by Alex Avrio
“How about you shut up?” Charlie said pressing the tip more firmly into the front of his jacket.
“I would still like to know your name,” he said.
“It’s Miss None-Of-Your-Business. Happy now?”
The lieutenant couldn’t suppress a smile, little dimples appearing in his cheeks. “I am second lieutenant Adler. Franz Adler.” Charlie took a step back, her dagger still ready for use.
“Good on you. Now move along.”
Lieutenant Adler retreated a pace, gave her a small bow and walked off. Charlie waited until he turned the corner and then ran to Regina and Jaeger’s room. She opened the door without knocking and went straight in. Both Regina and Jaeger looked up from a map they were studying in the candlelight.
“Haven’t you been taught to knock?” Jaeger asked, annoyed.
“What are you complaining about? Both of you have your knickers on.”
There was a moment’s awkward silence. Charlie made a mental note. “Speaking of knickers they’ve been dropping left, right, and center in this place,” she said.
“I feel that this is going to be interesting,” Regina commented, sitting down on the bed.
“We don’t have all night to gossip,” Jaeger said.
“Alright then,” Charlie said smugly, “but I thought you might want to know that the princess is pregnant.”
11 INTO THE WOODS
JAEGER’S jaw dropped open. “How did that happen?” he exclaimed.
Charlie opened her mouth to answer, but Regina was faster. “Well, Max, when two people are in love–”
Jaeger shot her a look and Regina smiled sweetly. He rubbed his jaw.
“Are you sure? How do you know?”
“I’ve seen pregnant women before,” Charlie said. “She’s been throwing up every morning since I joined her slaves.”
“I’ve been throwing up all week too,” Regina said off-handedly.
“Are you preggers too?” Charlie flashed a cheeky smile. Jaeger paced up and down, found a bottle of drink, and took a large swig. Regina suddenly realized that she’d never asked him which part of Eressia he was from. This could be his princess they were talking about or his prince that was going to be the groom.
“If she’s never met the prince before he’s out of the running,” Regina said more seriously now. “It’s going to be one short courtship.”
“If you’re nice to me I might give you a clue,” Charlie said.
Jaeger folded his arms across his chest and gave her a stern glare.
“Or not.”
“Please, Charlie,” Regina said coolly, “tell us what you know.”
Charlie smiled, enjoying the moment, and then related the scene with the letter from Baron Orsy. She kept the best for last.
“An affair with Orsy? That’s interesting,” Regina said.
“Orsy is one of the richest and most powerful men in the Empire. He could marry anyone he wanted, and I heard that he chose his bride for love,” Jaeger said.
Regina wondered what Jaeger thought of that. She'd heard that in the past Jaeger had looked to marry money to get his finances back on track. Was there room in that heart for love?
“Now that I’ve seen the Baroness Adel I don’t know what to think,” he said.
“You know what they say,” Regina said. “The Mother does not pass judgment on people’s taste in food or love.”
Jaeger shrugged. “Maybe,” he muttered unconvincingly. “He is having an affair with Rosamynd, though.”
“And he’s not the only one,” Charlie said.
Regina and Jaeger's heads snapped round so fast that Charlie had to stifle a giggle.
“What?”
“I saw her go to a man’s room in the lodge. Well, I saw her back.”
“Do you know whose room?” Jaeger asked. Charlie nodded.
“Yes– Colonel Meyer.”
“The bastard!” Jaeger shouted.
“Shush,” Regina said. “We don’t want the whole inn to hear.”
“Are you sure?” Jaeger leaned towards Charlie. “Maybe they were having a private conversation?”
“A private conversation? Oh, oh yes, Valerian, you are so gooood,” Charlie imitated.
Jaeger’s face turned ashen. “What did you say?”
Charlie, sensing she might have gone too far, was reluctant to repeat her performance.
“The name– Say the name again,” he hissed.
“Valerian,” Charlie said quietly. “Why?”
“Valerian isn’t Meyer’s name,” Jaeger said. “It’s Morgenstern’s.”
The following morning the convoy started earlier than usual, but not before the sun had risen a man’s palm and more above the horizon. Maybe Madam Katrina gave the princess the same herbal tea she’d given me, Regina thought. As they plodded along the road, Regina pondered yesterday’s news. Things were getting complex. Jaeger was struggling to adjust to these new complications. Regina suspected he’d stayed too long away from the court and was having difficulty catching up. She also suspected that he was hiding himself, spending time with her to avoid re-acquainting himself with his former colleagues. And she suspected he was avoiding one in particular: Morgenstern. She knew she wouldn't get anything out of Jaeger on the subject and resolved to set Charlie and Thomas to finding out more.
The road took them back into the fringes of the woods where even at midday it was cold in the shadow of the trees. Little light penetrated to the road. Once again Regina felt eyes on her, this time closer. She could almost feel the breath of the observer on her neck. She looked at Jaeger and he nodded. He could feel it too. Regina looked around at the rest of the team but they didn’t seem to have noticed anything. Briggs rode ahead with Jackson. Amanates, at the rear, chatted with Eleven.
The overcast sky, gray clouds, and cold wind compounded the gloom. The convoy came to a slow halt. Regina gave a kick to her horse and went to the front. She hoped one of the carriages hadn't damaged a wheel, which would mean hours of repairs, immobile and vulnerable to attack. At the front of the train she could see a makeshift camp with a few tents in a small clearing in the trees at the side of the road. A pot was hung over an extinguished fire. Two Hussars were searching the tents while a small squad spread carefully into the woods looking for the tents' owners. After a few minutes they came back leading four horses and a couple of mules by the reins. Regina signaled for Jaeger and Briggs to come over. Her immediate fear was: ambush.
Lieutenant Adler approached Meyer. “Sir, I believe that this was where the merchants we met the day before yesterday made camp. We’ve found personal effects and sacks of wool in the tents, and these horses and mules roaming free in the woods.”
“And the merchants?”
“We haven’t found anyone, sir.”
“Maybe they were robbed and killed in the night,” Morgenstern offered.
“Pretty poor robbers, leaving all the merchandise,” Jaeger said. Morgenstern's face tightened but he didn't reply.
“And bandits wouldn’t leave the camp like this,” Regina said. “A deserted camp would scare off the next travelers.”
“I suggest we move on now, sir,” Jaeger said. “Get our passengers securely to their destination, and then we can send soldiers to scout the area and clear the bandits out.”
“I agree, sir.” Morgenstern said reluctantly. Regina jumped down from her horse, quickly surveyed the ground for tracks and remounted.
“No– wolves either,” she announced.
Meyer looked at her quizzically. “It’s a bit early in the season for wolves,” he said.
“Last year, sir, we encountered a vicious pack. It was unlikely this time, but worth checking.”
Meyer nodded and gave orders to move on.
“No Abidari,” she whispered to Jaeger.
“I guessed from the lack of severed limbs. But there’s something in there, I can feel it,” he whispered back. Regina noticed the curve of his lips. She sighed. It was close to full moon. She n
udged her horse and resumed station at the back of the column.
They rode for many hours without another stop, despite the complaints of the three ladies. Lieutenant Schaefer tried to explain, without alarming them unduly, that they wouldn’t stop again until they reached the safety of Stonebridge Village. They rode out of the forest and met the road from Alucia. At the crossroads, hanging from larger poles, were metal cages. From the color of the wood, many were clearly erected recently. Some of the cages were packed so tightly that the skeletons remained standing; others still had flesh on the bones. Harsh Eressian justice. A vein pulsed at Jaeger's temple as he rode past. At the end of the convoy Amanates pulled his horse to a halt.
“What have these men done?” he asked.
“Whatever they’ve done, I’m sure they’re very sorry now,” Eleven replied. One of the corpses moved slightly.
“By The Mother and The Child,” Eleven gasped, “that one is still alive.”
“Help me cut him down,” Amanates said. Eleven looked at him sadly.
“We can’t. They have been found guilty by the laws of this land. This is their punishment.”
Amanates grunted. Eleven rode on but Amanates stayed where he was. Kapitan Jaeger hovered at a distance, watching him.
“No man deserves this,” Amanates said, and broke into a canter, riding straight past Jaeger. He didn't stop until he'd caught up with the convoy.
12 STONEBRIDGE VILLAGE
STONEBRIDGE was a large village or, according to its mayor, a small town. The convoy rode in just before sunset to find the mayor overjoyed that the princess would be staying in his village for the night. The mayor invited the nobility to stay at his house, while the mercenaries were billeted at the Stonebridge Inn: a simple but clean and well-managed establishment. In the bar, stuffed boar and stag heads stared down at them from the walls through wood smoke from the roaring fire. The innkeeper looked as big as the town bridge, all muscle, no fat. His mustache rivalled Briggs’ but his head was as bald as an egg. His waitresses and boys worked hard to prepare rooms for the officers, as a flustered waitress bustled over with a tray of large tankards of strong frothed beer. The innkeeper himself brought over a large platter of cold meats and cheeses for the Blades.
“That’ll put some hairs on your chest,” he said. His booming laugh rattled the rafters.
“I’d rather it didn’t,” Regina said with a smile, which the innkeeper returned in kind.
“We're crowded today so I’ve put you lot,” he pointed at Jackson and Eleven, “in one room. Sergeant, you'll have to be in with the lads, and the last room goes to the officers.” He paused and gave Jaeger a stern look. “This is a respectable establishment. I trust you will behave yourself.” Regina drank from her beer to suppress the urge to laugh.
“Sir, I assure you,” Jaeger began, but the innkeeper put a hand the size of a ham, on his shoulder.
“Son, I’ve seen enough Kapitans like you to know. I wouldn’t leave you alone with my daughter, but the lady looks respectable.”
Regina's smile beamed up at him. She couldn't remember when she’d last received a compliment.
“Well, I’ll have to leave you. Trade's been slow lately. We're out of practice dealing with so many customers.” His eyes lingered on Amanates for a few seconds, before he turned to leave.
“You can ask me where I’m from if you like,” Amanates said. The innkeeper stopped and turned to face Amanates.
“Son, in my job there's not a thing I've not seen or heard. Every smart ass who comes in here cracks a joke about my bald head that I’ve heard a thousand times. It’s like watching them re-invent the wheel every night. I figure you might want a break from being asked where you're from all the time. But I like to learn about faraway places so I might come around for a chat when things have settled down. If you’re in the mood, you can tell me.” Amanates gave him a gracious nod and the innkeeper departed.
Regina leant towards Jaeger. “See, I’m trustworthy and respectable,” she whispered in his ear. She could smell his scent.
“He doesn’t know you like I do,” Jaeger whispered back. She bit her lip and leaned away. This full moon was going to be tough.
Lieutenant Adler came into the bar and made straight for their table.
“Kapitan Jaeger, Captain Fitzwaters, the princess would like you to join us for dinner,” he said.
“I've a feeling that this will involve a lot of storytelling,” Regina said, getting to her feet.
“I've a feeling you might be right,” Jaeger said, standing and straightening his coat.
Briggs sipped his beer, relishing the strong bitter taste, pleased he wasn't obliged to make pleasantries with the nobility. He picked at the platter of food. Eleven and Jackson were demolishing the meats and cheese, ripping off large chunks of bread and washing everything down with beer. When Summers had had his fill he lit his pipe, took a few long puffs and stretched his legs contentedly. Amanates was last to finish, eating slowly, savoring these new tastes.
Briggs lit his pipe and took in the smoke.
“This job's straightforward,” Amanates observed. “A few more like this and I'll soon have the means to return to my family.”
Briggs puffed out a ring of smoke. “There’s no such thing as free meal or easy job.” The others leaned closer. “This is so easy I’m worried.”
“We're escorting a princess. She’s got her own guards already,” Eleven observed. “We’re extra bodies, for show.”
“Expensive show,” Summers observed.
“Not by the prince's standards,” Jackson said.
“But the people here are struggling,” Briggs said, his gaze surveying the room. Apart from the soldiers there were few customers: men clustered around a small table, likely merchants planning to cross the bridge tomorrow.
“Things in this part of Eressia must've been tough since the war,” Jackson suggested. The team sat in reflective silence for a few minutes.
“What do you think about this– thing with the two Captains?” Eleven said, trying to break the mood.
“Well, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes,” Summers said, lowering his voice. “Messari magic. They really look to be in pain if they're more than half an hour's walk from each other. Of course, being bound to an Eressian, that’s the real curse.”
“The best bit,” Eleven said, giggling, “is the full moon– they can’t keep their hands off each other.”
“Much as they try to resist,” Summers said, unable to suppress his own laugh.
Briggs kept a straight face. “Shame on you. They don’t want this”
“I’ll remember that one for my wife,” Summers said, not trying to stifle his laughter now. “Sweetheart, I didn’t mean it, I don’t want to– it’s the curse.”
“Can’t say I've much sympathy for them,” Jackson laughed. “I told the Captain before Pella that it was a waste of the sleeping arrangements if she didn’t take advantage of them. I know he's Eressian, but there's something about him!”
“They could both have done worse as curses go,” Amanates observed.
“How could it be worse?” Briggs asked.
“Well, for one,” Charlie replied, having slipped unnoticed to their table, “either of them could be cursed with having to spend their nights with you, grandad.” The whole table erupted into laughter while the frowning Briggs stroked his mustache.
“I’d be the best thing that ever happened to either of them,” he said. The team laughed even harder. They drained their beers and ordered another round.
“But remember what the Keeper of Knowledge said at the temple,” Amanates said quietly.
“What was that?” Briggs asked. Amanates had not spoken of this before.
“I do not know if I should repeat it,” he said.
“After all we’ve been through? Go on,” Eleven said, “now you’ve started.”
“The Keeper said the Kapitan Jaeger was the Hunter and Captain Fitzwaters the Hun
tress. That they were destined to walk together and protect mankind from darkness in the night.”
“You give a copper to fortune tellers,” Summers laughed, “they make promises about the dark. Maybe they'll bag us some venison on a night hunt!”
“The Keeper is no charlatan. Things walk this earth: some at night, some brazenly in daylight. They do not mean well for man. It is said that the Lord of Light sent his servants, the Hunter and the Huntress, to protect those who could not protect themselves,” Amanates said. “When needed, there are those who are selected to take on this role.”
Eleven leaned forward to urge him to say more, but voices were rising near the door, silencing the murmur of the bar. The innkeeper was barring a dozen people trying to come in. Simple villagers, men and women, rather than disorderly drunks.
“We just want to talk to them, Kurt,” the one in the front demanded.
“They’re soldiers escorting the princess. I don’t want you disturbing them,” the innkeeper said, arms outstretched to prevent them passing.
“You don’t want us to inconvenience them? They might know about our girls?” a woman screeched.
“Now calm down, Martha,” Kurt said, “we’ve done this before. Every time a stranger comes to the village you rush to ask them.”
“As we should!” another man demanded.
“Nothing wrong if you’re just asking. But the other day you lot nearly hanged an innocent man.”
There was a heavy silence, eventually broken by Martha.
“And how do you know he was innocent? No one's innocent until we find the children.”
“All right,” the innkeeper decided, “two of you go in, and be polite.” He stood to one side and two men passed. Martha pushed her way with them.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” the innkeeper shouted. All chatter in the inn died. “These good people of Stonebridge would like to ask you if you saw three young girls on your way here.”
“What do they look like?” Kyfer asked.
“The eldest is sixteen years old, blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a green dress. The others are fifteen and seven, both brown hair and eyes, wearing brown cloaks,” one of the men said hopefully. “They've been missing for four days.”
