RETRIBUTION

The moment Sahar heard she had a visitor, her body quaked in anticipation. Her dark one had returned. It had been way too long since she last felt his hands on her body, since she had seen his lips, his hair, his everything. When her caller finally appeared, her heart sank. It wasn't him. It was another. He was tall, thin, and sandy haired. His eyes were dark and cruel. She didn't want to be with this man, but she couldn't deny him. He had already paid the fee. Sahar went to him and began her game. The sooner she did, the sooner he would leave.

It wasn't Sahar who played. It was Erroll Auberjonus. He had ridden the girl until she bled, until she begged him to stop. Once he climbed off her, she cringed in the corner of the pallet, covering her body protectively with the sheet. He continued to leer at her, but he made no moves to dress. After she told him what he needed to know, he would have her again. He had paid for an entire night. She had no visible means of escape, unless she screamed. He would ensure she would be too afraid to cry out.

"I told your house mum that I was a friend of your special man, so I'll be here all night with you," he said with a grin.

She heard nothing beyond the words 'all night.' She couldn't take it. He had scratched her, bitten her on more than one place. Her insides were raw from where he had literally reamed her. Who was this man? She was certain her dark one hadn't sent him. He was never abusive. He would never associate with one so brutal.

The look on her face made his leer grow even wider. "I know whose regular whore you are," he said. "I'm sure he never uses his real name with you." He crawled toward her. She tried to shrink away, but it was no use. He grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling it hard. He smiled when she whimpered. "I'll leave you alone for the rest of the night if you'll tell me how often he samples your goods."

His face was twisted and ugly, his breath foul. "Yes," she cried. "I'll tell you. He comes every two weeks, very regularly, on the same day. He stays a few hours at a time, but never all night."

The desperation in her voice made him feel quite satisfied with himself. She was terrified of him. Good. That's what he wanted. "You wouldn't be lying to me, would you?"

She shook her head vehemently. "No. Never."

Erroll nodded nonchalantly before ripping the sheet away from her body. "On your knees," he demanded.

"I thought…I thought…"

He tangled his hand into the hair on the back of her head. "You might not lie, but I tend to quite often."


Half a dozen Medjai warriors left the Fifth to make their way toward the areas to be patrolled. The group was led by Ardeth and Faras. For Faras, the two week span allowed him with Ash was simply not enough time. He hadn't wanted to leave her, but he knew this was where he was supposed to be. It was where he belonged. They were getting close to Kashfi. For the first time in months, it was more than obvious the Narrows wasn't deserted. The warriors saw a telltale plume of smoke wafting up from a campfire. Ardeth's body stiffened and his hand sought the comforting heft of his scimitar. The Chieftain and his Second exchanged a look. They were prepared.

As much as they had done to O'Connell's group a few years previously, the warriors blew through the Narrows, effectively startling their quarry, catching them more than off guard. There were five men in the small, concentrated group. Ardeth recognized them immediately. They were the lesser regarded members of the Auberjonus gang. His vision blurred. He saw no one. He knew no one. He felt the burning hatred building inside his heart as if it were an out of control fire. It was death he felt, death, retribution, and most of all, revenge. Before his horse came to a full halt, he was upon the sand, swinging violently outward with his scimitar. The razor sharp blade bit into the neck of a petty thief known only as Pendi. He fell to the ground, watching his blood pour out of his neck. It thoroughly amazed him. Pendi died soon after his body collapsed to the sand. As his life ebbed away, the young thief was still quite amazed at the maroon pool flooding out of him.

Ardeth felt the stinking heat of another body behind him. He ducked precisely, as if warned by precognition, seconds before a blade swooped over his head. It missed by mere centimeters. The Chieftain rebounded swiftly, this time swinging his scimitar up, across, and out, its blade slicing into the man's chest in three places. This hapless fellow was known in the gang as Dulum. He had a penchant for deflowering young maidens before killing them just to watch them die. Dulum clutched at his chest, startled that he had been cut three times before he had the chance to do any damage.

The great Chieftain was not finished. Possessed by his blood lust, he turned to fight the others. Snarling now, he was ready for more, but there was no one to battle. Faras stood over two men he killed and one of the other warriors had finished the last. None of his brothers appeared to be hurt. The Chieftain looked to his Second. Both men nodded almost imperceptibly. They would bury the dead and carry on.


As Ardeth had suspected, Auberjonus was up to something. The men at Kashfi Narrows were planted there by Erroll. He wantedto distract the Chieftain and his men while he carried out his plan at the Ninth. He sent Eve on as he and the others waited.
Rihana was in the healer's tent when the young woman was brought in from the desert. She was raving and delirious, obviously dehydrated. Oddly, she had a patch over one eye. Rihana worked quickly with the healer to start the body cooling process. If they didn't hurry, she would burn out and die. If they had known who she was and the damage she would soon cause, they would have simply let her die.

Eve lay prone on the cot, her good eye following every move made by Rihana Bay. Eve literally loathed her. She knew what Erroll wanted her for, and she hated her more for that. Although Erroll would never credit her for it, Eve was far from stupid. She knew what would happen to her once he had Rihana. Eve had plans of her own. It would take a massive amount of creativity to carry them through, but she had it. She had more going for her than Erroll would ever know or understand. He would learn, even if it was a hard lesson.

As the healer's tent grew quiet around them, Eve's time had come. The healer and Rihana looked up, surprised, as their patient sat straight up and began to scream. Without a word, she ran out into the desert night.

"I will get her," Rihana said.

Eve's screams offered enough of a distraction where the guards did not notice Rihana scurrying after her. They spoke amongst themselves as the two women disappeared in the night. There would be hell to pay with their Chieftain in the very near future.

Rihana almost had her hand on the back of Eve's tunic when something hard and unyielding hit her from the side. Confused, she at first thought the screaming woman had thrown a rock at her. However, the object struck her temple, not her forehead. The woman was directly in front of her, only inches of space between them. Dazedly, she stopped chasing Eve and blinked owlishly in the darkness. She saw that the other woman had stopped running as well. She stood staring at Rihana with a vacant look in her eye. A slow trickle of warm blood oozed from Rihana's injured left temple. In that moment, she realized that it had all been a ruse. The woman wasn't sick or injured, at least not in the conventional way. Suddenly, she knew she was about to become another of Erroll Auberjonus' many victims. With that in her mind, Rihana collapsed to the sand.


The battle weary Medjai warriors made camp for the night. After all was set up, Ardeth chose the first watch. As the men slept around him, his eyes scanned the terrain. For months, he had searched for the Auberjonus gang without finding one member. Earlier, they had run into several sparse groups between the village and Hamunaptra. They had successfully dealt with them all. It made Ardeth uncomfortable. He was certain that these men were sent out to distract them from some errant misdeed. What else could Auberjonus take? Of course, that didn't matter. There didn't need to be anything to take. Auberjonus did what he wanted any time he pleased whether there was a prize to be had or not.
Erroll and two of his most blood thirsty men waited on the fringes of Tokan. Ardeth's whore told him the Medjai Chieftain should show his face any time now. They had made camp two days ago, anticipating his visit. The whore said he always came alone and left in much the same fashion. He wanted to ambush the Chieftain and put that particular fear to rest forever. Once Ardeth Bay was gone, he would be able to breathe freely. He knew that Rihana Bay had been captured by now. He gave strict orders for her to remain untouched. He wanted to be the first to get to her, break her down, and make her do what he wanted.

After their second day at camp passed with no sign of the Chieftain, Erroll realized that Ardeth was going to bypass Tokan. Oh he was enraged. If he ever saw that whore again, he was going to kill her. He wanted to do it today, but he had no time to muck about with a lying whore. Rihana Bay awaited him inside the murky depths of one of the Kashfi pyramids where no one could find her. At the thought of her, his groin began to ache. He called out to his men. It was time to go home.


Rihana regained consciousness slowly, taking in her environment an inch at a time. From the looks of it, she was inside a small room lit only by half a dozen torches. She had been inside more than one pyramid in her life, so it didn't take her long to realize where she was. Someone had placed her onto a hard backed chair and tied her to it. She could no longer feel any blood oozing from her head, so someone must have treated her injury. She couldn't see anyone near her, but if she had, she wouldn't have been able to cry out. Her throat was dry and swelled from dehydration. She hadn't been killed, but she had been spared for some other purpose that absolutely terrified her. She knew what men like Erroll Auberjonus wanted. Although Rihana wasn't aware of it, she was being watched.

Eve stood in the shadows and eyed Rihana jealously. She was a young Medjai beauty like Liliana Bay had been. Eve hated her. She was very tempted to approach the girl and slap her senseless before slicing her throat. If Erroll did intend to do what Eve thought, she would carry out her plan. Erroll had wanted to replace her before with the Bay woman. He wouldn't come that close again. She would ensure it.

Rihana looked up as a figure of a woman appeared before her. It was the dark haired 'patient' with the eye patch. Unlike most women she knew, this one was dressed like a man in heavy clothed britches and a button down cotton shirt. Her hair was pulled back and braided in a thick cord that rested over one shoulder. She wasn't unattractive, even wearing the eye patch, but there was an evil light in her good eye. She wasn't kind or nice or trustworthy. Rihana wouldn't doubt that she would just as soon kill her as look at her. Perhaps she should beg for death, considering what Erroll wanted to do. No one, even Ardeth, once considered that a woman was riding with Auberjonus. There was no way to warn them unless she escaped. There was little chance of that.

"Are you ready to be a whore," Eve asked. "I was his whore for many years. I helped him capture tons of loot. I also helped him kill your sister in-law. None of his plans would have worked without me. Do you think you can do that for him?"

She sounded like a jealous lover speaking to her man's new girlfriend. It was insane. "I want nothing from you or him. As for my silfa, I am sure my akh will be more than capable of avenging her death."

Eve laughed. It sounded dark and hollow. "Erroll is much too smart to be caught by your brother, just not smart enough to fool me. I should kill you now."

"If your lover intends to touch me, perhaps you should. I had rather die than let that happen," Rihana said. "None of you should underestimate my akh. You are very foolhardy to do so."

"Your akh is too busy sinking it into strange flesh than to pay attention to the world around him," Eve sneered. "You speak upon deaf ears. I have no pity for you. I can't be reasoned with. When Erroll gets bored with you…and he will…I will highly enjoy ending your life, Rihana Bay. Mark my words."


Ash had never seen activity such as this. In the last few days, the village had been alive with riders coming and going. Word had swept like wildfire about Rihana's abduction. Three warriors from here had ridden out immediately to find Ardeth. They hadn't wanted to pass along such news by falcon. Ash was beside herself with worry. If anything had the potential to send Ardeth over the edge, this was it. And it was no surprise as to who the abductor was. The trick would be finding Rihana. It was overwhelming. What would happen now?

At midnight, Ash was wide-awake when Ardeth and his men thundered into the village. She heard their arrival before she saw anyone. Ardeth barked harsh orders in Arabic, nearly shouting. She came up off the pallet and grabbed her robe. When she stepped outside the tent, the warriors were gathered only feet away. With one last command, Ardeth and Shaji rode away. Ash wasted no time approaching Faras. He had just dismounted.

"What's happening," Ash asked.

Faras turned, startled. He hadn't expected to see her out here. Without thinking, he took her into his arms and held her against him before kissing her deeply. "They are riding out to the Ninth to interrogate the warriors who were on guard when Rihana disappeared. Allâh be with them."

"And then?"

He sighed heavily. "We go on the hunt. We go to Kashfi. Ardeth is certain they took her there."

It wasn't what Ash wanted to hear. "If you go to Kashfi, I'll never see you again."

He cupped her face in his large hands. "He did not choose me for this, but I asked to go. I have lived and fought for many years, yâ maHabbi," he said. "I will return to you."

"You have time before you leave, Faras. While you're here, you're mine. Do you understand? You're mine."

"Aiwa, I do."


Ardeth would have the Commander, the sub Commander, and the guards before the Council. There was absolutely no excuse for their slack behavior. To allow a woman to distract them was inexcusable. This woman was evidentially part of the Auberjonus gang. If that was the case, she would be dealt with as well. There was no preferential treatment shown with regard to gender when it came to evil. Evil had no bounds. Once they returned to the village, they would regroup and attack Kashfi.
Rihana awoke from an uncomfortable doze when she heard the yelping of men. It was a sound that sent shivers down her spine. She wasn't prepared to face them, but she had no choice. As she watched the men file into the room, her body stiffened and her dry throat grew drier. They were led by a thin man with sandy hair. She didn't have to be told who he was. The cruel lines on his face and leering smile gave away his identity. This was Erroll Auberjonus.

Erroll nodded toward the men. "Keep Eve away," he barked. "Leave us."

As the men filed out of the room, Erroll eyed the morsel before him. She was dark and beautiful, without a flaw. The oversized tunic hid her body, but he would take care of that soon enough. She stared up at him defiantly, without a shred of fear. He would fix that as well. He thought he could wait to have her, but he didn't think he would be able to. He slowly approached her and went down on one knee before her. He took a sharp knife and released the bonds from her legs. When he grabbed her wrists and began lifting her out of the chair, she knew what he had in mind. Her paralysis broke and she began to scream out for help. It did no good. No one could hear her but Erroll and the creatures inhabiting the pyramid.


Faras sat up on the side of the pallet and ran his hands over his face. Ardeth would return soon. He only had a few precious hours left. Behind him, Ash turned to face his back. She ran her hand along his flesh lightly, her fingers no heavier than butterfly wings. He realized they had chosen a bad time to marry. They should have waited a few months. He couldn't be here for her now and he hated that. No one could have predicted Auberjonus would kidnap Rihana, but it didn't alter the fact that their marriage happened at a bad time. He hadn't considered it. He had been selfish.

"Faras, what is it?"

"Nothing. Everything," he said. "I wish we had waited to marry. I cannot be here for you like you need me to be."

"I'm glad we didn't wait," she said as she kissed his back. "This will end. You will bring Rihana back and you will be here with me."

He shifted his position so he could gaze into her eyes. "When this is over, when Auberjonus is dead, I want us to start our family. I will wait only if you wish to do so."

She shook her head. "No, Faras. I don't want to wait. I want your child inside me. I want many daughters and sons."

He kissed her lips gently. "As do I." He then placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Go back to sleep. We will leave when Ardeth returns."

"No," she said stubbornly. "I want to see you off."

He chuckled. "I thought you would."

It was almost daybreak before Ardeth and Shaji returned to the village. As Faras predicted, he was set to leave immediately. There was only enough time to gather the bare necessities and supplies they could carry in their knapsacks. Ash noticed that other wives had come out to see their husbands off. One of them, married to Sahli, was hugely pregnant with twins. Those men with wives were encouraged to stay home. The Kashfi Narrows was often not kind. It ate up good men like an overindulgent child given too much candy. But no one agreed to stay. One of their own was in danger. Staying behind would only show disrespect to the tribe. Faras made eye contact with Ash and blew her a discreet kiss. She smiled his way and prayed he would come home to her safe, sound, and ready to live out his life with her.


Translations:

Silfa—Sister in-law

Akh—Brother

Yâ maHabbi—My love

Aiwa—Yes


To be continued…