Zygor smiled at the general and placed his hand on Winus’s shoulder. The general shook his head in disgust. Suffering Veltar had been enough of a blow to the general’s ego, but putting up with this weakling was worse. Winus wondered if he could arrange for an accident when the battle began.
“Perhaps you did not understand Veltar,” smiled Zygor. “I am in command now, not you. You will follow my orders without question. Do you understand?”
“I understand that you know nothing of tactics and strategy,” scowled Winus. “Veltar may have left you to order me around, but it is my job to make sure they are captured. I will not follow a fool’s orders and then take blame for the failures. That is what I understand. My men will follow my orders and I will accomplish the goal. Just stay out of my way and you can reap the praise of your master.”
“I have a better idea,” grinned Zygor as his fingers stiffened on the general’s shoulder. “You will follow my orders or die.”
Pain ripped through the general’s body from his shoulder to his feet. He tried to reach for his sword, but his arm just trembled. His knees grew weak and he gasped for breath as his lungs failed to function. His heartbeat boomed in his ears as he felt his body falling. His mind swam as in a whirlpool and darkness began to cloud his vision. Suddenly, it stopped and he found himself curled in a ball at Zygor’s feet. He looked up and tried to focus on the dark man’s face and saw him laughing.
“Do not be distracted by your ego when your life is so fragile,” snickered Zygor. “I hope we have a better understanding on the situation now. If not, I would be most happy to explain it to you again.”
Zygor’s hand reached for the general and Winus shook his head vigorously. “I understand,” he gasped. “Just tell me where you want my men.”
Chapter 20
Mount Kiator
The sun was dipping below the mountains when Mobi awakened them at the northern edge of the Qubari Jungle.
“It is almost time,” Mobi declared. “We have prepared a meal for you. By the time you finish it, it will be dark enough for you to leave.”
“Not sure I care much for traveling at night over new terrain,” Mistake yawned.
“It is necessary if you wish to avoid the Jiadin,” Mobi smiled. “They camp in the peaks waiting for you to emerge. They must have great confidence in you to assume you would not die in here.”
“Or they just have orders to wait and see,” offered Rejji. “Either way, your plan makes sense, Mobi. Can we make the forest by morning?”
“If you do not dally,” assured Mobi. “The forest will give you cover almost to the base of Mount Kiator. Unfortunately, once you reach the mountain, your cover will be lost. You best hope that they are still looking this way when you get there, because the path up the mountain offers little concealment.”
“Is there anything you can do to create a diversion?” asked Bakhai. “What if three of your men left the jungle and headed south?”
“I will not ask my brothers to leave the jungle,” Mobi shook his head. “As a Qubari, you must learn to think like us. The jungle is our home, but also something we are sworn to protect. We do not venture outside of it unless it is necessary. We will wait here for twelve days. If you have not returned in that time, we shall return home.”
“We should not need a diversion anyway,” interjected Rejji. “If I understand the map you have drawn, they should not be looking towards Mount Kiator. Your plan is good, Mobi. Let us eat so we can leave as soon as it gets darker.”
By the time they finished the meal and gathered their belongings, the sky was dark. The trio headed due north, stepping over the low plants, until they emerged from the jungle. There was no moon this evening, but Rejji knew there would be one on the way back. Hopefully, the Jiadin would have given up the search by then.
The land they crossed was open and fairly flat, although it had a constant upward slant to it. There were scattered trees, but certainly not enough to conceal a group crossing the land. Rejji thought about how foolish they would have been to cross this in the daylight and silently thanked Mobi for his foresight.
An hour before dawn, as the sky began to lighten, they saw the forest. Mistake picked up the pace and they made the safety of the woods before the first rays of the sun danced across the land. After a short break, they continued walking through the woods. The forest was thick, but not nearly as dense as the jungle had been, and the sun filtered through the leaves and splattered on the forest floor. At high sun they took another food break.
“I am game for a few more hours,” Rejji declared. “Then we can have a good night’s sleep and travel in the daylight.”
Mistake and Bakhai nodded their agreement and the trio pushed onward. Halfway between high sun and sunset, they came to a river. They worked their way upstream in search of a ford and finally came to one. They waded across the stream and as they emerged on the other side they heard a familiar voice.
“Rejji!” called Brakas. “I had almost given up on you.”
“How did you ever know we would be coming this way?” asked Mistake.
“Simple,” grinned Brakas. “There are few places to cross this stream, and cross it you must to get to the Bone Mountains. How did you manage to get out of the jungle alive?”
“We were lucky,” responded Bakhai. “Very lucky. You take a big chance being here.”
“A chance?” questioned Brakas. “Why do you say that?”
“There is a large Jiadin army in the area,” stated Rejji. “You should be careful.”
“I haven’t seen any army,” retorted Brakas. “I haven’t seen a soul since I got here. Where is this army?”
“On the mountain peaks watching over the plains,” answered Rejji. “We had to cross them at night to avoid being seen.”
“That was right clever of you,” laughed Brakas. “Come I have camp set up just beyond the trees. Even have a deer roasting. You must be hungry.”
They followed Brakas to his camp. He clearly had been camped here for a few days and the trio settled down and enjoyed a hot meal.
“So have you found out where to look for the Sage or do we just try all of the mountains?” asked Brakas.
“Mount Kiator,” answered Rejji. “I understand it is a treacherous path to the top. I am not sure your horse will make it. How goes your hunting for the free tribes?”
“Not well,” frowned Brakas. “They appear to be constantly on the move. As soon as I get to where I heard one might be, they are gone. I am beginning to lose hope of uniting them.”
“You mustn’t give up hope,” encouraged Rejji. “Somebody has to stand against Grulak and the free tribes are our best bet.”
“You are right of course,” nodded Brakas. “Thank you for those words. I get so discouraged at times when things do not go quite right, but I should not. It doesn’t sound like you will need my help in finding the Sage, now that you know where he is. I will make better use of my time by searching harder for the free tribes. Let us visit tonight and in the morning we shall part company and go our different ways.”
“I do not mean to spoil a party,” interrupted Bakhai, “but I am rather tired. I hope you will excuse me.”
“And me,” added Mistake. “It has been a long day. You should get some sleep too, Rejji.”
“Words of wisdom,” chuckled Brakas. “I understand completely. Get some sleep Rejji. I think I will turn in myself.”
Mistake was the first to awaken. She roused Rejji and Bakhai from their sleep. Brakas had already left and the trio wasted no time in gathering their things and heading north. By high sun, the peak of Mount Kiator loomed above the trees and the forest began to thin. Mistake tingled with excitement and led the group at a fast pace as the ground began to rise more steeply and the fine soil became rocky.