A dozen female slaves were ritually raped by the warriors of the escort, each woman taking at least ten men into her. They spilled their seed into the slaves' bodies, then strangled them with silken cords and set them around the corpse. In the afterlife they would bring forth out of their spirits, by benefit of the seeds placed in them, warriors to serve him. His favorite horses were likewise killed and placed in the tomb along with all the trappings and harnesses, saddles and the articles of war which he would need.
Ch'ing Li stood by Arnak observing the barbaric funeral practices. Arnak stood on top of the tomb and cried out to the men of his father's tribes gathered there: "Lords and nobles, warriors and priests. In my father's tomb are those things he will need to serve him in the afterlife as a great king. He has his women, his weapons, horses and gold. There are the seeds of warriors waiting to be born in the bodies of his women. But he needs one thing more." The audience was silent. Arnak grinned at Ch'ing. "He will need the one whose advice he always valued more than anyone else's. He needs the sage from the land of Chin to go with him and serve him for eternity."
Ch'ing Li felt his heart drop. Arnak pointed to him with a sword crying out to the guards: "Let it be done."
Willing hands grabbed him, jerking him to his knees. His protests were cut off, when his breath was stopped by the silk cord around his neck. For a moment he felt the blood pounding in his temples. He tried to cry out, but the swelling heaviness in his head drove everything out of him. Spots whirled before his eyes, then the dark redness telescoped in and he died.
Arnak smiled in a manner resembling that of the now deceased sire as Ch'ing struggled under the twisting cord. How could I have ever trusted you, little man? What you would do to my father, you would also have done to me. As Attila always said, do the deed first.
Arnak had Ch'ing Li's body placed at the foot of his father, along with his ever present set of scrolls. Then he had the slaves, who had dug the pit for the tomb three hundred of them killed by the guards, and they were placed around the outside of the crypt.
The guard and nobles that had gathered filled in the grave. The nobles and escort rode away, leaving only Arnak with his personal troops behind. Once they had left, he took his men and rode to the end of the valley four miles to the north.
There on the banks of the river he gave his final orders concerning the burial of his father. Since the day of his father's death, slaves had been hacking away at the banks of the river until only a wall of earth separated it from the entrance to the valley. Once that barrier was removed the river would follow a new course. The grave of Attila would be forever lost to the eyes of man.
Arnak gave the order and the slaves opened the way letting the waters of the river rush into the valley, flooding it as it sought its new course. Once this was done he had his archers kill the slaves.
When he returned to his camp, the archers of his escort were put to death by those that had remained behind. Arnak took no chances. Now he was the only one who knew the exact location of the crypt. The treasure that had been buried with Attila would be there if he ever needed it.
From a distant hill, a lone rider watched the proceedings that ended in the burial of the master of the Huns. The manner in which his fur robes were embroidered, with runic symbols of luck, said that he was from the tribes of the northern Vandals and an ally of the Hun. A closer look would show blue gray eyes set in a scarred face. Casca had been ordered to go into the territory of the Huns and the Gepids. He was one of the few Romans who knew enough of the tongue of the tribes and their customs to be able to pass for a barbarian warrior if he was questioned.
As the waters of the diverted river erased all evidence of the burial site of Attila, he marked the spot in his mind taking a sight on several landmarks that time would not soon eliminate. It occurred to him as he watched, as it did to Arnak, that there might come a time when knowing where Attila and his treasure was buried could come in handy.
He turned his horse away. There would be no need to return to Italy. The Huns would not come again, at least not for some time. With the death of Attila there was no one left to hold the thousand tribes together. Casca knew from long experience that soon there would be civil war among the tribes of the Huns as their leaders fought for supreme power. Then, once the division between their masters was evident, the vassal tribes would be quick to try and reassert themselves and regain their own independence. The Huns might come again but not until they found another Attila.
A warm evening breeze rode with him. In three day's time he would be able to see the clean, high, snow covered peaks of the Alps. The past months had wearied him. He was even afraid to love. Perhaps in the clean air of the Alps where few men went, he would be able to find peace again for a time. At least he wouldn't have to think; and time meant nothing.
Hunched over in his saddle, he let his body sway with the easy gait of the horse, lulling him with the motion. The last thought he had before closing his eyes to sleep was how good it would be to have centuries just slip away from him while he slept the long sleep of eternity.
Continuing Casca’s adventures, book 8 Soldier of Fortune
And bring them back to Taiwan – alive.
For more information on the entire Casca series see www.casca.net
The Barry Sadler website www.barrysadler.com
THE CASCA SERIES IN EBOOKS
By Barry Sadler
Casca 1: The Eternal Mercenary
Casca 2: God of Death
Casca 3: The Warlord
Casca 4: Panzer Soldier
Casca 5: The Barbarian
Casca 6: The Persian
Casca 7: The Damned
Casca 8: Soldier of Fortune
Casca 9: The Sentinel
Casca 10: The Conquistador
Casca 12: The African Mercenary
Casca 13: The Assassin
Casca 14: The Phoenix
Casca 15: The Pirate
Casca 16: Desert Mercenary
Casca 17: The Warrior
Casca 18: The Cursed
Casca 19: The Samurai
Casca 20: Soldier of Gideon
Casca 21: The Trench Soldier
Casca 22: The Mongol
By Tony Roberts
Casca 25: Halls of Montezuma
Casca 26: Johnny Reb
Casca 27: The Confederate
Casca 30: Napoleon’s Soldier
Casca 31: The Conqueror
Casca 32: The Anzac
Casca 34: Devil’s Horseman
Casca 35: Sword of the Brotherhood
Casca 36: The Minuteman
Casca 37: Roman Mercenary
Casca 38: The Continental
Casca 39: The Crusader
Casca 40: Blitzkrieg
Casca 41: The Longbowman