Cities of Power Ch. 01

*****

The passage back to their bikes was slow moving in the dark. Talon held the small, terrified form of Trix over his shoulder as tree branches clawed at them in the darkness, tearing at their skin and clothes. Constantly watching and listening in the darkness for the pursuit from the family, the trio moved to their hidden hollow and the safety of their bikes and weapons.

Talon dropped the girl, shackling her to his bike, noting in the darkness a large rip across the back of the jacket she wore showing a techno insignia. Pushing Trix to the ground, he tore the false back from her jacket and held a small torch over the insignia. Gaping open mouthed, he picked her up by her hair, his eyes hard, his voice cold and penetrating, "Where did you get this jacket?"

Trix was frozen with fear and unable to breathe, let alone answer the terrifying techno before her. She gasped open mouthed as his dark eyes bored into her own. Talon drew his Taser, but Venn stilled his hand. "We need her alive," he said, placing his hand on Talon's arm, slowly guiding the Taser to point down at the ground. "Now let her go, we need her to trade for one of the brothers," Venn's voice was dark, "I won't let you jeopardise this mission on petty vengeance and have others come back out here to finish the job we were sent to do."

Talon dropped the girl and walked away to the edge of the hollow, scanning the surrounding trees, his mind finally seeing the inevitability of Clove's death; she would not have given her jacket up so easily otherwise.

Venn looked at the girl, "You wear his betrothed's jacket. Where did you come by it?"

Trix looked up surprised, "My brothers gave it to me for my coming of age day. All of what I wear came from trades my brothers made. I don't know where they got it, I swear, but they would never harm a woman, it's against our faith."

Venn hadn't realised this remote town was a village of the faith; he had assumed another clan of outlaws lived within. He knew now that other villages would come to the aid of the blacksmith's family because of the girl. At first light they would need to move, parties would be readying to hunt them. His mind began to work over the problems that taking this girl now brought them. Handing her back was not an option either, as the family knew they were hunted for their skills now. He set about making a new plan.

Before the first rays of light appeared on the horizon, the three warriors readied themselves to leave, and Talon had taken possession of their hostage. He had watched her through the night; she was amazingly similar in build and stature to Clove. Perhaps the plans of his family could go ahead, and none would be the wiser. His marriage to Clove was to meld his own family with one of the powerful founding families of the city. The disappearance of his betrothed on her last mission had left the way clear for rivals to question his family's right to their place on the ruling council once again, and the grief stricken family of the missing girl had withdrawn from council deliberations for the time being.

He looked at the girl in the light of the coming dawn and considered her; she was clearly terrified. She immediately followed all of their commands, there was no fight in her, even the slaves in the city had some spirit within their nature, she seemed to have none. He shook his head, she could not pass for Clove, even to someone unknown, she had no spirit, yet the possibility nagged at him. Removing her shackles, he sat her on the back of his bike and began to push the bike out of the hidden hollow following the other two men back out onto the plain.

Silently Talon loosely tied a scarf over her nose and mouth and bound her hair tightly in a looping braid before climbing aboard his bike. He smirked as it roared to life, making the girl scream and grab at his jacket. Accelerating to high speed, he felt her cling to him, her body pressed up against his back, feeling surprised at how soft the small tight body felt melded against him. Slowing the pace once they were far enough out onto the plain, he felt her relax her grip on him slightly and her head move from side to side watching the landscape they sped through.

The plan was to head closer to their city to one of the bandit villages that held a loose pact with the Techno's in exchange for outdated or failed technologies. The villages of faith and justice would not abide their kidnapping of an innocent young woman, and the usual bandit towns were hostile to anyone uninvited or of their clan.

Knowing the hunters would have tracked them from the village, they left a map of where to find them and the kidnapped girl and make the exchange for the metal worker they so badly needed. It would take the warriors a day of hard riding to get there, but it would take their pursuers over a week to follow. Time was not on Talon's side, as he considered the girl clinging to him as he rode closer to home. They stopped for food in a small stand of trees that appeared out of nowhere on the plain. Talon turned to lift the girl from his bike, undoing the face scarf and smoothing the wind-blown tendrils of her hair surprisingly gently.

Her eyes were bright as she looked up at him, but she said nothing, and he pushed her toward a dead log lying in the shade. There was something in the girl's eyes that pulled at him, but he looked at her back and the anger of Clove's disappearance rose in him again. He turned to his saddlebags and the rations they had brought. Tossing a pack at her feet, he leant on his bike and watched her, inexplicably he felt drawn to the girl. He cared for no one outside his rapidly diminishing family, but the girl intrigued him. She picked up the pack and looked at it like she had never seen food before. He took the pack from her and tore it open, barking, "Eat!"

The aggressive Edge turned on him. "She's probably never been two steps outside that village, and you expect her to know what real food looks like?" He turned his gaze on the girl.

"What do they call you, girl?" Edge said in a surprisingly gentle tone.

Looking up from her inspection of the dried meat and fruit she whispered, "Trix." She picked a piece of dried fruit up, looking at it closely and sniffing it before nibbling on the edge of it. It was tart and sweet, almost at the same time, and she pushed it into her mouth, savouring the taste. Most villages lived on what little the forest supplied, supplemented by the few meagre crops that had been born from seeds taken by runaway peasants and slaves when they left the great cities seeking freedom. Those seeds had become the most valuable commodity in the bartering system between the villages.

Her family was lucky in that they could always trade their skills for what was needed, but still, she had never had the strange dried food that appeared in the pack. Edge approached her and sat beside her and began to explain what each thing was. Laughing as she pulled faces at his explanations and the subsequent taste.

Talon felt his hackles rise at the sight. He turned his back on the two walking over to Venn and spoke softly to him, "I want the girl."

"We need the metal worker more than you need to make a slave of some village girl out of some sense of retribution. We are not of the faith; there is no 'eye for an eye' stance here. We will trade her," Venn's tone brooked no arguments.

Talon looked at the scarred old veteran, "Should the opportunity arise to have both?"

Venn grunted, "Unlikely."

Talon turned back to where Trix sat with Edge, watching her expressive face as she listened to the grizzled old warrior. She did not say anything as she ate. He had not loved Clove, what he had loved was the prominence and privilege his marriage to her would have brought his family. The strange young girl sitting with Edge pulled at him in a way no other woman had. He considered the pampered women of the ruling families of his city, and the female warriors, like Clove, the uneducated peasant girls and the beaten and cowed slaves. This girl was different to all of them, and he stared at her, trying to fathom what it was about her that affected him this way.

Trix could feel Talon's eyes boring into her and ate swiftly, the man beside her was trying to be nice to her, but the other two were cold and seemed hostile in the way they watched her. No sooner had she put the last piece of food in her mouth then the young techno was before her, lifting her up and onto his bike again. He tried the scarf about her nose and mouth loosely and climbed on. Her hands touched his sides lightly as he started the bike, but as he accelerated out of the stand of trees her arms wrapped tightly around him again, making him smile.

It was close to dusk when they entered the bandit village and headed to the leaders home. The leader was a shrewd man adept at manipulation and subterfuge. The tentative pact the village had with the techno city was often stretched, and neither trusted the other fully, but outside of the city the techno's had little choice in where they took shelter.

Venn left the two warriors and Trix outside and entered the leader's home to discuss the terms of their stay in his village. Trix pulled the dusty scarf from her mouth as Talon lowered her to the ground. She heard someone shout her name and spun around, her eyes wide and an audible gasp escaping her lips.

"Trix!" The burly young man shouted once again as he charged toward the bikes.

Growing up in an ever fearful world, Trix took a step forward and stood in front of Talon and Edge so they could not see her face and called, "Don't you come near me, Azrael Black! Didn't my brothers teach you enough of a lesson the last time you were in our village?" She looked at Mica, the youngest of her brothers, her eyes beseeching him to recognise the name she called him as the code for danger.

He continued his walk toward her slowly, "A least I wasn't as scared of them like every other boy in your village. Still the virginal princess locked up in her tower? I don't see any of them here now. How about you and I renew our acquaintance? I'll be a prince, I promise," he gave her a lecherous look, his mouth curling in a wide smile as he played along.

Talon took a step forward, his hand on his Taser, "You heard the girl, back off."

Mica burst into laughter, "We are just playing, techno. No need to get all jumpy," Mica said good-naturedly. "Everyone knows not to mess with that girl. Is her father inside? He never lets her more than two feet from his home. I was just surprised to see her here, of all places."

Edge was looking between the two villagers, there was an uncanny resemblance between the man and Trix, despite the disparity in their size, and he narrowed his eyes shrewdly. He walked forward, his hand extended in friendship, and as Mica took it in a firm grip, he said, "We met her father in a village far to the north, cowering snivelling little man, he couldn't wait to give us his only daughter in exchange for his own life."

The flash of anger flared in Mica's eyes, and before he could stop himself, he had swung at Edge, who had been more than prepared and pulled on the hand he still clasped, flipping the boy onto his back and placing a foot over his throat. "Now, clever little Trix, why don't you introduce us to your brother," Edge smirked at the look of horror on her face.

"Mica!" Trix cried and rushed to him, trying to pry Edge's boot from his throat with her hands. Venn came out of the house and took in the situation. Edge and Talon had drawn their weapons as Edge pulled his boot from Mica's throat allowing him to breathe.

"Oh, Mica, no!" Trix cried.

"Seems we have our volunteer," Edge chuckled. "You will come with us to the city of Phoenix, to protect your family. Won't you, boy?"

Mica was coughing and rubbing at his throat, croaking, "What?" He looked at Trix and the tears in her eyes, still not comprehending what was going on.

"They need a metal worker, they need you in their city," Trix whispered sadly. "They took me to trade for you, or Flint, or Emery. They hurt Cobolt, I am not sure..." Her voice trailed off and what little bravado she had been clinging to crumpled and she began to cry.

"Well," he said, understanding finally dawning on him as he took in his sister's tearful face. "Don't cry, Trix. It's not so terrible. I have always wanted to work on the roaring machines, and you can go home and tell father I am happy it was me they found. Cobalt will be fine; he is the strongest of us all, you will see. Everything will be okay."

Mica stood up pulling Trix with him. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he looked at the two men pointing tasers at him, "Well, fella's," he smiled, "When do we leave?"

The leader of the village, Judah, who had come to stand with Venn, looked on with a darkening expression. The young man was a frequent visitor to their village, against the wishes of his father, he was skilled in not only metal work but in his ability to see how to make the technologies they had work. His quick mind and agile hands had made him invaluable to the small community, and his loss would not be taken lightly.

"This boy has our protection!" Judah announced loudly, "Wait and see if one of the others comes." He was playing for time. Time to think, and all he had at his disposal was a fragile pact with the techno warriors.

Venn, too, was aware of the fragility of the pact with this and very few other villages. Safe Haven's for those whose bikes malfunctioned or crashed, it was a necessary evil, but to have such a willing metal worker prepared to go to the city was such a boon. Venn grunted, "We discuss it in the morning. Where can we rest, it's been a long ride?"

They were shown to an abandoned building on the outskirts of the village and wheeled their bikes within. Edge rolled out his blanket and lay beside his bike, "Wake me for the watch, it's going to be an interesting night."

Mica was looking over the bikes. Turning to Venn he asked, "Can I take a look at your machine?" Venn grunted, nodding, but watched the boy closely. Mica ran his hands appreciatively over the unblemished metal of the chassis, noting the style. He began to ask questions, and Venn could see the boy's genuine enthusiasm.

Talon stood in the doorway watching the village, but his gaze often moved to Trix as well, as she slumped against his bike close to where he stood. Their eyes met and he murmured, "That's was clever the way you tried to protect your brother." His eyes scrutinised her as she said nothing, "He is the brother that gave you the jacket."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement, and Trix, who had forgotten his reaction to her jacket, blanched, her eyes widening in fear. "He would never hurt anyone, I swear, especially a girl," her voice was quiet but filled with anxiety.

Talon looked up at the boy, "My bike's better than that old junker," he smirked at Venn. "I will let you look her over if you can answer a simple question for me."

Mica stood and faced Talon, his amused face taking in the bike Trix leant against. "What can I tell ya?"

Talon turned from the doorway bristling, "You can tell me," he said through clenched teeth, "How your sister came to be wearing my betrothed's jacket!"

Mica turned pale and swallowed hard, "Why didn't you unpick it? We warned you, Trix."

"I couldn't, it's so beautiful!" she pleaded with Mica for understanding. "I never had anything so beautiful before!"

Mica rolled his eyes and turned back to Talon, "Traded for them at the Soloaks markets, the massive annual ones. A woman there said a crazy girl, a young techno woman," he corrected himself quickly, "Traded all her clothes for some of her Gryphon designs. Cobalt wanted something pretty for Trix; she always looked like such a tomboy in our hand me downs. I think mother made him do it, honestly, but he sent me with some jewellery and knives he and the twins had made to trade with."

"A woman?" Talon questioned, his voice restrained.

"Yeah, every year women from Pegasus and Gryphon come to the fair with goods, it's during their petition time, so the gates are open for the week so people can trade, but you knew that, right?" Mica looked at Talon, his face open and honest, "I never saw the girl who traded the clothes. Sorry."

Talon grunted and walked over to his bike, "This bike can out run that old bucket of Venn's on her worst day."

Trix stood and moved out of their way towards the door. Talon's hand shot out and pulled her back from the doorway, keeping his hand on her arm as he talked about his bike with Mica. She could feel the pressure through the jacket as he held her in place beside him while he talked. Finally, she sank to the ground and sat beside the bike again to her rid of his constant touch.

The night wore on, and, after refusing the food from the village, they ate the rations from the techno packs. Trix was amazed at how at ease her brother was with these men. "What's to be afraid of?" he had said when she told him, "We haven't done anything wrong." He grinned at her, "What's it like to ride on the machines?"

"Windy," Trix grinned back, despite herself.

Edge woke and took up his position at the door. The night wore on and Talon spread a blanket out, "Sleep," he stared at Trix until she moved to the blanket. Venn threw a blanket to Mica, and he settled himself sitting with his back against a wall. Talon likewise sat against the wall beside Trix.

Trix woke startled in the middle of the night, taking several fearful moments to remember where she was. Blinking rapidly into the darkness of the hut, she breathed deeply, calming herself, Mica slept heavily beside her, and she looked to the other side expecting to see Talon, but he had gone. Sitting up, she saw him in the doorway and, steadying her nerves, she went to sit with him and try to apologise for the hurt she must have caused him.

"I am sorry your love is missing," she began quietly as he watched her sit close to the doorway beside him. "It must have been awful to find a stranger wearing her jacket. I wonder why she gave up all her beautiful clothes for Gryphon garments?" Trix mused curiously.

Talon said nothing in response; the girl confused him. Why should she care about his feelings or the fate of Clove? He did not love Clove, theirs was to be an arranged marriage between two powerful families. It was not a partnership borne of love but out of necessity, like all marriages within his caste.

"I have never been in love, but if one of my brothers were missing, I would be worried and angry too," She touched his arm. "My family will miss Mica, but at least they will know where he is, and he wants to go to the city, he always has, so you're helping him in a way because father would never let him go to Phoenix." She seemed to consider her words, "Gryphon, maybe, but never Phoenix." She leant back and smiled, "At least we will know where he is."

"Do you always do what your father says?" Talon murmured, unsure of himself in the face of her forgiveness for destroying her family by taking her brother from them.

"With four brothers, as well as my father, I have never stepped foot outside our village. Even in the village I am generally watched. I guess I never truly had a choice but to do what he said," she looked out of the doorway, "When you leave I will go back, and all I would have seen is the scenery fly past me and a strange village from this doorway."

Talon smirked at the girl, "Who said you were going home?"

"You have Mica. You don't need me anymore," she smiled, "It's not like I know anything about metals and forging."

"So the princess will just return to her tower?" Talon's face held an amused look, and Trix was stunned by how the small smile changed his face.

"It is all that I know, and mother needs me to help with all the chores," Trix shrugged, "It's not so bad, I guess."