Read Online Slavers of the Savage Catacombs by Jon F. Merz - Free Book Online
Authors: Jon F. Merz
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people to the west, and they’re willing to pay a hefty price indeed for the luxury of the skins. As far as I know, the people who live in Kalang-yao are the only ones who have the skill to hunt the big cats without getting killed by them. Definitely a tough way to live life.”
“No doubt they’ll be even more suspicious when I show up. What are the odds someone from Nehon has ever been to the town before?”
“I don’t know,” said Tanka. “It hasn’t really been of interest to the clan, so I know none of our kind have ever there. But a merchant or two from Nehon may have made it that far north. They do trade, after all.”
Ran nodded. “Then that would be my way in, I suppose. A young trader from Nehon looking to import exotic items from the frozen north. It could work.”
“Better than going as a sword-for-hire,” said Tanka. “There’d be no need for that up there.”
“All right then. I’ll have that store of dried food, if you can manage it. Also, a map of the area would be good. I’ll need to study it before I head up there. Try to find the most logical point for an invading army to come through.”
“I’ve heard rumors of a hidden pass so remote and harsh that most don’t even try to travel through it. But I have no idea where it might be. Something tells me that you’ll have to figure that out once you’re there.”
“No doubt,” said Ran. “If I can get the locals to take a liking to me, perhaps they will be kind enough to show me the pass. After all, if they’re hunting tigers in the snow and ice, they ought to know the area well enough.”
Tanka eyed him. “And what will you do when the locals figure out you’re not a trader?”
“Disappear,” said Ran with a grin. “Isn’t that what we’re best at?”
Ran lay awake for a long time that night. The coded message from the clan back in the misty peaks of Gakur had left nothing to question. Ran’s orders were clear: go north, figure out if there was any truth to what Kan-Gul had boasted about. He was being sent away from his planned excursion west and redirected north to investigate what would probably turn out to be nothing but the ravings of a madman he’d already killed.
And what if the rumors did indeed turn out to be true? What then? Ran would no doubt be used in some fashion to try to thwart the invasion. That meant even more time away from his quest and more time away from the promises of a beautiful princess. Ran sighed. This was not shaping up the way he had envisioned things in his mind when Tozawa had first given him the wandering-quest directive.
Not at all.
Still, Ran couldn’t complain that he wasn’t acquiring experience. Nor could he say that things had been dull. He had already surpassed his expectations in that regard. His training had kept him alive, and what his training hadn’t prepared him for, real-world experience had quickly taught him to handle.
But the thought of traveling west on the caravan held such allure. Ran wanted nothing more than to disappear in the night and go with Yasseh’s band of merchants at dawn. Once they left Chulal, there would be no one who would know if Ran had done as the clan directed. He frowned, knowing that was not entirely true. The Nine Daggers clan had eyes everywhere—even in the most unlikely of places. Ran might think that his actions could go unnoticed, but he knew that there were other shadow warriors out there. They had been stationed everywhere across the known lands. Each of them would have a communication link back to Gakur. If Ran went rogue and refused to follow the wishes of the clan, then they would presumably start hunting him down. He might get away with it for a while. Years, even. But eventually, the clan would reach out and get its claws back on him. He would either be taken back or simply killed.
He turned over in the bed and tried to find a more comfortable position. Nothing seemed to give him the rest he craved. He couldn’t still his
“No doubt they’ll be even more suspicious when I show up. What are the odds someone from Nehon has ever been to the town before?”
“I don’t know,” said Tanka. “It hasn’t really been of interest to the clan, so I know none of our kind have ever there. But a merchant or two from Nehon may have made it that far north. They do trade, after all.”
Ran nodded. “Then that would be my way in, I suppose. A young trader from Nehon looking to import exotic items from the frozen north. It could work.”
“Better than going as a sword-for-hire,” said Tanka. “There’d be no need for that up there.”
“All right then. I’ll have that store of dried food, if you can manage it. Also, a map of the area would be good. I’ll need to study it before I head up there. Try to find the most logical point for an invading army to come through.”
“I’ve heard rumors of a hidden pass so remote and harsh that most don’t even try to travel through it. But I have no idea where it might be. Something tells me that you’ll have to figure that out once you’re there.”
“No doubt,” said Ran. “If I can get the locals to take a liking to me, perhaps they will be kind enough to show me the pass. After all, if they’re hunting tigers in the snow and ice, they ought to know the area well enough.”
Tanka eyed him. “And what will you do when the locals figure out you’re not a trader?”
“Disappear,” said Ran with a grin. “Isn’t that what we’re best at?”
Ran lay awake for a long time that night. The coded message from the clan back in the misty peaks of Gakur had left nothing to question. Ran’s orders were clear: go north, figure out if there was any truth to what Kan-Gul had boasted about. He was being sent away from his planned excursion west and redirected north to investigate what would probably turn out to be nothing but the ravings of a madman he’d already killed.
And what if the rumors did indeed turn out to be true? What then? Ran would no doubt be used in some fashion to try to thwart the invasion. That meant even more time away from his quest and more time away from the promises of a beautiful princess. Ran sighed. This was not shaping up the way he had envisioned things in his mind when Tozawa had first given him the wandering-quest directive.
Not at all.
Still, Ran couldn’t complain that he wasn’t acquiring experience. Nor could he say that things had been dull. He had already surpassed his expectations in that regard. His training had kept him alive, and what his training hadn’t prepared him for, real-world experience had quickly taught him to handle.
But the thought of traveling west on the caravan held such allure. Ran wanted nothing more than to disappear in the night and go with Yasseh’s band of merchants at dawn. Once they left Chulal, there would be no one who would know if Ran had done as the clan directed. He frowned, knowing that was not entirely true. The Nine Daggers clan had eyes everywhere—even in the most unlikely of places. Ran might think that his actions could go unnoticed, but he knew that there were other shadow warriors out there. They had been stationed everywhere across the known lands. Each of them would have a communication link back to Gakur. If Ran went rogue and refused to follow the wishes of the clan, then they would presumably start hunting him down. He might get away with it for a while. Years, even. But eventually, the clan would reach out and get its claws back on him. He would either be taken back or simply killed.
He turned over in the bed and tried to find a more comfortable position. Nothing seemed to give him the rest he craved. He couldn’t still his
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