Tavis was nervous as they traveled down the dusty lane. Ayawa rode beside him in silence, casting glares at Jessivel, who rode to her left. He looked like a man full of anger and confusion and said little once the march began.
It took them an hour to convince the women of Ulustrah to stay with the column. It took another hour to convince them to ride double on the horses. Now they moved with the priests of Astikar riding in two columns, followed by the southern warriors riding horses of their own. These were followed by the extra animals with two women each on their backs. Ayawa asked Gedris to ride with them and talk to them about what was happening.
Jessivel sent four men ahead to scout the road and locate the camp. He wanted some information on what he was riding into. However, since the march began, he became despondent, and his scowl deepened.
Tavis knew Ayawa was unsure about what they were doing. Jessivel was the greatest seeker in the order of Astikar, and he was well known for his loyalty. Even more, she and Tavis recovered a letter that was meant for him. In it the Father Abbot expressly orders him to locate Gersius and kill him. She had terrible misgivings about leading him to Gersius. She never trusted any of the seekers, seeing them as a form of secret police.
All of this paled to the revelation that Ayawa felt obligated to teach Gedris. She was adhering to a code of belief he thought she abandoned long ago. In the early days, when she left her people to be with him, hunters, much like Jessivel, came looking for her. Many times they had close calls and near escapes as her people unerringly tracked them. However, several times, escape wasn't possible, and to his great surprise, Ayawa killed to retain her freedom.
It was after these moments she opened up and told him about more of her people's culture. She was meant to be something like Jessivel. A warrior for an order of women who controlled the tribes from behind the scenes. She was forcibly tested and of course, forbidden to seek out Tavis. She would never go into detail about what those tests involved. Asking about them made her withdraw and become cold for a bit. Whatever it involved, it haunted her to this day, and he wondered if he would ever know.
She was watched and carefully controlled. When she expressed an interest in Tavis, she was forbidden, and Tavis strongly encouraged to leave. She was even paired up with another man more worthy of her skill. He gave her his bow as a gift to begin the formal process of marriage. This was the ebon wood bow she now used with deadly accuracy. She took the bow and fled into the night to seek out Tavis and a new life someplace else.
She never wanted to talk about how she got away, but one day she told him. She killed the women watching her and ran away. She was caught, beaten, and dragged back to stand before the very women who were trying to recruit her. From here, she would give few details, but he did learn she killed several more to escape.
For this crime, there was no going back to her people. No return to the lands she left behind. She valued her freedom but also her family and history. She kept all her ways and her traditions as if she still lived in the southern plains and forests. This was the reason the knives Two Crows carried held such allure for her. With those, she could return and challenge the tribe for leadership. Even the women she offended wouldn't dare oppose her. If she had the knives, she could go home, and she could bring Tavis with her.
She carried the guilt of what she did to win her freedom on her heart. As part of her self punishment for her sins, she became a scout for several of the armies in the old empire. She refused to settle down and live a quiet life, always putting her skill and training to good use. It was one of her people's sayings he often admired. Put your skills to use, or teach them to someone who will.
Her people lost as much or more than his had in the ancient past. Now they had a fanatical belief in passing on what remained. Always pass on the knowledge, the training, the skills, and never turn away a student who is ready and willing to learn. Whether it was a mother to daughter, father to son, or teacher to student. Always pass the way of the people on.
It was while serving as a scout they met a young Gersius and a friendship formed. The man was dedicated to a fault and never turned away from responsibility. He shouldered every burden and carried on even when they conflicted with his own self-interest.
His discipline and focus where what impressed Ayawa. His coin was what impressed Tavis. In many ways, Ayawa and Gersius were alike, but in others, they were distinctly different. Gersius was raised to be a priest of Astikar by a family tradition. Ayawa was raised in a similar tradition but turned her back on it.
The difference Tavis supposed was Gersius was free to marry who he wished. He had no obligation outside serving the order for ten years. Once that was done, his honor to his family was upheld, and he could be a fisherman if he wanted. Tavis smiled at the thought of Gersius sitting beside a stream with a pole in the water.
“What has you smiling?” Ayawa asked, disturbing the thought.
“I was imagining something,” he replied as he tipped his hat down. “I didn't think you wanted to talk.”
Ayawa glanced at Jessivel and then back to him with narrow eyes.
“I don’t like the risk we are taking,” she said.
He understood the point of view, but Ayawa saw it too narrowly.
“This entire mission was a risk,” he said. “From the moment we abandoned our places to hide and wait for Gersius, we were taking huge risks. This is just the path those risks are leading down.”
“Where is this all going to end?” Ayawa asked?
“Hopefully, with peace and order restored and Gersius on the throne of the Empire,” he replied.
“I can’t imagine Gersius as emperor,” Jessivel said without looking over.
“I can’t imagine anyone better suited for it,” Tavis said. “A man who dedicates his life to caring for the masses of people.”
“That’s why I can’t imagine him as an emperor,” Jessivel said. “The men who play at being kings often have little moral character. The people are seen as nothing more than a resource to be used.”
“I think Gersius will make a fine Emperor,” Ayawa said. “He knows what needs to be done and isn't afraid to do it. People will complain for sure, but he will push things forward and see to it the land is secure.”
“And what if the kings don’t rally to his banner?” Jessivel asked.
Ayawa tossed her head. “What choice will they have? If the prophecy is fulfilled, the empire is reborn.”
“As I said,” Jessivel stated. “King’s have little moral character, and Gerisus will be upsetting their power. Many of these men have killed to maintain their station. Do you think they are going to roll over and let Gersius rule over them?”
“The people will stand with Gersius,” Ayawa snapped. “The kings can rage about it all they want, but their people will call Gersius Emperor.”
“Assuming he can pass through the golden gate,” Herris said from behind.
` “He will find a way,” Ayawa growled. “He always finds a way.”
“He found a dragon,” Jessivel said with a nod.
“And he convinced it to help him,” Ayawa said sternly. “Clearly, he is the one the prophecy calls for.”
“Perhaps,” Jessivel said slowly. “But the prophecy said he would be welcomed as a hero.”
Ayawa frowned deeply, and Tavis watched her tighten her hands on the reigns. She didn't like prophecy very much and objected to Gersius trying to bring this one about. She believed the earth mother had a purpose for every living thing. However, that purpose was never to meddle with the divines.
“I believe the Father Abbot is twisting the prophecy,” Tavis said. “He is trying to ensure that Gersius can’t complete it.”
“What the bloody hell for?” Herris said from where he led the column behind them.
Something to add captain?” Jessivel asked.
“If you will forgive my overstating the obvious, but the Father Abbot will lose his seat of power if the Doan march on Calathen.”
“The walls have never been broken,” Jessivel reminded him.
Herris let out a chuckle. “Calathen is a fortress, but how long can it survive surrounded by three armies?”
“It has been besieged before,” Jessivel said.
“With all due respect, Lord Seeker, the result is the same. The Doan are coming for Calathen, and by hindering Gersius, the Father Abbot is aiding them.”
“And that doesn't make sense because the order would lose its grand cathedral, and the center of its leadership,” Jessivel agreed.
“My point exactly. So what does he have to gain by losing the war?”
“Tavis and I have been over this a hundred times,” Ayawa said. “Last we spoke with Gersius; he was asking the same questions.”
“A mystery,” Jessivel smiled. “One that I intend to discover the truth of.”
“If you ask me this all about that stupid prophecy,” Ayawa said with distaste.
Jessivel looked over with the first real interest he had shown in hours.
“Are you saying you don’t believe in the prophecy?”
Ayawa shook her head with a laugh. “The earth mother creates us for our tasks, not for divine games.”
Jessivel studied her a moment and returned to looking ahead. “Isn’t the earth mother a divine?”
“No, she is not,” Ayawa said. “She is the very spirit of the world, the heart of living. She is the one who creates life and sets balance in the world. The divines reach down from above and tamper with it all, trying to improve on her perfection.”
“Yet, the divines created the world, and thus the earth mother,” Jessivel suggested.
“My people say the divines were born of this world and rose up,” she said.
“And my teachings say a great mother gave birth to the world and created the order of the divines to watch over it.”
“Maybe the great mother and the earth mother are one and the same?” Tavis suggested.
“I doubt it,” Ayawa said. “The earth mother is often in conflict with the divines. If she created them to keep watch over her world, they are doing a poor job of it.”
“The way my father told it, the divines only interfere it the world when the balance is upset,” Herris said.
“They don’t seem to be interfering now,” Ayawa said. “Your divine seems blind to the rot in his own house.”
Jessivel sighed and scratched the back of his head.
“Our history says the divines are not permitted to act directly in the world. They have to act though followers or spirits of some kind,” he said.
“My histories say the very elements of the world once were able to take form and address us,” Tavis said. “We have legends of women made of fire and water debating with the great philosophers of our past.”
“We have a similar legend of women of the earth who would rise up and take men away to have children.”
“A pity I missed that,” Tavis said with a smirk.
Ayawa shot him a narrow scowl and continued.
“We called them the daughters of the earth mother. They always appeared as some primal nature of the world.”
“And they were always women?” Jessivel asked.
Ayawa shrugged. “I have never heard a story where one was a man.”
“Those sound like sprites to me,” Herris said. “They are always female.”
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“So, where do the dragons come from then?” Jessivel asked. “Did the earth mother create them too?”
Ayawa shook her head. “Our people once knew the answer to that, but we lost it in the old war.”
“Another truth for you to seek,” Tavis joked.
“Do not joke about the truth,” Jessivel said with a glance at him. “Many a man has died for the lack of it, and many hide the truth lest their crimes come to light.”
“How is the Father Abbot hiding the truth from the council of bishops?” Ayawa asked. “Surely, they must have objected to his actions?”
Jessivel was silent for a long pause as he stared into the distance.
“I cannot speak for the bishops. I believe they must see the folly of these decisions. They should act and oppose the Father Abbot directly, but then they don't have a private army to support them.”
“The raven guard,” Ayawa spat. “That was the first thing they should have objected to.”
“They didn't have a bloody choice,” Herris said. “The Father abbot has the right to pardon sins against the people or the order. Once he pardoned them, the order could not deny them.”
“Can’t they deny them forming into one unit that answers only to the Father Abbot?” Tavis asked.
“They didn't start that way,” Jessivel said. “They started much as my branch did. They had a very narrow purpose and were used sparingly. Only Dellain answered to the Father Abbot, the rest were just a unit in Astikar's armies.”
“That didn’t last long,” Tavis pointed out.
Jessivel was silent a moment, and then he nodded his head. “No, it did not. Dellain began to use the unit to enforce the rule of the law where diplomacy was unsuccessful.”
“If by enforce you mean butchered, then I agree with you,” Ayawa said.
“Many of us objected,” Jessivel said. “We spoke about it privately and raised the issue with our commanders. It didn’t seem proper for such a violent unit to be serving Astikar, but they could call on his power.”
“So because Astikar blesses them, you can't stand against them?” Ayawa asked.
“We trusted the heads of our order had a reason for forming the raven guard. Many of us had assignments and didn't have time to scrutinize the behavior of Dellain and his men.”
“Didn’t it ever cross your mind that Dellain had an unusual amount of men?” Ayawa asked.
Jessivel didn't flinch at the remark, and he replied with a calm, measured response.
“I made my complaints several times. I was told it wasn't my place to question the Father Abbot, and that if I valued my position, I would focus on my duties.”
“So they threatened to silence you,” Tavis said.
“In a manner of speaking, yes,” Jessivel admitted.
“Gersius refused to let them fight in his army,” Ayawa said with a smile. “He directly refused the Father Abbots demand they be given command of the refugee trains.”
“It might surprise you to know the Raven guard went west long before the war,” Jessivel said.
“What?” Ayawa asked. “What for?”
Jessivel shrugged. “They went out on a mission for the Father Abbot. We know they crossed the serpentine and went into the Doan lands.”
“They went west again after the war started,” Herris said. “It was supposed to be a secret, but I saw them deploy and march out. They were there doing something while Gersius was building his army.”
“They were probably sent out because Gersius denied them,” Jessivel said.
“Gersius told us the Father Abbot accused him of denying them the right to grant mercy,” Tavis said.
“Those animals don’t know what mercy is,” Herris replied.
“If you had seen what they did to Gersius and Lilly, you would wonder how close to animals they really are,” Ayawa said bitterly.
They were silent a moment as that thought sank in. Tavis could see they were all on edge, but he wanted to get a few questioned answered.
“How big is the raven guard now?” he asked.
“I can't speak for right now, but at last count, it was over a hundred and fifty brothers,” Jessivel said.
“Don’t forget they were raising special combat units,” Herris said.
“What are those?” Ayawa asked.
Jessivel looked at her with deep searching eyes. “Elite units of heavy infantry that are not priests, but fight for the raven guard.”
“So they have their own private army?” Ayawa said in shock.
“I don’t know,” Jessivel replied. “Last we saw they were training a few hundred men.”
“All under Dellain’s and subsequently the Father Abbots control,” Tavis said. “He built an army inside the order and used it to seize control.”
“How many more seekers are there?” Ayawa asked.
“There are perhaps fifty of us, most work alone.”
“The solitars,” Ayawa said in a sour tone.
“All of us are Solitars,” Jessivel said. “We only form units when I require it.”
“You felt it wise to hunt Gersius with a large force,” Ayawa said with a smile. “So you assembled your unit.”
“I felt it wise for my protection as well as his,” Jessivel said.
“So, what do you plan to do when we reach this camp?” Tavis asked.
“We free the women of course,” he said.
“And do what with them?” Tavis pressed. “We aren’t exactly well equipped.”
“Would you prefer I left them in the hands of some petty noble being paid by the Father Abbot to herd them like sheep?”
“I would prefer to get to Gersius with all haste and put an end to this whole thing,” Tavis said.
“I will not leave these women in such condition if I can prevent it,” Jessivel said with a finality in his voice.
“This is exactly what I am upset about,” Ayawa said.
“What is?” Tavis asked.
“This constant distraction from the mission,” she replied. “We must get to Gersius safely and deliver our news, but we keep taking chances that might get us killed or captured.”
Tavis understood her point of view, but there were larger issues at play.
“Our first mission is to aid Gersius,” he said. “All of these distractions are serving to aid his cause.”
“They are slowing us down and making it impossible to move invisibly,” she lashed back.
“Both I and the assassins were following you,” Jessivel pointed out. “You were not moving invisibly.”
“That’s my point!” Ayawa said with a wave of her hand. “We are leaving a trail because we keep getting involved in things we should pass by.”
“I am not leaving them,” Jessivel said.
“I suppose the priestesses of Ulustrah are already fighting the war Gersius is trying to win,” Tavis said.
“More like rolling over and dying,” Ayawa said with a glance back at the women bringing up the rear.
“They are not trained for war, only self defense,” he pressed.
He saw her look at him with an understanding gaze and turn back to the road ahead.
“They will need to learn how to fight if they want to survive.”
“I doubt even the order of Astikar could purge them from the land,” Jessivel said. “Only hinder them from aiding Gersius.”
“And if Gersius died, the war would end,” Herris added.
“I don’t know,” Tavis said as he thought about it. “The two orders are at war, and Ulustrah isn’t going to stop fighting. Even if Gersius were killed and his campaign stopped, Ulustrah would still be coming. You would be locked in a war with another divine for hundreds of years unless you actively worked to kill them off.”
The dark thought settled on them all and Jessivel shook his head throwing his long hair about his shoulders. They crested a hill and looked down to see three men fighting with a lone priest of Astikar.
“What is this?” Jessivel said in alarm.
“Three on one, and trained fighters,” Tavis said.
“Herris, I want you and the lead four with me,” Jessivel said and urged his horse into a charge.
Tavis and Ayawa went after him with Herris and lead four cavalry close behind.
The priest in the road had a sword and shield and was desperately trying to block three men equally armed. He swept one aside with his shield and tried to slash a second only to be blocked and counter-attacked by the third. Thankfully his armor deflected the blow but time was against him.
As the men battled they heard the thunder of the horses and looked up to see the knights of Astikar bearing down on them.
“Now who is outnumbered?” the priest asked with a laugh.
The three men jumped back in shock and formed a line with shields raises as Jessivel arrived.
“What is going on here?” he demanded with fire in his eyes.
Before he could get his answer the three men attacked in unison screaming curses on Astikars name. Jessivel used his horse to batter around the men as the knights behind him drew swords. The men charged in fanatically and met blades as Jessivel screamed for them the stand down.
“What do we do?” Tavis said.
“If there was ever a time I wish Gedris was here to tangle somebody this is it,” Ayawa said as she drew her bow.
“You took my Anna!” one of the men yelled as he slashed a horse drawing blood and toppling the rider. “I will kill you all!”
He took a sword to the back and fell to a knee groaning as the other two pressed the attack. Before Jessivel could stop the assault all three were cut down. They managed to wound two horse and two knights of Astikar in the process.
“By Astikars, these men are probably after their missing wives and daughters,” Herris growled.
“Your order hasn’t just turned Ulustrah against them, they have turned the very people they claim to protect against them,” Ayawa said.
Jessivel leaped from his horse and knelt beside a man. He quickly fell into his healing chant and a golden light spread over the wound at the mans side.
Other priests went to the two men and in moments they were alive and silent as Jessivel disarmed them.
“Your wives were taken?” he asked the three as they stood back up eyeing Jessivel wearily.
“You took our wives, our daughters, and murdered any of us who resisted,” the man said and spat at Jessivel’s feet.
Jessivel stepped back and looked to the column now catching up.
“Herris, have the women brought up. One of them might be one they are looking for.”
Herris nodded and rode to the rear of the column. In minutes the women of Ulustrah arrived to stand before the men.
They eagerly searched faces as Herris rode up beside Jessivel.
“Is this what we have become?” he asked. “Kidnappers and murderers?”
“We are the faithful of Astikar,” Jessivel said. “And we have not bowed our knee to this corrupt order.”
“And we will be cast from the order for it,” Herris said.
Jessivel's scowl deepened as it became apparent none of the women or men knew each other.
“We can be thrown out of the brotherhood, but we will never lose our place with Astikar. He will still call us his faithful.”
“I wonder how widespread this sentiment is,” Tavis said “How many women were secretly priestesses and how many fathers and sons are now hunting your order for revenge?”
“There could be open rebellion in parts of the land,” Ayawa said. “The Father Abbot will spread civil war to every town and village in every corner of the land.”
“Were the bloody keepers of peace,” Herris remarked. “Not the cause of mass conflict.”
“At ease, Captain,” Jessivel said as he turned to address the men who glared at him angrily.
“None of these are your missing wives?” he asked.
“Even if you kill us, the others will keep looking!” the man said angrily.
Jessivel held up a hand to silence him and then pointed down the road.
“There is allegedly a camp ahead where a number of these women are being held. You will come with us to the camp and be allowed to search it for whoever you’re missing. Then you will both be allowed to depart in peace.”
“They aren’t going to let you take people away,” Tavis said.
Jessivel turned on him with a stone expression. “I am not going to ask for permission. They will obey me, or they will be cut down.”
“More blood on our hands,” Herris said.
“Do you have a better idea?” Jessivel asked. He shook with anger and turned to face the column. “All of you spread out so I can address you!”
The column broke formation and spread into a half circle with Jessivel standing before the men at its center.
“These men are here because they hate us. They hate us because we have kidnapped their wives and daughters and dragged them off to be kept like animals. This is what the order of Astikar is now. Murders, liars, butchers, and dispensers of cruelty.”
“It’s as if you have all become the raven guard,” Ayawa said.
Those words struck the column, and Jessivel almost appeared to wilt under their sting.
“We are now in a terrible position. We have chosen to forsake our supposedly holy father to obey Astikar directly. This means that our road will be bloody and our hearts tested. We shall emerge from this pure, and carry the true faith forward. From here on, the seekers serve Gersius and whoever he picked to replace the Father Abbot. Every brother we meet is potentially an enemy, and every man on the road might seek vengeance on us for the wrongs committed. We must show mercy like never before while dispensing justice on our own order.”
“You are turning your back on the Father Abbot?” the priest from the road said.
Jessivel turned to him and shook his head.
“No, the Father Abbot turned his back on us. We are simply refusing to follow him into darkness.”
“All of this is Gersius’s fault!” the priest argued. “He forced our hand and turned the order of Ulustrah against us.”
Jessivel shook his head and approached the man. “I have a story to tell you, and I need you to believe me.”
They all watched as Jessivel recounted the story of how he was commanded to find Gersius, and deliver orders to go to Whiteford. The man balked, but Jessivel continued and explained the bandersook attack that killed Gersius's men and how the messenger's throat had been slit. He then went on to fish out a copy of the Father Abbot's own proclamation that Gersius disobeyed his orders to come directly to Calathen.
“He had no orders to go to Calathen,” Jessivel said. “He practically pleaded with me to let him go straight there, but the Father Abbot was adamant, he was to go to Whiteford.”
The man looked stricken ill and shook his head in disbelief. Jessivel turned to Tavis and Ayawa and bid them tell what happened next.
Ayawa recounted what happened to Gersius and Lilly when they reached the city and the mad escape. She went into painful detail of what happened to Gersius under the Father Abbot's care.
“Why do I feel ashamed to be in this armor?” Herris whispered to Jessivel as he heard the story again.
“Because it is a symbol of wretchedness,” Jessivel said as Ayawa finished her recounting.
The priest shook his head as his shield fell from his hand.
“This can’t be true, none of this can be true!” he insisted as he looked up at Jessivel.
“You stand in the road where you were attacked by men seeking their wives. Wives you and the rest of the order have been snatching from homes and dragging off into captivity. Do you feel you are serving Astikar in justice and mercy?”
The man fell to his knees and put his head down in shame.
“Forgive me,” he whispered as a tear wet the soil at his knees.
“We will all need forgiveness before this is done,” Jessivel said.
“And there will be plenty of blood to wash away the filth,” Herris added.
The pain of those words stung them all as Tavis looked down the road ahead. Every land where Astikar’s shadow fell was now at war, and soon the rivers would run red with the blood of the innocent.