The Transall Saga (17 page)

chapter
51

"Is it true that you are going to marry my sister?" Barow had a look of disgust on his face.

"Who told you that?" Mark measured off one corner of his land and pounded a stake into the ground.

"Everybody in the village has been talking about it for weeks. Is it true?"

"To tell you the truth, have been thinking about it. See, if I marry Megaan then you and I will be brothers. I thought it might be worth it just for that. What do you think?"

"I think you are crazy. Nothing would be worth marrying Megaan. She is too bossy and mean."

"Did I hear someone talking about me?" Megaan said, coming up behind them.

Mark turned. He put down the rest of his stakes and wiped his hands on his pants. "Barow here was just giving me a rundown of all your faults. He thinks it would be a big mistake to marry you. You being so hardheaded and all."

Megaan folded her arms. "Barow, Grandmother wants you at the cabin. She needs help with the vegetables."

Barow’s lip went out. "You made that up just to get rid of me."

"Get going," Megaan ordered.

They watched him climb onto the gray and ride away. Mark faced Megaan and took one of her hands. "Barow says everyone in the village is talking about us."

Megaan flushed. "It is the way of the Tsook. They look forward to all celebrations."

"And ours is going to be the greatest." Mark took her other hand. "I just wish I had some crops planted. Things might be a little tough for us for a while."

Megaan’s chin went up. "I am not worried. You are a good hunter. We will not go hungry."

Her compliment filled him. He had thought himself too young for this, too young for marriage or being with another person, but it all seemed so ... so right. According to the Tsook customs, both of them were already past marriage age. "Speaking of hunting, your grandmother asked me to bring back some fresh meat for her today. If I don’t get started it will be dark before I get back. Why don’t you come with me?"

Megaan pulled her hands away. "You know I cannot leave the village and be alone with you. It is not done."

"You’re alone with me now." His arm went around her shoulders. "And I remember a time not so long ago that you rode out to look for me when I was wounded. We were alone then too."

"That was different. We were younger then." She tried to pull away. "Kakon. You will embarrass my family."

Mark gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "We can’t have that, now, can we?" He untied his beast and swung on. "Tell your grandmother I will be back soon. If I don’t find anything for her stew pot today I will keep looking until I do."

"Kakon."

"Yes?"

"I think it would not be good for you to be gone too long."

Mark sat back. "And I think Barow was right. You are bossy." He kicked his mount into a run.

The dirt clod missed him by only a few inches.

chapter
52

Mark settled down next to his small fire. He was wishing he hadn’t been so greedy but had gone ahead and taken the two rabbit creatures he had seen earlier. Because he had wanted to impress Megaan and her family he’d let them go and searched for larger game. But he hadn’t found any.

Close to dark he had come upon the fresh tracks of a tragg, a large elklike animal. But now it was too late to track it. He would have to try to pick up the trail again in the morning.

He leaned back on his elbows. Life in this world wasn’t so bad. He did what he wanted and went where he pleased. He was a Tsook warrior and in a few months he would have a wife. They could start a family.

He had deliberately squeezed out all thoughts of his other life. He calculated that he was somewhere close to seventeen now. In this world that was a grown man. Sarbo still teased him but treated him with more respect than he had before.

Dagon had seemed pleased that Mark had chosen to ask long talk about Mark’s run-in with the Merkon and decided that if the Overlord or any of his men ever came to the village again they would simply be told that Mark had never returned.

Mark closed his eyes and was about to drift off to sleep when he heard a branch break. Silently he reached for the crossbow near his fingertips and rolled away from the fire into the shadows.

"Ho, the fire. I am a weary traveler looking for food and a place to spend the night."

Mark stayed in the shadows. "Come forward and lay down your weapons."

A man wearing armor walked out in the opening and leaned down to place his sword on the ground. When he did there was a rustling in the brush behind Mark.

He rolled but it was too late. A large man jumped on him and wrestled the crossbow out of his hands. Mark struggled but it was no use. He was pinned solidly to the ground.

The other man. picked up his sword and walked over. "Well, well, what have we here? It appears to be our young outlaw. Let him up, Francle. I think we know this one."

"Roan?" Mark scrambled out from under his attacker. "Is that you? And Francle? What are you doing way out here?"

"Looking for you." Roan helped him to his feet and Francle patted his shoulder apologetically. "Of course we never expected to find you camping out in the hills. Why are you not in your village keeping company with your girl? Did she throw you over?"

"No. In fact, we’re getting married in a few months. I’m just out hunting."

"Not having much luck, by the looks of things."

"Never mind about that. You said you were looking for me. Why?"

Roan walked to the fire and sat down. "I am afraid we come with bad news. Jod and the others are all dead. Mordo caught them at the trader’s on the other side of the river. He killed everyone, including the old trader and his family. Francle and I were guarding the camp or we would have been with them."

"I’m sorry, Roan." Mark sat beside him. "Look, the two of you can come live with me. I have a good cabin in the village."

"There is more, Kakon. Mordo has taken his father’s place. You wounded the Merkon so severely that he stays in his rooms now. Mordo has vowed revenge on you. He burned the forest looking for you and now he and most of his father’s army are on their way here to find you."

Mark swallowed. It took a few seconds for the impact of Roan’s message to sink in. Mordo was determined to kill him. And he would stop at nothing to see that it was done.

"I have put my village in danger, Roan. I never should have come back." Mark began kicking dirt on the fire. "I have to warn them and then I will leave ... forever."

"Where will you go, Kakon? The Merkon’s son will hunt you no matter where you run."

Mark stopped. "I will run only so long as it pleases me. When the Merkon’s son is in my territory, then I will fight."

"Now that sounds more like it!" Roan said. "It just so happens that at the moment Francle and I are homeless. We would be more than happy to come along."

Francle nodded vigorously.

Mark shook his head. "It is my fight. I can’t ask you to risk your lives."

"Who is asking? Besides, I owe Mordo. He is the one who turned me in. Remember?"

"You are a good friend, Roan." Mark’s voice was dangerously cold and even. "But this is something I have to do alone."

chapter
53

"Please try to understand, Megaan. I’m leaving because I care for you and your people. As long as I am here you are all in danger. Mordo will burn the whole village and kill everyone in it. He doesn’t care whom he hurts as long as it gets him closer to me."

"But our warriors will fight for you. They have taken a blood oath. My father says we will fight to the last man if necessary."

"Don’t you see? If I leave here no one else has to die. There’s no other way."

"Let him go, Megaan." Leeta stepped out on the porch. "Kakon has chosen the right way. If you care for him you will not hold him back."

Megaan buried her face in his chest. "When this is over..."

Mark held her close. "When it is over."

Barow brought up the silver mount. "You have much food and supplies, Kakon. Your pouch with the black exploding powder is wrapped to keep it dry."

"Thank you, Barow." Mark took the reins. "I’m going to need you to take care of things for me again. Especially watch out for your sister. Even if she is a little hardheaded and bossy." He smiled down at Megaan.

Dagon stood up from the bench where he was sitting with Sarbo, Roan and Francle. "I wish you much luck, Kakon. And remember, this will always be your home."

Mark nodded. "I’ll remember."

"Good-bye, infant," Sarbo bellowed. "I have decided I do not care for funerals much. Come back alive."

"I’ll see what I can do."

Roan cocked his head. "Are you sure Francle and I cannot come? We would welcome the opportunity to pay Mordo for his treachery."

"Not this time." Mark let Megaan go and jumped onto his mount. He gave them all one last long look. He tried to imprint their faces on his memory.

It was time to leave.

A warning blast sounded from the tower, immediately followed by two more. Mark pulled up. He had waited too long. Mordo was already there.

"I’ll lead them away," Mark shouted. He sank his heels into the mount’s sides and raced down the road.

Two warriors were scrambling to close the front gate. Mark darted through the narrow opening and stopped on the other side. In the distance Mordo and his army were marching toward the village.

Mark stood by the wall and waited until he was sure they could see him clearly. Then he headed for the mountain.

It worked. Mordo and his army broke into a run and came after him.

Mark flew up the hill, jumping and crashing through the brush. Years ago, when he had tried to escape slavery this way, he hadn’t known where he was going. Now he did. He knew exactly where he was taking them. He only hoped they would follow.

Behind him he could hear orders being shouted and the sound of running animals. Once he was over the crest of the hill he slipped into the valley below and rode down the canyon in the open to make sure they didn’t lose sight of him.

An arrow whistled past his head. Mark turned off into a thicket. There was an old path that was almost overgrown. He had found it the month before when he was out hunting.

The army had to slow down and travel single file through the thorny brush. By the time they made it through the tangle, Mark was already up on the next hill watching them. He let his beast rest and waited for them to regroup.

He counted them. Forty men. Not an extremely large army but enough to overwhelm most villages.

Someone spotted him on the hillside and yelled. At once the chase was on.

Mark moved the silver beast into a trot. If they kept on like this, by nightfall he would have them well away from the village. After that he wasn’t really sure what his plans were. The main thing was to keep them on unfamiliar territory and keep them moving.

Mordo was more than willing to cooperate. He was relentless in the chase. Twice he thought he and his men had Mark cornered, only to find that the warrior had escaped from under their noses.

They followed him until the daylight vanished, then Mordo reluctantly ordered them to make a cold camp on the side of a mountain.

Mark made camp too, in the rocks just above them, where he could keep an eye on their activities. He slept for a few hours, then made sure his mount was tied securely and crept down to their camp. He lay watching for a long time, until he was certain the guard watching their mounts was asleep. Then he collected the bridles from their beasts, which wandered off as soon as they were untied. He dumped the bridles into a nearby deep pit.

He had planned to relieve the group of some of their supplies as well, but one of the loose mounts knocked over a small dead tree, awakening the men.

Mark returned to his own camp, gathered his things and circled to the bottom of the mountain to wait for morning.

chapter
54

Now that most of Mordo’s men were on
foot, Mark didn’t have to hurry. He led them along slowly and used the time to plan.

They had been traveling for two days and were headed straight for the jungle. At first Mark was worried that Mordo might not continue the chase, but Roan had been right. The Merkon’s son was not about to let anything stop him from getting revenge.

On the outskirts of the jungle Mark got off his mount and removed his supply bags and weapons. Where he was going now was no place for the big animal. The beast would not be able to walk through the tangled trees and vines.

He stroked the animal’s soft neck. "You go back to the village — they’ll take care of you there." He stepped back and slapped the beast hard on the rear. It jumped and then bolted off in the direction they had come from.

Mark shouldered his crossbow and supplies and entered the jungle. He was careful to leave footprints for Mordo and his men to find.

The screaming birds immediately began making a fuss. Something about the sound made him smile.

He made a wide circle, deliberately avoiding water. Mordo and his men would have to find their own. He wasn’t going to show them where it lay.

Mark walked to the burned-out village of the arrow people. There was nothing left except a few blackened spots on the ground. He stood in the middle of the space, remembering what it had been like. He had been so glad to find people back then. Leeta and her tribe had been his first contacts in Transall. They had taught him that in this world, war and killing weren’t a part of life, they were life.

He walked to the place where the arrow people had cut the path out of the jungle. It was completely overgrown now. Mark found a good spot to hide his supplies and took his water pouch to see if the stream was still there.

After he had found the water, he gathered his things and headed deeper into the jungle. He wanted Mordo to follow him, but from here on he would make it more difficult.

Occasionally he left footprints and broke off twigs but he moved faster than before. He wanted to get to the dark jungle and have a chance to prepare before the army got there.

It started raining. Mark remembered how it used to rain suddenly here. A clap of thunder broke the silence and the drops flooded down in sheets.

He knew how to stay dry by sticking close to the broad-leafed trees, but as he traveled deeper into the jungle he didn’t feel the rain at all. It could not penetrate the heavy overgrowth.

He passed through the clearing where he had killed the Howling Thing and went on to the large pool. He was careful not to leave any sign that he had been there. When he left he would cover his tracks so that Mordo and his men would not find the water.

There was a rabbit creature watering at the edge. Mark moved closer until he could see his reflection. The young man looking back at him was a stranger. He had powerful shoulders and a full chest. His hair hung to the middle of his back and his tanned-hide clothing fit closely.

So this was what the years had done to him. He liked it. The whisker-stubbled face looking back at him was a good one, capable and strong. A thought flashed through his mind. If he had not come to Transall he probably would have looked entirely different.

He knelt and scooped up a handful of the cool water. Then he carefully backtracked to the trail he was creating for Mordo’s men.

Finally he made it to the meadow at the edge of the dark jungle. This was where he had spent those first critical months learning how to survive. He wondered at the thought of it. It had seemed hopeless back then. Now he could exist anywhere he chose. The animals and the elements were no longer a threat. In a strange way they had become his friends.

Something stirred in the bushes. Mark knew without looking what it was. A buffalo creature had picked up his scent and was looking for him. He stood completely still and waited for it to give up and go away.

Then he moved across the meadow to the spot where he had built his tree house. The jungle had taken it over. His ladder was still there, and he hacked away at the vines until he could climb it.

The floor of his old house had fallen through. He looked up to the top branches, half expecting to see the little white monkey-bear, Willie, that had been his friend during those rough times.

The thunder rumbled again. He could hear the rain pelting the tops of the trees. Before he climbed down he stripped several long pieces of bark off the weathered branches he had used to make the floor of his tree house and tucked them under his arm.

The dark jungle still unnerved him. He stepped into the shadows and let his eyes adjust to the dim light. If Mordo and his men were smart they would not follow him here. It was a dangerous place even when you knew your way around.

Mark tied long vines across the trail at ankle height in a few strategic places. Then he hid his pieces of dry bark. Later he would pour some of his black powder on them.

He tested a nearby hanging vine and quickly, almost effortlessly, climbed it. In the top branches of the tree he tied his supply bags to a limb.

The clicking started.

Mark grabbed some tree rocks, crouched on the branch and waited for the monkey-bears to appear. He had played this trick on them years before.

They assembled in the tree to his right. Mark remained motionless until they were about to attack him, expecting him to walk by on the ground below.

Then Mark jumped up, growled and tossed the rocks at them. He laughed as they raced for cover in the jungle.

One little white creature stayed behind. Mark stared into its eyes. "Willie? Is that you?"

For a moment it looked as if the monkey-bear might stay. Mark held his hand out. Suddenly it whirled and raced after the others into the safety of darkness.

"I guess it’s been too long,’! Mark muttered. He swung to the ground and walked out of the dark jungle: There was no sign of Mordo and his men. He didn’t understand. He had practically blazed a trail for them to follow. They should be here by now.

He checked his supply of arrows and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. There was nothing to do but try to find them.

He took a step and a tree rock hit him in the center of the back. Mark turned. A monkey-bear was sitting on the ground just outside the shadows, looking perfectly innocent.

Mark picked up the rock and tossed it back. Like lightning, the monkey-bear reached up and caught it.

"Willie?" Mark sat down and waited for the creature to come closer. It took its time but finally it was standing close.

Mark gave the signal to climb on his back. Without hesitation Willie leaped on his shoulders and threw his arms around Mark’s neck.

"Good to see you," Mark said.

Willie chattered something and Mark reached around and stroked his head. "You wait here. I have to go check on something. We’ll get reacquainted when I come back."

Mark set him on the ground. Willie chattered a scolding that followed Mark across the meadow. It reminded him of the last time he had left his little friend.

Except for the usual sounds, the jungle was quiet. This baffled Mark. He was sure he had left a trail they could follow. Where were they?

He backtracked to the clearing where he had killed the Howling Thing. There was no sign of the army. Then, instead of going back through the burned-out village, Mark cut across to the spot where he thought the army would enter.

It was almost dark and he could see campfires outside the jungle. Apparently the men had decided not to come in after him.

Mark crept closer and hid behind the trunk of a large red tree. He could see Mordo pacing back and forth with a scowl on his face. Another soldier was loudly complaining that the small troop he had sent into the jungle to do some scouting ought to be back by now.

So that’s it, Mark thought. Mordo wasn’t sure he wanted to go into the jungle. Instead he had sent in a scouting expedition. Well, that wasn’t good enough. Mark backed into the shadows. Tomorrow he would think of a way to convince Mordo to join him.