Leodan the Son of Lion Chapters 1-7

A. Astakhov

LEODAN, THE SON OF LION

Gods can do everything. They create and destroy the worlds, their power is infinite and undivided. But so happens only if people remember gods and esteem them. If gods are forgotten by mortals, they should come back to the Earth and conduct life not so divine as before. And what is absolutely bad — the ancient enemy of the Forgotten gods is going to conquer the world of people, and demon hordes are just about to destroy all that was once created by these gods. What can the former inhabitants of heaven deprived of their power oppose to the supernatural enemy? Only two young people whose fate was connected by an ancient prophecy. A brave and cruel Casta, the female gladiator, and the coddled slave Leodan who grew in bondage and never held weapon in his hands. All that the Forgotten gods can make — to connect them together, to give them ancient magic Relics, and after that to expect the result of the coming great fight which will decide not only destiny of the world, but also the fate of gods themselves.

To my friends, Yulia and Valery who once again proved

the simple truth that old friends are the best friends.

Contempt thee of another do not brand,

And for a start the Truism understand:

We can`t the plan of Playwright comprehend—

The play by Demiurge a secret system had,

And each of chosen actors young or old

On stage of Life by His desire will be called.

Not later that will happen, not before,

And do not judge the actors anymore!

The poor jester at the beginning of representation

At the end — the wise man without exaggeration,

The hero in the end can be discredited at all,

And bachelor will be married pretty girl,

And one who seemed to be pathetic dog,

Appears as a mighty lion in the epilogue

Peyre de Montier "The Lais about arrogance"

CHAPTER 1

That was well familiar feeling — in three years of performances she felt it dozens of times, passing along dark corridor which circus fighters called the Way of Fateful. To pass it with a slow step, gait of the soldier preparing for fight took the couple of minutes — enough time to indulge in memoirs and to experience what great value life is and as she unreasonably arrives, putting it at deadly risk. Especially now, when she wasn`t the slave any more, not the circus meat intended for a bloody show. But the Way of Fateful took her, eventually, to Fate Gate — huge oak gate behind which there were a bright daylight and the arena. The place which attracted men of courage which gave birth to them and drank their blood. Behind gate the victory and glory — or death waited. Many passed here, and many will pass this way after her. But so far the heroine of day she is — Casta the Warrior, Casta the Amazon, the best fighter of the big Darnat arena. Today she will prove once again that she is worthy her glory.

Her opponent is already there, in the arena. And the audience is waiting for her coming. Old Derak, her lanist, told the circus was overcrowded that day. It means that the fight will be seen by more than seventy thousand spectacles. Seventy thousand couples of eyes will watch without blinking each wave of weapon, each movement of fighters, expecting the bloody final of a duel. Seventy thousand citizens of the blessed by gods Darnat city will stake who will win this fight, and someone will leave today from circus as the rich man, and someone will lose everything, having put to defeated. Because only one fighter today will leave the arena alive. Such is a duel condition which was set by Shabak, the secretary of honorable Abnun, the owner of Big Circus. Such is a condition of each duel in honor of Darnat's gods.

Casta reached the end of a corridor, became straight, rose in front of gate, waiting when the gatekeepers dressed up as demons of death opened them. She did not see the arena yet, but could hear a roar of many thousands people crowded in the stands of circus, and was quiet. In three years of the career of the circus fighter Casta participated in hundred thirty five fights, and always gods of her fathers were favorable to her — only twice she got serious life-threatening wounds. She battled in pair and group fights: light and fast lance bearers-retiarii and heavy-armoured swordmen, warriors with axes and daggers, riders and chariot drivers, humans, animals and the spiteful monsters brought to Darnat from far lands by brave hunters were her opponents. She killed all of them. However today she is meeting the unusual opponent. Never before in the arena of Big Circus a human child and an orc met in a hand-to-hand fight.

Heavy drums reeled up powerful iron chains on themselves with a hysterical scratch, shutters began to open, and the bright sunlight struck to the Casta`s face especially desired after darkness of cubiculum and corridor which she went to the arena. And then she saw the arena — virgin and clean, snow-white because of the purest sea sand covering it. She stepped forward, moved to the center of the arena with elastic light step, and the wave of enthusiastic cries and applause covered her. Casta adored these seconds — for the sake of them it was worth risking life. She saw eyes of the audience; thousands of men looked at her with desire, thousands of women — with envy. For a long time she had been a heroine for these people, the embodiment of force and courage, and remained it until this time. They compose verses about her beauty, courage and cruelty, and the most high-ranking men of the kingdom covet her love. She is met by these people as, perhaps, the Shofet the Shadow of gods on Earth, the governor of this realm is met on Darnat's streets. And only then, having torn off a look from the crowded stands, Casta saw the enemy in the center of the arena.

The orc was huge. He was one elbow higher than the girl and twice wider in shoulders. The breast of orc which densely grew with black hair impressed with iron muscles, curve legs reminded oak boughs, the rigid mane stuck out. When Casta stepped to the opponent, orc eyes blazed of a scarlet flame, and the upper lip spread up in a contempt smile, having opened sharp yellow canines. The orc was armed with a big oval shield and the labra, heavy two-edged battle axe on a handle one and a half yard long which, however, looked as a toy in his mighty hands.

— "Ha, woman!" — Orc hoarsely shouted. — "Tulkan to wait when the woman to go to fight with him. Tulkan to respect the woman. Tulkan quickly to kill the woman. He to show the head of the woman the children on holidays! Beautiful head, Tulkan to store it long."

Casta answered nothing. There is no sense to talk to this monster. It is strange, however, that this creature is able to speak. She thought with satisfaction that she had picked up the correct weapon for that duel. Derak suggested to choose a long spear, but Casta decided to take weapon which was tested on humans and on animals. Once she had thought up how to turn a usual steel infantry sword into cruel weapon of murder; having left one of edges as what it was, Casta, by means of the circus blacksmith, turned the second edge into the sharpest saw which blow inevitably caused severe bleeding and shock. The jagged blade which was christened as the Fleecer (Casta used to name it Caress of Shante), immediately became fashionable among fighters, having made battles in circus even more bloody and cruel, but she was the first! And this orc will feel now on his own skin what it means — to miss even accidental blow of the Fleecer. There is almost no armor on the orc, only a wide leather skirt protecting a bottom of a stomach and hips. Several cutting blows by the Fleecer up to orc`s hands and legs, and the issue of the combat will be turned.

Casta raised eyes to a tribune where The Shofet usually sat, but saw with surprise that the governor did not deign to visit circus today. It was unexpected, divine Shofet never missed a fight with her participation. The place of the governor was taken by his young wife, charming Kuati, the daughter of the Sais tsar Zurappa and the most beautiful woman of Darnat dressed in purple and a fine linen, sparkling with jewelry of the great price. It seemed to Casta that in emerald eyes of the beauty she saw something bigger, than just interest in her. The wife of the governor looked at her with admiration. But why is Kuati alone? However it is strange that the governor misses such unusual fight. Divine Ras Navan, Lord of Darnat — the great fan of military entertainments, everybody knows it. Perhaps, the governor got sick? Or such indifference to a duel — a disturbing signal for Casta, the sign of monarchical disgrace?

— "The woman to be afraid! — Orc bellowed, bringing Casta out of thoughts. — Then Tulkan to attack the first!"

Told — and jumped under an amicable roar of stands. The heavy sharply ground labra sparkled in air, and Casta only during the last moment managed to substitute her shield. Even the sliding blow of a labra forced her to sway. But she quickly recovered. In a fast pirouette jumped aside to the right and cut with a sword on a hand with a pole-axe, but did not calculate distance. The orc pulled in the shaggy head in shoulders, began to roar and struck new blow. This time Casta left from blow without effort, coquettishly smiled to orc — she knew well that such smile enrages her opponents.

— "Well, come on, freak why are you standing still? — she shouted. — Or already shot up?"

Orc tried to get the girl with side secants blows, but the labra only touched edge of a shield, and Casta grinned. If gods do not let her miss accidental blow, this duel is after her. The orc is too sluggish, clumsy and rectilinear and a pole-axe isn`t a weapon convenient to fight against the sword-bearer. And now she will tickle him ...

Tulkan solved the attack of the opponent and skillfully left sideways — the jagged blade with an opposite gnash scratched on the shield of orc. Then they turned some time on the arena, drilling each other with furious views. The circus became silent — all, with bated breath, waited for the new attack, sought to not pass the moment when the first blood is finally shed.

Casta continued to smile. After the orc tried to get his wide side blow labra again, she sent him an air-kiss, having caused snickers in the stands. The orc attacked again. The girl easily evaded from blow, ran by Tulkan on tiptoe and got up, having exposed shield before herself and having taken away a hand with the Fleecer back, kind of inviting orc to attack.

— "Do you want to have me? — she shouted. — Try, handsome. I will love you to death."

In the stands laughed loudly. Tulkan showed canines and suddenly jumped forward. This time he did not cut, and just struck with a poke, having got to the middle of shield. Rejected Casta back as if she were hit with a ram. The orc roared, repeated the attack, having strengthened blow in the girl's shield with a furious jump. Stands roared — the best fighter of Darnat, the invincible amazon Casta, fell backwards. Stands heard her shrill shout. But the orc made what nobody expected. Having lifted a pole-axe, Tulkan departed on a step and croaked:

— "To rise, woman! Tulkan not to hit a fighter when he is down!"

Casta, spitting out the sand which jammed into a mouth, rose to the feet. Thousands of eyes bewildered looked at her, and she looked at orc. Tulkan quietly stood, having put a labra on shoulder, and waited when the girl would recover. And Casta met his look. A strange look — in the eyes of orc there was neither rage, nor blood lust. He looked at Casta with interest as if he tried to consider her better.

— "Ha! — he shouted. — To rise, fight! You beautiful woman, and Tulkan want to kill you beautifully".

And he is vain, Casta thought in confusion. Also he is noble, may the dust take him — circus is not that place at all where it is necessary to follow the code of the soldier, but this orc seems to conform to the rules of honest fight even here. However it is impossible to miss such blows more. After blow by a pole-axe the left hand grew dumb, the shield was strongly bent, but fortunately she did not get wounds. It seemed to Casta that there was a triumphing grin on the ugly face of orc. Seemed this freak to decide that she is only a weak maid who can be slammed as an annoying fly. It is a high time to remove this grin from his physiognomy!

Casta rushed ahead. She always had a good reaction, it saved her in a duels with animals and monsters. How the Fleecer unstitched a skin of orc, Kasta did not see, and felt all over her body. She jumped aside back, being closed by the rumpled shield, and with evil pleasure saw that the face of orc was distorted by pain, and sand under his legs was besmatched by dark blood in the eyes. The jagged Fleecer's edge after all found a vein on Tulkan's hip.

— "No, that I am who will kill you beautifully, — she mischievously said."

Tulkan came round, went forward. Casta noticed at once that her opponent considerably drops to a wounded leg. The orc began to strike powerful wide blows with a pole-axe, heky as if the butcher does, but all of them did not hit the mark — Casta turned aside from them with the grace which caused a roar of delight and a thunder of applauses in the stands. Then, having improved the moment, the girl herself attacked, and again the Fleecer hit the mark. This time the blow had sideways, having broken off skin and muscles.

Stands could not stop admiration shouts. Now very few people doubted that a victory will be for the human. Sand of the arena was covered by all new and new crimson spots, and together with blood the orc lost forces and hope. Even so hardy and strong being will not be able to battle long against such bleeding. Truly, gods love Casta the Savage! Again she won. Here she went again forward, restricts an orc, strikes blow after blow. Hey, look, she for the third time wounded this freak! Heil to Casta! Heil to the Invincible!

— "Finish him off! — rushed from stands. — Finish!"

The orc hardly beat off the masterly attacks of Casta. There were some more avulsive bleeding wounds on his hands and legs, the face became absolutely gray, breath — faltering. Casta did not hurry; her victory won`t get to anywhere, it is better to be kept and not to be substituted inadvertently under blow of a terrible labra one direct shot of which is enough to leave the wet place from her. The orc is wounded, bleeds profusely, but his eyes still burn with fighting fire, and he has still got enough forces.

-"The woman to play for time. The woman to be sorry, — the orc suddenly croaked. — It is time to finish. Tulkan is ready to die."

Casta understood. Tulkan recognized defeat, and everything what he wants is to die quickly and adequately. Having nodded orc, she immediately jumped forward and brought down the opponent from legs with the blow of a shield. The roar of seventy thousand crowds deafened her.