Sharon Green - Jalav 1 - Crystals Of Mida

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JALAV 1: The Crystals of Mida

by Sharon Green

CH 1. The tower of the Crystal-and a captive is taken

I stood in the center of the cold stone room and gazed down upon the bodies of my warriors. The three

of them lay upon the rounded cobbles, grotesque in death as they had not been in life. The clan colors

worn by all Midanna, about their hips and thighs, had been torn away and scattered about the room,

leaving my warriors completely bared to their attackers. Life signs, worn on leather strips about their

necks, had been left on two, but the third no longer wore hers. Perhaps its leather had been severed when

the blade of the dagger was brought to her breasts, possibly in an effort to have her cry out in pain. I had

known that warrior well in life. She would not have cried out.

Three strong warriors, dead, though not in battle. Their attackers had come with stealth; overwhelming

them with surprise and numbers. The Keeper's Attendants, who had also been in the Tower, had been

quickly put to the sword, yet my warriors had been kept the while, to be used for the sport of those who

had come to steal the Crystal of Mida. My proud warriors had had their wrists bound tightly with leather

behind them, had been thrust to the bare, smooth cobbles of the Tower floor, had had their clan colors

ripped from their bodies, had been forced to stare up at the raftered heights of the highest Tower room as

their bodies were taken and used by the scum of city thieves. And when their shame had at last given the

thieves satisfaction, their throats had been cut where they lay, their wrists still bound, their clan colors

no longer upon them. To take a warrior's clan colors, to cut her throat as though she were an animal to be

slaughtered, stealing from her forever the honor of dying in battle-these things were the most

unforgivable. Should any of the thieves be taken alive when the Crystal of Mida was recovered, they

would pay for their crime many times over, seeing the light of as many hands of feyd as possible before

being allowed to die. Only in such a way might the souls of my warriors find rest.

I looked next at the Keeper's Attendant where she lay upon the sleeping leather, her long, graying hair

crushed beneath her, her breathing loud and harsh in the silence. She had taken the sword of the thieves

as had the others, yet clung to life till they had gone, and still longer yet, awaiting the relieving warriors'

arrival. Her clan colors, worn long to the ankles as befitted one of her station, were damp with the red of

her blood, yet she was able to relate the coming of the thieves, guessing that they came from the city of

Ranistard, far to the north. One had mentioned the city, she thought, and she would have the war leader

know. Now I knew.

Slowly, I walked to her where she lay upon the sleeping leather, gazing through the window at the

brightening of the fey. Well she knew that she would not see the coming of dark again, and wished to

remember the feeling of life upon her body, to carry with her to the Realm of Mida, where she would be

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JALAV 1: The Crystals of Mida

made young and strong again, where she would again know the pleasures to be had with males of worth

and valor equal to hers. Yet would she never again be warrior as she had been in her youth, for she had

given up the glory of death in battle to Attend the Keeper of the Crystal of Mida. Now the Crystal had

been stolen, and her life as well, and what had been done could not be undone.

"Remad," I said quietly, and she turned to look at me.

"I hear, Jalav," she whispered weakly. "How may I serve the war leader?"

"Already have you served truly and well," I said, stroking my life sign. Hers lay upon her slowly rising

breast, a near mate to mine. We shared the sign of the hadat, that fierce, furred, long-toothed, sharp-

clawed messenger of death sent by Mida to smite her enemies, though our symbols of that sign were not

identical. Each warrior must, upon reaching her womanhood, carve her life sign from the wood of the

tree that has been marked as her own at her birth. Should her tree die before she reaches her

womanhood, she is taken to the dwellings of those who follow males, and left to be made a slavewoman

to them, for should a warrior enter battle without her life sign upon her breast, her soul would surely be

lost.

"Remad," I said, "I would have you look upon one who was captured a short while ago. Are you able to

know if he is one of those who took the Crystal of Mida?"

"I shall know," she whispered. "Long did I gaze upon the faces of each of them as they fouled our

warriors with their touch," she rasped. "I shall know."

"Bring him," I ordered, and two warriors ran to do my bidding. The fury I felt at what had been done in

the Tower of the Crystal was a terrible thing, and my sword would drink well before my vengeance was

fulfilled. I thirsted for blood to pay for blood.

I turned at the sound of struggle and beheld the captive, he who had been taken just as word had reached

us of the theft. Six of my warriors surrounded him with spears at his throat, and still he attempted to

resist them. Lofty, indeed, was his height, a full head greater even than mine, and his wide, muscled

body was encased in the garb of one from the cities, a brown cloth which covered all but his arms from

neck to mid-thigh, as though his body would be shown to his shame. He wore neither clan colors nor life

sign, for those of the cities have no souls to be lost, and also his feet were encased in leather, to keep him

from the touch of the sweet ground of Mida. His red-gold hair was of a decent length, bound by leather

at the back of his neck as though he were prepared for battle. His arms were bound, each wrist to the

opposite elbow behind his back, leather stretched between his ankles, leather pulled tight across the

cords of his throat, yet still did he struggle. Should he be proven innocent of the crime in the Tower, it

would be wise to detain him, so that my warriors might be allowed to take his seed for themselves. Not

many of the males who travel our land are found fit to mate with a warrior.

The captive fought to free himself as he was drawn forward by the warriors. He shouted to the air the

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JALAV 1: The Crystals of Mida

oaths of city males, mistaking my warriors for their pale sisters of the cities, swearing to do upon them

things which would never be borne by them. Forward did they draw him with difficulty, till his eyes fell

upon my dead warriors, and then his struggles ceased as though he had been touched by the hand of

Mida.

"The deed was not mine!" said he harshly to Remad. "To take the lives of mere girls in such a

manner...."

"Silence!" I commanded, and struck him full across the face as he knelt before Remad. In fury, he

attempted to rise, yet was held in place by my warriors, and I turned to Remad. "Is he one of those who

came, Remad?" I asked. "Study his features well and then speak."

"It was not he," she whispered, gazing up at the captive. "Had he been among them, war leader, I would

have remembered."

"Look again and be sure," I said to Remad. "The journey north may be shortened, should we find one to

speak to us."

"He was not among them, Jalav," Remad whispered as I pressed the point of my dagger to the throat of

the captive. Surely he saw in my eyes my need to spill bloods and therefore he remained silent.

"So be it," said I, resheathing my dagger. "The journey to Ranistard must be taken without sight. We

shall have the words of the Keeper this darkness, and begin with the light that follows."

"Ranistard?" said the captive, with a frown of displeasure. "No man of Ranistard would perform so

senseless a deed. Ranistard was badly touched by the hand of Sigurr with a fever of death, and few are

the females now left to tend to the men. Had men of Ranistard been here, the wenches would have been

carried off with them."

"Something of greater value was carried off in their stead," said I to the captive, then to my warriors.

"Take him to the gandod and have him secured between two of them. We return shortly to the camp."

"Hold!" shouted the captive, standing his full height even against the weight of my warriors. "I have

been proven innocent, and demand to be released at once! Order the leather removed from me, girl!"

Once again I gazed upon the captive with approval. His spirit would do well for the warriors of my clan,

his large body strong enough to serve many of them. I calmly returned his heated glare.

"I am Jalav, war leader of the clan of the Hosta, foremost among the clans of the Midanna," I informed

him. "You have been chosen to serve my warriors the while, and shall be released upon the end of that

service. Should you continue in so insolent a manner, however, I shall order the leather applied to you

quite differently. I am amused to see a male act the part of warrior, yet have I little patience now to

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JALAV 1: The Crystals of Mida

tolerate it. Be warned, sthuvad."

"Warned?" he roared in true fury, struggling against his bonds and my warriors. "By the slaying foot of

Sigurr the Terrible, am I to be warned by a black-haired female child who stands with only a wisp of

cloth about her hips? No! I am the true warrior here, and shall take my leather to the back of any

strutting female I lay hands upon! Scatter quickly, girl children, for now I come to punish!"

He attempted to part the leather which held him captive, and at the same time he threw himself toward

my warriors with a pale city battle cry. My warriors laughed in delight at this entertainment, all but one

stepping to him quickly to urge him on with a caress, and then dart easily out of his blundering path. The

caresses enraged him still more and, still bound, he turned this way and that, not knowing which of my

warriors to pursue. His chest rose and fell with his anger, and a magnificent sight indeed was he. I, too,

felt the attraction of him, and resolved to have him in my sleeping leather before the journey north.

Red-haired Larid stood herself before the male, laughing lightly and stretching her arms out toward him

to lure him to her. With a deep growl, the captive took her lure and began striding toward her in fury,

forgetful of the leather stretched between his ankles. Binat, from behind him, did grinningly place the

butt of her spear before the leather thong, holding the leather in place and tripping the captive. Down he

did go to the cobbles quite heavily, unable to break his fall with his still bound arms, and my warriors

were upon him immediately. He was turned to his back while still dazed from the fall, and Larid applied

her knowing hands to his body, bringing immediate response from him, then did she quickly take

possession of him. Her face showed great appreciation as his eyes blinked open and he regarded her

blurrily, then realization came to him of his possession. He shouted wordlessly and fought to free

himself, yet did Larid retain her place with laughter and pleasure. Two of the other of my warriors knelt,

one upon each of his shoulders to hold him down, and Larid was able to drain him well before she stood

again.

I beheld another of my warriors preparing to take the place of Larid, and therefore stepped forward and

spoke. "The sthuvad may be had again later at our camp," I informed them. "Take him now to the

gandod and secure him well. I shall join you shortly."

My warriors were disappointed at my words, yet am I war leader and to be obeyed. The sthuvad was

pulled to his feet, where he stood, filled with cold fury, to gaze upon me.

"This insult shall long be remembered, girl," said he to me. "In time you shall know the anger of the

warrior Telion of Ranistard, and shall fall to your knees before him! Your body shall be mine as mine

was hers, and you shall pay many times over for the shame given me! For this you have my word!"

"My fear of the word of the male of the cities is great," said I, smiling at the laughter of my warriors.

"You will forgive me for having you taken to the gandod lest I succumb to so great a fear."

I nodded, and my warriors forced the captive from the Tower room. My eyes fell again upon my dead

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JALAV 1: The Crystals of Mida

warriors, and the cold of the room entered me once more. Remad, I saw, lay upon her sleeping leather, a

small smile upon her lips, memory strong in her eyes. She, too, had taken captives in her youth, and the

memory of them had returned to her in the last of her life.

"Other Attendants have been sent for," I said to Remad, "and will see you safely to the Keeper's Tower.

The Keeper shall speak the words to bring you to Mida's Realm, and we shall meet again in Mida's gaze

when I, too, am called. Fare you well, Remad."

"I would ask a favor of the war leader," she whispered "My service to the Crystal of Mida is done, even

should it be returned upon the instant. I wish to greet Mida with sword in hand, as the warrior I was in

my youth. Will the war leader honor me in such a way?"

"The honor is mine, Remad," said I, smiling at her pale, thin face. "My warriors shall prepare you."

Two warriors raised Remad to her feet. Her pain was truly great, yet not a sound escaped her lips as she

was held erect and handed a sword. She faced me then in true warrior fashion as I drew my own blade.

"I salute you, Jalav," she whispered roughly. "Strike quickly lest I go before the thrust!"

I did as she bid, plunging my sword deep within her breast, and she slid to the cobbles quickly, already

in the arms of Mida. My warriors and I raised our swords to the memory of a true warrior. "Have the life

signs removed for the Keeper," said I to my warriors, "and the bodies brought to the forest for the

children of the wild, I return now to camp."

They nodded in obedience to my word and I left the Tower room. I would be very pleased to find those

who had taken the Crystal of Mida, and would remember to send one to Midas chains in the name of

Remad. Too many were the warriors who had been stolen from me that fey.

Outside, I found the captive secured between my gando and that of Larid, and he looked up at me

uncomprehendingly. My gando stood quietly, having been reminded of its place, and, mounted, I pulled

against the long thong of leather about its neck that led to the neck of the captive. It was secure, as was

the thong from the gando of Larid, therefore did I direct our departure.

My warriors, eight hands plus two in number, all sat upon gandod of their own. The Midanna use naught

save gandod to carry them into battle, for the gando is superior to the soft kand of the city people. The

gando is no larger than the kan, yet its scales protect from sword thrust as the hide of the kan does not,

and its many sharp teeth, urged on by its unreasoning temper, make its worth in battle far greater than

that of the passive kan. The red kan of the captive was held by one of my warriors, drawn along by the

leather of the lead reins against its will, fear of the silvery gandod turning its eyes round and wild.

"Why must I walk as a peasant would?" demanded the captive as we left the stones of the Tower

clearing for the dirt of the road. "My kan is at hand, and I may be tied to the saddle should you fear my

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JALAV1:TheCrystalsofMidaJALAV1:TheCrystalsofMidabySharonGreenCH1.ThetoweroftheCrystal-andacaptiveistakenIstoodinthecenterofthecoldstoneroomandgazeddownuponthebodiesofmywarriors.Thethreeofthemlayupontheroundedcobbles,grotesqueindeathastheyhadnoteeninlife.TheclancolorswornbyallMidanna,abouttheirhip...

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Sharon Green - Jalav 1 - Crystals Of Mida

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