Sajani Tails

The travel through Rhidayar was slow and uneventful. To avoid the constant flow of refugees, they kept off the roads. That wasn’t a problem for the hovering transports in most cases, although the thick underbrush and heavy foliage slowed them occasionally. What slowed them most was not having enough transports for all the troops. She considered picking up a couple wagons, but there wasn’t a consistent way to keep horses fed. Tess suggested a steam carriage, but not only was the cost prohibitive, Sajani was reasonably sure they wouldn’t be able to use them off the roads.

      The troops took it all in stride. She rotated through everyone, except Ambassador Ghenis and Doc Cutter, to make sure there was one day of riding for every two days of walking. Some had to ride outside the vehicle, but with how hot and humid it was that was considered a privilege. They usually traveled for about eight hours with an hour break in the middle. This left them time to forage for food in the evenings. The jungle had no shortage of game or water. Each evening they put out the two barrels they carried with them and each morning they left with both full of fresh rainwater.

      She managed to get some rations before they left, but she planned on saving those for an emergency. It was better to keep getting what they could while traveling. Ginger and a soldier named Tenner, who seemed to be somewhat mechanically inclined, used the evenings to work on researching some of the elf technology. It was a slow and arduous process Sajani was glad to leave to someone else. Benayle liked to pretend he understood things like that, despite having no aptitude for it. The copper wolf’s aptitude was identical, but she felt no need to pretend.

      The route was simple enough. She stayed in the jungles surrounding the Varkyl Mountains and then circled around on the west side of Vidava. Rhidayar troops were massing around the major cities, even as people fled. She rarely ran into either on the path she was taking and when she did, it wasn’t much of a problem to pass them. The soldiers and civilians had never seen transports like theirs, and in many cases, were too panicked to care.

      It was a walking day for her, Tess, and Chass. They were scouting ahead to find the best route for the transports. It usually meant just traveling straight forward and making sure the yellow flag attached to Chass’s back stayed in sight, but occasionally it meant having to replace the flag with an orange one while they searched for a way around a fallen tree or large rock. At first she wasn’t sure how the transports would handle the occasional stream, but it had no problem just hovering over water. It made Sajani wonder if they could also be used as boats.

      The copper wolf tried very hard to make sure she didn’t become complacent while scouting. She stressed to her soldiers over and over the importance of staying vigilant, even though they were still passing through safe territory. Ginger was doing his best to keep them updated on enemy movements, but there was a substantial learning curve on the foreign equipment.

      Just because she knew not to let her guard down, and just because she constantly reminded others not to do it, didn’t mean she was immune. It was the same brown, green, blue pattern day after day after day and on this particular day, she was having a lot of trouble keeping her concentration up. It wasn’t that she failed to get enough sleep, instead she was finding herself somewhat blinded to things on the outside as she kept concentrating more and more on the days to come.

      Because of this, she had no idea why Tess told Chass to change to the purple flag to warn the others of an unknown situation. She glanced questioningly over at Tess. The former sergeant had the presence of mind to not chide the lady about her lack of observation, but instead just calmly pointed straight ahead.

      Sajani didn’t need to step forward to see it once she was looking. It was hidden a little behind the undergrowth, but the item in question was a very bright yellow tarpaulin hung over a rope to form a makeshift tent. She could smell the acrid scent from the remains of a fire, now that she put her mind to it. They were all holding quite still and listening carefully when a very deep male voice started booming out a song in the common tongue. There was a very heavy Zenache accent to it, but the voice was well tuned and had the support which only came with some formal training.

      I went looking for beer in Rhidayar.

      In Dargaleck I went looking for rum,

      But at those places they only had water.

      If I wanted a drink I had to go home.

      Sajani glanced back at Tess and Chass, both of whom were wearing very confused looks. She shrugged and then, pointing once to herself and then toward the shelter ahead, she started cautiously moving forward to get a better look.

      Vharkylia had not heard of dark ale

      And the Jzianrhun rice wine is too weak

      If you want something vim and zeal

      ‘tis the beer of Zenache you seek!

      She managed to get right up to the closest tree bearing up the shelter and slung her bow over her shoulder. She cautiously looked to the source of the singing.

      You can keep the wolves’ fancy fruit juices.

      You can pour that rice wine down the drain!

      The worst drink my homeland produces

       Better flavor and color sustain.

      The singer was a human with dark hair and a bare barrel shaped chest. His red and brown striped trousers hung off a set of burgundy suspenders which somehow made Sajani briefly miss Simon. His feet were bare, and it looked like he must’ve recently awoken. He was standing next to a chipped porcelain basin set on top of an oversized makeshift backpack. His face had been heavily lathered at one point, but by this time was mostly shaved. Sajani found herself wondering how he managed while singing so joyously—and without a mirror. Apparently now they got to hear the chorus.

      Give me the darkest of ales from Yasef.

      Give me the best of the beers of Eborhoff!

      I’ll take mead from the emperor’s palace!

      And wine from the vines of Bath-Kanov!

      At this point, the man turned and noticed Sajani crouched low in the bushes. The song ceased, and a smile crossed his face. He bowed deeply before Sajani had a chance to respond and said in an impressive humanized version of Vykati, “A noble wolf has come to honor my performance. Step closer and we’ll share song and drink together.”

      She smiled back and rose to signal Tess and Chass it was safe. There could be enemies hidden beyond the itinerate singer, but she seemed to instinctively know two things. She knew this man wasn’t a threat, and she knew that, somehow, she’d like him. Later she’d learn she’d been wrong about one of those, but for now…

      She took a couple steps forward and the man took her hand in his and bowed even lower. “I’m a writer and singer called Fenther Black, formerly of the Zenache town of Eborhoff. I must say, you’re truly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

      Wolves don’t blush and neither do vykati, but Sajani did feel a little heat around the sides of her mouth as he said that. She laughed deeply, again reminded of Simon, who never got a response like that from her, no matter how hard he tried to buck the old adage.

      “How odd, kind sir,” she responded in the little Zenache she knew, “to have grown so old and never met a woman.”

      It was Fenther’s turn to laugh, and his laugh was deep and robust and alive. About this time Tess and Chass appeared from behind the tree. Fenther walked up to Tess, took her hand and bowed. “The jungle hides the greatest beauties of all Terah,” he said with a touch of sincere awe in his voice. Tess just looked confused as she slowly bent her wrist and took her hand back. Chass rolled his eyes, which gave Sajani the impression they heard at least part of the prior exchange.

      “I’m Lady Sajani Adida,” she said placing her hand on her chest and them motioning to the other two vykati in turn. “This is Kaeya Tess and Vaeman Chass.”

      Fenther rose from his bow and turned to shake Chass’s hand vigorously. Chass responded good-naturedly. He even seemed a little impressed by the human, perhaps because the singer showed no hesitation despite the more than half meter difference between the two men. Fenther turned to face Sajani and said with a touch of skepticism in his voice, “Lady General Sajani? The copper wolf has come to my part of the world?”

      Sajani didn’t hesitate despite the fact her two companions seemed slightly taken aback. The lady struck a pose and said somewhat regally, “I am and I have. What have you heard of me?”

      “Only that you’re the minister of war for Vharkylia,” he said simply, “and some in my country’s military respect you.”

      “I resigned my post and am making my way to take on the elf attackers. You’re with the Zenache military?”

      “No, my lady. I’m just a humble singer and writer as I said.” He then gave out another deep laugh. “Take on the elves? You must not know what you’re up against or you’re not really the lady general. Even she wouldn’t dare such a death mission. She’d end up just as her mother did…”

      Fenther didn’t have the chance to finish what he was saying. There was a chime of metal against metal. Sajani knocked the man back and pointed her black blade directly at the man’s throat. The she-wolf glared down at him with a fire in her eyes that made him look away instinctively. A low growl came from her throat as she said, “Maybe. But I’ll die as she did, protecting the wolves of Vharkylia.”

            No one in her land would dare say such a thing to her face. If her own battle prowess and skill wasn’t enough to keep them in line, fear of what other vykati might do was more than sufficient. But human etiquette and vykati etiquette aren’t the same thing. 

      Sajani had been staring at the screen for a few hours. They left as soon as they could—just as night was falling. Doc stubbornly stayed with the refugees the entire time. Then they moved north, most on foot, hoping if the machine in the vehicle was on, it’d lead the elves away from Xahusha.

      She wished the screen would come to life again. Then she could be sure they tracked her away from Xahusha and could start making her way to the enemy. There hadn’t been much information from the refugees. None of them saw any direct military action: they fled because they heard what was coming and didn’t want to see what would happen.

      The vagrants who had seen something gave conflicting reports. One thing was disturbing to Sajani—there was no mention of anything like wizards. What they described sounded like magic, but if it was it was magic all elves were capable of summoning. Possible, she thought, but not likely. What was more likely was they were using machines and their non-flying machines couldn’t be stopped by Terahn magic or weapons. They resisted spells, and bullets didn’t scratch their surface. Direct cannon fire did some damage, but it usually took many hits before a vehicle was disabled.

      And this is what I’m up against, she thought with a bit of despair. She knew her chances were slim. This enemy reduced Terah’s largest military power to rabble in less than a month. The idea is just to slow them, she thought. She could feel what she called resolve and Simon called stubbornness rising within her. Benayle said it was one thing he noticed about her mother, the single time they met before she died. The wolf leader called it will and said it was the greatest gift a parent could give a child—the will to fight, the will to keep going, the will to succeed. I’ll do this. I don’t know how, but I will. I’ll force it to happen.

      A speck of light appeared at the center of the screen and Sajani motioned for Ginger to come over. “I think it’s about to do something.”

      The spark jumped onto a chair next to her and began moving dials on the console. “Yes,” he said quickly. “You’re right.” He reached over to push a button near the screen, and it came to life.

      Sajani didn’t wait. “Elf military, this is Lady Sajani, the copper wolf. I want to speak to the commander of your forces.”

      The elf woman on the other end looked surprised but turned the screen to face a tall elf man with high cheekbones and harsh features. He spoke, and the first woman translated for him. “This is General Sestus, Lady Sajani. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

      “I believe in fair warning, General Sestus.”

      “Fair warning my lady?” Her comment seemed to catch him a little off guard.

      “Yes. You’ve attacked the sovereign nation of Zenache.” She waited for the translation to go through.

      The general smiled at her. “A pre-emptive measure, I can assure you. They were a threat to Therfass, and we won’t tolerate any threat to our sovereignty.”

      “And what do you consider a threat? Zenache didn’t have the means to fight back.”

      “Any nation not under our rule can be a threat to us, my lady. We won’t stand by and wait for that threat to materialize.”

      She hoped there was a lot more courage in her voice than she felt. Suppressing the urge to swallow hard, she continued, “I don’t make idle threats, General Sestus. I carry out my promises.”

      The elf laughed when that was translated. “Vharkylia wasn’t a match militarily for Zenache and you think you can make a difference against us? My dear lady, you’re no more a threat to us than the fleas on your own scruffy hide are a threat to you.”

      “Tell that to the squad you sent to kill me.” There wasn’t much to mark the statement hit true. Sestus’s jaw dropped slightly and if there was any change to the color on his face, it didn’t show through the screen. She knew it gave him pause.

      “You think I believe you managed to destroy a squad?”

      It was her turn to smile. “You know we have their vehicles, and you know they never returned.” She glanced over at Ginger who was still working on the console next to her.

      “Accidents happen, Lady Sajani, and sometimes they even favor the less fortunate.”

      “I’ve always found fate favors the prepared, and so to give you the best odds—I’m not alone this time and we’re coming for you. Turn back to Therfass now.”

      General Sestus laughed when he heard the translation. “You better have all the forces of your tiny world at your back, if you plan to survive, copper dog. “

      “Consider yourself warned, General Sestus.” She glanced over at Ginger again who motioned for her to keep talking.

      “Warned, perhaps. But I hardly see the need to take you seriously.”

      Sajani smiled and waited a moment.

      “Is that all?” General Sestus said impatiently.

      She looked again over at Ginger, who nodded quickly.

      “Yes, General Sestus. I just want you to remember my face. I’m sure I’ll remember yours.” She threw the switch to turn off the screen and looked over at Ginger once again. “You got it?” she asked.

      Ginger beamed. “Oh yes!” he said in a high-pitched squeak. “I can give you a definite direction and a decent guess at distance.” His automaton cat leaped on his shoulders and rubbed its face against his cheek.

      “And you’re sure they can’t hear us anymore?”

      “Yes, my lady.” Ginger said with the total confidence she wished she felt during her prior conversation. “We’re listening only, not talking. They know where we are now, but once we move, they’ll have no idea, and,” he said, hardly able to contain his excitement, “there are a lot more of them I can track as well.”

      “What?”

      “I’m not sure how it worked, but once we made this new contact, a whole lot of signals showed up. Give me a little time and I think this thing can tell you what they are and where they’re going.”

      “That’s amazing!” she nearly shouted.

      “Yes it is!” Ginger said with equal enthusiasm. “I’d love to the meet the spark who came up with this stuff.” The cat meowed in agreement.

      There could’ve been a lot more to smooth out had Sajani not been so forgiving. She’d seen officers like Major Fagen plenty of times during her service in the army and understood how grueling it could be for someone like that to measure up in a military structure. It wasn’t like she felt that excused the major’s behavior and she did nothing to counter Colonel Hene’s veiled statements about disciplinary action against the officer, but she wanted to move forward which meant concentrating on the refugees, not petty side squabbles.

      The situation was worse than she thought it’d be. These people traveled a great distance, often at the cost of proper food, shelter, and clothing. The feet of most were worn and bloodied from walking unshod and there were a few who had to be moved by cart or the grace of others.

      A vykati with tan colored fur and carrying a small human girl in his arms called out to her and she cautiously approached. His clothing was in better shape and more expensive than many of the others and he looked like he traveled less far. “Food, gentle lady,” he said weakly. “It’s not for me, but little Narse here. She’s so weak and so tired. I promised her mother…” he began coughing uncontrollably.

      Doc Cutter ran up to them and placed a hand on the little girl’s forehead. “Might be just a fever,” he said with some hope to his voice. He gently forced her mouth open to look inside and pushed up her eyelids to get a better look into her eyes. She didn’t fight him at all. Placing his fingers beneath her wrists, he took her pulse and then watched the skin as he released her. “She’s very dehydrated. I’ll need something to put water in…” he began glancing around and looked hopefully at Sajani.

      “Sorry Doc,” she said quietly, shrugging her shoulders. She turned to Chass and said, “Find a barrel, a crate, anything.” The large wolf started off.

      Meanwhile, Doc Cutter spread out a blanket he borrowed from the vykati and began casting. Food appeared on the blanket, enough to feed quite a few. Sajani picked up some and began passing it around. She was worried people would crowd them, but most were too weak to move, having given up just enough energy to get to the outskirts of the city. All were grateful for what was given, and none asked for more.

      Chass returned with a large barrel under each arm. Doc Cutter cast a spell to fill them with water and cupped his hand to bring some to the little girl. She drank very little, and Doc spilled the rest over her body. “Hopefully we can get the fever in check. I’m not sure if she’s sick or if it’s just a reaction from lack of water.” Chass handed him an old military tin cup. Doc filled it and handed it to the vykati refugee. “Keep giving her water a little at a time…,” he said carefully. The man nodded. “…and make sure you get some as well. You’ll need your strength. I’ll be back in an hour to see if that fever’s broken.”

      They went from place to place. Sajani and Doc healed those who needed it, and when they were out of healing, they made their way through the masses doing what they could. Doc and Chass both sacrificed their uniform tops to be cut down for bandages. There were many more to treat. She took a break at one point to meet up with Ghenis and find out what he learned about the blockade.

      “They don’t know if there’s a plague,” he told her, “but there is a fear the elves might have caused one. Rumors travel faster than refugees. Until they know for sure, they’re blocking off the city. They won’t stop them from passing around, though. They’re welcome to continue their retreat as long as they don’t enter the city itself.”

      “They’ve probably already been through many cities.”

      “Yes,” he said. “These are the ones who left in the greatest hurry. We’ll see the better prepared ones in a couple days if you plan on staying around.”

      She wasn’t sure what she planned. Originally, she hoped to gather information, but the state of these people was such she didn’t dare bring up past terrors. Even so, she wasn’t sure what they could tell her that Ginger wasn’t already working out from the captured vehicles. If she stayed here, she’d be tempted to just continue to help.

      “There she is!” Tess interrupted her thoughts. She and Ginger were rushing towards them. “Thank Indira we found you. We need to head out soon!” Ginger nodded in support—so did his cat, who was up on his shoulders.

      “The elves know where we are. We need to go before they arrive.”