Posted by The Black Knight on September 10, 2001 at 19:26:37:
Chapter 3
The sky of Merchan turned bright red as the sun rose over the distant horizon. Sheirdra stood behind a tree on one side of the road into the forest. Lorta and Yoshin stood on the other side. Lorta and Yoshin put arrows in their bows as a small craft flew up the road toward the edge of the woods. Two men sat in the front and another sat on a stack of boxes on the back of the hovercraft. Sheirdra
pulled out the blaster and pointed it toward the craft. Sheirdra nodded and Yoshin released his shaft. The man on the top of the boxes fell back as the arrow hit his chest. The two men in the hovercraft
got out and ran back the way they came.
"That was easy." Lorta said as they walked up to the small vehicle.
"A little too easy." Sheirdra said.
"You're just too suspicious Sheirdra. Not everything is a trap, and not every friend turns out to be an enemy." Yoshin said.
"If you live long enough you might think differently after this is all over." Sheirdra said.
"Personally I want something better for my children than always living in fear of the Royal Guard and sleeping nights in the woods with nothing but a saddle for a pillow and my belly for a blanket."
Lorta said.
"You have children?" Sheirdra asked.
"I have a son." Lorta said as she drew her sword.
Yoshin drew his sword and helped Lorta pry the lid off the top box. Sheirdra looked around as she saw a glint of metal.
"No wait." Sheirdra said as she saw Lavia Milos and the Tal-sha-dor sitting on horses well back in the woods.
Lorta threw the lid of the box back and gasped. Instead of weapons inside the box there was a soldier of the Royal Guard. Yoshin screamed as an arrow hit him beside the quiver on his back. Lorta grimaced as the soldier in front of her knocked her sword from
her hand. She stumbled as an arrow hit her left thigh.
"Sheirdra. Run." Lorta screamed as she fell back.
"Yasin was right, those kids don't have a chance." Sheirdra said as she ran toward a path.
"Har-shon I presume." the Tal-sha-dor said as he stepped in front of her.
"Only three to attack one convoy. I'm impressed." Lavia said as she stepped behind Sheirdra.
"Well at least I can rid Boshia of one vermin." Sheirdra said as she turned with her blaster pointed at Lavia.
The Tal-sha-dor pulled Sheirdra away as she shot. The blast went over Lavia's head as she ducked. Sheirdra grunted as he tore the blaster from her grasp.
"You've got guts, very nice." Lavia said as she walked up to Sheirdra.
Lavia took Sheirdra's dagger out of its sheath and held it up.
"Nice weapon, where did you get it?" Lavia asked.
"What did you do to my friends?"
"They're both in custody, why?" Lavia asked.
The Tal-sha-dor looked down at the blaster.
"Duchess look at this." the Tal-sha-dor said.
He threw the weapon over to Lavia. She looked down at the handle and smiled wickedly.
"To Yasin Man-yin, from his loving wife Resa." Lavia read aloud.
"So he's here already." the Tal-sha-dor said.
"Which means this outlaw has out lived her usefulness."
Sheirdra's jaw dropped as Lavia rammed the dagger into her stomach. Sheirdra stumbled back as Lavia pulled the dagger free.
"Your uncle always said that you were a vicious minx." the Tal-sha-dor said.
Lavia held the bloody dagger in front of his face.
"If you ever call me that again, I will personally remove your voice box, is that understood." Lavia said.
The Tal-sha-dor stepped back wincing. Sheirdra moaned as she fell to her knees.
"What about the outlaw Duchess." he asked tapped her side with his boot.
"Bring her. If she lives she may amuse Ramin, if she doesn't who cares." Lavia said.
"I care, you despotic..." Sheirdra began.
Lavia lay her hand over Sheirdra's mouth.
"I will stop you before you say something really dumb, but I will remind you why you don't insult the niece of your king." Lavia said.
Sheirdra shrieked as Lavia kicked her in the stomach. Sheirdra fell over to her side shaking from pain and lack of blood.
"There is no way she'll survive getting her to the hovercraft, now, much less the trip to Brisnat." the Tal-sha-dor said.
Lavia threw the dagger in front of Sheirdra and drew her sword.
"You said that you wanted to rid Boshia of me, well go ahead, rebel." Lavia said.
"Duchess she can't even stand, how do expect her to attack you." the Tal-sha-dor said.
"Come on, where's that rebel spirit?" Lavia taunted.
Sheirdra grimaced as she grabbed the dagger. The veteran forced the pain from her mind and stood slowly on weak un-supporting legs. Sheirdra grunted as she lunged forward. Lavia bent low and swung her
sword, catching Sheirdra in the side under her rib cage. Sheirdra closed her eyes tightly as she folded from the pain. Lavia raked the sword across Sheirdra's stomach as she pulled it free. Sheirdra
folded her arms across her stomach as she fell.
"You are a vicious woman Duchess." the Tal-sha-dor said as he looked down into Sheirdra's wide eyes.
Two hours later Ravi and some of his people found Yoshin by the road. Yasin and Shan followed the small trail back into the woods.
"You know there is still a good chance that she's still alive." Shan said over her shoulder.
She turned around and jerked back with a gasp. Sheirdra's lifeless form hung from a tree branch over Shan's head. Shan turned away as she saw the gash across Sheirdra's abdomen.
"Obviously you don't need to ask who did this." Yasin said.
"The only person I know that's so cruel is Lavia Milos." Shan said.
As he looked into Sheirdra's piercing blue eyes Yasin remembered the first time he had met her:
A blast from a rocket had just shaken the headquarters of the Man-yin army. Inside the old war torn building was their last outer defenses. Deep inside an underground chamber the heads of the military were meeting for what they thought would be the last time. Around a large table sat a very young Lieutenant Colonel Yasin Man-yin, two Generals, a Colonel, and a Major.
"Colonel have the dispatches come through from the front lines?" one of the Generals asked.
"No sir, but one of my most valuable aids has penetrated the lines and has brought a message from Brisnat, sir." the Colonel said.
"What is the message Colonel?" the other General asked.
The Colonel got up, walked to the door, and opened. A young bright eyed red headed young woman walked in.
"This is Sheirdra Har-shon. She has worked for me for three months inside the castle Ko-vär, gathering what information she could." the Colonel said.
"What good will spies do us now?" Yasin asked.
"Ko-vär has planned to move against the Mi-yär for some time. Now that the Man-yin have been beaten back to Merisia it is a surety. He will attack at in three weeks." Sheirdra said with her eyes sparkling.
Now those bright eyes were hollow and devoid of life. Shan drew a knife and cut the rope where it had been secured on a nearby tree. Yasin caught Sheirdra's body before it could hit the ground.
"We could have saved her." Yasin said.
"Possibly, but you don't know that for sure."
"I thought she was the best at this sort of stuff." Ravi said as he came up the path.
"Even the best let their guard down occasionally." Yasin said.
"We couldn't find Lorta, It looks like they took her to the palace." Ravi said.
"Perhaps it is time that we paid a visit on Ramin Ko-vär and his new bride?" Shan asked.
"No, Sheirdra was killed because she was carrying my weapon. I would guess that Ramin intended to use her as bait, but I'm already here." Yasin said.
"I never have understood what it is between you two. Do you just not like the way he looks?" Ravi asked.
"I've never even met the man." Yasin said as he carried Sheirdra's body back toward the road.
Ravi started to say something, but Shan interrupted him.
"You had better leave it at that Ravi." Shan said.
"What about Lorta?"
"My guess is that we'll be going into Brisnat some time before dawn tomorrow." Shan said.
"I can't assemble enough men by then."
"No, just Yasin and I, and no one else." Shan said.
"You can't be serious, that's suicide."
"Not very likely, but even if it is we might be able to get Lorta out before we get ourselves killed." Shan said.