Dark Legion (30 page)

 

The next day, we were most of the way through Adair's introduction to the Bleeding Wolf when an incessant raven showed up. We made our excuses and once more found ourselves on the path to Malakai's house. Perhaps it should be “a” path, as I had walked a few at that point.

An hour had passed when we noticed the change in temperature—much hotter, but with almost no humidity. It felt as though a burden had been lifted from me and I could breathe again. Before long, we came to a clearing with a pool of water as blue as Neysa's eyes, and crystal clear. Palm trees surrounded the pool, and we could make out Malakai's house through a clearing. Marcus and Neysa walked toward it, but I decided to look around first. I walked around the pool and through a cluster of palms, and on the other side, I saw what I was expecting.

Dry plains stretched as far as the eye could see, with nothing but the tough brown grasses and a few scrubby trees. This was Ubrain, and I was home. Honestly, I nearly cried. For many years, I feared I would never see my homeland again. It felt like a distant, impossible dream.

My father brought Shakir and me to the oasis once long ago. Perhaps not that oasis, but one much the same. We were but kids at the time, and it was a grand adventure, one we talked about for many years. We traveled with the nomads that roamed the northern reaches of Ubrain and stopped at the Great Oasis to make camp for the night. The wonder of it more than made up for the two days of negotiations that followed. Our father, the king, met with the tribal leaders and made my brother and me sit in on the proceedings. I snapped out of my memories of the past when I heard the others shouting my name.

 

“You'd think that the old goat could transport the house closer to us, as opposed to all over the Gods-damned world,” Neysa said. “Or at least save us the hour's walk. On the upside, Saul wasn't savaged by the wildlife this time.”

“Which is much appreciated,” I said. We walked in through the open door, along the corridor and into the messy room. Only it was not messy at all. The room was mostly clear, with a narrow red carpet leading to the desk and a range of bipedal animals arranged along the walls. This time they were not limited to reptiles, but included a variety of large apes I had no name for, each wearing a set of armor.

“Where
do
you find the time?” Marcus asked. Malakai was leaning back in his chair, his feet propped up on his desk. He smiled and shrugged, taking a puff on his long pipe.

“What do you want this time, old man? We are very busy,” Neysa said as we sat down.

“To bask in the pleasure of your company, child,” Malakai said. “I do so love your pleasant way with words.”

“Eat it,” Neysa said, sneering. Malakai sat up and held his stomach as he laughed.

“So,” Malakai said as his laughter died away, holding his arms wide. “Our sails are hoisted and our course is set. But are you ready up here?” he asked, tapping his temple. The three of us looked at each other and shrugged in unison. “So confident! I like it. With that attitude, how could you fail?”

I wished I could punch the old bastard. “Well, what have you done to help? As far as I can see, you have just as much to gain as the rest of us, but you contributed the least.”

Malakai raised his eyebrows and puffed a thick cloud of smoke. “Oh, really? Was it not my yeast that enabled you to win that competition? Did my student not save you? Did my distractions not lure the Inquisition away from your door? Did I not make good your escape, Neysa? Oh, I have done much. And much more besides that you will never know, child. And…” He got to his feet. “If you'll follow me, I'll show you my latest creation.”

We followed Malakai outside and walked to the rear of the house. He led us to a barrel that sat some distance away, and as we approached, he gestured to it with an expectant smile. “Do you like it?”

“It's a nice barrel,” Marcus said.

Malakai dropped his hands to his side and rolled his eyes. “It's not
just
a barrel… it's a fantastic lock pick. If you recall, some months back I offered to provide you with a backup plan in case dear Saul's abilities let him down. Well, this is it. It's filled with the explosive liquid that was vexing me for so long. It makes for a very big bang, so Neysa, I need you to form a shield when I set the charge. Don't mess it up, unless you have lost the will to live.”

“Can't we just run?” I asked.

“Maybe, maybe not. Do you want to risk it? Besides, when the time comes to use it, you may not have much room or time to run. Neysa needs to be ready.” Malakai took a step closer to the barrel and went down on one knee. “Now, you two… to set the charge, open the tap, then kick it in. When you hear the click, you will have to the count of ten… more or less. Ready, Neysa?” When she nodded, he went through the motion, then stood and took several steps back.

A shimmering cone appeared in front of us as Neysa hummed a wordless song, her face the picture of concentration. But, nothing happened. “Malakai, I think—”

Boom!

My vision went white with the brightness of the explosion, and a warm gust blew past, ruffling my shirt. As the blast dissipated, the shimmering dropped away. I was hit by a sudden force. It lifted me from my feet and threw me back. I got the wind knocked out of me, either by the blast or the fall. Leaning on my elbow and holding my chest, I looked around to see Marcus and Neysa lying beside me. Malakai came walking out of the dust and smoke. He did not look at all bothered by the event.

“Neysa, you dropped your shield too early, child.”

“I know… I'm sorry,” she said, and slowly rose and straightened her dress.

“Just keep it up until you're sure the blast has done its thing,” Malakai said. “Time can seem to slow down in all the excitement.”

Marcus and I found our feet and we followed Malakai back inside.

 

Malakai reached beneath his desk and retrieved a large roll of paper, tied with a ribbon. “I promised to provide you with plans of the palace,” Malakai said. “I have acquired a few more since our discussion, and I believe you will find them rather interesting.”

“Thanks,” I said, and took the heavy roll. “Question, are we in Wah ‘ha Gabeera? The Great Oasis?”

Malakai smiled. “You are indeed.”

I looked at Marcus, then back at Malakai. “Are there a number of former slaves in the oasis?”

“There are, yes.” Malakai said. “A rather large number, in fact.”

“Are we able to go and speak with them?” I asked. “I know Marcus has spent some time with them, but I would like to see them too.”

“Why, of course,” Malakai said. “That is why I brought you here. I can arrange swift passage here on a more regular basis if you wish.”

Marcus nodded. “I need to keep up with their training.”

“Very good,” Malakai said. “My raven will come by a few times a week, but you two can go to them now. Neysa and I have more learning to do.”

With the meeting concluded, Marcus and I walked to the door. “I will have the explosive barrels sent to you within the next couple of days,” Malakai said. “Make sure you mark them well. I will also be sending some of my fireworks for Harvest Festival, but my people will take care of them. Hopefully when you see them go off, you will be
speeding
for Sagemont.” Malakai had a wicked grin on his face. “Take the path at the rear of the house. It will lead you to your branded men.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Branded Men

 

Marcus and I followed the path from the rear of Malakai's house to a large clearing, filled with tents. We stood at the end of the path, and I cast my eye over the multitude of tents. There were far more than I had been expecting. “Too much,” I said. “This is too much.” Several men with brands on their foreheads noticed us standing there. They talked amongst themselves but kept an eye on us. A figure moved between the men and came running to me. It was Kaleb.

“My prince,” Kaleb said. “You came early.”

“We won't stay long,” I said. “We still have unfinished business. I came to see the men.”

“Not just men, my prince,” Kaleb said. “But I am sure they will be pleased to see you.” Kaleb took off, running back to those who stood watching, then left them to run between the tents. Within minutes, a large number of men—and a smaller number of women and children—stood waiting. A very large number, indeed.

“This is too much,” I said.

Marcus snorted.

Kaleb soon returned and stood expectantly beside us. “Kaleb, how many are there?”

“My count is one thousand six hundred and fifty-two,” Kaleb said.

I looked over the mass of people.
My
people.

“I think they are waiting for a speech,” Marcus said. My stomach knotted itself, and it felt as though my bones had turned to water. Public speaking was not a talent I had, especially when completely unprepared. “No time like the present,” Marcus said.

I realized I had been standing there for more than a minute. I cleared my throat. “Ah-hum… It pleases me to see you here.” I said. I scrambled for words and could hear a hush of conversation. I closed my eyes and thought back to my father and the way he'd spoken to his people.

“I am Saul Baz Sharmoun, prince of Ubrain. Your prince.” The crowd fell silent. “You have been shackled by the empire for too long. Now you are free, but our people suffer still. We must act to bring freedom to our people, to our land. We cannot stand by while the blood of our blood are chained like dogs. We will crush the vermin that shit on our land like it is their own. We will throw them from our homes, from our farms, from our cities. I will not rest until this is done!” The crowd went wild, and Marcus put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. I flinched. Over the past few months, any sort of affection from him was a rare thing, unless you counted too-hard punches, passed off as being playful.

“But…” I said, and waited for the crowd to quiet down. It took a while. “But, this is a big task. It is not one we can rush to. It will take time and preparation. It will take training. Were it that my brother Shakir, your rightful king, stood with us now, he would lead you in this. But he is not present, so this task falls on my shoulders. I have no training with the sword, the spear, or the bow. This is Marcus DeVasco,” I said, clapping Marcus on the back, deliberately hard, in a loud thwack on his sweaty skin. “You have met before, but allow me to introduce him to you. Marcus DeVasco, former rebel leader, and current rebel leader reborn. He is an experienced leader and a master with the sword. He will train you and make you ready to fight.” There was another cheer. “I will not throw you at the empire unprepared. I will arrange for weapons and supplies. These will be with you soon.”

My words ran dry, and as much as I racked my brain for more, nothing came. It felt as though I might drown in the silence. Then, like a breath of fresh air, another memory of my father's words came to me. I took a deep breath and bellowed, “We are the lion that stalks in the grass! We rule this land unchallenged. We are Ubrain!” My people cheered and shrieked so loud it hurt my ears. Their voices rang through the oasis for a long time.

 

Marcus shook his head. “You surprise me, Saul. I spent years of my life organizing a rebellion. And it was a pitiful thing. You did this,” Marcus said, gesturing at the village that had formed in the oasis. “And mostly by accident. Though I'll grant you that your tenacity is somewhat contagious.”

I sighed. “This task weighs heavily on me, Marcus. I am in no way fit for the job. We really need to find Shakir before I waste these men's lives.”

 

Marcus left with Kaleb, and they made their way through the groups of men, stopping to talk with each. I strolled through the tents on my own. I had no idea where they had found so many tents. There were far more people in this oasis than in Sagemont. I noticed a few children swimming in a pool of water. Not many, especially not for a group of people this large, but it warmed me to see them nonetheless. People bowed as I walked past, and while I nodded in return, it made me distinctly uncomfortable. At least none approached me, which was good, as I feared I had spent all my good words. I knew if I said too much, my people would see through my disguise to the scarred monster beneath.

 

A couple of hours later, Marcus tracked me down, and we walked back to Sagemont.

“It's quite the army we have,” Marcus said.

“Slaves without a master do not make an army.”

“These men are better trained than you realize,” Marcus said. “Many have military training. They are rusty, but they know what they're doing.”

“That is good,” I said. “I doubt you will have enough time to train them all.”

“True,” Marcus said. “But at my last visit, I picked the best of them as leaders. They will continue the training in my absence, and between us, we will forge an army.”

“Why are there so many?” I asked. “Kaleb can't have done it all.”