Chapter Two

Early the next morning, Ryland Hauke left his family’s former keep and went to the nearby town of Haukeston. He travelled alone, but not far behind him a group of men with sharp eyes and sharper knives followed at a distance.

They had orders to wait until Ryland left the area around his family’s lands, and then see to it that the last remaining member of the Hauke family met a tragic accident while travelling along one of the local mountain passes. Not close enough that he would be found soon, or anyone would hear his screams, but close enough that the body would be found eventually so that no questions about his status would remain.

So, they watched him enter the town and make his way to the town’s bathhouse, which took advantage of the local natural hot-springs. In their line of work, it might have been a good place to do their jobs, but as it was owned by the family of the Crimson Hawk’s Master of Battle, they knew to stay well clear of it.

Instead, they set up in two groups at breakfast stalls at either end of the street and waited. The bath-house backed on a mountainside, and there was no way in or out of the place except the front door, so they could be patient.

Thus, they chatted and finished their meals, watching the town’s elderly and the wives and daughters of the merchants come and go from the bathhouse. It was a fine day, and the bath-house was a popular social destination. By late morning, even some of the local merchants themselves had wandered in, at least the ones successful enough to dodge work.

But what hadn’t happened was Ryland Hauke coming out.

Eventually, the leader of the group gave a signal, and two of the members entered the bath-house, only to emerge a short time later, looking panicked.

There was no sign of their prey - the boy had disappeared!

While the assassins were still eating their breakfasts, three young women in their teens left the town and made their way to crossroads at the edge of the former lands of the Hauke family. Each of them was wearing brightly coloured summer cottons, with their hair tied up in towels and baskets under their arms.

After checking that no-one was in sight, the taller of the three turned to “her” companions.

“Rose,” Ryland said. “Thank you so much for your help. You too, Tabita.”

Gar Coomb’s youngest daughter, Rose, giggled. “When me father said you wanted to be turned into a girl, I thought mother’d hit him in the head too many times, but you make a lovely lass, Ryland. So, it’s my pleasure.”

After changing to jerkin, trousers, and a hooded jacket, Ryland waved goodbye to the girls and began walking at a fast pace towards the west. He’d eluded the men following him, but he didn’t know how long it would take for them to notice and begin searching. He intended to be as far away from them as he could be by the time that happened.

With a travel bag supplied by the girls over his shoulder, he travelled several miles before cutting off the main trade road and onto a side trail through the forest he knew from his childhood. It lead to a local waterfall he’d often travelled to with his siblings, and beyond that over the mountain to a village on the other side where he could pick up another trade road going south.

However, just after he cut onto the forest trail he became aware that someone was now shadowing him. The shadower was careful, but Ryland’s sensitive ears still picked up the noises they made as they paralleled him along the trail.

There was only one, but Ryland was no fighter and had only a single knife in his travel bag for general use. If they were armed, then Ryland was easy prey, and whoever it was seemed to know what they were doing when it came to following people.

Eventually, they came to the crystal green pool at the bottom of the waterfall, where a great cascade of water crashed down from a glacier-fed lake high above. Around the frigid pool was a collection of huge rocks and boulders that had fallen over time, and the treeline kept its distance from the pool,

As soon as Ryland left the treeline, he suddenly dashed forward like a leaping deer and ran in among the huge rocks, vanishing from sight.

Not long after he’d disappeared among the rocks, another figure left the treeline.

This one was a tall, broad shouldered young man with rippling bronzed muscles who wore only a pair each of short dark trousers and worn sandals. He had a bag tied to the left side of his rope belt, and a scabbard with a knife tied to the other side, and he carried a short spear that was as much bronze blade as it was wooden shaft.

His handsome face wore a worried expression, and his dirty blonde hair whipped from side to side in a ponytail as he desperately looked around.

“Hey!” He called out. “Where’d you go?”

Ryland, who was watching the young man from a hidden spot among the rocks, had planned to use this chance to slip away, but there was something about the newcomer which made him start laughing. He just looked so...bewildered.

His position revealed, Ryland stepped out from behind the rock and the other young man rushed up to him.

“Who are you?” Ryland asked, suppressing a smile. “And why are you following me?”

“You sure gave me a fright. You’re pretty good, you know that?” Said the young man, now smiling sheepishly. “Not a lot can get away from me when I’m following them.”

Ryland just watched him, not saying anything else.

Then he thrust out a big hand in greeting, “I’m Koamalu. I’ve come for your head.”

Ryland began to extend his hand before the words the other had just said registered on him and his hand froze in the air.

Seeing Ryland hesitate, Koamalu shook his head. “Hey, it’s nothing personal. We don’t have to be enemies or anything.”

Then Ryland suddenly took the other man’s calloused hand, feeling like his hand was caught between two grinding rocks before it was released.

“You have a good grip.”

“Hey thanks! Yours is pretty weak. You really are a book boy, aren’t you? I’d say you were like a girl, but my sisters could all crush you with one hand. You were pretty brave to take my hand though, so I think you’ve got stones. You really are Master Hauke’s son, aren’t you?”

“I am. And someone is paying you for my head?”

Koamalu nodded, “a big bonus. Your head’s worth a lot.”

Koamalu was a south islander from one of the clans that sent their young men north to work in the empire. The south islands were poor, so they exported the one thing they had many of- people, and these bronze skinned, fair haired men and women were known as hard workers who could be relied on to stick by their word.

A number of south islanders had worked for Ryland’s father and grandfather, and he’d seen a few at the Imperial Academy as well, although due to their poor backgrounds they were rare in the halls of learning. The ones who worked for his family had been from a particular island, and there had been a multi-generational deal where that island’s people had worked for the Crimson Hawk Banner Company. The island was called…

“Motu Mataga. You’re from there, right?”

Koamalu nodded. “Born and raised.”

“Then your family and mine have a contract, a taua. Are you going to break that contract?”

Koamalu blinked. He evidently hadn’t expected Ryland to know his language, much less bring up their mutual connection.

Then he smiled. A smile that turned into a deep laugh. “Those books have done you good, uo! That’s some pretty smart thinking.”

Ryland began to relax. It looked like things were going to be okay.

Then Koamalu shook his head, “But that deal’s with your company, not your clan. And last I saw, that bunch doesn’t exist anymore. Nice idea, though uo.”

“Hold,” Ryland reached into his bag and produced the box with the Writ of Company in it, opening it up to reveal the scroll. “It does still exist. This document is the imperial decree given to my grandfather to found the Crimson Hawk company, I have it, and I’m the company.”

This turn seemed to surprise Koamalu, who raised an eyebrow and stared at the box and paper.

“Do you want to see it?” Ryland asked.

Koamalu shook his head. “Can’t read it anyway.” Ryland could see the wheels turning in the other young man’s expression. “But…” He finally said. “You’re not paying me. Yah. The contract says you have to be paying me, and unless you have a bunch of money in there, you can’t, can you?”

“How do you get paid?” Ryland asked.

“Copper,” said the warrior. “But they promised me silver for your head.”

In the empire, sellswords were ranked based on the type of money they earned. Someone who had yet to prove his skills and ability, as Koamalu obviously was, was ranked copper. Most skilled fighters were paid in silver, and above them were the ones paid in gold. Over the gold ranks were the elites, those paid in platinum, and finally the best in the empire, those whose names were legends, were paid in heavenly jade.

“I’ll give you silver, if you’ll be my man.”

“And where will you get it, uo?”

"How long did you work for my family?"

Koamalu considered. "Two moons."

Ryland wasn't surprised. Koamalu looked and acted like he'd just arrived in the empire. He had the air of a fresh faced kid who was trying to prove himself to his seniors.

"Then you know my family escorts merchants and nobles to keep them safe while they travel?"

The warrior nodded.

"That means my family has rich friends. I'm off to see one of them now, and they'll give me the coins to pay you. Think about it, the company is gone, so you'll be cut free after they pay you even if you bring back my head. You don't want to go home with just a few silvers, do you? You want to earn your tattoos, right?"

Ryland was speaking quickly, but the moment was crucial and he couldn't afford to make a mistake. Cold sweat ran down his back as he watched the big man consider.

"I don't want to be some rich kid's bodyguard. No glory in that." Koamalu frowned.

Ryland's eyes widened, then the edges of his mouth tugged upward. "Then what about being the master of battle for the Crimson Hawk Banner Company?"

"It's already dead."

"No," Ryland shook his head. "I'm going to rebuild it." He reached into his travel bag and pulled out a small book with a faded wine-colored leather cover. “I spent ten years planning for how to make the Crimson Hawks even better. Now I’m going to use that knowledge to make it live again.”

"You?!?" Although he was impressed by the determination in the other’s face, Koamalu began to laugh, "A twig like you wants to lead a mercenary company? Uo, you're a funny one."

But Ryland's expression didn't change. "No. I'm going to run it, you're going to lead it. Unless you think you're not good enough to?"

Koamalu stopped laughing.

"You're serious? I can fight anyone!"

"Then fight for me, and earn some of that glory you were talking about.”

“I…” Koamalu started, but then both were interrupted by the sound of running feet.

Ryland turned and saw a group of armed men rushing up the path towards them. They were lead by Delmar Swailes’ man, Burt Lenyar, who had been the one doing all the dirty work asking questions at the vote. With him were six other former Crimson Hawk men Ryland recognised from the vote, short swords at their sides and grins on their faces. No doubt they were counting their luck, and the coins that awaited them.

“Good work, fish eater!” Lenyar shouted. “You earned your bonus today!”

Ryland turned to Koamalu, “So, what’s it to be? Are you their dog, or my partner?”

Koamalu squeezed his eyes, and then Ryland saw them snap open, determination inside them.

The long blade of the young warrior’s spear was flying at Ryland’s head before he even had time to react.