Stepping through the gate was like entering another world. Here, within the confines of the tall stone walls, the air was filled with growls and snarls of rage and exertion. Here blood stained the ground and tufts of fur floated lazily on the wind, refusing to settle to the earth. Lining the walls were hundreds of metal-barred cages, though most were empty at present, and the rest of the expanse was filled with wooden training dummies, weapons racks, soldiers, and more importantly, a hundred and forty-one of his very own monstrosities.
Raised to adolescences by magical means, the creatures were strapped into the strengthening machines of Ashton’s design until they had enough coordination to walk. Once reaching that milestone they were given a cage and Garret himself hand fed them daily. They matured quickly after that. Their muscles developed, and daily they trained hour after hour in basic combat with sword and shield. Not only were they vicious though, soon enough it was realized that they were also intelligent. They began learning words and creating their own battle plans to defeat their trainers. They worked in groups, seemingly coordinating their attacks without so much as a single word. Ashton had been right to spare the children. They would become a devastating fighting force when Garret was done with them.
Standing back to let Anna admire the view, he was surprised when she smiled instead of covered her face with her hands. She watched intently as the creatures took up their weapons in a mock battle timed for her arrival. Here was a peculiar prison designed to keep them confined and train them to kill, the creatures fought their armored foes with tooth and claw, shield and sword. They were relentless in their attacks, growling and snarling as they snapped at the better trained soldiers. Within moments, the beasts pressed their trainers back before pandemonium overtook the field, the beasts surging up and over the armored guards, driving them down to the ground in a writhing mass of fur and teeth. Garret watched as Anna raised her hands, fearing she would cover her eyes, offended by the sight, Instead, she began clapping loudly, smiling as the battle came to a brutal end.
“Enough!” Garret boomed over the sounds of violence and rage.
Watching as his monstrosities slunk back towards the wall of cages, he grinned at them, noting as every head swiveled to match his movements.
“King come. We fight. King happy,” one of the beasts said, stepping forward from the masses.
“Yes, Kanth,” Garret reassured the creature. “You have done well.”
“You’ve named them?” Anna asked, obviously surprised.
“No. Just him, my love. He seems more intelligent than the rest,” Garret answered.
“Now back to your cages, all of you. Anna here would like to have a closer look at you.”’
All the beasts obeyed his command, familiar enough with the word ‘cage. Waiting until they were all properly secured by their trainers, Garret led Anna to peer into the cages one by one.
“They’re all so different,” she exclaimed.
“And yet very much the same.”
“And you truly plan to breed them?”
“We’ve begun already, actually. Fortunately, the majority of these are actually female. If you look closely you can see their tits within the fur on their chests and abdomen.”
“Yes, I see them. They have small breasts like a human too.”
“And like humans, some are better endowed than others.” Garret joked.
“So if you have a hundred and forty and expect a litter size of perhaps five…” Sara began, allowing Garret to take it from there.
“Then with it taking four months to mature, in a year we can produce three more litters, and we will have near twenty two thousand new soldiers.”
“And in two years?” Anna asked.
“In two years it is somewhere around three point four million.”
“In two years?” she asked again.
“Yes.”
“Then what is to stop you from taking over the entire world?”
“Absolutely nothing, my love. Nothing at all.”
Garret could not help but smile at his soon-to be-bride. Her interest in his military plans was more than fascinating. It was sexy. She understood the need to make them. She understood his desire to destroy Seth. She accepted that he would go to any length to undo what his brother had done. She had even asked if she could kill Seth’s demon bride herself. No one understood him better.
Placing his arm about her shoulders, Garret turned Anna away from the cages to greet the man who had overseen the entire process and arranged the battle for them to witness this very evening. Watching Ashton approach, Garret nodded in greeting before introducing the pair.
“Ashton, I should like for you to meet Anna. I think the two of you will get along nicely.”
“It is truly my pleasure, Lady Anna. I do hope you enjoyed our presentation.”
“It was invigorating. Tell me, Ashton. How is it that you make them breed? Is it the talent of a healer on your staff, or are there other means of retrieving the seed of the males and impregnating the females with it?”
“Quite honestly, it is rather simple. You see, while their bodies are very much mature and producing the hormones that lead to mating, their minds are yet trailing behind due to the growth process. Without really knowing what they are doing or why, they tend to simply do what their urges tell them. We can put a single male in a cage with two or even three females and within hours he has at least attempted to lay his seed in all of them.”
“Gross, but interesting,” Anna admitted.
“My apologies if I’ve offended your sensibilities, Lady Anna.”
“No, not at all. There is no offence if I cannot handle the answer to a question I have asked.”
Garret could see already that Ashton and Anna would get along. Now he only had to wonder about Zorbin. His dwarven friend had been acting peculiar as of late. He questioned everything Ashton did and every project involved in training and housing the new troops. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was jealousy that drove the dwarf to hate Ashton so much. He hoped it wouldn’t be an issue with Anna as well. They would certainly know soon enough.
* * * * *
Zorbin paced impatiently outside the newly erected wall that had ruined what was once the training ground of knights like himself and Garret. Though the king made it a point to say the two of them really didn’t need it any longer, Zorbin knew that more knights would come, and eventually they would once again need a place to spar and hone their skills. As it was, Garret had basically gifted it to the crazed healer, making a kennel for the beasts they tortured and abused in the hopes of creating an army. Though the king seemed to be out of his funk, it appeared to Zorbin that it was now his turn to mope about. He didn’t like the turn of events that had led to this and feared that his friend, the king, was leading the kingdom down a perilous path.
Looking to the darkening sky yet again and then to the gate revealed no sign that the king was coming to meet him as promised. Garret knew that Zorbin despised the so-called training facility created for his new pets, but even so, forced him to meet there at least twice a week to show off their progress. Yes there was a possibility that the things could be trained to fight. Yes, it appeared they were growing stronger and more agile. Yes, they were ferocious and fearless. So was a kitten.
Huffing and puffing against the king’s mistreatment of him as a friend, Zorbin stormed up to the gate, growling something to the guard who quickly allowed him admittance before sealing him in. Glancing around quickly, he noted that the things were all in their cages and in the center of what once was their sparing field stood Garret, a young woman, and his nemesis, Ashton.
Stomping across the grass, Zorbin worked to calm himself by breathing deeply in through his mouth and out through his nose. He didn’t want to appear a tantrum-throwing child, but he wasn’t allowed to make Ashton swallow teeth anymore either. Watching as the woman wrapped her arm around the king’s before laying her head against his shoulder, he realized he was already at a disadvantage. E
verything between the healer and himself had become a competition, especially anything regarding the king. It was now apparent that this woman held special interest from the king, and Ashton had already begun to woo her with his boyish smiles and extravagant words. Zorbin wasn’t having it.
Walking up to the trio, Zorbin placed his body between Ashton and the obvious couple, and bowed so low his beard actually scraped the ground.
“Good evening, my king,” he greeted. “And to you, my lady, though I do not believe we have met.”
“Good evening, sir dwarf. You must be Zorbin,” the woman replied.
He couldn’t believe he had forgotten to give his name. Trying not to show his embarrassment upon his face, Zorbin smiled as best he was able through his beard and nodded happily.
“Yes, m’lady. Zorbin Ironfist at yer service.”
“It is very nice to meet you, stout lord. I have heard a great deal about you.”
“Zorbin, I would like to introduce to you, Lady Anna,” Garret said with a proud smile.
“It is very much me pleasure, m’lady,” Zorbin stumbled.
Had he known he was meeting the love interest of the king, he would have brought Xanth. Girls loved the huge wolf for some reason. As it was, he was on his own. He couldn’t afford to not have this girl like him.
“So what are your thoughts on Garret’s new soldiers?” Anna asked him.
It felt like a trap, as if the walls suddenly grew spikes and began to close in. When he had approached they were all smiles, and as such he had to presume that Anna did not dislike being here, or if she did, then she put on a show for the king. Either way, he could not afford to lose favor with the king, and if there was anything he knew about women, it was that they disliked the men their husbands spent time with.
“As a knight, I reserve making judgment until they have seen a real field of battle.”
“The words of a knight indeed,” Anna smiled, turning her gaze more intently upon him. “Do you believe, then, that they are in need of better training?”
“To be honest, m’lady, I have not witnessed recently their training regimen. Last I saw them, they were chained into mechanical devices that forced them to thrash about in order to be fed. If starving a dog is training him to fight, then yes, I say they have been sufficiently trained. If you would like me to compare them to knights such as Garret and me, then I suppose they can hold a blade in their belly just as well as any man.”
“Well put, Lord Zorbin. Then they are but fodder to wade through like any common soldier? Is that what you think?”
“I think that with enough of them a victory can be had. I know well the plan to breed them over and over. Feeding them could become an issue of course, or if they managed to free themselves of their cages and enter the city unchecked by their chains and their masters. Allowing them to live was the right choice. Of this,” Zorbin said, waving his hand in front of him, “I am not yet certain.”
“So you are not only a man whose decisions are driven by results, but also by morals. I think that you are good for Garret. He could use someone to keep him grounded.”
“Thank you, m’lady. I serve as best as I am able.”
“If only your abilities were more plentiful, Lord Zorbin,” Ashton chimed in, obviously unhappy with Anna’s words.
“Tell me, Ashton, would it be possible for me to witness the birth of a litter?” Anna asked.
“Absolutely. If you would like to come by tomorrow, my colleagues and I can speed one of the expecting mothers into labor and you can certainly witness as her litter is born. If you are interested further, you may visit on any day and we can show you the entire process step by step.”
“I would enjoy that. Thank you, Ashton.”
As best as Zorbin could tell, it was a draw. The girl seemed to like Ashton and what he was doing as well as him and his stubborn ways. It was better than nothing, he supposed. Perhaps in time she would grow weary of the healer and have Garret be rid of him. Such was often the way of women. They held all the true power after all.
* * * * *
Anna could actually feel the animosity in the air. The dwarven knight and human healer were at odds for the king’s favor, though she knew that both were needed allies to both--her and his causes. She could use this mutual hatred to her advantage if she needed, though at present could see no reason to do so. Both had a purpose, and both served the man who more or less worshipped her. Everything was going as planned. She would soon have her revenge on the woman who attacked her, making her the monster she was. As a bonus, Garret was more than tolerable. Besides his bout of depression-induced insanity, he was kind, gentle, and loving towards her. She meant him no harm, in fact was rather enjoying the time spent with him. She knew she had to be cautious though. No matter what her heart might desire, she had a mission and it came before anything else.
Turning her attention back to the men, she knew she had to focus if she was to get exactly what she wanted in the end.
“So, Lord Zorbin, I am told you have several projects of your own.”
“Tis true, m’lady. I have been overseeing the repairs to the city wall and the addition of more ballista towers as well as some new defensive systems we have been developing.”
“Is that so? It sounds rather interesting. And Garret tells me that we are to hold another Choosing ceremony soon?”
“That is correct, m’lady. Dispatches have been sent all over the realm and we expect to have all preparations made by the next moon.”
“How many do you think will heed the call?” Anna asked, wondering how many young would be brought that could go missing with little notice.
“It is hard to say until our messengers return, though we be hopin’ for several thousand.”
“So by the end of another four months, my love, you could command another several thousand human troops as well as several thousand of your hybrid troops.”
“That is our hope,” Garret said with a grin.”
“I know it is not my place to be involved in matters of the military,” Anna began, ”but do you yet have eyes and ears in Drakenhurst to see what preparations your brother might be making for invasion?”
“We know that he is rebuilding the capital,” Garret answered.
“He has taken it already? Was it destroyed in the battle?”
“Yes, he is king of Drakenhurst, but no, the city was not destroyed. It simply was not built for war and as such he is erecting defenses, though reports say he has not been seen in months.”
“Any idea where he might have gone?”
“No,” Zorbin interrupted. “But we know that several leaders of his neighboring nations have either declined to meet with him, or march to visit his keep as we speak.”
“Then he is gathering allies,” Anna exclaimed. “Should we not do the same?”
“The dwarves will send us aid if we are again attacked, but they are the only nation with which we have an alliance. To the south lie the lands of orcs and goblins and there is nothing to the north but ocean,” Zorbin exclaimed.
“So we are alone?”
“It would seem so, my inquisitive Anna,” Garret answered.
Chapter Sixteen
Tucking in his wings and stepping beneath the arched doorway, Seth entered the throne room, remembering his last visit with a grin. Candles by the hundreds had been lit and lined the walls to either side, casting their wavering light upon the room like a living cloak that swayed and moved. Without the desire to sit, and without seating for them all, he simply turned to watch as Sara strode into the room confidently. Tracking the aura of his most trusted friend, he knew already that Borrik had seen him and was making his own way upon great leathery wings towards the keep. What he hadn’t expected, was that Xander approached as well.
Waiting patiently, he smiled in greeting as Borrik ducked through the door, followed closely by the knight captain.
“Greetings, friends,” Seth said as the great wooden doors were closed behind them. “I am
happy to see that you are doing well.”
“My king,” Borrik bowed.
“Better than well, my king,” Xander added, “The city is truly beginning to thrive.”
“And your son?” Seth asked.
“Running and playing. He wants to be one of your knights someday.”
“I am happy to hear it, Lord Xander,” Seth smiled. “But there is an important matter to discuss, though I suppose that first I should see just what you know about me.”
Seth looked to Xander, putting his thoughts in order to make it an efficient exchange. Knowing the man had been in constant contact with Borrik and Sara, meant that he had likely asked many questions over the months past, but there was no telling exactly what he knew without asking directly.
“What do you know of me and my purpose?” Seth asked the knight.
Xander shifted in his armor slightly, organizing his own thoughts before making a reply.
“I know you are the brother to the king of Valdadore. I know that at one time you served the goddess Ishanya. I know that you have unparalleled powers, and that you no longer serve a god. I also know, that you believe that the gods only gift us with power so that we may kill each other more efficiently and as such reclaim the power they lent us. I know you wish to change the world for the better.”
“Like everyone, my understanding of the world and the gods changes as I learn more about them, and even more about myself,” Seth began. “Your statements are, or were, true. For all purposes, Garret Derringer, king of Valdadore has been my brother. I did indeed serve Ishanya’s cause. I do not trust the gods and I do want their hold over our world dissolved so that we may know freedom and peace. But there is more that I will now share that does not leave this room under any circumstance. Even if our enemies take your son and begin pulling out his guts, this goes with you to the grave,” Seth said, watching Xander’s unblinking eyes.
“Yes, my king.”
“Then let me begin by first explaining that which I now know to be true. The gods are all beings of creation and as such are limited in their abilities. They have free will, similar to you and me, but are bound to creationism and as such cannot destroy. They can create the want or need to destroy in a man, but cannot do it themselves. They can create champions designed to destroy en masse but there ends their ability. You see, the only reason we people do as the gods wish is our greed. Our desire for power, land, gold, or anything else for that matter has been used against us by the gods. They offer to make us stronger, better, more efficient and in return, we destroy on their behalf. That is why they create champions of men, to sow the destruction that they are unable in order to reclaim the life that they have gifted us. Our worship makes them stronger and our deaths make them more powerful.” Seth said, pausing a moment to let his words sink in. “It has taken too long for me to discover, but I now know that I am unique among those born to Thurr. Unlike you and unlike the gods, I am a creature of destruction. It does not make me inherently evil, in fact, the only ill I have done upon the world was for a god that I thought I needed allegiance to. It was her will that I destroy her enemies’ followers and gather new worshippers to her cause. I know now that I do not need her. My power comes from the world and destruction, just as hers comes from the seed of creation. The gods fear me, because I can steal from them that which they so desperately seek. The gods have to wait for us to die to take the spark of life lent to our mortal bodies, but I don’t. This very instant I can wipe the city clean of life if I wish and gather all the power unto myself. They fear me because I have free will and I know that I am not bound to them nor to destruction. But that is not all.”
The Calling (Book 7 of The Blood & Brotherhood Saga) (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) Page 16
