Seers of Verde: The Legend Fulfilled: Book One (27 page)

5

The execution of Erlan Telfeer did not appease Rufina. The High Seer was still furious over Circle Sankarikiller’s surprisingly easy ambush and the ensuing slaughter of half of the captain’s troop.

The exercise that had started out to strike terror in every Nuven heart through the extermination of a remote village had turned into a brazen act of revenge by those mysterious young Defenders. Instead of being disheartened, the barbarians now had new heroes to give them hope.

“We need to place our Seers in the Nuven temples immediately,” Rufina said, slapping her hands loudly for emphasis.

Even the normally eager-to-please Lanella could not offer her solace. “We are testing our watchers as fast as we can, High Seer. It has been difficult finding sixty sisters with the gift who can carry out this mission.”

Rufina snorted. “It is taking too long. The Nuvens grow bolder with every passing day.” Pausing for a moment, Rufina barked out an order. “We don’t need six Seers blessed with gift of sight in every temple. Send six of the most talented to Temple Darya where those cursed new Defenders are stationed. For the other nine minor temples, send a Seer and five good spies. The Nuvens won’t know the difference.”

Lanella bowed. “Yes, High Seer.”

Rufina stopped her when she turned to leave. “I want you to lead the mission at Temple Darya. You are the only one I can trust to carry out what must be done.”

The younger Seer smiled with pride. “You honor me, High Seer. I was going to ask permission to lead one of our parties.”

Rufina nodded while she considered another idea. “Yes, yes, Lanella, I was expecting you to volunteer. I would have been surprised if you had not done so. However, I will choose the other five who will accompany you. They must be perfect for this assignment. I want Seers who are as beautiful as they are gifted.”

Lanella lifted her eyebrows in surprise, but said nothing. Rufina smiled at the younger woman’s reaction. “You are savvy in many things, Lanella, but not in the ways of men’s desires. With the selection of the right women, one or more of those young Defenders may fall under the spell of our Seers.”

Lanella considered the plot and smiled in agreement. “It will be done, High Seer. The candidates for Temple Darya will be sent to you for selection.”

¶ ¶ ¶

Verinya’s heart sank with every selection. She had been one of fifteen young women who had been summoned before the High Seer for selection to accompany Lanella to Temple Darya. Now, four had been chosen by the High Seer, who paced back and forth in front of the group, critiquing them as if they were commodities in a marketplace. Rufina had asked all of them personal questions, such as how many lovers they claimed and if they were adept in seduction.

The High Seer frowned as she regarded the final eleven. This choice was proving to be difficult. She liked two candidates. One was a tall beauty with a full figure that most men would fight their brothers for the chance to sleep with. But she looked similar to the other comely Seers Rufina had selected for their beauty and sexual expertise.

The other woman was petite and fair skinned. She looked much younger than her years. Her innocence was not an act. This Seer had only had one sexual encounter, a hurried act with a drunken Tarylan guard. Rufina studied the young women she was considering. She asked both to stand at either end of the line with the four women she had selected to accompany Lanella.

The High Seer smiled with approval. The petite Seer stood out. Her youthful look was even more exaggerated when compared to the others. Perhaps one of the Defenders also would notice the refreshing difference.

“Verinya, you are chosen to accompany Lanella’s group to Temple Darya,” Rufina announced. The High Seer placated the disappointed taller woman. “Your beauty and talents will not be wasted. You may have your choice of leading a Seer group at one of the other temples.”

The Seer who was not picked looked surprised, then beamed with pride at the confidence Rufina had shown in her. She ran over to Verinya, gave her a warm hug and wished her well. Verinya was shocked at being chosen. She was joining the elite group selected to ferret out the secrets of Defenders at Temple Darya.

Lanella thanked the young women who were not chosen to join her group and assured them they would be dispersed among the other Nuven temples as well. Turning to her select group, Lanella ordered them to be ready to leave at first light for Temple Darya. She wanted her Seers in place at the temple as soon as possible.

The five young Seers bowed to Rufina and Lanella and scurried away to make preparations for what they assumed would be the adventure of their lives.

6

Manor Stillinger and the other Sankari captains stared at the diagram of Temple Darya. Their spies had provided amazingly detailed drawings of the Nuven fortress. Apparently, very few areas were forbidden to strangers. All accesses to the temple were noted, as well as watchtower schedules and guard postings.

Even the locations of armories, food pantries, stables, and archer barracks were included. One of the most important details was missing, however — where the Defenders were housed.

The Sankari spies were unable to discover where the Defenders spent their leisure time or slept. It seemed these elite Nuven warriors somehow melted into the walls of the temple at will. Apparently, there was no one area for the Defenders. They dined in the commons with all the other temple dwellers. Their schedules were erratic. These warriors came and went as they pleased. It was never a surprise to see Defenders occasionally manning the watchtowers, providing security for the gates, or patrolling the perimeter of the temple at all hours of the day and night.

The Verdan spies also were unable to find out one key piece of information — how many Defenders were stationed in the temple. All the informants tried to guess, but each tallied a different number. The counts ranged from about fifty to as high as one hundred.

Manor shook his head in disbelief as he read the dispatches from the spies. All presented good arguments for how many Defenders they thought were in the temple, but the numbers were different.

“How can this be?” Manor grumbled as he paced back and forth across a room in Fortress Bryann. “Our spies agree on everything else in minute detail, but they have no clue how many Defenders there are.”

Stanis Shalov, one of the older captains, shrugged. “We have known for many harvests the Defenders follow no set pattern. Those of us who have faced them in battle know how unpredictable they can be,” he said. “This campaign against the Nuvens may not have gone so well if we hadn’t had help from the Seers.”

Manor threw up his hands in frustration. “No one is debating the vermin’s fighting skills. I don’t understand why all the Defenders can’t be identified and counted.”

Stanis smiled at his younger peer. “Perhaps the vermin don’t wish to be counted. Their leaders may suspect we have spies in their midst. If I was them I, too, would make such an assumption. Look at the reports from our people in the temple. Sometimes the Defenders appear in casual dress and other times they are in full battle gear with their faces covered.”

“So what?” Manor said, not masking his impatience.

Stanis casually leaned back against a wall as he thought. “Perhaps our spies are seeing the same Defenders twice or even more times in different gear. What a clever subterfuge. Give the appearance of many more men than you actually have.”

The younger captain acknowledged that Stanis’s theory was sound. “Even so, it still does not tell us how many Defenders are stationed at the temple.”

Stanis reached for the spies’ dispatches and studied them carefully. “Numbers two and five both describe the features and characteristics of the Defenders they have identified. Their counts are only off by two — either forty-four or forty-six. The other spies go on about the mysterious masked Defenders they cannot recognize. Numbers two and five are reluctant to count these unknown Defenders.”

The other captains at the table voiced their agreement. Stanis stood up. “Soon we will have even more eyes in the temple when the new Seers arrive. Let us see what numbers these watchers will provide.”

Manor smiled as he accepted Stanis’s proposal. However, it did not solve their main objective. “Even when we determine how many there are of the vermin, it still does not help us with how to breach the temple. This stronghold is almost as impenetrable as Fortress Bryann.”

Stanis examined the temple’s blueprint, which had been copied on a huge canopy that hung on the wall in front of them. “You speak the truth, Manor. It is unfortunate so many of our grandfathers volunteered to build the intruders a temple they could feel safe in. If we had an army with all of its resources and weapons we could be successful, but even some of our people are speaking out against us.”

The Sankari had been fighting a secret war against the Nuvens for more than seventy harvests. They fought at the behest of the Seers, who feared the Nuvens and their religion, which was attracting too many Verdan converts.

Many Verdans were outraged by the attacks on the Nuvens, whom they considered to be the lost ones from the storied early days after the planet was settled. Many entreaties were sent to the Seers begging for a resolution of the violence.

Temple Darya was solid and well fortified. It was designed so a few Defenders could withstand a prolonged attack by a large enemy. The temple was built into a mountain. It had its own water supply from two waterfalls. Massive amounts of food and supplies could be stored for long periods in its subterranean caves.

Even though the Verdans had tried to assure the Nuvens that they would be protected and safe in their new home, the new immigrants demanded a safe stronghold be built. The Nuvens were fleeing an enemy they called Tanlians, who they said had preyed on them since their ancestors landed on the planet.

The Verdans were puzzled by these stories. They had only been attacked once in their history. The first colonists had repelled the marauders, who had never reappeared.

Manor impatiently addressed his peers. “We have to find a way to penetrate that temple. It won’t make any difference how many hidden eyes we have in there if we can’t destroy it and kill the Defenders.”

The young captain grew tired of sitting in the room with the other Sankari leaders and talking but finding no solutions. He needed fresh air to think. Manor strode out the fortress gate and headed toward the nearest glider launch site.

After climbing the nearby mountain for almost two hours, he reached his favorite takeoff point, an outcropping over the Nandez River. Two fellow flyers helped him find a well-built glider to his liking. A check of the wind currents determined it was safe for a launch. Without a second thought, Manor sprinted off the ledge and flung himself into the air.

The glider banked downward for a few seconds, which was normal. The Sankari turned into the wind and swooped upward almost as fast as he had dropped. Manor smiled as he found an air current to his liking and steered the glider to ride along with it. This was one of the few activities where he could find peace — soaring over the Verdan valley much like a bird of prey.

How boring our lives would be if one the first colonists hadn’t built a crude glider and leapt off into the unknown only to find he could soar effortlessly over the valley,
the captain thought.

With no destination in mind, Manor flew over Verde City and then headed down the valley, grinning as children in small villages shouted and waved as he soared overhead. As he followed the river, a detestable site came into view — the newest of the Nuven fortresses, Temple Vonn. Manor started to bank away, but curiosity tugged at him.

In a bold move, he glided above the temple and circled it. The captain could plainly see people going about their business. He banked closer until he was only about thirty meters above the nearest guard tower. Three guards walked out of the tower onto the wall’s walkway and watched him with amusement. One even waved. The other two did not threaten him or call out a warning.

Manor banked as close as he could and still ride his current. “Greetings, cousins,” he called out in the friendliest Nuven greeting he knew. “Your temple looks impressive from here.”

Now all three guards laughed and waved.”Greetings to you, too, cousin,” one of the men shouted. “You are welcome here. We will be happy to share a mug.”

Manor was stunned by the gesture of friendship, then smiled as the solution to his problem spread out in front of him. “Thank you, I will be back to take you up on your offer,” the Sankari officer shouted as he banked away and glided toward Fortress Bryann.

7

The new troops were still a half-kilometer away from Temple Darya when crowds of well-wishers rushed out to them. Word of Circle Sankarikiller’s victory over the Sankari, who had slaughtered an entire Nuven village, had quickly reached the temple.

The young Defenders were given a hero’s welcome as they and their fellow troops marched the remaining distance to the Nuven fortress. They beamed with pride when they entered the temple to even more raucous cheering and blaring trumpets. Even Witt Peyser couldn’t suppress a proud smile as they marched through the throngs of admirers. It had been many harvests since there had been such an overwhelming Defender victory over the hated Sankari.

Instead of traveling the usual route to the temple barracks, the troops were obliged to follow a snaking path through the admiring throng, which circled the temple and emptied out into the large center courtyard. When they finally stopped and were assembled, Xander Vonn strode toward Witt.

Before the steward could react, the Defender leader saluted Witt, then clasped him proudly on the shoulder. Stunned by the gesture, Witt returned the salute, then waved toward Circle Sankarikiller, who stood in the front line at the insistence of their fellow troopers.

In a rare show of emotion, the elder patted the young warriors on their shoulders, telling each one, “Well done. We’re proud of you.” Turning toward the crowd, Xander called out: “These young Defenders have avenged a terrible crime against the Nuven people and now the Sankari know they will be dealt with just as savagely.”

The crowded courtyard erupted in a victorious cheer. A gesture from Xander indicated that the crowd should move, and when they did, they revealed dozens of tables set up with food and drink. Smiling, the elder said, “I imagine you young ones are hungry and thirsty after your long journey and adventure. We’ve prepared a banquet in your honor.”

The members of Circle Sankarikiller stood looking wide-eyed at the festive tables and adoring crowds. A friendly bark from Witt got their attention. “Pups, you’ve just been invited to the table by an elder. I suggest you accept so all the others and myself can enjoy this feast.”

Tugging on Aron Nels’s sleeve, Egan Pozos dragged his circle brother out of the line and headed toward one of the teeming tables. The other brothers quickly followed, again to the cheers of the crowd, who eagerly swarmed to the food and drink.

¶ ¶ ¶

Six young women calmly viewed the cheerful proceedings with great interest from a watchtower directly above the courtyard. They applauded politely when appropriate, just in case any curious Nuven was watching their reaction. The watchers took special notice as the members of Circle Sankarikiller stepped out from the line of troopers and took their seats at the banquet tables.

“They are barely young men,” Lanella sneered to her fellow Seers. “Those Defenders aren’t old enough to be Tarylan guards, much less Sankari. I cannot believe they attacked and killed our warriors without losing a single member.”

The other Seers nodded in agreement as they studied the young Defenders who were their source of concern at Fortress Bryann. Nothing about the young men stood out. They could walk through any village or city on Verde without being noticed.

Lanella and the other five women sat cross-legged on the ledge and stared intently at Circle Sankarikiller. After several minutes had passed, Lanella uttered a curse. “Our spies were correct. I cannot see into any of them.” The frowns on the other Seers told her all she needed to know. These enemy warriors were indeed unreadable, a discomforting thought.
Verinya watched curiously as one of the young Defenders stretched awkwardly and looked around. He was the one who had been dragged out of the line by his circle brother. It was evident this Defender was uncomfortable with the attention from the crowd. He kept shifting on his seat and looking around nervously.

After twitching some more, Aron Nels turned and scanned the walls of the temple. It looked like he was searching for something. Scrutinizing the ledge on the watchtower, the Defender stopped with a startled look as he spotted the young women. Verinya watched with slight amusement, knowing he was looking them over.

Lanella started to mock the watching Nuven, when the other nine Defenders swung around in unison to look up at the Seers. “How in Mother Verde did they do that? I didn’t see him say anything or give any signal,” she said.

Aron had been nervous about something as soon as he sat down at the table. Despite all the well wishes, the Defender felt like he was being watched from afar. Of course he was being doted on by his fellow Nuvens, but something wasn’t right.

He looked around, even glanced up at the watchtower, where he spotted the young women who were staring at him and his circle brothers. Not knowing why the Seers were so intense, he signaled the others with a series of low hums, which told them exactly where to look. Without questioning him, his circle brothers all swung around to investigate.

Egan Pozos studied the young women for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh. “Well done, Aron. I see you’ve spotted six attractive admirers, but there are only six of them. Four of us are going to be left out.”

The other circle brothers joined in the moment. Some of them patted Aron on the head, thanking him for spotting such a dangerous threat. A few others offered to help him capture “those fierce-looking females.”

The other eight turned back to their food and drink. Egan looked for a moment longer and gave all six a lingering wink. Chuckling, he jabbed Aron in the side and returned to his meal.

Embarrassed by the circle’s reaction, Aron frowned and glanced up again at the young women. Verinya was amused at the reaction of the other Defenders. Smiling coyly at Aron, the Seer thought she detected a shadow of a smile in return. The Nuven started to turn back to the table to continue his meal, but was interrupted by a young man who ran over to him and gave him a warm hug.

Startled by arms thrown around his neck, Aron instinctively grabbed for his attacker’s limbs and raised an elbow for a savage backward thrust when Egan stopped him. “Don’t hurt him, Aron. It’s Tevan.”

Aron stood up to see his cousin facing him, laughing with delight. He was too startled to say anything.

Tevan hugged his cousin again. “I find Aron. I find Aron,” he repeated over and over again. “Aron say good-bye, Tevan say good-bye. Tevan come with Aron,” the man-child said, laughing at his cousin’s startled expression.

Aron glanced at Egan, who just sat shaking his head in wonder. The other circle brothers also voiced their shock at the surprise reunion.

“Tevan, how did you find me?” Aron stammered after seeing his kinsman standing in front of him. “Did you follow me? How?”

Aron took a step back to examine his cousin. Tevan appeared in good health and good spirits. He obviously had eaten and had access to water. Laughing, Tevan pounded Aron on the shoulder.

“Excuse me, sir. I think I can explain,” said a pot-bellied bald man with a huge white mustache.

Tevan turned and smiled. “Gristo, look. Tevan find Aron. Tevan find Aron.” The stranger introduced himself as Gristo Poller, a driver of one of the platoon’s supply wagons. “Tevan helped me hitch up my team the second day on our trip out here,” a nervous Gristo said in a shaky voice, noticing the intense looks he was getting. “I thought he was one of our wagoneers. We got along because he didn’t say much and he was good with the horses.”

Aron nodded slowly, still trying to understand how Tevan managed to join the platoon.

“I suspect this one jumped in my wagon the day you joined the platoon, sir,” Gristo said. “He’s been talking about an Aron Nels saying good-bye. Now I know what he meant. He saw you standing in line after you marched into the temple. I couldn’t stop him.”

Aron was speechless. His body swirled with emotions. He had vowed to fight and die, if necessary, with Circle Sankarikiller, but now his nearly helpless kinsman stood before him. Tevan obviously would need to be cared for.

The Defender was about to scold his cousin, when the young man pointed at the table. “Tevan hungry, Aron. Eat please. Tevan hungry.” Aron didn’t answer. Too many questions swarmed his mind.

“Let the young man eat, Defender,” Witt Peyser said from behind Aron. The steward and Elder Xander had seen the commotion and walked over to investigate.

Aron gestured toward the table and Tevan quickly sat down and helped himself. Egan grabbed a pitcher and poured him a cool drink of water. Tevan nodded and managed a muffled, “thank you,” between bites. The other members of Circle Sankarikiller greeted Aron’s cousin with friendly waves and calls. A few reached over and playfully mussed his hair. Tevan grinned in return.

Aron bowed to Xander and Witt. “My apologies, elder and steward. Apparently my kinsman stowed away aboard one of our platoon wagons and followed me here. Please forgive him. He is a quiet one, just like a child.”

Xander patted Aron’s shoulder in a fatherly manner. “Don’t worry, Defender. We shall take good care of him and return him home as soon as possible. He is welcome in Temple Darya. We shall send word to his parents by courier that he is safe with us.”

Overwhelmed by the kindness, Aron bowed and managed to utter an emotional “thank you.”

The Seers were too far away to hear, but watched this turn of events with fascination. “Something is different about that blond young man who just sat down,” Lanella said.

Verinya smiled. “He is not a Defender. I can see through his eyes.” The other Seers gazed at her with surprise.

“Excellent, Verinya. Very good indeed,” Lanella said smiling. “This could prove very valuable to us.”