The Hunt and the Horselords
Updated July 2018
Celeren was the only real city in Marukan, mostly made up of open market stalls that suited the people of the plains. It was walled, but the gates, through which two yeddim drawn carts could pass side by side together, did not often close. Most significant of the structures was city's Manse, a vast building of stone, surrounded by paddocks full of horses.
The open nature of the city made it easy for Tolsay to find a place to land, but it did not offer any place to hide his aircraft.
He put it some distance from any of the paddocks, not wanting to risk the spooking of the horses. It seemed a poor way to start off any relationship with the Marukan riders. He also came in slow, not wanting to alarm anyone. He dropped the ship neatly into an empty area, near the wall. "Should be seein' someone soon, ya."
Around them, people were moving quickly, not panicking, but getting ready for a potential threat. The non-combatants disappeared from the area, and there were soon a large number of soldiers and guards in their place, most of them mounted.
"We should get outside," Cloud Hands said.
While she was right, Tolsay would have preferred staying in the cockpit, ready to run. Just in case.
He did not voice his opinion and exited with the others. He paused, letting the funerary priestess go in front of him. He watched the woman, wondering, not for the first time, why she was with them. Humouring Grace seemed a piss-poor reason.
The woman seemed to sense his gaze, for she looked up at him and nodded politely.
Tolsay shook his head. Why was he even giving the woman any thought at all? There were far more important things to consider.
One of those things was the rider approaching them. The jade armour he wore and the grimcleaver across his back made it clear he was no mortal. He stopped some distance off, and called out, "Who comes to Celeren in such a manner?"
Cloud Hands stepped forward. "I am Abbess Cloud Hands of Greyfalls, and I am far from home, for I hunt Anathema."
"So, you are a Wyld Hunt, but so few in numbers?" The rider's horse shifted under him, but he maintained his balance with ease.
"We travel fast, with few members, that is true. The Anathema we seek, one is a man as beautiful as a woman, and the other a red headed child."
"Are you sure you are not seeking party guests for the Cynis?"
Tolsay had to admit, given the history between the Realm and Lookshy and Marukan that it was a harmless enough verbal jab, and spot on when it came to the Cynis family. He was concerned that Cloud Hands would not see the humour. She surprised him by not rising to the bait and only said, "The Anathema are dangerous. If you have seen them, please tell me."
The rider was silent for several seconds, then he swung down from his mount, removing his helm as he approached them. He was neither tall, nor broad, but he moved with a balanced stride. He was an older man, his brown hair greying at the temples. The green tinge to his skin made it clear enough he was a wood aspect.
"My apologies Abbess Cloud Hands. I am Kadra of the clan of Mayhiros, and I understand your concern over Anathema. Currently on our border with Thorns," he spat on the ground, "is an army led by Anathema which is always a threat. However, I have heard nothing of a beautiful man nor a child. I cannot help you."
Cloud Hands produced the seal that she had been given in Lookshy. "The leaders of Lookshy have offered us help."
Kadra approached and looked at the seal. "We are not Looshy, but we are allies with them. Still, what would you have us do?"
"Perhaps you might provide us with forces, and information."
He shook his head. "Forces, no. We cannot spare any. Information, perhaps."
"Anything we might learn could be of use," she said. Tolsay thought she hid her desperation well.
"Very well," Kadra said. "I will make arrangements. Your companions may take their leisure as they will, Celeren welcomes you."
"Thank you."
He nodded, then walked back towards his horse. "Come to the Manse, ask for Jerrefen, she will speak to you." He swung up on his horse and rode away.
Cloud Hands turned and walked back to them. Her lips were pressed tight, and there was a twitch at the corner of her eye. "Do not cause problems, see what you can learn."
"Polite and observant ya," Tolsay told her.
The others expressed their agreement.
Cloud Hands left them and started towards the Manse.
"This is insufferable," Grace seethed.
"We don't have much choice," Kiyoshi said, looking around. "Marukan is huge. Even with the ship we could fly and search for months and never find them."
Grace frowned but said nothing more.
"Let's see what we can suss out, ya," Tolsay said. He was starting to wonder if Cloud Hands was really going to help him find the Peleps girl.
Once the Celeren Manse had belonged to the Realm, and while the people of Marukan had done their best to erase the signs of that, some remained. Cloud Hands relaxed slightly, in the somewhat familiar setting. It had been a while since she had been able to relax even a little, and it made her aware of how tired she was.
Jerrefen was a professional looking woman, dressed well, blonde hair pulled up into a bun. Her smile did not touch her eyes as she indicated a chair in front of her desk. "Please sit Abbess," she said.
Cloud Hands took the offered seat, padded leather and wooden frame, very comfortable.
The office, she thought, as Jerrefen took a seat, had a sterilised look, a place to meet people and give away nothing.
"How can we be of assistance to you?" Jerrefen asked, putting her hands, fingers interlaced, on the desktop.
"I am looking for information about a woman called Lightning. She was a horse trader who worked for the Legion."
Jerrefen seemed to be thinking about it and then said, "Lightning worked for the Legion in the lands of the Marukan Alliance for three years, maybe four. She is mentioned a few times in reports. Most people thought well of her, said that she recognised a good horse."
Cloud Hands waited for the woman to say more, when several seconds passed in silence she asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Apparently she did not make a larger impression than what I have already told you."
"Was there any place she spent a lot of time at?"
"She went where the Legion was purchasing horses."
Cloud Hands nodded. "Thank you. I've come seeking a pair of Anathema. A beautiful man and a red headed child."
"Two like that would certainly stand out," Jerrefen told her.
Cloud Hands fists clenched tightly, and her jaw tightened, but she forced herself to relax, unclenching her hands and relaxing her jaw. She took a deep breath from her nose, and let it out of her mouth, asking, "So there has been no reports speaking of them?"
Jerrefen nodded. "It is possible the ones you seek are in the lands of the Alliance, but this is a difficult time, and I am afraid we can offer you little help."
"Thorns is threatening," Cloud Hands said, thinking perhaps if she had the woman talk about something else she might learn something.
Jerrefen nodded, "Not that this is new. Thorns has always been a threat, no matter who ruled there."
Cloud Hands nodded, ignoring the not so subtle dig. "The ones I seek have opposed the dead in the past," she said.
"Successfully?"
Cloud Hands felt her jaw tighten again and nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment.
"Then I can only hope they are here."
"Do you know how much danger your soul is in?" Cloud Hands demanded, leaning forward in her chair, unable to keep silent.
Jerrefen shifted back slightly and said, "At the moment I am more concerned about my body."
Cloud Hands settled back into her chair. "Yes, I am sorry. Might I offer help?"
Jerrefen remained slightly on edge as she said, "If you wish to take your Wyld Hunt in search of Anathema, you may. We will honour Lookshy's request. If you wish to offer aid to any of our forces in the field, I am sure the individual commanders will be pleased." She paused, and then added, "Please do not interfere with any military operations even if you do find your quarry."
"There is nothing more you can tell me?"
"That is all that I have," she said.
Cloud Hands did not know if Jerrefen was entirely truthful, but supposed, unless she forced the issue, that was all she was going to learn.
Cloud Hands stood. "Thank you."
Faded Maiden considered leaving the Dragon Bloods behind. They were not near as useful as she had hoped, not since they had quickly gotten her to Lookshy. She had considered killing them all and stealing the flying machine. However, there was security on it she knew she would not be able to compromise.
Truth would be able to deal with such measures in a moment, that she knew, but were Truth with her she would not be in the situation of needing to depend on the Dragon-Bloods.
Maddening.
"Iris," she heard Grace call and the sound of her running up behind her.
And the idiot Mnemon made things that much more annoying, however when she turned to face her none of that showed.
"What is is Madame Mnemon?" she asked, bowing.
"Will you be continuing to travel with us? We may be going into battle, or at least close to it, and it will be dangerous."
Iris nodded. "I am aware, but there will be dead who will need proper tending to ensure that their souls go to the rightful place. I will continue to travel with you if you allow me."
"Yes, I would like if you would travel with us." She paused for a moment, and then said, "I want to see the man who killed Rajan Soo dead."
Faded Maiden, who knew who that man was, agreed, and she nodded. "Vengeance is understandable, and sometimes a soul cannot rest if the one who killed them still lives." What did she care if the Terrestrial tried to kill the Solar? She would be pleased enough with either of their deaths.
Grace nodded. "When we find him, he dies."
BREAK BREAK BREAK
Tolsay was with Kiyoshi when they met with Cloud Hands as she came from the Manse. "We got to talk, ya," Tolsay said, falling in beside her.
"What is it?" Cloud Hands asked.
"These people are preparing for war," Kiyoshi told her. "And not just in general, they think the enemy is coming here."
Cloud Hands looked about as she walked, looking for signs of what Kiyoshi said.
"Subtle ya."
"I suppose I am not surprised. Taking this city would be a sensible course for any enemy."
"That's the thing, ya, got a force that's look'n like it is plannin' on heading out."
"There are about two hundred riders, gathering near the south gate. They have a look to them as if they are trying to maintain a low profile," Kiyoshi told her.
She looked between the two men. "You think they plan betrayal?"
"Nah, not likely," Tolsay replied.
"But they are planning something that is not quite in line with the current operations."
"Figure you want to talk to them, ya?"
"You might be able to get something useful from them."
Cloud Hands nodded. "Let's go then."
Tolsay led the way, across the city at a fast pace, to where he and Kiyoshi had spotted the riders. It did indeed look as if they planned to leave soon.
Cloud Hands took the lead, moving towards the man who looked like he was in command. She presented the seal she had been given and said, "We are seeking Anathema."
She was right out there, Tolsay thought, taking a few steps away so he could watch.
"I am aware of what you are here for," the man said. There was nothing notable about him, an older man with black hair and dark eyes. He looked Cloud Hands up and down and then said, "I am Commander Lann, how can I help you Abbess?"
Cloud Hands looked about at the riders, then back to Lann. "We wish to travel with you."
The commander kept his cool, Tolsay noted, but some of his men looked a little nervous.
"We are going into a battle. Will you lend your might to us when we meet the enemy?"
Cloud Hands nodded. "We will. If you strike against the dead, the power of the Dragons will aid you."
"Can you ride? We do not have any chariots nor can we acquire them soon."
"Got my Heart Spear," Tolsay said, "keep up real easy ya."
"It also might be a large target," Lann said.
"Got stealth on it, hard to see. Keep an eye for trouble, drop some flares if I see trouble ya."
It was a good deal, Tolsay thought, but worth a bit of thought. Lann was longer in his quiet consideration than Tolsay would credit.
"Very well," he finally said. "I don' want you directly over us, if the enemy does spot you I don't want you giving us away. I'll show you where we are going. Meet us there when the sun sets, otherwise just fly the area."
It was the sort of tedious flying that Tolsay went out of his way to avoid, but he only nodded. "Got ya."
Lann called for maps as the people continued at their tasks, loading up equipment on the backs of pack horses, checking gear and the hundreds of other things that had to be done.
A camp table was placed down, and a map spread out on it.
"If you lose us, go to the Spire," Lann said, placing a finger on the map. "You can ask for me, someone will be able to find my location. Or you can just remain there and wait."
Tolsay nodded.
"What is the Spire?" Cloud Hands asked.
"Fortress." He did not expand on that, instead placing his finger on the map. "This is the area we will be making for tonight, hilltop, good lines of sight, several exits. You put that ship down on the edge of the main clearing if you want. But there are other open spaces you could land in and then make your way to the camp. I'll leave it up to you."
Tolsay looked at the map, committing it to memory, and searched for the trap. Seemed they were giving him lots of options, lots of ways out. "Understood, ya."
There was some more to the briefing, Tolsay nodded, asked a few questions, as did Cloud Hands. Kiyoshi kept quiet and watched, which was smart of him Tolsay thought.
By that time the riders were ready to go.
"I will see you this evening," Lann said as the maps and the camp table were packed away. "Safe travels."
"May the Dragons Bless you," Cloud Hands offered.
Tolsay only nodded and then watched as Lann mounted up and ordered his force to move out.
Once they were gone Cloud Hands, Tolsay and Kiyoshi turned and started back towards the Heart Spear.
"I don't completely trust that man," Cloud Hands said.
"His soldiers were nervous, on edge," Kiyoshi told her. "You being there bothered them for some reason. Not all of them, just a few."
"Maybe the ones in the know," Tolsay said.
"The know of what?" Cloud Hands asked.
"If it's a trap, ya, we have to stick our heads in."
She nodded. "I can't ask you to come with me,"
"Ya, but I'll come. Got business."
"I'll stick with you," Kiyoshi said, "and Grace and Anzar are pretty driven."
"Yes, I suppose they are."
And you are starting to get worried about that, Tolsay thought. The Abbess might finally be smartening up.
