, and they contained further instruction on how much azurite to mine and how to deliver it successfully to her buyer.  Her benefactor constantly suggested the idea of using the Argent River to transport more of the precious crystal, which would be carried downstream by large barges that her distant patron promised to supply.  The goods would then be carried south to Lake Orean where they would be transported to their final destination, which still hadn’t been disclosed to Evangeline. 

After hours of riding through the steep Anion Mountains, Evangeline and her convoy arrived at the ancient stone bridge that was the only connection Samaria and Nomanestan had over the Argent River.  It was a large bridge for its time, with eight great arches that peaked gracefully over the river’s rushing rapids.  The blocks of blue mountain stone from which the bridge had been built were now weather worn and covered with brown mildew.  There were feeble wooden railings running along the edge of the bridge, so walking along it could be quite nerve racking.  If one were to lose their footing, they’d tumble over the side and land at the mercy of the crushing rapids.

Eventually, Evangeline’s escorts lead her out of the forest’s tree cover and onto the open riverbanks.  The Guards guided her securely over to the bridge, six in front of her and six bringing up the rear.  They were clothed in iron armor, and Vincent flew a vibrantly colored blue and purple Samarian banner that could be seen from yards away. 

Once they began crossing the bridge, Evangeline squinted her eyes and saw a small company of five Noman soldiers waiting at the end to intercept them.  They were garbed in Noman lamellar armor that consisted of numerous small rawhide plates intricately laced together to create a protective casing around its wearer.  All the soldiers had a round shield attached to the side of their mount, each one painted with a brown bear that resembled the Noman crest of arms.  As Evangeline peaked over the last bridge arch, she observed that Olger was not amongst the group of Noman soldiers.  Instead, Alvard, Olger’s second in command, was standing in his place at the head of the company.

“Why have you come upon our lands so armed, Queen Evangeline?” Alvard asked as she rode before him and halted her mare.  His tongue hit each vowel in a sharp tone, emphasizing the unique Noman dialect.  “You have convened with our Overlord before and never have you been harmed in our presence.  I insist you leave half of this squadron behind, or the Overlord may take it as a threat.”  Evangeline just gave the man an icy stare with cool blue eyes. 

“Perhaps your Overlord should not be so sensitive to the actions of just one person,” she said evenly.  For the sake of diplomacy, she complied and turned to address the Samarian Guard.  “Vincent, choose six more men to accompany me.  The rest will retreat back to the eastern banks so we’re not occupying Noman soil unwelcomed.”  She glanced back over at Alvard.  “I’m sure the Overlord won’t have a problem with that.”

Alvard’s jaw tightened when she said this.  He glanced at her heavily armed Guards then, almost as if involuntarily, his eyes quickly scanned the mass of trees bordering the riverbanks behind them. 

“Of course, My Queen,” he replied with a slight nod.

Once Vincent had chosen the six Samarian Guards to move forward, the Queen and her smaller company of men began to follow Alvard south, through the remaining steep mountain hills, leaving the others behind to wait at the bridge for their return.  They rode on for a while until the treacherous incline of the land gave way to gentle rolling hills covered in long green grasses and swaying yellow flowers. 

Evangeline knew they were nearing their final destination when she looked behind her and saw the Anion Mountain peaks misted over in the distance.  Nothing but rolling grasslands lay before her.  After more hours of traveling, the party arrived at a large, imposing wall made from hickory wood.  It was several feet deep and easily rose a hundred feet into the sky.  The wall served to guard the Norman town from enemy attack, surrounding it like a gigantic box.  How the Nomans could have built such a fortification, the Queen couldn’t even imagine.

“One moment,” Alvard instructed as they all stopped before the wall’s closed entrance.  In his thick accent, he yelled something to the soldiers standing watch atop the parapet.  Even in their similar tongue Evangeline couldn’t make out what it was.  Shortly after, the monstrous wooden doors leading into the town were opened, and the party was allowed through.

They did so cautiously, since no Samarian had been to the Noman city in nearly thirty years.  King Edgar had, once, when he was trying to negotiate peace terms with the Overlord that ruled before Olger.  Going off the description Edgar had given in his report of this grim settlement, it hadn’t changed much over time.  There were no roads to speak of, only twisting dirt lanes that became soggy and impassable when it rained.  Wild dogs with mangy coats and large canine teeth trampled through the streets, fighting over rotting refuse that littered the sides.

The malnourished working people that Evangeline observed didn’t quite parallel with the message the emissary had given her concerning Olger’s growing, powerful army.  The people she saw were emaciated, unclean, and infested with lice and worms.  During their march, Evangeline watched as a woman threw the contents of a brimming chamber pot out onto the streets where children eagerly played.  Its contents quickly saturated the mud.  The view and stench of such squalor was nauseating to the Queen.

Eventually the streets gave way to a larger area that Evangeline took to be the town common.  At the end of it, the woman could see Olger’s Hall looking like a palace compared to the rest of the town.  As she drew nearer to the Overlord’s home, Evangeline also saw the outline of several strange looking linear objects staked into the ground of the common.  Her eyes widened, and her heart jumped into her throat when she realized what they were.  Decorating the town common were five wooden gibbets shaped like backwards sevens.  And hanging from every single one was a body.

Evangeline felt a cold hand grip her arm.  “My Queen, shield your eyes,” Vincent whispered to her.  “This is not something you should endure seeing.”  But Evangeline couldn’t help herself.  As they passed, she gawked at the dead bodies rotating in the wind, with their pointed toes and broken necks.  The rope strangling their throats moaned and cried as it turned and twisted from the weight of death.  If Evangeline thought the stench of human ordure was sickening, it was nothing compared to the reek of rotting human flesh.

The Overlord’s Great Hall loomed in front of them, and the company halted their horses before it.  It was a wide wooden structure, built atop a knoll with two sets of stone steps leading up to a veranda.  A large door was set in the middle and guarded by two Noman soldiers.

Evangeline looked towards her convoy.  “Vincent, you’ll accompany me.  The rest of you stay behind and guard our gear.”  Alvard and his four men dismounted their beasts, as did the Samarians, and Evangeline and Vincent followed the soldiers single file up the steps.  When Evangeline stepped inside the hall, it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dimness of the windowless dwelling. 

Once the brightness of the outside faded away, Evangeline observed the inside of Olger’s residence with interest.  The floors of the hall were constructed from dark wood, just like the outside of the structure, but several multicolored rugs covered its bareness.  Three clay hearthstones stood several paces apart down the middle of the hall, each one blazing a small orange fire.  As the Queen followed slowly behind Alvard, she was able to inspect the beautiful tribal designs carved into the ceiling’s support beams and wooden pillars.               

At the end of the hall, Olger was sitting in a wooden throne that carried the same tribal embellishments as the support pillars.  Evangeline could taste her revulsion for the Overlord in her mouth, like a rotten piece of meat.  But she quickly swallowed it as she neared him.  Olger’s hair and eyes were deep brown, like most Nomans, which was opposite of the fair haired and pale eyed Samarians who had originally migrated from the south.  His long hair was shaved at the sides above his temples, but not on top, and what remained was pulled back into a long ponytail. 

His dark facial hair was concentrated in a small goatee that went just below his chin and was braided and decorated with beads.  Instead of the lamellar armor the other Noman soldiers sported, Olger wore plain black breeches, slippers, and a light fur coat draped around his shirtless upper body.  He had bronze circular earrings that dangled from both ears, and his middle-aged face, that had seen years of sun, held an almost annoyed expression as he looked down upon the Samarian Queen. 

“Queen Evangeline,” he said in his sharp accent.  “Welcome back to my humble home.  I shall prove to be a gracious host by offering you and your men food and drink, for I know you will be traveling long into the night.”  As soon as he said this, several servants appeared at their sides bearing trays of steaming food and mugs of drink to offer the guests.  The intoxicating smell made Evangeline dizzy, as she was famished, but she forced herself to look Olger in the eye and not at the delicacies he was offering her.

“I’d rather forgo all the diversions and address the issues at hand, Olger.  We’ve a lot to discuss, and time shan’t be wasted.”  She glanced over to the Noman servant nearest her bearing a steaming pot of stew.  “Please deliver these meals to my men outside.  They will be grateful for your generosity.”  The servant nodded in return then retreated to the outside where Evangeline’s Guard remained behind.

Evangeline turned back to Olger Guttensen who studied her languidly.  “I trust you received the gold bars I sent you, yet I received no confirmation if you did.  I am here today to discuss the terms of our agreement now that our mines have once again begun producing, and I am able to satisfy the payments we agreed on.  While I am thankful for the services you have provided Samaria over the last few years, I am no longer in need of them.”  She paused as her last statement, filled with confidence, hung in the air.  Olger just stared at her with that same austere expression until his deep, unsmiling laugh broke through the tenseness. 

“Evangeline…Evangeline,” he chuckled shaking his head.  “How long have we known each other?  How long have our predecessors been dear neighbors?  For both of our ancestors toiled these same lands we now occupy.”  He stopped chuckling, and his face darkened.  “And yet you still take me for a fool.  But…” He held up his finger as if to silence her… “I assure you, I am no fool.”

“Of course not, Lord Guttensen,” Evangeline quickly replied, but her heart was palpitating at the thought of Olger drawing such a conclusion.  “What would make you say such a thing?” 

Olger chuckled softly again then reached into his fur coat and withdrew a misshapen golden nugget no bigger than his thumb.  He held it up for Evangeline to see.

“This,” he began,” is
pure
Samarian gold, found when I was a child walking along the riverbanks of our own Argent River.  I’ve kept is close to me ever since, as a constant reminder of what was taken from my people that I am yet to claim.” 

He bent over and reached into a wooden chest sitting next to his chair.  He brought out a golden bar that Evangeline immediately recognized as the gold she’d taken from the emissary as payment.  Olger held it out in his open palm for her to see, then held the smaller golden nugget up next to it in his other palm.  When placed side by side, the difference in gold was noticeable, at least to a native Samarian such as Evangeline, although untrained eyes wouldn’t be able to discern the slight idiosyncrasies. 

The foreign gold held a rosy color, compliments of the copper alloyed with it, and the luster was duller, rusty almost, compared to the Samarian nugget.  The bar wasn’t completely pure gold, because such a thing could only be mined in Samaria.  She knew, and he knew it.  The Queen had most definitely taken Olger Guttensen for a fool.

Evangeline swallowed the rock in her throat, trying to think of something to say to the angry Overlord that would not incriminate her any further.  “Why does it matter?” she asked in an innocent voice.  “Those bars are still gold, and they still carry their full worth.  You can buy much with it.”

              “Because that’s not what I asked for!” Olger boomed, hurling the gold bar across the room angrily.  Several servants rushed out of the way of the flying projectile as it landed with the sounds of splitting wood.  “You are violating the terms of our agreement,” he sneered, “and summer solstice draws near.  If you desire to pay your debt in foreign gold, then I’ll require double the amount just to satisfy it.”