I rolled to my feet and wrapped both hands around the hilt of my tsincaat. "This is the last time, Tafano. Send Rasha away or anything I do to him I do to you!"
Tafano looked at his horse. "Rasha," he commanded, balling a fist and slamming it into the ground, "stomp him!"
Blindly obedient to his master, Rasha charged and reared up in front of me. Eyes wide and nostrils flared, he kicked out at me. I dodged back as a hoof slashed past my left ear. I brandished my tsincaat, but the horse ignored it and kept coming. He reared, then stomped and jumped forward. With each motion he drove me back.
I retreated from five attacks before I had the pattern. On the sixth assault, as two hooves pounded and tore the ground at my feet, I dodged left and forward. Rasha reared and just missed my right shoulder with a futile kick as I rushed along his flank. Even as the horse roared furiously and twisted to bite at me, I slashed through the powerful muscles bunched on his gaskins and he went down in a dusty heap.
I reeled away from the horse and my mouth soured. The animal lay there and thrashed, screaming. Blood spurted from his hindquarters, yet he still pawed the ground with his forelegs and tried to drag himself toward me. I wanted to turn away from the pitiable sight, but I had to respect the fierce determination in the beast's eyes. The horse would never surrender while he had a duty to perform, making it clear to me that I, too, had a duty to perform. Numbed by his suffering, I circled the horse and pressed my right palm to his broad, starred forehead. In seconds I took Rasha beyond all pain.
I laid Kasha's head on the ground and heard the squealing protests of dented armor as Tafano tried to get up again.
"For that, Talion, you will die very slowly!" His voice was weak but full of venom and arrogance. I had to pay because I'd done something I'd begged him to remove from me.
Utter rage flashed through me like fire across a puddle of lamp oil. I spun, pounced on Tafano, knocked him to the ground, and rained blow after blow on his face. I shattered his aquiline nose and pulped his full, noble lips. I kicked his hands from beneath him as he tried to rise and I stood with one foot on his chest until his struggles taxed his strength so heavily that he could not rise against the weight of his armor.
Tafano lay there in the hot afternoon sun like a beetle trapped on its back. I stalked over to Rasha and tugged Tafano's greatsword free of the saddle scabbard. Twice the length of my tsincaat, the blade was as dull as an old paring knife. It needed no edge because it cut through nothing; it smashed through anything it hit. A warrior wielding the sword in battle could crush armor and shatter the bones beneath it. It was a terrible weapon, one that granted lingering death as opposed to something more swift and merciful, but at that moment I could think of no more perfect weapon in the world.
I looked down at Tafano and studied his blood-smeared face. He stared at me with his left eye. There was no fear there, only anger. And the grand arrogance of his people.
"I warned you. What you forced me to do to the horse ..." I took one solemn step toward his feet and raised the greatsword. I held it there, for a heartbeat, and brought it down as Tafano raised his head just in time to look, and just in time to scream.
The armor over his thighs dented as easily as a tin tavern cup hurled against a wall, and his legs broke as simply as my lances had. Tafano clawed at the ground and threw great clods of grass and earth into the air as he writhed in pain. Then some god showed Tafano the mercy he'd denied Rasha. The Imperianan fainted.
* * *
Tossing the greatsword aside, I summoned my tsincaat and stalked across the field. Morai sat on a log back beneath the growing shadows of the forest. Selia sat beside him, and they were laughing. Something inside of me, something touched by the horse's death and the events in Pine Springs, just snapped. "Enough, Morai, enough. I'm tired of chasing you all over."
The both of them stopped and stared at me as if I were an intruder in some noble's love garden. Selia started to speak, but Morai laid a gentle hand on her forearm and she stopped. He stood. "Whatever do you mean, Talion?"
I stared at him with disbelief. "I've got at least a dozen warrants with your name on them in my saddlebags." I looked back toward Wolf. "You're wanted in every nation west of Imperiana—Memkar just being the most recent. Go read them for yourself."
The bandit laughed easily and shook his head. "You know I eschew reading those things."
I snorted and rubbed my left hand against my sweat-slick forehead. "Them, and anything else, you illiterate fraud."
Morai shrugged easily, then stared at me. "Talion, are you serious?"
I screwed my eyes shut and tried to massage away the pain throbbing through my head so I could think clearly, but it was no use. "Yes, Morai, its over. It was one thing for you to head up a pack of bandits stealing things here and there. Selling your services to nobles who want to overthrow their government is another thing entirely."
"But common banditry was getting boring. At least when intriguing you meet a much better class of people."
"That may well be, Morai, but you can't be allowed to bring governments down."
A hint of irony threaded its way through his reply. "Better a bandit than a power broker, is it? Is that because upsetting peasants is preferable to upsetting nobles—perhaps because the nobles can read?"
I opened my eyes just a bit. "You know better than that. I've chased you before this, remember?"
"You have, Talion, and your point is well taken. I'll heed your advice." Morai smiled, held his hands up, then clapped them together once. "As I was telling Selia here I'd decided to abandon political intrigues and leave off banditry. I will leave this area and become a jewel thief. There's always some bauble worth stealing somewhere."
I shook my head. "No! I mean it has to stop—all of it. Your career is over. This is the end, Morai."
The smile on his face melted into a thin, grim line. "Swords, then?" I nodded, and he drew a pair of gloves from his belt and pulled them onto his hands. He freed his swept-hilt longsword from its scabbard—which had been belted to a low tree branch—and scythed through golden grass stalks with some idle cuts.
He looked up at me and moved to my left. A breastwork of long grass stood between us. "If you want me, Talion, come and get me." He struck a guard and waited.
I took three steps toward him and the ground fell away beneath my feet.
I hit the bottom of the pit in a shower of branches and grass clods. I coughed out the dust and spit out the grit grinding and crackling between my teeth. I'd broken nothing in my fall and my pleasure in that turn of events shattered the dark mood that possessed me. I stood and saw that the hole was too tall for me to jump out of, and the walls too weak to support any attempt to climb out.
Morai did not laugh when he looked over the pit's edge at me. "I am truly sorry I had to do this to you, Talion. I did not want to fight you. If I killed you your Master would send more Talions after me. That would be inconvenient."
I laughed and dusted myself off. "Others would be more bother than I have, I imagine. Had the possibility that I might beat you arisen?"
Morai smiled. "Yes, and it was dismissed in due course." He pointed at the pit. "I estimated that you could collapse a wall of the pit, digging with your sword ..."
"Tsincaat."
"Tsincaat in four or five hours. In that time Selia and I will be long gone. You won't hear of me for a month or two and then who knows?"
Selia appeared at the edge of the pit. She smiled weakly and a bit apprehensively. She tossed my canteen down to me.
"I thought you might like that. I've hobbled Wolf in the shade where he can get some grass."
I smiled back at her. "Thank you. You are going with Morai of your own accord?"
For a second she was shocked, then she smiled at my concern. "Yes. Accompanying him is my choice."
I looked over at Morai. "Let her get hurt and after I take apart those who hurt her, I'll find you."
"I will take good care of her, Talion." He held his hand
out to her and she took it. "Just so you know, I didn't take my people in to Memkar because the nobles who purchased my services were buffoons. Their enemies found them out, which is why a ship burned and sank on Lake Tiakly with loss of all the conspirators on board. I'm not above exploiting political fantasies, Talion, but I have no intention of triggering wars to enrich myself."
I nodded up at him. "I believe you, oddly enough."
"As well you should. You know I've never lied to you." Morai tossed me a quick salute. "And I wish you the best until we meet again."
* * *
I'd worked at the pit wall for the better part of two hours before the first shadow passed overhead and blotted out the sun. I heard a Hawk cry and Wolf whinny in response. I redoubled my efforts to collapse the wall and climb out in four or five seconds. The task was impossible and I cursed Morai for it. I knew I was doomed.
Two smiling Elites looked down at me and laughed. I was covered with dust and dirt that my sweat transformed into a muddy coat. I'd tossed my tunic and jerkin up out of the pit earlier and it was impossible to tell that my pants and boots had once been the same dark shade. I rubbed my right forearm across my brow and succeeded only in transferring the dirt on my arm to my face.
"I told you, Erlan, it couldn't be mantrap. It caught a Justice. " A young blond Elite looked across the pit at Erlan and they both burst out laughing.
I growled. "Don't tell me you Elites couldn't find something else to amuse you between Talianna and here."
Erlan stopped laughing and smiled at me. "Careful, Nolan, or we'll leave you there." Erlan dropped to his knees and reached a hand down for me. "Tadd, get my legs so I don't slide in there with him."
The joking Elite complied with Erlan's wishes and they had me out quickly. I stood and scraped as much of the dirt from me as I could. Beyond Erlan I saw two Imperial Hawks hooded and hobbled in the middle of the meadow. One was preening itself while the other was trying to get to Tafano's horse.
"Can I feed Fleet some of the horse?" Tadd walked toward his Hawk.
"Go ahead." I turned to Erlan. "Can you ride with Tadd back to Talianna, or ride Wolf? I need about two hours to catch Morai."
Erlan shook his head. He pulled a sealed letter from inside his jerkin and handed it to me. It had the Master's personal seal.
I broke it open and walked a pace or two away from Erlan. The message read: "Return to Talianna without delay. Stop shaving." I extended the message to Erlan. "The Master weaves with invisible thread."
Erlan shrugged his shoulders and refolded the paper. "Who can tell the Master's mind? Tadd has orders concerning Wolf he's to open once we leave. You'll fly Fleet and I'll take Val back. We're to leave now, and I was told to use any means necessary to get you there."
I shot Erlan a sidelong glance. "That sounds like words from Lord Eric's mouth."
The Elite nodded. "He told me I would not be disciplined if I had to use physical force on you."
"Oh. I'll feel threatened if you wish."
Erlan laughed out loud and caught me with a playful cuff. "Let's go."
I got my saddlebags and swordbelt from Wolf. I led him to the Hawks. Tadd held the reins while I sat down and pulled off my riding boots. Erlan tossed me a pair of soft-soled boots used for riding Hawks and I put those on while he stowed my boots in the saddlebags.
Tadd swung up into Wolfs saddle. "Hey, Nolan, that guy over there is still alive."
"I know." I pulled a shirt on but did not button it up.
Tadd looked a bit puzzled. "I can take him to a town. They might be able to fix him up."
I shook my head. "No, leave him." I climbed onto Fleet's back and reached up to unhood him.
"But he's in pain. He's struggling to get out of that armor."
"Tadd, leave him." My voice was harder than before.
Tadd turned toward Erlan, who had mounted Val. "But leaving him in such pain is cruel."
I used the Call. "It's justice, Talion."
Tadd turned back and faced me. The motion was slow. My words dragged him around and he resisted it as much as he could. He lost the fight.
I slid my tsincaat into the saddle scabbard. "Tafano had his cavalry ride through a Bosal village, killing anything that moved. He's caused untold suffering and pain. He chose to defend himself with that horse over there, refusing to call it off when I asked. I had to cripple it before I could kill it."
Erlan and I took to the air. We left Tadd staring at Tafano. I knew he'd leave the meadow alone, but I could only hope, when he left, he'd understand.
Chapter Six
Novice: Fourteen
My heart rode in my throat, squeezed up there by the nervousness that tightened my chest and tied my stomach in queasy knots. Although, as Fourteens, we'd spent enough time around the Hawks to believe ourselves Elites instead of Justice novices, the birds were still unfamiliar enough to make flying solo a difficult experience. And now, after only two weeks of solo frights, our instructor expected us to stoop a Hawk at a target!
Our instructor, a grizzled old Elite with no hair and a scar on his upper lip that gave him a perpetual sneer, had forced us to straddle sections of logs and pretend they were Hawks until he satisfied himself we all had the commands memorized and instantly available. He stalked through the ranks and screamed out a command. If novice hesitated or gave the wrong signal, a stinging blow from the Elite's quirt rewarded him. Though one of the best in our group, I got hit twice and could still feel the last lash tingling on my right arm.
After a morning of instruction in the middle of a hot field the Elite Fourteens flew their Hawks out to us and dismounted. Soon after their arrival three Lancers leading twenty old, broken-down nags appeared. Each horse had a stick and straw dummy tied into the saddle to serve as our targets for the afternoon's exercise.
I picked Valiant as my mount. Erlan turned the reins over to me and scowled. "You hurt Valiant and you better march back to Sinjaria before I get my hands on you."
I smiled at his concern and pulled myself into the saddle. "You just better hope Val doesn't like me better as a master, Erlan ra Leth. Might get away from me and I don't believe you quick enough to dodge his attack."
I signaled Valiant to fly and he spread his wings. With two powerful sweeps of his wings we cleared the ground. Leaving the earth always pressed me down into the saddle, and this time was no exception. Still I maintained a strong grip on the reins and with gentle touches of my quirt I let Valiant know I was in command and intended to stay that way. I flew him a bit to the south, well clear of other Hawks taking off, then signaled him to climb and join the instructor and the others in formation.
All the Justice Fourteens were in the flight. Marana, Lothar, and I flew younger birds, as did most of the other Fourteens. Because of their heavier weights, Jevin and one big Imperianan novice, as well as the instructor, had to fly older birds. The older birds required more strength to handle, but had better training than the younger Hawks so were a bit easier to control.
Cotton-mouthed, I really wished to be on the ground riding a horse. While a horse cannot match the speed of a Hawk, the drop to the ground is much shorter. And horses don't eat meat. Hawks have a nasty tendency to land near a fallen rider and feed as if nothing was out of the ordinary. My threat to Erlan, while offered in jest, was an Elite's nightmare.
Down below, the Lancers organized half of the Elites and gave each of them two horses with straw men in the saddles. The other half wandered off with two Lancers across the golden meadow below us. In theory the birds had been trained to take riders and spare the horses. Our task was to guide the Hawk so it sighted the target and restrain it from attacking the horse in the event the Hawk decided it wanted the larger, edible target instead of the straw man.
We circled over the field waiting for a Lancer to release a target horse. A Lancer waved at one of the Elites and a horse slowly trotted away from the group below. It wandered aimlessly into the meadow, then headed across to where the other half of the Elites s
tood waiting. A whooping cry from a waiting Lancer sped the horse up and prevented it from grazing or stopping.
Our instructor pointed at Jevin, and the Fealareen raised his quirt in acknowledgment. He reined his bird out of our formation and looped it back toward Talianna in a pass that let the Hawk's shadow drift behind the horse. Then he turned his Hawk back, let the bird sight the target, and gave it the signal to attack.
His Hawk screamed and collapsed its brown and black fletched wings. It fell from the sky with the speed of a priceless crystal goblet falling just out of reach. Jevin gripped the reins and saddle tightly, and his black hair flapped back behind his head like flashing raven's wings. He leaned back, almost lying flat on the Hawk, to make the drop faster. Only his head leaned forward so he could see.
Jevin hauled back on the reins bare seconds before impact, pulling his bird away from the horse's neck. The bird screamed again, plucked the dummy from the saddle, and turned skyward. Scenting no meat or blood, it cried out indignantly and dropped the dummy. Jevin flew over behind the horses and landed his hawk.
The next horse headed out. The instructor pointed at me.
I turned Valiant out of formation and spiraled him a bit lower. I knew a fall from even that height would kill me, but it made me feel better. My target wandered in a circle that brought it close to some trees, so I positioned Valiant for an attack from the rear, not broadside as Jevin had. Valiant bobbed his head several times to let me know he had the target sighted. I tapped his wing with my crop and we were off.
Valiant folded his wings and we dropped fast. It felt like my stomach still circled up above, and I couldn't catch my breath. The wind tore at me. It whipped my hair back—snapping it like a flag in a storm—and clawed tears from my eyes. The target blurred and swam through the tears. I leaned back as far as I could and guided Valiant in at the target.
We came in just a little to the right of the target. At the last second I pulled back and to the left on the reins. Valiant screamed and unfurled his wings. He turned hard with his left wing fully straight and stretched out to catch as much air as possible, and his right wing half collapsed. We spun sideways as Valiant snapped his right wing taut and guided us across the horse's path. I never saw the horse because I was suspended parallel to the ground with Valiant's wings reaching from meadow to sky and blotting out any view of the target. Still, straw and shreds of a red cloak flew all around me and I laughed. Valiant screamed defiantly, straightened out our flight, and glided over to where Jevin had hooded his Hawk.