Rise and Fall (4 page)

Tobin slid down the slope to where the Kifzo waited a hundred feet or so behind the sand dune. Barely audible, he whispered to Kaz, “All are asleep. Two llamas and a goat on the far side.”

Kaz nodded and signaled assignments to the others with stabbing hand gestures. It seemed unfair for a dozen or so sleeping fishermen to face ninety-nine of the best Kifzo warriors the Blue Island Clan had to offer. Tobin shook his head.
If I’ve learned nothing else about life, it is that death comes to everyone, and rarely do we decide when.

The Kifzo approached the small camp downwind so as not to alarm the animals. In silence, thirty of the warriors surrounded the huts. Twenty more went to the boats, while another silenced the animals. The remaining warriors stayed hidden, forming a wide circle, outlining the small area, ready for any that might escape. Despite the precaution, Tobin knew that none would break through the battle hardened men.

Tobin was assigned to the remaining group held back. He did not mind the task, even if others considered it a slight to be away from the assault. He had no taste for killing men in their sleep. It was one thing to kill a man in battle, but another to simply butcher men as defenseless as these, and even another to kill a woman or child. Of course, that line of thinking did not echo the Kifzo mentality. The trouble his feelings had caused him in the past taught him to be discrete about such things.

“Any idiot with a weapon can kill, but few can do so without making a sound,” as Uncle used to say.
Less than a second after the last animal went down, the others made their move, creeping inside each hut and searching the boats.

No sooner had it started than it was over. Several Kifzo left the huts, cleaning the blood off their daggers and swords before carefully placing them back into their wooden scabbards.

The last of the warriors exited moments later, severed heads in hand. They skewered the trophies on the poles once used by the fishermen to dry their catch.

Now the poles are used to dry ours.
He sucked in a mouthful of the cool air and let it out slowly.
Kaz, it’s just like you to go to the extreme to send a message to anyone later stumbling across the area. Are the bodies not enough?

The warriors gathered in the center of the huts, near a dung filled fire pit. Upon approaching, Tobin saw that the heads of men adorned the poles, not those of women or children.
I guess I can find some consolation in that.

Then Kaz spoke. “Tonight was easy, as it should have been. But this is only the beginning, for we still have much to do if we are to draw the Orange Desert Clan’s main army away from Nubinya.” He paused for a second, his rigid face meeting the eyes of each warrior. “However, we’ll make camp here for the rest of the night and into tomorrow.” The surprise was evident among the Kifzo and each nodded their heads in agreement.

Perhaps he heeded my advice after all?

“Now,” said Kaz turning toward the dead animals, “let’s get this meat ready. I’d rather not have another meal of stale bread and dried fish.” The warriors grunted in agreement, eager to have a warm meal after traveling for weeks on the same bland diet.

Willing to do his part, Tobin set off toward the closest llama, when a hand clasped his shoulder. “Organize the watch,
Brother
. There are more important things to do than fill your belly.”

Tobin bit his tongue. “As you say, Warleader.”

* * *

Life had become a blur of monotony. The welcome rest of each day was interrupted by merciless killing that filled the night. The gloom provided a natural cover to the dark skinned warriors as well as relief from the arid daytime climate. If there was perfect weather for killing, Tobin was sure the desert nights provided it.

Since coming upon those first three huts four days ago, a dozen more fishing villages suffered similar fates. No two villages they came upon were the same, each varying in size and setup. Only one common element stood out to Tobin as the Kifzo moved between settlements—they found only men. Although he had no appetite for it, killing men in their sleep at least made sense.
Fewer to face in battle. Kill them now or kill them later.
Still, he found it odd there were no signs of women or children.
Maybe the families reside in Nubinya while the men work along the coast? I hope that continues to hold true.

Tobin’s hope ended when one of Walor’s scouts returned with new information on their next target. An estimated five hundred inhabitants, including families—the largest settlement by far and only a short distance away.

The scout described the village in great detail and included the surrounding terrain and landmarks. Standing with his brow furrowed, Kaz said not a word the entire time Walor spoke. His right hand stroked the neatly trimmed goatee that wrapped his chin, a habit picked up as a teenager when his beard began to grow in.

Walor finished, took a step back, and waited with the rest of the Kifzo for his orders. The moments began to pass by, yet Kaz stood motionless. Tobin glanced around and saw agitation on the faces of others.

Finally, Kaz spoke. “Your scout missed something.”

A confused look. “Missed something? He gave us a detailed layout of the entire settlement.”

“And that’s the problem. Your report didn’t mention anything about the people living there. It’s still early enough that they wouldn’t all be sleeping. Who is still awake? Why? What were they doing? What was their behavior like?”

Walor turned to his scout for an answer but the blank look on the man’s face said enough. Obviously embarrassed, he had no answers to Kaz’s questions.

A voice to the right cut in, saving the head scout from any further humiliation. “What nonsense is this? What the people are cooking makes little difference. Does fear cause you to hesitate, Warleader? Surely you aren’t afraid of a village filled with fishermen and their families.” The warrior chuckled and several others joined in.

Tobin’s gaze went to the large Kifzo as he spoke. Durahn stood a head above even the tallest of men. In size, the behemoth dwarfed even he and Kaz who were both well over six feet in height. Like many of the other Kifzo, Durahn chose to wear his long black hair in thick braids down to his shoulders. His long beard came to a braided point. Hair and beard framed a massive head with a flat nose and wide-set eyes.

As the deep but quiet laughter faded from the large warrior, Kaz swung his broad shoulders around to face him. Tobin watched as Durahn readied himself. Like everyone else, Durahn expected a confrontation and it looked like he wanted it. Kaz tilted his head up, eyeing the man with an inquisitive expression. “Do you wish to carelessly throw away the lives of your clan tonight?”

The response was not what Durahn expected and it took him a moment to collect himself. “Any Kifzo who dies by the hand of a weak fisherman is better off dead to me,” he said at last, satisfied with himself.

Disgusted, Kaz spat to the side. “And yet you desire to lead in my place, don’t you? Let’s hope your brethren show more regard for your life than you do for theirs.” Not allowing Durahn to respond, Kaz turned his back on the large man, showing his contempt. He looked at Tobin. “
Brother
, take Walor with you and do not return until you discover what was missed.”

* * *

They made their way toward the settlement, meandering between several rock-covered hills. Tobin surveyed the terrain upon their approach, searching for the ideal vantage point. His eyes swung to the left where a rock formation protruded from the top of the nearest rise. Tobin gestured toward the stone configuration, and the two men climbed to the selected spot. Walor was the first to crest the hill. Tobin trailed several steps behind, his ankle slowing him.

Several hours past dusk, the two men finally settled. The location allowed for an unobstructed view of the village. Tobin took a moment to confirm the scout’s information before looking more closely at his surroundings.

Just as reported, the town consisted of five clusters of huts. In the center of each tight cluster sat a shared fire pit. The five groups surrounded a small oasis which included several date trees and other simple vegetation.

Tobin turned his attention back to the fire pits. Tobin saw what he dreaded, what he hoped to avoid. Entire families sat around doing what looked to be nothing more than trying to stay warm on the cool night.

He turned his attention to an animal pen outside the clusters, to the left. The pen consisted of several small sections, each one housing a different breed of animal. Goats and llamas dominated the population, but for the first time since arriving along the coast, Tobin also saw half a dozen camels, and almost double that number of horses.

A perk of having fresh water nearby.

A glint caught his eye. Tobin leaned in to Walor and whispered, “I need to get closer.”

“There isn’t enough cover to get any closer.”

Tobin inclined his head to the right toward the village. “There. That boulder should be fine.”

“That’s over fifty yards away and I’d hardly call that a boulder. I’ve skipped rocks bigger than that.”

“From this angle there isn’t anything else between here and the village I can use.”

“What are you hoping to get a better look at?”

“Call it a hunch.”

“A hunch, huh?” Walor paused. “Well, I’m faster and smaller. Tell me what your hunch is and I’ll go.”

“No. I can see better at night. It might not be anything, but I need to be certain. Besides, standing that close to the flames, the villagers aren’t likely to see me anyway.”

Not waiting for Walor to argue, Tobin set off down the opposite side of the hill, staying low to the ground. He paused once near the bottom then darted to the cover he had pointed out, ducking behind the boulder. Grimacing, Tobin took his time to position himself before peering out.

I hate to admit it, but Walor was right about the stone’s size.

Tobin stared into the night, eyes flickering between the huts and animal pens, confirming his suspicions. Rather than returning to Walor immediately, he lay motionless for another half hour until the last fire died out and the villagers returned to their huts for the night.

Finally satisfied, Tobin made his way back to Walor, careful not to pry loose any gravel. He rested a hand on Walor’s shoulder at the top of the rise, signaling it was time to leave.

When they rejoined their fellow Kifzo, Kaz stood waiting, arms crossed. Tobin noted the restlessness in the others as he approached.

“We expected you back some time ago. I trust you have some news,
Brother
?”

“Yes. They know we’re coming and they’re ready for us.” Tobin paused. “As ready as they can be anyway.”

“What?” said Walor.

“I told you I followed a hunch. Structurally, the village is exactly as reported. The huts, the oasis, the animal pen, the fire pits are all laid out as described. But if you look closer, there’s more. They wanted us to see families around the fire pits oblivious to what was going on, an easy prey. However, those families are incomplete. There weren’t any men around the fires.”

Walor interjected, “Are you telling me you saw the faces of those people from that distance?”

“Of course not. I didn’t need to see their faces. I watched them move. It was a clever thing to disguise their women in men’s clothing but they couldn’t disguise their mannerisms or their gait. I can’t be sure, but I think only two pits were lit simply because there weren’t enough women to light all the pits and still convince us of the deception. So instead, they hoped we would reason the other pits were out because those clusters were already asleep.”

“Do you know where the men are?” asked Kaz.

“Hiding. Waiting for us to take the bait. I’m sure that many of them are dispersed throughout the village, but from what I could tell, the animal pen is the primary location. They probably hope to take advantage of the few mounts they have.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“They made the mistake of lighting the fires nearest the pen. After watching the horses long enough I saw several glints near their heads from the flames bouncing off the bridles still in their mouths. There were also several shadows moving about nearby that did not belong to any animal.”

“And the oasis?”

“I would guess several stationed there as well, given the location. However, the huts were blocking my line of sight.”

Kaz grunted, a disgusted look on his face. He turned his back on Tobin. “We leave in ten minutes and will make do with the incomplete information.”

Never enough is it, Kaz? Without my warning it is likely we’d lose more men. My report also made your point against Durahn as well. Yet, you give me nothing.
Tobin sighed and looked over to Walor who gave a small shrug.

* * *

A short while later the Kifzo split into three groups. The first group would approach the settlement along the coast. They would search the fishing vessels docked ashore before making their way up the beach.

The second group waited near the rock formation Tobin and Walor used earlier for scouting. When the time came, they would veer to the right of the village, capturing the hut clusters presumed to be least occupied. Afterward, they would push forward toward the oasis, gaining control of the village’s central position. Once the first group charged, the second group would attack and signal the third group into action.

The third group sat above the village on a series of ragged hills, overlooking the animal pens. Jutting rocks and dark shadows provided more than adequate cover for the group. Their task was to release a volley of arrows at the animal pen where Tobin suspected many of the male villagers hid. After the initial volley, most of the warriors from the third position would charge down the rock-strewn terrain toward the pens while the villagers were distracted. Tobin and several other handpicked warriors of his choosing would continue the arrow fire until the second and third groups engaged. Only then would they move down into the fray. If all went as planned, the three groups would strike as one in three different areas of the settlement, causing confusion and chaos.