by Bethan Johns
After a few minutes he spoke again. “The only reprieve is that these will not be going public officially for a few years yet. Though I am sure word of them will spread long before that.”
I turned to watch him. He was standing back in front of his desk, his eyes narrowing as he read a document.
He smiled, his eyes disbelieving.
“Well this is some gossip-worthy news. Apparently a two hundred and fifty year old Fae female is now leading the Rustlavayne Mercenary Armies.”
I raised my eyebrows. The Rustlavayne Mercenary Armies were a massive legion of Howelltie mercenaries who banded together to create an army of some of the most blood-thirsty and vicious warriors.
Their commander was chosen through a series of to-the-death battles starting in the lowest level arenas and working their way to the top.
Never in their history had a Fae ever led the army. It wasn’t very often a female did.
He laughed at my expression and continued reading the paper. “Sierade Gwaynten was raised in the Howelltie colonies and after serving in the army for fifty years among the foot soldiers, she disappeared for a century and returned to move up the ranks and begin leading the army in a record breaking fifty years.”
I barked a laugh. I didn’t know what to address first.
“Tundra, can you imagine, a female Fae being raised in the colonies?” I whispered at last.
Elliot shuddered. “Apparently she is especially well-known for her brutality. Adding a flair of cruelty a little bit more spicy than would normally be considered necessary for her task.”
He looked the paper over.
I chuckled. “I don’t blame her. How the hell did she even survive to adulthood? What insane person gave her to them?”
I watched as Elliot read more details about the mysterious Fae girl.
He flipped the sheet over and grinned at me. “She is just breaking all the rules. Apparently for the first time ever, she is implementing strict training regimes and bringing in new strategies. She is changing the vicious and wild Rustlavayne into a bloodthirsty and well-honed machine. Also, she is recruiting.”
I let out a low sigh. “This could be a problem if she succeeds. The Rustlavayne has always been dangerous and feared, but if they become well managed….”
Our eyes met, his were glittering with amusement.
“I am going to have to tell Reves to check it out.”
Chapter 6 – Loyalty and Coin
Year 10,252 AC
Gaelen
I rifted into the skies above the Rustlavayne merc-camp a few weeks later. If the Queen needed or wanted to use this army, it would be the responsibility of Reves, the commander of the Nephilim, to purchase their services.
I was simply curious.
I arrived in the sky over the camp flapping my wings, to the sight of a firedrake soaring through the skies.
Watching it, I was in awe of its beauty as it noted my presence and lazily flew towards me; it was not on high guard.
I studied it and realized with a shock that it wasn’t a true firedrake; this was the manifestation of someone’s fire magic. My heart thudded in my chest in response as it came closer.
When it was about twenty feet away it slowed to spin lazy circles through the air around me, watching me curiously with shining silver eyes.
I laughed gently, and its eyes narrowed as it flipped to its back in the air revealing its long silver belly.
The smooth scales glistened in the sun.
I looked down at the massive camp and saw it was a bustle of activity. There was clearly intense training going on for the foot soldiers, but my eyes were drawn to the fire magic users. They were creating massive shields, interlocking their powers to work together rather than each soldier creating their own shield.
This was not an unusual tactic for most armies, but it was for the Howelltie. Their most well-known weakness was that they didn’t function in unison the way other, better-disciplined armies did.
Shaking my head, I turned my eyes to the other end of the camp where there was a flurry of movement. Moving closer, I narrowed my eyes.
A few more firedrakes had erupted. One or two sputtered out, but there were a few strong ones. “Holy Tundra” I whispered.
I rifted into the dining room where I had last met Reves many years ago. It looked much the same.
When I arrived, two servants stood staring at me in shock. “Go get Reves” I said quietly after a moment.
One nodded and left the room. After a heartbeat the other - a smaller, young looking Nephilim - gathered herself.
“Would you like anything Commander? A drink?” She asked, her voice clear.
I smiled, she knew who I was! “Whiskey would be fantastic.”
She smiled back tentatively and gestured for me to sit in a chair at the table while she moved over to the side board.
She handed me a glass of whiskey a moment later. “Thank you,” I said. “What is your name?”
“Elyse.” She responded.
I smiled again and snapped my wings away causing them to disappear. Her eyes widened, but she stood her ground.
“My name is Gaelen.” I said, studying her. Her face was pretty and her eyes cautious.
She watched as I drained the glass, and she held out her hand for it, her eyebrows raising in silent question.
When she took it and moved to the sideboard, she said “I know who you are. You are the Commander for Prince Castor’s armies, are you not?”
I merely nodded when she came back and handed me my glass. It had more liquid in it this time, more than was usually appropriate to offer guests. I raised my eyebrows at her with a smile.
She blushed deeply.
“You look like you need it.” She said shyly.
I laughed pleasantly, and her eyes lit up. “On that, my dear, you are correct.”
I raised my glass to her and took a long swig. Setting it on the table, I looked at her again and our eyes were still locked when Reves entered. There was definite chemistry here, and her eyes had changed from caution to interested curiosity. It was not often I found a female who knew who I was and who was not frightened of me; especially a female who was a servant, other than in my own home, and those were off limits for my own peace of mind.
Her eyes became cautious again as they broke away from mine and looked to Reves.
I turned to smile at him over my shoulder at he entered the room.
“Gaelen.” He said warmly as he came around the table.
“Reves” I returned, nodding. I looked back to Elyse.
“That will be all Elyse.” I said giving her a wink and raising my glass.
She blushed and met Reves eyes for a quick confirmation before leaving.
Reves chuckled lightly watching her go. “You are a shameless flirt Gaelen.”
“You should give her a raise” I replied, smirking at him.
He was bare-chested and in sleep pants. His hair was still sleep-mussed.
“What time is it on this plane?” I asked him. I looked to the window, but from this angle I couldn’t see much other than that the sun was out.
“The sun has just risen. Though it is good to see you, I am curious about why you have arrived unannounced at this odd hour.” He did not seem to be perturbed by my presence.
“I just took a flight over the Rustlavayne Merc-Camp a few minutes ago,” I said easily.
I chuckled as his eyes widened.
“By the Tundra Gaelen, why would you be doing that?” he asked after a moment.
“Didn’t you hear about the Fae female who less than a year ago claimed leadership to the legions?”
His eyebrows drew together as he shook his head. I pulled the paper that Elliot had been reading from my pocket and handed it to him.
He scoffed as he took it. “Do you two have informants everywhere?”
I merely nodded thoughtfully.
Watching him as he read, I laughed to myself as his expression changed from awe to confu
sion to concern.
“Is this real?” He asked finally holding out the sheet.
I nodded.
“Also, the reason I came unannounced is because when I rifted into the air above the camps I came face to face with a firedrake.”
His eyebrows sky rocketed. “Where did they get a firedrake?”
I shook my head. “It was a physical fire manifestation. I am assuming it belonged to this Sierade Gwaynten. Also, there were more; she is training them how to make more.”
His mouth dropped open, and he sputtered. “Physical manifestations of magic have been a lost art for millennia.”
I smiled. “I don’t want to tell you how to do your job Commander, but I thought that this,” I tapped the paper now laying on the table between us, “was something you ought to know about.”
He nodded, still looking stunned. “Anything else I should know?”
I thought a moment. “It is said that this Sierade has a close relationship to Sylek Darque.”
Reves narrowed his eyes “The Howelltie lead psychic?”
I nodded “So, if they are getting creative with their fire magic, and rallying their physical training, and they have access to who could probably be the strongest psychic alive...one would assume they are also training their psychics.”
He sucked in a breath. “This Fae must be cunning to be able to have not only gained control of these armies, but to tame them. She knows there is a war coming. I’m willing to bet she is Howelltie enough to work for the highest bidder.”
He thought for a moment and nodded. “I will have to go see her soon. Not yet, but soon.”
I stood to leave; he put his hand on my arm. “Thank you Gaelen.” I smirked at him and rifted.
✽✽✽
Sierade
Year 10,275 AC
Dressed in my leather armour pants and the leather bralette I wore when I specifically wanted to show off my scars, I walked purposefully with Rislin on one side and Sylek on the other across the beaten earth toward my main war meeting tent.
As we moved across the camp I smiled proudly at my warriors and they nodded respectfully in my direction. Over the past twenty-odd years I had a few challenges for leadership, nothing that I couldn’t take care of in a matter of minutes. Mostly though, my leadership had been peaceful, I kept my mercs busy.
The Howelltie at the Rustlavayne Merc-Camp enjoyed my leadership; they respected the skills I had brought and the ways I had honed them into a deadly killing force, able to easily best armies much larger in size.
Though we had not been hired as a whole – there were no wars large enough being waged currently - I had sent out individual units and they had been raving stories of success.
My warriors’ newly honed skills were being sung about in taverns and our defeats left none alive. We were Howelltie; we did not take prisoners of war.
I spoke to Rislin as we walked. “A few days ago I received word of a bill made public by the Queen trying to bar Elfin the right to access Faery, then yesterday, a secondary bill went public about the intent to remove any Howelltie and Elfin from their council seats.”
I saw her physically bristle beside me.
“I received notice that Reves Alevia, the commander of the Nephilim, would be coming for a visit today; that is where we go to now. I am assuming he will be putting in an offer for our services.”
She shook her head, “You would have me fight for the queen who takes away my rights?”
I stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Might makes right Rislin, are we Howelltie or not?”
She nodded hesitantly I felt Sylek tense behind me and I looked quickly to him as we kept walking. He looked collected and calm enough that if I didn’t know him better I would think I had imagined it.
“This is simply a negotiation Rislin, we have not signed any contracts and I do not intend to today. If it comes to it, there may be more mercs who feel that they would like to put their home above their wages. That is fine. They can leave and go join the Howelltie main armies. That is not my problem. I lead the Rustlavayne, there is no room for honour here.”
I looked her in the eyes as we stood outside the tent and said gently “Everyone is replaceable Rislin.” She looked hurt. I liked her and tried to ease the harshness of my words. I put my hand on her shoulder. “Even me.” I winked at her and strode into the tent.
My eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim lighting in the tent and to make sense of the mass of gold.
There were three males facing me, I assumed the one in the middle was Reves Alevia. I looked to his left and there was a male in black leather armour and on the right, a male in brown leather armour.
Looking back at Reves, I took in his deep burgundy armour; it was a creative mix of leather and scale mail. I had never before seen such beautiful armour.
I strode up to him “Reves Alevia.”
He was looking me up and down, noting my armour, scars, my long black hair, and finally my eyes.
His widened as I smiled wryly at him. His golden eyes glowing at me from his pale, gold skinned face. His eyes were dark, as was his hair. As dark as gold could get and still be called gold really.
“Sierade Gwaynten.” He shook himself. “I apologize, I was expecting someone…”
“Larger?” I finished for him.
He cocked his head at me. “I suppose, yes.” He turned to introduce his comrades.
Pointing to the black armoured male “This is Eris, my second in command.” I nodded at him. Reves motioned to the brown armoured male “This is Tayurn, my third.”
I gestured for us all to sit and when we had settled I gestured for my own comrades to introduce themselves as I snapped my fingers and glasses of drink appeared in front of all of us.
“I am Sylek, Howelltie Psychic Lead and advisor to the Rustlavayne.” As Sylek spoke I watched Reves; I watched him absorbing every detail of the male Howelltie, his height, scars, the way he sat so close to me, the way Rislin looked at him with heat in her eyes and I smiled into my glass.
“And I am Rislin, second to Sierade.”
Reves looked Rislin over with just as much interest as he had Sylek.
I waited in silence for him to finish his inspection and move his eyes back to me. I raised my eyebrows at him.
“You came to visit me Reves. I propose you lead.”
He leaned forward holding my eyes and resting his forearms on the table. “I have come on behalf of the Queen and of the Nephilim. We have heard many great things about the Rustlavayne and the ways in which they have improved under your leadership. We would be interested in negotiating your services as a standing army.”
I shook my head. “We do not stand. When there is a war, or a timeline you can give me, you come to see me. Until then, we train, and we take on whatever contracts we see fit.”
He smiled “I thought you would say that” He leaned back in his chair eyeing me and my comrades.
“May I speak off the record Sierade?” he asked cautiously.
“I have no record Reves. Please call me Si. The full name can be a mouthful.” I looked to his lips as I said it.
They were full and a rose-gold colour, I saw them lifting to a smile as I let my eyes drift back to his, they were definitely sparkling more than before. I don’t know whether or not he knew I had done it on purpose, but I knew I was beautiful. It was another weapon I would wield, and he had just proven he was susceptible to it.
Still smiling he said, “We all saw the memos that Queen Aubliette made public, we all know that she would never have released them if she did not have the support for them to pass already in place. Once they pass, there will be war.”
He leaned forward his smile now gone “There will be war, and I think we both know it will be bloody.”
I let a smile drift onto my face, let him see a bit of the wicked, I needed to know if it would disarm him.
It didn’t.
“I like to know who I am getting into bed with before the fucking start
s.” He finished.
I laughed outright. He had certainly known the game I was playing with him and decided to play it right back to let me know I had shown my hand.
“All right Reves.” I stood to pace.
“Say you’re right and there is a war coming. I respect a commander who likes to have his forces settled before the war begins, but we do have the issue that I have legions of Howelltie out there who will not sit still for the next decades it will probably be before the war begins.”
