The Chronicles of Hvad Ch. 08

My listeners loved the story of our raid on our own steading, while Vazrig was away looking for us, and then the battle in the forest. Vazrig's death met with unanimous approval. But when I described the battle in the sheep pasture, Sawtooth frowned.

- "Ye had sixty warriors? I don't understand, Borna Vrej. Why are ye here with only five?"

- "All in good time, friend." answered Borna.

I continued, but the spell I had been weaving was broken. Part of it was that Sawtooth's men were wondering the same thing as their chieftain: why was Borna here? Also, I think that a battle, involving over 100 fighters, was too far beyond their experience. These brigands probably never saw more than a dozen, or a score, on both sides combined.

They weren't warriors - not in the way that we understood the word. Khoren alone could have killed Hanik Sawtooth and his entire band. Only Vepar might have given him a moment of trouble.

The Uplanders were cutthroats. Reivers. Masters at stealing sheep or cattle. They could lay an expert ambush, or strike in the dark. But very, very few of them could have stood against Khoren, or Lovro, in a fair fight.

Borna didn't give me any signal, but I stopped with the deaths of Manahir and his son. I chose to say nothing about the election we had called, or about Adarion and Yelsa.

- "Now, I think, we come to the reason why ye came here, friend Borna." said Sawtooth, with a sly grin. "Perhaps now I'll learn why ye offer me a fine horse, as a gift ... and what this 'favour' is, that ye want."

- "You've heard most of the story." said Borna. "But now I have new enemies, and must earn my name all over again. I'm here to recruit fighters, Sawtooth. I need warriors."

"I understand that you don't want to be left defenceless. I'm sure that you have enemies of your own."

"I wouldn't take any of your men without your permission. And you yourself would be welcome among us, if you so choose. But here's the favour I ask of you: help me contact other Upland chieftains. Your rivals. Your enemies, too. Let me put my proposal to them. If any of their fighters agree to join me, that can only be to your advantage."

Hanik Sawtooth was a shrewd old bushwhacker and murderer. He was considering Borna's request, and weighing the possible benefits to himself.

- "Why would other chieftains listen to ye? Or let their men listen?" he asked.

- "For the same reason you did." said Borna. "Curiosity. The possibility of gaining something. And because I'll offer them the same gift: one of our horses."

Sawtooth frowned. "The same as me? But I've already listened to ye. Why should I contact other chieftains? I risk my men - but for what?"

Borna smiled. "You know very well, Hanik Sawtooth. Because every one of your neighbors whose men join me will be less of a threat to you next year. And because you're being so helpful to me - your friend - I'll make your steading my base."

"We'll stay with you this winter, and enjoy your fine hospitality. How many of your rivals would dare to attack while we're here?"

"Of course, as your guests, we wouldn't think of eating your food without contributing provisions. We'll raid my enemies before the winter sets in, and take their livestock."

Old Sawtooth was many things, but a fool he was not. He made a show of thinking it over, however, before he accepted the offer.

After we had eaten, and had taken on considerably more strong drink, Sawtooth offered to let us sleep in his 'hall'. I'd sooner have kissed an adder on the lips than bed down among these cutthroats. However attractive Borna's proposal, they wouldn't hesitate to murder us for our horses, or for our gear and weapons.

Borna got us one of the little cottages. Made of stone, with a slate roof, it would be difficult to set afire. The door might not be much of an obstacle, but if we kept watch, it would be safe enough. Or so I hoped, at least.

The little place was predictably filthy, and crawling with fleas and bedbugs. It was especially hard for Borna, who was more fastidious than most when it came to personal cleanliness. He and Tsoline took the first watch.

***

Sawtooth did as Borna asked. He sent out his men, on foot, to bring word to four neighbouring chieftains. Three of them came - cautiously - to the steading.

Bacho BeardEater brought eight scruffy men. He was a big, burly fellow, with a sizeable gut and narrow, squinting eyes. Bacho had won his name by vowing vengeance on a rival. 'If I don't kill him, I'll eat my beard.' he had sworn.

The man in question died when a tree fell on him. Unable to fulfill his vow, Bacho had duly shaved his beard - and eaten it. For some reason, the people who watched him were very impressed. Bacho remembered this. When he killed another rival, some time later, Bacho shaved off his defeated enemy's beard - and ate it. Apparently this sort of behaviour could earn you a reputation, in the Uplands.

The second chieftain was Lunach Kinslayer. He was in excellent physical shape, a tall, sturdily-built man with a long sword strapped to his back. His hair and beard were streaked with grey, though, making it difficult to ascertain his age. We didn't have to ask about his name. Lunach brought only four fighters with him, having killed most of his friends, as well as his own brothers and cousins.

The third was Mutimir ThreeNipple. He was a big, handsome man, tall as Lovro, and broader in the shoulder. His hair and beard were dark brown. Mutimir wasn't shy about explaining how he had won his second name. He simply pulled up his shirt. There was a large mole, or freckle, near the center of his chest. It did look surprisingly like an extra nipple.

- "I fight bare-chested, sometimes." he said. "You wouldn't believe how many idiots will stare at it while I chop their heads open."

They decided not to wait for the fourth chieftain, called Suler Hole-in-the-nose.

- "He won't come." said Mutimir.

- "That's a shame." said Lovro.

We gathered in the dirty yard, and built a bonfire. There was no way that we all could have fit inside Sawtooth's house. I had to re-tell Borna's story, for the benefit of BeardEater, the Kinslayer, and ThreeNipple. They seemed to enjoy it as much as Sawtooth's men had. When the tale was done, Borna explained why he had come. Bacho chewed on the end of his mustache - probably just an appetizer for him. Lunach Kinslayer was looking past us, his eyes unfocused. Mutimir ThreeNipple was the only lucid one.

- "Why would we fight for you?" he asked.

Borna held up three fingers. "Fighting." he said. "If you love a good fight, I can provide it. Second - loot. Plunder. Those who come to fight for me will go home with their hands full."

- "And the third finger?"

- "I'm going to win, Mutimir." said Borna. "When I do, I will be Ban of Yeseriya. Would you not rather be my friend, then?"

It was difficult to tell how these Upland chieftains took Borna's proposal. They were all remarkably adept at hiding their facial expressions. We drank with them, and told stories. I was no closer to guessing which way they would jump.

Bacho BeardEater wished us good luck, took his horse, and went home.

- "I will go with you, in the spring." said Lunach Kinslayer. "I will bring my wife, and two of my men. If that is acceptable to you." He had the oddest habit: Lunach would stare over the shoulder of the person he was speaking to. Either he was addressing Borna's shadow, or else he saw things the rest of us didn't.

- "I will be glad to have you with us." replied Borna. "You don't need to wait until spring, though - we will be going on a raid in a few days."

- "Regrettably, I have a few ... family matters to clear up. I will be here in the spring, though."

Hanik Sawtooth laughed. "Your uncle, Lunach?"

- "Yes." said the Kinslayer. He turned and left.

- "What about you, Mutimir?" asked Borna. "Forgive me if I don't use both of your names."

- "It's a stupid name." agreed the chieftain. "Useful, in a fight, sometimes. But I'd like to earn a better one. I'll go with you, on this raid. And in the spring, too, if we're still alive."

Borna still had the touch. He slipped off a gold armband, and passed it to Mutimir. "I look forward to helping you win a new name." he said.

Hanik Sawtooth just grinned, and showed his filed teeth. "At my age? What would I do with a new concubine? I can barely keep my three wives satisfied. And I have two new horses to ride, as well."

- "I'm sorry to hear that." said Borna. "I was looking forward to having you at my side."

- "Well ... I'll let Vepar go - to represent me." said our host. "And we can remain friends."

***

We had no choice but to raid into Yeseriya for food, and if possible, for horses. If we were going to spend the winter with Sawtooth, there was no way that he could support us and our horses. Mutimir brought three of his men, and Vepar came along. Eleven of us, on eight horses, since Borna had given four away. I was not the most optimistic member of our party.

Borna was daring, but not rash. He chose to scout the ruins of Asrava's steading. If our enemies were maintaining a presence, that would be the logical place for them to set up camp.

- "Twenty-five." said Tsoline, back from her reconnaissance. "Two guards at the north-west corner, two more at the southeast."

- "Damn." said Mutimir, looking glum.

- "We'll go in from the north." said Borna.

- "Wait." said Mutimir. "You want to attack them? There're only eleven of us!"

- "Most of them are asleep. The advantage of surprise will go a long way."

- "I like this man." said Vepar. It was the first time I'd heard him speak. In fact, up until that moment, I wasn't sure that he could speak.

Borna's luck held true. It was fairly dark, and a bit cold. The sentries would be sticking close to their little fires. Tsoline led the way, followed by Aare and me. I was a reasonably proficient bowman, but the redheaded youngster was even better.

We snuck in, downwind, so as not to alarm the horses. The sentries weren't sleeping, but they weren't particularly alert, either. These men had been here for weeks, without seeing any action. The two guards were chatting, low-voiced, to keep each other awake. They thought that boredom was their biggest enemy, this night.

Tsoline missed completely. The guard might have moved, slightly, but her arrow whistled past his head. Aare did no better, sending a shaft flying off into the darkness. My shot, on the other hand, was one of the best I ever made. I hit my target in the forehead. He dropped to the grass. You may find that hard to believe, but I swear it's true.

The second guard felt Tsoline's arrow fly past him. He also heard my shaft strike home. The fellow stood up, and made a terrible mistake: he looked to his stricken companion. Before he could shout a warning, all three of us had drawn another arrow, and fired a second shot.

This time, skill showed through. Tsoline put her arrow into the guard's throat, while Aare pierced his chest. I hit the ground three feet short. But the two guards were down, and no one else in the camp was any the wiser.

Tsoline melted off into the shadows, to seek new targets with her bow. Aare and I took up our long knives, and joined Borna, Lovro, and Durra.

We simply walked into the ruins of the steading, and looked for sleeping men. Vepar was straining at the leash, almost vibrating with his eagerness to be at them. But Mutimir went up several notches in my estimation. He understood exactly what Borna intended. He kept a tight rein on his three men, and stayed close to us, instead of haring off on his own.

I had a moment where I re-lived another experience. It was eerily reminiscent of the night Borna, Khoren and I had crept into Asrava's hall. It was the same place, after all - even if the buildings were mostly burned down.

These men were complete strangers to me. I bore them no particular grudge, except that their Ban had chosen to invade Yeseriya and steal the title that Borna had fought so hard for. Yet it was remarkably easy to slit their throats as they slept. We made solid progress, until a noise woke one of the sleepers further on, and he raised the alarm.

- "Go! Go!" shouted Borna. It was the signal to abandon stealth and secrecy, and to press our attack.

I stayed close to him, as ever, with Durra to my left, and Lovro off on Borna's right. The big man met one serious opponent, who had snatched up a shield and spear. Lovro smashed the spear aside, then nearly clove the shield in two. Only the iron boss stopped his sword stroke. Stunned, the man looked at the wreckage of his shield. Lovro stabbed him in the side of the head with his dagger.

Borna had to block a spear thrust, and then despatched his assailant with a backhand stroke. That was the only serious fighting we did.

Vepar was snuffling, and grunting, somewhere off to the left. And that is all I really remember of that attack.

Our enemies broke and ran, on foot. They escaped us easily, in the darkness. Little did they know that we let them go, lest they discover how few we truly were. We didn't stop to count the fallen. Instead, we took the horses, snatched up as much of their gear as we could find, and retreated.

Once we were all back together, we could piece together what had happened. Two of Mutimir's men had run into trouble. One was dead, and the other so badly wounded that it was unlikely he would survive. But we estimated that more than a dozen of our enemies were dead. My best guess was sixteen.

We had twenty-one new horses, and gear and weapons for a dozen men.

Borna did not waste his opportunity. By dawn we were on the move. We rustled three cows, and eleven sheep, plus several sacks of grain. The only fly in the soup came when Vepar wanted to kill a farmer, and then bring his wife and daughter back with us. Borna simply said 'No' - and that was it.

Mutimir slapped me on the back. "Best fucking raid ever!" he said. The loss of two of his men did not seem to bother him overmuch (the wounded man expired on our way back). Borna was typically generous. Mutimir and his remaining man received new weapons, and a horse each, as did Vepar.

We returned to Sawtooth's steading.

***

It was the worst winter of my life. I was cold the whole time, tormented by lice and fleas, and plagued by the galloping shits. Rarely did I get a good night's sleep, constantly worrying that Sawtooth and his brigands would murder us if I closed my eyes.

Mutton, mutton, a little stringy beef and more mutton. That was all we had to eat. The only variety was when we had horse. Hvadi are no strangers to cold and snow, but when the winds howl through the Uplands, it can chill your soul.

Borna was preoccupied, and had little time for me. Most of his attention was devoted to Sawtooth, and to Tsoline. Lovro and I quarreled. Vepar, I discovered, was a homicidal maniac who stank like the boar he was named after.

In the past year, he had murdered another of Sawtooth's men in a fit of rage, and maimed a second man who'd made a joke about his name.

Now I understood why Hanik Sawtooth was sending Vepar with us. I was cold, filthy, and surrounded by stone-cold killers.

On the positive side, Aare and I became friends.

***

Spring, on the other hand, was something of a revelation. Word of our raid had spread. Mutimir returned, with seven men. Borna was delighted. I was shocked.

- "Where did you get seven men?" I asked ThreeNipple.

- "I told you - that was the best raid ever. Once the story was told, they all wanted to come." he said. "You watch - there'll be more."

Lunach returned, with two companions. When Borna asked if his affairs were in order, the Kinslayer merely nodded. He had brought his wife, a diminutive woman who hid her face beneath a shapeless hood.

Twelve men came in on their own, without a chieftain. The numbers were encouraging, but upon closer inspection, I wanted to change my opinion. They were filthy, of course, but the majority bore nasty scars, and were missing one or more non-essential body parts. I could not picture these men standing firm in the line of battle.

But the biggest surprise of all taught me more about the Uplands than I ever wanted to know. Three women rode to the edge of Sawtooth's steading, on ponies so malnourished that I doubt you could have made a decent soup from them.

- "Don't go out there." said Hanik Sawtooth.

- "Is that who I think it is?" asked Mutimir.

- "Don't talk to her." said our host.

Curiosity won out, as it so often does. Borna brought me, Tsoline, and Durra. We walked out to meet the strangers.

Their leader was a woman. And a wild animal. I cannot adequately describe her. If Durra had been brought up by wolves, and subsisted on a diet of raw meat, she might have looked a little like this woman.

She rode her pony back and forth, as if she could not remain still. Her long hair was a tangled mass of knots, dark brown, for the most part, except on the crown of her head, where it was white, stiff with lime and dried clay.

Her face was streaked with blue dye, and with blood. She wore leather armour, and a wolf skin over her shoulders. She also had on a necklace - made of human and animal teeth.

- "Are you the Niskadi chieftain?" she shouted.

- "I am Borna Vrej."

The woman yanked savagely on the reins. Her pony nearly foundered beneath her. But she leapt nimbly from the saddle, and landed on her feet, with remarkable balance. She raised her hand, and waved her arm over her head..

Two more women came forward, on equally decrepit ponies.

One was surprisingly attractive. As they drew nearer, I had to revise my first appraisal: she was stunning. This young woman held a bow, with an arrow already nocked. She had long, light-brown hair, and delicate features: lovely blue eyes, a fine nose, and shapely lips. Only one thing marred her beauty: above her left eye, she had a scar - or a tattoo. I could not tell, at a distance. It looked like a curved line, over her eyebrow, with four vertical slashes through it.

The other woman was frightening. She had long, tangled blonde hair, and a voluptuous body. But her eyes were ... ice-cold. There was no emotion there, no sense that a living, breathing creature occupied that form. You must remember that I had known Khoren, and Vazrig, and Vepar. But this woman chilled my blood.

The first woman - the leader, for lack of a better expression - took a few steps closer.

- "You have women fighting beside you?" she said.

- "I do." said Borna. "This is Tsoline LongShot. And this is Durra NoseBreaker." Then he whispered to Durra. "We have to get you a better name."

- "I'll live." replied Durra.

- "Who do I have the honour of addressing?" said Borna, to the wild-woman.

- "They call me Payl."

In Hvadi dialect, Payl meant 'the Shining One'. I whispered it to Borna.

- "How can I help you, Shining One?' he said.

- "Answer me this, Niskadi: is it true that you have women warriors, fighting by your side?"

- "I do." answered Borna.

- "Then let me speak with them!" shouted Payl.

Borna turned to Durra and Tsoline. Both women moved forward, closer to Payl. By some unspoken agreement, they moved further away from us, so that we could not hear them. The conversation went on for some time.

When Durra and Tsoline returned, Payl came with them. She stood directly in front of Borna, but I felt her bold, challenging eyes sweep across me as she swiftly appraised us.

- "We will fight with you." she said.

- "I'm glad to hear it." said Borna.

- "But I have conditions." she added.

- "Name them. If I can meet your conditions, I will."

- "Equal shares for women warriors." said Payl.

- "Always." said Borna.