Leodan the Son of Lion Chapters 1-7

The life of circus fighters was short. Only the few of them could brag of such number of victories as Casta the Amazon. Probably, force, courage, external appeal, good possession of weapon and improbable luck allowed Casta to turn from an entertaining wonder, the insignificant slave into all Darnat's idol over time. The worship of the crowd adoring murders and murderers made Casta free, rich and well-known — she was cruel as well as this crowd. But Casta thought almost with pleasure that today she disappointed hopes of these blood-thirsty plebeians having kept life to orc. The crowd already anticipated as she would cut a throat to prostrate Tulkan, and she did not make it.

And nevertheless, she thinks much of this orc. Too much, Beris is the witness! Derak, of course, is the coward and swine, but he is partly right. She has been left without work. Instead of thinking how to reconcile with Abnun and to return the reputation of the best fighter of Darnat, she goes to circus once again to meet Tulkan. Gods, what a nonsense! Casta stopped and unclenched fist once again to look at the amulet. Just ridiculous stone with a hole in the middle. Or perhaps the case isn`t in this stone at all?

Life beat her cruelly and without any indulgence in four years. But today the wild orc could kill her, but for some reason did not kill. Tulkan's act struck Casta. The nobility and mercy of orc could amaze anyone. After fight Casta regretted not asking Tulkan why he acted that way. And if the orc is still alive, she will surely ask him this question.

Why he spared her life? Or the wild orc was the first who saw that she is a woman first of all?!

The entrance to service premises was directly before her — wide gate in three human growth high stone fence framed with bushes of the blossoming magnolia. Casta entered inside and appeared in a cozy court yard with the fountain and Mammu-Ashtenet's statue in the center. Here gladiators came to honor the Goddess-mother, and on a sacrificial stone at the feet of a statue their touching gifts lay: a cup with a millet, fruit in a rough clay bowl, rags of color fabric, a garland of flowers, copper coins. Casta passed by the statue and went deep into the long gallery conducting to barracks of gladiators and bestiary. Here it was dark and damp, there was a pungent smell of urine and dogs. She almost reached the end of gallery when some dark shadow loomed at an exit; the round-shouldered elderly person in gray clothes of the freedman came in light circle from a torch, began to blink weak-sighted eyes, endeavoring to distinguish the face of the night guest in the twilight.

— "Casta, you?" — The old man recognized Darnat's champion at last. — "I swear by curls of Shante what madness brought you here?"

— "I came to learn, what happened to orc", — the girl answered. — "Derak told me Shabak had ordered to kill Tulkan".

— "Truly, you are a madwoman!" — The old man pointed a finger knotty at the girl's shoulder. — "Don`t you know that Shabak ordered not to pass you in circus? All we have the strict order to stop you if you want to enter".

— "And you will execute this order, Elrik?" — Casta derisively closed the eyes partly. — "Will you begin to fight me?"

— "May I?" — In a voice of an old Selton bitterness sounded. — "You have come in vain, sunlike. There is no orc in circus any more. By order of Shabak he was taken away to Plague Ditches".

— "So he died?"

— "I don`t know. I heard how the foreman of gladiators ordered two pupils to ship an orc on the vehicle and take out to Ditches. I know one: in the evening your orc was still alive. I will not be surprised if Shabak ordered to dump Tulkan in a ditch being alive".

— "Bastard!" — Casta clenched fists in rage. — "When was the orc taken away?"

— "Recently, about the beginning of the second guards. Hurry up, perhaps, you will find his body in Ditches. Though, if I were in your shoes, I would not risk to poke into this damned place after nightfall. Hyenas and ghouls are managing now there".

— "And is Shabak in circus?"

— "Left before twilight. Listen, daughter, I have heard something and I want to warn you. Shabak conceived something. I saw how he gave money to Bald Hushni and told something to him. It seemed to me that he mentioned your name in a conversation. Take care, the darling, Darnat dogs seem to begin hunting on you".

— "Hunting, you speak? Nice. One more occasion to break the Shabak`s bones. Thanks, Elrik. You helped me very much".

— "But tell me please, girl, why do you care of this orc? I tell you frankly, you struck me today. Your mercy was ...., — the old man faltered, looking for a proper word, — unclear. What for did you so suddenly spare this monster?"

— "I cannot answer your question, Elrik. Probably, this is intervention of gods. Or perhaps I did a foolish think. All of us do silly things in life".

— "Truly, did a foolish think! — Elrik got a scarf, wiped the watering eyes. — You ruined the career. What will you do now how to live"?

— "For a start I will go to Plague Ditches".

Rustle of steps forced Casta to remember danger behind the back. She was not even surprised when she saw the circus trainer Hushni, enormous shaven-headed Shurret man, and five more spindle-legs with him — most likely, they noticed her in a court yard and followed her. Hushni stepped to the girl and stopped in light circle from the torch burning under the arch of gallery: there was a nasty grimace meaning a smile on his stupid physiognomy covered with scars.

— "Came, Seltonian trash"? — Hushni asked, rubbing hands. — "Got into a trap yourself, I swear by Ygerabal. Thank you that saved us from care to look for you around the city".

— "I came on business, Hushni, and I have not enough time. What do you want?"

— "And you do not understand, Seltonian? You disappointed the owner very much. Very very much I guess. The owner does not love when he is disappointed. And he ordered Hushni to talk to you".

— "Speak quicker. What do you want?"

— "The owner paid Hushni well", — the strapper took more step forward, and his friends made the same. — "The owner told Hushni the silly bitch needs to be taught a good lesson properly. And Hushni executes will of the owner".

— "Do you want to fight?" — Casta crossed hands on a breast, her eyes began to sparkle angrily. — "Think properly, pal. You have a chance to save your fat bum of big troubles. I am Casta. I am not the one to be trifled with".

— "You are Casta, but you alone now, and don`t have any weapon", — Hushni grinned again and waved with a huge fist before the face of the girl. — "And we are six. We will have you in every way, and then I will cut out your interior so you will not delivered of Seltonian bastards. You are not afraid?"

— "Of you? You`ve got nothing to have me. You are just pathetic talker, Hushni. I know that you had no woman for all your life because you are only smelly faggot. Only bugs which you press in a bed can be afraid of you unless", — Casta told and unexpectedly for the Shurret punched him to face.

She won only a moment: murderers, confused was impudence of the girl who dared to resist to them alone quickly recovered and rushed on her, swinging fists, knives and heavy bludgeons. Casta pushed away old Elrik and rushed up a ladder, entraining attackers. Having passed the third floor, she stopped, turned facing murderers and, having let out shrill cry, kicked in a breast the nearest fighter who almost overcame ladder. He did not keep standing and departed down with a cry, having brought down from legs one more accomplice. Using the arisen hitch, Casta reached the end of ladder and stopped, taking breath. There was the most convenient location for defense, and if Casta had had some weapon, she would have not worried about the future at all. But, having left Urshad`s tavern, Casta did not think of weapon, thoughtlessly poked into circus unaided. Meanwhile persecutors with cries and abuse walked upstairs: Hushni rushed ahead, furiously growling and shaking by huge fists.

Casta saw heavy wooden bench standing at an entrance to a corridor. The girl, without thinking twice, lifted it and, having swung, threw directly in Hushni. The Shurret managed to bend down; a bench, having flown over his head, got into the mercenaries rising for the leader. The roar and cries of pain and rage sounded for Casta like music. However there was no time on delights concerning a successful throw; Hushni was already near her and rushed on the Seltonian with a roar. Casta evaded from the terrible blow directed to her face, got Hushni blow of right hand. The Shurret swayed, began to roar from rage, went forward. Casta hit him under knee, and brought down the fist on a shaven skull of Hushni an instant later. The feeling was such as if she struck a boulder with a hand: the right brush was penetrated by an acute pain, and Casta moved back back, asking all the seltonian gods to not allow her to appear in such alteration with the broken hand.

Hushni understood everything, his eyes joyfully sparkled. Having brought fists, the spindle-legs rushed on Casta. However he did not see how Elrik appeared behind backs of his accomplices. The old man called Casta, and the girl heard. In the light of torches steel sparkled — the long curve dagger-kutuba thrown by Elrik flight a wide arch in air and fell to the girl's feet. The rest was business of second: Casta picked up weapon the le ft hand and, having become straight, struck direct shot, for a moment having been ahead of Hushni. A dark stream of blood struck her in a face, was sprayed on a wall. Having grabbed the cut throat with hands, Hushni goggled, began to wheeze and overturned on a back, pulling legs as the killed bull. Casta with squeal jumped through dying, cut a shoulder to one of bandits with new blow and got the third enemy with the return movement of a blade — he got back with a cry , clamping a deep wound in a side. After that all crowd hit in flight, roaring with the grounded sandals on ladders steps. Casta wiped blood from her face, took breath. When footfall, damnations and cries calmed down at last, she approached the Shurret struck by her. Hushni ceased to rattle, only spasms continued to cramp his huge body. Trying not to come in the bloody pool which spread on a ladder, Casta went down.

Elrik sat on a corridor floor, having leaned a back against the wall splashed by his blood. His head was injured — the running-away bastards after all managed to revenge an old Selton. Casta felt Elrik's pulse and shook the head.

— "Thanks to you, Elrik", — she whispered and kissed the old man bluntly. — "You saved my life. Let a torch of Nekrian will brightly light your road to the country of ancestors!"

In a closet of Elrik under a ladder she found little water in a jug and greedy drank it. Wiped a kutuba blade with piece of burlap. The old towel embroidered in flowers, an only valuable thing in a closet caught her sight. Casta took a towel and, having left a closet, covered the face of the killed old man with it then hurried to leave circus.

The fever of fight passed, an aching hurt hand pain and gloomy thoughts left. Hushni's accomplices ran away, and it means that by the morning all Darnat will have known about occurred in the circus. Murder of the free citizen is serious crime for which she will be inevitably judged. She has no proofs that she was attacked : Elrik is dead and she has no more witnesses. Five escaped bastards will claim unanimously that Casta attacked them first, killed Hushni and wounded two of them. Judges will believe them moreover Abnun and Shabak will pay extra them. Very bad. It remains only one — till the dawn to try to run from Darnat.

* * *

Shortly before midnight Casta returned to the house in Armourers Street. She had bought this house shortly after had become a star of the arena and received freedom and the status of the citizen from the Shofet. The house was small: Casta kept only the gardener, the maid and the cook — she released them even in the morning, having come back home after the fight with Tulkan. She did not need a lot of servants to keep in order in five rooms, kitchen, the storeroom and arsenal. Casta went to the arsenal first of all.

A lot of weapon bought and trophy was collected here and all this weaponry could arm small army. But Casta quickly made the choice. First of all she dumped dusty clothes become permeated with the smell and bloody and dressed the fighting armor. A year ago Casta paid for armor one and a half thousand sakkars to Saval the smith, the best weapon master of Darnat. There were rumors that old Saval studied his crafting at demons of fire and metal therefore his armor and weapon were of unsurpassed quality. Casta saved up money half a year to order arms from Saval. She drew Saval on a piece of papyrus as an armor should look — once Casta had seen in her dream the goddess of war Nataya in such armor, and since then dreamed to have similar one. When Saval delivered her ready armor and Casta tried on it the old smith sighed in admiration. That day Saval told her that he had never seen the warrior finer, and she understood that the armorer told in all sincerity. The choice of weapon was harder for Casta : she couldn`t take a sword and bow with arrows at once, the burden turned out too bulky. Reluctantly, the girl selected a Seltonian one-and-a-half sword and left the arsenal.

In the bedroom she opened a chest where all her treasures were stored in a leather sack — a ring with topaz, two rings with amethysts, several gold chains and bracelets, a ring with a large emerald, a gift of one rich lover, two gold amulets with chains -also the gifts of admirers, — and fifty sakkars. If she adds the wonderful ring with a faultless ruby received today from the queen Kuati to these trinkets all these golden bagatelles will cost about two thousand sakkars — quite enough to begin new and carefree life in any city of the world. One of amulets Casta kissed and hung up on a neck: the lock of hair of her unforgettable small Elea was hidden in an amulet, the only thing that she managed to save from that life when she was Leyda from Tseruni, but not Casta the Amazon. For the first time for the last three years her heart clenched from the pressing melancholy and there was a wish to cry. Having discarded an empty chest, Casta went down to the kitchen, drank a mug of a cold water, had hastily a bite smoked meat and bread, put some supplies for the road in a bag and, having put on a wide black cloak with a hood over an armor left the house. Now the most difficult thing remained— to escape imperceptibly from Darnat. But at first she should find Tulkan and try to save him if the poor orc is still alive.

Here the quite good idea came to her mind. Several months ago Casta borrowed the large sum of money to one Seltonian freedman.The Selton whose name was Nirran run on a small tavern under the name of "Belly of a Whale" near port .He will not deny to her in assistance. Still Casta thought that Nirran for certain should have familiar seamen and if she is lucky, she will be able to agree with some captain and leave Darnat by one of foreign galleys. She has money so it is possible to try. So Casta took the bag on a shoulder, left home and moved the street down towards the harbor.