Walking away from the hut, he neared the second and his ears caused him to turn and look inside. There, just like the previous hut, were five women sprawled out on the floor. Babes suckled at their breasts and moved about the floor.
Rushing to the next hut the scene was the same, and the fourth the same again. The fifth hut was similarly filled and the sixth and final hut was all but empty. Doing the math, he estimated thirty babies per hut and five huts meant one and a half hundred babes. Zorbin couldn’t let such an atrocity be committed by his friend, whether or not he was the king.
Rushing back to the first hut he found the mothers all in a row, trying to protect their young. Exhausted from caring for so many, and weak from giving birth only a short time before, they were no match for the Valdadorian king. Sweeping them all aside with one thickly muscled arm, Garret moved to begin stomping the babies to death.
“Don’t do it, Garret. Gorandor would not look kindly on such an act of murder and neither would I,” Zorbin shouted above the babies’ and mothers’ cries.
“Perhaps there is another way,” Ashton added. “A kinder way.”
“They were brought to these women’s lives in a violent way. It is only befitting that they leave the same.”
“You would bloody their homes with the torn bodies of their own children?” Zorbin asked, preparing to take the step that would lead him to a point of no return.
Preparing to summon his blessing in case the king summoned his own, Zorbin expected a fight. He knew the king was still in pain, reeling from all the loss he endured, but it couldn’t be helped. Not under these circumstances.
“What would Linaya think of you stomping upon babies?” Zorbin asked as the king turned to glare at him.
“Do not speak of what you do not know, Zorbin Ironfist. Do not speak her name for that matter. You taint it with your dwarven tongue.
Zorbin was not offended. He knew Garret was only venting. He knew if he could continue to push him in that direction, perhaps he could lose some of his anger and hatred and see that what he was doing was wrong.
“I may taint her name, but you taint her love by not being the man she thought you were.”
“Damn you, dwarf. Don’t make me do something I will regret!”
“You’ve already done something you should regret, you fool. Look at these women. They are no different than Linaya. They have hopes and dreams. They have little in possessions, you can see that, but they have love just as she did. They love their children, and you would make them stand and watch as you killed what they loved?”
“Enough, Zorbin!”
“It isn’t enough. You turn and look at them. Tell them, not me, that the woman you loved, who died for you and for Valdadore, would condone you murdering defenseless babies. Tell them, Garret! Or is the mighty king above reproach for his actions? Should we all just stand by and watch as you taint your reputation, Linaya’s sacrifice and memory, for revenge? Is that what you want?”
“Damn you, Zorbin. Let me have just this day to…”
“No, Garret. Not today. Not any day. You are a better man than this. You are a better knight, and a better king.”
“Arrgh!” Garret shouted, storming back out of the hut.
No booms, no blessings called, no weapons drawn, and no more bloodshed, Zorbin counted it a victory. Now to calm the man and bring him back to his senses.
Turning. Zorbin watched Ashton follow after the king. Perhaps it was better. Ashton seemed like a calm lad, and being that Zorbin had already said more than enough, it was probably better that Ashton take over from here.
Turning towards the women, Zorbin cast his eyes towards the floor.
“My apologies, ladies, for intruding in your home. There are no words for what my companion has done. If you would let me, I would take your child out and bury it properly.”
“What if he comes back?” one of the women asked.
“He won’t.”
“What will he do with us?” another asked.
“I do not know.”
“Please be gentle with him,” another said, referencing the child, still choking on her sobs.
“I will, my lady.”
“Thank you,” she sobbed.
Bending low, Zorbin gingerly lifted the ruined remains of the child off the floor, cupping it in both of his hands. Turning, he made eye contact with the brokenhearted mother and her expression alone nearly broke his resolve. Fighting the water that sprang to his own eyes, he strode from the hut and back into the forest to find an appropriate place to bury the child.
* * * * *
Ashton looked around him as he followed Garret to the edge of the trees. Potential. Here was potential. Catching up to his large companion, he knew he had to tread delicately. The man was on the brink of a total breakdown, and although such a mental lapse could work to his advantage, so too could it go the other way. Instead, it was best to hold him at the brink and guide him.
“Garret, you need to calm yourself so that you can think straight. I know. I know how difficult this is, but you have to think of Valdadore. Perhaps this isn’t a desecration to all things holy. Maybe it is a test set forth for you by the gods, or maybe it is simply an opportunity.”
Pausing for a moment to let his words have effect, he watched as the large man’s shoulders slumped. His anger was fleeing him, leaving him empty and alone. Ashton persisted.
“If our enemy has unnatural troops, should we too look into developing such soldiers? We’ve seen how proficient they can be in battle, only this time they would be at your command, not the command of an unholy beast.” Ashton said, speaking more quickly in reply to a grunt of acknowledgement from the king. “If these children grow at the rate of a canine, they could be put to use in as little as a year or two. Perhaps, with the help of others, even that time frame can be advanced.”
“How?” the king grumbled, alerting Ashton to his interest.
“There is a healer back in Valdadore named Balantine, and her gift of healing is not one of mending, but of speeding growth so that wounds may heal naturally. There is a chance she could rush these half-men to maturity so that their fighting ability could be tested.”
“Like fighting fire with fire?” Garret asked.
“Precisely. You could raise these creatures as you wish, make them loyal. Maybe even breed them to create more,” Ashton said with a wide smile, all the while making some calculations. “Just think of it, my king, if they are born in litters in only a few months, and they can mature in little time, you could have thousands in a single year.”
“You think I should create more of these… things?”
“Instead of our doom, maybe they could be our salvation,” Ashton suggested.
He had the king’s mind thinking about it, he just needed to find the right angle to make him agreeable. Ashton didn’t dare bring the king’s fallen lover into the conversation, he’d seen already how quick to anger the king would become. He’d already tried the salvation route. There was only one more option he could think of.
“It’s been said that your brother goes to claim the throne of Drakenhurst for his own. What do you think will happen once he has created a new army of monsters? He can do it in very little time, you know he can. Then what? Valdadore has been pushed to the brink. You’ve already enlisted all that could fight, more or less, and few of them still live. If we can’t replenish our numbers, we will fall at your brother’s whim.”
“You are wise to see so clearly, Ashton,” Garret stated after a moment’s reflection. “Thank you for clearing my mind and showing me a path I could not see through my anger. We will try as you say. Seth has his hounds of war and I too shall have my own. We need to find a way to bring them back to Valdadore. All of them, mothers too.”
“As you say, Garret, it shall be done.”
Ashton celebrated his victory silently as he strode away with a smile. He already knew the plan would work. It was only a matter of time. He had not expected, however, the number o
f infants they would need to transport. With only two horses and a giant wolf, they had no means to deliver nearly two hundred people back to Valdadore. A plan was needed, and pondering their options, he imagined a way it could not only be done, but a way that would yet again push the king towards the path Ashton needed him to choose. Smiling, he sought out the dwarf.
Looking all about the small encampment, Ashton could not help but smile as he passed the nude man who was not only tied to a tree, but gagged in order to silence his protests. Hearing the dwarf’s grunts of exertion beyond the tree line, Ashton picked a path through the brush to find the shorter-statured man digging a shallow grave.
“I’ve reasoned with the king.”
“And what does he intend?” the dwarf grumbled, hacking away at the root-filled earth with his axe.
“We are to return to Valdadore with all the mothers and children in order to give them the king’s protection.”
“Tis a good thing, methinks,” Zorbin replied.
“I agree, but it brings us a new challenge.”
“What’s this?”
“We need to devise a means to transport them all to Valdadore,” Ashton explained.
“Tis a problem indeed. You thinking a cart of some kind?”
“More a litter, or a sled. You and the king could easily pull huge sleds in your blessed form, and together the horses and wolf could pull another.”
“No, the horses shy away from Xanth, but he could pull a mother and her litter.”
“Good, Then it is decided. Let me help you with this, and then boughs and vines will need to be collected to begin construction.”
Chapter Nine
It had taken two days to choose who would stay and who would march ahead with him to Drakenhurst, but Seth had known that each decision was crucial. Outfitting those that joined him on the road, they at least looked like an army. Three more days it had taken to reach the hill he now stood atop. He could have made the distance in a few hours, but moving with his men was slow and grueling.
From atop a rocky hill, he could see the sprawling city of Drakenhurst and the tall keep with its namesake. It was very much as he imagined it would be from the descriptions given by Goldenfingers. At the edges were shacks made of discarded materials and whatever the poorest dredges of society here could scrounge. Moving inwards from there, towards the center of the city where the keep stood, the houses grew more and more befitting habitation to the point they began to look lavish, becoming like works of art and sprawling palaces. Even from here he could see blackened patches where a portion of the city had burned. It was a wonder that the entire place hadn’t gone up in flames, so tightly packed were some of the homes.
Goldenfingers had been right. Unlike Valdadore, with wide streets that led straight through the city, there was no easy avenue of approach for an army to storm the keep. The city here had grown naturally without a plan and roads wound, twisting and turning, between the homes completely at random. Torching it would be the easiest means to clear a path, but would result in too many casualties, and tens of thousands would be made homeless in a matter of hours.
Fortunately, Seth had already devised a plan, and looking out over the city he could see opportunity. Turning to nod at the two men bearing carts behind him, he gave the signal and watched as they walked up and over the hill towards Drakenhurst. Their job was simple—locate and purchase several large shacks near the edge of town in the dirtiest, filthiest neighborhoods, and a few warehouses if they were available. Seth had given them enough gold to purchase a moderate mansion, but told them to be discreet. Now all they needed was time.
Climbing down from the hill hoping to avoid being seen, Seth made his way back to where his army hid within the tree line below. No fires were allowed, and everyone had been ordered to remain still and silent. It was difficult to make thousands be silent, but they were trying. Now that his plan was in motion, however, it was time for Seth to do some investigating of his own.
Reaching out with tendrils of his power, he felt his way through the immense city. Ignoring thousands as he brushed against them, he continued his search for any signs of opposition. Feeling the nagging pulls of those auras with the most power, it took little time for Seth to find what he sought. There, not far from the keep, was a collection of those blessed with magical abilities. Easily recognizable were the healers, and various devotions of mages known to exist in Drakenhurst, but so too were there some auras that Seth didn’t recognize.
Goldenfingers had told him of the academy where the youngest of those gifted were kept and trained to serve the king. These were not yet battle-hardened adversaries, but as children, they could still be used against him. As such, Seth began to watch each of their movements about the academy and surrounding city.
Pushing his powers further still, he sought out the keep itself and delved within its walls. It took only minutes to locate a handful of those with gifts. Five blessed warriors remained within the keep, one a follower of Gorandor and four more blessed by Vikstol. Already he knew one to be the captain of the guard, and the others his lieutenants. With his primary targets all located, Seth made another quick sweep of the entire city and finding nothing of note, he withdrew his power into himself, except for those links to those he wished to keep an eye on.
Smiling as he turned his head, he found Sara watching him and changed course to join her.
“Why the focused face, love?” Sara asked.
“Just looking around Drakenhurst for anything of interest.”
“Find anything?”
“Nothing we can’t handle.”
“Good. Then we are waiting until nightfall?”
“Yes, if all goes well.”
“Seems like a long time to just wait and wonder. How about I steal you away for a few hours and take your mind off of things?”
Seth couldn’t help but smile at her. She was up to something, of that he was certain. She had been wiggling, shaking, and bouncing all of her womanly goodness at him for days. He supposed if any time was good to surrender to her, now was just as opportune as any other.
Taking Sara’s hand, they strolled beneath the broken canopy of the forest, and circumventing the army they walked deep into a dark grotto far from the eyes and ears of their comrades. Seth had a pretty good idea just what Sara had in mind, if the sway of her hips was any indication, and as such he happily followed, his blood already beginning to boil in anticipation.
* * * * *
Thinking her husband beyond extremely satisfied, Sara sat upright upon him, still straddling his naked body with her own. Beneath her, Seth lay with his wings extended to either side, upon his back with a crooked grin on his lips. Unable to help herself, Sara smiled back at him, wondering what was going on behind the expression he wore.
“What are you thinking in there?” she asked, unable to help herself.
“I was thinking that of all the marvels I have witnessed and experienced in this world, you are my favorite, and one of the only that I like to enjoy over and over again.”
“Is that so? So I’m a marvel, am I?”
“I think so. You are amazing and one of a kind. There is no way I would have made it this far without you by my side. Even when I feel myself wavering, you are always there to give me strength. I am blessed beyond anything any god could give me, to have you, and although it doesn’t do your worth to me justice, thank you.”
“Do you really want to thank me?” Sara asked, seizing the opportunity.
“Of course.”
“I would really like to fly like you and Borrik.”
“Is that so?” Seth asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and sitting upright.
Without warning, he pressed his wings to the ground behind him and with one hard thrust he propelled them both upwards and into the air. Wrapping her arms about his neck and legs around his waist, Sara clung to her husband who still pulsed hard inside her. With every flap of his immense wings he drove himself into her deeply and with every lull
she clung to him tightly.
With her body trembling, an unknown amount of time later, Seth settled them back to the earth, his grin returning once again.
“So, was it everything you expected it to be?” he asked, smirking.
“You have no idea,” Sara somehow managed between ragged breaths. “Let’s do that again, and soon.”
Finding love and passion amidst such loss and pain was probably not that unusual, Sara supposed. With such heightened sensations and tensions high, a release was often needed, and boy, did she feel released. Letting her arms fall from her husband, she traced the ridge between the muscles on his chest, down between those on his abdomen, and let her hand fall away. Like her, he had changed immensely in the last few months. Though she had fallen in love with a somewhat sheltered boy, he stood before her now a man who held his power lightly and sought to make the world better through his actions.
Smiling at her husband in return, she turned and strode away, giving him a little wiggle as she went to retrieve her clothing. She hadn’t gotten her wings, at least not yet, but she had gotten something even more important—time alone with her husband to show she loved and appreciated him. Dressing quickly, she strapped on her swords and tightened the buckles up the sides of her boots. Looking up, she found Seth already dressed in the black robes he preferred, and patiently awaiting her to join him.
Before long they were back with the army and Sara noted that Seth’s rat soldiers were now standing apart from the humans and wolves, aside from Jonas who presently commanded them. With darkness nearing, Seth’s plan was soon to be underway if, of course, his men had made it back from the city.
“Is everything going as planned?” Sara asked her husband as they approached Jonas ahead.
“So far as I can tell. My men arrived little more than an hour ago.”
Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) Page 181
