THE SERPENT'S TOOTH, Part 12
Two more days passed as we continued eastward. Christopher set a hard pace, even though there were no further signs of the Creed. Most likely, they were dealing with the death of their leader. In the long run, more Creed would probably die in the resulting scramble for power than we had killed in battle.
On the evening of the second day, we took the time to burn the bodies of our dead. Then the bones and ashes were respectfully given to the sea. In the absence of any form of clergy, Christopher spoke the appropriate words for the faiths involved. One of the dead was a Blood ronin - Jeffrey and the ronin's woman performed the rites required to send his spirit to the afterlife.
I didn't know any of the dead, but their ends still troubled me. It's eighty miles from Nyagra to Roch, but the route was absurdly perilous. It was wrong that brave men and women routinely risked their lives just to haul common cargo across a tenuous trail.
After the funeral, I sat in our little encampment, moodily drawing lines in the dirt with a roughly carved stick. Jessica put a wooden plate of roast rabbit next to me, then she glanced down at the lines and symbols I'd been drawing.
"That's the road between Nyagra and Roch, isn't it?" she said after a moment of consideration.
That was really quite observant of her. I nodded as I began poking at my food with an iron fork.
"What do the symbols mean?" she asked curiously.
I used my fork to point at a central square midway between the two towns. "I've been keeping an eye on the terrain as we travel. That's a tall hill that we passed yesterday. It has access to a creek that's a good water-source. Widen the mouth of the creek and build a breakwater and it would make a reasonable boat harbor. All in all, it would be a good location for a fort."
Then I indicated a series of crosses between the central square and the big triangles that were Nyagra and Roch. "The crosses are small vassal villages along the rest of the trail - all in defensible positions. Samurai would use the fort and the villages as bases to patrol the trail, while galleys from Nyagra, Roch, and the central fort would keep the coastline clear. That would stabilize the land and sea routes between Nyagra and Roch."
By now, Jessica looked interested. "Yes, my lord, but what about the circles south of the trail - and all the arrows?"
"The circles represent the territories of the three major Creed bands. The arrows indicate troop movements. Harassing raids from Roch and the trail camps would keep the two easternmost bands pinned and distracted while a large force composed of samurai and militia from Nyagra and the surrounding region would initiate a campaign against the western-most Creed. That operation would eventually advance from west-to-east, sequentially destroying all three bands."
Jessica sat down next to me and considered my plan. Then she shook her head. "I'm sorry, my lord, but that much cooperation between Nyagra, Roch, and so many lords is impossible."
Sophie came over and handed tin cups of steaming herbal tea to Jessica and I. Then she began to sit down between us. Instead, Jessica pulled Sophie into her lap. Sophie giggled in response and settled comfortably against Jessica.
"If enough key leaders recognized the need, it could be done," I suggested mildly as I sipped from my cup.
Jessica took a moment to study my face. "You really think that this is possible?"
I smiled at her. "I know it's possible."
Jessica looked back at my crude sketch. "If it works, how many will die?"
"Many. Possibly thousands. The Creed do not die easy."
Jessica tilted her head, examining the map closer as she considered my words. "Would it be worth the cost?"
"Hundreds are killed every year because of the Creed presence. And they have been here for over a century. Yes, Blood, Folk, and Wilder will die eliminating the Creed, but after the Creed are gone the constant losses inflicted by them will cease. At some point in time, the numbers will balance."
It was an interesting conversation. Jessica was an assassin, not a soldier. Her concept of killing was far more oriented towards the personal. Something beyond that clearly made her uncomfortable. That was interesting.
Now her eyes met mine. She was obviously troubled. "That sort of math... is that what it means to be a lord?"
"Yes."
The next morning, we began moving again. By noon we were in lands controlled by the local Blood lords. We passed several samurai patrols and watch-posts. However, Christopher remained vigilant - he kept riding up and down the length of the caravan, making sure that the wagons were tightly grouped and that nobody had become too lax.
Just before nightfall, our caravan finally rolled into Roch. It was a larger town than Nyagra, but with a more worn-out and ramshackle appearance. I particularly didn't like the look of the town fortifications and militia. Say what you will about the factors of Nyagra, but they saw to the defense of their people. Roch, on the other claw, was too used to hiding behind the Blood lords that secured its perimeter. Rather than being part of a defensive alliance, Roch was a parasite. It struck me as just a matter of time before some angry and greedy alliance of the local Blood lords, or perhaps a particularly large or lucky outbreak of Creed, looted and burned the town.
In Roch's great merchant corral, the caravan broke apart. Wagons were parked, cargoes unloaded and stored in warehouses, draft animals stabled, and the guards and teamsters paid-off and dismissed. Most of them promptly bee-lined towards the concentration of bars and brothels and gambling halls that were located adjacent to the corral.
I paid a courtesy call to Christopher and once again thanked him for allowing us to join his caravan.
"I don't suppose any of your people would consider hiring on as caravan guards?" he asked me with an amused smile. The setting sun was reflecting off of his red goggles as we spoke.
I shook my head. "Sorry, but they are all a part of my company."
"So I suspected," he said as we shook hands.
As I returned to the others, I saw Jeffrey talking to the Folk healer who had been travelling with the caravan. His horse was nuzzling the healer. She had saved the horse after the fight with the Creed, and it apparently now knew her as a friend.
The caravan's Angel approached me and bowed. Her eyes were worried as she took my left hand in hers and kissed it - on the back - and then on the palm. Kissing another's hand was a common-enough gesture of respect, thanks, or fealty. However, kissing someone's palm was an offer. The Angel was trying to ensure my silence.
"There's no need for that," I told her quietly. "Visit the temple, make an offering, and all will be well. The goddesses will know your innocence."
That was mostly intended for her peace of mind. A visit to the temple should calm any remaining fears she might have.
The Angel smiled in relief and was about to say something when her eyes turned yellow-red.
"Damn it, Aunt Illyana!" I hissed as I moved to make sure the Angel's face wasn't visible to the nearest potential observers.
"This is interesting," Illyana said as she spoke through the Angel's mouth. There was a smile on her lips, and her canines seemed a bit longer than before. "This girl is telling herself that she's offering you her body out of necessity. But she's actually quite attracted to you. Daddy issues, I suppose."
"You told me that the amulet did nothing to her!"
The Angel-Illyana nodded. "And that's true. But because she touched it, I am able to make contact with her. I need to talk to you and I don't have the time to wait until you went to sleep. I was hoping this pretty little snowflake would still be nearby. Actually, she was closer than I dared hope."
"What do you want?"
"To speed your journey. Riding all the way to Alban would take weeks. You know I can accelerate that."
I took a moment to consider her words. She was right.
"You want to get your business with that demon-child finished as quickly as possible," Illyana continued. "I share your interest."
That made too much sense. "Very well," I agreed.
"Wait until the moon-rise," she ordered. "There's a hill just south of town. It has a crown of eroded rock that's very obvious. I'll meet you there."
I nodded in agreement. Then something occurred to me. "Why didn't you bring this up the last time we spoke?"
The Illyana-Angel sighed. "Because you're too damned responsible! You wouldn't leave that caravan after having agreed to help defend it! You're grandfather was a lot more willing to just walk away when circumstances required. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: you take more after your grandmother."
And then the alien color was gone from the Angel's eyes. For a moment, she looked uncertain. Then she recovered her poise and smiled at me.
"My lord," she said gratefully, "if we ever meet again, my offer still stands."
The she left. The last I saw of her, she was walking in the direction of the temple.
It was after sundown and we were on the porch of one of the town's better inns. We'd just had dinner. Benjamin and I were enjoying a dark and smokey whiskey. Jessica, Samantha, and Sophie were drinking a sweet wine. Gant was sitting on the edge of the porch, with a bucket of ale gripped in one hand as he idly watched the towns-people walk by.
From where we were sitting, we had a view of where the moon would rise. I could see the beginning of a dull white glow on that part of the horizon.
"My lord, do you really have three wives?" Samantha asked suddenly.
I nodded.
"That's a lot of wives," Samantha observed. It seemed to me that the wine had loosened her tongue.
"That's normal for a lord," Jessica told Samantha.
Benjamin spoke up. "It's been customary for some time - ever since the rule of the Great Lord. He had a Blood, a Wilder, and a Folk for wives. That's said to represent those who a lord has a duty to protect. Even to this day, many lords choose to honor the wisdom of the Great Lord in the same way."
"But aren't your wives all Wilders?" Samantha asked with a frown.
Jessica winced at Samantha's plain-spokenness.
"Perhaps I didn't plan things out very well," I informed Samantha. I couldn't help but smile.
Actually, I didn't plan a damn thing. It was as if fate saw my time as seeker drawing to a close and, after so many years of lonely wandering, chose to reward me by scattering rare jewels in my path.
"But I'm quite happy with what happened," I finished.
Samantha nodded her head in a very serious way. "How does it work when you have three wives? I mean, do you have a really big bed?"
Jessica's eyes went wide. "Samantha!" she hissed. Sophie rolled her eyes and jabbed an elbow into her sister's side. Meanwhile, Benjamin was hiding a smile behind his whiskey glass. Gant's face was absolutely serious but I could see amusement glinting in his eyes.
I held a hand up to forestall Jessica's outrage.
"They visit me on sequential nights," I told Samantha.
That was essentially true, but sometimes our evenings did become more group-oriented. Anna and Emma sometimes shared a night with me - it seemed to be part of some unspoken agreement between them. And Emma and Olivia were careful to make sure I didn't think they were ignoring me. And the three of them always cooperated to make my birthdays quite spectacular.
There was no need to mention any of that to Samantha.
"Are they very beautiful?" Samantha added.
"Yes," I answered - perhaps wistfully. Benjamin nodded in agreement. Even Gant let out an affirmative grunt - although from his point of view my wives must have seemed tiny, skinny, and strangely smooth-skinned.
"Do you miss them?"
I finished off my whiskey. The top edge of the moon had crept over the city wall.
Memories flickered through my mind. Memories of quiet conversations, loud arguments, wise advice, angry demands, gentle caresses, smooth skin, and the kind of smiles that women only grant in private...
"Yes. I miss them a great deal. Now, everyone finish up. We have to go."
What we were about to do might frighten the horses, so I thought it best that we blinker them. Also, we led the horses instead of riding them. They didn't like the limitation of their vision and became restless. However, after Gant began walking ahead of us, they focused on him and calmed down.
Just before we got to the base of the hill, I told the others, "Don't be startled by anything you'll see. We're meeting somebody who might have a very unusual appearance. She will be teleporting us to our next destination. The horses may not like it, so keep a tight grip on their reins."
Benjamin and Gant just nodded - they were used to the oddities of being in my service. Jessica and the girls didn't seem to know what to think, but were obedient.
Thankfully, when Illyana appeared in her circle of white light, she wasn't in her demonic form. Instead, she appeared as a grown woman with blonde hair and particularly striking gray-blue eyes. She was as beautiful as I remembered.
"Hello, everyone," she announced cheerfully. Her strangely over-sized sword was in her hands. Our horses caught her scent and became skittish. Gant moved among them and began murmuring soothing words. After a few seconds, they calmed down.
"This is my aunt," I told the others. "She's agreed to help us on our way."
"My lady," Benjamin said politely as he nodded his head. The others bowed. Samantha and Sophie watched Illyana very carefully. They seemed to sense something about her.
Illyana walked roughly into the middle of our party. There was a flare of white light all around us. Then a momentary reddish glow encircled us and the sulfurous stench of Illyana's realm filled the air.
We found ourselves on the bank of a large river. The moon was slightly higher in the sky than it had been just a second before. There were farm-fields to the north of us and high stands of trees to the south. A river-port village, intermittently lit by scattered torches and lanterns, was just visible on the far side of the fields. A cluster of river-boats sat idle at the docks.
I recognized it immediately. It was the village of Alban.
Illyana stepped away from us.
"Good luck," she told me.
"Thank you," I replied.
Another circle of white light flared into existence around Illyana and then rose up around her. Above the circle, her form was still visible, but below there was nothing. Within a few seconds, the circle rose above Illyana's head and she was gone. Then the circle itself blinked away.
Benjamin was giving me a long and steady look.
"Was that who I think it was?" he asked me. There was something in his voice that suggested he really didn't want to know.
"Yes," I told him.
Benjamin winced.