The Cyber Chronicles Book II: Death Zone (15 page)

Rai laughed,
not glancing back, and Tassin did not have the energy to struggle.
The warriors marched her along several streets, past houses and
shops. The city boasted paved roads, and gardens bordered houses
built from dressed stone. Flowering trees grew through round holes
in the paving, adding sweet perfume to the air. Well-groomed men
sauntered past, clad in well-cut tunics and embroidered trousers,
their necks and fingers heavy with gold and silver. Most studied
her with varying degrees of interest; some paused to stare at her.
Compared to the loutish warriors who held her, they looked
remarkably civilised, as if they belonged to a different
culture.

Her guards
stopped before a metal grill door in a quiet side street and rang
the bell beside it. After a few minutes a gangly youth appeared and
greeted the men by name.

One guard
said, "Your father sends this to you, Marn, it seems he's chosen a
new wife."

The warrior
thrust Tassin forward as the gate opened, and Marn took charge of
her with a grin. Her tired brain reeled in horror at the guard's
words as the youth steered her into the house, passing through an
enclosed garden with a pool at its centre. Two younger boys
appeared and stared at her.

"Who's she,
Marn?" one asked.

"Father's new
woman."

The boys
swapped smiles, evidently pleased by this announcement. Tassin was
too shocked and dazed to speak, and the youth led her into what
could only be a sitting room, judging by the padded chairs and low
tables that furnished it. She sank down the couch he guided her to,
and he untied her hands. Stuffed animal heads and crude paintings
decorated the walls; coarse bleached curtains framed several
windows that looked onto a shady street.

Two more boys,
younger still, entered through another door and climbed onto a
neighbouring couch to gaze at her with wide eyes. So Rai had five
sons, ranging in age from eighteen to ten years old. She listened
to the boys chatter about their father's new acquisition while she
ate the cold roast meat and boiled vegetables Marn gave her, hunger
overriding her misery. When she finished, he took her arm and tried
to tug her to her feet.

"Come, you
must wash and prepare for my father's return."

She frowned.
"I am not primping for that pig."

Marn looked
disconcerted, then smiled. "So that's why my father likes you. He's
always had an eye for spirited women."

"Surely you
know that what he's doing is wrong? I was kidnapped and dragged
here bound like an animal. Will you help me to escape?"

He shook his
head. "How else can we get women? This is the way we've always done
it. One day he'll bring a girl for me."

"Where are
your women? Don't your father's friends have daughters?"

"No girls are
born in Oroka. We must have wives, so we have to steal them."

Tassin stared
at him in astonishment. "No girls?"

"No. The
elders believe we're under a curse. No girls have been born here
for hundreds of years."

Stupefied by
this information, she allowed Marn to tug her to her feet and lead
her through the house to a tiled room with a sunken tub at its
centre, which one of the younger boys was filling with steaming
water. The second eldest boy entered with a diaphanous dress of
pale blue silk draped over his arm.

"This was our
mother's; it should fit you." He held up the gown, and she fingered
the soft material, then swung around as Marn tugged at her dress'
fastenings.

"What are you
doing?"

"Helping
you."

Tassin glared
at him, and he stared back undaunted. "I can do it by myself. I
don't need your help."

Marn shrugged.
"As you wish."

"And I'm not
wearing that dress. Don't you have anything less... sluttish?"

The boy shook
his head. "That's what father will want you to wear. If you refuse,
he'll just beat you."

"He'll
what?"

"Beat you. He
used to beat mother when she was bad. He says women need it."

Tassin gaped
at him in horrified amazement, and the brothers glanced at each
other before they left her to bathe. As soon as the door closed
behind them, she turned to survey the room. Apart from the door, it
had only two small glass-paned windows, so there was no hope of
escape. Desolation overwhelmed her, and tears of misery and
exhaustion trickled down her cheeks as she contemplated her
imprisonment and its promise of violence, the prospect making her
queasy. She sat down and covered her face, cursing her weakness and
Sabre's abandonment.

When her tears
dried, she decided that there was no point in wasting the hot bath.
Her abused body craved the comfort and relaxation if offered.
Afterwards, she donned the old pink dress, and the boys frowned at
her when she emerged. They did not let her out of their sight until
their father came home late in the afternoon, then they made
themselves scarce. Rai eyed her dress with a scowl as he opened the
bundle he carried and drew out an ornate jewelled collar and
chain.

"For you, my
dear. You will wear them with pride."

"Chains?"
Tassin shrank back as he approached her.

"Of course, a
mark of honour for an Orokan woman."

"No!" Tassin
tried to evade him, but he caught her hair and pulled her back,
pushing her down on a couch. She yelled and punched him, making him
grunt, and he slapped her several times, hard enough to make her
head swim. While she was dazed and sobbing, he fastened the collar
around her neck, then hauled her to her feet by the chain.

"You will not
defy me again, understand?"

Mustering her
flagging courage, she spat at him, and another stinging slap
rewarded her temerity. Rai used the chain to lead her into a room
with a hard bed in one corner, where he released her and threw the
despised silk dress at her feet.

"You'll put
this on, or I'll beat you properly next time."

Rai left, and
the bolt on the outside of the door slid into place with a clunk.
Tassin lay down on the bed and wept, hating all Orokan men, and
praying that Sabre would find her before something terrible
happened.

Sabre stopped
and stared ahead, his chest heaving. Sweat trickled down him, and
his leg muscles jumped with fatigue. The stilt trees had thinned to
reveal a city at the end of the road, built on an island that rose
out of the swamp. The large, pillared stone edifice in the centre
of it looked like a palace or temple. The city extended into the
swamp, the wooden houses on its outskirts built on stilts driven
into the mud, bridges joining them. The reason for its location
could only be defensive, he mused, for an attacking army must use
the road or become mired in the swamp.

Sabre pondered
the situation while the last belt of stilt trees hid him from the
city guards. He could sneak into the town through the swamp,
braving whatever dangers lurked there, or he could enter boldly as
a traveller seeking shelter. A lone man could not be seen a threat,
so there was no reason for the guards to apprehend him. At worst,
they might refuse him entry, then he would have to go through the
swamp. He walked towards the city again, revealing his presence to
any watchers as he left the shelter of the trees.

As he
approached the gates, two men clad in leather armour emerged from
the shade next to the wall. Their hands rested on their sword
hilts, and they regarded Sabre from beneath scowling brows. He
stopped and eyed them, wondering why they appeared to be so
hostile. The taller man addressed him.

"What's your
business here, stranger?"

Sabre tried to
look disarming, and shrugged. "Just passing through, looking for a
soft bed and a good meal."

The guard's
eyes lingered on the cyber band. "There's no through road."

"I came across
the track back there, and decided to see where it led."

A man with
greying hair emerged from the shadows and stopped beside the
guards. "You wouldn't happen to be looking for a woman with black
hair, would you?"

Sabre smiled.
"Not particularly, but I'm not fussy. I'll take any woman you have
to offer."

"Very funny."
He signalled to the guards. "Take him alive."

Sabre stepped
back. "Hey, wait a minute! What's going on?"

"I think
you're lying, and I intend to find out the truth."

The guards
walked towards Sabre, not bothering to draw their swords, and he
backed away. The last thing he needed was to become embroiled in a
fight now, and he wondered why the grey-haired man was so
suspicious. Most likely, Tassin had been threatening them with her
invincible warrior, and he cursed her stupidity. He was not about
to try to fight his way into the city, so it seemed he would have
to retreat and sneak in through the swamp. Turning, he sprinted
away, the guards pounding after him.

A cyber could
outrun a normal man easily, and shouts of rage and frustration came
from the guards as he left them behind. Something hit him between
his shoulder blades, making him stumble. Recovering, he ran on, but
the sounds of pursuit had stopped, and he glanced back. The guards
had slowed to a walk and, beyond them, the grey-haired man stood
holding a long tube. Becoming aware of a burning pain in his back,
Sabre stopped and twisted one arm to reach the source. His fingers
encountered something hard, and he pulled out a feathered dart, its
tip smeared with blood and yellow fluid. He looked up at the
approaching men, wondering why they had tried to poison him if they
wanted him alive. Cybers were immune to just about every poison
known to man, so, unless this was a new one, he was in no
danger.

A warning
light flashed in his brain, drawing his attention to a column of
scrolling writing. Before he could read it, the world swam and his
vision clouded as if a thick mist had rolled in and engulfed him.
His hand dropped to his side, and the dart fell from it. The road's
dusty surface rushed up as he sank to his knees, then sat back on
his haunches. He raised his head to watch the approaching guards,
unable to move his arms. Either this was a new poison, or some sort
of anaesthetic. Whatever it was, it was working. His head sagged
forward, and the road hit him in the face.

Tassin gazed
out of the barred window at the streets below. The sun sank in a
red glory, and tears of fear and anger blurred her vision. Rai had
stayed away the previous night and today, and Marn had brought her
food at midday. She looked around as the door to her prison opened.
Rai entered, looking triumphant and angry as his eyes raked the
tattered pink dress she still wore.

"Do you want
to be beaten?"

Tassin raised
her chin. "Beat me all you want, you won't make me cower like a
whipped dog, or wear that damned harlot's dress."

He approached
her. "You're either very stupid, or very brave. Maybe both." He
paused, then added, "Your warrior arrived today."

Hope flooded
her in a warm tide. "Where is he?"

"A man with an
odd band on his head?"

She
nodded.

"He's in the
temple dungeons, where he belongs."

"You captured
him?"

"He tried to
run, but we caught him. So much for his exacting vengeance, he's
now harmless."

"Is he all
right?" she asked.

"He'll
recover. I want to speak to him before he dies. The temple will be
happy to sacrifice him, volunteers are scarce."

"You
bastard."

Rai smiled. "I
didn't believe your story at first, but you're not Andaron. We
don't get many travellers, so when he appeared only hours after we
got back, I knew it was him. So much for his being an invincible
warrior."

Her last hope
of rescue died, and Rai turned to leave, pausing at the door to
say, "I advise you to be wearing that dress next time I see
you."

Tassin stared
at the wall after he left, too overcome with the hopelessness of
her situation to allow her thoughts to dwell on the future.

Chapter Nine

Sabre drifted
back to consciousness as the effects of the drug receded in waves.
He became aware that he was lying on his stomach on a cold stone
floor, his arms wrapped around a pillar, and his back smarted from
the dart. His limbs were stiff and cold, and he gritting his teeth
as a headache pounded at his temples. When he tried to release the
pillar, he found that his wrists were chained together on the other
side of it. Raising his head, he looked around at a large,
windowless room, fighting the nausea that churned his stomach.

Several
freshly lighted torches burnt in sconces, filling the room with
soft light. Rusted chains hung against the walls, and a number of
torture instruments occupied most of the floor space. His harness
and weapons were gone, along with his medical pouch. He rested the
brow band on the pillar while he waited for the nausea to ebb and
the headache to become bearable. When it did, he tried to shift
into a more comfortable position. The pillar was just thick enough
that his arms were at full stretch around it, and he was forced to
lie on his side or stomach.

A rattle and
creak made him raise his head as the door opened and the
grey-haired warrior entered. Two burly guards and a podgy man
dressed in brown robes and sporting a monk's tonsure accompanied
him. The grey-haired man smiled at Sabre.

"So, our
cowardly friend is awake. You didn't live up to your reputation.
The girl told me you were a mighty warrior, but you seem more
proficient at running."

Sabre eyed
him. "Where's Tassin?"

"Is that her
name?" The warrior shrugged. "She's at my house, preparing to
become my wife."

Sabre
experienced an odd sinking sensation in his chest, but the man's
confidence amused him when he contemplated Tassin's undoubtedly
acrimonious reaction to such high-handed intentions. He smiled,
shaking his head. "I doubt that. More likely she's looking for a
big knife or some sort of club. She's a queen from beyond the
Badlands, and you're going to regret choosing her, I think."