Chapter Text
There was an Ugaro up ahead.
Aras lifted a hand, and the division riding with him came to a stop. Other divisions further behind and to either side received the signal more slowly, since they weren't using horn calls in this hostile territory. But soon the entire talon had halted, waiting.
Lucas suspected why Aras had stopped, and gave him cover by glancing around at the trees and saying, "This does seem a good area for ambushes, doesn't it?"
It wasn't. They had faced enough ambushes already on this assault to know where they were likely to happen; dense trees, steep hillsides overlooking the way they must go, or clusters of deadfall all made good cover for the deadly Ugaro archers. This area had trees spaced more thinly, with occasional clearings perhaps in patches of rockier soil; it was hard to be certain what lay under the compacted bed of snow.
The lead scout came riding back to report what Aras had already noted, but with additional details: one Ugaro, apparently unarmed, at a campsite in the middle of a clearing. Lucas waved to the commanders of two other divisions, and they began to discuss what might lie ahead. One thought this might be some kind trap, but another said any trap should have used a Lau as bait rather than a lone Ugaro. Lucas thought it was more likely a distraction to slow their pursuit of the main Ugaro force, which couldn't be very far ahead. The scout leader was doubtful, nervous in this unfamiliar country, but he sketched out the terrain with quick gestures, sparing a thought for Lord Gaur's sharp instincts when it came to threats lying in wait.
From the Ugaro beyond the trees, Aras could only pick up a jumble of ideas and images that made no sense. The underlying emotion was easier to tease out: more fear than anticipation, which did not seem suited to either trap or ambush. Aras could not understand the words that gave structure to the thoughts of this... boy? He seemed very young, so far as Aras could tell.
Aras interrupted what Lucas was telling to the commanders. "Remember, if there is an opportunity I'd like to take one of these Ugaro alive." Although the current expedition was largely about punishing the Ugaro for their most recent attack and trying to deter other raids in future, their larger goal required understanding what had caused the Ugaro to begin raiding in the first place. It was a shame that only Ugaro women spoke darau, but Aras had a few interpreters who could help him to question a male captive as well. They might need to take a number of prisoners before they could establish any sort of diplomatic channel for communication and negotiations. But the first step in the process must be to learn why the Ugaro were so angry and what they were trying to do. A single captive might be sufficient to answer that question.
Aras glanced toward Lucas, who was thinking again that it would be better for them to press on and catch the remaining Ugaro raiders before nightfall, and then glanced thoughtfully up toward the Sun, which would not stay in the sky as long as in the summer country. The scout leader followed his look, still worried about what threats might surprise them in this strange land. Ugaro could see better in dim lighting than Lau could; it would not be wise at all to begin a fight near sunset. But it wasn't time to plan where to make camp, until they learned what they could from the one person waiting up ahead.
"Carry on, scout leader," said Aras, and the scout turned his horse with signals to the rest of his men to fan out ahead of the vanguard, their light shields lifted in case of arrows. The rest of the division followed, and more behind them. The clamor of emotions and opinions from the entire talon as they moved on was nearly enough to obscure that sharp, unusual mind up ahead.
Aras felt the moment when the first riders came within the boy's sight or hearing, as his fear spiked up suddenly. He was not only afraid but also unwilling, very uncommon for an Ugaro. None of their warriors were conscripted, so most would be eager for battle, sometimes bloodthirsty, always determined. Whatever fear they felt, most warriors would ignore until they confronted the inevitability of death or capture. This boy seemed to be confronting that already.
Then Aras caught images through several pairs of eyes of the boy raising his hands to show they were bound, tethered to a heavy log, and he understood the situation better.
Years ago, an Ugaro warrior had offered himself - through an interpreter - as a tuyo, a sort of sacrifice to appease the anger and bloodthirst of the Lau after a series of back-and-forth escalations. Aras had declined the offer then but took care to learn more about the custom after the matter was all settled.
A tuyo was something like a whipping boy to bear the punishments of a prince too high-ranking for physical punishment, or like the goat some villages would chase off into barren hills or desert to carry away bad luck. The Lau were meant to exact revenge upon this tuyo for everything the raiders had done, leaving the rest of the raiding party alone.
The less-appalling aspect of the custom was that it would initiate a kind of truce. By leaving the tuyo, the Ugaro agreed to make no further raids, and by killing the tuyo, Aras would agree to leave off further pursuit.
If Aras decided not to accept the offer, he could simply leave the boy behind, tethered in the snow, to freeze or starve to death. But he suspected if he rejected their offer of truce, the Ugaro they pursued would become even more intransigent. Aras wasn't certain he wanted to know what all-out resistance would look like, if the ambushes they had encountered so far were what the Ugaro considered to be normal warfare.
One thing he did know was that the land and the weather were likely to turn against them eventually. The longer they remained in the winter country, the more likely it was that they would face a blizzard or deep snow blocking their passage. They would lose men and horses to the bitter cold as well as to Ugaro warriors taking advantage of the situation. This tuyo presented an opportunity to shorten their stay in this hostile land without looking as if they were giving up the chase.
Aras wondered how long he could delay killing a tuyo without breaking the custom entirely. Perhaps they could question him to help with their larger strategy, although at the moment that seemed unlikely. The boy was almost wholly overcome by his fear, and Aras could hardly glean anything else from his thoughts, but he could hardly be deeply informed of the greater concerns, be they political or economic, which were driving this recent change. The last potential tuyo that had been offered to Aras was a grown man and a warleader making a choice to sacrifice himself. Aras didn't think much of someone who would leave an unhappy and ignorant child tied in the snow to await the arrival of angry enemies.
And then Aras was riding into the clearing, facing down the youth who stood by the ashes of a dying fire. The boy was watching the riders circle around him, while the scouts continued onward. But Lucas had already signaled the rest of the talon to slow and was discussing with the division leaders where they might want to camp.
Yes, this was the right opportunity. Aras could take his prize and leave in good order. Now he just had to find out exactly what he had won.
As he looked down at the boy, Aras wished he had brought Ianan's talon. No one in this talon was particularly fluent in taksu. But Ianan disliked killing Ugaro and knew little of their customs beyond the language itself, so Aras had given in to Lucas' request to come along instead. There were a few soldiers in this talon who knew more than the limited phrases that Aras had been able to pick up the last time he had resolved a dispute in the borderlands. That would have to suffice.
The boy was focused on Aras, recognizing him as important. He thought Aras looked cruel; that thought came through suddenly and clearly. Aras dismounted, and the boy knelt on the packed snow and bowed his head.
Servile, was the general Lau opinion regarding the Ugaro custom of deep and frequent bows from a kneeling position. Also cowardly and ashamed to look us in the eyes. But Aras could feel, as he had in previous encounters with Ugaro, that the bowing was only a matter of politeness. The boy showed that he acknowledged Aras as the leader of the Lau warriors, but he felt no deep awe or reverence, nor was his bow a promise to obey. Interestingly, the motion seemed to clear his mind somewhat from the fog of fear. The boy straightened after his bow and, still kneeling, looked around at the talon. He did not meet anyone's eyes.
Aras could now speak to Lucas without giving away his secret abilities. He said enough to make clear to the men listening that he knew of this custom and meant to make use of it, and also mentioned that the boy must be the son of a lord or other important person. The Lau would take that to mean hostage, but it would suffice to let them know Aras had plans for the boy and didn't want him killed.
And then the boy's fear was replaced by annoyance, and he responded clearly, "I have nineteen winters, so I am not a boy either by your law or ours."
He spoke darau easily and fluently. He knew at least a little about Lau law and customs. Suddenly, a host of new possibilities opened up before Aras. Perhaps it would not take so many steps after all, to establish a line of communication with the Ugaro.
Aras passed Lucas a signal to make camp, and began what promised to be an enlightening conversation.