“He believed yeh deserved this, no doubt, but it didn’t have to be so deep. He should have just left yeh alone. What with the coming battles…?”
“Why should it matter?” replied Dinah. “If anything, I’m going to be executed in a few days, just long enough to see Morte put to death. Mundoo no doubt wants me dead, he just wants to prolong the process. And why wouldn’t he? It’s no secret that the Yurkei are not fans of the royal family, nor should they be.” She raised her eyes to Yur-Jee, who watched them with barely concealed hatred from the banks of the stream. “Mundoo might lose his chance,” she muttered. “There are plenty of people here who would like to see my head on a stake, sooner rather than later.”
“The Yurkei don’t behead,” said Sir Gorrann calmly as he dunked his head under the stream. “They drop their prisoners from the wings of the cranes onto the stones below.” He stopped, suddenly aware of what that image would do to Dinah. “I’m sorry, Yer Highness. I forgot.”
She spread her fingers in the water, seeing Charles on the stone slab. “Don’t be sorry. It would be fitting to die like my brother. There would be a great balance to it.” Dinah was suddenly aware that the noisy stream had grown very silent. The Yurkei women were climbing naked out of the water and gathering up their children with whispered words of compliance. The children struggled, unhappy to have their playtime cut short, but the women carried them away, everyone wet and nude and healthy. Within seconds, Dinah and Sir Gorrann were the only ones left in the stream. Dinah heard the crunch of branches behind her and turned, her arms wrapped tightly across her chest, her heart thudding beneath them.
Two huge feet stood before her on the bank—gnarled, gross feet—huge slabs of meat marked with callouses and scars. They led up to the tallest man Dinah had ever seen. It was strange seeing someone with a similar skin tone here in the depth of Yurkei country. His hair was a honeyed brown rather than white, though it was long and cut in the Yurkei manner. His hair came to a downward point on his forehead, his eyes a dull green. A jagged scar ran from his chin up past his cheek, mingling with the white stripes of paint that ran from under his eye to his shins. He wore only a feather loincloth and his massive muscles bulged underneath, taut with veins. Thighs and arms like tree trunks stretched out from his jaggedly rigid stomach. He was a giant, the most massive man Dinah had ever seen, one that would dwarf even her father. In one hand he clutched an elaborately curved bow and arrow. In the other was a Heartsword.
Dinah’s stomach gave a lurch when she saw the sunlight flicker off the double-sided blade. Only her father and the highest-ranking Cards carried Heartswords. She stared in wonder, her arms pressed tightly over her round breasts. The man glowered at them before throwing his weapons on the bank. Without warning, he reached down and plucked Dinah straight out of the water by clasping both of her arms at her side and lifting, as easily as if he had picked up a rag doll. Something felt as if it was ripping inside her shoulder. She struggled, but it was no use. His grip was as strong as iron. Her feet dangled above the ground. Sir Gorrann struggled to climb out of the stream, his eyes on the man.
The man sneered as he looked into Dinah’s surprised face. “This skinny dark-eyed girl is the great Princess of Wonderland? The one who bested her father, who stole his horse and left a bloody trail behind her? It can’t be. You are barely the size of my thigh and weak as a newly hatched worm. Are you her, this legendary warrior, the Rebel Queen? Answer me, child.”
Dinah strained her neck to look up at him, water streaming into her eyes. Her mouth seemed unable to form words.
“Speak up!” he bellowed, his breath blowing her hair back. Dinah bit her lip, the fury inside of her poking its head out of slumber. She twisted to free herself, but it was of no use. Instead she fixed her black eyes on his.
“I am Dinah, the former Princess of Wonderland, and this is my guard, Sir Gorrann, a Spade, and one of the most feared trackers in the Cards.”
“So I have heard,” he said. “A naked drowned rat and her old man guardian; this is who I am to train?” With a laugh, he set her down on the ground. “Pleased to meet you. You can call me Bah-kan. As you may have noticed, I do not look like most of my brothers here in Hu-Yuhar. You may be wondering who I am, that my Wonderlander speech is so perfect.” Dinah was, indeed, wondering all of these things. She nodded.
“My given name is Stern Radley, and I was once the highest-ranking Club Card in the King’s army.”
Dinah let out a gasp. Stern Radley was famous—in fact, his giant statue guarded Charles’s room. There were poems and stories about him, Stern Radley, the bravest Club to ever live.
“You’re famous,” she stuttered, her lips blue with cold. “And dead!”
The huge man let out a bellow that seemed to rustle the trees around them. “So Wonderland Palace would have you believe. My Yurkei name, the true name you will call me, is Bah-kan, which means the Tall Warrior. I am here to train you.” His eyes traveled over Dinah’s form. “You have my permission to dress.” He set her down roughly.
Dinah staggered over to her red tunic and white feather pants, as light as a whisper when she pulled them over her stinging wet skin. Sir Gorrann climbed out as well, his hands covering his groin as he eyed Bah-kan.
“Stories of your mighty death resound in the halls of the Cards,” he said forcefully. “How is it that you are now a Yurkei warrior, though you bear the highest honors of Wonderland Palace?” His tone was accusing. Traitor.
“Ah, that’s a story for another time. For now, we must go. Mundoo insists that training begin today, for both of you.” He gave Sir Gorrann a hard slap on the shoulder. “It’s good to see another Card, even if it must be a Spade. It’s a wonder you kept her alive. Spades aren’t exactly known for their abilities.”
Sir Gorrann lunged naked toward Bah-kan, who brought down his palm straight against the Spade’s chest without flinching. Sir Gorrann flew back into the stream as if he was thrown there by the gods. He surfaced with a furious look on his face, water streaming from his gray hair. Dinah tried to control it, but laughter was churning its way up her throat and before long she was laughing so hysterically that she was doubled over. Tears reddened her eyes. The whole situation, everything, was so terrible, so strange and confusing, and yet, she could only laugh at Sir Gorrann simmering in the water, looking like a drowned cat. The giant Yurkei warrior standing guard laughed quietly to himself as she quickly pulled her hair into a low bun.
Bah-kan cleared his throat. “I’m glad to give you a laugh, Princess. Your training will commence in a few minutes. Follow this path by the river, turn right at the waterfall and then come to a rest in front of the livestock pen, just below the knee of the crane.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Perhaps you are just as mad as they say, just like your brother. Personally, I can’t wait to find out.” Bah-kan gathered up his weapons and stomped off. Normally this sort of insult would have sent Dinah into a rage, but instead it just made her laugh harder. Eventually, the Spade joined in, laughing while he floated on his back in the stream, his nudity out for the world to see as he spat water into the air. It was a good while before they trekked their way back to the valley floor, dripping wet and laughing the entire way.
Unfortunately, the laughter didn’t last. Bah-kan was a brutal fighter and a merciless trainer. He had no stomach for weakness and made a game out of fighting them with one hand—and sometimes with no hands. Crowds of Yurkei gathered around them each morning to watch Bah-kan humiliate and exploit their weaknesses. The focus was on Dinah, but he also sparred with Sir Gorrann several times a day. Those fights were incredible to watch, and Dinah felt that she learned more from watching those than when she herself was in the ring. Even Mundoo, who took mysterious journeys into the mountain tunnels during the day, made rare appearances to watch the fights. Bah-kan would arm himself with the Heartsword, Sir Gorrann with his sword and dagger. Bah-kan would begin with a charge—a sight that would stop lesser men dead in their tracks. Sir Gorrann would spin out of t
he way, light on his feet, the tip of his sword snapping out to catch Bah-kan as he passed. Bah-kan might be huge, but he was quick like a much lighter man. He spun around the opposite direction and swung his Heartsword arm up from the ground, hoping to catch the Spade’s neck. Sir Gorrann bent backwards and removed his dagger from his boot before winging it at Bah-kan. Bah-kan deflected the blade with the Heartsword. Then they met in the middle.
Swords flew and clanged through the valley, the swift dance of warriors, one that attracted even the best Yurkei warriors to watch and dissect. Bah-kan would preempt the Spade’s strokes and parry with his own, the Heartsword close to his breast to act as both shield and weapon. Sir Gorrann was the more cautious of the two, the more calculating. He saved his advances for those times when he had the best opportunities. Bah-kan had the advantage of strength, but he also was an intelligent fighter, one who weighed challenging maneuvers before charging in with fearless abandon. They were well matched. There were several times when Dinah feared Sir Gorrann would lose his life, when Bah-kan’s blade came a little too close, but he always leapt out of the way at the ideal moment, or cried to yield. Bah-kan would bellow at the sky and beat his breast before helping the Spade to his feet. Bah-Kan was unstoppable, she realized, perhaps the best warrior she had ever seen in her life. He was the lethal combination of a highly disciplined Card mixed with the best traits of a Yurkei warrior—equal parts brutal and graceful, moving as if he was dancing on air. Dinah realized quickly that there were none in Wonderland or Yurkei country that could best him, aside from perhaps Xavier Juflee, the Knave of Hearts. But she wasn’t sure that even he could beat Bah-kan.
After the fight, several Yurkei women would rush over to Sir Gorrann to tend his wounds as he recovered on the side of the dirt circle, spitting blood and the occasional tooth onto the ground. For some odd reason, the Yurkei women found him quite fascinating, and more than once Dinah caught him winking in their direction. Dinah and Bah-kan sparring was much less exciting, since it took only a few minutes before Dinah was face down on the ground, beaten and exhausted in every possible way. Still, she was proud that she could meet most of his blows with a somewhat broad counter strike of her own. She was no longer swinging into the air with large, heavy-handed strokes, but rather with quick strikes of her blade combined with rapid foot movement. She was no longer simply flinging her sword around out of fear of being hit; she was calculating her next move. She danced around Bah-kan, and once managed to land a hard blow just above his ribs that left him gasping. The Yurkei surrounding them had whooped and stomped their feet.
Bah-kan gave a tiny laugh and then plunged forward, rage playing across his white-striped face. Dinah jumped high to avoid a low stroke and brought the butt of her blade down hard on his knee. It was like striking a rock, and the vibrations that shot through her once-broken fingers made her wince in pain. Bah-kan was upon her then. He swung the Heartsword across her chest but stopped midswing, twisted around, and punched her in the back of the shoulder—right in the spot where Mundoo had sunk his thin blade. She screamed.
“Bah-kan!” shouted Sir Gorrann, angry.
Bah-kan shrugged. “An enemy will look for her obvious weakness. Why shouldn’t I?”
Surprised by the white-hot pain blowing through her shoulder and distracted by rage, Dinah swung her sword at his arm. It was a mistake. He caught the blade with the end of his Heartsword and wrenched backwards. Dinah’s sword went sailing into the crowd and she was left empty-handed.
“Your Highness!” Dinah looked up just in time to see Sir Gorrann toss his knife in her direction. She caught it and turned to meet Bah-kan again. The crowd was silent as Bah-kan shifted his weight from foot to foot, as if thinking of a million ways to kill her. Then he spoke.
“Your father, the King of Wonderland, is a whoremonger and a cheat.” The Yurkei cheered at his words.
Dinah clasped her hand around the dagger. “I agree!” she yelled back.
“And your father was a whore as well, except that he slept with sheep.” The crowd laughed and Bah-Kan let a smile draw across his face. “Your half-sister is a dozen times more beautiful than you, and the crown looks so lovely upon her head. I hear she is a good queen.”
Dinah felt the fury rising up inside of her, the clawing black heat that she so often pushed back down. Still, she remained calm. “You are surely right. She is lovely, even though she is a false queen.”
Bah-kan sidestepped and then charged, his Heartsword raised as if to carve her in half. Dinah rolled in front of him, clipping him at the shins and making him tumble. As she passed, she nicked the back of his calf with her dagger. Bah-kan roared as he landed, and Dinah scurried to her feet, the dagger poised to throw. For a second, she had the advantage. Bah-kan was distracted by his bleeding leg, and the Heartsword was down. Then he spoke again.
“Your mother was just as well-known for her whoring as she was for her mad son, who would have benefitted from an infant drowning. The Mad Hatter should have been left at the bottom of a lake.”
Dinah screamed with rage as the fury overtook her and she flung the knife at Bah-Kan. The blade was thrown so sloppily that it bounced off the edge of his Heartsword even though he never moved it. With inhuman speed, he reached out, caught it in his hands and flung it back at Dinah. She watched as it buried itself deep in her chest armor. Without the armor that Mundoo insisted upon, she would have been dead, but that was the least of her cares. Seeing nothing but her all-encompassing rage, she launched herself upon Bah-Kan and ripped at his ear with her teeth.
“Your Highness! Dinah! Stop!” She felt Sir Gorrann grab her waist and tug her back.
Bah-kan shoved her off with one hand. “Control her! Gods, she’s just as mad as people say!”
The crowd stared as Sir Gorrann carried her, squirming and screaming, back to her tent. That had been a dark day, but the training continued. Each and every morning her lesson was learned: when she let her fury get the best of her, she lost control of herself, her fight, and her focus. Bah-kan assaulted her with words and insults each fight after that, but Dinah never rose to the challenge. She remained calm and in control and told herself that revenge was best taken with a blade—not a violent tantrum. Bah-kan’s strength and skill always bested her in the end, and would forever, but Dinah grew exponentially as a fighter each time his Heartsword met her blade. Between the training that Wardley had given her growing up, the time she had spent learning from Sir Gorrann in the woods, and the brutal, one-on-one fighting with Bah-kan now, Dinah felt increasingly more comfortable with the blade in her hand. The next day, she faced off sword-to-sword with a dozen different Yurkei warriors, and more often than not, she beat them.
When she boasted, Bah-kan laughingly reminded her that it wasn’t the accomplishment she thought it was—the Yurkei’s main weapon was not a blade, but a bow and arrow (a weapon with which Dinah was utterly useless). In a real battle, she wouldn’t get within a hundred yards of them unless they didn’t have their bows and arrows; even then, if they just had daggers, she would still lose. This didn’t matter to Dinah. When her opponent was laid out on the ground in front of her, her silver blade held against his heaving throat, a rush of pride and fury flooded Dinah’s system. She loved the feeling of winning a fight. It was no wonder her father had found battle so intoxicating—when you didn’t know if you would live or die after this moment, the moment when you found that magical opening in which to slip your blade was otherworldly grace.
After their seventh day of training, Bah-kan released Dinah early, saying that he had to visit his wife and brood of children, who lived at the other end of the valley. Dinah smiled at the thought—Bah-kan and his large Yurkei wife, and their tent full of monstrous children, all taller than the rest of the Yurkei children, with dyed white hair and shining blue eyes.
Dinah was exhausted and wished to go to bed, but Sir Gorrann stiffly informed her that she must find other ways to occupy her time. When she put up a fight, he insisted that he had pressing
matters in their tent; he wouldn’t tell Dinah what they were, but gently shoved her out the door after checking her healed wound. Dinah suspected his pressing appointment was with one of the Yurkei women who was fond of watching him bathe every day, but she kept her mouth shut and gathered a small meal of eggs before leaving. Sir Gorrann lowered the tent flap in her face after ordering her to find them some ripe fruit in the Yurkei orchard. Dinah sighed. It was late afternoon, and the falling sun was just beginning to cast a hazy golden glow on the valley. Free time? Without her guards? It was a foreign concept to her at this point.
After a few minutes of consideration, she decided to walk the length of the valley to the orchard. She still had an hour or so before the sun set in the east. She longed to see what rested behind the highest mountain ridge, the northernmost hill with a winding staircase carved deep into its steep side. Dinah took her time getting there, and found herself wandering along the outer mountain face of the valley as the Yurkei settled into their tents in the late afternoon. Dim lights from white torches flickered within the fabric tents, giving the valley an enchanted, mythical glow, like ethereal clouds had floated into its midst. As she walked, Dinah saw the lowered eyes of the tribe as she passed them, a sign of disrespect. The Yurkei’s distrust and anger toward her remained, but she was no longer spit upon or had rocks thrown at her when she left her tent, and that was a vast improvement. Many of them crossed the valley to avoid walking next to her, and Dinah wondered if it was just that they didn’t want to chance touching her, of if they were afraid of her. Her sessions with Bah-kan and Sir Gorrann were growing in popularity, and while she always lost, she was a strong fighter.
Time passed slowly here, and Dinah wandered aimlessly through the valley for a few hours; her only excitement was when she pressed herself against the mountain to avoid a group of tan ponies galloping through. The twilight hours of the Yurkei Mountains were their playtime, and the thundering of hooves had become a comforting sound each night when Dinah fell asleep. The Yurkei life was so peaceful, so different than the life she had grown up with at the palace—a life of politics and games, of tarts and dresses and Cards. Here, one simply lived and toiled against the ground. It was about community and a natural life. Possessions didn’t matter much to the Yurkei—only land and horses mattered to them, the wilds around them, the mountains and the birds, all the things they worshipped in one way or another. It was, of course, land that her father desired from them. And if she had been crowned Queen beside him, as she had desired her entire life, she probably would have consented to the Yurkei raids, and eventually to a war—after all, they seemed to come every thirty years or so. Wonderlanders feared the Yurkei while at the same time desiring their freedom and the connection they had with the wild nature of Wonderland itself. Her head spinning, Dinah watched a stunning pale mare run feverish loops across the valley. In the distance, dozens of white cranes folded their wings in a massive twig nest that nestled against a rocky outcrop. I could stay here, thought Dinah with surprise, I could be happy here. She could become a Yurkei warrior, live in a flat tent that was suspended from the mountainside and learn to love the heights of the ropes strewn between the two mountains.