Chapter 2: Lady Yandira

In 1119, the first Tallian refugees arrived upon the shores of Lake Kundilae and found the fecund wilderness with all its beautiful ruins to their liking. Although it was a rich land, only a few Yak clans made it their home. Among the many ruins were said to be a serpent people that liked the taste of human—though there wasn’t much trouble from the snakes—they certainly stole a good number of chickens. From time to time, they also stole a child or two.

Every once in a great while, on moonless nights, or as storms broke over the valley, naga were known to attack and kill a full grown man. Still, the small Yak settlements thrived among the ruins, mostly because there was such a rich bounty of resources, and few other problems in the valley. Although it be a dark view, many knew something was always killing the children, and these Tallian refugees settled for good enough.

As Ebertin grew, more and more of her men ventured deeper and deeper into the tunnels of Beletrain, and fit them more to their own liking. Yet, as the population of Ebertin grew, so did the population of Beletrain. The naga profited by their new neighbors, and dug their tunnels deeper and deeper into the earth. Indeed, for many years, the naga outnumbered their human neighbors. Yet, the stream of Tallian refugees continued, and the naga increasingly worried. On a stormy summer’s night in 1127, the naga attacked—but the naga did not find a soft and lazy people. They found a rugged and formidable lot; veterans of the Broken Legions of Tronde and Rigel, chiseled in the battles of the Great Betrayal, forged by an exodus of a thousand miles, and tempered by hopes of a new home.

Over the intervening years, a fair number of naga have been captured. Most are killed for their crimes, but they are some times let go if they were not witnessed of wrongdoing. As sentient creatures capable of speech they are usually granted a trial—though they rarely have anything nice to say. Indeed, even today, it is a fairly common sight to see a naga dragged through the streets on its way to the nearest courthouse, to be accused before a judge.

– On The Bloody Shores of Kundilae, Wybrow the Wanderer, p.64

~!@#$%^&*()_+ 2.2 +_)(*&^%$#@!~

For the last four months, Elpis had courted the Lady Yandira, sole proprietor of Kundilae Merchantile. Despite the fact that she was nearly ten years his senior, they were well matched in temperament, expectations, and resources. Many of their associates felt their betrothal was imminent, and that the lady stalled only for the sake of propriety, as her first husband had only died a few months before the two met.

Because of the Lady’s closeness to Elpis and his Jindleyak friends, Elpis and Traust agreed that it might be a good time for the Lady to make herself scarce. She had her own security of a couple dozen men—but they’d be no match for the Degorouth and their Ministrian allies should any of Kezodel’s lieutenants want to make trouble. For these reasons, Elpis intended to invite the Lady Yandira to see Hearthstone and meet his rather large and prosperous family. They’d planned to make the trip eventually anyway. Kezodel’s death would only expedite their departure.

A cousin of Elpis by perhaps a dozen removals, Scurra had met the Lady Yandira and been her guest several times since she’d arrived in the city. She rather liked the polished woman, and now that she’d chosen to go that direction, Scurra was rather satisfied, because she knew she would indeed be comfortable. “I think you shall quite like the lady,” Scurra smiled as she led Wenifas and her children through the front gate of the Lady’s estate.

The house came into view. They could all see the fine form of the Lady Yandira as she stood on her balcony. Elpis smiled and waved to his light haired lover, only too happy to see her again. A bittersweet smile graced the Lady’s face, as she waved back.

“She must of heard of Kezodel,” Scurra said of her frown.

“Is she crying?” Elpis asked.

Across the expanse of her large front yard, the Lady Yandira leaned over the railing of her balcony. She began to point and yell.

“Mom...” Claiten said, as distress rose in his voice. He gave a hard yank on the shaman’s cloak.

“Ow,” Wenifas complained and turned to see what caught her son’s attention. She tripped over the edge of the cloak and tumbled into Scurra for fright of what see saw behind them.

“What is she yelling...?” Scurra began to say—though the question was clipped as Wenifas stumbled into her. Elpis turned to see what all the fuss was about.

Four Degorouth warriors marched up the drive behind them. With a hiss, Elpis brandished his fine war axe. Scurra and Wenifas disentangled themselves. Elpis turned to the house, expecting to see Yandira’s men running across the yard to give their assistance. Instead he saw Degorouth and Ministrians pouring out of the manse.

“No,” Elpis began. His heart dropped into his stomach as he realized Yandira was already their captive. He stared at the blonde beauty, suddenly aware of the true reason for her tears.

“We can’t be here,” Scurra said and pulled Elpis toward the road—and the four advancing enemies— but there were even more of their enemies in front of them.

Elpis considered his options. A dozen enemies proceeded across the lawn as more and more poured from the lady’s manse. Her face streamed with pain and grief as the Lady Yandira continued to scream.

“Run!” she called to her lover. “Save yourselves! Run for your lives!”

“Come on!” Scurra yelled and pulled at his elbow. She grabbed Wenifas and ran back down the road, toward the men that approached from behind. She pulled her bow from her back and nocked an arrow.

Elpis turned from his Lady. He decided he would send an intermediary to negotiate for her release and swore that no price was too great. But first, he must live. First, he must escape.

He blew his love a kiss, then turned and sprinted at the four Degorouth that barred the front gate. The Degorouth men pulled their swords. Elpis veered to his right as he ran at the closest man, then, just before he engaged, he stepped several paces to the left and gave Scurra the look she wanted. Scurra placed an arrow center mass of the first Degorouth, and the man dropped like a stone.

The second Degorouth slashed at Elpis, but was turned aside by a parry. Elpis dodged inside the man’s guard and drove the blunt head of his axe into the man’s chest. The man stumbled, lost his feet, and landed heavily on his back, clutching his chest, with several of his ribs broken.

The third man hoped to catch Elpis as the Jindleyak dispatched the second man, but was forced to slow, or catch an arrow from Scurra. Given a moment, Elpis turned toward the man, sideswiped the first strike, and smashed the blunt head of his axe against the inside of his enemy’s leg. The man’s femur cracked with a loud pop.He dropped his sword, and screamed in agony as he dropped in a writhing mass of pain.

The fourth and final Degorouth noticed how drastically the odds had shifted against him and decided it was best to turn and flee. As they ran past, Scurra put an arrow in his butt just to be sure he didn’t follow.

With their retreat secured, Elpis gripped his arm and turned back to the manse to take a look at his Lady Yandira. "My Lady!" he yelled, horrified to see a heavily armed man now standing behind her.

Yandira smiled through her tears and put her hand to her lips. She blew a kiss back to her lover.

Elpis yelled as the armored man grabbed the Lady Yandira at her waist and threw her over the railing of the balcony. Although she struggled, Yandira could not deny her attacker. She screamed and clutched at the railing—but could not get a good hold. She tumbled, end over end, as she fell from the high balcony, and struck the ground with an awful crunch. Elpis cringed and turned away so he would not have to see—though he heard too much.

In response to such an injustice—and also to give her cousin time to turn and run—Scurra nocked several arrows and lobbed them at the fast approaching men. The first arrow was dodged and fell harmless. The second arrow caught a man in the leg and hobbled him. The third arrow was brushed aside with a shield as the enemy continued to advance. Scurra grit her teeth, grabbed Elpis by the collar, and yanked him down the drive. “We gotta go!” she raged as Wenifas and Claiten ran down the road before them.

Elpis turned and ran.

Elpis led Scurra, Wenifas, and Claiten onto pathways and alleys of nearby cottages, gardens, gates, and sheds as sounds of pursuit crashed about behind them. On and on they ran through well groomed hedges, orchards, and large beds of flowers. After several minutes, the houses began to crowd in upon each other as they left the wealthy neighborhood. They twisted and forked their way through the alleys and lost themselves in the city proper.

After a couple dozen turns and over a mile of hard running, Wenifas pulled up and leaned heavily against a fence. "I can't...!" she cried, barely able to breathe. "I can't...!" she wept as tears streamed from her eyes. It was a hard sprint, and they were all winded.

Claiten caught up last, and smashed his tearful face into the folds of his mother's cloak.

"Oh, my brave boy!" Wenifas stroked his hair. She choked down her guilt for running on without him, and begged herself not to cry. “My brave, brave boy,” she praised him again and again.

Scurra turned to Elpis. "I’m so sorry,” she said, and wrapped her cousin in a hug.

Elpis grit his teeth and pushed her away. “I don’t want to think about it. I just want to get out of here. We cannot be captured,” he turned to Scurra. “There will be no quarter for any of us.”

Scurra noticed blood on his shirt. She dabbed a finger at the mess and held it up for Elpis to see. "When…?" she began, unsure what to ask.

Elpis gave a weak nod. “The last guard glanced me as he flailed and fell,” he winced away from her probing fingers. "It's nothing—barely touched me at all.”

"That's a lot of blood,” Scurra frowned. “Let me see.”

Ever so gently, she lifted his arm and saw a gush of blood. Scurra cursed through tight lips as she sucked her breath and pressed his arm to his side. “I think you nicked an artery. Keep it pressed tight,” she said as she pulled his tabard from his bag, ripped it, and tied the pieces around his chest and injured arm. "We have to get somewhere fast,” she said as she finished up. “What's in the area?"

Elpis shook his head. "We're near the slant streets, but an injured man with women and children should not be visiting among those bars and brothels."

"Too conspicuous," Scurra agreed. "We need to get to the House of Leaves,” she reminded him.

Elpis shook his head. “Problem is, we're going the wrong direction," he said as he considered some more. "There's a butcher not far from here that has an entrance to Beletrain,” he finally suggested. “We could go underground and come up on the other side of Yandira's estate. It will get us going in the right direction,” he shrugged. “We could be at the safe house in Peverly in four or five hours, no sweat, and likely still make the House of Leaves before tomorrow," he shook his head. "We’ll have to go through Fowler's Auction."

"What's wrong with Fowler’s Auction?" Scurra asked.

"Fowler ain’t a friend of the Degorouth or Ministrians," Elpis began. "But he isn't much of a friend to anyone else either. He respects money and little else," he noted with a shrug. "It's not a great plan, but we have to come up somewhere…” he shook his head. “If I had Traust’s maps..."

Scurra shrugged. "I’ve heard the stories, but everyone I know says they’ve never seen a thing in that labyrinth.”

“Same goes for me,” Elpis confessed. “We’re not going to see any naga. I'm far more concerned with any Degorouth that might be down there."

Scurra nodded. “Which way do we go?"

"This way," Elpis pushed himself off the wall with his good arm. The group dodged through the alleys with furtive glances at every intersection. Elpis stopped at a gate marked with a bull's head. "This is it," he grinned. “This guy is a real piece of work, so keep your guard.” Elpis banged on the gate. For a long moment, they waited as nothing happened.

Impatient, Scurra banged on the gate. She was about to bang again when the high gate cracked open and a sour face glared back at them. "What?!" The rancid word caught in Scurra's nose.

"We need access to the tunnels," Elpis said in a hushed manner.

"Tunnels? You mean Beletrain?" The reek of the butcher's breath was thick in the air. "We have no door to that snake hole, if that's what you're asking," he slammed the gate shut.

With a snort, Elpis banged on the gate once more. It opened again, but the man did not speak. He simply glared at the lot of 'em.

Elpis held up two silver half moons, "The access is disguised as a toilet. I can show you where it is, if you'd like."

The butcher looked about the group more seriously. "You mean to take children into Beletrain?" He glared at Elpis.

"Ain't none of your business," Scurra answered.

"Might be the business of the Red Dog," the butcher said.

"You tell whoever you want after you let us in," Elpis replied, "and I hope you get a good price."

"Another moon," the butcher stated with a glint in his eye. "I wish to sooth my conscience for sending children into the viper's pit."

"I have no more coin on me," Elpis began. He pulled a piece of bone from his pocket, a round ball of shoulder about half the size of a fist, etched with fancy markings. "What of a twelve weight chabling?"

"Rather have metal,” the butcher snorted, but they both knew twelve chabling was worth a fair deal more than a moon. He took the heavy weight chabling, opened the door, and stepped aside.

Elpis turned to a small building marked as a latrine. The outhouse was heavily barred and locked. The butcher undid the locks and worked the bars free of the door as he grumbled to himself.

"Sturdiest shit house in all of Ebertin," Elpis noted.

The butcher grunted. "Can't have the snakes coming out whenever they feel like it."

"We'll need fire," Scurra said.

"Torches are extra," the butcher snorted.

Scurra held out a copper bot. The butcher took it with a broken smile. "You're overflowin' with metal," he said as he leaned into the woman.

"I keep a fine edge on some of it," Scurra noted. A knife appeared in her hand and she tapped it against the inside of the butcher's thigh.

The butcher backpedaled. "Don't mean no shenanigans," he said as he returned to the chains and bars that blocked the entrance. "Torches are next to the fire pit," he pointed.

Elpis lit three torches. He gave one to Scurra and another to Claiten, then stepped into the false latrine and made his way down the spiral ramp with a torch of his own. Wenifas followed with Evereste in one arm and Claiten's hand in the other. Claiten shivered against his mother as the darkness threatened to overwhelm him.

"Muster your courage," Wenifas said to her boy—as well as herself. "The gods mean for us to be strong."

"And quiet," Elpis whispered. "The gods mean for us to be quiet."

Scurra brought up their train. The butcher closed the door behind them and she sighed in relief. "Let's be quick," she stated.

Elpis gave a nod.

"It is too dark, we need to go slow," Wenifas replied.

"No time for that," Elpis said. "The butcher is selling us out as we speak.”

Wenifas turned to the militiaman with a questioning stare.

“Others want to know about it anytime someone comes down here,” Elpis shrugged. “Nothing good goes on under the city."

"Do we need fear this Red Dog?" Scurra asked.

Elpis shrugged. "Never heard of him. Either way, the Degorouth will likely know we're down here before the hour is out."

Wenifas felt a rush of panic come over her. "Why did we come down here at all?!"

“We’ll be back out of the tunnels an hour after that, so don’t worry about it. Besides, they have no idea what direction we mean to go, and Beletrain is an impossible maze with too many entrances—which makes too many exits. Traust has a map with over three hundred different entrances, and he suspects that's not even half of 'em," Elpis shook his head as they continued on their way. "It doesn't matter where we go in. It only matters where we come up," he said as he led them further into the darkness.

Author’s Notes: We’re moving fast now! I like the chapter, but I fear it goes a little fast?… maybe make it so they don’t come up where they intend—which might also help give the others time to worry. Dunno. Maybe it’s good as is, and I should leave it... Somewhere, in chapter, or one of the next few, I need to plug in Meriona’s first discussion with Gliedian. Don’t forget: there’s already two legions in the area... 2020/01/17