Take My Heart...: Dark Ages - Fantasy (Dark Gods & Tainted Souls Book 3)

by Schenk, Julius

“Let’s get this over with,” she said standing up and stretching her glorious body in front of him. They had been laying on the hill for hours.

  I don’t like it the Wolvern spoke and he could feel its disdain at the plan.

  “It’s our only choice, now get going and try to stay alive. I’ll wait for you if I can,” Grimm said.

  With that, Silver and the Wolvern ran down the hill towards the cave. The entrance was still guarded by a few of the dogs but he knew many, many more were inside. She screamed a shrill war cry as her lean silver body streaked towards the cave. They were like two silver blurs. He saw the first dog fall before it knew what was upon it. Her black sword slashed across its maul and the Wolvern was on the other ripping it apart. They burst into the cave. Grimm started to creep closer to it himself keeping along the outside and low in the darkness. He heard sounds of yelling and animal violence from the inside until he was crouched himself next to the entrance.

  Then he saw it. The Wolvern and the silver woman came running out of the cave. They moved slower than he knew they could. At their tail were, at least, twenty of the creatures. They followed his two new friends like a flock of dark birds. They ran as if in fear and the dogs took the bait. Within mere moments, Grimm was alone at the cave entrance. It had worked. Of course, the Wolvern away hated plans where it had to pretend to be scared.

  He drew his sword and crouching still walked carefully inside. It was pitch black inside and he had to guide himself by instinct. He had no idea how many if any would be left behind to guard but he needed to find the rift.

  He opened himself up and let him feel the emotions. This cave was a pit of fear and anger. He could feel it sucking in all the power like a funnel. He followed the current of it like a bad smell and let himself be guided deeper and deeper into the cave. As he crept he heard it. A faint snarl and claws on stone.

  The dog was on him, ripping at his throat, he fell back and let his sword thrust upwards. The creature which could see fine dodged his blow and he felt its teeth ripping at his shoulder as he fell backwards. Its teeth sank deep into him and he screamed. Grimm thrust his sword wildly around in the dark and felt it sink into something solid. He heard it grunt with pain and he pulled his sword violently from side to side. Feeling hot blood pour onto his hands and body. It dropped dead, the huge warm weight of stinking fur on him in the dark. Grimm pushed the animal to the side and stood shakily to his feet.

  His shoulder ached and he knew he was bleeding a lot, but he pushed on into the darkness. His feet were shaking and fear was starting to fill him, he couldn’t face many more. As he walked on stumbling feet he thought of Seth and drew strength from it, this was hard but he was harder. He stood tall and walked onwards.

  Soon he stopped, the currents had brought him to a room within the cave. It opened up to a massive size and within he saw stone pillars carved into the wall of the room. It was filled with the yellow light of torches and he knew that meant people. He looked hard and slowly his eyes adjusted and he saw two women sitting around a small fire. Next to them stood a large circle of stones, one side was open and the whole thing radiated power. He knew this was the bridge.

  He shrugged off the pain, wished for his bow and walked from the darkness.

  The women stood as he approached and he’d never seen their like. They were scarred and dressed in armor. Ponytails high on their heads with the sides shaved. They drew their weapons as he approached.

  “A man here? Impossible?” one spoke to the other.

  Grimm spoke loudly and feigned strength. “I’m crossing over, now step aside”

  One of them laughed. “You don’t look so good old man, were not letting you through to her lands.”

  “Her lands?” he was surprised, he always thought this was a man they were fighting. “His lands you mean?” he said.

  “He doesn’t even know what he’s found?” one said to the other.

  Enough talk. Grimm forgot the pain in his shoulder and let his stolen memories came forth.

  They were smart and fought together, one engaging him and the other attacking his back, but he was fast now. He met ones blade then spun fast countering the blade that came at his back. His own blade hitting hers hard, he felt the power ring through, shaking their arms. He lost control and let himself slash down at one again and again. She got her own sword up in time but he felt her resolve and strength crumbling. He brought is sword down again and she was smashed aside as it cut deeply into her shoulder and face, the woman fell back dead.

  The other had waited and took her time. He felt her blade enter his back deeply and fully. He could almost feel it punch out the other side. Grimm screamed in agony and fell forward, his blade against him. He felt a hand grab his shoulder and turn him over to finish the kill.

  “You fucking bastard you killed her,” the woman screamed.

  As she turned him, Grimm used the last of his strength and brought his blade straight up into her chest. The woman collapsed to the ground looking at him. She clutched her the bloody wound and looked deeply into his eyes and then her saw the light leave them.

  Grimm felt nothing but pain, he sat in a pool of his own blood and looked at the rift. It was right there, he was so close to Seth now.

  “Sorry friend. I don’t think I’ll be making it this time,” he whispered as he tried to crawl towards the rift.

  From behind him, the saw a flicker of the light and held his blade up to point at the person.

  It was Silver. She just shook her head looking at him. “What weak bodies you have. Yours is all filled with holes,” she said.

  He laughed and felt such pain that he almost cried. She walked to him and biting her wrist deeply put it to his mouth, he felt the blood fill his mouth and the strength in his body.

  “You’re lucky I need you,” she said.

  Chapter Forty Three.

  Goldie marched at the head of his slow moving army of rabble and riff-raff almost wishing he had Farirkar and his Reds beside him. Still this was a fight he was used to, outnumbered and trying to win through guile rather than force of arms. Their forward scouts had told them they faced a force of at least a thousand men and that the King himself was with them.

  Goldie rode next to the boy and the old mercenary, Lead Belly, before them a brightly painted wagon rolled along. On it, the huge plaster statue of the lady bounced along on the rough wagon wheels through the dirt. If they wanted to destroy her, he’d bring her to them. Of course, the priest and his men were actually hiding the real statue right now and he was just buying time, but hopefully he wouldn’t have to buy it with his life, or the lives of all these people.

  He’d changed his clothes as had those of his men. Over their armor and weapons, they wore the long flowing yellow robes of the priesthood of the Lady. If they wanted to kill some holy people he’d give it to them. As they marched he took up a song that was bellowed by the people following him. The songs of the Lady were always funny and ribald, not really spiritual but about how she blessed some gamblers hand.

  Then he saw them. Waiting on the small roadway. Five or so men on horseback. Dressed in the garb of the king’s guard. The same stern-faced men who had killed his friends in the Cold Death. They laughed as he approached and one rode to greet him, he didn’t even draw his sword.

  “You Goldie?” he said in a refined voice.

  “I am indeed. I wish to see the king,” he said back.

  The man laughed. “Looks like you’ve saved us a whole lot of trouble, he wants to see you as well, but just you and your retainers, not all those bastards,” he said pointing to the fighters that followed him.

  Goldie smiled at him broadly, “Of course not.” Goldie turned to the men and women following him and stood tall on his horse.

  “I’m off to speak to the king, you’ll stay here and please don’t wander off,” he said, to laughter.

  The guard turned his horse on the hard dirt and started to trot slowly down the road. Goldie, the few men pulling the wagon and the
boy and Lead Belly continued to pull it onwards towards the camp and the king.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Lead Belly whispered to him.

  “Me as well,” he whispered back.

  Within a few short minutes, the wagon had bumped its way into the camp of the king. It was a very large camp of men, ringed with stakes and ditches in a large circle. The wagon passed through the main gate and passed the armed men who just grinned at him as he passed. Goldie guided the wagon to the center of the camp and jumped from his horse, boots sinking into the mud.

  He saw he was now the center of attention in the camp, many of the soldiers wandered up to him and view the statue. Goldie threw off a blanket on the wagon revealing a few large barrels of ale.

  “Help yourselves lads, spoils from the town,” he threw off his yellow robe revealing his armor and sword and threw it to the ground with a laugh. “The king around?”

  Before their captains could stop them the soldiers had taken the casks and disappeared into the camp with them. He was shoved hard in the back by the guard. “What are you up to?” he whispered as he shoved him towards the large red command tent that sat at the end of the ring of stakes.

  His men left behind to guard the statue Goldie walked with his head high, he walked past the two guards and into the king’s tent. It had been weeks since he’d seen the man and he looked very ragged. Goldie could see some tinge of madness in his eyes that had grown and grown. He looked at Goldie with a blank expression.

  Goldie swept forward and bowed deeply. “My king the town is yours, and I’ve brought the statue of the Lady to you,” he said.

  The king laughed out loud and shook his head. “You surprise me once again Goldie, so you haven’t joined them? This was your plan all along?” he said.

  “Truly my king, I thought why split the fee with the Bastards when I can take the town myself, it’s best fighters have abandoned the walls and stand waiting in the field, the statue is here and her priests lay dead by my own hands,” he said with another bow.

  “And what makes you think that’s what I wanted? Priests, statues, that’s all meaningless. I want the town taken to rile the nobles,” the king said looking at his wine cup.

  Goldie laughed aloud. “That might be what you want but not what he wants.”

  The king looked at him sharply and drew his sword, pointing at his throat, “What do you know of him?”

  Chapter Forty Three.

  Farirkar stood looking at the fort. It was well walled with stone at least twice as high as him. The main gate made of wood that was barred. Along the battlements stood a large group of women, their strange haircuts showing in the light. He found the look quite attractive, he always liked tough women. Still this was what he was wanting. It had been too long since he and his boys had had a fight. Too many gods and schemes, not just getting bloody and fighting. He had no idea about all this stuff Josette was speaking of but if these people wanted to destroy Famir they would find it a very tough job indeed.

  He turned to his men who stood behind him and was glad for them. All his Pellosi were gone and now just left were the Northman and desert folk. Probably the most likely to believe in all this shit.

  “Right lads, we’ve got to take this place. No tricks, no waiting, we just hit that gate as hard as we can as quick as we can. It’s all women in there but they are fighters all. I think we all know they’ll kill us just as quick as a man would. We’re doing it for the loot and the king’s money but more than that were doing it for our homelands. We all believe different things and it’s never got in our way of killing together, but these want to take it away, they want just one god or no gods or some shit, so it’s time to get bloody. You boys with me?” He yelled the last part.

  They were there for the money but people fought better when they had a reason too. The men yelled back and the guards on the wall heard it all right. With those last words, Farirkar turned and started running from the darkness towards that gate. He heard the sound of many feet behind him and smiled, it was always tense moment to worry if you were running alone.

  The men were well trained at this kind of move and they ran in a tight wedge with him at the front. At least twenty of them hit the gate with full force. It shuddered but held. No siege weapons or rams, he started hacking at the tough wooden gate with his axe as did the others. He heard the screams of men around him falling to arrows for the battlement archers but he kept hacking at the wood with huge swings.

  His ones the outside of the wedge forced back protecting those within with axes. Soon he saw the glint of firelight on the other side of the gate. He cut through and peered in. A sword thrust out from the other side and almost got him. Farirkar laughed and chopped it again with his axe. The whole gate was weakened now.

  “Push, you bastards,” he yelled and they did.

  All the men at the front then those behind and behind them, arms on backs, he felt the huge weight and strength of them and almost yelled with the crushing weight but the gate gave first. It collapsed inwards with a huge crash of shrieking wood and metal, crushing a few of the female guards who stood trying to brace it. He fell forward and came up quickly and it was all mayhem. No lines of battle, no shield wall, just them and us.

  Farirkar bellowed, “Red Bastards” as loud as he could and ran into the fray of women. He saw a line of archers positioned to take his men as they ran in. Screaming he ran at them. He felt the wind of an arrow pass him and another bounced off the metal of his chest piece and then he leapt at them. There were five in the line and five behind them. He launched his huge weight and bodily hit the group.

  They fell backwards, most drawing daggers. He slashed left and right with his huge axe, killing two, one got her bow up and his axe blade cut through it and into her. Then his men were behind him with swords to help. Farirkar stood with blood dripping from his face and laughed.

  His men had taken the courtyard and he could see the main Keep was being hastily barred against them. Hopefully, their distraction had been good enough for little Josette.

  He pointed at the door. “Let’s get that fucking door down,” he yelled as he ran onwards.

  ***

  Stealth was clearly not Flint’s and Stone’s strong suit, but likewise, she’d never seen men of their size get over a wall so fast. They simply jumped, grabbed the top and pulled themselves over. Only Minsetta and Skinner needed the rope. They landed with a huge thud on the other side. She looked around but the ringing sounds of battle were all they could hear.

  She drew her bow and they all drew their weapons.

  “Come on,” she whispered and led the way through the darkness towards the back entrance. The smell of burning and blood was starting to hang over the place and a bell was ringing loudly in alarm. Much use now, she’d heard that huge crack which could only have been the main gate.

  She led them onwards with her arrow notched. There were two guards at the back door which stood open and one of them kept looking in nervously. She slunk out wide in the dark and let her first arrow fly. It took the nervous guard hard in the throat and she fell, clutching her throat gurgling. The other drew her sword and ran at Josette. A huge hand pushed her aside and Stone ran in-between them. He caught the woman’s downward cut on his broadsword and brought it downwards into her. The woman fell back with an awful cut down the length of her body.

  For behind in the darkness, they heard more cries and people running, more guards out there.

  “You got this?” she said to the men.

  They just nodded and stood to face them. Josette grabbed Minsetta hand and led her inside as the Northmen and Skinner faced the remaining guards and blocked the door. They were handy.

  The main building was filled with the sounds of fighting and she knew somewhere the Bastards had broken through. She saw all the guards running towards the front door. One turned to look at them as they entered. She opened her mouth to cry the alarm but Minsetta tossed a dagger at her. It hit the woman hard in the open mouth,
killing her.

  Josette turned. “I can’t remember where it was clearly, you led.”

  Minsetta grinned at her. “It’s close but will be well guarded, they wouldn’t leave it alone.”

  Minsetta ran down the hallway towards the temple room with her remaining dagger in her hand. Josette followed her as fast as she could, looking into the rooms as she went. Minsetta passed one quickly and a woman lunged out of it at her moments after. Josette fired her arrow point blank into her back and she fell.

  “Be fucking careful,” she yelled, but Minsetta just ran on.

  Josette cursed and sling her bow across her back and drew her own two daggers. She turned the corner into a hall to find a solid black door blocking the way. On it held a carving of the woman thing they worshiped. In all her splendor. A full woman’s body with naked breasts but feathers down her forearms ending in bird-like claws.

  Minsetta was at the door and pushed it hard but it wouldn’t budge, barred from the other side.

  Minsetta turned to her. “Ideas?” Josette thought briefly. What would Goldie do?

  She walked up to the door and knocked on it sharply and yelled “Quickly sisters. I have weapons for you, they are through and you’ll need them.”

  They waited a moment and then she heard the sound of a large wooden bolt being slide across. The door opened and a scarred and painted face of a woman peered out, she frowned at them. Josette thrust her dagger just below the face and into the room. The woman fell back with a cry and they were in the room. She walked forward as Minsetta, rebolted the door, the sound of the battle disappeared and she felt her blood cooling as she stood there panting, her dagger drawn and slowly dripping blood.

  She looked around the room. It held the huge ugly statue of the woman but around it was what she’d not wanted. Sure they had a guard but the women here looked like actual priestess. They were dressed in deep red robes and shook with fear.

  One stood and she had a deep anger in her eyes, that was better.