But it was promised unprecedented strength, dexterity, luck, the ability to «light up the hearts of people with a speech», courage, the ability to «lead untold armies», and self-confidence. The «hidden wisdom and power» was said to have descended not only on Lyra, but also on her friends and on her beloved cat and dog.
So be it,» Laira shrugged. Lets go make history. Maybe we can make it work.
Chapter 3
And it went. «Seven» spoke to the intimidated peasants and ignited their hearts. After all, the voice flowed deeply and penetratingly, loudly and reassuringly. The eyes were shining. «Our war is sacred,» Laira said, shaking her red hair. And shes the last one in history. Lets end wars once and for all!» Many were perplexed and indignant: «This is impossible. Stupid story! «Really? Lyra answered. All great things once seemed impossible. Remember history! The merchant Shuni brought potatoes from across the Sea, and declared that the Great Famine would be defeated. Who believed him? Yes, almost no one! Fairy tale people said. And the fairy tale came true! Potatoes became salvation the Great Famine receded. Of course, crop failures happened later but not so severe. Miracles are possible! A triumphant roar escaped from thousands of throats: «Long live the wise Laira!!!» «Teaching people to plant potatoes is one thing. And to change their bloodthirsty nature is another. Stop hanging noodles on our ears, «said the local clever people. «For those who believe in their dream, nothing is impossible,» answered Laira. And thousands of hands, clutching scythes and pitchforks, triumphantly shot up. «The era of eternal prosperity will come! The reason for the wars is simple almost all monarchs were men. From now on, the throne will be occupied only by women. Do not be afraid! I am not contesting anyones rights. Men will be able to continue to serve as ministers, judges, dervishes, mayors and many more. But the throne will now be inherited only by my direct descendants through the female line. Daughters, granddaughters, great-granddaughters, great-great-granddaughters to infinity. Wars will end forever! Dont you want to live in a calm, good world, under wise and caring guidance? You will say: this is a fairy tale. Well, well, lets make the fairy tale come true!
***
It must be said that the witch powers were not the only reason for Lairas success. The people were really tired of civil strife, they were on the verge of despair, and as the baats say: «a drowning man grabs even a snake.»
All pretenders to the throne were similar. They made similar beautiful and pathos speeches. They poured similar promises And Laira is NOT LIKE EVERYONE. For a woman! «Something new,» people said. «Perhaps this is a sign of Fate?»
And to the camp of the former village hooligan, whole crowds were drawn Many out of curiosity, many out of hopelessness. People were attracted by a half-mad hope like a desert oasis-mirage. Everyone wanted to hear the speeches of the «Northern Speaker». And the mirage turned out to be not so ghostly! And when the people rise like a mighty wave those who want to ride this wave, lead it, quickly appear. Soon Knowledgeable People began to come to Layrin tent. They began to offer services Perhaps thanks to the help of dark forces, perhaps at the will of Fate, or perhaps for quite natural reasons, most of the Knowledgeable People turned out to be not scoundrels.
A wiry black-moustached merchant, nicknamed «Zloty», offered to help with food. The shaggy head of the northern craftsmen «Bear» promised to solve problems with equipment.The barefoot dervish Root of Heaven gave Laira a relic the saber of Shaniva, an ancient holy warrior. And he began to be responsible for relations with the Light Gods And the former secretary of Prince Vai «Sparrow» brought fifty of his colleagues, and took up the clerical side of the issue. Of course, all the assistants did not serve for beautiful eyes everyone has their own interest. Especially since they were well paid. But the main thing is that many experienced officers reached out to Laira. They understood: hordes of many thousands are ready to follow the woman. Into fire and into water! And these desperate, furious but inept «warriors» need worthy commanders Who will train, train, organize and receive a fair share of trophies and glory.
In a word, everything is wonderful. But heres the bad luck some Knowledgeable People began to gradually seize the reins of government. To impose her opinion on every issue, to make decisions behind Lairas back, to conclude agreements without her knowledge And the future empress took action. She declared publicly that help is wonderful, and she is ready to accept it but she is not going to give up her power. According to a special order, the most persistent «assistants» were punished. Mitai gathered a detachment of dexterous peasants, explained the essence of the task they caught the troublemakers, tied them up and dragged them to Laira. Which publicly cut off their heads.
Chapter 4. Bloody everyday life
Campaign life began. «The Seven were busy with chores and meetings, punishing trespassers, planning operations, inspecting the troops, making fiery speeches And Lyra and her friends slept in the tent, on hard pillows, covered with rough blankets. They drank sour wine and koumiss, and dressed in marching clothes, though expensive After three years of wandering, the conditions seemed truly imperial!
The ruler officially proclaimed her friends-lovers to be Honorable Counselors. Each was given a certain «profile» and corresponding regalia but all were allowed to argue with each other.
Mithai became a Military Counselor. Though his appearance was more dueling than martial. Short, lean, and ruddy, he prided himself on his thick brown hair, his thin straight sword, and his noble face. And he hinted in every way that he was the offspring of an old officers family a bastard. Remembering the horrors of vagrancy, he tried to keep himself clean which was not always possible. His movements were swift and nimble, his voice tinkling, sometimes snide, but more often angrily condescending. The guy became friends with many professional officers and learned a lot from them. He advocated quick unexpected movements of squads, cunning deceptive maneuvers, and swift attacks. He was often angry, but as a rule, quickly calmed down. However, if he was severely wounded, he could hate for life He also never smiled, except with just his eyes, and never laughed. He never wore armor, because he thought it restricted his movements.
Through the Thorns into the Abyss
Danny Osipenko
© Danny Osipenko, 2022
THROUGH THORNS INTO THE ABYSS
Prologue
«Execute her!» ordered the Empress. Seized by hatred and fear she rose sharply from her throne and pointed her silver scepter at the Witch.
The Karga did not flinch. Shallow and wrinkled, she looked up at the ruler with a cold gaze, and her darting eyes squinted even more. The old woman was completely calm, and in her whole image a quiet confident hatred. A smirk of gloating And the ruler could barely contain herself. Her face was flushed and fierce, terror in her eyes. «Execute right here on the spot,» she added, struggling to pull herself together. «At once.»
The guards dared not disobey Lyras order. If it had been anyone else, they might have hesitated But Lyra is the darling of the people, the chosen one of Heaven! The High Dervishes had recently spoken in praise of her. «She knows what to do. Her swords flashed in the setting sun, and the Witch lay dead at the foot of her throne. She fell, grinning sickly.
Never before had human blood been spilled at an Imperial palace. And if it had, it was only a few drops, because of stupid accidents. But KILLING people even the worst ones was strictly forbidden. It was not conscience or awe that kept people from doing such things but fear of the light gods. The palace was a special place. Even the sacred Towers were inferior to it in their ritual purity. That is why if a courtier wanted to destroy another he did it outside the White Marble Walls.
Now that custom had been broken. And it was not just anyone who broke it, but the great Lyra A woman who was able to do in eight years what men could not do in eight decades-to unite the Cusuni Kingdom.
Her story is told here.
Chapter 1: Even the greatest journey begins with a single step
Laira was born in an ordinary village on the far northern outskirts. And from a young age she was distinguished neither by her particular beauty nor by her special talents. Neither was she of noble birth, though she was, as her fellow villagers later claimed, a pure-blooded cousin. Her father was literate and adored books about ancient warriors. Having inherited a watermill from his ancestors, he had some money. He could afford to buy a few shabby volumes at the fair. Having read from them tales and tall tales, he dreamed of military glory Of exploits and campaigns, of soldiers friendship and comradeship. But with a fair weight, a prosthesis instead of a leg, and living in the wilderness, he had to content himself with dreams.
However, the mans heart brightened when his son was born. «I will raise him to be a true warrior, a great hero. Thats right!» Alas, the son died at the age of six, poisoned by a local shaman for two apples stolen from her garden. The grief-stricken father was left with only his daughters. And he turned his dreams to one of them Lyra. «My heir is dead, but my daughter will be great.» The man devoted all his energies, and his mind not so weak, by the way to raising her.
***
Young Laira grew up unusually tough, cheerful, and brave. Fighting was part of her life she could beat up not only girls, but boys as well, including those older than her. Sometimes, though, she got her own ass kicked.
And she made a lot of enemies! Evil tongues, venomous jokers, high-minded denouncers and denouncers. In another, quieter era, Lyra would probably have been smeared with soot for misconduct. But it was the time of the Great Troubles, when the Talaisha dynasty had finally died out and many powerful clans, sects, adventurers, and other forces were vying for the Imperial throne. The Kuzuni kingdom was ablaze with civil war, mercenaries and brigands roamed the roads, and foreigners swarmed everywhere. In such conditions, of course, traditional values had fallen apart, and morals had decayed The Empires northern fringes had suffered little from the war so far, but the general «decay» had touched them as well. That is why in most cases she got away with her antics.
It should be noted that thanks to her combative nature, she made not only opponents, but several real friends. Especially she made friends with six boys: insolent desperate Mithai, cold tough and honest Viran, sly smiling fatty Shinak, dreamy poet Sauri, cheerful big-hearted Gan, and smart calm good-natured Matah. They were thick as thieves. Together they found «adventures» on their heads, together they helped their fellow villagers to do dangerous work, together they committed petty crimes, and together they participated in village fights. Lyra was their leader, and all seven of them took care of, protected, and supported each other. As they grew older, the boys became Lyras lovers «A vile band» the local dervish Karamas called them, promising a miserable life of vagrancy, and a shameful death. But fate had decided otherwise.
Lyra was also accompanied everywhere by a black cat and a faithful, shaggy dog. She loved them dearly.
***
The civil war was escalating and devouring many lives But for now, the horrors were far away. The village of Laira was a long way from the major cities and trade routes, in the northern lands beyond the Yellow River, ruled by Prince Pai, a quiet man with little imperial ambition. Hunger had not yet threatened, either. Here the moist breath of the Sea was felt: the rains fell, the hills were green, herds of sheep and goats grazed. And gardens, protected from tundra winds by the Gray Mountains, were blooming. Nevertheless, the villagers listened anxiously and discussed the latest news brought by vagrants and traders. And in order to protect themselves and their simple «riches», they built a fence around the village, bought several crossbows, selected their own commanders.
All this did not help whats more played a bad service! As the cousins say, «fate has a rather dark sense of humor.
Laira well remembered the last day of her relatively carefree childhood. The spring sun was shining, warming her tenderly. Dandelions bloomed, tender grass grew. One could become intoxicated by the wonderful smells The little girl, together with her six friends, was resting on the outskirts of the village, on a high but gentle hill, blown about by the breeze. Spreading a patterned rug on an emerald meadow, she played with Shinak and Viran in Tammashil, an ancient Cusunian game. She contemplated the checkered board intently. Shinak took the dice, shook them in his fist and threw them. The bully raised her eyebrows in surprise her «ally» was lucky again. He leisurely rearranged half a dozen pieces, overthrew the «enemy» combat mammoth and waited for the «blow back,» from the slingers and six-armed giants.
The rest of his friends were loitering nearby.
Come on, Viran, lets go,» Shinak said softly and snidely, scratching his fat cheek. His button eyes scrutinized the battlefield as if there were little devils dancing in them. The boy took a honey pie from his bag and took a bite of half of it. Slowly he chewed it, still thinking.
Laira was working her head hard, too, rubbing her chin and biting her lip. She and Shinak were up against Virans army. Who had been winning for the second hour-but still couldnt finish the game. The final victory slipped through his fingers again and again.
Dont distract me,» he said coldly and colorlessly to Shinaku. Im working out the combinations.