Though she looked absolutely edible in the ensemble, he couldn’t help but note that it was a similar look to the one his brother’s bride often wore. Shaking the thought from his head, he crossed the final distance separating them and wrapping his arm about her waist, looked on as Ashton and a pair of other healers assisted one of the beast mothers to birth her young. With gritted teeth, he watched as Ashton reached up inside the woman with his long fingered hands and extracted them once again, wrapped about the small head of a squirming, slime-covered, gross little babe. Nearly twenty minutes later another was extracted and then another. It went on for over an hour when at long last a sixth was pulled free. It was smaller than the rest, but seemed fully developed and as such allowed to live.
Garret watched as the healers severed the umbilicals of the creatures one by one, after tying them off tightly with string. Then, once the pups were free, they were handed off to be cleaned and examined by one of Ashton’s companions. Still watching on, it was only moments later when pushing on the hideous mother’s belly and tugging on the dangling, severed, umbilical cords, that Ashton pulled a great gelatinous mass of blood and tissue from the mother’s nether regions. As Ashton handed the repulsive sack to the new mother, Garret almost vomited as she began to gnaw upon the thing, spewing blood and slimy residue down her doglike chin until it was totally consumed.
Even as disturbing as it was, Anna at his side watched on without so much as wincing. When the creature’s disgusting appetite was sated, her pups were returned and put to her swollen tits to suckle.
“Nine more today,” Ashton said rising from where he sat with legs crossed upon the ground.
“Nine?” Garret asked.
“Yes. Last night we worked to speed ten mothers towards delivery, and today we begin bringing into the world the second generation of your new army.”
“So near fifty new soldiers will be born per day?”
“Until those are mature, yes.”
“You’re going to be needing more help just to maintain the process soon.”
“That, my friend, is the understatement of the century,” Ashton joked.
“I’ll see that you get it with our planned Choosing ceremony.”
Garret stood holding Anna at his side for several minutes while Ashton wiped his hands clean and ordered those who assisted him to prepare for the next mother. On the pups suckled and Garret watched the runt of the litter struggle to feed, wondering if he should put it down now out of mercy, but decided against it. If it did survive, it would be stronger than the rest for doing so. Those bound to death were more determined to live. Besides, even weak soldiers had their place, just as Zorbin had said the night before. Put them in the front to slow the enemy.
Turning to look about the facility, Garret knew that the five hundred cages contained within it would be filled within days. They needed more room, and he could think of only one place to put them. Half of the city was vacant. Thousands had died during the last battle and thousands more had left with Seth when he departed. Whole streets were devoid of a single inhabitant. He knew there were warehouses available that could house several hundred each and while his army grew he could demolish whole sections of city to build pens and cages. He needed to meet with Zorbin and get the builders under his employ to switch focus. The repairs to the city wall were nearing completion though the upgrades would simply have to wait until later.
Releasing Anna’s side, Garret turned, bowing low to her and pulling her hand to his lips he kissed it softly.
“Lady Anna, I am afraid that other duties must be seen to, though I will leave you in the capable hands of Ashton as I can see that you find this particular process rather interesting.”
“I do, my king. It is a fascinating miracle and horrid abomination at the same time. I find myself repulsed and yet filled with joy as each new life is pulled from the mother’s womb.”
“Then I hope you are not saddened by my leaving,” Garret said with a knowing smile.
“Oh. I am sure you can make up for it one way or another,” Anna said with a crooked grin.
“Oh, I bet I will.”
With that, Garret released her hand and turned to leave. Waving back over his shoulder as Ashton bid him farewell, he strode to the gate. Released by the guard outside, he saluted the man by bringing one fist to his chest before striding off towards the city beyond the castle. Knowing that Zorbin was taking a special interest in the city’s defenses, he had a good idea where he might find the man.
* * * * *
Striding about the repaired archers’ tower, Zorbin inspected the craftsmanship and nodded to himself as his beard bobbed up and down. The work was top notch, the new stones fit with the old seamlessly. Turning to climb down the narrow stairs that led to the city wall below, he found a familiar face staring up at him with a wide smile. Garret smiled often these days, but it no longer was a guarantee for good things to come. He wanted Valdadore restored and rebuilt, which was good, but his obsession with killing Seth at any cost was not a driving factor that Zorbin himself was willing to stand behind.
Climbing down the steep stairs, Zorbin peered over the side of the wall at the line of people seeking entry into the city. Taking a wild guess, it looked like several hundred were here at the southern gate. Guessing further, he would bet that more than half of them were not yet adults.
“Greetings, Zorbin,” Garret half shouted as he approached.
“What brings you to the wall, my king?”
“It is my wall, is it not?”
“I prefer to think of it as the people’s wall,” Zorbin admitted.
“True enough,” agreed Garret. “I came looking for you.”
“To what end?” Zorbin asked, fearful of the reply.
“I know you have your head into our defenses, which is all well and good, but I need most of our resources diverted elsewhere.”
There it was. Zorbin should have seen it coming he supposed. He would bet that this had something to do with Ashton. His efforts were being undermined by something or someone. Of that he was certain. Even so, there was little he could do.
“But, my king. We need to be prepared for an invasion.”
“We will be. We will. I do not want you to cease all rebuilding efforts, though will need the majority of your laborers to work elsewhere. No, don’t scowl at me, I have the city’s best interests at heart just as you do.”
Zorbin doubted it seriously. The king wasn’t thinking straight these days. His decisions were illogical, but Zorbin couldn’t organize a Choosing ceremony, oversee the rebuilding of the city’s defenses, and stay at the king’s side to usher him back onto the path of righteousness. It was more than one man could do on his own.
“What is it that you want to achieve by reallocating all of the workers I have spent months organizing and planning with to see our city protected?”
“I want to level sixth square and seventh too.”
“What? That’s insanity! There must be a thousand homes in those communities!” Zorbin nearly shouted, damning himself for his choice of words.
“I am aware, Zorbin. I’ve just passed through there and only saw one other soul, who wasn’t the least bit ashamed to be looting anything he could find.”
“But more come to the city every day, those homes are the perfect place for them to settle.”
“There are other homes.”
“Yes, but not in neighborhoods so grand as those.”
“Zorbin. See it done. I’ve decided.”
“To what end, Garret? I don’t understand why you would destroy two of the oldest, most historic districts in the city.”
“I need them to erect larger, more accommodating training grounds and housing for my new soldiers.”
“But, Garret, surely there is another…”
“No. This is what I want. See it done. I expect work to begin today.”
“Sirus’s and Sasha’s inns are located there. The home Linaya grew up in…”
“Eno
ugh, Zorbin. Linaya is gone and I no longer need her memory to haunt me.”
Zorbin felt sick to his stomach. He’d killed men by the hundreds, maybe more. He’d watched men slaughtered by the thousands, but he’d never in his life imagined that he would be following a man who acted on a whim. It was insanity. It had to be.
“I can see you doubt my decision, Zorbin. You and I are friends, and I tell you that I am well. My mind is well also. I know the consequences of what I do, and know already that more will have to be sacrificed to bring us a better future. I am sure you have heard the phrase that says ‘you have to reach your lowest to achieve your highest’. That is what we do now. We must do that which tears at our hearts today in order to achieve our goals for tomorrow.”
“And what is in your heart, Garret? What do you see for tomorrow? I can tell you what I see. Your hatred and quest for revenge will lead you into dark places where men don’t return from unchanged. The city we both love and are sworn to defend will be overrun by these beasts you breed to serve you. At what point will the scales tip, and we lose control over what it is that you have planned?”
“I am blessed by your friendship and concern for my wellbeing, and that of the city, Zorbin. I assure you that I am not blind to the perils we face. Together, you and I will see Valdadore restored to its former glory. For now, though, we must accept the path laid out before us and use that which the gods have provided, to set things right in the world.”
Zorbin hated that he loved the king as a brother. His gut and mind told him that the words were not real, just a ploy to get him to follow blindly, but his heart still had faith in the young king. Perhaps his words were true. Perhaps he could indeed see a path through this ruin to one of glory. Zorbin couldn’t see it. What other choice did he have but to follow his king’s orders?
“Fine, Garret. I hope you mean what you say. I’ll have demolition begin this afternoon and send you the engineers needed to design the new facilities that you seek.”
“Good, my friend. I look forward to seeing the progress.”
Zorbin watched as the king turned to stride across the wall, though before the man took a step he looked back as their eyes locked once more.
“One more thing, Zorbin.”
“Yes, my king.”
“The knights of Valdadore are an honored title we will no longer pursue. At this next Choosing ceremony, we will choose no new knights to follow in our path. Instead, I intend to begin a new elite division of the military in honor of my chosen god.”
“And what name do you give to these new warriors of Gorandor, my king?”
“Not Gorandor, my friend; Ishanya.”
-End
Thank you for reading The Calling. I can’t express how much it means to me that you have followed along with me on my journey through Thurr this far. Sadly, the series is slowly dying. Just like when in a restaurant, people are more likely to complain when there is something wrong with their food instead of praise it when it is wonderful-- Readers treat books the same way, and are more likely to leave a review if they did not like a book than if they did enjoy it. That said, I need your help to keep this series alive and thriving. If you would be so kind to take 30 seconds and return to Amazon, I would really appreciate your review of the very first book of this series, The Choosing. With hopes that you will take the time to leave just a couple of sentences telling others why you enjoy the series, I have provided a link to The Choosing below. Bless you and Semper Fidelis!
The Choosing
Thank you for taking the time to read The Calling. To be the first to know when I release a new novel, learn about the contests I hold (for signed books, cash, and even real armor), or simply to say hello, please visit my web page and send me an email via the Contact page. I am always happy to hear from my readers and look forward to chatting with you. You can sign up for my mailing list by sending me an email right here:
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Books by Jeremy Laszlo
Clad in Shadow (Poetry for a Burdened Soul)
The Blood and Brotherhood Saga
(Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy, Ages 15+)
The Choosing (Book One of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)(***FREE***)
The Chosen (Book Two of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Changing (Book Three of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
Crimson (Book 3.5 of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Contention (Book Four of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Champions (Book Five of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Crowned (Book Six of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
Orc Destiny Trilogy (A Blood and Brotherhood series)
(Dark Fantasy, Ages 13+ for gore and violence)
Twisted Fate (Orc Destiny, Volume I)
Fallen Crown (Orc Destiny, Volume II)
Three Kings (Orc Destiny, Volume III)
The Beyond Series
(Adults only due to extreme mature content)
Beyond The Mask (The Beyond Book One)
Beyond The Flesh (The Beyond Book Two)
Beyond The Soul (The Beyond Book Three)
Children of the After series
(post-apocalyptic, Ages 10+)
Children of the After: AWAKENING
Children of the After: REVELATION
Children of the After: EVOLUTION
Children of the After: REBIRTH
About the Author
I live in southern Louisiana with my wife and children, and work full time as a civilian employed by the federal government. I like to spend time with my family and am excited to announce our newest addition, my only son, recently born in February of 2014.
I spend as much time as I am able writing, but also enjoy downtime with the wife and kids, and am a bit of a movie buff as well. I thrive on sarcasm and nerdism and am currently addicted to The Big Bang Theory amongst other things.
Fantasy has always been my reading genre of choice, though I am picky about who and what I read, and I refuse to read a series out of order. I have been known to devour entire sagas in mere days, emerging only when necessary for survival.
I love to hear from all of my readers, and hope to chat with you on my Facebook Fan page here:
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Or feel free to contact me through my website and send me an email, here:
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Table of Contents
Books by Jeremy Laszlo
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
About the Author
The Calling (Book 7 of The Blood & Brotherhood Saga) (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) Page 18
