Malum and his unit had returned to Rebaz with their prisoner and some supplies from their victory over the Nanook Soldiers at the Great Wall. The female prisoner was being held in a makeshift cell because Malum didn't want her too far out of his sight.
Atoc Baal had interrogated her. Malum permitted him to use his abilities with the O element to probe her mind. So far, he had only attained her name, Lady Veneno. She, too, had powers, so she could resist Atoc's invasion of her mind.
Lady Veneno. Malum wasn't sure what she was a Lady of. Usually, such a title suggests royalty or nobility. Malum didn't know enough about the people of Nanook to know if she was noble or not. For now, Malum assumed she was valuable as a hostage and might be used for leverage down the road.
Malum didn't like the way she stared at him. He had never experienced such attention before. Thea wasn't exactly shy, but she was more subtle. Lady Veneno didn't hide much. She only seemed to hold her opinions and voice when asked to give intel. The rest of the time, Veneno had no trouble hurling insults and telling anyone what she felt. Malum looked forward to the day he could hand her over to someone else.
Malum and Atoc Baal were looking over plans for their next patrols when a messenger interrupted them.
"Sir, units from the North have arrived and are looking for you." Said the young soldier.
"Thank you. Do we know what units these are?" Malum inquired.
"I'm sorry, Sir, I do not." The soldier saluted and left shortly after a familiar face walked in.
"Elisapie!" Malum shouted louder than he intended. "It's great to see you. Is Gaia with you?"
Before Elisapie could answer, Gaia barged in and said, "Yep, I'm here. Are we all just talking about how great I am? If not, we should."
"Same old Gaia. What are you doing here?" Malum asked.
"I'll tell you it isn't to drink. OK, it isn't only to drink." Gaia said.
"We've got orders," Elisapie said. "We are to move South. You and your men are to come along with us."
"What has happened? It must be going badly if they are calling all of us back." Malum assessed.
"From the sound of it, yes." Elisapie continued. "How has the fighting here gone?"
"We were very successful." Malum started
"We crushed the Nanook and took a prisoner." Atoc finished proudly.
"We had similar luck. It seems the fighting in the North was a diversion, though. Kittisek Khan has assembled the majority of his forces and Ijani Knights in the South. Queen Waconi is desperate for us to reinforce her." Elisapie said.
"It is a long journey back through the mountains. We must leave at once." Malum said, standing up from his chair.
"It will be nightfall soon; we'll have to wait until morning," Atoc said.
"Not if you have someone who can find their way in the dark," a new voice said.
"Said the lady who is part wolf. Come in, Malaika; I see Elisapie found you," Malum chirped. Malum saw Malaika's face, which was making an odd expression as she looked at Atoc Baal. "Malaika, do you know Atoc?"
"He was at the ice battle we fought against the Witches," Malaika said.
"Yes, I know. I didn't know everyone had met." Malum said, confused.
"And," Malaika was about to explain but stopped herself as her Master Chaska entered.
Atoc suddenly stood up with an angered look. Chaska and Atoc were locking eyes like two bulls about to lock horns. The rest of the room was silent and not moving. All eyes were on what the two men might do.
"It isn't the end of summer. I am here to perform my duty." Chaska finally said to break everyone's tension.
"I am here for duty as well," Atoc said.
"Now that's all cleared up," Malum said, returning the conversation to their orders. "Malaika, do you think it is worth starting off South in the dark? Can you and Chaska lead us?"
"It would be a challenge with this many, but not impossible," Malaika assured.
"I will inform everyone to pack up and be ready to leave. We are taking as many villagers with us who will leave. We can't take them to Invan as it is too far out of the way. To Falcoette, we'll lead them. It is on the way South." Malum informed.
"That complicates things," Chaska said.
"They've had their crops burned. They were barely going to hang on with our help. Now that we are leaving. There is little choice."
"It will slow our journey to help Queen Waconi," Elisapie commented.
"You and Gaia can lead your units as fast as you deem necessary. My unit will help these people." Malum said resolutely.
"We will stay with your unit. You will need us to help coordinate this improvised exodus." Elisapie said.
"Then let's get moving," Malum ordered.
————
Maliaka and Chaska were leading the caravan out of Rebaz. Malum had been relatively successful in convincing the people to leave with them. Elispaie and Gaia were in the middle of the procession.
Malum and Atoc's unit was at the back. Their prisoner, Lady Veneno, was on Stully beside Malum, and they were the last two in the line. He wasn't going to trust anyone but himself to watch her.
Malum wanted to ask Atoc about the bad blood between him and Chaska but knew he wasn't the type to spill his guts. So it just festered in his brain the whole journey?
Atoc wouldn't talk, and he couldn't get Veneno to stop.
"The Great Khan has your forces moving in circles. You come to the mountains, and you leave the mountains. You are a bunch of cowards." she spat.
"It does appear that your leaders have outmaneuvered us on this occasion." Malum had to admit. Malum hadn't been a military leader long, so he wasn't sure he could have done any better.
Malum was still annoyed with Flaero, the alliance with the Witches, and the lousy intel about Thea. Now, more poor planning. Malum was probably being hard on this friend.
"And we will keep outsmarting you. You're all pig fucking morons." Veneno continued.
"Who have you as a prisoner, so what's that make you?" Malum said, enjoying himself.
"I'll escape. I'm not worried."
"You haven't given us any useful information, and you're kind of a burden. Maybe I'll let Atoc kill you like he wants to."
"Yeah, I know he does. He's a psycho."
Malum tugged at Nox's reins as his horse got restless. He couldn't really blame him; Malum was feeling restless. They had been moving at a slow pace in the night. They were lucky that the skies were clear and the stars and moon were bright.
Malum could feel Veneno's eyes on him. He didn't want to show it was bothering him.
"You know that I can see you trying to get your irons off?" Malum said to her.
"Yeah, but if you were me, wouldn't you be trying?"
"I suppose I would," Malum said, thinking of his time as a prisoner of the Shadow Coven. Malum sensed she might try something similar to how he escaped his chains. Malum wasn't sure what he would do with her once they got to the fighting. Maybe it was best to have Atoc kill her. Malum just wasn't ready to be that kind of leader yet. Malum wasn't afraid he'd feel guilty; he was worried he'd enjoy it.
———
In the mountain passes, the conditions turned cold, and it was snowing. Falcoette was on the other side of the mountains. It was an uncomfortable ride uphill. The horses were doing the hard work and would need to stop for rest soon.
"Is this sad creature the best you can give me?" Veneno complained.
"You don't like him?" Malum chuckled.
"How is such a pathetic thing allowed in a military?"
"Oh, it doesn't belong to the military. Stully is sort of mine." Malum tried to explain.
"Yours? That doesn't surprise me."
"Am I pathetic as well? Is that why it doesn't surprise you?" Malum toyed with her. Veneno has yet to respond. She must not like the game as much as Malum. Perhaps Malum should enjoy the few moments when she wants to be silent.
As the leader of the Ningal, Malum knew he shouldn't be so casual in conversation with a prisoner. Probing her mind didn't work, so maybe she'd slip up and let her guard down long enough to divulge something. He couldn't help himself and tease her.
They reached the higher passes, and the journey became more treacherous, with dangerous drop-offs and precipices around them. The sun had risen to help the horses find their footing, but the temperature didn't rise much, and it was difficult to be comfortable as the wind cut through everyone's clothes with blustery gales.
A mountain glacial lake provided enough open fresh water for the horses to rest quickly and replenish. Some fires were made to get warm and cook a few things. Malum had to be more watchful of Veneno as there was ample opportunity for her to try and escape. The mountain slopes provided lots of areas for Veneno to make a run for it.
High plateaus and narrow trails made travel slow, but there were parts that only one could pass at a time, leading to some separation. It was during one of these problematic areas that Veneno made her move.
Veneno was briefly out of Malum's sight, but it was enough to delay his realization that she had bolted. Malum quickly picked up her escape route as a tremendous amount of dust kicked up.
She had managed to get down some loose rock and dirt quickly. There were dangerous crevasses cut into the rock that flash flooding and years of erosion carved out of the mountain. So far, Stully has helped her avoid them.
Malum and Nox followed her trail while the others kept going. It didn't take long to catch up to her as Stully had thrown her off. Veneno was in a precarious position, though, as when Stully threw her, she had slid over a crevasse and was clinging to the rock with her feet dangling. If she fell, it wouldn't kill her as there appeared to be some terrain twenty feet below her. Some large rocks that sat there were the trouble. If she fell on those, she'd be in trouble.
Malum tried to get to her quickly, but she either let go or slipped and fell. She didn't manage to avoid the rocks, and Malum could see she was in a lot of pain. Malum found a way to get down to her.
She was conscious and still able to insult him.
"Go away. Would you just leave me here to die." She commanded, annoyed at his rescue attempt.
"It would be easier for both of us if I did, believe me," Malum said.
Malum inspected her injuries, and it looked like she might have some broken bones and bruising in multiple places. There was a head wound gushing blood that concerned him most.
Malum didn't have any conventional ways to tend to the wounds. Malum remembers that Thea had healed him when he was stabbed, a wound he still felt the effects of, but Thea had stopped his bleeding at the time. He would have to try to use his powers with the O element and do the same for Veneno.
Malum sunk deep into himself and tried remembering what Thea had taught him about healing.
"Are you taking a nap? I'm suffering here, and you're taking a break." Veneno yelled at him.
"Could you shut up for a moment?" Malum snapped.
Malum reached his right hand over her head wound, and he felt a burning sensation. It was working; Veneno's wound was cauterizing shut. His hand felt like a fire, but he endured the pain. The energy required to heal must have been so intense that it caused such heat, or so Malum guessed.
Once he had stopped her bleeding, he attended to the broken leg. Malum knew he didn't know how to mend it fully but did what he could so that she could at least stand.
Malum helped Veneno get to Stully, but she passed out. She probably had internal bleeding and other injuries that Malum couldn't see. Malum put her on Nox with him so that he could hold her as they climbed back up the slope and found the others.
Atoc Baal was waiting for Malum.
"I told you we should have killed her. She's not worth all the trouble." Atoc said coldly.
"Like always, you're probably right. Nevertheless, we should see if we can't find one of the wagons where the prisoner can lie down. I want you to sit guard over her for a while. No killing." Malum instructed.
Malum had one of the village women attend to Veneno as a nurse and watch for fever. He knew Atoc would not be so obliging.
The long caravan of soldiers and Villagers finally came out of the mountain passes and was heading down into the valley. It didn't take long to warm up out of the mountains as the rainforest and jungle awaited them.
The mountains were only snow-capped because of the high altitude. Those same peaks made it difficult for clouds to get over and caused them to dump all their moisture on the valley below. They followed the Rosh River, leading them to Falcoette and eventually to Mazatl.
Mazatl was the capital of the State of Tenoch and an essential city in Hanwi. It was the second largest city, but its closeness to the Capitol of Nanook, just on the other side of the Rosh River delta, made it a vital strategic target. It was where Queen Waconi was fighting and Malum's destination. It was all the way to the coast and the sea.
Orachon was the Capital of Nanook. The Great Wall made it challenging to access the city, so most trade and travel was by a short ship voyage. Malum and his group were a long way from there and the fighting. First, they must reach Falcoette.
——
In Falcoette, Malum met with the city leaders and negotiated a place for the villagers of Rebaz to stay. They were now refugees, and Malum felt responsible for whatever was going to happen to them until this conflict ended.
In the city, he also found a doctor to assess Veneno. She had a high fever and was looking paler. The doctor gave Malum some herbs for tea and said he could do little else. Veneno was mostly sleeping and had little energy. The soldiers and horses were also able to mend in town.
Malum and the others departed without the villagers and needed to make up time. Veneno was still in a wagon being guarded by Atoc. Whenever Veneno needed water or anything, Malum would tend to her, as Atoc refused.
Intense rain storms would appear on them quickly and then dissipate just as fast. It would leave them soaked, but the high humidity that followed was just as oppressive.
On the journey South, they passed salty lakes that were remnants of ancient oceans. They couldn't stop and get a drink, as it would have made them crazy. They went through valleys that had old dwellings carved into the cliffsides. Mostly, they traveled through deep forests. Mosquitoes and flies pestered them constantly. Exotic birds flew from tree to tree and squawked up a storm. Monkeys bounced from branch to branch high in the canopy. Snakes would slither by on the trail, which unsettled the horses. All kinds of animals, plants, and fauna surrounded them, and Malum didn't know the names of most of them.
Malaika and Chaska, who were still leading the march to Mazatl, would have known, and they could probably talk to each creature. Malum was jealous of their abilities at times.
Elisapie and Gaia were always able to amuse themselves. No situation fazed them, and their fun personalities helped keep the men loose. On such a long trek, it's helpful to bolster the morale.
Veneno woke up more lucid as her fever broke.
"What happened?" She inquired.
"You tried to escape, and I saved you," Malum said, bragging.
"Ah, yes, I remember. Why did you save me?"
"It's so much more torture to keep you in my company. Most people enjoy being around me."
"What will happen to me when we reach Mazatl?"
"I honestly don't know. It will be out of my hands. You might even manage to escape, as we'll be distracted with other things," Malum said, getting a funny look from Atoc, who begrudgingly had to listen to their banter.
Veneno had started the journey in fine Ijani Knight robes, her long silky black hair kept in tight braids. She had a youthful, striking face and intense brown eyes. Her illness and the journey had worn on her clothes and looks, and she had lost some of her venom. Such times would scar and take a toll on them all.
"Now that you're feeling better, don't suppose you want to get back on Stully?" Malum joked.
"The only thing I want to do with that damn donkey is eat him for breakfast. The stupid thing threw me off; otherwise, I would have escaped." Lady Veneno said with her returning insults.
"I'm Glad to see you are feeling well enough, but it seems your gratitude is the same as ever," Malum rebuked. "Stully is a handful. It's about time his stubbornness was useful."
"I wasn't joking about being hungry. Is a prisoner allowed to eat?" Veneno asked.
Malum reached into his satchel and pulled out a dried sausage. He gave it to Veneno, who gladly accepted it and devoured it.
"Got any more?" She asked.
"Not at the rate you're eating them."
Malum threw her his cantina of water, "This will have to do for now."
In the distance, Malum could see smoke, and a fear filled him. He hoped his choice to help the villagers of Rebaz wasn't at the expense of Queen Waconi and the people of Mazatl.
In the hills overlooking Mazatl, they could see ships battling in the sea and damage to parts of the city.
Malum and his forces came into the city from the East, and he located Queen Waconi.
"You don't know how glad we are to see you." The Queen greeted them. "If it had taken much longer, you would have been visiting Kittisek Khan as ruler of this city."
"We are sorry for the delay. Put us to use. We are at your command." Malum said.
"Who is this?" Queen Qaconi said, gesturing to Veneno.
"She is our prisoner. She calls herself Lady Veneno." Malum informed.
"She is Kittisek Khan's cousin. Not that it will matter to him." The Queen said.
"What are we to do with her?" Malum inquired.
"We will deal with her later. We have a city to save." The Queen commanded.