Chapter 5: Hostage

Realising that there are no men, other than his own group, inside the Halls of Valhalla, Tamaz orders the mercenaries to stand guard in the corridors while he lays out his demands to Zoe and me. Although I draw comfort in the knowledge that my father will make Samvel regret his betrayal, it does nothing to help my current situation. I listen to Tamaz’s demands.

Needless to say, Tamaz wants custody of Reyna, who he claims was kidnapped by two rogue monks. Tamaz doesn’t name the rogue monks, but they are obviously Zurab and Narek. In addition, Tamaz wants a hostage to ensure that there is no interference from the city troops. Samvel has no hesitation in revealing I’m the daughter of the warlord, and offering me as the hostage. My loathing of Samvel reaches new depths, but I refuse to try and negotiate a better deal for myself at someone else’s expense. Tamaz doesn’t seem to want to cause unnecessary bloodshed, although none of us are left in any doubt that bloodshed will be the outcome if his demands are not met.

“I will agree to Exalted Brother Tamaz’s demands if the city aldermen recognise Zoe as the owner of the Halls of Valhalla in my absence,” I say to the aldermen while Tamaz is helping himself to food from the kitchen.

My request is more than a pointless gesture. By openly recognising Zoe’s ownership of the Halls of Valhalla, the aldermen cannot order the Halls to close while I am away. I know that more than one of them has interests in other slave trading houses, and that they would love to have the Halls put out of business.

“Agreed,” says Samvel reluctantly.

Belatedly Narek returns to the Halls, along with Zurab and two of my father’s soldiers. They are taken by surprise by the mercenaries and surrender without a fight. Whatever games the grey monks are playing isn’t something they intend to air in public. Tamaz dismisses the three aldermen as though they are servants. They practically scramble over each other to leave.

“Fetch the wagon, Brother Narek,” says Tamaz.

Narek and Zurab are clearly unhappy at this turn of events, but Narek doesn’t refuse Tamaz’s orders.

“Get what belongings you need, slave,” says Tamaz to me. “And prepare Reyna for our journey.”

I don’t correct Tamaz’s mistaken belief that I am a slave. My own safety is probably better protected if he considers me to be property to be guarded. I send Zoe to fetch the key for Reyna’s cell from Hanna. I hope Hanna has obeyed my orders and remains hidden. I don’t want to jeopardise the safety of the other young women in my cells any more than necessary. The mercenaries have obeyed Tamaz’s orders so far, but once Tamaz has what he needs, I can’t be sure what they will do next.

“I don’t know what is going to happen, but don’t risk your lives trying to stop these men,” I say to Zoe when she returns with the key. “The warlord will decide what to do about that snake Samvel and his cronies. And don’t risk any lives trying to rescue me. I will take care of myself. I’ll not be happy if I learn people have been killed on my account.”

Reyna is released from her cell and brought to where Tamaz is waiting. She is remarkably calm in the circumstances. Of course, her stay at the Halls of Valhalla was only ever going to be temporary. All that has changed is that her departure is a few weeks earlier than planned, and in the thrall of a different grey monk.

My own treatment in the hands of the grey monks and their mercenaries is no worse than I endured during my time as a slave. Needless to say, Zoe and I are unhappy about what is going on, but there’s nothing we can do at the moment. We both know that my father will take action as soon as he returns from wherever Samvel’s trickery has sent him. In the interests of avoiding bloodshed, and harm to the slaves in the Hall’s cells, I repeat my earlier instructions not to risk lives in an attempt to rescue me.

The grey monks and their mercenaries are eager to leave quickly. Narek returns with the drover and the ox-drawn wagon, which still has the iron coffin sat on the bed of the wagon. Tamez issues a few orders and Reyna and I are told to get onto the back of the wagon. I’m relieved that Reyna is allowed to sit with me, and that she is not confined inside the iron coffin that rests between us. She is made to wear manacles on her wrists and ankles along with the thick leather hood she wore when she arrived. This is despite the fact that she shows no inclination to escape. I’m also made to wear a single wrist manacle linking my right wrist to Reyna’s left. My own status among these men is ambiguous. While Tamaz believes me to be a slave, Zurab and Narek know otherwise. However, neither seems inclined to advise Tamaz of his mistake. I’m referred to as a hostage, but I’m treated more like a captive being transported to a slave market. Tamaz hasn’t said how long he wishes to keep me as a hostage. Hopefully he’ll release me once we reach one of the many villages along the northbound road to Bolnisi. I don’t particularly want to be taken to Bolnisi, but I recognise that I have no say in the matter.

We travel at a leisurely pace for several hours before a rider from the city catches up to our group. I recognise the man as a soldier from the garrison at Wadi Halaf. He is lightly armed, so his mission is clearly that of a messenger. Tamaz reads the letter he is handed, but he doesn’t share the contents with either of his fellow monks, nor the mercenaries with us.

“You have delivered your message, soldier,” growls Tamaz to the messenger. “Tell your warlord I will consider his words. Now go.”

My father’s message has clearly put Tamaz in a foul mood. Even Zurab and the mercenary leader are hesitant to enquire about the cause. We continue our journey in silence before finally stopping for the night in a wooded glade a short distance from the road. Fortunately the weather is fine as all the men are sleeping out in the open. Reyna’s leg irons are fastened to one of the wagon wheels, and we are told to sleep under the wagon. I suspect that our sleeping location has less to do with providing shelter in the event of rain, and more to do with discouraging any randy man from fucking us. The mercenaries have been eyeing the both of us with undisguised lust ever since we left the city. I can’t understand why Reyna is made to wear the leather hood. In my opinion, it’s an unnecessary cruelty.