Chap. 211 The Voice

Chap. 211 The Voice

K'ndar had carefully crept to his original position on the hill. The sun was now in his eyes. It was getting on in the day, something his stomach kept reminding him of.

He glassed the spot where the sentry was. He could see only the man's upper half. The man was sound asleep.

Below him, he could see a train of pack-horses, laden with firewood, standing patiently as they were being offloaded.

Raventh, tell the others I'm in position.

I will. Mirth and Arcturuth are coming.

NOOOOOOOOO!

I'm sorry, but yes.

Tell them to not come any closer than where you are. They must not be seen.

I'm just a brown. I can't tell golds or bronzes what to do.

He heaved a big sigh.

I know. ASK them, then, to stay with you and their dragons, behind me. They MUST NOT BE SEEN.

He shook his head, aggravated. Is this what leaders put up with?

Are their riders still arguing?

No. Arcturuth says they were putting their faces together just before they mounted. He says they are happy now.

K'ndar was confused for a moment...putting faces together? Oh.

That's called "kissing"

What does kissing mean? Or do?

People who love each other kiss. They put their lips together. You know how sometimes my sister, Glyena, puts her lips on you? That's kissing.

Dragons have lips, yes?

K'ndar laughed in his mind. No, dragons don't have lips. But you do nuzzle, yes? That's as close to kissing as a dragon can get.

Do humans nuzzle?

Yes, um, of course, um..really, Raventh, we don't have the time right now. I can explain it later but for now just know that humans kiss other humans as a sign of love.

How confusing. You humans are such strange beasts. One moment fighting, the next kissing?

K'ndar laughed again in his mind. Ah, Raventh, I love you, despite my never having kissed you.

When we have time, kiss me so that I know what to think.

I will. For now, they're on their way? he asked, resigned to the two leaders doing what they wanted without regard to his plans.

Yes.

Insist they must be QUIET

I did. Careth and Corvuth are flying along the ridge line. They see me, but not you. Oh, now Careth sees your back. And Siskin.

He heard the woosh of their wings before he saw them. Then two great dragons flew just over his head, very clearly above the skyline for anyone who was watching to see. Ah, that was smart. Corvuth's bronze hide was shining so brightly in the sun he DID look like a gold.

Far off, he heard a herd stallion's alarm call, and then a series of piercing whistles in the same sequence as that of a raptor. He spun his nocs to the herd. Three outriders were pulling grass colored covers over their heads, the covers long enough to completely cover themselves and their horses. Other than their hooves, the outriders had suddenly become 'invisible'.

Ah. That was what the man had meant by 'camo'. Camouflage.

The two dragons landed on a the flat rocks above where the sentry was.

Corvuth says, where is the sentry? Raventh asked.

RIGHT below them. The outriders have seen them and are covered up. They gave an alarm call.

Did the sentry see them?

No. He's asleep.

Corvuth is laughing. He says, watch this.

Corvuth roared.

The sentry jumped to his feet, his face working in surprise and consternation. K'ndar bit his tongue to keep from laughing out loud. The man looked up only to see a ledge of rock over his head. Still, he froze.

Below them, the drovers had disappeared, having dragged their horses into the caves at the outrider's whistled alarm call.

These people are extremely well trained, better than I would have believed common raiders capable of, K'ndar thought. Well, except for that sentry.

The sentry plastered himself against the rocks on hillside, desperate to keep out of sight. He managed to squeak out the same alarm signal. It sounded weak, as if the raptor that usually made it was dying.

"Siskin," K'ndar said to his blue, "Go. Fly into the caves. Look for people. Listen and send."

The fire lizard whirred away.

The two dragons launched, flying right over the sentry's head. The man repeated the alarm call, louder this time.

They flew out towards the herds, at just the right altitude to keep the animals from panicking, and just low enough for the cavern occupants to see them.

The two dragonriders turned to fly parallel to the herd. Lord Dorn took a long look at the cave entrances. He saw five openings, each separated by a few meters of rock wall. With the sun glaring into his eyes, he could not see into the caverns. But close to the entrance, he could see horses, moving restlessly. Ah, well, he thought, we know there's more than horses in those caves. But no sign of human habitation. Yes, indeed, these people had their stuff all thought out.

The dragonriders made two passes past the herd.

Inside the largest cavern, Siskin had found a high ledge on which to perch. It took but a moment for his eyes to adjust to the indirect light in the cave. He began sending images to K'ndar.

The cavern was full of men. Tables lined one entire side, the benches full of men, eating a meal. Yes, his stomach said, remember eating?

Near the entrance of the cavern, a large number of weapons was stacked. Daggers on belts were laid neatly nearby. Why would you make your own people disarm? Only four men, all very large, were armed. They bore the air of enforcers. He remembered B'rant's teaching in Weyrling school: if you treat your people badly, you won't earn their trust. Karloch must be a man who didn't trust his own men to be armed in his presence.

Kind of like how M'rvin treated me today.

Siskin's observations interrupted his rumination.

Confused and angry, the men milled around, their words a welter so thick the only word he could hear clearly was 'dragons!"

One man ran for the crossbow rack and, snatching one up from a rack, headed for the cavern's entrance.

STOP THAT FOOL a loud, oddly familiar voice rang out. Someone else jumped on the crossbowman and tore the weapon out of his hand.

"Idiot, do you want to call the whole bloody weyr down on our heads?" the one hissed. He carefully replaced the crossbow on the rack.

"Sshhh" someone said, "They're coming back. Don't move, everyone, and don't say a word. They might not see us but they will be able to hear us."

Siskin's images moved back and forth above the group of now silent men. K'ndar, through Siskin's eyes, counted twenty, but judging by the number of weapons, there had to be more. Maybe further back in the cave? Or in another? Belts. Count the belts...but an odd sound drew Siskin's attention.

A man lay on the floor of the cavern. Two green fire lizards were next to him, their eyes whirling an angry red.

Siskin, he sent, focus on the man on the floor.

Siskin says the greens know he is there but are very angry. Their human is in pain.

It was the tall man. Bloody?

The man moaned.

"Shut up, you," hissed a man, and made if to kick him. The greens both leaped at him, shrieking in fury and going for the man's eyes. He backed off, muttering a curse, and the greens resumed their watch over their master.

"Leave 'em alone, dumbarse," someone else said.

"Harm those fire lizards and you die. Hear me?" said the Voice.

The man backed off, muttering.

"The dragons, they're landing," someone whispered. "No one make a sound."

K'ndar watched as the two dragons landed, their backs..and those of their riders...purposefully turned to caves.

Lord Dorn suddenly felt exposed, his back to a cave full of who knew how many armed men. If he was recognized.....

"Herdbeasts!" D'nis called.

"This far out in the middle of nowhere? Who's are they? Nobody lives out here, do they?" D'mitran protested, a little louder than necessary.

"No one lives this far out. Those are wild beasts, I think. They're a mixed lot, I don't see any uniformity, but then, I don't know much about herd beasts," D'nis called back.

Dorn, a far better judge of livestock, went cold. Many were branded with any number of individual Hold brands. He recognized his brand, possibly reworked, on several cows. My beasts. Whoa. That looked like Toric's on one particularly fine bull. It WAS Toric's. These people have a good eye for livestock.

"I'm no judge of herd beasts, either. But I think you're right, I think they're wild 'uns," D'mitran said.

Then, in a slightly complaining tone, he said,"We're about done, aren't we? Taking those old people to the healer took longer than I thought," D'mitran said.

"I think so. Why?" D'nis said.

"We're not going to bring those old people back, are we? Because I'm dying for a good cold ale," D'mitran asked.

"Depends on the healer, I guess. She said they'd have to stay a few days. But I'm thirsty too. We're done. Let's go home," D'nis called.

The two dragons launched as one and flew a course past the caves and out of the occupants sight.

Ah, well done, K'ndar thought. His attention turned to the sentry. He was doing something odd.. it looked as if he was...packing a bag?

He's going to bolt, he thought. I bet he's in deep shit by sleeping on watch.

As if he'd been heard, the sentry shouldered a backpack and, looking downhill for a long moment, then began to climb up the steep slope towards the ridgeline.

Raventh. Call Careth. Tell D'mitran the sentry is running away from the camp. He's deserted his post. He'll be on the ridgeline and will be coming right past where I am. Tell him we need to catch this man.

The sentry climbed the steep rock wall as quickly as he could. He was badly out of shape. Once he reached the ridgeline, he bent over double for a moment to catch his breath, then began to hurry along a path.

K'ndar felt a hand on his leg. Shock and fear exploded in his heart. For a second he thought, shards, I'm caught.

He rolled onto his back, arm raised in defense...to see Siena. She had a wicked grin on her face as she crept on hands and knees to his position.

"Hey, K'ndar," she said, a little too loud for his tastes.

"Sshh," he hissed, careless of who she was at the moment, "I wish you'd not done this."

M'rvin was behind her, also on hands and knees.

Shaff it, you two are worse than a couple of weyrlings breaking curfew for a tryst.

Don't leaders listen to anyone? Annoyed, he was about to order them back, but realized it probably wouldn't do a bit of good.

"I said I wanted in on the kill," Siena insisted on saying.

The sentry was coming, I don't have time to argue...

Suddenly he realized that maybe it WAS a good thing they were there.

"Siena, there's no kill today. But in about thirty seconds, a man, the sentry, will be running along this path, the one you took to get here. Catch him. Keep him quiet. I bet my boots we'll get some information from him. He'll be too scared to go back. Tell him, he makes a sound, we'll give him back to Karloch. Got it?"

She nodded, her eyes bright as a dragon about to ambush prey. M'rvin, without a word, turned and hurried back up the path.

Siena was right behind him. They crouched at the fork in the path.

They heard his breathing before the man got to them. He was already out of breath but terror gave his feet wings.

K'ndar, having turned his attention back to the camp, only heard the proceedings. He heard the man suddenly cry out and then a thump as Siena and M'rvin tackled him.

The sentry grunted and opened his mouth to cry out. M'rvin shoved a gloved hand over his mouth.

"Make a sound, arsehole, and I'll let you explain to Karloch why you're running away. And if you try to bite me, I'll cut your throat first. Understand?"

The man, his eyes round in fear, nodded. M'rvin had all his weight on the man, pinning him.

Siena looked around for something to tie him up with. She had nothing. Ah...his backpack. Pulling her dagger, she waved it in the man's face. He began to whimper.

She cut the cords on his backpack. The man made a sound under M'rvin's glove.

She put the tip of the dagger on the tip of his nose.

"Try me, boyo," she hissed, enjoying it, "Push your luck. I've not gelded a man in a long time. Give me a reason," she said. He shook his head.

"Sit up. Put your hands behind your back," M'rvin said, letting the man up. Shaff it, this man stinks, he thought. The man obeyed. Siena tied his hands securely, then, for added measure, tied what was left of the cord around the man's throat.

A shadow passed over them. It was Careth.

Relieved that the man had been caught, K'ndar went back to watching.

One of the men in the cavern inched out of the cave, looked up, then went out just enough to be able to see over the lip of the cavern's entrance. He stood for several long moments, listening, watching.

"I think they're gone," he said. He pursed his lips and whistled a tune, as loud as he could. It sounded like a question.

For long moments, it was quiet.

He repeated the tune. This time, K'ndar heard it answered with a different tune, from the outriders. They then uncovered.

"All clear', the man at the entrance said. The men in the cave began to chatter and move about. Several left the cavern, warily looking skyward and then moving away. He noted they did NOT touch the weapons.

The familiar voice came from the back of the cave. The man was standing, hands on hips. His face was in shadow.

"Who gave the all clear?" he said.

"Um....the outriders, my lord," said the man who'd repeated the all clear.

"The OUTRIDERS? Not the sentry?"

"Uh........"

"WHERE THE SHAFF WAS THE SENTRY?" bellowed the man.

Where, where have I heard that voice before? K'ndar thought, frustrated. The way the men are acting, the man has to be Karloch. But I've never met a Karloch in my life.

The voices dropped to nothing.

" 'E's on station, my lord. I heard his alarm," said one voice. It quavered.

"Did anyone hear his alarm BEFORE the bloody dragons roared?"

No one said a word.

"DID ANYONE?"

"No, sir," said one.

"You. Alph, is it?"

"Yes, my lord."

"He was your relief, correct?"

"Yes, my lord," Alph said.

"Did anyone hear his alarm call AFTER the dragons roared?"

The "Aye's" resounded.

"ONLY after. NOT before the dragons roared," the voice said.

"Yes, my lord."

One voice said, "Bet my boots, my lord, he were asleep. He's done it 'afore."

K'ndar recognized that man's voice before Siskin focused on him. It was Scar.

"I see. And you didn't think to report him? Did ANY of you louts think to report him?"

Siskin's images showed the men looking frightened. The enforcers did not.

After a long, pregnant pause, He of the Familiar Voice said, "Let this be a lesson to you louts, then. The next one who neglects to inform me of ANY violation of the law shall learn the hard way his folly. Like this lout, he of the fire lizards. He let those old people get away. Will they tell the dragonriders of where we are? Do you understand why this cannot be allowed to happen?"

"Begging your pardon, my lord, but the dragonriders didn't see us, didn't even think to look at us. They said the old couple went to a healer. Mebbe they'll be back."

""Mebbe""? For CERTAIN, if they tell the healer who and where we are, the ones who will be back will be the dragonriders. In force. Until the scouts find a way around this bloody section of steppe...a spot they should never have led us to in the first place..we're stuck here. Do you understand? It's either cross the entire bloody steppe in the open, or just waltz into the nearest Hold and say, here, put me in chains. You ALL had better hope we got lucky this time. For now....you. Alph. Come here."

Alph looked around him, then reluctantly walked to stand in front of the man.

"You. You were the last man that fool sentry talked to this morning, yes?"

"Yes, my lord," the man said, his fear evident in his voice.

"You will be the last man he will EVER talk to. Take a crossbow and go up and kill him. Now. Then take his place."

"My lord, he's my friend..."

"You dare argue? With ME?"

"My lord, I beg of you. I'm no murderer. Don't got the heart for it. Please, my lord, bring him down, beat him, but I don't want blood on my ha...."

"SILENCE!" the Voice roared, "You have one more chance. Your choice. A bolt through the sentry, or a sword through you. Choose. Now."

As one, the enforcers drew swords.

The man turned and walked to the weapons rack. He looked carefully for his crossbow.

"Let others take heed. Any dereliction of duty...for that is what sleeping on sentry duty is...results in loss of your life. Or, maybe worse, like yon lout on the floor over there. Him, I shall take my time killing. Do you all understand?" said the Voice, dripping in evil scorn.

The chorus of voices filled the cavern. Yes, they all understood.

Alph picked up his crossbow. He stopped, looked out at the sunlight for one last time.

Then he turned, aimed and shot it....right into the Voice's heart.