Solo Return

[hisdivineshadow]

It was a somewhat bedraggled-looking Ourith who stalked into Kurai's camp alone. His pack was missing, with all his supplies, but he still had the map case, in fact he was all but leaning on it.

Waving off the guards who quickly approached him, he trudged toward Kurai's tent. He wouldn't risk the Mistress' ire by seeing to his own needs before making his report.

He'd have a hard enough time explaining Ishen's absence as it was.

[Deleted]

Raxus had been giving a report from Zephyr Heights when Ourith entered. Turning to berate the new arrival, the snake-man cut himself off as he took in the mapmaker's appearance. "What by Evil's name happened to you?"

Kurai stood up, eyes hard. "Were you attacked?" she asked sharply. Ourith was a valuable commodity, and if someone had tried to hurt him, there would be hell to pay, simply because Kurai had no other mapmakers.

[hisdivineshadow]

Ourith straightened up, drawing himself as tall and proud as he could. "We were attacked," he replied simply, scowling a bit with the recollection. "A group of bandits came upon us, northeast of Ilyamen. I managed to escape, but the soldier you sent . . . was not so lucky." He said this last with a sort of resigned shrug.

[Deleted]

Kurai said an oath most unladylike; even Raxus looked at her in surprise before realizing his Mistress did not appreciate the idea of competition so close to what she felt was her territory.

"Raxus," the Mind hissed, "send four of the soldiers to search out and kill those bandits."

"Understood, Mistress," the snake-man said, and hurriedly slithered away.

Kurai paced angrily. "Khao!" she yelled, and a startled yelp answered. An infant's cry started up, but was quickly soothed, and in a moment, Khao arrived in her veils, looking as though she had just gotten out of bed.

"Get water and cloths, and tend Ourith's wounds," Kurai said shortly.

Khao shuddered, not wanting to leave the tent alone, but she went anyway to fetch what was needed.

The black-haired woman pointed to one of the chairs. "Sit," she ordered Ourith, and personally poured some wine, shoving the goblet towards him. "Tell me you at least completed your mission."

[hisdivineshadow]

Ourith set the map case down and sat carefully, moving slowly from his aches. "I don't know how much good that'll do . . . they had very fast mounts, I doubt your soldiers will be able to catch them short of flying."

Although he took the goblet in hand, he didn't drink any of the wine. He needed his head as clear as possible to pull this off. Already he was surprised at how well his bluff had gone over -- Kurai must trust him more than he thought -- but he didn't want to get sloppy and risk ruining everything.

As all this silently passed through his head, Ourith nodded to Kurai and answered, "Of course I completed the mission." He nodded toward the leather case. "This map has detailed information on the terrain and construction of Ilyamen and its surrounding settlements, as well as various social and economic information you may find pertinent to your invasion.

"Obviously, I didn't spend long enough to observe climatic changes first-hand, but I can speculate on long-term weather patterns based on my general knowledge of such things." He shrugged. "If that's of interest to you." At this point, for appearance's sake, he brought the goblet to his lips, but didn't sip.

[Deleted]

Kurai took the map case, opening it and pulling the paper out to give the map a close look. "I might take you up on that," she muttered, not really paying attention to him now. "We'll have to wait out the winter before we begin our raids. Thank Evil our attack on Zephyr Heights was so successful."

Khao returned then, a bowl of warm water in her arms, along with a cloth to wash Ourith's wounds. She approached him, trembling, and asked timidly, "W-Where are you hu-hurt?"

[hisdivineshadow]

Glancing at Khao, Ourith made an expression of disdain, thought for a moment, and then shifted to turn one leg toward her. He only had a few real injuries, and those almost all self-inflicted, but he may as well let her bandage the ones he had. And he didn't want to refuse treatment, lest his act be revealed for what it was.

[Deleted]

Khao knelt, putting the bowl and cloths down, and gingerly removed the correct boot, and rolled up the corresponding pants leg. There were scrapes and cuts all over, and the cat-Beast had to restrain the instinct to lick the wounds. Motherhood had really sharpened whatever nurturing instinct she might have had.

Instead, Khao wet a cloth and began bathing the wounds as gently as possible. She did not want to do anything to hurt Ourith; he might become angry and try to hurt her in return. Not that Kurai would let it happen, but Khao still feared that possibility.

Kurai was still examining the map. "This point here," she said, placing the map on the table and laying a nail on what looked like a narrow road. "Is this a trade route, or just a path into the city?"

[hisdivineshadow]

Ignoring Khao entirely, Ourith leaned forward to look at the map, and sighed when he saw where she was pointing. "A trade-route, albeit a little-used one. Those marks along the line indicate as much." There was a longsuffering tone in his voice, and he was about to direct her to the map's key, when he realized he hadn't made one.

The mapmaker broke into a renewed sweat. Had he really been that careless? He always prided himself on being thorough; Kurai might think nothing of his omission, but it made him concerned over what other mistakes he might have made in his hurry. Clearing his throat, he added, "Of course, I will draw up a key right away. Forgive me for neglecting it."

[Deleted]

"You were under stress," Kurai said dryly. "This time it is forgivable, but next time, it won't be."

Finishing her ministrations, Khao slipped outside to dump the water, then came back, bowing to her mistress as she hurried back to her child.

[hisdivineshadow]

Ourith had to force himself to relax; he found himself finally indulging in a small sip of the wine, then looked at Kurai and said in a more even tone, "What news from our forces, Mistress?"

[Deleted]

Kurai smiled. It would have been a pleasant expression, if not for the greed and bloodlust in it. "It is under our firm control," she said smugly. "Our supplies are growing in stock, and we even have a few more horses. All in all, a successful endeavor." She put the map aside and poured a cup of wine for herself before sitting down. "Now, tell me of Ilyamen. What are the defenses like, and how many people do you suppose are there?"

[hisdivineshadow]

Ourith smiled back, though his expression lacked the hunger of his mistress's. "The city holds about 2,000 souls. And their defenses are surprisingly weak. Their wall is a mere stockade, easily overrun if we strike hard and fast. And the guards who patrol the city are both poorly-trained and overextended. I believe we can take it."

[Deleted]

Kurai drew air through her teeth in a displeased hiss. "Two thousand. Feck." She put down the cup and started pacing. "We would have to manipulate the citizens of Zephyr Heights to fight with us if we wanted even a ghost of a chance. You said the defenses are laughable? We might have to start on the outskirts and work our way in. Damn it! There are too many things that could go wrong."

She gnawed on a fingernail, eyes narrowed as her mind raced, working out bribes and threats she might have to use.

[hisdivineshadow]

Ourith started slightly, surprised, and raised a hand to calm her. "Most of them are untrained, and would pose little threat. Additionally, a force our size might slip undetected into the city, and strike without warning from among the populace. There are even those in the city who might help us." He tried to project confidence, but the anxiety he had been suppressing was starting to bubble up within him again.