He was Togai-ru, and not Behrenese. Brynn had no doubt of that at all from the moment she had entered the tapestried room in the Yatol Temple to stand before Yatol Daek Gin Gin Yan. His hair was straight and raven black, and his skin was not the delicate, choco-late brown most common among the Behrenese, but held a ruddier hue, a touch of yellow within the rich tones so unique to the To-gai-ru. While at first glance, his physique seemed more like that of a Behrenese man, the softer and rounder lines more common among people living in the luxury of cities, Brynn noted the strong underlying musculature along his bare fore-arms.
And when he shifted in his seat so that his flowing robes tightened about one leg, she noted, too, the muscular set of his thighs, both indicative of the hard riding of a To-gai-ru.
He stared hard at Brynn as she stood there calmly before him, with Dee'-dakh, who was half a foot taller than she, at her side. The Yatol narrowed his eyes several times, and stubbornly did not blink, obviously trying to in-^Jimidate the woman.
Brynrrworked hard not to match that stare. Knowing that this man was To-gai-ru made her hate him all the more. He was a traitor to his people, abandoning the old ways and embracing the conquerors'. He was every-thing that Brynn was not, holding fast to everything she despised - she knew that from his title and his heritage. There was little more, if anything, that needed to be said between them, as far as she was concerned. But Yatol Daek wouldn't see things that way, she knew, and so she let him play his game for the time being.
"Kayleen Kek," he said, a hint of derision in his somewhat shrill voice speaking perfect To-gai-ru. ?I did not know that any of Kayleen Kek re-mained anywhere to be found. Certainly they do not proudly announce their presence."
The insult rolled from Brynn's shoulders; she gave it hardly a thought. She knew that she was being tested.
"I see that you chose to wear your sword," Yatol Daek observed.
"It would bring dishonor to you if I had not," Brynn replied. ?This is a meeting of station, and my station is that of warrior. To come in here adorned differently, for our initial meeting, would be deceptive, would it not?"
She had spoken truthfully concerning To-gai-ru tradition. A sheathed sword was a sign of honesty, not of threat.
At her side, Dee'dahk bristled, giving Brynn the distinct impression that the warrior woman was not nearly as deaf to the To-gai-ru language as she had pretended at their first meeting.
"You fancy yourself a warrior, then," said Yatol Daek.
"I am. There is no pride. There is no ambition. There is only truth."
"A fine warrior, I suppose."
"It is not a measure that I seek," Brynn answered. ?My skills have kept me alive through my trials, and thus, they have been sufficient." She couldn't help but twinge a bit as she considered that her skills had not been enough to keep Belli'mar Juraviel and Cazzira alive. Her answer was perfectly in line, again, with To-gai-ru tradition, where such things as battle skill were not measured for vanity, but more for pragmatism. Rather, skill levels were viewed as more akin to one's legs - long enough to reach the ground.
"There is a true warrior standing beside you, you know," Yatol Daek remarked.
"I am well aware of the reputation of the Chezhou-Lei," Brynn calmly answered. She subtly glanced to the side as she spoke, noting that Dee'dahk had stiffened a bit with pride.
"Perhaps I should arrange a contest between you two," Yatol Daek said, speaking more to himself, it seemed, than to Brynn or Dee'dahk. ?Yes, that might be a fine idea."
"To what end?"
Brynn's blunt question elicited a glare her way from the traitor To-gai-ru. ?Is it your place to question?"
Brynn gave a hint of a shrug, but otherwise did not answer.
"Perhaps I will arrange such a contest for my amusement," Yatol Daek went on. ?Yes, watching two women do battle for my enjoyment..."
Brynn let it all roll away from her, thinking the man a perfect fool. She entertained a fantasy of allowing Daek Gin Gin Yan his game, of slaughter-ing Dee'dahk then turning her wondrous blade upon the Yatol, cutting him down in front of the whole, grateful village.
Patience, she reminded herself. Patience.
"Let me see your sword," the Yatol said suddenly, motioning to her with one outstretched hand.
Brynn drew out the fabulous weapon and presented it vertically before her, but not close enough for the Yatol to grasp it.
"Hand it over," he instructed.
Rrvnn slowly turned the blade around, allowing him to view the master-crafting and design, but did not move it out toward his hand at all. Hor expression was not defiant, nor was it confrontational.
"The code of the To-gai-ru warrior prevents me from handing my sword nv but one who has defeated me at irysh kad'du,'? she said quietly, refer- ring to the greatest challenge in To-gai-ru society, a test of horsemanship kad'du has been outlawed," Yatol Daek said. ?You know that, of Brvnn most certainly did not know of that. For a moment, she allowed her flash of stunned amazement to show upon her face. Had it gone that far already? Had the To-gai-ru been so completely conquered that they had abandoned the most sacred of their rituals, irysh kad'du? How had her proud people allowed this to happen without going back to war with the Behrenese?
Brynn fought hard to put all of that out of her thoughts, reminding her-self that this was not the time for violence. She needed to use this place, and this traitorous Yatol, to gain better insights into her enemies.
Yatol Daek reached out a bit farther, motioning for the sword, and de-spite her desire to maintain a controlled environment there, she made a quick movement that slid her precious sword back into its scabbard.
Fires burned in Yatol Daek's dark eyes.
"If the challenge is outlawed, then none shall touch my sword until I am dead," Brynn stated, and Dee'dahk at her side bristled again, like a horse straining at the bit.
Yatol Daek sat back and continued to stare at Brynn, an amused expres-sion on his plump face.
For a moment, Brynn thought that she had stepped over the line, that the man would agree to her terms and instruct Dee'dahk to kill her. Still, on this point there could be no other open path; Brynn would certainly not turn over her amazing elven sword to any potential enemy!
Yatol Daek relaxed, though, and the moment of danger seemed to pass. You may remain in the village," he decided suddenly, and he waved his hand and looked away.
It took Bryrm d moment to catch on, but she realized that she had been dismissed, ancTso, with a shrug, turned and started toward the door.
without a proper pronouncement of departure?" came Yatol Daek's question behind her.
Brynn turned, looking at him with confusion. Apparently, she had bro-ken yet another rule.
1 will forgive yet another of your transgressions," Yatol Daek remarked naughtily. ?But if you intend to stay here - indeed, Brynn Dharielle, if you intend to survive - then you would do well to learn what is expected of you."
Brynn resisted the urge to show him her sword again, this time horizon-tally and point out.
She made no gestures at all, though, no sign of confirmation or denial of his last statement, and walked out of the room and out of the building. She knew that Daek Gin Gin Yan was inside conversing with Dee'dahk at that very moment, likely trying to discern the best method for discrediting Brynn in front of the other To-gai-ru, or for simply eliminating her alto-gether. She knew that she would be watched every step during her stay in Yatol Daek's domain, and she suspected that her refusal to bend to his will would force a confrontation with him, and with Dee'dahk, fairly soon.
She knew, too, the dangers of that course, for this was a fine opportunity for her to come to understand better the truth of the present state of To-gai.
But so be it, she decided.
Layered in skins, from the shaggy and heavy coat of the brown ox to the silver accents of the wolf, and with a tall and strong physique of corded, rolling muscle, Ashwarawu looked every bit as fierce as the reputation that preceded him. His long legs hung far below the belly of his pinto pony, seeming as if he could guide the creature easily through any maneuver.
Which he could.
His jaw was square and firm, his brow furrowed, a line of thick black hair accenting it from one side of his face to the other. That pronounced brow only added to the mystery and intensity of his dark eyes below it.
It was said that many of Ashwarawu's enemies simply surrendered to him on the battlefield, begging for a quick and merciful death. Anyone who looked upon the angry To-gai-ru warrior did not doubt those rumors.
"They have not finished the wall," one of the great leader's scouts re-ported to him.
Ashwarawu nodded grimly, then turned to regard the single stone marker set in the grass, up from the banks of a dry riverbed: the spot where a young To-gai-ru man, Jocyn Tho by name, had been staked out and murdered.
Ashwarawu had brought his gang there purposely. He wanted them to see this marker - yet another example of the brutality of Yatol Grysh and his murdering soldiers. Many of Ashwarawu's warriors were of that as-saulted clan. Many had known Jocyn Tho.
It was just one more insult to the To-gai-ru, one more reminder that they and the Behrenese were not alike and not allies, and that they, whatever the cost, had to expel the conquerors from their sacred lands.
Ashwarawu walked his mount right past the stone marker. He tapped the tip of his great spear once, twice, thrice on the stone marker, a traditional signal from living To-gai-ru warrior to deceased that his death would soon be avenged. One by one, Ashwarawu's warriors walked past the grave marker, tapping their weapons similarly.
The leader looked at his clansmen, his warriors, his friends, and he knew that they were ready this day.
"The builders understand?" Ashwarawu asked his scout.
"They believe that they can sneak in a score, and hide them," the man A sly smile crossed the leader's face. The folly of the conquerors to use the conquered in projects as vital as the building of fortifications! It hadn't taken much effort on Ashwarawu's part to make contact with the To-gai-ru wall-building slaves, and had taken even less to convince them to render aid in the attack.
He barked out a command to one of his undercommanders to organize the score of infiltrators, and with precision honed over the months of fight-ing, the undercommander was soon away, trotting across the steppes with nineteen eager warriors in tow. They would hide in the grass outside the town Douan Gal until dusk, and then, as the slaves arranged for distrac-tions, crawl into the town one by one to their appointed hiding places. It was all too easy.
Ashwarawu led the attack just before the next dawn. With a hundred war-riors riding behind him, the great outlaw charged the still-sleeping settlement of Douan Cal.
Cries went up along the wall, from the sentries, calls to all the Behre-nese settlers to take up arms and defend their homes. Dozens of men and women went up to those walls, twenty skilled To-gai-ru soldiers filtering up beside them.
Ashwarawu came in straight and strong, his spear held high above his head, the song of the warrior god, Joek, on his lips. The settlers rained ar-rows down on the attackers, but the thundering horde did not slow and did not turn.
And unlike the frightened Behrenese, the fierce To-gai-ru did not loose their missiles from a distance. They waited until they were in close, drawing back powerful bows - and no race in all the world could handle a bow from horseback better than the warriors of the steppes.
The thunder of the charge held-ffhen, with Ashwarawu and his warriors milling about the base ofthewall, which was barely higher than a tall man, firing arrow after arrow. A Behrenese occasionally rose up to return the fire, but the barrage had him ducking, or had hirrxdead,sllmost immediately.
Another group within the^To-gai-ru archers went to work then, tossing grapnels up over the wall top, then turning their powerful ponies about and starting the pull immediately. As pony after pony hooked up, the wall began to groan and sway.
The Behrenese responded by charging to the spot, ready to loose a fierce barrage, ready to slice through the tugging lines.
But then the score of To-gai-ru infiltrators sprang up among the defend-ers, disrupting their shots and shattering any coordinated defense. Out-poster after outposter was heaved over the wall, to fall to the dust at the feet of the merciless Ashwarawu.
Then the wall came crashing down, and battle was joined, and the mounted To-gai-ru sliced the lines of standing Behrencse apart with devas-tating precision.
For all of its construction, Douan Cal was not prepared for so large an at-tack, and had no chance of beginning to repel even the first assault. Many were dead or on the ground screaming in agony within a few minutes. Out-maneuvered, outflanked, and outfought, those who remained soon enough threw down their weapons, pleading for mercy.
Their answer came in one chilling word, ?Ashwarawu."
The captive men were bound and taken away, out to the dry riverbed, where a select few were untied and forced to dig holes in the sand, so that their bound kin could be buried up to their waists. In turn, Ashwarawu s own warriors dug the holes for the remaining captive men.
Then, with forty-three Behrenese men squirming in the sand, buried to their waists and helplessly bound and blindfolded, Ashwarawu led in the To-gai-ru nomads of Jocyn Tho's tribe, showing to them the many stones left by the dried-up river.
The stoning went on for hours, until the last Behrenese outposter leaned over limply, dead.
Most of Ashwarawu's men left before it was finished, returning to Douan Cal to have their way with the Behrenese women before killing them outright.
The few children of the outposters were killed mercifully, at least, a single blow to the head before being thrown atop a large bonfire.
Jocyn Tho had been avenged.
Her last transgression when leaving Yatol Daek, she learned, was one that offended her profoundly. In leaving the presence of Yatol Daek, To-gai-ru were expected to drop to one knee and bow their heads.
Brynn took great care over the next few weeks to avoid the Yatol, for she doubted that she could bring herself to do that, whatever the result.
The young ranger also took great care to learn well the rituals of life in the settlement. She tried to fit in as well as she could, though, since she would not go anywhere without her sword and the bracer, at least, she al-ways seemed to stand out.
She also made time every day to go and see Runtly. The pony, who had run free all of his life, was not pleased to be indoors in a stall.
"Not much longer," Brynn promised him every time she went to him. ?We will be away to the wide fields again."
The pony seemed to understand, and always calmed down when Brynn came in to see him. The last few days, though, Runtly had continued his ribbing, biting the wood at the front of the stall and tugging it back, even 'hen Brynn was there, a clear sign that he was not happy.
Outwardly, Brynn remained calm, not wanting to distress the pony any ore Inside, though, the woman bit it all in and swirled it about, adding . e situation to the list of crimes of the Behrenese, using it to build her ha-tred even more.
But she refused to allow her simmering anger to boil over. She was learn-ing much there about the Behrenese and about the present state of the proud To-gai-ru. Many were assimilating; to Brynn's distress she heard more than one of her fellow villagers claiming that the new way of life intro-duced by the Behrenese conquerors was preferable to the old ways.
Not all of them felt that way, though. Certainly not old Barachuk and Tsolona, who peppered Brynn for tales of Kayleen Kek every night after they had retired to the old couple's home. Though she didn't have many tales to tell of that long-past time, Brynn always tried to accommodate - id she always tried to draw out recollections of the past from the old cou-ple. And so it happened that these two, Barachuk and Tsolona, became Brynn's informal tutors, schooling her in the way things had been, and in the way she intended for things to be again.
All remained relatively stable during those weeks, with the village prepar-ing for the onslaught of winter. Just north of the Belt-and-Buckle, winter did not hit hard, but the To-gai steppes were of high enough elevation for the winter wind to bite.
One day, the clouds gathering overhead with a threat of the first snow of the season, Brynn was going about her regular duties, bringing water from a nearby river, when she noted a commotion within the village, over by the stables. Sensing immediately that Runtly might be involved, Brynn dropped her two buckets and sprinted over, to find many Behrenese, including a fair number of soldiers and including Yatol Daek and Chezhou-Lei Dee'dahk, bringing out several of the pinto ponies.
Brynn winced when she saw Runtly come out of the barn at the end of a lead, handled by a cursed Behrenese.
She pushed through the gathered folk, to the front of the To-gai-ru line. 'What are they doing?" she asjseti a young To-gai-ru woman, Chiniruk, who was standing beside hen. "Yatol Daek thins the herd," the woman explained. ?The chosen horses will be taken to Behren for sale."
Before Chiniruk had even finished, Brynn started across the short ex-panse of open ground, toward-��atol Daek, who was directing the handling. He saw her coming, obviously, but pretended not to, continuing his stream of commands, including one to Chezhou-Lei Dee'dahk to return to his S1de - a clear sign to Brynn that he meant to incite her.
"My horse is among the group on the left," she said, not waiting for an introduction.
"The group on the left is leaving for the market in Dharyan," Yatol Daek replied, turning to regard her.
"My horse is among - "
"You have no horse!" the Yatol snapped suddenly, the volume and inten-sity of his voice bringing Dee'dahk's hand to the hilt of her sheathed sword and bringing many of the nearby Behrenese soldiers to attention. ?By the terms of surrender, all horses are the property of Chezru Chieftain Yakim Douan. Learn the rules and your place, wandering Ru."
Brynn glanced over at Runtly, but only for a second, turning back on the Yatol, her rich brown eyes going narrow. ?Runtly is my horse," she said.
Yakim Douan glanced back at her, seeming rather amused by it all ?Truly?"
"Truly." Not a hint of submission sounded in Brynn's cold tone.
"Learn your place, wandering Ru."
"If this is not my place, then I will take my horse and be gone from here," Brynn replied.
Yatol Daek gave a snort and a chuckle. ?You have no horse."
"You are To-gai-ru," Brynn declared. ?You understand the meaning. There can be no mistake here!"
"Do not allow the mistake that I was born of To-gai-ru parents to bring any misunderstanding, fool.
You have no horse. Now go back to the other peasants and be silent, before I lose patience with your ignorance."
Brynn turned to Runtly and gave a shrill whistle, and the horse reared and threw his head, tossing the Behrenese handler to the ground.
"Desist, or I will have the horse killed!" Yatol Daek cried, and when he looked again at Brynn, he looked, too, at her unsheathed sword.
"Release my horse, Yatol," Brynn replied, but Daek was in full retreat al-ready, issuing a shrill cry.
"Kill the girl! Kill the horse!"
As she started to pursue, Brynn saw Dee'dahk coming in hard, her curv-ing blade out, spinning a vertical circle on her right, then working its way impressively over to the left, then behind her back and back out to the right again. Her charge came in perfect balance, that sword spinning effortlessly, and Brynn knew that in a fair fight, this warrior would be a worthy oppo-nent indeed.
But this was not a fair fight, Brynn knew, for Dee'dahk thought little of Brynn's fighting prowess. To the mighty Chezhou-Lei, Brynn was just an-other Ru, and unmounted. That did not amount to much in the Behrenese warrior's estimation.
So she came in hard and fast, sword spinning to the right, sword spinning to the left, sword always out too wide to deflect.
Brynn kept her apparent focus on Yatol Daek, pursuing the man, but not really closing ground.
She waited until the last possible second, until Dee'- A hk was upon her. Then, with muscles honed and balance perfected from 11 her years of bi'nelle dasada, the elven-trained ranger pivoted on her back and thrust out, one, two, three, her magnificent sword slicing through he layered armor and driving hard into Dee'dahk's chest.
The Chezhou-Lei stopped in her tracks. All about gasped in astonish-ment at the sheer speed of the strike, for none in To-gai had ever before wit-nessed the precision and straightforward attack that was bi'nelle dasada. Dee'dahk's wide-eyed look was as much in surprise as in pain, Brynn knew. In truth, Brynn wasn't sure that the warrior woman had even registered the fact that she was already mortally wounded.
Mortally wounded, but probably still dangerous, Brynn realized.
Brynn's fourth strike was perfectly aimed, taking her in the heart.
She stood there at the end of Brynn's bloody blade for a long while, star-ing into the rich brown eyes of her killer.
Then she slid back off the blade, falling to the ground.
The reality of the moment, of the kill, hit Brynn hard indeed, but she pushed it away, having no time, and charged hard at Yatol Daek.
The man put his hands up, begging her for mercy. ?Take your horse, wanderer!" he said, and he quickly called out to his soldiers trying to cor-ner Runtly, telling them to desist. ?Be gone from here - I have no quarrel with you!"
Brynn stared at him curiously, contemptuously. He was an appointed leader, but he was obviously a coward.
So great a coward! Not lowering her sword, and not letting him slip away from her at all, Brynn glanced to the side and called to the pony, who came trotting over.
"There, you see?" said Yatol Daek. ?I am not your enemy, wanderer. I am To-gai-ru."
"No!" Brynn screamed at him before he had ever finished the claim.
Yatol Daek put his trembling hands before him. ?You cannot kill me and hope to survive," he said. ?Please, get on your horse and be gone."
"No, fool," Brynn said, in more controlled tones, and she lowered her blade somewhat, and Yatol Daek's hands similarly drooped. ?You are no To-gai-ru."
"The religion of Yatol - "
"This is not about the robes you wear!" Brynn shouted. ?No, this goes deeper." Runtly reached her then, and she pulled-the brown-and-white head in close and rubbed her cheek againstxthirsoft hair.
No," she said to Daek. ?No To-gai-ru would steal a horse." The horses are the property - " he started to protest, but Brynn wasn't listening.
No To-gai-ru would ever order a horse-slaughtered." When she fin-ished, she was still nuzzling Runtly, still seeming quite at ease.
But then came that explosive thrust of bi'nelle dasada, so suddenly that Yatol Daek never registered the movement. His expression was of genuine astonishment when he looked down to see Brynn's magnificent sword buried deep in his belly.
"Damn you, and damn your new ways," Brynn said, and her thoughts went into the sword, then, calling forth the fire!
Yatol Daek screamed in agony, and Brynn jerked the blade once and then again, the fine metal slicing him open, the flames consuming him.
She tore it free then, and turned to see the many Behrenese and the many To-gai-ru, staring at her with disbelief.
It didn't hold, and the Behrenese soldiers howled and started to charge.
Brynn went up to Runtly's back, guiding him with her strong legs. She clenched her left fist, bringing forth the pulsing white shield of her en-chanted powrie bracer.
She didn't run off, though, but turned and galloped into the heart of the charging Behrenese line. Behrenese soldiers scattered before her; she ran one down, finishing him with a devastating chop, and let Runtly trample an-other to the dirt.
Brynn charged back the other way, toward the home of Barachuk and Tsolona. To her relief, the couple was waiting for her, throwing her the bow and quiver.
The pursuit was halfhearted at that point, and Brynn could have taken Runtly out of the village easily enough.
But the young ranger was far from satisfied. She slid her sword under one leg and took up her bow, charging back toward the Behrenese pursuit.
A couple of enemy soldiers were up on horseback by then.
Brynn smiled wickedly as she thought of the first major challenge Lady Dasslerond had thrown at her. She saw her enemies as she had seen the tar-gets that dark night in Andur'Blough Inninness on the torchlit field, and her aim was no less true.
By the time Brynn Dharielle and Runtly charged out of the small village, her quiver was emptied of its twelve arrows and ten Behrenese, including Yatol Daek and Chezhou-Lei Dee'dahk, lay mortally wounded.
A few arrows arched out of the town in her general direction, none com-ing close to striking the mark.
Brynn pulled up a short distance away, turning to measure the danger.
But no pursuit was forthcoming.