The Chronicles of Hvad Ch. 02

- "It's a start." said Borna.

- "Damn good start!" barked Khoren.

We collected every horse in the steading. There were 26 of them. We loaded them with weapons, shields, and chain mail shirts, with furs and spare clothing, pots and cups and cooking implements. Borna added hunting bows, and as many arrows as we could gather.

Most important, we packed on food. We didn't take everything they had - Borna wouldn't have left Asrava's people to starve - but we did carry away quite a bit.

He also took whatever coins we found, and the jewelry from our enemy's womenfolk.

- "Do you want Asrava's hoard?" asked Kanni.

- "His hoard?"

- "He buried it under the floor, in his room." she said.

- "Traitor!" hissed Garine. Khoren glared at her, and she wisely refrained from saying any more. Kanni simply glanced at the daughter of her former lord, with a look of supreme indifference.

- "How can you expect loyalty, after the way you and yours have treated her?" asked Borna. He shook his head in disbelief.

We pulled up the floor in Asrava's chamber, and dug. We found a small chest, packed with silver coins, rings and necklaces, and a leather pouch which contained a handful of gold coins. It was a small fortune, and now it belonged to Borna.

He gave me a ring with a small gem set in it, and Khoren got one, too. Dirayr and Priit received plain silver rings, and two silver coins each. Borna gave Kanni a silver necklace.

I was proud of him. In his first moments as a leader, he was showing generosity. It was a promising beginning. I had no idea if other Hands felt this way, but Borna's actions reflected on me. If he did something petty, or cruel, I knew that I would feel the shame, as if I had done them myself. For now, though, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction, and pride.

His decision to attack Asrava's steading, at night, with only Khoren and me at his side ... well, at first, it struck me as lunacy. Now, however, it stood revealed as an act of great daring, and resolution.

The people of the steading gathered, and watched as we looted their Hospodar's great hall. They did not interfere. There was nothing they could do against armed warriors. Khoren alone was an intimidating presence.

- "A few of these horses are lame, or nearly so." said Dirayr. "We can't ride them."

- "Bring them along." said Borna. Even at this point, I think he had a plan. What that was, none of us knew, yet.

- "There's also Ontran." said Dirayr.

Our wounded companion had been place on a crude litter. The journey would be rough, and it would be a miracle if he survived. But we couldn't just leave him with Asrava's people; even if they didn't murder him straight away, they had no reason to care for him.

Garine and Noyemi were put on horseback. Borna re-bound their hands, this time using rope. He tied the end of the rope to the pommel of their saddle. Even now, he had the grace to apologize to Noyemi.

- "I'm sorry, but you must come with us, because of whose daughter and sister you are."

- "What about the concubine?" asked Khoren.

Borna glanced at Lulalme. "She's done us no harm."

But Kanni did join out little party. Borna helped her to mount, as the rest of us prepared to leave.

- "Ah!" said Borna. He ran back into the hall. When he returned, he pressed a small object into Kanni's hand. From where I sat my horse, I could see what it was.

A comb.

***

We skirted the edge of the forest, as we had done only a day earlier. It was bizarre, how little time had passed, and yet how much had changed.

The ground was still soft, from the heavy rain a few days before. We could see the hoofprints of Asrava's druzhina, both coming and going. Borna's face was set, and closed. I knew better than to disturb him in these circumstances.

We returned to the site of the ambush. It looked ... strangely pathetic. For an event of such importance, there was remarkably little to see. Two dead horses. A scattering of corpses. They had stripped the bodies of anything valuable, but left them lying in the dirt.

The guslar was dead. Teeth lay on his stomach, with the back of his skull crushed in. There was also a horrible gaping wound to his shoulder, which had almost taken his arm off. Killing a guslar ... this shocked us deeply. They carry no weapons, and belong to no one's druzhina. Guslars know no faction, and travel anywhere and everywhere, welcome wherever they go. Killing him was senseless, and just ... wrong.

Maigon's men had done worse. They had severed the heads of two of the corpses: Gosdan's, and Antras'. None of us had words to respond to this kind of savagery.

Long ago, in Hvad's distant past, the heads of enemies were taken, as trophies. According to the Guslars, it was considered powerful magic, which could weaken the entire family of your enemies. But if I remembered the tales correctly, it never seemed to work that way. Cutting off heads always led to the hero taking revenge in equally grisly fashion. It was a part of our barbaric history, which we believed was long gone, and never to be re-lived. Only in the Uplands, where men lived like animals, were such acts still practiced.

Borna stared at the headless corpses for some time. No one had the heart to disturb him. We had known that his father and brother were dead. There was no doubt about that. But it is one thing to know, and another thing completely to see their bodies like this.

- "Bury them." he said.

Among the items we had looted from Asrava's steading were three shovels. We put them to use now. Borna worked hardest, setting a gruelling pace. A pit would have been easier, but he insisted on a long, shallow grave. We buried our comrades side by side. It was comforting, in a way, to know that they would lie together, in a decent grave, and not be food for crows.

The sun was high in the sky by the time we finished. I waited as long as I could, but eventually, I had to speak with Borna.

- "I'm sorry." I said. "About your father. And your brother."

- "Thank you, Ljudevit." he answered. "But my father's ambition led him to trust Asrava. That was foolish, and caused the death of many good men. As for my brother ... well, we both know who and what he was. I won't mourn for him."

- "Borna -"

- "I know - we shouldn't speak ill of the dead. But I won't lie to myself, or to you. It would be hypocritical to try to turn Antras into something he was not. I intend to avenge them. Let that be enough."

- "So ... you have a plan?" I asked.

Borna nodded. "Part of one, at any rate. Last night, when we were in the forest, I didn't know exactly what to do. My first thought was for my mother, and my sisters. But we couldn't save them. Even if we had wings, and could get home before Maigon and Vazrig reached our steading - what could we do, against a hundred men?"

"You know, I had an idea, then: we could go to Izumyr, and sell our swords. Become mercenaries. There's no shortage of wars down there."

I didn't respond, but I suppose that my face gave me away. Leave Hvad? Us?

"I know." said Borna. "It only struck me for a moment. Honourable exile. Then I thought of you and Khoren, and whether it was fair to ask you to accompany me. The last thing that I thought of was my father. And my brother."

- "That's natural enough." I said.

- "Maybe. But I forgot my duty, for that moment. We both know what I have to do." He looked me in the eyes. "Asrava had to die, Ljudevit, for his treachery. Mushtal was a partner to it. He has to die as well. So do Maigon and Vazrig, for their savagery. And then Manahir, and the rest of his family."

- "That's a long list."

- "I know." he said. "And we've only made a start. My father's intrigue threatened their ambitions - I see that. But that doesn't call for treachery and murder. Now I have to pay them back in their own coin."

We rode in silence for a while, as I digested that.

- "And I'm the Hospodar, now - whether I willed it, or not." he observed. "So we're going back. I have to be somewhere near enough to our steading, so that our people know where I am. And so that we can strike a blow at our enemies."

- "Where?" I asked.

- "You'll see."

We camped that night on the edge of the forest. It was safe enough - none of our foes knew where we were. We hobbled the horses, and set up camp. Khoren and Priit got wood for a fire, while the rest of us - Borna included - looked after the horses. Dirayr took the lead, of course - he knew more about horses than anyone.

When we were children, he was already teaching us how to care for our ponies.

- "When you bring your horse home, you must groom it, feed and water it. Get clean hay, and the best food. Rub it down, and care for it. That way, your horse will always prefer its home. When you are out, riding, and you turn its head for home, your horse will know what's waiting. It will be eager to get there."

'Simple magic', he called it. I was glad that he was still alive. When we were done feeding the horses, and then ourselves, Borna stood up.

- "Today, there are five of us. And our numbers will grow. But last night, we were only three. Only Ljudevit and Khoren stood with me. And yet they joined me in an attack on our enemy's stronghold. Such courage - such loyalty - should be recognized."

"We took horses, coins, and valuable items - we'll need these, if we're to rebuild our druzhina. But my companions deserve a reward."

He handed me a sword - and then another to Khoren.

I should say something about swords here: they are relatively scarce, outside of Hvad town. There's no shortage of iron and even steel - it's armourers and swordsmiths that we lack.

In our steading, there were a grand total of four swords, belonging to Gosdan, his two sons, and to Mihran, his Hand. Three of those were gone now, taken by Manahir's grandsons, Maigon and Vazrig.

Borna gave me Asrava's sword, and Khoren took the blade belonging to Asrava's Hand. I treasured the gift, of course, but I was unlikely to use it. I didn't know how.

The spear, the axe, and my favourite long knife - those I knew. And I would be much better handling weapons I was comfortable with, instead of this heavy blade.

Borna wasn't finished.

"We also took captives." he said. "As Hospodar - as your war chief, I have the right of first choice."

He did it so quickly, that I had no time to think. Borna walked over to stand behind Kanni. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

- "I choose this one." he said.

This was decidedly odd. Kanni was no prisoner. She had chosen to come with us, after helping us find Asrava's hoard. Did it simply mean that Borna didn't want either of Asrava's daughters? What was he doing?

- "Ljudevit - you choose next." said Borna.

Now my mind began to whirl.

We have slavery in Hvad. But only for debt. A man can sell his children, or himself, into bondage. He cannot sell his wife, though she can sell herself. The length of their bondage is negotiable. But so far as I knew, prisoners taken in war, or in a raid, were customarily ransomed, or exchanged.

Or killed.

Borna was in a blood feud with Asrava's - now Mushtal's - family. He could, by right, kill both of the girls. I understood my friend that far: he didn't want their blood on his hands. But why do this?

He knew me. Inside and out, Borna knew me. He was perfectly aware that I would not mistreat a woman. But Khoren? He was giving one of these girls to that brute. It would be the one that I did not choose - which in effect meant that it was my choice.

- "Ljudevit." prompted Borna.

It was no decision, really. I rose to my feet, and went to stand behind Noyemi. At first, I thought she looked ready to cry. But I couldn't read her expression.

- "This one." I said, choking on the words.

- "Ha!" Khoren leapt to his feet.

Garine recognized her fate. "No!" she said. "You can't - you can't give me to him!"

- "He just did!" said Khoren. He seized her by the shoulder, and pulled her from the log she was sitting on. Then he dragged her away from the fire, into the darkness just beyond the circle of light.

I saw the others. Dirayr seemed stunned. Priit couldn't look at all; he stared at the ground. Borna calmly watched Khoren drag the girl into the bushes. Kanni's expression was most surprising of all. There was no revulsion on her face, but I couldn't detect any satisfaction, either. There was no obvious thirst for vengeance, no enjoyment of Garine's plight. Kanni simply looked straight back at me, one eyebrow raised.

Garine screamed, once.

It struck me that I didn't have to stand there like an idiot and listen to it. And, a moment later, I realized that Noyemi didn't have to sit there either, hearing her sister's ordeal.

I tapped her on the shoulder.

- "Come." I said.

She stiffened, shrinking away from my touch. Idiot! I wasn't thinking - it didn't occur to me how she might respond - what she must be thinking.

"I'm not going to touch you." I whispered. My only intent was to get her farther away, where she would have to hear the noises coming from just beyond the firelight. "I just want to check the horses."

That was moronic. Why did I need her with me to look at the horses? She wasn't stupid. But Noyemi stood, and followed me.

I walked among the hobbled ponies, and stopped when I could no longer hear Khoren and Garine. Noyemi stood a few paces behind me. I was glad of the darkness, then.

- "My father was a Hospodar." she said, softly.

- "Your father is dead." I snapped. "Just like Borna's father. And his brother. Just like a dozen good men, who didn't have to die - except for your father's treachery."

- "Is that why you're so angry?" she asked.

It was a damned good question. I could feel Noyemi's eyes upon me, but I didn't have the stones to turn and face her. She wasn't so shy as I had imagined.

Why was I so angry?

- "You're not going to ... take me." It wasn't a question.

- "No!" I snapped again. I didn't add 'What do you take me for?', but I'm certain she could hear it, in my offended tone.

- "You don't want me?" she asked.

- "What are you talking about?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I won't touch you, Noyemi." I said. "You can go to sleep."

- "I'll just stay here a while longer." she said. Clearly, she understood why I had brought her away from the fireside.

We ended up standing there for quite some time. Even the horses, it seemed to me, began to look at us oddly.

- "May I ask you something?" she said.

- "Go ahead."

- "Why did you choose me?"

It was a simple question. So I gave her a simple answer.

- "So that Khoren wouldn't hurt you."

I didn't sleep well, that night. Borna did, curled up in the furs with Kanni. In the morning, Garine was showing bruises on her face. She kept her head down, and looked at no one. I had to think of Kanni, and to remember what Garine was like. But it still didn't sit right.

Fortunately, Khoren didn't say anything. I'm not sure what I might have said in return, or what I might have done.

Instead, I approached Borna.

- "That was ill done." I said. I kept my voice down, so that the others would not hear.

- "I don't want to hear it, Ljudevit. Keep it to yourself." And he walked away from me.

I was shocked. In all our years together, Borna had kept his secrets, and there were things we simply did not discuss. He didn't like to hear me criticize his family, for one thing. But this was different.

- "You can tell me, if you want." said Kanni. I hadn't even noticed that she was behind me.

- "Why would I want to do that?"

- "Because you're angry. You need to get it off your chest." she said, calmly.

- "But he's the one who needs to hear it." I said. I knew that I sounded petulant, like a child, but I couldn't help it.

- "You think he doesn't know what you want to say?" said Kanni.

- "What do you mean?"

- "Put yourself in his place, Ljudevit. Consider his options. Should he have killed them?"

I didn't have an answer for that.

- "Garine knew what her father and brother were planning - you heard her, Ljudevit. She celebrated what was done to me. And to Borna's brother. You heard the things she said. Should he have killed her, but not the younger sister? Noyemi may not be entirely innocent, either."

- "I doubt that."

- "Alright." said Kanni. "Should he have let them go? You know that he intends to kill Mushtal. Once he's dead, there will be no Hospodar in Asrava's steading. But a man who married one of his sisters could claim the title. Borna won't let that happen. You can see why - can't you?"

I could. If Mushtal died, his sisters' husbands could claim Asrava's place - and take up the feud with Borna. It would never end. There hadn't been a blood feud between Hospodars in Yeseriya in my lifetime - but we were in the middle of one now.

"He's going to eliminate the House of Asrava." she said. "It's his vengeance."

- "And yours?" I asked.

Kanni didn't answer that directly. Instead, she replied with a question. "What would you do, in Borna's place?"

- "I wouldn't take vengeance on defenceless women!" I snapped. I was still angry.

- "Alright. He can't kill them, but he doesn't want to let them go. How can he keep them? As concubines? People will always wonder if he was going to marry them later."

She was right about that. There were plenty of examples of men who had married their concubines. If Borna had taken Garine or Noyemi, it would have been - at least in part - a recognition of their rank.

But by giving them to his followers, he was stripping them of their status. No one would marry them after this. No one could use them to claim a right to be Hospodar. It was cruel - but wasn't it preferable to killing them?

I was partly convinced. But only partly. Kanni could see it in my face.

- "Listen, Ljudevit. There are three women in camp. What kind of leader would Borna be if he took all of them? He wasn't about to give me to Khoren - did you think he could?"

She was right again. Once he had taken Kanni under his protection, he would never let anyone hurt her again. That was one reason why I couldn't understand what he had done to Garine. Cruelty to women wasn't part of the Borna I knew. Yet here we were.

"What would Borna do if Khoren tried to take me?" she asked. "You know him better than anyone."

- "He'd kill him."

- "But Borna needs Khoren. Just as he needs you. Having three unattached women in your camp - would be a sore temptation for a man like Khoren, wouldn't it? For any man, perhaps."

Kanni said it calmly, but her words still stung.

- "You think all men are rapists?"

She shook her head. "Not all." Then she looked me in the eyes. "Just many."

I had no answer to that.

"Borna knew that you would choose as you did - exactly as he would have. Now Khoren has a woman, and he'll leave the others alone."

Kanni left it at that. I still didn't agree with her. Not entirely. But I couldn't argue with her. It was an unusual feeling.

***

Borna knew exactly where he was going. We rode until well past mid-day, to a familiar spot: the blueberry patches, on the edge of the forest, about four and a half miles from our steading.

In late summer, when the berries were ripe, the young people would take baskets, and go on blueberry-picking expeditions. It was a long walk, though not so far on horseback. The berries were plentiful, and there were several small clearings in the woods behind them, perfect for private trysting.

So long as the young folk came back with full baskets, most parents were fairly tolerant of these outings. After all, it wasn't as if they hadn't gone berry picking in their own day. Sometimes the entire family would go, and the children could gorge themselves, eating three or four times as many berries as they collected.