“Brat!” said Yani, shaking her head, which was the only thing anyone could do about Marigoth. She turned to Alyx.
“Come on. Onto your horse.”
“Do I have to do this?” muttered Alyx. “I don’t like Mirayans. I’ve got reason not to like Mirayans.”
“You are heir to the chieftainship of the Mori,” said Didier tartly. “Nobody cares what you like. If Mirayans must be spoken to, you must do it.”
“I know, I know.” Alyx had heard this argument before. Endlessly.
“You don’t have to like them to speak with them,” said Yani, giving Alyx a quick hug before she helped her up onto the horse. She might be a warleader, but she was an excellent aunt too. “In fact, it might work better if you don’t.”
Waiting between the mages at the head of ravine, Alyx was struck by how normal everything seemed. Gulls still circled in the blue sky. The breeze still smelt deliciously of salt and dry seagrass.
She had never actually seen the Tari guardians in action and, wouldn’t you know it, now that she finally had the chance, she was too worried about making a fool of herself in front of the Mirayans to enjoy it. Thank you very much, Mother! Once, just once she’d like to do something that wasn’t training for her future.
She heard the clattering of the troop’s armour well before she saw the Mirayans. Time seemed to have slowed down. Will these men never reach us?
Then the leading troop, a shield wall of men surrounding the ten mages that always acted together as a phalanx, came out of the ravine to find Alyx’s group arrayed across their path: the mages, Marigoth, Mathaman and Syndal in Tari green, the warrior, Yani Tari in her Raven’s black and Alyx herself, a dark-haired girl with Tari features and a Mori warrior at her side.
The Mirayans faltered for only a moment before they came marching onwards. The mage at the head of the phalanx lifted his magic crystal.
“Oh lovely! They want to fight. Can I go first?” cried Marigoth.
“Hurry up then,” said Syndal tartly, as a blast of magic shrieked out of the Mirayan’s crystal.
Alyx wanted to duck but held firm. The blue fire hit something with a thud and the air all round them wavered.
A defensive shield! When did the Tari set that up?
Marigoth made a wide gesture with her arms.
The soldiers surrounding the mages collapsed, falling to the ground like scattered logs and lying there.
That’s scared them! thought Alyx with ferocious satisfaction.
“Concentrate!” shouted their leader, pointing the crystal at Marigoth.
Marigoth gestured again and the crystal shattered. The Mirayans recoiled but recovered, lifting their arms to send out individual blasts of magic.
“You have to admit they’re a brave lot,” muttered Yani.
“Lady, there’s another troop coming up,” cried Didier.
He was right. Another phalanx of mages surrounded by more troops was just appearing at the top of the ravine.
“Mari, finish them off, will you?” cried Yani irritably. “There are more coming.”
“As you wish!” Marigoth gestured a third time and the whole phalanx of mages fell down.
“You really shouldn’t play with them like that,” said Mathaman. He too made a wide, sweeping gesture and the front three rows of the next troop fell down.
“You two have no sense of style,” grumbled Marigoth.
Syndal humphed and gestured at the crystal bearer of the following phalanx, shattering his crystal. With a second gesture she made another three lines of troops, including the first five mages in the second phalanx, fall down and lie still.
The rest of the soldiers took one look at the still bodies that littered the ground ahead and took to their heels.
“Over a bit quickly, don’t you think?” said Marigoth.
Syndal looked at her and, for the first time, grinned.
“You’re such a big, bad sorceress!”
Marigoth stuck her tongue out at her.
“I’ll just go make sure no one’s hurt,” said Mathaman. “Is one of you going to cover me?”
“Yep!” said Marigoth.
That was impressive! Alyx looked at the field below them. She knew that the Tari were much stronger than other mages, but she’d never seen it so clearly demonstrated before. If you didn’t know that all the soldiers were only sleeping, you’d think something terrible had happened.
“That was quick!” muttered Yani. “Mathaman, get back here! Get ready, Alyx. Here comes the leader.”
“Oh look, it’s that Guilius Appius,” Marigoth grinned impishly. “How red his face is! If he’s not careful he’ll be carried off by apoplexy.”
The Mirayan leader was striding up the ravine towards them at an impressive pace for such a heavily armoured man. His two armoured companions trailed behind, staring with wide, scared eyes at the bodies on either side.
“The Guardians! What an honour!” sneered Appius. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”
Yani nodded at Alyx.
“This island is now under our protection,” said Alyx.
Appius glared at her.
“What? Are you going to add insult to injury by letting some little girl lord it over me? A half-breed no less.”
Alyx felt herself flushing.
“Have a care, Appius!” snapped Marigoth.
“You Guardians never hurt anyone. Just humiliate them and take away their livelihood.”
“A livelihood based on violence,” said Mathaman. “How do you justify that?”
“Mathaman!” said Yani sternly. “Alyx, proceed.”
“Oh, Alyx, is it?” snarled the Mirayan. “I’ve heard of you. Alyx Verdey, brat of the great whore of the Mori. Was Eldene Verdey really your father?”
“Shut up!” shouted Alyx, reaching for her sword. Didier grabbed her wrist.
Suddenly Appius rose into the air as if an invisible hand had grabbed the front of his armour. He swiped furiously at the air in front of him.
“I told you to have a care,” said Marigoth. “I never kill anyone but I can give pain.”
Appius fell sprawling to the ground. His two companions rushed to his side, but Appius was back up on his feet with impressive speed.
“That was not an action of the life spirit,” muttered Syndal, under her breath.
“No, but I really enjoyed doing it,” replied Marigoth
“We are here on a legal mission,” shouted Appius. “This island has a treaty with Prince Ipius of Ishtak. Yet it refuses to pay the taxes it promised!”
“The elders wish to void the treaty,” said Yani. “They say they do not see any sign of Prince Ipius’ protection from one year to the next, except for tax time. He has done nothing about the pirates, so they’ve decided to deal with them themselves. If the prince wishes to send an envoy to sort out his differences with the islanders, we will not seek to stop him. But the Guardians will not countenance any fighting on Pels. It’s an offence to the life spirit.”
“How is the Prince supposed to assert his authority without force of arms?”