K’xarr exploded, grabbing Aldun’s sword hand so the shorter man couldn’t draw his blade. The Camiran quickly pulled a dagger from behind his back and rammed it up through Aldun’s chin, the blade piercing the roof the shorter mercenary’s mouth and sliding into his brain. K’xarr let go of the rival captain and Aldun’s body collapsed to the ground with a nasty thud.
Both groups of men stood stock still, dumbfounded by what they had just seen. K’xarr flicked the blood from his hand and put his foot on Aldun’s corpse. Throwing back his shoulders, he stared at the members of the Scarred Serpents with a look just short of madness. “Now, does anyone want to tell me what happened?”
“We found him strangling a whore, so we gave him a good beating,” one of the Serpents shouted out from the cluster of mercenaries.
K’xarr narrowed his eyes and gave a slight nod, but he was unable to tell which one of them had answered him. “I will consider this matter closed, he has paid for your offense,” K’xarr said, kicking the dead man with the toe of his boot. “If you want revenge for what I have done or think it unjust, my brothers and I welcome it, but know this before you take arms against us: We will show you no mercy and I will not rest till I send each and every one of you to join this dung heap in hell.”
The Serpents watched as the wrathful captain walked closer to them, pure hatred in his eyes. “Swords,” he bellowed. K’xarr’s entire company drew their weapons and took a step forward. “Now choose, you mangy curs: draw your swords or go inside and tend to your captain. It doesn’t manner to us which you choose.”
The men of the Scarred Serpents looked at one another, trying to determine what they should do. Many grumbled and cursed under their breath and fingered their weapons, but, in the end, they picked up their fallen leader and began to file back into their barracks.
K’xarr leaned on his sword and scowled at them until the last one had disappeared inside. Then without a word, he turned and walked through the ranks of his own men in the direction of their barracks. When he passed, the rest of the company fell in step behind their captain.
***
Rhys was leaning against the barracks' door frame with his arms folded when K’xarr and the others returned. “I heard shouting from down that way. Was there trouble?”
“K’xarr killed their captain then backed the rest down with some harsh words,” Rufio said casually.
Rhys’s hands flew in the air. “My God, captain, does every dispute have to be resolved with someone being killed?”
K’xarr took a deep breath and held it for a moment. “Beck, you and the men go on inside but don’t get comfortable, we have work to do.”
The mercenary nodded his understanding and the company slowly filed inside. K’xarr and his officers waited until the door closed before they spoke.
“How is Upton?” K’xarr asked, ignoring Rhys’s question.
Rhys shrugged slightly. “Upton will be fine. The worst of it was a broken jaw, and my ability took care of that. You can speak with him when you wish.” Rhys took a step closer to his captain and narrowed his eyes. “You still haven’t answered me, Captain.”
K’xarr looked down at the shorter man. “I am your captain and I don’t have to answer to you or anyone else in this company, but I will give you a reply this time, if you’re that curious. You’re a physician, Rhys. If you have a problem, you heal it. I am a warrior. If I have a problem, I kill it. Good enough.”
Rhys opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it.
“I like your way, K’xarr; it sure seemed to cow those bastards of Aldun’s. You should have seen them, Rhys, trooping back in their barracks like a bunch of school boys,” Cromwell said, putting his hand on his captain’s shoulder.
K’xarr shoved Cromwell’s hand off and began to chew on his lip. “They won’t stay that way long. Once the sting of shame hits them and they realize that they outnumber us, the Serpents will come to avenge their captain. Killing Eyes that way was a foolish thing to do,” K’xarr said, staring down the street.
“Did I hear one of them say Upton was strangling a prostitute?” Ivan asked.
“You did, and I’m going to have a chat with our injured brother about that later,” K’xarr said, still looking towards the Serpents' barracks.
“Go easy on him, K’xarr. Upton is an odd bird, even for this bunch,” Cromwell said.
Ivan nodded his agreement “Yes, there is something to that; some of the men have said he frequently talks to himself. I know he spends a great deal of time alone. Of all the men in the company, I know the least about him.”
“None of that matters to me.” K’xarr rubbed his head with both hands. “I have given strict orders: we don’t rape or kill women, whore or not. War is war. If a woman gets herself killed that’s one thing, but I won’t stand for any of my men harming a woman out of hand.” K’xarr waved his hands at the others. “We can discuss all this later, for now we must think about the Serpents. It won’t be long till they come for us. I have an idea that will even the odds, if not settle the entire matter. Cromwell, take a couple of the men. There is something we need and you don’t have long to fetch it. It's getting late and I doubt it will be more than an hour or two before those snakes work up enough courage to come for us.”
“Just tell me what it is and where to find it,” Cromwell said.
K’xarr thought for a moment. “The harbor. And Cromwell, you’ll need a wagon.”
***
Achillus pounded on the door of the king’s private bed chambers. The hour was late, but the king was a notorious insomniac and the news was important.
The door slowly opened, and Malic stood before him dressed only in a heavy silk robe. Achillus could see a nude woman lazily lying back on her elbows in the king’s bed. The wench smiled at him seductively and batted her eyes. The invitation was not lost on Achillus, but he knew the king was not one to share. Of late, Malic had taken on the task of trying to bed the entire population of Gallio; Achillus thought it a noble pursuit but it kept the renegade king from staying completely focused on matters at hand.
Malric yawned and scratched his head. “General, I am a little busy at the moment. What do you want?”
“There is trouble with the mercenaries. Strom killed captain Eyes after some petty squabble with their men. The watch thinks it might escalate, and they want to know what you want them to do.”
Malric raised an eyebrow. “Well, the time has come. Tell the watch to do nothing unless the dispute spills out of the area we assigned to the sellswords.”
Achillus squinted at his king. “You wanted this, why?”
“I wanted to see if Captain Strom would live up to his reputation. I need to know just what he is capable of doing.”
“I still don’t understand. Besides the fight in Bandara, Strom has no reputation. He is a savage from the north with a handful of thieves and murderers behind him,” Achillus snapped.
“If he indeed proves to be as ruthless and clever as the stories we have heard, then I have plans for him.”
The general folded his arms across his chest. “So you believe those wild stories that old man told us?”
“The truth of those tales is what I mean to find out. Now go and keep me apprised of what transpires between the companies, just don’t interfere unless our interests are at stake.”
The general pursed his lips and turned on his heel. Malric had something in mind and it irritated Achillus when he kept his plans to himself.
“Achillus,” the king called after him. The general stopped and looked back at his king. The corner of Malric’s mouth turned up in a slight grin. “Stop looking so grim, my friend. Strom could never replace you.”
***
The pair of sentries that had been standing out front of the Serpents' barracks lay dead in the street, a crossbow bolt jutting from the head of each. The mercenaries quietly crept towards the barracks. The two large barrels they were rolling had been wrapped in blankets and tied with cord to muffl
e their sound. K’xarr wasn’t worried much about the noise now, the argument inside was loud enough to cover their approach. It was clear the topic of the Serpents’ dispute was how to go about extracting revenge for their captain’s death. The branded mercenaries were very boisterous in their debate and that would serve his purpose well.
K’xarr motioned for Cromwell to come closer so he could whisper his instructions. “Have Beck chain the back door, I will see to the front. The doors are thick and sturdy, they should hold the Serpents inside long enough. You and Rufio take the east window. Ivan and Adisa can take the west. Split the rest of the men equally. When they find the doors barred, they will go for the windows. Kill anyone that tries to come out, and, Bull, we need no survivors.” The Toran nodded his understanding and the two groups quickly moved into position.
K’xarr was still wrapping a small chain around the handles of the door when he heard the windows to the east and west crash. The men inside began to shout and curse, recognizing what had been thrown through the windows. K’xarr grinned at his ingenuity when he felt the men inside battering at the chained door. He would more than even the odds with the fire.
Two explosions from inside the barracks broke the silence of the quiet night. Fire shot from every entrance as the door he held blew off its hinges, sending the door and the mercenary captain careening into the street. The fearsome detonation rained down flaming debris, peppering nearby buildings and covering the avenue with pieces of the shattered barracks.
K’xarr pushed the heavy door off of him. He shook his head, trying to get his wits back, as he squinted at the Serpents' barracks. Thick clouds of black smoke billowed from every opening and the entire building was engulfed in flame. He could hear screams of agony as the inferno burned the mercenaries inside alive. K’xarr sat in the street staring at the chaotic scene, bewildered by what had just happened. Feeling himself being picked up off the ground by a pair of strong arms, he glanced up to see Cromwell’s blackened face. The Toran’s eyebrows were burned off and his hair was singed. “What the hell was in those barrels you got from the harbor? I told you, oil or pitch,” K’xarr yelled.
“I don’t know. One of Malric’s navy boys saw me looking around. He asked what I was up to so I told him what I sought. He offered those two barrels to me. He said they would do the job, but when we put a torch to them, the thrice dammed things blew up.”
Rufio and Ivan approached with a score of his men. All were scorched and singed. K’xarr motioned them over. “Tell Beck if he’s in one piece to take Tench and some of the others, kill any of the men that may have survived this idiot’s fire.”
“Where did you get those barrels?” Rufio asked, wiggling his fingers in his ears.
“Down at the harbor, that’s where K’xarr told me to go. Some of Malric’s sailors gave them to me. They said they were just the thing to start a good blaze.”
Rufio snorted and shook his head. “I bet those navy bastards are having a good laugh. Captain, that was Dragonfire, it’s what warships use to bombard cities and enemy vessels. It’s a mixture of pitch, saltpeter, sulfur, and the gods know what else. It’s made in Dragita and used by the imperial navy. It’s unstable as hell and a nightmare for those who use it and those it’s used against. The damn concoction will even burn on top of the water. I would like to know how Malric got his hands on it, the empire does not trade it with anyone.”
K’xarr narrowed his eyes and looked at Cromwell. The Toran shrugged. “It worked.”
“Aye, but it almost killed all of us too.” K’xarr dusted himself off and watched the fire as it gutted the barracks. He stroked his beard as the shadows from the fire played on his face. “Rufio, round the men up. We should get out of here.” The Dragitan saluted and started for the back of the burning building. K’xarr grabbed him by the arm before he took two steps. “And, Rufio, find out if there is there a safe way this Dragonfire can be transported. I would like to keep it on hand if we ever come across any more.”
Rufio rolled his eyes up in his head and saluted.
***
The smoke and burned flesh was still easy to smell in the morning air. King Malric glanced at Achillus as he casually kicked at the small pieces of stone and mortar that lay in the street. His hands were behind his back and the look on his face did not betray what he was thinking. The king was flanked by Embry Fews and Saran Cade, the expressions on the mercenary captain’s faces were easy to read: contempt. Both were appalled by what had happened the night before. Eighty men dead, more or less. Most had been burned alive and those that had somehow managed to escape the blaze had been put to the sword. The small group watched as several members of the city watch worked diligently at clearing the bodies from the street and dragging the smoking remains of the others from the blackened barracks.
“This was entirely uncalled for, Strom is a butcher,” Cade said, the repugnance in his tone clearly evident. “I know we are men of the sword, but this was nothing short of mass murder. If this travesty is his idea of retribution for a minor incident between two rival companies, Strom is a madman.”
Embry Fews, the leader of the Wolves, nodded his agreement. “Aye, Strom went too far for one of his men taking a beating. It could have been settled without Aldun’s murder or this bloodbath. The Serpents may have been little more than brigands, but there are ways to do things. He could have used the captain’s challenge if he wanted to kill Eyes, then this whole mess would have been avoided.”
“Nonsense,” Cade barked. “No one has invoked that old custom since before my father’s time. It was a ridiculous tradition to begin with; no one even knows who came up with that foolishness, and why my grandfather left it in the code is still a mystery to me.”
Malric looked at Achillus, then back at the two captains. “What is the captain’s challenge?”
“It is an absurd old law from the mercenary code. One captain can challenge another and the winner gets both companies. The men of the fallen captain must swear allegiance to the victor. It is the daftest law of our code.”
“I was unaware that the mercenary companies of Saree had a code,” Malric said, crossing his arms and tapping his lips with his finger.
“We do, it’s just no one has really followed it in years. With so many rogue companies cropping up and refusing to join the guild, the code is beginning to become a thing of the past,” Embry said with a shrug.
Cade’s lips curled into a sneer. “The code is good, it’s just the challenge that is ludicrous. No one in their right mind would want to risk losing their company in a duel. Too much work goes into gaining the men’s loyalty and building a reputation. I would never risk what I inherited to steal another captain’s livelihood.”
Malric nodded his concurrence. “Yes, it does seem foolish. But this mercenary code, is it still a rule of law among the guilds or has it been dispensed with entirely?”
“No, Majesty, all the laws of the code are still enforced by the guild houses to some degree, but it’s the laws against theft of contracts and the like that are more often employed by members of the guild. The challenge has just become an antiquated rule from the past. Just because we are men for hire, doesn’t make us uncivilized,” Cade said.
“The captain’s challenge hasn’t been used in ages, but it is still written in the guild book that Saran’s grandfather set in motion when he formalized the companies. It is only law for those companies and captains who have signed the accords. If Strom had been a member of the guild, he could have used the challenge to settle things with Aldun without resorting to this barbarity,” Fews pointed out.
The king closed one eye. “I think Gallio has a chapter of the guild, I had almost forgotten it existed. I could have used it when I hired my mercenaries.”
Cade jutted his chin out proudly. “All one has to do is go to a guild house and choose the band they want and the guild masters will contact the company and set up the contract.”
Malric cocked his head. “The guild was a wonderful idea.
If someone wants to hire a company, the guild handles the whole thing, simple as that, and I do like simplification. Your grandfather was a wise man, Captain Cade.”
Saran bowed slightly. “Thank you, Highness, the larger companies such as the Silver Swords and the Wolves are listed with the guild houses, that way it keeps out the lawless bands such as the Serpents and Strom’s killers. Those who hire from the guild will get a fair deal and don’t have to worry about being betrayed or cheated by outlaw captains. You can see the difference in the companies that are members of the guild and those that are not,” Cade said, pointing to the burned out building.
“Yes, the chapter house would have been quite helpful. I guess I should have thought a bit harder before I used men who weren’t members.” Malric cleared his throat. “Well, gentlemen, I must go take care of some unsavory business with Captain Strom. Good day.”
The two captains saluted the king as he left. Achillus fell in step beside his king as Malric headed back towards the palace. “All that talk about the guild and their laws. That’s why you haven’t sent the mercenaries north yet. You know about the code, this is what you have been planning all along.”
Malric grinned slightly. “I knew sooner or later trouble would start between them. Captain Strom’s company isn’t listed in the guild’s book, is it?”
Achillus shook his head. “No, that band of cutthroats wouldn’t take time to join anything and I don’t think Strom is the kind of man that wants to be bound by any rules or regulations. By the gods, Majesty, those animals don’t even have a company name.”
Malric gave an amused grunt. “Send Strom to me then go down to the chapter house and get the documents we need for his company to be added to the guild’s list of official members and, Achillus, do hurry.”
***
The summons wasn’t unexpected. He knew he was going to be called before Malric for what he had done the night before. He was sore and exhausted. After the raid on the Serpents' barracks, he had spent the remainder of the night trying to decide if he should ride out of Gallio or not.
Song Of Fury (Gods Of Blood And Fire Book 2) Page 17
