Posted by The Black Knight on July 14, 2002 at 20:47:43:
Chapter 8
Ravi Ko-vär assembled as many men as he could as the sun began to rise over the hills outside Brisnat. A young woman rode up to him on a horse.
"Lord Ko-vär, didn't Lord Man-yin say that if they weren't back by sunrise they would not return." the young woman said.
"Yes Zenier, but I will not leave them to rot in a dungeon when we can help them." Ravi said.
"How? By joining them? We are too out-numbered to mount an offensive." Zenier said as she dismounted.
"I said the same thing during the war, but we still won." Yasin Man-yin said as he walked out of the cave.
"How did you get in there?" Ravi asked.
"Your guards were sleeping so peacefully we didn't want to wake them." Shan Mi-yär said from the top off the bluff.
"What about Lorta?" Ravi asked.
"She is inside with an arrow wound in her leg, but she will live." Yasin said.
"I will see to her wound." Zenier said.
"No, Ramin's healer has already bandaged it." Yasin said.
"He may be many things, but Rescan is not Ramin's healer." Lorta said as she came out.
Shan jumped off the bluff, flipped, and landed beside Lorta.
"I know the man. He was a Man-yin, but his father disowned him because he wouldn't join the war." Shan said.
"He said he fought with the Mi-yärs." Lorta said.
"He did, only after he was forced to." Shan said.
"Se-le-na is dead. So is the Tal-sha-dor and by now several other high officials." Yasin said.
"Which means that Rescan is the only friend that I have left in the palace and I don't know how Sheirdra got messages to and from him." Ravi said.
"Which reminds me. Rescan sent a message for Lady Mi-yär, whomever that is." Lorta said.
"That would be me." Shan said.
"He told me to tell you 'The Lily blooms in two weeks.' I tried to figure that out for nearly an hour before I gave up." Lorta said.
"Did you tell anyone else?" Shan asked.
"No one, why?" Lorta asked.
"Because Lavia might be able to understand that too. The Lily is the nickname she gave to the Princess when we were at court." Shan said.
"Then Lylea Can-ler is coming to Brisnat?" Ravi asked.
"With her backing we could drive Ramin out of Boshia without a fight." Zenier said.
"The only problem is that Ramin and Lavia probably know she is coming too." Shan said.
"Why would that be a problem?" Ravi asked.
"Lylea is the only child of the King. If she dies then Lavia becomes the heir. They've been planning this for months." Shan said.
"Is there any way to stop her from coming." Ravi asked.
"No, I've known Lylea since we were girls. She's as stubborn as the rest of the Man-yins." Shan said.
"Be careful who you're insulting Shan." Yasin said.
"Even if it is myself?" Shan asked.
"That may be the one thing that Ramin didn't plan. If he kills Lylea not only will it place Lavia on the throne, but it will start the clan wars all over again. The Ko-vär and Man-yin clans have never gotten along. Over the past three centuries we have had at least ten wars caused by one or the other shooting first." Ravi said.
"Well then perhaps it is time that you started acting like what they call you." Yasin said.
"What do you mean?" Ravi asked.
"They call you outlaw. Start acting like an outlaw. Don't let anyone pass without paying. Take what you like when you want it." Yasin said.
"What would that accomplish?" Ravi asked.
"If the news reaches court before Lylea leaves, she'll have so many guards no one would have a chance to reach her." Shan said.
"During our march outside of Calladin I watched mosquitos bring down more men than blasters ever could. Now it is time for us to become the mosquitos." Yasin said.
"We don't have enough men to do anything." Ravi said.
"You have enough men to keep Ramin off guard for two weeks. By the end of the week, my daughter will arrive in Boshia with enough of my men to reinforce you if necessary." Yasin said.
"This what I hate about working with him. He always has a plan, but he never tells you until the last minute." Shan said.
"I still don't like it. What will keep Ramin from sweeping down through these woods and killing anything that moves?" Zenier asked.
Yasin looked over at the red headed young woman.
"Let me guess, you have a plan for that too?" Zenier asked.
"No, but I'm working on it." Yasin said with just a hint of a smile on his face.
Zenier shook her head as she walked off.
"I've never seen anyone make her mad like that." Ravi said.
"She's not mad. She's just concerned." Yasin said.
"How do you know that?" Ravi asked.
"You don't want to know." Yasin said.
"These are her people. She's a healer and a very good one. When my father died she was driven out of practice and outlawed because she refused to charge the sick Ramin's new taxes." Ravi said.
"She doesn't look that old." Shan said.
"She isn't much older than you are, but she was trained from childhood to be a healer by her father." Ravi said.
"You know too much about her to be just her future ruler." Yasin commented.
"She is to be my wife." Ravi said.
"That could explain it. She has a good heart and a quick mind. She would make a good leader." Yasin said.
Ravi nodded slightly as Yasin walked back toward the cave.
"How did he know that?" Ravi asked.
"Have you ever heard of telepathy?" Shan asked.
"The ability to communicate with the mind." Ravi said.
"Thanks to these swords we have developed a form of telepathy that allows us to sense someone's feelings. You would be surprised how some of your followers feel about you." Shan said.
"None disloyal I hope." Ravi said.
"Quite the opposite. Most of them would give their lives to see you as the new Overlord of Boshia." Shan said.
Ravi smiled a little.
"Perhaps we had better discuss this theory of your uncle's." Ravi said.
"I believe I understand it, but he will explain it if I do not. Find their weakest points and hit them fast and hard. Don't stay around long enough to even be noticed, just do what you have to and get out." Shan said.
"Close, but I would suggest that you hit only strategically important places." Lorta said.
"The whole point of this is to be an annoyance. So anything that gets in the way, hit it." Ravi said.
"Zenier was right. This will draw the entire Royal Guard down on us." Lorta said.
"One more thing Lorta. I don't want you involved in any of this." Ravi said.
"No, I started this and I will end it." Lorta said.
"You have a child to care for Lorta. Just worry about that." Ravi said.
"Yes, I do and I will not have him growing up in a forest." Lorta said.
"Explain this to everyone capable of pulling a bow. Anyone that enters the forest is to be captured, blindfolded, and brought to me, Lady Mi-yär, or Lord Man-yin." Ravi said.
Lorta nodded and walked away from them.