A Girl From Nowhere (The Firewall Trilogy #1) - James Maxwell Page 0,142
the city behind, Taimin’s hands were moist and his shoulders were tight with tension. He felt naked without a weapon, but he also knew that where he was going, a sword wouldn’t do him any good. If Blixen wanted him dead, he soon would be.
Now that he was no longer looking out from a height, all he could see at first was a haze of dust ahead. It was late afternoon. Soon night would descend on the wasteland. Softened rays lit up the landscape as the golden sun fell from the sky.
Blixen’s army appeared out of the haze.
Taimin’s heart rate increased. Unarmed and walking directly into danger, he wondered if what he was doing was the right thing. It was nerve-wracking to see a long row of armored bax warriors marching side by side. Squat figures held clubs, axes, swords, and long spears. Their eyes were dark and deep-set. Behind the first row of marching figures came another, and another. A group of skalen with patterned skins, armed with javelins, appeared on the right flank.
As the army neared, Taimin stopped walking. Beside him, Elsa and Rathis came to a halt. Taimin glanced at Elsa. Her usually stern expression was gone. Her face was pale.
He then looked back at the city. The wall was tall and the gates were closed. The citizens of Zorn were prepared to fight if they had to. The population was large enough that even without skilled soldiers, lives would be lost on both sides.
The army marched. Two humans and one old skalen waited to greet it. Taimin heard a bax bellow a command in a hoarse, throaty voice.
“Halt!”
The army came to a thunderous stop. A cloud of dust billowed around the area, obscuring the bax and skalen completely. For a moment everything was still.
Taimin waited and wondered what would happen next. Then a bax, taller than those around him, appeared out of the dust. He walked with the strange, hunched posture of all his kind, but was still big enough that his stride was long. Six warriors flanked him, spread out on both sides.
“Blixen,” Elsa murmured.
Taimin’s mouth was dry as he looked at the bax leader he had heard so much about. Blixen’s torso was thick, dominated by a powerful chest and wide shoulders. The thin slits of his nostrils were his smallest feature, and his mouth was set in a grim expression, made even more menacing by the folds above his eyes. A circle of what appeared to be finger bones enclosed his thick neck. His studded leather vest was obviously made to fit. Far broader than Taimin, everything about him communicated size.
As Blixen and his escort approached, Taimin glanced at Rathis. The former prisoner was shielding his tilted eyes as he peered at the army’s distant flank. As the dust began to settle, Rathis left Taimin and Elsa without a word.
Taimin stayed silent as he watched Rathis’s departing back. The air continued to clear, revealing more and more figures, and he saw expressions of disbelief on several faces among the skalen. He heard a cry, and finally recognized Group Leader Vail and her son Rees. All of the skalen surged forward and surrounded Rathis. Taimin couldn’t help but smile.
He heard Elsa speak and tore his eyes away.
“Come,” she said.
Taimin and Elsa walked forward to meet Blixen and the six warriors with him.
“I am Blixen, Warden of the Rift Valley.” His gruff voice had a booming quality. “If you want to say something, speak and be done with it.” As soon as he had finished, Blixen looked past Taimin’s shoulder. Taimin turned, following his gaze. A long row of city folk stood on top of the wall. They were being watched.
Taimin opened his mouth to speak, but then a series of what sounded like cheers came from the direction of the skalen. Blixen turned his attention to the commotion on his army’s flank. His brow furrowed as he considered Rathis’s newly won freedom.
“You may have satisfied the skalen, but nothing will stop me from assaulting your city.” Blixen’s dark eyes met Taimin’s. “The Rift Valley is our home. We will be victims no more.”
“I agree,” Taimin said.
Blixen frowned. He tilted his head, surprised.
“We bring news,” Taimin continued. “Every soldier who once bore arms against you is dead. The city guard is no more. I am sure you had your own score to settle with the commander, but he and his brother murdered my parents. I avenged their deaths.”