Take My Heart...: Dark Ages - Fantasy (Dark Gods & Tainted Souls Book 3) (13 page)

Chapter Twenty Seven.

Minsetta had wanted to ride their horses up to the temple like saviors and warn the woman of the danger like some hero from the stories but that wasn’t how she did business, not anymore. All they knew of this place was rumors and what other people had told them. She’d had no personal experience with the sisters of the Divine child and that meant approach quietly, in the shadows and bring your bow.

She did just that. They saw the large building miles away and stopped their horse. Josette had them walk off the road and lashed to a small tree. The horses were exhausted and happy to stand around for a few hours and rest. They had ridden hard for miles after killing the courier’s guards and wanted to put as much distance between them and their crime as they could. Josette had made her drag the bodies off the road, took their gold and threw their weapons away, it might look like a robbery.

She crouched as she moved across the large flat expanse that stood in front of the temple. It was a lot bigger and richer than she expected and for some reason, her sense of danger was ringing. It just didn’t look right. Since when did humble people have a need for such outrageous stonework?

“What do you know of these women,” she whispered to Minsetta who slunk reluctantly next to her. She was good at stealth but felt no need for it.

“They are what all people say, midwives, lovers of birth, they are harmless,” she said.

“Then why have they got guards?” Josette whispered back.

They had come off the road at the right point to avoid a cluster of guards who stood at the offshoot path that led to the temple. Everyone was a woman and they looked far from midwives. These women looked like they were members of the Cold Death. Scarred, lean and serious. More than one held the scarred face of a former slave.

“I think we’ve been very misinformed about these women,” Josette hissed.

She could feel it in her, a rising tide. She wasn’t scared but felt a heightened sense of awareness. She could feel the breeze on her skin, hear the smallest sound. She focused hard on making every footfall silent. Slowly, so slowly, they made their way past the guards and finding what shadows they could, crept in close to the building.

“We have no need for this,” Minsetta whispered. “They are peaceful, the guards are to stop men from taking advantage.”

“No harm in being cautious,” she hissed back.

Josette came close and saw a small archway window, it was set the perfect height for her. She crept under it and pulling out a highly polished piece of metal held it at an angle. On it, she could see within the well-lit room but they would see nothing if they looked out.

“Where did you get that?” Minsetta asked looking at her strangely.

“I made it, it was part of one of their helmets, now be quiet, if it’s all good we’ll go back and ride in normally, if not we’ll slink off and plan, but honestly, I don’t think these women need any help defending themselves.”

She looked at her metal viewer and moving it slowly scanned the room. It was empty.

“Ok I’ll go in, you’re too slow and big,” she said back.

Like a cat, she was up and through the stone arch in moments, it seemed too small to let her in but she twisted her skinny body and hit the ground in a soundless roll, a small smile came to her face, she was dangerous and she knew it.

Anything bad always happened below ground so she made her way to the basement. She slunk to the doorway and listened. She waited long enough and then she heard it. The regular footfall of someone bored on guard duty, doing the same walk up the down the halls. She waited till they passed and looked. She saw long flowing hair, a sword and leather armor, serious. She crept slowly after the woman, shadowing her and slunk off into the next open room.

She crept in and looked around. It was bad. The room was filled with rack and racks of clothing. Many shoes and dresses hanging on racks and bags of clothes. Were these what the women brought with them? Why didn’t they need them now?

Josette looked from the room and saw a doorway. A simple wooden thing and looking at the light beneath it looked like a staircase, it could only go down. Slinking across the hall she slowly turned the handle, which was unlocked. She opened it and slunk down.

Thankful it was dark within. Faint candlelight shone from the bottom but that was all. She crept down the stairs holding her breath and hoping they wouldn’t crack and spotting some large barrels slunk behind them and crouched in the darkness, she looked through the gaps in them and watched. Slowly her eyes became used to the dim light and see saw her first glimpse of the divine child.

The priestesses were fierce. They had heads shaved on the sides and slicked to a point with something, feathers at their arms. They were indeed tending as midwives. Around them lay cots and cots of big bloated pregnant women but they were so warrior like, it made her draw back.

One woman called to another. “This one is ready, another boy, she’s done well this time.”

A woman spoke to another in a loud whisper, her fine ears picked up. “That Pellosi slut has had a girl, what should we do?” she asked.

The woman glared at her. “That’s good as well, the numbers continue to be fairly even, take the boy to the other camp.” Josette waited until they were clear of her and crept back up the stairs slowly. She’d seen enough, these women whoever they are they were bad, anyone this organized was always bad, she’d get back to Minsetta and see if she knew more.

As she crept up the stairs, she passed so closely to the guard who had just passed the door. She froze and held her breath, her heartbeat sounded so loud to her but soon the woman continued her bored walk onwards.

Josette crossed back to the room she’d entered, she reached out to turn the handle when she heard a soft laughter behind her. She turned and saw The matron from downstairs. Her cold eyes were soft with enjoyment and she smiled at Josette.

“Good work sister, it’s nice to see someone else taking the time to hone their skills, you one of the new recruits?” she asked.

Josette stood up fully and smiled back. “You can never be too good, yes I am new,” Josette she said and put her hand out.

The woman locked wrists with her like a warrior and smiled again. She was still very tall and scary and had dried blood on her hand, Josette didn’t want to think where those hands had been.

“I’m Angelina, since you’re new I’ll give you the tour, you’ve seen downstairs already you little sneak but the real reason you’re here is a few rooms up.”

She walked taking Josette’s hand and led her up the silent stone passage to a doorway. It stood open, with no door and within she could hear soft whispering and candle light. All bad. She had no idea if this lady actually thought she was a new recruit, probably not, but she’d play along. She loosened her dagger from the small of her back, getting it ready.

When she entered the room she was stunned. Before her stood a statue, or rather three statues. One stood in the middle and two smaller ones beside her. The woman depicted was clearly some kind of goddess. She had the body of a woman but had feathered arms and the claws of a bird. She was in the pose of attack with sharp teeth and eyes that glowed red, they were very large and expensive rubies that reflected the firelight. She was terrifying. Beside her stood two smaller ones but similar, all around women knelt as if in prayer to this thing.

“isn’t she beautiful?” the woman spoke to her.

Josette had to gain her breath. Nowhere in any memory had she ever seen anything like this.

The woman looked at her. “Oh I see, you know little of our ways, just some runaway slave and heard we could protect you from the world of men,” she said and patted Josette’s hand.

“Something like that” Josette said quietly.

“The sisters of fury, they are called, they listen to our prayers and they bring down justice and pain onto the heads of any men who hurt women. They use their godly powers to look into the hearts of men and punish them”

“How?” she asked.

“How should the wicked be punished? With death, with pain, with regret, they suffer and then they die, it’s truly what so many of them deserve.”

“And downstairs what was that about?” she asked.

“The women we raise in the way, we train them as warriors so they won’t be victims. The boys are taken to another camp and trained by good men. They are taught to fight as well, but to respect women and the respect the true order.”

“What order?” Josette asked.

The woman laughed aloud, startling a few women praying. “That women are meant to lead, make the decisions and rule. I don’t need to tell you, men are fools, everything they do is stupid, they are ruled by their cocks.”

“Oh, you don’t cut them, do you?” she asked, horrified.

The woman laughed again. “Of course not. Do you know how babies are made? We need men but they need us more and that’s what they learn, my own husband was born in a temple like this, lovely man, always has my dinner ready just how I like.”

Josette laughed at that, still this was far from the temple of the divine child, there had been a vast change in ownership.

“Now girl, I’ve been quite nice and share with you our ways and secrets, why don’t you tell me why you’re really here and why you have a beautiful friend crouching outside who looks a lot like Minsetta, my old and dear friend.”

***

Grimm had seen them moments too late. He’d been standing and looking at the bald man who knelt before him and suddenly the landscape was filled with soldiers on horseback charging from the tree line. It was a very bad position to be running from horsemen, but like his new dark-skinned friends ran, so did he. They were outnumbered four to one.

They were used to fighting forces much better armed and numerous than them and they had the good sense to break in many different directions. He saw the men scatter in pre-organized groups of twos and threes. In totally different directions, breaking the body chasing them. They ran fast on long legs, firing behind them with arrows where they could. Still it was only moments before the horsemen were on them.

Grimm swiveled his body as an arrow whistled past his ear. The large white horse was on him. Grimm jumped to the side and rolled hard into the soft sand, avoiding its charging body and the swinging sword of its rider. He pulled a small dagger from his back as he came up and threw it hard at the soldier that rode past. The dagger tumbled through the air, end over end and sunk point first deep into his unprotected back. All around him, he saw that the desert people were having it hard.

They had run to any cover and were returning arrow fire, or escaping from the line of sight and just staying hidden, their skills at hiding in the landscape saving them. Others were less lucky. He saw a good handful cut down from horseback as they ran to the safety of the darkness. Well-dressed men slashed down at them and cut them down like shafts of wheat, in sprays of blood and screams in their fine lilting language.

White Eyes was next to him suddenly.

“We need to get out of here. The men know where to meet and any that survive will come, but we need to get ourselves away,” she said.

Grimm had to agree with her, this wasn’t his idea of a fight he wanted to be in. He ran quickly across the sand and grabbing the dead men from his horse pulled him down. The animal was well trained and had just stopped still when its rider slumped dead in the saddle. Grimm grabbed the reins and leapt from the ground into the black leather saddle with a slight grunt. He turned the horse with a flick of the reins and kicking it hard pulled it next two white eyes. Reaching down he pulled her up behind him easily. He was glad it was a big horse, strong and she wasn’t that heavy.

They rode fast behind the rough line of the horses and soldiers. She looked out behind him and leaned back. Pulling her bow she fired into the near darkness at the spots just above the horses saddles. He heard cries in the dark as they rode closer and closer. She fired as fast as she could taking the riders coldly from behind, but saving her own running people.

As they passed one panting man who’d just had his pursuer taken down he grinned at them. He heard white eyes yell something at him as they passed. She whispered in his ear to keep riding and they did. Soon they were pacing hard away from the sounds of fighting and cries of men dying and then they were in the moon-filled land with just the sound of their horse panting hard.

He felt her tap him on the shoulder. “Don’t push the poor beast too hard, you’re too heavy,” she said. He could hear a deep sadness in her voice.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

“No, those men were my friends, we’ve been hunting and surviving together for years and now they are gone, maybe just a handful will escape, died with arrows and sword cuts in their running back, hardly a good way to die,” she muttered.

He had to agree with her, he knew he’d have to go facing is foes if he wanted to die the right way. Still twenty against a hundred wasn’t fair odds.

He’d slowed the horse to a walk. All around him, he could just hear the stillness of the night. The moon shining down on the space land, the warm of his blood cooling. It would be peaceful if not for what had just happened.

“What did you talk of? Many words were spoken that I could not understand,” she said.