Once more into the black descended the three companions. Inadvertently through miscues by both the Chief and their unlikely young guide Little Fish, the trio found themselves in the Chief's past. The childhood remembrance of the Chief's caused them to overshoot the time they intended to visit his home. The mistake placed them in the Chief's homeland many decades before he was born! Unbelievably, their actions established the Chief's tribe and laid down the events for him to be born.
After so consequential a mistake, Little Fish's confidence for traversing the space between life and death had been seriously shaken. So powerful was the boy's lack of composure, it could be felt by the Valley Knight as he held his hand during their descent. Once the pressure of the descent eased, Little Fish said, "I-it’s safe to breathe now." Before they were subjected to a greater misadventure the Knight said, "Let us hold for a moment and get our bearings."
Relieved Little Fish stopped kicking and said, "Good, because I don't know where we’re going!" The Knight was appalled. "You were just swimming with no idea of where we are headed?" Both the Chief and the boy flinched at the Knight's uncharacteristic outburst. Making an extreme effort to remain calm the Knight spoke slowly, "Fish, we have to be very careful and remain focused on what we are doing. If we don't, we may not ever return to the Valley. You know the Priestess will be very unhappy if that happens. Besides, you still have to sweep the house and shrine for the next month!"
The Chief while maintaining his hold on the Knight's hand swam close to the boy. "Little Fish, I am in your debt! Thanks to you, my people will become strong and my great-grand parents, grandparents and parents will be born. I was born because of your power. I have great faith in you boy. Don't be afraid. You're doing the things sung in songs and stories about great heroes. I didn't know the song of my people was about what we just did! That song was very old by the time I learned it as a boy. If you want more songs to be sung about us, do not fear and do what you are meant to."
In the multi-color glow of Little Fish's Scale Amulet, the Knight gave the boy a slight smile and said, "And... if we don't make it back to the Valley, you'll never know if you could touch the Priestess before I stopped you...." Suddenly all those humiliating losses at the Knight's hands, during those games came to mind. The boy's brown eyes lit by the glowing scale narrowed as he replied, "Oh I'm going to beat you Sir Knight. You wait and see!"
Pleased to see the boy's confidence return the Knight retorted, "Good! I expect you to make it interesting soon. Now, we still have not found the Chief's men. We still have four days to find them and get back to the Valley. Chief, do you have any idea of where they could have gone?" The Chief thought for what seemed to be a long while. He thought about the many places his longship stopped before the monstrous storm landed them on the Great Desert's shore.
His crew had intended to reach the fabled City of Golden Towers on the coast just before the desert. He remembered the stern warnings of the local sea traders and fishermen who plied those waters to beware the storms in the area. They specifically mentioned if they got caught in one and managed to reach the Great Desert Shore they would likely not make it back. Few had ever returned from there. Those lucky few who did, told tales of great hardships and death.
The warnings had been terribly true for his ship had sailed right into the worst storm at sea the Chief had ever seen or heard of! Waves crested with white caps the size of small mountains pushed their way about as his ship was nothing more than a speck among them. That they survived the storm without losing a single hand was a miracle! Payment in full for that miracle came from the death march he and his men undertook from the barren shore into the desert searching for any sign of life.
By the time they succumbed to the monstrous sandstorm, a full third of his men left their bones to dry in the endless desert. When those who survived the sandstorm awoke, they found themselves within eyesight of the winding river which led them to the Valley. By no means did the Chief want to repeat that awful journey! So, knowing his men remembered the storms and that they overshot the City of Golden Towers by landing on the desert shore, their only real choice would be to make for the city.
Reading the Chief's expression, the Knight said, "You have an idea of where they might be?" Nodding the Chief replied, "Yes, but I have never been there! We were sailing to the City of...." "Golden Towers...," interjected the Knight finishing his comrade's sentence. Surprised the Chief countered, "You know this place?" His face seeming to turn to stone the Knight replied, "Yes. There I fought the only man ever to beat me. He challenged me to one day return when I could match him.
Despite the Knight's scarier than usual countenance, Little Fish managed to ask, "Sir Knight, can you think of a place there with water nearby so we can travel to this city?" The Knight closed his eyes and pictured the place in his memory. Little Fish closed his eyes and the fish scale changed from bright multi-colored white to an angry red. "Oh! This memory is strong, I can see it very clear!" Above them, the red rays of dusk appeared over what looked to be a larger body of water. Once more the sudden pressure of being deep under water engulfed the trio and they kicked their way to the surface.
Breaking the surface, Little Fish took in a huge gout of air and spat out salty water. "We're in the ocean!" Not relishing the idea of being far at sea without a ship, the Chief whipped his head around and saw a truly beautiful sight. "Odin's beard... look!" Rising high above sloping hills blanketed with walls, buildings and houses were great golden towers.
"Whoa! Is that the Golden City?" Exclaimed the boy. Starting to take long strokes towards the nearest pier the Knight said, "Come! We need to get under the pier before someone sees us. We must be extra careful. This place is very dangerous for it is the Slave-Trader King’s citadel!" The very mention of slave traders gave the Chief an unreasonable urge to swim in the opposite direction.
****
"Damn it sirrah, ten silver coins is far too insulting a price for so rare a slave! Look at her lustrous skin the color of fine copper and hair the color and texture of black satin. Do not overlook the beautiful lines and curves of her body! She is young and more than suitable for your pleasure or as a breeder of fine stock! Who will bid thirty silver coins for so rare a specimen?" A moment passed after the auctioneer's pitch with no response. He then tore off the bound young woman's blindfold and the rough cloth covering.
A collective gasp escaped the mouths of the assemblage of patrons as the setting sun's rays fell upon her skin and hair emphasizing all the auctioneer described. When the woman's eyelids opened, a pair of bright cedar colored eyes looked angrily out over the crowd. "Thirty!" shouted one of the patrons. "Thirty-five!" bid another. The look of one moving in for the kill overtook the Auctioneer as he shouted, "I have thirty-five bid! Who will bid forty?"
A gnarled cane went up and man's heavy voice shouted, "My mistress bids one hundred silver coins!" Stunned by the bid the Auctioneer stammered, "One h-hundred silver coins are bid! Is there a challenge?" No voices were raised against so high a bid and the Auctioneer relented. "Sold for one hundred silver coins to the great lady!" Grabbing her by the rope binding her wrists, the Auctioneer pulled the young woman close to him. She recoiled at the smell of his foul breath and heavy herb scented oily dark skin.
Giving the naked woman a shake the Auctioneer growled close in her ear, "Ah my rare beauty! You have fetched me a small fortune in silver this day and for that I thank you. Too bad for you as your new owner is the King's Aunt. No doubt so rare a specimen as you will end up as fine ingredients for her spells! Shame. You would earned back a hundredfold your price in the brothels." With a shove, the woman flew off the Auctioneer's raised platform into the brawny arms of a male slave.
Before she could try and struggle, that black gnarled cane lay across her naked breasts followed by the sudden sharp pain of impact. Biting her lip, the woman stifled her scream. From beneath an elaborate red head-dressing, a pair of hawkish brown eyes rimmed with gray captured the naked woman's attention as they looked down the length of the ebon cane. In a voice strong yet dry as ancient tinder the owner of those eyes commanded, "Be still!" Looking into those frightening eyes, the young woman felt her entire body go cold.
Unable to move with fright, the young woman lay cradled in the slave's brawny arms and from within the flowing black garment worn by the cane wielder, a weathered and gnarled hand shot forth. The hand almost dark as the cane with long age-yellowed crystalline nails, grabbed her by the face and held her in an unimaginably strong grip. Those eyes raked over her naked flesh and that tinder dry voice said with evil glee, "Yes! This one will do fine. She has the blood of one born of the 'Sacred Land'. One hundred silver coins was a pittance compared to your true worth child. I would have paid a hundred times more to secure you!"
The brawny man-slave turned his lowered head towards his mistress and asked, "My mistress, should I bind your purchase?" Still holding the young woman's face and the cane upon her bare breast the old woman replied, "No, that won't be necessary. She will be quite the obedient girl. Won't you dearie?" As the old woman nodded her head, the young one nodded hers. Taking the cane away, the old woman said, "See, already she knows to be obedient. I will add her to the others in my collection.
Soon the key to the Sacred Land will come. By using this girl and the others, I will be able to summon the 'Gatebringer'. I will then be able to finally leave this wretched place and return home! Come. Let us return to the palace so I can make the preparations. And do not let my nephew see the girl! Should he lay eyes upon her, she'd be 'spoilt' in an instant and good only for spell ingredients!"
****
Beneath the pier the trio huddled looking up through the worn planking with keen interest. The Knight said softly as many feet passed over their heads, "I know it is uncomfortable, but we must stay here until nightfall. We will then get what we need to move about and not attract any notice." Not thrilled at having to stay hidden beneath a pier at low tide, the stench of rotting seaweed and dead fish assaulted the Chief's nose. Little Fish was less than enthused as well for hordes of sand fleas and crabs swarmed over the exposed shore. "There's things crawling under here!" exclaimed the repulsed youth.
Chuckling the Knight said, "This will be a good deal worse if we are captured and chained down here. Just don't let the sand fleas figure out you may be food...." It was then he noticed through a space between the planks, someone holding a gnarled black cane topped with a very familiar looking yellow stone handle stop overhead. The cane holder halted abruptly for the stone topping the cane started to glow with yellow light!
The Knight saw the person quickly cover the cane's ornament with a portion of their voluminous black robe. His hand shot out towards the others to make them hold still and quiet. Above him the Knight heard an unhealthy sounding voice say, "He is here! The bearer of the key is now amongst us! We must fly back to the palace at once!" Doing his best to peer through the planks, the Knight was unable to make out any more details of the cane holder other than the voluminous black garment with a hint of red atop the owner's head. As the person passed over the planks, there was a startling 'thud' as a body fell to the pier.
Rolling away from the owner of the cane, the fallen person stopped over the plank spacing and looked down into the darkness beneath the pier locking eyes with the Knight. It was a young woman with strange cedar-colored eyes who looked at him and sharply whispered in the Chief's Northman tongue, "Save me!" the Knight saw her raw fingers grip the plank edge trying to hold on as the cane owner struck the young woman repeatedly. Crying and almost heedless of the blows upon her bare buttocks and back, over and over she continued to whisper in the Chief's language, "Save me! Save me!"
The Knight could only watch as a blow to the head silenced the woman. A large brawny hand pried the unconscious woman's hands free of the planks and its owner grunted, "Come, you shall join your red-haired fellows. My mistress will take good care of you!" The Knight's blood froze as he glimpsed the long hooked nose and swarthy complexion of the collared man-slave. In an instant, the woman was dragged away and the Knight put his eyes close to the plank spacing as he dared. Standing with head, face and upper body covered in an elaborate dressing was the owner of the cane.
With an impatient turn, the cane's owner stormed off with the slave carrying the woman and a group of armed guards falling in behind. With the group gone from sight, the normal pier traffic resumed forcing the Knight to withdraw from the plank spacing. It was the Chief who said, "It was a woman from the Northlands I heard call for help! What is she doing here?” The Knight sat unmoving and stunned by what he saw. After a long moment by the fading sunlight filtering through the plank spaces, the Knight saw the concerned faces of the Chief and Little Fish.
Realizing what had just occurred, the Knight relayed the bad news. "Well it would seem we must cross paths with my former employer." Excited the Chief exclaimed, "If you saw someone you know, then it should be easy to get their aid for searching for my men!" The Knight shook his head and said, "Not easy at all Chief. In fact, we have serious problems." The Chief's excitement and Little Fish's face ebbed like the outgoing tide beneath the pier. "Problems Sir Knight?" asked the boy. The Knight nodded and replied, "Yes, big ones."
The Chief slumped down for he'd never seen the Knight take such pause. "You said you'd been here before right? On good terms did you leave these people you lent your service to?" The Knight gave an evil chuckle and replied, "Depends on what you mean by good terms? The last time I saw my former employer was nearly thirteen years ago. She was dead by the way." The Chief was taken aback and he barked, "Dead? Thirteen years ago? Please tell me we are not still in the past!" The Knight Chucked again and said teasing, "Thirteen years to be exact."
© 2011 H. Wolfgang Porter. All Rights Reserved.
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