Part 40

Greza looked over to Onata to see if she had heard what she had.  Start a war?  What was this governor talking about. 

“Explain,” Greza said.

The Governor smirked. 

“This war’s been brewing for a long while.  My province and a few others are about to rebel.  We’re about to find ourselves in compost heap of problems.  Three provinces are about to rebel against the Empire.”

Rebel against the Empire?  That’s insane.  No fighting force in the world could stand against the Imperial Legions. 

Three out of ten provinces.  That wasn’t good odds. 

“You don’t seem very enthusiastic about the idea,” the Governor said.  He laughed and extended his hand.  “Let me see the message.”

Onata handed the leather case over to the Governor.  He took it, opened it and began reading.  Greza watched his face for signs of his reaction.  The man was unreadable.  He then handed the message over to one of his men. 

“I see.  This message wasn’t what I expected. Your Duke is surprising.”

The Governor then took a pen and paper and began writing. 

Onata was shifting her weight and looking around with wide eyes. 

After the Governor finished his message he rolled it up and put it in the case. 

“Ladies, this message must reach your duke.  I accept his proposal and conditions.  He brings his army here in the spring and he will receive full payment then and there.”

“Our Duke will get the message,” Greza said.

“Be careful on the road.  The Empire has many agents out there.”

“He’ll get it,” Onata said. 

They left the castle and remained silent as they mounted their horses and made their way through the streets.  She kept looking to Onata and wondered if she thought the same thing she did.  This was bigger than anything they had heard of.  A civil war within the Empire?  There hadn’t been a rebellion in the Empire for over six hundred years. 

And that rebellion didn’t end well for the rebels. 

Neither of them said anything until they were well out of the city. 

“What is the Duke thinking?”  Onata asked.

“He knows what he’s doing.”

“Does he?  Maybe this Governor is offering a fortune?”

“I don’t think he’d risk his army for money.”

“You have too much faith.”

“You don’t have enough.”

Onata threw her hands up in the air. 

“Greza, why do you think the Duke is perfect?”

“I never said that.”

“You don’t have to.”

“The Empire has fought a real war in generations.  It’s not hopeless.” 

“It’s crazy.”

They rode on heading back toward the border. 

At night they stopped to make camp.  It was Onata’s turn to cook and Greza set up the tent. 

“Are we allowed to read the message?”  Greza asked as she took the saddles of their horses. 

“Unless we’re ordered not to.”

Greza took the canister and removed the scroll.  She unrolled it and began reading.  Most of it was written in vague, symbolic terms and she only understood a little of it because she knew the basic idea behind it.

What she read told her that this was something that had been planning for a long time.  Then she saw something unusual. 

“Onata, look at this.  This message says that the Duke refused the Governor’s first offer because it was too much.”

“Too much?  Now I know he’s insane.”

“There has to be more to this.  I don’t think they’d risk rebellion if they didn’t believe they were prepared.”

“Many armies that thought they were prepared met with destruction.”

The next day they continued on at a pace that was quick but wouldn’t ware out their horses. 

Eventually they arrived at the border station.  But something was different.  The guards were standing at their post looking alert and ready. 

“Eyes open,” Onata whispered.

They approached the station and one of the armored guards stepped up and raised his hand. 

“Halt and dismount,” the guard said.

They did as instructed and the guards came up and began searching   

“What’s this?”  The guard asked, pointing his sword at the message scroll. 

“An official message from an Imperial official,” Onata said.

By law, they weren’t allowed to touch it.

“Open it up,” the guard said. 

“You know we’re not allowed to let anyone see it,” Onata said. 

“Open it.”

Greza stepped up in front of Onata and looked the guard up and down.  She knew she could take all these men.  She looked in the man’s eyes and she knew that he could see it too.  He stepped away. 

Then a man emerged from the guard shack.  He was large, a good head and shoulders taller than Greza.  He was also massive.  Between his muscles and heavy armor he was almost as large as Tempest. 

He didn’t wear a helmet and had the shorn head of a soldier with scars running up and down one side of his head.  He smiled and walked up to them. 

“Guard, no need.  I’m sure these messengers must be on their way.”

“Of course, sir.” 

The guard saluted and hurried off to do anything else.

The giant man folded his arms and looked down on them. 

“I’m sure you two aren’t carrying anything of interest to the Empire.”

“Not interesting enough for you, I assume,” Onata said.

“But, there is a problem,” the giant said.  “We have word some Imperial officials are planning on doing some very stupid things.  Of course you two wouldn’t know anything about that.”

“Of course not,” Greza said.

“Mind if I take a look at the message?”

“Yes,” Onata said.

“Now, do you actually think you’re going to stop me?”  The giant asked.

“Yes,” Greza said. 

The stepped up in front of him and looked him up and down.  Strangely, he didn’t carry a sword, only a knife. 

This man would be difficult. His size and strength would make him dangerous but size and muscles didn’t make a knee joint any tougher.  A well placed blow to the right place will drop him as fast as it would drop anyone else. 

“Onata, mount up.  I’ll take care of this man,” Greza said.

Onata readily agreed and mounted her horse with the message. 

“Just give me the message and you can continue on with your life.”

“No.”

He unfolded his arms.  By the way he moved and positioned himself she could tell that this man knew how to fight.  Simple tricks and distractions wouldn’t work on him.  If he got his hands on her his strength would be problematic. 

Then the man got into a stance she recognized.  It was her own style.  This man knew how to fight like her. 

He fought like her but was bigger and stronger. 

If she fought this man, she would lose.

“See something?”  He asked.

“Where did you learn to fight?”

“The Old Imperial style of Tarashreg.  You know it.”

She took up her defensive stance and he nodded in recognition.  She looked over to make sure Onata was ready to leave.

“Onata, go now.”

The man laughed a low laugh.

“You know you can’t beat me.”

She couldn’t.  If the man had an bit of skill his size and strength would tear her apart.  She wouldn’t have time to get on her horse without him reaching her first.  If she was to get out of this alive, then she had to escape. 

Suddenly the man moved forward.  He shot towards her and reached to grab her.  She twisted to the side to get her arm out of reach while simultaneously moving backwards toward her horse. 

Onata hadn’t had left yet. 

“Go!” Greza shouted. 

Onata spurred her horse forward and took off at a gallop. 

“Only me and you,” he said.  “Tell me where you learned Tarashreg.”

“Why?”

“Only descendents of the Imperial Taranalla family know this style.”

“I was a slave.  I learned what they taught me.”

“And who taught you?”

She swept her arm near his face to distract him but he reacted by kicking out and striking her leg.  She managed to move in time to avoid having her knee crushed and continued backing up.  But he continued following. 

His footwork was perfect, never losing balance and always ready to strike.  He left no openings. 

She had to try though.  She threw a quick punch to test him and he knocked it out of the way like she was an amateur. 

Suddenly she found his hand around her neck, squeezing the life out of her.  He was too quick.  Grabbing her breastplate on the bottom with his free hand, he lifted her up. 

“Give me the message.”

He let go enough to allow her to breathe.

“Or you’ll kill me?”

“No, I’ll rape you.”

Everything froze around her.  She knew she could die but she never feared it.  But now she was facing with something worse than death.  All her life she had feared this and now it was brute strength and not authority that would force her. 

She had to remain pure.  The Divine Lights demanded it.  It wasn’t just the simple rules of chastity, it was something else.  She didn’t know, but she felt it as strong as she felt anything. 

This man was going to ruin her in ways her mind pitilessly imagined over and over again in the fraction of a moment.  And there was nothing she could do to stop him.