Once again I gazed upon the captive with approval. His spirit would do well for the warriors of my clan, his large body strong enough to serve many of them. I calmly returned his heated glare.
“I am Jalav, war leader of the clan of the Hosta, foremost among the clans of the Midanna,” I informed him. “You have been chosen to serve my warriors the while, and shall be released upon the end of that service. Should you continue in so insolent a manner, however, I shall order the leather applied to you quite differently. I am amused to see a male act the part of warrior, yet have I little patience now to tolerate it. Be warned, sthuvad.”
“Warned?” he roared in true fury, struggling against his bonds and my warriors. “By the slaying foot of Sigurr the Terrible, am I to be warned by a black-haired female child who stands with only a wisp of cloth about her hips? No! I am the true warrior here, and shall take my leather to the back of any strutting female I lay hands upon! Scatter quickly, girl children, for now I come to punish!”
He attempted to part the leather which held him captive, and at the same time he threw himself toward my warriors with a pale city battle cry. My warriors laughed in delight at this entertainment, all but one stepping to him quickly to urge him on with a caress, and then dart easily out of his blundering path. The caresses enraged him still more and, still bound, he turned this way and that, not knowing which of my warriors to pursue. His chest rose and fell with his anger, and a magnificent sight indeed was he. I, too, felt the attraction of him, and resolved to have him in my sleeping leather before the journey north.
Red-haired Larid stood herself before the male, laughing lightly and stretching her arms out toward him to lure him to her. With a deep growl, the captive took her lure and began striding toward her in fury, forgetful of the leather stretched between his ankles. Binat, from behind him, did grinningly place the butt of her spear before the leather thong, holding the leather in place and tripping the captive. Down he did go to the cobbles quite heavily, unable to break his fall with his still bound arms, and my warriors were upon him immediately. He was turned to his back while still dazed from the fall, and Larid applied her knowing hands to his body, bringing immediate response from him, then did she quickly take possession of him. Her face showed great appreciation as his eyes blinked open and he regarded her blurrily, then realization came to him of his possession. He shouted wordlessly and fought to free himself, yet did Larid retain her place with laughter and pleasure. Two of the other of my warriors knelt, one upon each of his shoulders to hold him down, and Larid was able to drain him well before she stood again.
I beheld another of my warriors preparing to take the place of Larid, and therefore stepped forward and spoke. “The sthuvad may be had again later at our camp,” I informed them. “Take him now to the gandod and secure him well. I shall join you shortly.”
My warriors were disappointed at my words, yet am I war leader and to be obeyed. The sthuvad was pulled to his feet, where he stood, filled with cold fury, to gaze upon me.
“This insult shall long be remembered, girl,” said he to me. “In time you shall know the anger of the warrior Telion of Ranistard, and shall fall to your knees before him! Your body shall be mine as mine was hers, and you shall pay many times over for the shame given me! For this you have my word!”
“My fear of the word of the male of the cities is great,” said I, smiling at the laughter of my warriors. “You will forgive me for having you taken to the gandod lest I succumb to so great a fear.”
I nodded, and my warriors forced the captive from the Tower room. My eyes fell again upon my dead warriors, and the cold of the room entered me once more. Remad, I saw, lay upon her sleeping leather, a small smile upon her lips, memory strong in her eyes. She, too, had taken captives in her youth, and the memory of them had returned to her in the last of her life.
“Other Attendants have been sent for,” I said to Remad, “and will see you safely to the Keeper’s Tower. The Keeper shall speak the words to bring you to Mida’s Realm, and we shall meet again in Mida’s gaze when I, too, am called. Fare you well, Remad.”
“I would ask a favor of the war leader,” she whispered “My service to the Crystal of Mida is done, even should it be returned upon the instant. I wish to greet Mida with sword in hand, as the warrior I was in my youth. Will the war leader honor me in such a way?”
“The honor is mine, Remad,” said I, smiling at her pale, thin face. “My warriors shall prepare you.”
Two warriors raised Remad to her feet. Her pain was truly great, yet not a sound escaped her lips as she was held erect and handed a sword. She faced me then in true warrior fashion as I drew my own blade.
“I salute you, Jalav,” she whispered roughly. “Strike quickly lest I go before the thrust!”
I did as she bid, plunging my sword deep within her breast, and she slid to the cobbles quickly, already in the arms of Mida. My warriors and I raised our swords to the memory of a true warrior. “Have the life signs removed for the Keeper,” said I to my warriors, “and the bodies brought to the forest for the children of the wild, I return now to camp.”
They nodded in obedience to my word and I left the Tower room. I would be very pleased to find those who had taken the Crystal of Mida, and would remember to send one to Midas chains in the name of Remad. Too many were the warriors who had been stolen from me that fey.
Outside, I found the captive secured between my gando and that of Larid, and he looked up at me uncomprehendingly. My gando stood quietly, having been reminded of its place, and, mounted, I pulled against the long thong of leather about its neck that led to the neck of the captive. It was secure, as was the thong from the gando of Larid, therefore did I direct our departure.
My warriors, eight hands plus two in number, all sat upon gandod of their own. The Midanna use naught save gandod to carry them into battle, for the gando is superior to the soft kand of the city people. The gando is no larger than the kan, yet its scales protect from sword thrust as the hide of the kan does not, and its many sharp teeth, urged on by its unreasoning temper, make its worth in battle far greater than that of the passive kan. The red kan of the captive was held by one of my warriors, drawn along by the leather of the lead reins against its will, fear of the silvery gandod turning its eyes round and wild.
“Why must I walk as a peasant would?” demanded the captive as we left the stones of the Tower clearing for the dirt of the road. “My kan is at hand, and I may be tied to the saddle should you fear my escape.”
“You do not care to walk?” asked I, glancing at Larid, who grinned.
“No, pretty black-haired girl, I do not,” said the captive, speaking to me as though I were a child. “I have little regard for the need to walk, therefore shall you order those others to....”
“He does not care to walk, Jalav,” Larid said with much glee. “May we not assist him in the matter?”
“Indeed, Larid,” said I with a laugh. “Let us assist him.”
Larid and I struck our mounts, sending them into faster motion. The captive was made to move faster and even yet faster, the thong between his ankles forcing him to take small, rapid steps. The sight caused laughter among all of my warriors.
Shortly did we leave the road for the forest, for we were not far distant from the current camp. It is Mida’s fortune that we had not been on the hunt nor in the midst of battle when her Crystal had been taken, else would it have been long before the loss could be reclaimed.
The captive breathed heavily as he ran, looking as though he would have enjoyed much warrior blood upon his hands. He spoke no word, to conserve the breath within him, yet did I feel his pace might be increased. I therefore took a leather strip, flicked it sharply across his shoulders, and called, “Run for the war leader Jalav, sthuvad, run as quickly as you may! Should your movement please me, I will have you brought to my sleeping leather! Run nicely for Jalav!”