The Awakened Book Two (9 page)

Maeryn ran to the edge of the cliff and watched in fascination. And then, just as suddenly as the cheering began, it stopped. Only now did the group see the rope attached to the stern of the warship. As it sank beneath the blue-green waters, the small sailing vessels that were meant to transport the slaves were pulled into a straight line. Then, one by one, they were pulled under by the weight of the larger warship.

Thaddius ran down toward the beach, hoping in vain to help the situation. But nothing could be done. And as Maeryn looked out in despair across the waters of the cove, she became aware that their situation had suddenly taken a drastic turn for the worse.

The next few hours were a blur of activity as the exhausted barbarians made their way across the bay to the opposite shore, only to be dispatched by the waiting Resistance soldiers. Thaddius and Maeryn entered the cave to find that two thirds of the transportation boats had gone down with the Syvak ship. The remaining boats, seventeen in all, were still neatly stacked along the back wall of the cave.

“They’ll each carry ten,” Thaddius spoke softly, his voice echoing inside the earthen chamber.

“We can fit more,” Maeryn responded.

“No. We can’t risk sinking in the middle of the ocean. They’ll only safely carry ten.”

“What do you mean for us to do then?” Maeryn shot back.

“I DON’T KNOW!” Thaddius yelled, showing frustration for the first time since Maeryn had met him.

“I’m sorry,” Maeryn offered. “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Thaddius nodded and glanced around the cave, running through the logistics in his head.

“Maybe now would be a good time for you to tell me the plan. Or what it was originally.”

Again Thaddius nodded his head and turned back toward the entrance to the cave. “Walk with me.”

Maeryn followed in silence until they exited the cave and started along the sandy beach. The sun was now at its peak, but the heat felt good on Maeryn’s skin, chilled from her time in the dark cavern.

“There is an abandoned Orud outpost on the eastern tip of the island
Tur’cen
. It was used as a staging area for the slave traders. The plan was to take the boats up this coastline, east across the channel, following the southern coast of
Tur’cen
to the outpost.”

“What then?” she asked.

“There,” Thaddius continued, “we would make a temporary encampment for the slaves. I figured it would take several months for myself and a few of my men to travel to
Orud
and make arrangements to bring everyone safely and secretly into the city.”

“Do you have any specific ideas about how you will accomplish this?”

“I did. But that doesn’t seem to be the most immediate concern.”

Maeryn looked out across the waters of the bay while choosing her words carefully. “Somehow, the present difficulty can be overcome. But I want to know how the ultimate goal of this venture will be accomplished. If that isn’t figured out, then none of this,” she said, pointing back to the cave entrance, “really even matters.”

“Alright. The slave trade has slowed considerably in the past ten years, but there are still ships coming in from the east on a regular basis. If we could gain control of one ship, we could smuggle all of the slaves into
Orud
without any suspicion. The Orudan guard would be expecting a ship of slaves and that’s exactly what would arrive. But, in order to make that happen, I would have to travel to the Resistance headquarters in
Orud
.”

“In
Orud
?” Maeryn questioned, unsure if he spoke correctly.

“Yes, hidden in plain sight. It’s right under the nose of the great Orudan Empire, in its capital city.”

“And where exactly is it?” Maeryn asked, sensing Thaddius’ discomfort at the direction of the conversation. “I understand your hesitation to tell me, but I think I’ve earned it.”

“In the temple of Equitus, the god of equality.”

“How poetic,” Maeryn said with a smile.

“Yes. And once there, I would have to convince our leader to make the arrangements, for he is the only one with the connections to accomplish such a task.”

“That sounds impossible.”

“Yes, well, you asked.”

“Who is the Resistance leader?”

Thaddius shook his head. “I’ve never met him. In fact, I don’t know anyone who has. He keeps his identity hidden even from his own followers. It’s safer that way.”

“How…” Maeryn began, but Thaddius interrupted.

“No more questions. We’ve got to figure out how to get all these people to the island outpost.”

Maeryn bit her lip, frustrated at the abrupt end to the stream of useful information. “Well, the quickest way would be for you to take the remaining boats and half of the slaves, and then come back for the rest of us. Meanwhile, we would march north, making your return trip much shorter.”

“Does this mean that you are volunteering to stay behind?”

“As long as you leave me a few of your soldiers…yes.”

Thaddius smiled. “You do realize that this process could take several weeks and with three trips across the channel, our risk of being spotted by an Orudan patrol increases threefold?”

“Do we have any other choice?”

“I suppose not. Then we’ll set out in the morning.”

“Agreed,” Maeryn replied with confidence, though in reality, she had never been so scared in all her life.

Chapter 7

Kael awoke before sunrise and left the group of sleeping soldiers. He walked a good distance away, following the edge of the forest until he came to a small hill overlooking the farmlands to the west. Behind him, the dark sky was just beginning to lighten along the horizon. As was his daily ritual, he stood with his hands at his sides and bowed his head. Eyes closed, he began to steady his breathing and concentrate on his heartbeat. Automatically, his body began to move, flowing gracefully through various stances and positions. As his body expended energy, his movements seemed to generate energy of their own, replenishing what was expended, and more. Almost immediately, the familiar but unexplainable sense of his surroundings came to him. Though his eyes were closed, Kael could feel each blade of grass swaying in the breeze; he could sense every contour of the rolling hills.

By the time he was finished, the sun had just cleared the eastern horizon. Kael hurried back to the encampment and found that nearly everyone was awake. A small meal was being prepared over the campfire and the remainder of the men were packing their belongings and readying themselves for the trip back to
Bastul
. The group ate in silence and within half an hour, they were moving south. The short trip took only a few hours and when they crested the hills to see the city below, the small group of soldiers—all that remained of the
Bastul
guard—stopped in their tracks.

The once glittering city called the “Southern Jewel” was now only a dark, smoldering blemish upon the face of the earth. The group began to move, slowly. Kael glanced around and saw that many of the men had tears running down their faces, though they made no noise. As they descended out of the foothills, Kael realized that his own feelings of grief couldn’t possibly measure up to those of the men around him. Though he had returned,
Bastul
still remained only a pleasant memory of his past. But for his traveling companions, it was their home.

Upon entering the city, the soldiers were greeted with mixed reactions. Some of
Bastul’s
citizens were excited that help had finally come. Some were angry that the soldiers had come too late. Kael watched Dacien to see how he would respond, but he didn’t clarify to the people that his men had been part of the original defense of the city and were, just now, returning from pursuit of the enemy. It wasn’t the time or the place, Kael realized. It would accomplish nothing to explain.

The soldiers continued moving through the city, some on horseback, witnessing the aftermath of the attack. The only structures that remained standing were those made of stone. Everything else smoldered, threatening to flare up at a moment’s notice. It took several hours to reach the hilltop garrison and by the time the men arrived their energy was nearly spent.

Before the men completely lost their concentration, Dacien called to his second in command. The man immediately responded and came near.

“Have the men gather what provisions are left, if any. I will take a few men and ride to
Nucotu
. We will depart this evening, or sooner if possible. I am leaving you in charge until I return.”

The man nodded sharply, understanding the importance of what was being asked of him.

“I know that this task will not be easy, but you must do what you can to help the people. Some sense of order must be restored. And you may tell them that I have gone to get help from our neighboring cities.”

“Yes, Sir,” the man replied, leaving to carry out his orders.

Dacien turned to look at Kael, but spoke nothing.

“Just let me know when you are ready,” Kael said. Pulling on the reins, he led his horse back to the gate and left the courtyard.

Two hours before sundown, Dacien, Kael, and eight other soldiers started out from the city of
Bastul
on horseback, by way of the western road along the coast. By sundown they had passed the western guard tower, which marked the northwestern city limit, and turned north into the uneven coastal terrain. Just before midnight, they made camp in a thin stand of trees, each man going directly to sleep without any conversation.

Sunrise came quickly as the small group broke camp and continued their north and west passage, changing direction to follow the smoothest terrain. The sky was clear for the remainder of the day and even after sundown when they gathered around a fire to eat their evening meal.

Sometime during the night a storm blew in from the sea. The rain fell steadily for hours, drenching the ground around them. Without a fire or breakfast, the soldiers broke camp and continued north. Along with the rain came a strong wind that made conversation between the men impossible. The days dragged on in solitude and Kael had only his thoughts to occupy the time.

The weather failed to improve and two weeks after setting out from
Bastul
, the small group of soldiers, moving swiftly along the beach, rounded a sandy point to see the small town of
Nucotu
. The trip had taken nearly twice the anticipated time, but the men were relieved just to reach their destination.

The coastal community was originally one of several waypoints setup between the larger cities of the region. Their purpose was to shelter and sustain messengers responsible for maintaining communications throughout the Empire. The town had grown through the years to include a community of farmers and fishermen as well.

But on this cloudy morning, it was immediately obvious that something was wrong. An eerie silence pervaded the area, interrupted only by the soft and steady falling of rain. Dacien rode at the fore and directed the men to move closer to the tree line on the right.

Kael followed in the second position and surveyed the environment. The main dock was partially collapsed into the water and there were no boats to be seen.
Strange for a fishing community.
Immediately, Kael feared the worst—that
Nucotu
had also been attacked. For the moment, he set the thought aside and cleared his mind to be ready for surprises.

As they entered the city, the column of soldiers spread out to search each building thoroughly before moving on, but they were all deserted. After an hour of searching to no avail, Dacien took two men and rode inland to search the farmlands. Kael and the others continued moving through the town center and ended their search near midday.

In the main meeting hall, Kael found dry wood and cold ashes in the fire ring at the center of the room, and set to work on building a fire. Within minutes he had a small flame and began adding fuel. Once he coaxed the flame into a blaze, he invited the other soldiers to warm themselves, then walked outside, volunteering to keep watch.

It was obvious that the inhabitants of
Nucotu
had left in a hurry—a disturbing observation. After finding a good sheltered vantage point atop a knoll, Kael settled himself against the trunk of a tree and considered the implications.
If
Nucotu
was part of the Syvak attack, then this was a coordinated assault or possibly invasion. The attack on
Bastul
was serious enough to result in a direct retaliation against the Syvaku, but an invasion would mean a large scale war within the Orud Empire.

Before dusk Kael returned to the meeting hall and switched guard duty with another soldier, finding the evening meal prepared and waiting for the Captain’s return. No sooner had he warmed up than Dacien entered the hall with the remaining soldiers. Their faces were solemn.