The Crystals of Mida

15 The Hosta home tents—and capture

Most pleased were we all again to see the Dennin, for the sight of the river was a sight of home. In four sets did we again cross, I in the first set, as before. My strength and health were again as they had been, yet did memory of our departure from the city still disturb me. On foot had we crossed half the ways of the city, for my warriors had not brought their gandod fully within to their destination. We had taken the two males with us, and a sorry sight indeed did we present. Some of my warriors needed the shoulders of others in support, most stumbled with the memory of pain, and three had died, though no visible hand had touched them. Evil, evil were the cities, and never again would I think to enter one. Little understanding had I of the words of Vistren, yet I fully understood why it was a female who took the Crystals from males. Surely the female had been Mida in the guise of a living being, and she had taken them to spare her warriors pain. Sad indeed must she have been to see the Crystals once again in the grasp of males. As I waited for the balance of my warriors to cross, I smiled grimly in memory of the fate of the two males we had taken. Once upon gandod, we had ridden from the city to the place Gimin had set her camp. There we paused just long enough to free the hunters and gather up the guards left over them, and then we rode for the forests. Through the darkness and half the light we rode, exhausted and pained, anxious to put distance between us and Ranistard. Upon halting, I set guards over the captives and ordered my warriors to sleep, for upon awakening there would be many things to avenge. Despite the coldness of the darkness, we all slept through it, and upon the arrival of the new light, we dedicated the males to Mida. The males screamed through four feyd and four darknesses, through travel and rest, through motion and sleep, and then were they denied that with which to scream. He with the features of a girl did indeed hold the life sign of she who bore me, the leather strung about his neck as though it were his to wear. Through his dedication did I see the life sign left in place, and I hoped that the soul of her who had borne me was pleased. The male with features of a girl had lived but nine feyd, and Arrelin had lived but twelve. The remains were placed beneath the ground, away from the sweet light of Mida, and at last was the matter over and done with. Though the Crystals had not been recovered, the lives of Hosta warriors had been avenged.

Shortly we passed the village of Islat, and as I had no stomach for the customs of visiting, I merely dropped the lenga pelt before the dwelling of Maranu, and rode on. The Headman of the village had pronounced himself satisfied with but two lenga pelts, yet had I promised the third should I be unable to return the kand in trade. I had not seen the kand since the time in Bellinard, therefore was a third pelt due Maranu.

The Hosta home tents were a fine sight, and gladly I entered the tent of the war leader. Gimin had told me that she had decided against the challenge, therefore I had only one further duty to see to. Rilas the Keeper was summoned and told the tale of our journey, and saddened indeed was she upon learning of the loss of both Crystals. It was necessary for me to sadden her further, for I explained that though some of my warriors, Fayan and Larid among them, had been with child, all had subsequently lost the quickened seed. Rilas cursed the device as the cause of the loss, and I had already concluded as much. Deeply hurt had Fayan been at the loss, and I knew the child to have been Nidisar’s doing. Little had my warrior Fayan left to raise her, and had it not been counter to the ways of the Midanna, I felt that Fayan would have taken her own life. Perhaps all ways of the Midanna are not wise.

Upon the departure of Rilas, the Hosta again took up where they had been, upon the theft of the Crystal. A hand of feyd passed with little of interest, and then, almost at darkness, was a sthuvad taken. My warriors were pleased with the look of him, big and broad, and angered at being detained, and happily was he given the sthuvad drug, and then removed to the use tent. I found that I had little interest in him, and fetched daru to my tent to brew, for I wished no use from the sthuvad. Memory was with me of another male, one whose lips were sweet, whose body was a burning in my blood, one whose like I might never again see. Fayan came silently to my tent, and Larid as well, as we three sat upon the black leather, saying no word to each other, sipping from many pots of daru. With difficulty my warriors left at last, and I, too, felt a good deal of dizziness as I moved from candle to candle to extinguish them. I had not thought my intake of daru excessive, yet did I nearly forget to place my dagger in my hand as I lay upon my sleeping leather, and quickly indeed did sleep find me.

Strange and unknowable are the workings of a warrior’s mind. Long did I sleep; through deep mists I imagined that the face of Ceralt was before me, smiling down upon me. Then did it seem that he knelt and reached for my hand, gently removing the dagger from it, and casting the dagger aside. In full need did I move upon my sleeping leather, raising my arms to the phantom of my mind, and the phantom laughed gently and came to me, holding me close and placing his lips upon mine. Sweet, so sweet, were those imagined lips, yet when strong maleness was brought fully to me, it seemed a bit more than imagined. Great pleasure was I given by the phantom, and then was I held by him as sleep took me again. At no time had the mists cleared, yet this seemed unimportant.

Then I knew it to be full light, but I was unable to throw off the mists of sleep. Faintly, I recalled having swallowed a mixture somewhat resembling that which had been given me by Bariose and the female Karil, yet this time had it seemed to be Ceralt who had held the pot. I had not cared for the mixture, and had attempted to refuse it; however, Ceralt had spoken sharply and I had obeyed him. I also knew not why I had obeyed him.

It seemed that I sat upon a kan, leaning my body and face upon Ceralt’s chest, his arms tightly about me. Other kand were there about us, one with Nidisar holding Fayan, one with Telion holding Larid, others with other males holding others of my warriors. From a distance, I heard the voice of Ceralt say, “We have them all,” and the voice of Telion replied, “Let us leave, then.”

Motion there was, with which I slept and wakened, yet never did the mists leave me. I slept for some time, it seemed, and then was the voice of Maranu close although distant.

“Where do you take them?” demanded Maranu, and never had I heard such coldness from him. “They most of them seem dead!”

“They but slumber from a drug placed in their daru,” replied Ceralt, laughter in his voice. “We provided a captive for them, and most obligingly did they partake of the daru. They shall slumber till we allow them to awaken.”

“I have still not heard their destination,” said Maranu, no laughter within his voice. “She whom you hold is like a daughter to me, and I shall not allow her to be taken to slavery.”

“There shall be no slavery,” said Ceralt softly, and his lips touched my hair. “We take them to the city of Ranistard, there to civilize them and make them our women. Some of us are hunters of Bellinard, and some of us are warriors of Ranistard, and few are the women remaining in Ranistard. These shall find an easier adjustment there, and their life in the wilds is done. They shall have the company of others of their kind, for another group of us has traveled to the ones called Silla, the only other wild females we know of. The Silla, too, shall be taken, and once again Ranistard shall be filled with women.”

“I see that you care for her,” said Maranu as I moved in discomfort. There was a thought, an important thought, yet it would not come to me. “I am pleased to see that she shall have a man to stand beside,” said Maranu. “I have often asked their Mida to provide one such for her, and perhaps her Mida has answered.”

“I shall stand beside her always,” said Ceralt, and again his lips touched me. So good was the feel of him against me, and then I slept again, pleased at his presence.

Some time later I found my eyes opened, the forest lost in the mists still about me, a great horror within me. We traveled to Ranistard, Ceralt had said. I feared the city and hated it, and did not wish to enter it again. We were to be made their women, Ceralt had said, city slavewomen he had meant. And worst of all, Silla too, were to be brought there. The Silla and the Hosta were blood enemies, sworn to fight to the death upon any chance meeting! The ways of Ranistard would run red with blood! And the Crystals, the Crystals of darkness! Two awaited us, yet I could somehow see a third, much danger about it, even more danger within it! I moaned at the thought of the Crystals, and moved about in much upset.

“Hush,” said Ceralt, taking me more tightly in his arms. “All will be well, my Jalav. All will be well.”

Again I moaned, and moved in misery. All would be well, Ceralt had said. How little of things did males truly know! I attempted to speak to him, but this the mists would not allow, and again sleep claimed me, leaving my protests unsaid.