Black Scarlet

by R A Oakes

  But the general felt no loyalty to either Genevieve or her older brother, Rathlor. He saw himself as next in line to be lord of the castle and felt he’d earned it. Other than his master, no one had done more to insure the safety of the region than himself. Of that General Zarkahn was certain, and many of the warriors and ministers at the castle agreed with him.

  In the past, Lord Stallington had never questioned General Zarkahn’s loyalty, but as the elderly ruler drew closer to death, the power structure of the castle began falling apart. Skybrook Castle was in danger of disintegrating into chaos.

  The general felt that Chen’s arrival had only added to the confusion. He saw her as an interloper with no previous ties to Skybrook Castle. Many felt that Black Scarlet was just a pretty woman who’d caught the fancy of their elderly ruler during his final days. They saw her as an opportunist and deeply resented her.

  Now some of those who resented Black Scarlet the most had a member of her entourage within their grasp. They’d encircled a young woman wearing a long, flowing nightgown, with her luxurious blond hair pinned up in a bun on her head.

  One warrior, who was even drunker than the rest, stepped forward and roughly pulled a comb out of Aerylln’s hair causing it to fall over her shoulders and down to her waist. Several of the men gasped. In her late teens, the young woman was already turning into a beauty.

  The warriors stood there looking at each other not quite knowing what to do. Had Aerylln been less innocent and a few years older, they would have known exactly what to do with her, and nothing could have saved her from that fate. But her best defenses were her wide-eyed naiveté and her age. The men were drunk, but they weren’t stupid. They knew that even General Zarkahn wouldn’t tolerate an attack on a defenseless, young woman. However, many of the men felt the general wouldn’t mind if they teased her a little.

  One warrior stepped forward, gripped the front of Aerylln’s nightgown and tore it. He didn’t rip it very much, just enough to scare the young woman. Before she could scream, another man covered her mouth with his hand. The warriors then fell upon her. One took hold of her right leg and another took hold of her left. They spread her thighs wide while other warriors lifted her up and held her flat on her back, but off of the floor.

  Some had her around the waist, others by the shoulders and arms. One man stood between the teenage girl’s legs and began searching through the folds of her nightgown.

  Aerylln desperately tried to squirm out of their grasp, but the mood of the men was changing. They were no longer so playful and were gripping her more tightly. However, just as things were starting to spiral out of control, several more of General Zarkahn’s warriors showed up on the scene. These men were sober and put a stop to the mayhem.

  “Are you all crazy? Do you know who this is?” one of them shouted.

  “She’s Chen’s friend,” one of the drunken men responded.

  “Yes, but more important, she’s Lord Pensgraft’s daughter!”

  That sobered them up real quick, and the men let go of her. However, now that the tension of the moment had been broken, they all began to laugh at Aerylln. The young woman broke free of their grasp and ran down the hallway, but she kept tripping over her nightclothes and stumbled to the floor.

  Picking herself up, Aerylln ran as fast as she could yet found that she was heading away from her bedchamber. In confusion and desperation, the young woman hiked up her nightdress and ran around a corner into another hallway where she slammed into a brick wall, or so she’d thought. However, it was worse than that, she had run directly into Chen.

  Black Scarlet saw Aerylln’s torn nightgown and heard the drunken laughter from the next hallway. The warrior woman quickly inspected the front and back of Aerylln’s nightgown for telltale signs of blood. Black Scarlet thought, They may not have raped her, but they still roughed her up.

  “Take this sword and go back there and kill someone with it,” Chen said as she stared firmly at the frightened young woman. Black Scarlet always carried a second weapon so that she wouldn’t have to unsheathe the dark sword unless absolutely necessary. She thrust the conventional sword into Aerylln’s hands.

  “I just want to return to my bedchamber,” the terrified young woman pleaded.

  “No, you’ve got to go back and face those men, or you’ll never live this down. By morning, you’ll be the laughing stock of Skybrook Castle.”

  “But I didn’t do anything wrong. They’re the ones who should be punished.”

  “I agree, and you’re the one who’s going to punish

  them.”

  “I want Zorya and Baelfire,” Aerylln began to wail.

  “I’m going to tell Marcheto what they did.” And with that, she burst into tears.

  Chen listened to the laughter that was now pouring even louder from the next hallway. General Zarkahn’s drunken warriors had heard Aerylln’s emotional hysteria echoing down the corridor through the stillness of the night and found it to be a source of great amusement. For them, attacking a young virgin had been great sport. This infuriated Black Scarlet.

  “Women will never be free until they learn to defend themselves, can’t you see that?” Chen asked taking the young woman by the shoulders and trying to shake some sense into her.

  “I’m going to tell Marcheto!” Aerylln cried again, hardly hearing Black Scarlet.

  “You’ll tell him, all right! You’ll tell him how you picked up a sword and defended your own honor!” Chen shouted.

  “I want Marcheto!”

  In desperation, Chen played her trump card. She hated doing this to Pensgraft but felt she had no choice. And so, appealing directly to Aerylln’s teenage spirit, Black Scarlet said, “What about your father? Do you always want him defending you, too? He left you at Mistress Xan’s for all those years, and now he tries to run your life. He doesn’t understand you. You need to put him in his place.”

  “That’s true,” Aerylln said smiling defiantly and drying her eyes.

  “Okay, show him what you’re made of, get in there and fight. Take this sword and don’t bring it back until there’s blood on it. A lot of blood.”

  “Aren’t you coming with me?”

  “No, you have to walk this road alone.”

  Aerylln hesitated.

  “Kill one, Aerylln. Even just one.”

  “That’s not the problem.”

  “What is?”

  “I’m afraid that once I start, I won’t be able to stop.”

  “Now you’re talking,” Chen smiled, even though she didn’t believe the bravado. “Go get ‘em, you female beast.”

  Aerylln smiled.

  “I’m proud of you, now go kill something.”

  Turning around and walking briskly away from Chen, Aerylln rounded a corner and entered the hallway where the drunken warriors were still laughing. Glaring at them, she raced down the corridor, lifted her sword over her head and brought it down on the warrior closest to her. Still half drunk, he tried to sidestep the arcing blade, but his reflexes were slow and the sword cut deeply into his thigh. Horrified, the warrior looked at the young woman in the flowing nightgown, shook his head in stunned disbelief, felt the pain shooting up his leg and screamed.

  With grim determination, Aerylln swung her weapon at a second drunken warrior but tripped on the hem of her nightgown and went sprawling. Throwing her hands out to block her fall, she fortunately kept a hold of her sword, and the blade inadvertently caught another surprised warrior in the stomach. He was so drunk that, at first, he wasn’t sure what had happened. Then the pain hit him, and the warrior screamed. Staring incredulously at the woman in front of him with the angry eyes, he grasped the blade and tried to pull it out.

  Pushing herself off the floor with her left hand, Aerylln got to her knees and shoved the sword deeper into the drunken man with her right. As he collapsed, the warrior pitched forward knocking the young woman back onto the cold granite, but she pulled herself out from under him and yanked her sword free.


  Aerylln stood up, lifted her sword over her head once more and smiled when the warriors backed up a step. She strode towards them brandishing her weapon, and several turned tail and ran. The teenage girl stopped and savored their fear. Aerylln found all this to be very gratifying until she noticed that the frightened warriors were looking above her head. At first, she thought they were looking at her sword blade, but then she turned around and saw her father.

  Lord Pensgraft leapt past his daughter with a speed and ferocity Aerylln had never seen before. Few had. None lived who did. His sword was a blur. Aerylln’s eyes couldn’t even keep up with her father’s movements. It was over quickly, and her assailants lay dead at the giant warrior’s feet. Lord Pensgraft tilted back his head and bellowed in rage giving war cry after war cry. Finally he looked back at his daughter and smiled.

  “I saw you slash one warrior’s thigh and kill the other. I’m proud of you,” Lord Pensgraft said.

  “If you’re so proud of me, why didn’t you let me handle it myself?” she demanded. “I was doing just fine before you came along.”

  Lord Pensgraft was stunned.

  “Now everyone will focus on what you did,” Aerylln complained bitterly. “They’ll forget about my one kill. Why should they talk about me when they can talk about you? Who will speak of my valor?”

  “I saw how well you fought, and so did Chen. We’re both proud of you, very proud,” Lord Pensgraft said again, this time smiling broadly and really trying to put himself into the compliment.

  “But you’re my parents. So what good does that do me? You upstaged me. I’d have been better off if you never even showed up. You ruined everything!” Aerylln shouted as she turned on her heel and stalked off down the hallway.

  Lord Pensgraft looked at his wife as she walked towards him and appealed to her. “They would have killed Aerylln. Why doesn’t she see that?”

  “Because she’s a teenager, and all she knows is that when she got into trouble, her dad showed up and saved the day.”

  “What else could I have done?”

  “Nothing, you did your job. Just don’t expect her to thank you for it.”

  The giant looked around confused. “They’re dead, we’re alive. That’s not okay?”

  “Of course it’s okay. But as a daughter, it’s her job to yell at you and tell you how she doesn’t need you.”

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Just keep loving her no matter what.”

  “Will that help?”

  “Not right away.”

  “How long do I have to wait?”

  “A few more years, at least.”

  “That seems like a long time.”

  “Aerylln will make it seem like an eternity to you.”

  The giant continued to look bewildered.

  “It’s okay, big guy. If you hadn’t shown up, I’d have killed them all myself. You did the right thing.”

  “What about General Zarkahn? It’s open war now,” Lord Pensgraft said.

  “I don’t think so. The three men who ran know what caused this fight. Zarkahn will get the truth out of them, one way or another.”

  “He’ll still send more men at us. We’d better get back to the great hall and muster our forces. That or I can just walk over to General Zarkahn’s part of the castle and teach them all better manners.”

  “You won’t have to do that. It’s not General Zarkahn’s style to beat up on young women. He’ll view what his men did as being a blight on his honor. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came to you and apologized personally.”

  “If he’s such a man of honor, maybe we should have tried working out a compromise with him.”

  “That’s not possible.”

  “Why not?”

  “I talked to Minister Rowkar right before I bumped into Aerylln. That’s why I was in this part of the castle. And he had some interesting news.”

  “What?”

  “Tomorrow, General Zarkahn and Rathlor will be leaving to inspect the eastern farms that are most vulnerable to an attack from Firecrest Castle. However, in reality, they’re going to Firecrest Castle itself for a meeting with Lord Ridgewood, and Minister Rowkar’s going along.”

  “So the cherubic, elderly gentleman successfully ingratiated himself with General Zarkahn, did he?” Pensgraft asked almost laughing.

  “Yes he did.”

  “There’s more to that man than meets the eye. He’s hiding something,” Pensgraft said.

  “I agree, but I like the devious, old coot.”

  “So do I. But tell me, why are they going there?” Pensgraft asked, already suspecting the reason.

  “To sell us out!”

  Chapter 7

  Firecrest Castle. Four days later.

  After an arduous ride east to the badlands, Rathlor and General Zarkahn are meeting with Lord Ridgewood. Minister Rowkar is not present, at least for now.

  “Lord Rathlor, having you visit my humble castle is such an honor. When General Zarkahn told me that you were paying us a state visit, at first I couldn’t believe my ears,” Lord Ridgewood said smiling expansively and spreading his arms wide in a welcoming gesture.

  “Thank you, I’m happy to be here. I know my father objects to your entrepreneurial spirit, but that just shows how out of step with the times he is.”

  It was obvious that Rathlor loved being referred to as lord, even though his father was still alive. Lord Ridgewood, on the other hand, loved having his murdering, thieving gang of crooks referred to as entrepreneurs.

  Ridgewood was once a sea-faring pirate, and his father and grandfather had been pirates, and his great-grandfather. However, King Ulray Kardimont had mounted a campaign against “the vermin infesting our waters,” and the pirate trade had become increasingly perilous. When his father and grandfather had been forced into early retirement, with one losing his head and the other being run through with a spear, Ridgewood had sought greener pastures. The barren, mountainous land he now controlled was a far cry from what he had wanted.

  “Thievery and murder are something you should be able to sail away from,” Lord Ridgewood had often said, complaining of the limitations of land-based piracy. “But a castle gives you a fixed location, and everyone knows where you are. What sense does that make?”

  Focusing on current matters, General Zarkahn turned to Lord Stallington’s only son and asked, “May I have permission to speak, sire?”

  “By all means,” Rathlor said, relishing the deference and respect being lavished upon him.

  “I’ve mentioned to Lord Ridgewood that you have wisdom to share with him regarding Dominion Castle.”

  “Yes, I’m most eager to hear your enlightened views, Lord Rathlor, on how we should respond to Swarenth’s desire to develop stronger ties to our region,” the grizzled, old pirate said leaning forward, seemingly ready to listen attentively.

  “Well, just the other day, General Zarkahn and I were talking about what we should do.”

  “Oh no, sire, you were speaking and I was listening. Your insights into politics and alliances are beyond my poor intellect,” General Zarkahn said to Rathlor, the man whom Chen had called “dumb as a stick.”

  “What we need to do about Swarenth is to ahhhh, ummm,” Rathlor said struggling to recall what he and the general had talked about.

  “Oh, sire, your humility is inspirational. You’re so reluctant to take credit for your own clear vision for the future,” the general said smiling.

  “I suppose,” Rathlor said looking to the general for help explaining what he couldn’t even remember discussing.

  “Your thoughts were so clear and profound. The simplicity of your plan was its greatest strength,” General Zarkahn said.

  “Yes, that’s true. Why don’t you explain it to Lord Ridgewood for me.”

  “My pleasure, Lord Rathlor,” the general said turning to Lord Ridgewood, who already knew what the general was going to say. The purpose of this meeting was to get Rathlor to believe the plan was his i
dea and to take credit for it. The thing that most endeared Rathlor to General Zarkahn was his willingness to accept the general’s ideas as his own.

  “Lord Ridgewood, what my liege lord expressed to me recently was, first of all, his concern for you. He realizes that your lack of suitable farmland is placing an enormous hardship upon you and your people. Lord Rathlor offers you all the lush farmland east of the Tatalusa River, an area over ten miles wide.”

  Lord Ridgewood, an excellent actor, feigned such gratitude that Rathlor was sure they were friends for life and patted himself on the back for such shrewd diplomacy. Rathlor thought, Now my eastern border’s secure, and this was so easy to accomplish.

  “As magnanimous as that offer is, what’s even better is Lord Rathlor’s solution to Swarenth’s desire for westward expansion,” the general said pausing a moment for dramatic effect.

  “What, what? Don’t hold me in such suspense!”

  “He suggests we make Swarenth an offer which is truly inspired. My liege lord is willing to let Swarenth use our southern mountain passes leading to Crystal Valley. In one stroke, Lord Rathlor has sidestepped the entire issue and shifted the gargoyle’s attention away from us and toward Crystal Castle.”

  “Brilliant! Brilliant!” Lord Ridgewood gasped in feigned amazement.

  “It’s nothing,” Rathlor said enjoying the praise. But he was thinking, My father underestimates me. In one meeting, I’ve resolved two major problems with no help from him at all.

  “Oh, Lord Rathlor, you are far too modest, your plan shows true genius. I award you my highest honor, the Order of Excelsior,” Lord Ridgewood proclaimed as an aide rushed forward with the medal on a purple pillow.

  Rathlor was filled with pride as Lord Ridgewood came over and pinned the impressive medal on his tunic. It was large and studded with precious jewels. Earlier that day, the lord of thieves had told General Zarkahn, “One of my men went through considerable trouble to steal this.”