Lukas den Svarte
Mountains of the Gods
Mountains of the Gods
«More wine?». The attendant was ready with the tray and the bottle. The air inside the fort was smelling of fug and mildew; it was scraping the throat and making the thirst grow. But Kanyu limited himself to shake his head. The commander motioned to the attendant, making him step back, and joined his soft fingertips. Titus Barraco, originating from Aura, was a man in his forties. Tall, slim, with sparse hair and a wide forehead
marked
particularly
by
serious
thin
wrinkles
appearance.
which
always
Especially
bestowed
now
that
him he
a
was
staring reflectively at the Naigh-Moor, like he could deduce every inclination of him by a single gaze. He was known as a resolute man: the commander of Forte Pietroso, the
stony
fort.
It
was
said
that
he
was
used
to
walk
the
battlefield... Counting the dead, after the battle was fought and won. Cold, calculating, he had hands that would probably consider repulsive the contact whit a sword hilt. But he was a strategist and a diplomat as few others. «You don't look at your ease, sir Kanyu» he said, barely bending his head.
«No more than how a prisoner could» replied the other. «You're not a prisoner. You're a guest.» the commander corrected him «Free to stay or leave at your wish. Even now, if you desire». Kanyu
narrowed
those
white,
unnatural
eyes,
taking
time.
His
temptation to get up and leave was strong, no doubt, but not as much as his curiosity. His face as pale as a shroud was still like the visage of a statue. «You tried to take me here by force.» he said «Many men could have died if I hadn't agreed to present myself here in person». «And maybe you would have received some scratches as well. Maybe mortal
scratches.
But
I
see
you
don't
even
consider
this
hypothesis.» Titus Barraco took the glass goblet in his fingers, lazily waving the wine «You have to forgive me. Or better, it would be kind from you if you would. I command soldiers, not emissaries». «To
the
pointing
extent with
a
that
they
thumb
at
become Barraco's
waiters.»
Kanyu
attendant
«I
commented,
guess
what
a
female legionary should manage to do». The man stood firm for a moment, then he drank a sip of wine. «Your spirit seems inappropriate to me, Kanyu from Thanisshar.» he raised an eyebrow, noticing how the other was frowning «Are you surprised that I know where you come from?». «Not so much.» the Naigh-Moor harshly answered «You believe it means the city I hail from. I know it. But you clearly don't know the customs of Nog Tuluth. That title indicates my antecedence. Thanisshar
the
Tamer,
of
whom
I
am
unfortunately
a
direct
descendant, founder of the homonymous city.» he stopped talking, gazing at Barraco's close look «You should have inquired better, if you'd wanted to impress me». «I know how much I need to know. For example, my records show that in addiction of not being welcome in your homeland, you're not allowed to enter in Lilium, too. After certain scuffles, it seems. Theft of artworks, lesions to public guards and abduction of a maiden belonging to the nobility. So says the report compiled on you. And this is only about that specific city. You are reported for many other crimes occurred in the imperial territory». «I'm
not
a
subject
of
your
Emperor.
In
reverse,
I
enjoy
the
protection of the sovereign of Lonalis Thial. Inside and outside the Elves dominion». «Protection doesn't mean impunity, sir Kanyu. In addition, allow me to add that this paraded protection of yours isn't so dear to your King. In fact, I believe he would be glad to put it aside just to get rid of a honestly troublesome individual like a grey Elf with reminders as an assassin and a traitor». «You
don't
mince
words,
commander,
and
I'll
do
the
same.
The
protection I mainly trust is the one of my arms and weapons. Since they'll be bound to my belt, you can be sure that the King of Lonalis Thial himself will beware from allowing anybody to harm a hair
of
my
head.
Until
now
I've
never
been
in
need
of
his
intervention. However-». «However the list of the corpses you leave behind becomes longer. I know» Barraco interrupted him.
«On the contrary, commander.» Kanyu replied, his face darkened «You don't know anything». «I know you don't want to kill anymore. But I also know that people keeps dying by your hands. Where you walk, there death walks». «It isn't my intention to stay here and listen to your chatter. I'm free to leave, you said». Titus
Barraco
heaved
a
sigh,
bowing
his
head
and
joining
the
hands. «You
watch
me
negatively,
Kanyu,
while
I'm
requiring
your
services. I'm not demanding them, I'm formally asking». «Speaking well won't help you. You expressed your opinion on me , so it's already clear in my mind what you want from me. And my answer is no». «Sir Kanyu, as I was saying earlier I only have soldiers at my disposal. But what I need is something very different.» he raised his eyes, lifting them to the Naigh-Moor's white and sinister ones «I need a diplomat. Someone who can combine eloquence and common sense. Someone who can sit at the negotiation table in my stead». Kanyu raised an eyebrow, pulling a face. «And you're asking me to do it? Me, a stranger? One on whom you have a nice report right there on your table?». Barraco laughed, but his laughter was so humorless that it seemed a mechanical noise generated by a lifeless object. «This one?» he said then, taking the parchment papers in his hand and
throwing
them
on
the
table
again
«Suspects
about
crimes
committed
in
other
cities.
Clues
on
conspiracies
against
the
authority. Damning evidences that you are a public threat. All gathered outside the walls of Forte Pietroso. So, as far as I'm concerned, I have nothing against you. I've been delegated here to grant the security of this province. And, unless you are here to flee carrying away a stolen cow or a marked marble block, I've nothing to fear from you». «Yet people says you're a man very loyal to the imperial law. You have no responsibility towards it, then?». «Like what? Should I consign you to the guards of Lilium, a city that on the pretext of maintaining a local authority manifestly evades
taxes
and
enriches
itself
at
expense
of
the
imperial
treasury? A city who considers itself free to conducts veritable internal wars, in spite of the crown's decrees? I protect the laws, not the ones who make joke of it. If you want to come back to Lilium and raze it to the ground, you have my approval. No, let's not fool ourselves, Kanyu». «In any case you could make formal request to the Emperor to send you an ambassador. Who do you have to deal with?». «People Bandits,
who
does
savages
not and
listen
to
murderers.»
capital-originating Barraco
scribblers.
straightened
up,
then
leaned against the back of the chair «Trade is the nourishment of this
land.
Marble
trade
mostly,
but
also
wine,
oil,
fish
and
pottery. Forte Pietroso overlooks the Poet's Sea and guarantees that the goods reach Dama Triste and the great city of Ventia where they are shipped. To the East lays Lilium and further on the
Valor river flows towards Aura. And Aura is the crossroads of the entire world. This fort guarantees that the gold courses to the most distant provinces and beyond. And that's why bandits target us. To North, over the last offshoots of the Bitter Peaks, those scoundrels have built entire villages». «You persist in not calling things with their true name. A typical feature in your Empire, I'd say.» Kanyu curved the lips in a little smile, but just for a moment «Those you call "bandits" are Apuans, commander. People more ancient than your Empire, which has been living on those mountains since immemorial time. One thousand time dispersed and one thousand time reappeared from nowhere». «Precisely.» Barraco agreed, narrowing his dark eyes «But Apuans, unlike you, are subject to the Emperor's authority. They have been defeated
centuries
ago
and
since
then
the
Empire
has
always
protected them. If they are not disappeared it is only thanks to the law. The same laws the Apuans question, plundering our traders and ambushing my regiments. Repressing them is a detestable need, but still a need». «Emperor Adeius doesn't share your view.» the Naigh-Moor made him notice «It's his firm belief that the last wars impoverished the Empire;
and,
until
proven
otherwise,
he's
the
one
who
takes
decisions. Last time I talked with him he repeated he gave orders against
any
kind
of
military
initiative.
commander. Isn't your task to enforce it?».
His
word
is
law,
«Don't paint me as a warmongering monster. Have I talked of war? There are many ways to repress aggressive tendencies and riots. One of them is dialogue». «A
dialogue
conducted
keeping
a
knife
against
someone
else's
throat, I presume». «It is dialogue still.» Barraco stood up, joining his hands behind the back «The Apuan tribes are not many, as their warriors, but they've
been
separated
for
a
long
time.
Now,
however,
the
situation has changed. A chief promoted a confederation, gathering more of them under his banner. He's the one who started the raids against the merchants, lighting up hotbeds of rebellion in all the territory». «There is still fire smoldering under the ashes, they say». «His name is Naua. Rebel and uncivilized, he put aside the already poor attempts of integration and rejected the winter supplies we sent to him. When the legions walk on the imperial arterial roads his men take place on the top of out of reach high grounds and bombard my soldiers with stones and dung. My patience with him has run out. Naua is a threat to everybody, including his own people. His
ambition
will
lead
to
war
and
extermination,
despite
the
Emperor's appeasement desire: he's the head of a serpent that strangles the trade in the entire region». «And you want to see that head falling.» deduced Kanyu «As I already told you, I no more accept assassination contracts. And I advised you to get to the point. You speak of diplomacy when you want me to come back with a head in a sack».
«You are wrong again.» reiterated Barraco «What I ask you is to simply deliver a message. In the particular case you'll just have to dictate my terms to Naua and his men. Terms I won't hide to you:
I
ask
disarmament
the of
confederation
his
warriors.
dissolution
His
power
on
and
the
immediate
the
tribe
will
be
revoked, but a heir of him will govern in his place and Naua will not have to serve any term of imprisonment». «Harsh
terms,
commander,
for
someone
who
wants
independence»
observed Kanyu. «But
merciful
indeed
for
someone
who's
guilty
of
thefts
and
murders. It's time to end these insurrections: their villages are on imperial territory since centuries and those people must accept it. Look around: what we got will be their too. Sewers, medicine, education... They must understand they have everything to gain». «If your accord is so favorable for the Apuans why sending me?» asked again Kanyu «Go to their villages and speak to them by yourself». «Naua hates me in the name of principles as old as the world. He hates me with the hatred fierce of an animal and he wouldn't hesitate to kill me, breaking the diplomatic agreements. But you, Kanyu... You aren't an imperial subject. You
shall propose my
terms as an external and impartial observer. Moreover, you are someone even those savages have heard about:
your voice shall
outweigh even mine». «The weight of a voice isn't easy to be measured. What if Naua rejects your offer? What if he attacks me?».
«It's unlikely that he would attack you. Instead I do fear he will refuse. At that point I'll let you be the judge of the question. Go there, look in what conditions those men live, reckon their numbers and draw your conclusions. See how many would die in vain. Decide by yourself how to deal with Naua». Kanyu looked away, annoyed. «So I'll have to decide if letting him live or not.» he said with disgust «Because I could kill him while you cannot. Doing the dirty work in your place, knowing that no one else would be able to do it except me». «Then
conduct
the
negotiations
as
best
as
you
can.
Make
Naua
surrender. I don't want a war and we can't take the offensive. Not counting that dead folks wouldn't help nor the economy nor my conscience». «While one man's death wouldn't affect neither of the two». «A life against many. If this is the price, I'd say it is an acceptable sacrifice». «Easy, when you're not the one who dyes his hands red». «Believe me, Kanyu: I'd give anything to be there.» Titus Barraco gulped down the entire goblet, then he put it back on the table «As I said, you're free to go. Decide by yourself. Just remember you can't shift the responsibility on someone else. The lives of thousand
innocents
are
in
your
hands.
You
trust
them,
understood well». Kanyu pressed a fist against his lips and deeply breathe in.
if
I
«Less
than
I'd
like.»
he
answered
then
«But
always
more
than
someone who doesn't waver in entrusting them life and death». He rose without saying anything else, in an furious leap. Barraco didn't turn while the Naigh-Moor walked away with long strides passing by his attendant, nor he did when he heard him slamming the door. Only when he had been gone, he breathed in and out in a noisy way. The attendant, a youth in his mid-twenties, looked at his commander with worried eyes. «Do you think he will accept?» he asked, his voice timid. «He can't act differently.» answered Barraco «Some men truly have a conscience. Few, I admit. But he's one of them».
Closed
in
the
forest
embrace,
between
centuries-old
oaks
and
hornbeams reaching towards the sky, two men were advancing without talking. The rise wasn't very steep: the paths were large and beaten, accessible even for a child. Looking carefully it was easy to see the traces left by other people. Trod mud, broken branches, inscribed logs. The foundations of what might had been a small house or an hunting cabin. Kanyu looked around, reflecting. A place like that was perfect to ambush unwelcome foreigners after all. Still, despite the portrait that Titus Barraco had made of the Apuans, Kanyu couldn’t feel himself
in
danger.
He
was
mostly
skeptical.
According
to
his
information, he and his guide had already penetrated in the Apuan lands but they had left Forte Pietroso just a few hours earlier.
When the scrub thinned out Kanyu could see the sea, the pine groves and the fort itself, surrounded by its hardy palisade. Looking in the opposite direction, toward the mountains, he was able
to
glimpse
the
quarries
with
their
smooth,
rain-streaked
entrances and the subtle clouds of dust standing out against the light. How was it possible that some gangs of bandits had settled in a so travelled land, just half a day far from a well-guarded imperial fort? An entire people was living by thefts and raids over those mountains, a people that for centuries had refused to be absorbed by
the
Empire
and
actually
was
challenging
it,
one
against
a
hundred. Or worse. Something was wrong. «When shall we reach Naua's town?» Kanyu asked to his guide. The man, an elder with strong hands and tireless legs, turned back to stare at him. On his sunburned face there was a look of doubt. He caressed his white beard, bending down his mouth. «Before evening.» he answered «But it isn't even a town, you know. Just a village. There will be... Bah, around two hundred people». «The
garrison
Barraco
can
of
Forte
request
Pietroso
masses
of
counts
other
men
five from
hundred Aura.
men. Let
And
alone
Ventia, Lilium, Lonia and so on. Trained soldiers without parallel on the battlefield. Why does the commander worry so much about some bandits?». «Maybe because the bandits are Apuans, my good sir.» said the other, starting walking again, the cane clutched in the right «The hard part isn't defeating them, but catching them. They can make
the legionaries going around in circles for a week before and then disappear into thin air. This is their land and they know it well. All in all I'd have preferred to have some lads of the fort here with us, however. No offence, but I don't feel exactly on sure ground with you». Kanyu gave him a quick gaze. «What's your name?» he asked. «Flacco, sir». «Well, Flacco, don't you think that walking in company of an armed escort, maybe complete with banners, would lead the Apuans to set a nice trap for us?». «No sir, I really don't think so.» the other promptly replied «Apuans can be whatever you want, but they are not idiots. If they attacked a legionaries detachment they would suffer more loss than what they can afford. Furthermore the Empire would come up here to give them a severe thrashing». «Yet
Barraco
told
me
that
the
Apuans
have
already
ambushed
marching troops. Throwing stones and dung». Flacco laughed, reclining his head. «Yeah, they made rain shit on the legionaries sometimes.» he said, giving no weight to the fact «When the soldiers are on the march, yes... If they're leaving. If the Apuans come to know that a contingent leaves Forte Pietroso they say them goodbye in their own way. Sure they beware of doing the same thing with soldiers who are coming back home!». «You make them look like a gang of funny rascals».
«A
merchant
friend
of
mine
wouldn't
agree
with
you.
From
the
mountains entire convoys of marble descend on oxcarts. And tin, lead or simple wood... Well, making a long story short, it's very common that those loads never come downstream. And the mortality between who escorts them is high. Unless we're talking about an imperial escort. But can you imagine Barraco sending his lads after every convoy descending from the mountains?». «In
substance
Naua
attacks
only
who
isn't
under
imperial
protection. He brings Barraco to the limit of his patience without openly violating the treaties. Does he understand that this will lead to retaliation?». «Perhaps this is exactly what Naua wants. I said the truth, there aren't
more than two hundred men at his camp, but nobody really
knows how many the Apuans are. They live in the forest, in caves or in little villages of which even I ignore the existence. It has always been like this: when you think you have got rid of those lousy bastards suddenly you realize there's a multitude of them. At that point it's better to pack up and let the legionaries handle the matter». «Didn't you say that the Apuans avoid engaging the soldiers?». «It's true. They are ill-equipped, they take the field without armor and couldn't even keep a formation not for love nor money. But who needs to fight if you can make half a mountain fall on the head of the one who's following you?» he turned towards Kanyu, shrugging his shoulders «That's how they fight».
«But why do they do that?» the Naigh-Moor asked again «What do they have to gain from that?». «You shall ask it to Naua himself if we find him. But don't expect much. Apuans are savages and this is the only reason of their behavior». «Indomitable savages, it seems. And incorruptible». «It's simpler to corrupt an imperial functionary than a dressed in skins primitive who doesn't value money just because he can't eat it».
They proceeded for other two hours, passing through shady woods and heather-covered clearings, to wide and sunny open spaces. The mountains stood in all their majesty, naked as flint knives, in a succession of sharp ridges bright against the bluest sky. Now and then the two men walked on eroded by time stony grounds, where
on
imposing
rocks
ancient
hands
traced
almost
erased
markings, now next to more recent ones. From there they enjoyed an extraordinary view, filled of a beauty made even more suggestive by
the
silence
that
was
reigning
all
around.
There,
Flacco
explained, the men of the mountains gathered to celebrate their festivities. After a few minutes the guide slip.
Kanyu,
who
abundantly
stopped, letting an imprecation exceeded
him
in
height,
saw
by
himself what forced him to stop. «A
landslide.»
said
«Recent, it seems».
Flacco,
looking
around
with
tense
eyes
«Is there another path?». «There's always another path. Anyway I suggest we go here or we risk extending the march a lot. It will be enough to pay attention where we put our feet». The Naigh-Moor lowered his eyes, watching the big boulders fallen on the trail, then he glanced up towards the rock face from where they were fallen. The path was narrow for the first time. Around one meter of space, now largely covered with boulders and rocks. Flacco was right, it wasn't an insurmountable obstacle, but Kanyu was feeling a familiar tingling behind the neck. On his right he had an impracticable steep crevice; on his left the rock face, smooth
and
vertical.
Kanyu
straightened
the
gloves
around
the
fingers. «Stay here.» he said to his companion «I'll tell you when to follow me». «What?» said Flacco, realizing what he was going to do «Are you mad? Why the hell do you must go from there?». «Call me paranoid, old man, but this landslide doesn't look so fortuitous to me.» replied Kanyu, in a low voice «I've the strong feeling that something awaits us just beyond it. Maybe someone. Someone with a bow, I suppose. So I prefer taking another way». «That's not another way: that's a wall as smooth as a mirror.» the old man replied «I'll lead you to another path, but please quit. What will they say of me when you'll have crushed to the ground?».
«That you're a jinx.» Kanyu searched the first handhold with his fingers, then started lifting himself on the rock face «Stay here, if you care for your skin». «Sure as hell I'll do» muttered the man, standing still where he was; he shook his head while watching the Naigh-Moor crawling up like a spider. In truth Kanyu wasn't a great enthusiast of climbing, but he had scaled the walls of dozens cities in the past for less noble purposes
than
the
actual
one.
His
fingers
found
the
right
protrusions to hang on, the soft boots landed with exceptional lightness, the arms made the Naigh-Moor go up higher and higher without showing signs of fatigue. He climbed with the agility of a monkey and the strength of a giant, under Flacco's stunned eyes. Of course the man couldn't imagine that, in addition to an eternity of training behind him, Kanyu had got something more than any other rock climber. It was no coincidence that he always wore those gloves and boots, after all. They had saved his life too many times: he wasn't so naive to forget to wear them anywhere, anytime. Within a few minutes he reached what seemed to be the continuation of the trail he had left. He looked down, his eyes following the twisting of the narrow path. He wasn't surprised of seeing two figures flattened behind two big boulders. Dark and thin, their arrows already nocked, they were waiting with impatience, a sign that they heard them coming. But while their eyes looked down their prey was approaching from on high.
Silently, Kanyu began descending along the trail. Bent on his waist, dagger in hand, he was moving toward the two without being noticed. He could distinguish their frizzy hair, the tanned skin of the bony but vigorous arms, the linen tunic of the first and the leather britches of the second. He
made
some
steps
further,
getting
ready
to
grab
them
from
behind, when he heard a hiss and his white eyes lowered on the trail again. A snake was staring at him, its head upright, the body in tension, the mouth still closed. It should be around one meter long, although it wasn't easy to estimate its length at the moment. Probably he was just passing through the path and its way crossed the Naigh-Moor's one for a mere coincidence. Anyway Kanyu knew it wasn't the time to wonder about it. Their gazes confronted one another for a few seconds and maybe the reptile recognized in the other a kindred, as much as deadly and lethal as itself. If not more. The snake's jaws opened suddenly and the animal jumped toward him. The dagger bolted an instant earlier and its tip plunged itself in the
snake's
open
mouth,
nailing
it
to
the
ground.
The
Apuans
turned around in surprise looking to the man and the dying animal. Kanyu
had
to
jump
on
them
without
thinking
twice.
The
bows
resulted useless at a so short distance: the first Apuan wasn't even able to bend it and he was reached by a fist to the jaw. The other one barely managed to follow the action and found himself in the opponent's arms. The Naigh-Moor delivered a blow with the knee
against his stomach, making him double up in pain, then he knocked him out with a right hand under the chin. Kanyu
let
him
fall
to
the
ground
like
a
sack
of
potatoes,
perceiving that the other man was getting up, unfastening a rough billhook from his belt. The later kick to the face made him lose his grip on it and the Apuan fell on his back. Kanyu stopped, taking a quick look at the two men and the reptile. All
in
all
it
went
well
for
the
first
ones,
while
the
same
couldn't be said for the animal. The Naigh-Moor put a foot on its body and extracted the dagger, then he overstepped the Apuans and descended the trail. «You can come, Flacco!» he exclaimed, cleaning the blade of the dagger on a shrub «I just have two little questions for you». The guide's figure appeared after some seconds, hobbling to pass the barrier of boulders. He was glancing at him with curiosity and without showing any particular hesitation, sign that he didn't make him fall in that trap intentionally, at least. «Take a look to these two drifters.» said Kanyu, pointing at the two unconscious men on the trail «Are these Apuans?». «By the cursed Gods... Indeed they are. And that's a nasty snake.» grumbled the old man «I was right when I said we needed an escort, wasn't I?». «They no longer seem a big problem. They were lying in wait for us with poor bows and work-tools.» he bended to pick up the billhook, then he showed it to the guide «Look here. Don't tell me they go to battle with these things».
«Normally they don't. That thing is used for cutting branches, removing the bark, sharpening the sticks...». «I know what it is used for». «But for the Apuans is a special tool. You know, something they bestow to the youths when they become men. Every Apuan has one of them». he shifted with the end of a food the body of the other man,
revealing
the
billhook
fastened
to
his
belt
«There's
a
specific law that forbid the Apuans to carry it, considered that it can open a head like an apple, but you can't hope they respect it. For them, this thing is sacred to Pannu, God of the of woods. They call it "pennato"». «Apuan,
Pannu,
pennato...»
mumbled
Kanyu,
raising
an
eyebrow
«Similar words, and sure not by chance». «The mountain over there is Pannu's Cross.» said Flacco, pointing at it «Beside there is Great Penna. The one we are ascending is Little Penna. The locals call this region Pannuria, if someone hasn't told you». Kanyu twiddled the billhook in the right hand. «I believe this people has a more ancient history than what we know.» he commented «Do you think we should carry one of these things with us? Perhaps to show respect for their customs?». «Or perhaps to prove we stole it from one of their men? Leave it where it is. Apuans don't look for understanding. They just want to be left in peace».
It was late afternoon when they came in sight of a low dry stone wall reinforced with sharp poles. Beyond it shined the fires of an encampment built on an open space, from which all the southern slope could be dominated. Flacco was of his word saying that he would be arrived before dusk: he also had calculated how much time they would have needed to do the inverse road before darkness fall. «In the worst chance I'll tie myself to a tree and wait until dawn.» he said with a shrug «It has already happened». «Haven't you thought of spending the night in the village?» asked Kanyu. «Not for a single moment.» replied the old man «Enjoy your stay and let us hope we can come back to Forte Pietroso on our two feet». «Always optimistic» murmured the other, quickly advancing towards the village, his hands far from the weapons. The first persons came into view when they were around one hundred meters far. Thin, dark-haired men like the ones they found on the trail,
dressed
in
poor
clothes
or
half-naked.
Some
wore
wool
clothes and judging from the number of bleatings he was hearing Kanyu could imagine where that wool came from. All the faces that appeared belonged to men, with hair and beards still dark. There was no trace of old, women and children. The Apuans gazed at him in amazement and diffidence, their hands grasped around the spears and the axes. Surely they had never seen
someone like him and Kanyu wasn't surprised of reading a hint of fear in the eyes of the youngest ones. The Naigh-Moor stopped in front of what seemed the gate without crossing it, while Flacco remained behind him. «I come on behalf of Titus Barraco!» he declared in a stentorian voice «I'm looking for Naua!». «And Naua was waiting for you, dead-skin!». A
massive
figure
made
his
way
through
the
Apuans.
Unlike
the
others, he was by no means a thin man; rather, his body size was remarkable. He was wearing a wool cloak over the naked shoulders and a pair of leather trousers with the billhook fastened like every other man, even if his one was bigger and the grip was made with well-worked metal instead of wood. Around his wrists he was carrying
thick
leather
bands
on
which
he
had
laced
up
bird
feathers; others were adorning the strap he was using to tighten his
long
hair.
He
raised
his
strong-jawed,
curly-bearded
face
toward the Naigh-Moor while talking. «My sentinels located you hours ago.» he said «An old inhabitant of the valley accompanied by a white-skinned giant with a long mane, black as the night from head to foot». «I
saw
your
sentinels.»
replied
Kanyu
«On
the
crest
of
the
mountain you call Great Penna». «But nevertheless you came. I know you got rid of other two men belonging Barraco?».
to
my
people.
All
this
to
accomplish
the
will
of
«I don't like people who awaits me with the weapons ready, hidden behind a boulder. They're alive, if you care to know». «It's the only reason why you're alive as well, stranger.» the Apuan peered at him with concerns «I have no idea of who or what you are. Why did you meddle in our business?». «To save your people, Naua. At least this is what Barraco told me. I'm Kanyu. Kanyu and nothing else, if you're going to ask it». The man looked him up and down for a few moments, then he took his chin in the right hand. «My
ears
never
like
Barraco's
words.»
he
said
then
«But
I'll
listen to yours, white man. Your companion shall come back home. He's not our enemy, but there's already a stranger in my village. Two would really be too many». Kanyu turned toward Flacco, who glanced at him. «I told you.» he only said «I hope to see you again in health». «I'll try to conserve myself as best as I can» replied Kanyu. The old man nodded twice, to himself, then he made a gesture with his hand and quickly began descending. Once left alone, Kanyu entered the village and reached the Apuan chief. His demesne was modest both in size and in appearance. Apuans lived in shanties made of wood, skins and foliage, closer to a wolf's den than to a human's house. There were however a big hut who probably functioned as a bunkhouse, a blacksmith's forge and a potter's workshop, in addition to a great stele placed in the middle of the village, which someone had molded to give it a humanoid shape.
The sheep and goat herds were contained in little corrals and you could
see
some
donkeys
too.
In
any
case
it
seemed
there
was
nothing to fear for the garrison of Forte Pietroso. Naua's hut was bigger than the others, but still poor and spartan, with a strong smell of fustiness. Inside there was a woman of singular beauty, but with unusual and particularly sharp features; her hair tangled in a ruffled braid, she was laying on sheep fleeces thrown on the naked earth, similar to a wild cat. She was the first woman Kanyu had saw in the village, but she looked able to defend herself better than a man. «My wife Eska.» briefly explained Naua, while taking place on seat covered with wolf hides «I have no secrets for her». Kanyu observed her for a few instants, noticing the slow and lithe movements with which she sat, the feathers barely swinging around her bare arms. She had long and keen nails and two green eyes that instilled an odd restlessness and made him remember his encounter with the snake. It seemed that in her coexisted both the woman and the beast. «I've killed men with a less audacious gaze than yours, stranger.» said Naua, leaning the chin on his fist «Stop staring at my wife and speak». Kanyu moved his eyes to the Apuan chief: he had learnt by time to trust his feelings and the aura of danger he were feeling around the woman drove him to focus on Naua. He rattled off the matter quickly, getting to the point. He maybe had chosen to be no more an assassin, but this didn't make him an
ambassador. His argumentation was brief and straight: there were more men in Forte Pietroso than in that village and they were armed to the teeth and trained to be a true war machine. Others would have come if the situation had worsened. All that remained to Naua was choosing if accepting the imperial domination once and for all or preparing himself for a war he couldn't win. The
Apuan
chief
listened
with
relative
attention,
without
interrupting him. He didn't seem surprised and his concern was clear, but he didn't look alarmed because of this. Not nearly. «You speak frankly for being a Barraco's emissary» he commented, with a veil of irony. «I am no one's emissary. And I don't esteem Barraco or you more than a dog that crosses my road. I lived for centuries, Apuan, and I've seen greater men than you accumulate glory and power, just to die like the last beggar does. Your lives are like a gust of wind or a stormy night: much clamor that later ends in nothing. But people? No civilization disappear without leaving a trace. Apuans are just a page in the immense book of history; however, there's no need to tear it up or to burn it, to erase every mark left by dozens and dozens generations. Your people risks extinction, Naua, and that's the only reason because I'm here, the only reason that prevents me from being indifferent to your fate. If you
persist
challenging an invincible opponent, you'll condemn our people to death and oblivion. There are other paths to follow beside that of war».
Naua was silent. Kanyu glanced at Eska, noticing that she looked completely disinterested in their discussion, as if it had no importance for her. That feeling of danger took further root in the Naigh-Moor's mind. «Other paths, you said?» resumed Naua in the while «What paths? Barraco told you of raids, thefts, murders... He told you what Apuans have done to his people, sure. But he didn't tell you what they've done to mine, stranger». The Apuan chief rose to his feet, moving some step towards Kanyu. «Since we have memory of ourselves, the imperials have robbed us of everything we have. Our marble, our minerals, our wood and our livestock. It may seems little to you, stranger, but it's all we have. Our people is dragged in their quarries like slaves, to tear from our very land its most precious treasures. The imperials dig in our mountains like worms in the cheese! And for what? To make beautiful floors for their palaces. While my people sleeps in the mud
they
build
temples,
they
decorate
squares,
they
erect
monuments to ignoble men. And they come here, in our land, to tell us how we should live? To command us to obey their rules?». «It's a choice between obedience or death, Naua.» replied Kanyu «You can't win. I know it, you know it and Barraco knows it better than the two of us». «Barraco? Bah!» Naua spit on one of his best sheep fleeces «That dog thinks he knows a lot of things. But he knows nothing! He fought against weak men, on soft, breeze-caressed fields! These
are Pannu's mountains, stranger: the last place where you'd want to conduct a military campaign». «I've
seen
strongholds
ten
times
more
impregnable
than
this
village, besieged by armies that weren't even the shadow of the imperial eagle. They can surround you from each side and comb every hole in your beloved mountains». «They'd never succeed, instead. Never!» growled Naua, making a brusque gesture with his hands «And what if you're right? What do we risk? Barraco didn't tell what happened to my people in the past, did he? Sure not! No slavery, no plundering. They deported us. And not once, not twice, but three times they did it. They tore the infants from their mothers and dispersed us throughout all their territory. Away from home, away from our mountains, shoveling
their
pigs'
dung.
Think
about
it!
Do
you
think
a
reprisal scares us, after what we have suffered? Do you think death is worse than what my ancestors suffered?». He stopped, looking at the Naigh-Moor's face, then he lowered his eyes, finding back a trace of calm. «But we endured. I won't tell you how, but we did. Years have passed and the mountains have repopulated again. Every time they had tore us from our land, we have come back. We forged new weapons, trained the youths, built other villages. The tribes are united again, ready to defend themselves as a
single man. No
Empire will be ever able to eradicate Pannu's people from this land».
He became silent and silence fell on the entire hut. Only Eska's voice
was
breaking
it,
while
the
woman
whispered
a
sort
of
singsong. «Are you determined to face death so?» asked Kanyu. «We all are. And we'll see if the slack imperials will stand the ground with a nation of free men.» answered the Apuan «But let me reveal you one more thing. My son is in his hands». A light flashed in the eyes of the Naigh-Moor. «My son, yes. His name was Cupav. Gods know which is his now. He took him as a hostage, when I dared to lift my head for the first time. He raised him like one of them, like a spineless jerk ready to
laugh
at
our
traditions.
It
was
ten
years
ago
now.»
Naua
narrowed the eyes «Can you imagine why? I know Barraco. He told you that the federation between our tribes depends on me, that my death would avert the menace of a war. But reflect: Barraco has my heir under his thumb. A boy grown as a foolish decadent, whom that dog could anyway impose to the tribes as a chief after me. Can you understand now? He has made him a weapon to destroy my people from within». «If what you said is the truth, Barraco is without any doubt the maggot you think.» said Kanyu «But leading raids against him risks your son's life, haven't you thought about that?». «May the Gods take him!» the other burst out, raising suddenly an arm «Nothing remains of the son I grew up by now. I have no more a son, now. A whelp accustomed to luxury and comfort is not my son!
But I'll have others! Others on whom the Empire will never put its hands». Kanyu had no idea of what having a son means, let alone raising him, but Naua's reaction was enough to fill him up with disgust. «I don't know what kind of insanity blinds you, man.» he replied, twisting his lips «But it's your son you're talking about. Blood of your blood. Instead of thinking how to ransom him, you are risking his own life. And you believe you're better than Barraco and the likes of him?». The Apuan got close to him, stopping just one step away from him. «I
only
believe
that
I
can
win,
for
once.
Winning,
you
understand?» he whispered, closing a hand in a fist in front of his face «I won't tell you how, no. I won't let you report it to my enemy. But I'm a chief, stranger! And my people's needs come before my necessities as a father. Especially if I can deliver it victory». «Especially if you can obtain it for yourself, you mean.» said Kanyu «I know men of power: big or small, they still pretend to fight for the others, but in their heart they only seek for glory for themselves. Remember this: your Pannu's help won't be enough against the legions of Aura. And while you deceive yourself of the contrary, your people will die because of your foolish ambition». Naua answered him with a sneer under the thick beard. «Don't underestimate Pannu, stranger. And don't underestimate us.» he murmured «Come: let me show you what our God is capable of».
Naua paved the way to him, guiding him to the door of the hut. Kanyu gazed at him with a diffident look, then he glanced at the woman
with
the
corner
of
the
eye:
Eska
was
still
singing,
caressing her fingers with a distant air. That feeling of danger now was vibrating in Kanyu's ears like a fly's buzz. The NaighMoor studied Naua for a few seconds, then he began following him. Silently however his hand got close to the belt where the weapons were dangling. Once outside, he didn't see anything different form earlier. Only the
light
had
a
bit
lowered,
while
the
sky
was
beginning
to
redden. In the air an inviting fragrance of roasted boar wafted. Naua
was
proceeding
quickly,
his
back
turned
to
him.
Kanyu
followed him with prudence, looking at the faces that stared at him, the shelters behind which armed men could hide, the ground on which
he
set
foot
on.
predicted
the
other's
He
kept
listening,
intentions.
He
had
smelled spent
the
all
odors,
his
life
perfecting his senses, to the point that he maybe had no equals in the world. Yet all of a sudden the dark replaced the light and in an instant pain pervaded his entire body.
The first thing he felt was the contact with a hard and smooth surface.
Then
came
the
pain,
so
intense
and
diffused
that
it
leaded him to sharply open the eyes. He felt something viscous on the eyelids and he quickly ran the back of the hand on it. Blood. His face was dirty of it, but he was full of aches everywhere and his breath was still struggling to return.
He weakly coughed, then he put the palm of the hands to the ground, ignoring the burning pain that swept all his body, and tried to straighten up himself. Arms and legs answered the call, but that was the only encouraging signal. The
fire
burned
around
a
half
dozen
torches,
brightening
the
environment enough to allow the Naigh-Moor to understand where he was: a cave, somewhere in the stalagmites
stretched
out
earth's depths. Stalactites and
towards
him,
like
petrified
fingers;
water pools lay in the corners and darkness wrapped the galleries that descended further. Kanyu lifted the eyes towards the vault of the cave, noticing an opening through which a subtle blade of light penetrated. His mind began to function again, memories bobbed up. He had fallen. At least this was the most logic conclusion. He remembered that he had no longer felt the earth under his feet and then a black fall in a kind of chasm. He hurt something and from there everything became too confused to be remembered. He staggered to regain a sort of balance, without feeling ashamed for taking his time to do it. After all there wasn't anybody there watching him trudging like an old man. Or was it? He abruptly raised the face, glimpsing some figures that were advancing toward him. ÂŤOh, are you alive? This is a relief. I hope you didn't hurt yourself too muchÂť. Kanyu spitted a lump of reddish saliva.
«Naua.» he said, slowly returning in erect position «You'll pay for this prank». «You think so?» the light brightened the Apuan chief's silhouette, standing on a rocky spur, at a height of about three meters from him «You look barely able to stand on your feet». «Appearances can be deceptive. It wasn't my purpose to hurt you, but confusing my mind an throwing me in a bloody hole wasn't a smart choice to improve our relations». «Our relations end here, stranger.» answered the man back, and now Kanyu saw Naua's wife right behind him «You are an outstanding man, and your luck doesn't seem less, since you're still alive. But you have chosen the wrong side». «I haven't chosen any side.» replied Kanyu «But now there's no way that I'll choose yours». «Therefore you have become my enemy!» exclaimed Naua, opening his arms «So you realized you were deceived? Eska is a woman of a thousand talents, I forgot to tell you. She predicted that you would had come and she prepared herself in consequence. Don't ask me how, I couldn't explain it». «I can instead. Sorcery. Illusions. Enchantments directed against a stranger who came just to talk with you». «Not a stranger.» the woman's voice came to Kanyu' ears like an out of tune, discordant melody «I know you, Kanyu from Thanisshar, first of the exiles. I've heard of you many times. And I ardently wished to meet you».
«A
kinder
invitation
would
had
been
sufficient.
Even
from
a
mountaineer's wench». «We'll have the opportunity to know each other anyway, Exiled one.» replied Eska, in a laughing tone «I have no need of your biting words. I just need your body. Your dead body». «And your dead body will be what I'll make carry out of here.» said Naua «You know how it is, I can't deny anything to my wife. And now I simply can't allow you to leave. You know where you are? In one of the refuges where my people is still forced to hide. Inside the mountain, away from the light of the sun, digging like worms and feeding with insects. Here we have learnt to survive, contenting ourselves with what
the mighty Pannu can offer us:
here, in the heart of his great mountains». «Your Pannu has nothing else to give you than food for rats and serpents? I've heard of less mean Gods.» Kanyu released from his belt the Fang, the raw machete he had borne for centuries «You have spoken enough, you fanatic. Release your dogs and let's see who will laugh last». «Dogs? I'm going to give them your bones, when my wife will no longer need them. No. You’re mocking our God, stranger. Full of your foolish arrogance, you scoff at his children. Full of your ignorance! Now taste his might, dead-skin. Varnag!». Naua stretched out an arm towards the shadows. From darkness a solid shape emerged inch by inch, towering over both the Apuan chief and his wife. A human shape, with powerful limbs and on whom bare chest stood out muscles which seemed sculpted on the stone.
He were keeping his head bent to a side, so that the long hair was falling on his face, and in the right hand he bore a short widebladed sword. Without saying a word, the man pointed his eyes on the Naigh-Moor, then he lunged down the spur. Another man would had broken a leg, but the unknown landed on his feet with a thud and slowly stood up without receiving any damage. Kanyu now could see him brightly. Despite his imposing physique, the one in front of him was a youth at most twenty. Strong as a bull and agile as a tiger, but human and young. The Naigh-Moor lifted his eyes toward Naua. «Is this your God's might?» he asked «A boy to be sent to the slaughter?». «Stubborn in your blindness, uh?» Naua bent toward him, hands on his waist «Let me introduce you Varnag, son of the Gods, living symbol of Pannu's wrath». «I just see a boy.» said Kanyu, indicating him with an arm «A youth who doesn't deserve to die for your ravings». «Fell
free
to
not
believe
me.»
the
Apuan
chief
smiled
sarcastically «You'll change your mind in a few seconds. Maybe you'll
even
have
the
chance
to
understand
how
much
you
were
wrong». The Naigh-Moor stared at him for another instant, then he moved his eyes on the youth called Varnag. Surely he didn't look like any other boy of his age, neither that somber gaze made him look
less threatening. But Kanyu had faced opponents who hadn't even a shadow of his humanity. «Don't
listen
to
that
lunatic.»
he
said,
keeping
the
weapon
pointed towards the ground «Dying is useful for no man. It won't free you people, nor will give you back anything of what you may have lost». Varnag didn't say anything. He stood still two meters far from him, sword in hand, head bent. «I'll tell you only once.» continued Kanyu «I've killed men with decades
of
experience.
I've
torn
crown
off
dead
heads.
I've
butchered creatures you don't even imagine. I've massacred women and children on behalf of masters like Naua and Eska. And I've no desire to keep doing it. Stay away and don't force me to kill the umpteenth innocent». The boy answered him with a sneer. «Death flutters around you, stranger.» he said «It's time for you to meet her in person». He lifted his sword toward him as a challenge. Kanyu narrowed his eyes, feeling his blood boiling. An even too familiar sensation ran through his wounded hands and his tormented arms. His blood was calling the youth's one. He made a step backward, raising the Fang in defensive position. The two men gazed each other for some instants, coldly. Kanyu was motionless, the face like stone, disregarding the blood that was covering it. Varnag studied him in silence, bent forward, with the
disarmed left hand outstretched and the tip of the sword brushing against the ground. When he attacked, he did it with the speed of the bolt. Yet Kanyu had already foreseen the movement: he leaped to the side, avoiding his
downward
blow.
He
didn't
try
to
counterattack,
limiting
himself to dodge, but Varnag didn't hesitate to shove him with the free hand. Normally the Naigh-Moor wouldn't had batted an eyelash, but the strength with which that hand reached him made him open his eyes wide. He stepped back faltering, forced to struggle to find his balance again, and raised his machete. Varnag made a step backward as well, returning in his previous position. «Ah! I see you noticed it!» shouted out Naua from on high «I told you the boy was special!». Kanyu listened to him without even watching him, focusing now on the young Apuan. «Varnag is the son of a God! There's no other explanation. Perhaps of Pannu himself!» carried on Naua «He came to me and you saw by yourself of which superhuman strength he is gifted. There's no man in this world with a half of his vigor! Varnag has no mother or father: he's the son of the Gods, and woe to those who’ll come in his way. You, stranger, are just the first one». «The first one? So I'm your first fling, youngster?» Kanyu grinned ironically «Try to last then». The Apuan rose to the bait like a fish. He sprang forward in a sequence
of
furious
assaults,
fast
and
powerful.
Kanyu
didn't
hazard to cross the blades with him, dodging his blows with the mastery of the duelist. Varnag was strong and quick, but inexperienced. As soon as the occasion
occurred
the
Naigh-Moor
compelled
him
to
lose
his
balance, then he took the initiative. The Fang fell with force, clashing only at the last moment against the short sword. The two men's grasps vibrated for the strength of the impact, but they both kept their grip on the weapons. Kanyu attacked him again, pressing him from a closer distance. «You're the first one, yes.» he said, grinding his teeth «The first who doesn't let the sword escape from his hand. Do you think it's enough?». Varnag were quickly pulling back, parrying a hit after another. His muscles swelled to the breaking point at every impact, his amber eyes dilated in incredulity. The Fang crashed against his weapon with a strength equal to his, if not superior. The blades clashed raising sparks; the foreheads of the two contenders became beaded with sweat. Kanyu kept on attacking until the Apuan's guard opened. At that point he suddenly lifted up a leg, hitting him on the sternum. Varnag took the blow like a mattress, remaining steady on his feet. A moment later he attacked in turn, with impetus, and this time Kanyu didn't hesitate: he slipped on the right side and used a foot to make him stumble. The Apuan could had been strong and though as he liked, but he rolled on his back in any case. Kanyu didn't waste a second to
tower above him, placing the Fang under his nose. Varnag stayed where he was, his teeth tightened. «You don't stand a chance against me.» said Kanyu, coldly «Stop fighting and come back home. Now, kid». The Apuan remained on the ground, helpless, the right hand still uselessly clutched around the hilt of the sword. An instant after the free hand rushed to the Naigh-Moor's wrist, clamping it in a vise. Kanyu
felt
the
youth's
extraordinary
strength
envelop
him.
He
planted his legs firmly on the ground and discharged his weight on his arm; if that boy had chosen to die, now he couldn't help but please him. However Varnag swiftly raised the other hand and the blades vibrated with so much force that it was the Naigh-Moor, and not the Apuan, who lost his grip. Kanyu immediately countered: he hit the opponent's face with the heel, and his nape resounded against the stone floor. Varnag's grasp slackened and the Naigh-Moor wiggled out of it, without stifling
a
yell
of
pain.
He
lied
a
hand
on
his
scimitar,
extracting it from its scabbard. A moment later the two men were confronting each other again. Varnag
had
retook
the
initiative
and
this
time
the
distance
between them was so brief that Kanyu had a hard time evading his attacks. He felt the clothes being ripped and the Apuan's steel biting his flesh while he fell back toward a forest of stalagmites that raised from the ground. He bolted off on his right and the short sword hit a limestone column with such strength that both
the blade and the stone broke up. Varnag roared, then he distanced the Naigh-Moor with a fist that sent him head-over-heels between the wet stones of the cave. In a moment all the wounds on Kanyu's body seemed to awaken. He gritted his teeth and raised the head, seeing that the Apuan was unfastening
the
billhook
from
his
belt.
Kanyu
stayed
down,
pretending to not be able to stand up. His fingers had found the dagger, and if that blade was capable of finding a snake's mouth, surely it would have had no difficulty in plunging in a man's throat, son of a God or not. Varnag advanced toward him, billhook in hand. «Now!» shouted Naua, from on high. «Now!» shouted Eska as well, with a shrill voice. Varnag
stopped,
watching
the
Naigh-Moor
on
the
ground.
Kanyu
recognized a light of awareness in his eyes: he had noticed his gesture and glimpsed the dagger. Probably he was thinking about the right time to attack him, just like the snake on the trail. Kanyu saw his big fingers closing around a thin stalagmite and heard the clack of the stone breaking up. Then Varnag unexpectedly turned. The stone fragment flied from his hand towards Naua and his wife; Eska suddenly collapsed backwards in a flickering of arms and feathers, her forehead cracked and the pointed stone still embedded inside it. Kanyu and Naua looked one more surprised than the other. Finally it was the Apuan chief who shouted out. «Eska!» he yelled «Eska! My... Eska! My Eska!».
For a moment he looked uncertain on what to do, then he turned quickly, looking downwards with burning eyes and stretched out an arm toward Varnag. «You! You, you cursed dog! You killed my Eska!». Varnag lowered his billhook and lifted a finger to him. «Your Eska died a long time ago, Naua.» he said in a loud voice «You killed her». Naua
opened
the
eyes
widely,
his
fingers
like
claws.
He
was
shivering with rage from head to foot. «You killed her and put that witch in her place.» continued Varnag «She told you to do it, Naua! She used you, and she's still doing it!». «You are crazy!» cried out the Apuan chief «Crazy! You damned lunatic, son of no one! You killed my wife!». «Are you sure of what you're saying?» asked Kanyu, standing up. Varnag nodded, looking at the man who was waving his arms and shouting on the spur. «I wasn't, earlier, but now I am.» he answered «It is said that on these
mountains
live
creatures
that
deceive
and
seduce
men.
Blasphemous creatures, who dominates their prey like puppets». «I
know
for
experience
that
what
we
call
blasphemous
is
only
different from what we're accustomed. Are you really sure that-». He hadn't finished the sentence yet that Eska raised herself from the
ground.
cardboard
She
rose
outline,
her
unnaturally, limbs
drawing
disordered
herself
and
up
like
contorting.
turned towards her with glistening eyes, his mouth open.
a
Naua
«Eska!» he cried «Eska, my love! You're alive! You're alive!». Even if she understood what he was telling her she didn't seem to care. Her body continued twisting and twining on herself. A clack was heard when an arm snapped, then her head bent backward. The vertebras of the neck creaked and fractured in a flash and so the other bones; her body began being covered in blood. Naua stepped back full of horror, while the creature that once was Eska flexed and swelled like a huge flesh cocoon. Her devastated hands touched the
ground,
the
bare
feet
scratched
the
rock
with
the
nails.
Within few instants long and bristly hair came out from his skin like
sharp
spike
and
the
sudden
metamorphosis
took
weirder
proportions. Eska's
body
size
enormously
increased,
her
head
extended,
her
hands and feet became bones and then hooves, from the deformed forehead
two
blood-slimy
horns
emerged.
Within
a
minute
where
earlier there was a woman's body, now there was the monstrous figure of a gigantic, dripping blood he-goat. The beast lifted its head and sent out a scraping cry that terrifyingly echoed through the cave. Naua, petrified by fear, had stepped back to the edge of the spur. «Eska...» he stuttered in a small voice. The goat stared at him with vitreous, void of intelligence eyes, then it rushed upon him. Its barbed teeth plunged in the Apuan's belly, shutting around his viscera. Then the beast rose abruptly on
the
hind
legs
and
the
hooves
crushing the ribs like dead branches.
fell
on
the
chief's
body,
«May the Gods take me.» whispered Varnag, then he gazed at the Naigh-Moor «Do you want to ask me again if I'm sure?». «No, but I can ask you what's that thing» answered the other. Varnag looked at that monstrosity with glaring eyes. «Legends say that when Pannu wishes to show to men his wrath then he
takes
the
form
of
a
huge
he-goat.
A
wicked
and
ferocious
creature that feeds itself with men, voracious as one hundred wolves. An incarnate Demon who performs indescribable massacres». The goat lifted the blood-soaked muzzle from Naua's body. In its red and stupid eyes shined a brutal homicidal instinct. It uttered another yell, then it hurled itself down the spur. Kanyu
and
Varnag
briefly
glanced
each
other,
then
separated
themselves. The beast's hooves violently hit the ground, making it tremble. Drool and blood trickled from his open jaws while he were staring at the two men who were trying to circle it. It emitted a raging sound, shaking the enormous head from side to side. In the end he turned with decision towards Kanyu. The goat charged him without an hesitation, head bowed, and the Naigh-Moor
bolted
away.
Varnag
could
only
get
the
sight
of
a
movement, then he heard the atrocious scream of the beast and he saw
it
crashing
against
the
stone
wall.
When
the
goat
turned
around, the handle of the dagger came out from its right eye, but it jumped towards its opponent anyway. The Naigh-Moor rolled away, then
he
started
delivering
blows
against
the
animal's
muzzle,
while it was attempting to maul him. One blow found its cranium
and the beast shook its head with force, throwing Kanyu away like a rag doll. The goat moved some steps, disoriented; it seemed to notice the Apuan's presence just then. Varnag looked it in its only eye and grasped its intentions. The moment the beast prepared itself to charge him, the youth let the billhook fall. He divaricated his legs, bent forward and ran towards the animal, his arms open. A dull sound was heard and for a second everything was motionless. The Apuan's hands were clung to the beast's horns, his feet trying desperately to remain glued to the ground. The man had arrested the animal's run. The beast's horrible head shook in the attempt to get free from his grab, the jaws snapped while from his mouth roars and inhuman screams were coming out. Varnag's face was a mask of suffering, the muscles seemed wishing to rip the skin, the teeth screeched the
ones
against
the
others.
He
moved
back,
a
step
at
once,
opposing a strenuous resistance to the creature's pressure. All of a sudden the strength abandoned completely the goat, to the point that Varnag almost ended face to the ground with a shout. The Naigh-Moor's blade had cut cleanly the animal's head, and the body of that abomination heavily fell sideways. The Apuan remained with the head in his hands, watching its last breaths of life: the left eye was trembling, the mouth opened up like a rusty lock and finally the swollen tongue dangled out. «Good job.» said Kanyu, cleaning the blade of the scimitar on the animal's hair «You want to keep it as a keepsake?».
Varnag lowered his eyes on the blood-dripping head. «If the legends are true, we've just killed Pannu» he murmured with superstitious fear. «Well, if the legends are true, your God had slept with Naua, then he died by a blow with a stone, then he had been reborn in the form of a goat to die again.» Kanyu extracted the dagger from the beast's eye without thinking too much «If there's even only a grain of truth I ensure you that it's not worth adoring such a God». Varnag let the head fall to the ground. «Bah, this is only an odd kind of monster.» he grumbled «But a monster that has killed Naua». «He was certain his Gods were with him. It's always certainty that cheats people.» Kanyu moved some steps, picking up the Apuan's billhook «What about you? Are you still certain you're the son of a God?». «You could have killed me twice, earlier.» the youth took the billhook from the Naigh-Moor's hand, then he shifted a strand of hair, showing the stump of the ear that was making him bend his head aside «I've risked to drop dead too many times to believe I have got divine blood». «And your prodigious strength? Where does it come from?». Varnag shrugged his large shoulders. «It's mine» he just answered. Kanyu glanced at him, before beginning to search the Fang.
«It will be useful for us.» he said «Naua is dead. That means we still have an issue to settle before dawn». «"We" have? A few minutes ago we were trying to kill each other». «The Gods are moody, Varnag.» Kanyu collected the machete from the ground with a half smile «And so am I».
A fresh breeze blew from the sea, lifting up the ample white linen curtains. Titus Barraco, wrapped in the sheets, pressed his face against the pillow with an annoyed grimace. Days and nights were often
windy
over
there;
that's
why
the
commander
had
always
ordered to close the window of his bedroom. Therefore even that evening he had made sure that... Barraco instantly opened an eye, shivering. He just made in time to see a shadow looming over him, then a steady hand seized the lower part of his face, knocking his head against the bedrail. Two even too well known eyes were glaring in front of him, like white opal fragments in the night. «Where is the boy?» whispered Kanyu, in a hissing voice. Barraco stayed still, his eyes wide-opened, staring at the NaighMoor's tumefied face. It seemed he passed through a dozen hells, but not for this looked less dreadful. His hand moved away from the commander's face, only to tighten itself around his neck. «Cupav, Naua's son.» continued Kanyu «He told me you have taken him. Where is he?». Barraco twisted the lips, managing to sketch a smile. «And have you believed him?» he said, struggling to breath.
«I have.» answered the other «What I still can't believe is that you could have been stupid enough to not tell me that». The Naigh-Moor's left hand moved quickly, grabbing the man's arm, still under the sheets. The clank of the metal echoed against the floor when the dagger slipped from the commander's grasp. An angry sneer formed on Kanyu's face. «Do
you
keep
it
at
your
fingertips
in
case
of
bad
dreams,
commander?». Barraco tried to laugh. «Not only that one, assassin». The door opened with a crash and the soldiers penetrated in the room. The young attendant came first, followed by six completely armed men. Kanyu watched them enter without lifting an eyebrow. «Now my hands are busy.» he said, making a gesture towards the commander «Would you please take care of them, Varnag?». The Apuan's massive figure burst into through the window, barehanded.
The
armed
men
staggered,
but
their
wonder
was
short-
lasting. «Get him! It's only one man!» shouted Barraco, helpless in his bed. While Kanyu made him beat again the nape against the bedrail, the legionaries threw themselves on Varnag. The Apuan didn't waste time: there was a bust of the commander right beside the window. He took it in his hands like it had no weight and a moment after he hurled it against his opponents. The din of the metal of the cuirasses
who
were
bending
like
paper
sheets
mixed
with
the
cracking of bones, and the screams of pain rose from the first two legionaries throats. Varnag swiftly lied a hand to the billhook, dashing toward the remaining men like a lion toward a pack of gazelles. The blade smashed in half the head of a legionary, smattering helmet and skull, then the Apuan levered with a foot to disengage the weapon and tossed the corpse away. One of the soldier attacked him to the side and Varnag grabbed his arm just in time, before hitting him to the temple with the billhook's handle. A blade plunged in his shoulder, but it was like a bee who had stung a grizzly. The pinnate blade fell again, chopping off a head and leaving it connected with the neck only by a filament of muscles and skin. The last legionary remaining was also wielding a shield. Instead of attacking, panicked, he hid himself behind it. Varnag tore it out from him like he were pulling out a toy from a child's hands, then he finished him off with a blow to the head. Only
the
attendant
was
still
on
his
feet.
He
leaning with his shoulders against the wall,
stumbled
back,
trembling like a
leaf. A dark stain broadened on his trousers and urine dripped on the floor. Varnag looked at him with disgust for a few seconds, then he seized him by the collar and just knocked his head against the wall, making him faint. ÂŤThis
one
isn't
worth
the
butchered bodies at his feet.
killÂť
he
grumbled,
glancing
at
the
«He can't even realize how lucky he is.» said in a grim tone Kanyu, then he turned again towards Barraco «Have you got any other trick, commander?». The man had become mortally pale. He was profusely sweating, his slightly open lips that were barely moving. «If we don't hurry all the garrison will flock here» said Varnag, getting closer to them. «We
were
just
finishing.»
Kanyu
narrowed
his
eyes
«The
boy,
Barraco». The commander of Forte Pietroso opened and closed the mouth a couple of times. His eyes bolted from the Apuan to the Naigh-Moor. «At the lower floor.» he said in a whisper «There's a room closed by the outside». «How do we know he is not lying?» Varnag immediately asked. The commander's gaze run to the Apuan's one. «He's not lying.» answered Kanyu, leading the man to look at him «Naua is dead. Are you satisfied?». Barraco's eyes suddenly burned with a light of triumph. And hope. «You attempted to use me, Human.» resumed Kanyu, pronouncing that last word with scorn «Tell Naua what outcome you've obtained». The blade of a knife pressed against Barraco's throat. He opened the mouth in a last flash of awareness, but all that came out from his lips was a gurgle and a gush of blood. A furrow had opened on his neck and the commander's nightgown drenched in red. Kanyu cleaned the knife on the sheets, then he stood up again.
«You
truly
don't
like
having
blood
on
your
blades.»
observed
sarcastically Varnag «Afraid they get spoiled?». «I don't like to bear the scent of death with me.» he said, giving then a quick look to the carnage in front of his eyes «Let's move on». He stepped determined towards the door, without daring to ask himself
if
it
was
really
Titus
Barraco
who
called
death
upon
himself or if she truly walked at his side like a shadow. From outside came the sentinel's yells; soon the voice of the alarm
horns
resounded.
Kanyu
and
Varnag
quickly
descended
the
stairs. The stone rungs echoed of their steps. When they arrived at the lower floor, they found two heavy door made of reinforced wood, the one opposite the other. «Both shut» said Kanyu, with a grimace. Varnag roughly pushed him away and a moment after his boot hit the first door, breaking the lock. Inside they found only a kind of wide storage, with well tidy weapon racks, banners bearing the imperial eagle and bright shields. «Pray that dog didn't lie» growled the Apuan, turning towards the other door. This time he hit it twice, but with such violence that the door fell
on
the
floor
with
a
sudden
clamor.
Within
the
room,
as
Barraco had said, there was an about sixteen years old adolescent. He was dressed only with a pair of trousers, and although his hair were cut at the height of the ears, his features and the dark
complexion easily revealed his origins. Naua could had disowned him, but that youth was his spitting image. «Who are you?» he asked, gazing at the Apuan with watchful eyes «Has my father sent you?». «Your father is dead, Cupav.»
harshly replied Kanyu «And your
protector too». «My protector? You mean Barraco?» the youth's eyes opened wide. «Are you so sorry?» tauntingly asked the Naigh-Moor. «For that bastard Barraco? Just tell where his corpse is, so that I can mangle it. But my father... Are you sure-». «It's
hard
to
be
more
sure.»
cut
Kanyu
short
«Hurry
and
put
something on, by the Gods. We must scarper. Now!». «Then I don't need anything.» replied the youth «Where do we have to go?». «The courtyard will be full of legionaries by now.» said Varnag «Impossible to pass through it». «The other room has got a window that overlooks on a communication trench.» said Cupav «It' just a pair of meters jump». Kanyu opened the way, running in the other room. From the stairs came the noise of men climbing the steps and their shadows were already standing out over the stone walls. Naua's son pointed the window and descended first, immediately followed by the NaighMoor. When the soldiers burst into the room Varnag jumped through the window in turn. The communication trench led directly to the fort bastions. Varnag was right when he had said that the courtyard was full of people:
they didn't make more than ten steps that the soldiers spotted them and instantly the arrows started hissing towards them. In the dark they shouldn't had realized that Barraco's protected was with them, but the same dark made their aim inaccurate. Kanyu found himself right in front of a sentinel with the bow already in hand. «Stay down!» he screamed, bowing on his waist. The man nocked the arrow
and shot, but the arrow flied over the
Naigh-Moor's head. An instant later Kanyu ran over him, knocking him down the bastions: if the man survived or not, he couldn't ever say. «We can descend from here!» said Cupav, stretching out an arm «The walls are lower here!». «By Pannu's horns!» roared Varnag «Why the hell did you never fled, if you knew a way-out?». «Do you want to stay here arguing until they have taken aim well?» said Kanyu «Downward!». They jumped, one after the other, rolling in the high grass and quickly getting up.
They began running breathlessly, without looking back, throwing themselves at breakneck speed through the olive groves and the cultivated fields. «Where are the horses?» asked Cupav, wheezing. «Nowhere.» answered Kanyu «Keep running». «There
are
terrain!».
horses
and
hounds
in
the
fort!
And
we're
on
open
«Up ahead there's a ditch. It's no big deal, but we won't leave traces there and the dogs will not be capable of find our smell». A horn resounded from the fort and Varnag turned to look behind his shoulders. «Sorry to disappoint you, but those are knights» he said, twisting his lips. «So much the worse!» snarled the Naigh-Moor «Forward for a little, then we'll take position behind the trees. Perhaps they won't notice us». «You really believe it?». Kanyu shook the head. «Not
at
all.»
answered
then
«But
we
could
defend
ourselves
better». Varnag unfastened from his belt a billhook with a metal handle and the blade carved with arcane symbols. «This one belonged to your father.» he said, handing the weapon to Cupav «I presume you're entitled to this». «Then let us hope I won't have to keep it in my hand just for tonight» replied the youth. Kanyu didn't say anything, taking position in the shadow of a centuries-old
olive
tree.
Varnag
was
wounded
and
Cupav
had
probably had no idea of escaping before ten minutes earlier. They were just boys, but they were both ready to fight, risking their own lives. With no fear, no regrets, they would had accepted to die just to preserve their freedom. Maybe the Apuan chief was blinded by hatred or victim of who knows what kind of sorcery, but
there was something true in what he had said: his people would had never renounced to be as it was. The pounding of the hooves on the ground grew quickly. The light of the torches increased, the points of the spears sparkling at the reverberation of the flames. Tens of men on horseback were advancing, following the traces without difficulties, eyes down on the ground and weapons in hand. Kanyu already discerned the men in the first lines. It was a matter of seconds. It happened suddenly, when they were just ten meters away from them. Even afterwards Kanyu couldn't say how it could happen. How could he haven’t seen them. They came out from the high grass howling like devils, the eyes wide-open,
the
face
painted.
Others
threw
themselves
from
the
branches of the tree, where they had remained hid until then. Tens, hundreds of warrior without armor, armed with spears and axes. They rushed at the knights, piercing the men and dragging them to the ground, slaying the horses with axes and maces. In
a
moment,
the
column
fell
into
havoc,
while
the
Apuans
assaulted the legionaries from every side, transforming the night in a concert of agony screams. Varnag yelled and so did Naua's son. Without even realize it, Kanyu entered the fray together with them. It lasted a bit more than a minute. The imperial soldiers had been butchered before they could organize themselves and their weapons and armors resulted useless against the savage assault of the Apuans.
Kanyu found himself panting next to Varnag, while in front at them a warrior who until a few instants later was fighting in fury now was
silently
useful
there
analyzing was.
the
Cupav
bodies
joined
to
them,
pillage
them
accompanied
of
what of
by
a
hardy
veteran: his billhook was dripping blood, a sign that the chief's son had obtained his first battle tribute. He stretched out an arm, pointing at them. «Here they are.» he said «These are the men who freed me». The old Apuan studied them for few moments, then he nodded. «We have come for you.» he murmured «To catch you or to kill you, after what happened to Naua». «To my father?» the youth opened his eyes wide «But they-». «Your
father
has
been
torn
to
pieces
by
a
beast
never
seen
before.» said the veteran, his face darkened «Those two men were present when he died. As soon as you left the mountains, I and the others followed you. It was only when we saw who was with you that we decided to help you.» he made a pause, watching them carefully in the face «And I still don't know if we did right». «These legionaries would have killed me.» answered Cupav back «And if my father is dead, I'm the one who takes decisions. And I want them free». The old man nodded slowly, then he put on his head an helmet taken from the chief of the patrol. «In that case let's head back to the mountains. Very soon the rest of the garrison will be here. We must prepare ourselves to war».
«Not if I can prevent it.» insisted Cupav «If war it must be, then war it shall be. But Barraco held me prisoner for years and then hunted like a rabbit. This is what I'm going to write to the Emperor, as soon as we'll be at home». «Your father feared you had passed to Barraco's side» said Kanyu, gazing at the boy. «I’ve imagined it. I had to make him believe it, otherwise I would have spent my days in a rats-infested cell, instead of that room. I wished to somehow escape, but until tonight I hadn't found the courage to do it. Barraco kept me closely supervised. Still, I'm not my father. But my heart belongs to the mountains. Like his». «The blood of a chief runs through this young man.» said the veteran «The tribes will learn to know and respect him». «Come, now.» resumed Cupav «We must leave quickly». Kanyu lowered the eyes, then shook his head. «Go alone.» he said «If I stay with you, Forte Pietroso would have one more reason to attack you. I killed their commander, after all». «I accept to run the risk, in case.» exclaimed the youth «You saved me from a fate worse than death». «That's
why
it's
better
that
you
stay
away
from
me,
then.»
commented the Naigh-Moor «Where I walk, there death walks». «The same goes for me.» said Varnag «Better if we split here». «What?» said the veteran «You are the son of the Gods, Varnag! You are a sign of Pannu's might! You-».
«I'm a man like you.» Varnag interrupted him «I came to your camp to be accepted like one of you. To have a tribe and a family. I wanted that Naua lived, free of that witch's influence, but all I could do was watching him die. Having rescued his son has maybe redeemed my honor, but... I didn't came among you for this. And it's not fair that I stay». «Varnag, you can say what you want, but it's Cupav who decides for our people! And if Cupav says-». «Then I have no more a people, old man». The
veteran
was
going
to
reply,
when
in
the
distance
a
horn
blared. The old man swore, then raised an arm to give a signal to his warriors. «Men! More are coming! On the march, hurry! To the mountains!» he shouted,
then
hastily
passed
an
arm
around
the
young
chief's
shoulders «Cupav, to me! Your people needs you, now». The youth stayed still, indifferent at the veteran's gestures. His eyes stared at his two saviors with incredulity and remorse. «Cupav!» the man yelled again «We must go!». Cupav just unclosed the lips. He wanted to say something, maybe a farewell. But not a single word came from his mouth. He turned around, bent on his waist, and head running towards the mountains. Varnag and Kanyu remained where they were. The Apuan glanced at the Naigh-Moor with indecision, then he put the billhook back to his belt. «Better if we go, now.» he said «If we're lucky they'll follow the other's traces».
«Better, yes.» agreed Kanyu «Let's go towards the port. We should find a place on a ship». «On a ship?» repeated Varnag «I've never set foot on a ship». «And you've never left this land, I guess». «Never, right». Kanyu scarcely nodded, then patted him on the back. «It seems even that time has come, at last» he said. They left at a good pace, two men and a dark, mute figure who was always walking by their side.
ÂŤApuans are just a page in the immense book of history; however, there's no need to tear it up or to burn it, to erase every mark left by dozens and dozens generationsÂť.