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But every single business partner of Iskrila – every tribe, every trader, every crafter – had refused to work with her! The village wouldn’t stop needing tools, weapons, armor, or clothes. They could make good leather on their own, although it would take much longer than to buy it. They should have enough metals for a while, along with the rest of smithing supplies. But what about the future? There was no way to obtain metal ores in these parts, or whetstone, or molding sand, or flux. They could launch expeditions to find what they needed, but it would be so much harder and more expensive to produce it than to buy it. Should they move? Should they abandon the Lake, so full of food and water? The forests their huntresses knew so well? Or should they go for the insane expenses of securing the trade routes from Drowners, who could come from each and every direction?
Iskrila needed some air. On her way down, she glanced once again at the smithy. As always, it was crowded in there. The apprentices were doing simple things, like furnishing the bellows, moving raw materials, loading the hearth with more logs, or simply standing and observing what the others were doing. More experienced workers were doing the advanced stuff, working in pairs with the real masters. Iskrila had taught most of now-masters herself, and they all loved their craft, too focused to notice her walking around. She knew she must do what she could for them. But what?
What she couldn’t do alone, they could do as a tribe, Iskrila thought. So, she ventured to Star’s place. It was always hard to find her, for she was constantly on the move, attending to absolutely everything going on in the village. Iskrila used to find this annoying, but not anymore. Now she knew the advantages, and even strove to do the same.
When someone couldn’t perform their duties, Star could do them herself. She knew exactly how much time and resources every single job would take, so she could plan the village’s expansion and growth. She couldn’t be fooled by any foreign trader or crafter about the cost of their products, or about the labor of their services. And she could teach. Every young igni had the whole world ahead of her, and Star was equipped to show and tell about everything there was.
Luckily, Star was home when Iskrila knocked.
«Ha! I won’t have to go fetch you.» Sabiri let her in. «Star and I have been discussing what to do.»
Star, being a chief, had the biggest home in the village, not counting the inn. And she used every last bit of it. Brightly lit by four big windows, the interior looked like a wild mishmash of old and new, small and big, functional and entertaining.
The entire floor was covered with dozens of thick hides, muting the hoofsteps. A big stove in the far corner, black from centuries of use, hosted a variety of kitchen stuff on its top. The cabinets in every other corner were filled with food, books, tools, and games. On the floor sat half a dozen trunks filled with more books and scrolls, clothes, bedding, and puzzles. Iskrila loved those puzzles and visited Star sometimes just to solve a few. In the other corner stood a guest bed that often bore signs of recent use.
The walls were occupied by the weaponry that Star had collected over the centuries, and she used all of them in turn during her regular training. Iskrila was always fond to come here just to look at those ancient and modern blades. Among her favorites was a spear with a wide double-edged tip with a hook. She liked a slightly curved, single-edged sword with green and red gems on the handle. A double-handed half-axe, half-hammer was teasing her imagination. And she still had no idea what animal she had to find to replicate that huge and beautiful bow, carved from a single bone.
At each of the four big windows stood heavy tables. One was littered with pieces of paper, scrolls, books, and bottles of ink. That table was mostly used by Edweena, Star’s lover, who was very fond of writing poetry and plays. Iskrila never really liked acting in them, but she enjoyed watching. She loved Edweena’s talent and treasured being able to witness her constantly maturing and improving.
«You don’t sound like you’ve made progress.» Iskrila locked the door.
«We did, but neither of us like it.» Sabiri’s hooves were already clattering on the staircase.
Iskrila followed her to the second floor, which contained two separate guest rooms, then to the third and final floor. The interior here was almost the same as on the first floor but with no stove and a much larger bed.
«What do you have in mind?» Iskrila greeted Star with a fist bump.
Star gave Iskrila some space at the table. «Sit and look at the map!»
Iskrila immediately recognized Imbrergoso, the grounds around it, the road. Little black lines surrounded the walls and the woods around the village. Towards them led a few arrows with little numbers written nearby. Small rectangles were afloat in Drowners’ waters, cutting off the rest of the Lake.
With each passing moment, both realization and fear grew in Iskrila’s mind. Suddenly, a jolt of dread shook her.
«Seriously?» Iskrila exhaled, staring at Star and Sabiri. «Are you suggesting attacking them? Or is it just a blockade?»
Star sighed heavily, fidgeted in her chair, but didn’t speak. Sabiri was silently staring at the far window.
«How is it a good idea if you’re so uncomfortable with it?» Iskrila stood up and looked Sabiri in the eye. «What Drowners are doing is evil, but I don’t think I would retaliate that far!»
Sabiri met her gaze but said nothing. Her eyes kept searching for something, her crossed hands kept squeezing her arms, her facial expression kept on shifting slightly, but she couldn’t say a word.
«I don’t want any blood,» Star finally answered. «But first of all, I need to secure our future. You know we cannot just pack up and leave. A population this size needs much more food and protection that we can secure fast enough. And we cannot stay in this seclusion. Jaesa refused all the options I’ve offered lately, so all we have left is force.»
«So, is it a blockade or a siege?»
«Siege,» Sabiri answered. «Blockading them would take too much time and would be too dangerous. If too many soldiers would take part, our villages would be unprotected. And if too few soldiers were to surround Drowners, they would try to counterattack.»
Her words made sense, but Iskrila didn’t feel any better about it. In fact, she felt even worse, for her imagination started painting the most unfortunate turns of events.
«Wait,» Iskrila asked, «what «villages’?»
«All of them.» Star joined them at the window. «Vapors and Scarlets really want this to end.»
«And you think Drowners would attack such an armada?»
«I don’t care.» Sabiri shook her head. «The possibility is there, so I cannot risk it. Besides, just a few of them need to escape. With the amount of money they could’ve gathered in their raids, they could afford mercenaries. What would they attack then? Our flanks? Our homes? Why would I risk it? It’s way safer to gather as many soldiers as possible from all the villages, quickly beat Drowners into submission, then return to guard our own walls ASAP.»
Iskrila tried to remember those numbers on the map. That would be about half a thousand soldiers on the field. She knew for a fact that it would be nothing, that the attackers needed three times as many people than the defenders. But Sabiri must’ve known that as well!
«We still won’t have enough people for a siege,» Iskrila voiced her concern. «We would need at least twice as many soldiers as you’ve scribed on the map!»
«Only if we were to climb the walls.»
«But you said siege!»
«We believe it’s possible to destroy the wall. Without it, Drowners would be at a disadvantage. Hopefully, they would realize that and just surrender.»
«And how would we destroy it?»
«This is where you come in.» Sabiri smiled. «Flaming arrows are certainly beautiful during festivities, but they are also destructive.»
Iskrila’s jaw dropped when she heard that. Sabiri was joking, she thought. No, not joking, but mistaken. That would never work! The logs that built the wall were too thick to set aflame with pesky little arrows!
Star smiled too, seeing Iskrila’s confused face. «We know what you’re thinking. It could work. A hundred thousand arrows, raining at the wall constantly, should be enough to heat it up. Even if it doesn’t catch ablaze, there would still be smoke. We could manage to scare Drowners enough to evacuate, especially if enough smoke appeared.»
More and more questions popped up in Iskrila’s head, but most of them she immediately answered herself. It didn’t bring her any closure or comfort, but what other option should she offer? What was safer? What was faster? What was at least as good? A minute passed, and Iskrila still didn’t have the answer.
«It’ll take a while to get ready, and a lot of work. Drowners could see something, could hear something,» Iskrila said.
Star reassured her. «The moment Drowners learn it, we would also know. It’s not ideal, and it is hard to pull off, but it wouldn’t be the first time we fought with a quill and some ink.»
Iskrila made another heavy sigh, but she didn’t have a better plan.
«Alright,» Iskrila said. «Let’s do it.»
Vigilance and prudence
Ouch! Why do those stupid bushes have thorns on them? Sabiri licked a drop of blood from her finger. Paranoid, she checked once again that her horns were nicely hidden behind the bush, then carefully moved the branches just enough to see through. Today should be their last reconnaissance mission before the attack, so she’d better be careful.
«Two guards in front of the gates, four are patrolling on the wall…» Sabiri counted. «All as usual. I hardly ever see their people patrolling outside.»
Greta, Poinistan’s war mistress, pushed her aside to take a look. «Well, it’s easier for us, then! No surprises mean minimal casualties. Hopefully.»
Sabiri made another opening for herself. The distance to the village was considerable. Aside from a few bushes scattered around, there was no cover.
«I can’t hear them. So, hopefully our arrival should come unnoticed,» Sabiri said.
Shai, Imbralestan’s war mistress, sat down nearby and examined the view. «I’m a bit worried about our boats. Once they come close enough to the pier, the wall would hide them from sight. We wouldn’t see the situation there.»
Greta sighed. «Yeah, that sucks, but it should also be the easiest part of the assault.»
Shai answered something, but Sabiri wasn’t listening. A wagon appeared from the forest ahead of them. Instead of going straight, it turned on the crossroad towards Imbrergoso. Then it stopped. Did they miss their turn? Apparently so, for the wagon turned back and went around the village.
«Greta, you think that wagon aimed to reach your tribe?» Sabiri asked.
«Fucking idiots!» Greta shook her fist at the wagon. «No way they haven’t heard the news! Why did we dispatch additional warnings everywhere we could? So everyone ignored them? Look at those Drowners!»
The Drowners guarding the wall had already gathered together and were now watching the wagon slowly leaving their lands, creaking without enough oil on its axis.
Shai whispered, «It’s almost teasing them! I guess we should be glad they don’t constantly seek prey and sometimes just relax behind their walls.»
Sabiri wrinkled her long nose in a grimace. «Don’t you remind me about that shit! Those… those… Well, at least this will be over soon.»
Shai stood up and looked around, though she couldn’t see much in the middle of all these plants and vegetation.
«Where will the command be located? I can barely see what’s twenty meters ahead of me,» she asked.
«There’s a place; it’s almost an elevation…» Sabiri started to speak.
Shai interrupted her. «Almost? Well, great!»
«At least it’s right in front of the gates! We’ll manage,» Sabiri finished.
Greta laughed. «We can climb a tree or something. Come on, it’ll be a good enough view if it’s in front of the gates.»
Trying not to leave too many hoofprints on the soft soil, the group returned to the scouts who were standing back as lookouts.
«I heard you saw some animal traps nearby?» Sabiri asked one of them.
«Yes, mistress, I can show you,» said an Imbralestan scout.
The procession followed her. There was a little opening between the trees. Too many fallen leaves in that spot, and they definitely weren’t from the trees nearby. The scout came closer and carefully revealed the trap beneath its disguise. It was definitely intended for someone big.
«You’ve marked the spots on the map, I trust?» Sabiri asked as she knelt down to take a better look.
«Of course she did!» Shai said. «She’s one of our best scouts!»
«Have you found out when Drowners usually check their traps?» Greta asked. «It would suck to meet them before the attack.»
«I can wait for them, mistress,» the scout answered.
Sabiri nodded. «Please do. Take one of mine, and one of Scarlet’s scouts with you. I’m sure there are more than one such trap.»
The procession headed towards several streams that had been found by the scouts earlier. Those streams were quite old, having eroded deep channels for themselves, yet they ran almost noiselessly. Many animals had made their home near them, or at least their usual bathing place. Jumping around, flying up and landing back again, pecking and pushing each other, little birds were cleaning their feathers and quenching their thirst. Their lively songs and banter made Sabiri smile, distracting her from the thoughts of the upcoming battle. She cherished such distractions, for constantly thinking about death and destruction was most unpleasant.
«I see a few more such streams nearby,» Greta said. «Close enough to the field. It’s perfect!»
«Yeah, nice to have.» Shai scooped up some water and had a taste. She winced and started rubbing her hands like crazy. «Why is stream water always so cold?»
«Sometimes it’s handy, Shai. Shall we depart? We know for sure they do have some scouts,» Sabiri suggested.
They’d already finished deciding which scouts should stay back and wait for Drowners when one of them snapped her fingers twice. Everyone shut up and froze. Sabiri couldn’t see the scout, but apparently Shai could, as she showed everyone two fingers, then added another one. Great, three of them? Who? Were they Drowners? Unable to move without the signal, Sabiri felt cheated somehow. Would all their preparations be undone by some Drowners scouts?
Shai showed her thumb. Everyone crouched to hide behind the bushes and grabbed their weapons.
«Three igni, armed and poorly armored. Who knows who they are, but we can’t risk it,» the scout said. «Let’s just sneak up on them – we have bows.»
«Agreed,» Sabiri said.
There were no objections. They followed the scout, trying to stay as low and as quiet as possible. Shai was right behind her, then followed Greta and two scouts; Sabiri and the rest of the scouts were at the back. It wasn’t easy to move through all that vegetation, but at least the sounds of the wildlife would disguise the noise the igni were making.
They kept moving away from the village, but that could mean many things. They came across one more stream, then climbed up a small hill. There was an old camp near the base of the cliff; nothing but burnt logs. Time and time again they had to stop, waiting for their target to resume moving and stop looking in their direction. But this stop was different somehow.
«Everyone. We need to vote,» Sabiri heard Shai whispering.
When Sabiri came closer, she immediately saw what Shai wanted to vote about. There was a fast river ahead of them, and the igni were crossing it using a bridge. A light bridge. It looked almost like a stone bridge: there were railings on the sides, beautiful carvings on the surface – except it was made entirely of pure light. This one was white, not as bright as some others, and Sabiri could see right through it with ease.
«They look confident using that thing,» Shai whispered. «I see no quick way to cross the river. Do we abandon the pursuit or try the bridge?»
Greta said, «They don’t look like they’ve seen us, but they might be just pretending. Anyway, if those are Drowners, then what are they doing here? I think we need to know.»
Sabiri shook her head. «You understand what you’re saying? If we „need to know,“ then we need to take at least one of them alive.»
«Time’s up,» the scout whispered. «We’ll lose them.»
«We’ll probably survive if the bridge will trick us. What can it do, vanish? Or worse?» Shai said. «Let’s risk it. I’m really curious as to who they are.»
Everyone nodded. They ran to the bridge, then probed it carefully. It was solid, but for how long? Were there any empty spots? Was it going to burn them? To enchant or teleport them? What else could this thing do or not do to them?
The procession moved in a single line, trying to step where the other stepped. It was so weird to be walking on this hardened light, to see the running water right below their hooves. Just a few more meters, a little bit more. Finally, the other side. One by one, the igni stepped on the solid ground again. Safe…
With a quiet splash, the last scout fell into the water right through the bridge. The other scout managed to catch her arm last second. Shai rushed to help; she seized the scout’s free elbow. But they didn’t pull her back. Instead, they moved her through the bridge, away from it. Only now, when she wasn’t inside the bridge anymore, did they pull her out from the water. She was wet and a bit startled, but otherwise fine.
There was no time to waste. The lead scout ran ahead to track the targets. When the others caught up with her, they saw that their target had finally stopped. There was a cozy opening between the trees; the ground was covered with a thick and soft layer of moss. Two igni were sitting on the violet grass, rummaging through their bags. Another had gone, probably to find some fuel. Sabiri pointed at that lone igni, then at herself. Greta and Shai signaled that they were going with her.
Trying not to be seen, they moved around the opening. Vegetation was very dense in these parts – it took them a while to find their prey. The igni had already collected a pile of wood but was still searching the ground for more.
In two swift leaps Sabiri got to her, grabbing her from behind and covering her mouth. The igni jerked her head backwards, trying to get Sabiri’s face. Their horns clashed. The igni threw her wood on the ground, freeing her hands and making clatter. She clawed at Sabiri’s helmet, trying to reach her face. Their tails had already tied up each other’s legs, so running wasn’t an option. Grunting heavily, the igni tried to shake Sabiri off once again. She kept twisting and jerking her body with insane persistence, trying to get free. Her elbow hit Sabiri’s torso. Then again. And again.
But Shai and Greta had finally caught up. Seeing the arrows pointed at her caused the igni to stop struggling. Shai retrieved a piece of rope from her bag and quickly tied the igni’s arms, legs, and tail. Then she grabbed her sword and put the edge to their prisoner’s throat, pressing just hard enough to release a single bead of blood.
«Be silent, or it’ll be a very slow and painful death for you. Nod twice if you’ll be quiet,» Shai whispered.
The igni’s face, twisted in a grimace of hatred, didn’t show a hint of fear or pain. Even when Shai pressed her blade harder in her neck, shedding more blood. Finally, their prisoner nodded twice. Sabiri took a gag and shoved it into the igni’s mouth, then secured it with a piece of jute. Only then did Shai release the igni’s throat, but Greta never stopped aiming right at the igni’s face. Sabiri checked her limbs and torso for any damage, but those were only bruises. She grabbed the rope, tying their prisoner’s hands, and pushed her forward.
They followed Shai back to their spot. The scouts looked very pleased to see a prisoner. Now they needed to do something about the rest of the trespassers.
«What shall we do? Shout out for them? Should we try to hit them in the legs before that?» Sabiri whispered as quietly as she could right into Shai’s ear.
