Seth watched Borrik concentrate a moment as they walked side by side, patiently waiting for his orders to be carried out.
“The men have their orders, Master.”
“Good. While they do that, how about you and I find a quiet place to plan an invasion of our own, and perhaps have a few drinks?”
“I saw a large tavern from the air earlier that looked suitable,” Borrik suggested.
“Lead the way,” Seth said, waving his hand out in gesture.
* * * * *
Sara crept silently through the darkened town’s streets, watching, hearing, and smelling the humans all about her. She could nearly feel the warmth emanating from their bodies as they slept in the poorly constructed buildings around her. Here and there rodents scattered at her coming, and an occasional cat slunk through the shadows, but more or less she was alone with her own thoughts in the darkness.
Rounding a corner, she stepped over a puddle that she assumed was urine, and continued on down the filthy streets. Looking about, she could only wonder what it was that Goldenfingers had in store for the small town. He had mentioned renaming it, rebuilding it, and making it more defendable. It seemed a wise enough plan for someone in his position. Why not have your own town? Sara had to admit, she enjoyed the attention and obedience that came from being of a higher station. It certainly beat being smacked around by the owner of a brothel. Who wouldn’t want to rule?
The idea of having their own kingdom was intriguing. She would be a queen and Seth, her king. She knew he did it as a means to find temporary peace, but knew too that he had plans beyond that. With current circumstances and their understanding of them being what they were, she wondered if Seth intended to do as he had sworn to Ishanya, or if he had other intentions. She knew he considered all life precious. It was his belief that had helped her to discover her own flaws and weaknesses. Even so, she wondered how they could simply take a kingdom for their own, without fear of bloodshed. Surely if things were as Goldenfingers said they were within Drakenhurst, then there would be those who would refuse Seth’s rule and look for a way to capture his crown for their own.
Turning another bend, Sara spotted the inn she sought and quickened her pace. Already there were three carts heavily laden and piled high. A pair of Seth’s men stood guard over the carts, unable to move them on their own. Staked nearby were a trio of goats and several cages with laying hens.
Seeing the men’s predicament, she smiled at them as they approached, getting mixed responses to her bared fangs.
“You boys stay here a few moments more. I’ll see if I can scrounge you up some help to get this back to the army.”
“Yes, m’lady,” both men replied.
Crouching low, Sara pressed her toes to the ground, and shoved upward with all her inhuman might. Jumping high above the buildings, she summoned forth the power enchanted into her boots by her husband.
“Jump!”
Another thrust from beneath her and she was soaring over the rooftops. She loved the freedom of the air and wondered if she could convince Seth to give her wings of her own. Smiling even wider at the thought, she knew she could convince him, she just needed the time with him alone in order to do so.
Plummeting from the cold night air, she landed nimbly just outside the town and leaning forward she began pumping her legs. Within mere moments the miles whipped past her and she slid to a stop just outside what she supposed might pass for a camp. People lay on the damp earth, melting the snow with their bodies. Some milled about hopelessly, too afraid to sleep. Others thrashed or moaned, their bodies wrought with pain or hunger or both. Here and there she could see Seth’s wolven captains speaking to clusters of people in hushed whispers.
Seeking out Jonas, she strode through the camp looking for the large mottle-colored beast of a man. Sighting him, she turned and picked out a path among the slumbering bodies of Seth’s followers. Before she neared, he turned to look up at her and winked, though it was barely perceivable in the darkness.
“What can I do for you, Princess Sara?” Jonas asked, sounding more feral in the night than he had the day previous.
“I need a few dozen men sent into town to retrieve food and some supplies.”
“Any place in particular, or may they simply take whatever they can find?” Jonas grinned.
“Just follow the road in, they’ll find it.”
“I’ll see that it is done. Are we to disperse the supplies?”
“Yes, make sure the children and the injured eat first.”
“Consider it done.”
“Thanks,” Sara said, reaching up to lay her hand on his large shoulder.
Turning, Sara looked back towards the small town. Taking up what would be an unnaturally fast stride for those around her, she quickly made her way out of camp. Free to speed her pace even more, Sara ran with the cold wind whipping across her leather-clad body, dragging her raven hair to flow out behind her. Now all she needed to do was locate her husband and devise a plan on just how she might steal him off for a bit to convince him that she needed wings.
* * * * *
Borrik sat at the table with his master, awaiting their food. Though most patrons had gone home at this hour, the inn’s barmaid and cook had both come out to greet them, only to take their orders and scurry away as quick as was possible. Looking about the room he spied only a pair of old drunks in the corner, one of whom it appeared was already passed out and slobbering all over the table.
The place was nowhere near the quality of what Valdadore had to offer, but Borrik reminded himself that this was a simple town, not a capital city like his previous home. The plain wooden structure was more or less boring, with plain chairs and a bar that was little more than planks, pieced together to create a solid surface. The floor, ceiling, doors, and even the chairs and tables were all the same wood. Nothing was painted or polished, and not a single decoration hung from the walls. Thinking the people had no pride in their establishment, he then supposed that perhaps it was in an effort to avoid being robbed. If it appeared they had nothing, why would those with ill intent even bother? Perhaps the owners were more intelligent than poor.
“Do you want to discuss your plan, or would you rather wait?” Borrik asked, growing bored with the room and its inhabitants.
“Sara is nearly here.”
That was what he was waiting for—to discuss it with his wife as well. It was smart to do, he supposed. She was just as powerful a champion as Borrik himself was, he figured. She had really come into her own with all the power she had consumed. Waiting only a few moments, the barmaid returned, and standing as far back as was possible, she stretched out her flabby arms to place the platter with three wooden dishes she carried onto the table. Beside that she half dropped another platter containing three wooden mugs and a large pitcher of what appeared to be ale. More wood. Go figure.
It was nearly at the same instant that the barmaid turned to flee, that the door burst open and Sara floated into the room, seemingly gliding above the floor, her movements were so graceful. Even Borrik noted the accentuated sway of his master’s wife’s hips and realized quickly what she was all about.
Apparently deciding for herself that Sara was with her other beastly guests, the barmaid retreated into the room beyond without another glance as Sara came to join them.
“Hello, beautiful,” Seth greeted her with a grin.
“Hi, my love. Is this for me?” Sara asked, picking up a plate as she rounded the table.
“Of course.”
“And how did you know I would come back?”
“I was watching.”
“However is a woman supposed to have some privacy if her husband can track her everywhere she goes?”
“What woman is truly a wife if she requires privacy from her husband?” Seth countered.
Borrik grinned a canine grin, sure that Sara’s mock protest had been defeated. Just as wily as she was lethal, however, Sara turned upon her husband, leaning both her face and exposed
cleavage towards him, licking her lips as she pretended to whisper just a bit too loud.
“The woman who wishes to surprise him with a night of enticing, and purely elicit acts, of course.”
Borrik didn’t know if it was possible in his current form, but was certain he blushed beneath his fur, though Seth could not hide his own emotions. Laughing a musical laugh, Sara sat in the chair she had been leaning over and placing her plate upon the table, she smiled as her husband poured her a glass of ale. Borrik could do nothing but watch on, afraid to say anything lest he laugh. Seth had been lured in and defeated by his clever wife, though in honesty, no man ever had a chance when tempted by a woman.
After several looks and smiles, both Seth and Sara seemed to settle themselves and again it was back to business.
“So, my two big strapping men, what do you propose we do in the days to come?”
Borrik looked to the drunkards in the corner. The one who had been previously asleep, now sat upright, drinking heavily from what appeared to be an empty mug. The other, oddly, was now passed out opposite him. Deciding their words were more or less safe, Borrik turned back to his companions.
“I presume we plan to take an indirect route into the keep?” he asked.
“That is what I am thinking,” Seth replied. “Either we find a way into the aqueducts, or make a way in.”
“Drain their water and let thirst defeat them?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t want to harm them or their dignity. Remember, these are people we will likely have to work with to rebuild that which is currently falling apart.”
“What do you suggest then?” Sara asked. “Some sort of sneak attack? Catch them while they are asleep?”
“Something along those lines. We’ll likely have to improvise, but before we can begin to work out the specifics, we need to see the lay of the land.”
For more than an hour Seth discussed what he had planned. It was unconventional to say the least, but Borrik liked it. Sara did too, it seemed, as she smiled often at her husband, and added ideas and thoughts as the discussion progressed. It took much longer than necessary to finish their meals with so much talking, but in the end, the immense wolf man thought that the plan had a chance. With minimal bloodshed, superior numbers, and abilities that were unparalleled anywhere upon Thurr, Borrik looked forward to helping his master claim a kingdom of his own.
Chapter Eight
Having a direction to travel, Garret felt they already had an advantage. Even if the mushroom farmers turned out to be someone other than the druids, if they lived in the same forest it was likely that those who grew the mushrooms would know where to find those he sought. Packing up the tents and supplies, he let Zorbin take the lead, though the wolf lunged into the undergrowth first. Nearly immediately, Garret realized that they were not in for an easy trek.
Leading the horses, they were forced to hack a path for the animals through the vines, ferns and bushes, which slowed progress tremendously. Leaving them behind wasn’t an option either. A tied horse was too easy prey, not only for thieves, but for predatory animals as well. It truly was a lose-lose situation.
For hours they hacked and cut a trail through the dense forest, taking to the clear ground where it was available. Here and there, when climbing uphill, the moss would peel from the ground like rotted flesh, and they and the horses would slide down upon moss and mud, only to start the climb again.
Had he still had Gorandor’s favor, Garret could have cleaved them a path in minutes and been done with it, but as he did not, instead he fumed and cut angrily. Taking a break near mid-day, they stopped for a quick meal of dried beef and some cheese, before starting off again. Looking about at all the undergrowth, Garret couldn’t believe that any plant could survive beneath the canopy above. Hardly any light filtered all the way to the ground, and without light the ground should have been barren in his mind.
Near mid-afternoon they crossed a large game trail that, although not going the exact direction they intended, they began to follow anyhow. The going got substantially easier, and Zorbin ahead of them only had to cut a stray vine or remove a fallen branch from the path.
Though the wolf was absent most of the day, from time to time, Xanth would reappear on a ridge, trail, or hill ahead, as if showing them the way. Garret didn’t know if they were sharing information or not, but Garret soon realized that when they went the way the wolf showed them, the trails were easier and mostly clear of debris.
He supposed it was evening or night when Zorbin paused just a few feet ahead of him. Releasing the reins of his mount, Garret joined the dwarf and together they crept ahead nearly fifty yards, leaving Ashton to tend the animals. Reaching a clearing, they found the very mushrooms that Zorbin had described, though Garret was amazed that the fungus emanated a glow, like small lanterns placed into rows.
Motioning Ashton ahead, both Garret and Zorbin circumvented the clearing, holding to its edge to watch for any movement ahead. As they reached the far end, a trail opened up that was obviously well traveled, and peering down it, the king of Valdadore could see another clearing ahead. Knowing it was either another mushroom patch or the home of whoever tended them, Garret took to the trail and stopped suddenly as the sound of a crying babe carried down the path to be joined by another and then a third. Babies. Several babies.
Keeping his eyes ahead, Garret half ran half shuffled down the trail, trying to remain quiet. Reaching the end of the trail, he could see the clearing ahead and found it peculiar. Within the clearing stood six huts made of moss, bark, and wood, and nowhere to be seen were there any signs of a sentry or any means of defense. Again the sound of a babe’s wail came to his ears and again it was joined by others, only this time it was joined by another voice.
“Jeddith, go and see if there is something outside,” came a woman’s voice.
“Of course there is nothing outside,” a man replied.
“The babes are acting spooked, just go and see.”
“Fine, but I assure you, everything is fine.”
There wasn’t any time to hide in order to gauge if the man would be a threat, so Garret simply watched as the man exited the nearest hut. He nearly laughed when the man spotted him, not for the man’s surprise, but because the man stood stark naked and unarmed. What exactly did he plan to do if there was something outside his door?
“It’s okay, Elandra. It’s just a man,” the nude man said without removing his eyes from Garret.
Garret heard a rustle beside him, and noted Zorbin with his peripheral vision.
“What kind of man?” the woman’s voice asked.
“A man? Here?” another woman’s voice added to the conversation from somewhere unknown.
“A big man, and now a small man too,” the nude man said as Garret advanced upon him.
“Is there a medium man too?” one of the woman asked with a laugh, thinking it a game.
“Actually yes,” Garret said, loud enough for all to hear, “he’ll be here momentarily.”
Silence filled the small clearing a moment, before once again the sounds of babies began to fill the air as one voice turned into many. Generally the sound of one crying baby was enough to make a person frantic, but within seconds the whole clearing was filled with the sounds of cries and wails. Garret struggled to stay focused as the sound all melded together into one great mournful howl.
“Take him,” Garret said to Zorbin, pointing towards the man.
Crossing to the nearest hut, Garret simply stormed inside to see something he had no way to prepare for. There, in the hut, five nude women lay, sprawled out upon the floor with the crying, wriggling bodies of the demon babies he had come to discover.
Much like human babies their flesh appeared soft and supple, though some had spots and others had strange brown or gray hues to their skin. From atop their heads, tufts of fur swept down their tiny backs to about mid spine. Their ears were more pointed and their faces, slightly skewed, as their jaws were stretched forward into hal
f muzzles. Though obviously only perhaps a week or two old, the small creatures scraped and clawed, half crawling to get away from him and into the protective arms of their mothers whose bellies were still covered in loose flesh and breasts were swollen with milk to the point of showing the veins. There had to be at least twenty to thirty of the things upon the moss-covered floor. Reaching down, Garret scooped one up for closer inspection as Zorbin filled the doorway with his wide shoulders and braided beard.
As he looked the creature over, it silenced its wails as its lips pulled back to reveal tiny razor-sharp teeth as it began to growl at him. Disgusted, the king of Valdadore threw the beast to the floor, crushing its head beneath his boot to silence its screams. As he bent to retrieve the next, Garret’s wrist was grabbed from behind and he spun to see who dared protest his actions.
* * * * *
Zorbin couldn’t believe his eyes. The king of Valdadore had just murdered a helpless infant. Abomination or not, he simply couldn’t stand for such violence. No, he couldn’t stand with it. Releasing Garret’s wrist he looked to his friend with a questioning glare that bordered on pain.
“Surely you do not intend this as justice?” Zorbin shouted above the combined wails of the mothers and babies, gesturing to the mangled carcass upon the floor.
“They are unnatural and evil. They must be destroyed.”
“Unnatural perhaps, but who deems them evil? You? They are but helpless children.”
“Do not try and deter me, Zorbin. I trust your word and your counsel, but in this I know I am right. Valdadore must be cleansed of my brother’s evil.”
“I’ll not be a party to this slaughter, then.”
Turning, Zorbin stalked past Ashton who raced towards the hut. The king was beyond his help in this matter. There was nothing he could do. It was his duty to do what the king ordered, and follow him in all things, but this…this was an act of unspeakable evil. Gorandor would not condone the murder of thirty children.
Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) Page 180
