Through the Looking Glass

by Rebecca Lorino Pond

  Sitting astride his grey stallion, Jakar surveyed the area where he and his men were preparing for battle with Tuloch, ruler of the southern half of Aslog. Dawn was breaking over the ridge and soon he would be able to see what he was up against this time. His men were dressed in full battle gear and swords were at the ready. His men as loyal they might to be him, knew that many of them probably would not return to their homes. Tuloch was a vicious and relentless fighter and took no prisoners.

  The sound of a rooster crowing in the distance alerted him to the movement in the trees that lined the open space between where he was waiting and the ridge. A light rain had begun to fall about an hour ago turning the field they would fight in to nothing but mud. The only advantage to the heavy metal armor they wore was to ward off the chill that filled the morning air. Winter was not far off and the snow would begin to fall within the next few weeks. The vast area he was looking out over would be blanketed in snow that took months to melt.

  “My Lord, there is movement to the left,” Elcon, Jakar’s second in command, told him.

  “I see it. Fall to the rear and gather a few of the men and break off to the left. Come around to the back and over take them. Tuloch never fights fair.” Jakar’s ice blue eyes scanned the distance to gain sight of his enemy.

  “Aye, my Lord.”

  Jakar hated the silence that fell over the land immediately before an attack. His muscles tensed as he gripped his horse tighter with his legs. It was the eerie quiet that always haunted him after the battle. He would have nightmares where he relived a battle but only in slow motion and complete silence. Many nights he woke up sweating and breathing hard.

  Without warning, a band of men came streaming out of the trees headed towards him. He gave the command to charge out to meet the invading force which he was determined to defeat on this cold, miserable day.

  “Attack!” Jakar shouted as he held his sword in the air, kicking his horse into action.

  The two forces came together with a resounding clash. Men screamed and swords swung without mercy. It didn’t take long for the muddy field to become laced with the blood of the fallen men.

  Jakar raced into the middle of the battle without a second thought. His blood raced through his veins, filling him with a rush that left him feeling invincible. A rider on a white horse, charged him, swinging a mace at his head. He ducked in time to avoid a direct hit to the head but the rider managed to whip the mace backwards as he rode by, hitting him in the back of his armor. The force of the swing knocked him off balance and he plummeted to the ground with a hard thud. Lucky for him, the spikes on the ball of the mace did not penetrate the heavy suit, but the fall knocked the wind out of him.

  The rider of the horse turned to see the damaged he was able to do. When he saw Jakar getting to his feet, the horse rounded and came back at him. He stood his ground and prepared to take the rider down. Men fought all around him. Metal on metal clashed over and over again, echoing through the field. The sound of hooves pounding on the ground was lost in the chaos, but Jakar’s attention was drawn to the approaching horse. The rider twirled the mace above his head as he closed in on Jakar. At the last second he ducked beneath the mace as it slice through the air once again directed at his head. He came up and twisted as the horse slowed in front of him. His sword whistled through the air and landed on its target.

  The rider crumpled to the ground in a bloody heap. His sword had caught the rider across his unprotected back, slicing him open. Without a moment to waste, Jakar turned to face another enemy as his men fought alongside him. Things weren’t going exactly as he had planned and he wondered where in the hell Elcon and the rest of the men had gone to. At this point they were outnumbered and barely holding on.

  Tuloch obviously succeeded in rounding up extra men to join him in his quest of gaining control of his land. Or rather, he forced new, unwilling recruits to fight for him or face death at the end of a rope, along with their families.

  Out here in the battle field, Tuloch hadn’t been spotted. He was known to hide out while a battle was taking place, letting his men die on their own as he sat back and watched unharmed. He was a coward as far as Jakar was concerned and not much of a man if he wasn’t willing to stand next to his men and fight for something that he wanted.

  A war cry came from the tree line. Jakar whipped his head in the direction of the sound and felt a sudden rush of renewed energy as the men he had sent to pull up the rear of Tuloch’s men were now streaming forward into the fight at hand. Several members from Tuloch’s army saw the swarm heading towards them and turned to run away. A few were cut down as they ran but most got away as the enemy began to withdraw.

  A deafening clap of thunder rolled across the dark skies followed by a bright flash of lightening. Horses reared up at the sound, taking off if they were rider less. The light rain had turned into a down pour, making it even harder to fight the remaining soldiers who had yet to run away.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Jakar spied Tuloch on horseback near the edge of the trees. He took off after his enemy, hoping to catch the evil man unaware of his advancing stance. As he pushed through the last of the men and stood out in the open, their eyes locked. A wicked grin spread across Tuloch’s face as he glared at the younger man. Then just as quickly as Jakar had spotted him, he was gone again, but he kept running in the direction Tuloch had taken off in.

  As he ran, his feet slipped in the muddy water puddles. He scrambled back up as quickly as he could, but by the time he reached the area where Tuloch had been he was long gone. He ran to the large stone that sat on the edge of the trees to check behind it. Just as he touched the stone another clap of thunder sounded followed closely by with another bolt of lightning that felt as if it hit nearby, stunning him for a moment.

  He shook his head to ward of the ringing in his ears and the spots before his eyes. His hand groped the stone to steady himself as he walked to the back of it. The rain was coming down so hard now he had to use the tip of his shirt to wipe the water out of his eyes. Blinded temporarily by the water, he never saw the figure fall from the sky and land in the mud directly in front of him. His foot caught on a large branch or so he thought, pitching him forward half in the mud and half on whatever he tripped over.

  A grunt of pain came from beneath him as he pushed himself to his knees. What he saw lying beneath him in the mud was a woman. A very small woman who was dressed in funny looking clothes.

  “What in all of hell? Where did you come from?” he said to the woman.

  Jakar stared down at the woman who was lying partially underneath his large frame, not moving. For a second he thought he might have killed her because her eyes didn’t move and she wasn’t breathing.

  “Who are you?” he yelled at her as he shook her arm.

  The woman sucked in air as if she had been robbed of it for a long time. Her eyes blinked closed then reopened, repeating the process several times. Her chest was heaved in the cold, damp air as her eyes focused on him.

  “I said, who are you?” He was growing impatient with the stubborn woman. He didn’t have time for this. “Well”

  The woman’s lips were turning blue from the cold and the rain as she struggled to form the words that needed to come out of her mouth.

  “Is…Isobel. My name is Isobel.”

  He could tell just by the look on her face that she was terrified, but something eerie crept over him as he let his eyes roam over her body. A tiny voice whispered into his ear that she was not from around there. His eyes took in the strange clothing she was wearing and was tempted to reach out and touch the material that was plastered to her shivering body.

  Suspicion flowed through his veins as he rose up off her and stood towering over her. She had to be a spy for Tuloch. There was no way it was coincidence that a woman would be out in this kind of weather especially unescorted.

  “Who are you with?” he demanded.

  “With?”

  He grabbed the front of the soaked shirt
and yelled into her face. “Who are you with, damn it? Did Tuloch send you here to watch the slaughter of these men?” His hand circled behind him to indicate the battle he had just walked away from. “Tell me!”

  “I…I…I’m not with anyone. I…I don’t even know how I got here!” Her cold hand covered his as he continued to hold onto her.

  He didn’t know what to think. What was he going to do with this woman who appeared out of nowhere? It didn’t make sense to him. The only thing he could think to do, was take her along with him, back to his castle. Then he would be able to deal with this spy, or whatever she was, in a better manner.

  He hauled her to her feet then let go of her shirt. If he had thought she looked small lying on the ground beneath him, then she looked even smaller when she stood in front of him. He had to be a good foot, foot and a half taller than her.

  “You’re coming with me,” he informed her as he roughly took hold of her upper arm.

  His aggravation was growing quickly. She struggled to pull her arm out of his grasp as she began shouting at him.

  “Let me go!” She dug her heels into the mud to create resistance. “I’m not going anywhere with you! Let go!”

  Her nails raked across his hand that was holding her, drawing small dots of blood. “Woman!” He turned to glare into her face. “You try my patience! You are coming with me whether you like it or not! If you don’t stop fighting me, I will tie you up and carry you back.”

  His threat seemed to have an effect on her, but only for a moment because the next thing he knew she had swung her hand up to his face, attempting to claw at his eyes.

  “That wasn’t very nice,” he said as he twisted the arm he held behind her back. “I guess we will just have to do this the hard way.” He had her arm behind her back as he pushed her forward into the stone they were still behind. He was amused by the amount of strength she had for such a tiny woman but he had had enough. With her front pushed into the stone, he withdrew a piece of the thin rope he always carried with him. He shoved a knee between her legs to spread them enough to make her feel off balance. As he tied the end of the rope around her little wrist, she used her other hand to reach behind her. She was swinging blindly and he knew that it only enraged her even more.

  “Keep still damn it!” The rain wasn’t making it much easier for him. The rope slipped twice when he went to tighten it enough so she wouldn’t be able to get her hands free. He felt the area between her legs bounce off his knee a few times as she struggled with him. His armor didn’t cover his legs so he was able to feel her heat quite nicely through the material of her pants.

  “Keep bouncing like that on my knee and maybe when we get back to my home we can explore that little area,” he spoke softly in her ear. He got the reaction he was looking for when she stilled at his words. She was breathing hard but no longer fought him as he tied her free hand together with the other one. “Now, that wasn’t so bad was it?” He turned her around to face him.

  Her face was flushed from fighting him and a thin trail of blood oozed down her cheek where he had pressed her against the stone too hard. He instantly regretted the wound he caused but she had left him with little choice. He wasn’t about to let her go and run back to Tuloch.

  Jakar stopped to look at the woman standing before him. Her eyes were a color of green he had never seen before in a female. The darkness of her eyes as she glared at him lead him to believe that they changed color when she became angry because they were much darker now, then when he had her pinned under his body. Her long brown hair was drenched and hung loosely behind her back. A large clump of it was plastered to her uninjured cheek and lower lip. He reached to push the strand back but she flinched at his movement. Was she frightened that he would strike her? He had never stuck a woman in his life!

  She stared back at him as he took in the rest of her body. The shirt she wore clung to every curve and outlined her breasts. The tips of her breasts were pebbled and hard, pressing against the material so he could see them clearly. Her pants were made of a strange material and hung low on her hips. In her struggles to get away from him, the waistband had slipped down to rest right on her pubic bone and revealed a hint of brown curls.

  His cock threatened to come awake if he didn’t stop his inspection of his captive. Something about this woman gnawed at him and he couldn’t figure out why. No matter, she was still his prisoner.

  “Are you going to walk on your own?” he asked and waited for her answer. Her eyes were clearly showing defiance, so he know what he had to do when she didn’t answer. “So be it.” He jerked her forward, stooped just a fraction, and tossed her over his shoulder. He heard her gasp then grunt as his shoulder dug into her stomach. It didn’t help her any when he had to adjust her slightly, jabbing his shoulder into her stomach again.

  “Put me down, you big ape!” She kicked her legs until he pinned them down to his chest with his arm. With his free hand he swatted her on the rear, making her yell in pain.

  “If you don’t pipe down, I will spank you even harder.”

  She automatically stopped moving with his threat. He made his way back to where his men were waiting on the battle field, searching for survivors among their own. Moans and cries of pain filled the air as he walked by the ones left lying on the soaked field.

  Elcon rushed to greet him. “My Lord?” He nodded to the lump across his lord’s shoulder.

  “A prisoner. I caught her spying for Tuloch.”

  “I wasn’t spying! I don’t even know where I am!” She started up her struggles again.

  Elcon grimaced at the sound of the slap Jakar landed on her rear end. She squealed in pain as she kicked one more time before she stilled again.

  “I hate you!” Her statement was muffled against his back.

  “As I said, I caught her spying when I went after Tuloch. Not a very good spy either.” He looked around the field to see what damage had been done to his army. “How many dead?”

  “Right now, only three but many are injured.”

  He nodded in acknowledgement. “Tuloch and his men have run away, cowards that they are. He doesn’t even care about the ones left behind, dead or alive.” He shook his head in disgust. “See to our men first then have those who are able, assist in bringing Tuloch’s injured men to the castle. Have the healers see to their wounds but lock them in the dungeon.”

  “Yes, my Lord. Are you heading back?” Elcon was Jakar’s man and Jakar knew the man didn’t want him to travel alone, especially when the enemy was possibly still so near.

  “I’ll take a couple of men with me. I want to see to my little spy right here.” He patted her rear this time but got no movement. “I will see you when you return.”

  Elcon nodded as Jakar walked off. His horse was around here somewhere, he just needed to locate him. He sloshed through the mud and muck that covered the field. Not only were his boots covered in the mud, most of his clothing as well. He could feel it in every crack and crevice of his body, tasted it in his mouth. He wouldn’t wait to take a hot bath and wash away the grim.

  “Where are you taking me,” the muffled voiced ask him.

  Jakar saw his horse near the edge of the tree line nibbling on a small patch of brown grass. He had hoped the woman wouldn’t talk anymore until he was able to question her, question her in the privacy of his own rooms.

  “There’s no need for you to know where I am taking you,” he responded to her question in a sharp tone. He grabbed the reins of his horse and turned him around so that he and woman would be able to mount the big beast. He pulled her off his shoulder and set her on the ground but didn’t let go.

  “I’m not getting on the thing!” she said while she tried to back away.

  He pulled her back to him a bit too harshly but he wanted her to know who was in command here. She was in his territory now and she would obey his every command.

  “You are getting up on that thing, as you so called it, or you can walk the ten miles. It’s your choice.” He
was becoming impatient again. He was tired, dirty, and hungry. He watched her expressions as they changed when she thought about her choices.

  “I’ll ride, but can you untie my hands?” she asked.

  He thought for a moment to grant her request but decided against it. She could be up to something and he wasn’t willing to take any chances with her.

  “No.”

  She went to protest but he cut her off when he lifted her up onto the horse. Her legs straddled the horse’s back, as she sat awkwardly in the leather saddle. Jakar swung his body up behind her then wrapped his arms around her to be able to reach the reins. He nudged his longtime friend, Thor, into action.

  As the pair made their way back to Jakar’s castle, Jakar could feel Isobel shivering uncontrollably. Her tremors vibrated his body and her shaking hands were dangerously close to his cock. Maybe, he should have untied her, he thought. The rain continued to fall but had let up to a slow drizzle, just enough to keep them wet and miserable.