Upton stormed over to the cot where his sister sat. “I know why you want me to hurt Ashlyn, you evil sow. You think with her gone, you could comfort Lucan with your whorish wiles and trick him into your bed.”
Ursula put her hand to her throat. “You have never spoken that harshly to me, brother. That she-devil has truly sunk her claws deep into your heart. Maybe I should just kill her myself and get all this nasty business over with before you do something foolish.”
Upton pounded the sides of his head with his fists. “NO, NO, NO, you will do no such thing. You will not harm a hair on her head, Ursula, or I swear by all the gods that I will make you pay.”
Ursula crossed her legs. A grotesque smile slowly crossed her thin face and she began to snicker uncontrollably.
***
The Falcon had finished her last show of the evening. It was good to hear the adulation of the crowd again. Ashlyn changed out of her costume and into a light blue dress, her hair was loose except for a single braid hanging down the right side of her face.
Bidding the other performers good evening, she headed for Thunderheads, one of her favorite taverns. Hiram the owner served some of the best roasted pork in the city. Ashlyn always had Hiram put the pork between two slices of bread with a thin slice of cheese on top. The thought of the pork made her walk faster. She was always ravenous after her evening performances. The Wheel was quiet tonight, the gamblers and drunks that usually frequented the streets were few. Even the courtesans of Gallio’s notorious district didn’t seem to want to brave the night's sweltering heat.
Upton crossed her mind as she neared the tavern. He was all alone over at the barracks, perhaps she should invite him to have a late supper with her. It would be a nice thing to do, and being around him made her feel closer to Lucan.
Changing direction and heading into the city proper, Ashlyn knew she was kidding herself. It wasn’t just the mercenary’s lack of company that sent her in his direction. She had come to a decision after she left the barracks earlier in the day and she needed a favor from Upton. If he wouldn’t help her, she didn’t know what she would do.
Knocking on the barracks door, Ashlyn pushed her hair out of her face and straightened her dress. She hoped the young mercenary was in and not off carousing somewhere in the city. Hearing someone inside, she folded her hands and waited. The door opened a crack and Upton’s head poked through. “Ah, Ashlyn, what can I do for you?” he said anxiously.
Upton was sweating and he clearly was not fully dressed, at least he had no shirt. He didn’t open the door far enough for her to see the rest of him. He forced a smile, though she could see he was anxious and a bit tense. What had she had interrupted? “I came to see if you wanted to dine with me, but if I have…interrupted something, we can do it another time.”
He looked into the barracks then back at her. “I would love to have dinner with you, if you can give me a moment to put something on.”
“Of course. I will wait for you out here.” Upton shut the door and left her standing in the street. Curious, she put her ear to the door. There was whispering coming from inside and she could hear a woman’s voice. Did he have a woman in there? Ashlyn was a little embarrassed and hoped her invitation didn't upset Upton’s lady friend.
Within moments, Upton came out. His long blonde hair was neatly combed and he was dressed in a loose white shirt and black pants, his rapier belted around his narrow waist.
“It would be fine if you bring your…friend with us,” she said, her face feeling a little hot.
“What friend?” Upton said with a confused grin.
“I heard a woman inside, there's no need to be shy about it.”
“There’s no one here,” Upton said with a snort of dismissive laughter.
Ashlyn tilted her head to one side and pursed her lips. Grabbing the door handle, she stepped inside the barracks. Looking around the large room, she saw no one at all. “I could have sworn I heard a woman’s voice.”
He gently pushed her out and closed the door. “Sometimes I sing to myself, and if you haven’t noticed, I have a high voice.”
Ashlyn giggled. “Oh, I am so sorry. I thought you had a girl inside with you.”
“No. It might surprise you, but I don’t do so well with women.”
She laughed. “I am sure you’re just being modest.”
Upton smiled at her and offered his arm. Ashlyn hesitantly took it and the two started towards Thunderheads.
Their dinner had been scrumptious. The pork had melted in her mouth. Ashlyn was pleased that her dinner partner had also commented on how delicious the food had been. Finishing the piece of pie they had shared, the two sat sipping the last of their wine. The place was relatively quiet, apart from the hushed conversations of the tavern's other patrons. “I want to go north with you when you leave, Upton.” There, she had blurted it out. Her abrupt statement caused the mercenary to choke on his wine.
After he finished coughing, Upton blinked at her and rubbed his cheek with his palm. “Why do you want to go up there? It's dangerous and I thought you didn’t want to leave the city.”
“I have changed my mind. I am worrying myself sick thinking about him. There's no reason to stay in the city when he is so close. I love the circus, Upton, but I love Lucan more, and I can handle myself if we run into any trouble. I have to go and I want you to take me.”
The mercenary rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I don’t have any idea when I will even be leaving. I was to wait for Malric and I told you, he seems to be in no hurry to join his army.”
Her heart sunk. She had really hoped Upton would escort her. She was confident inside the city, but beyond the walls, she would be naive as a child. She lowered her head and watched her hands twist the napkin in her lap. “That’s okay, I will just go alone. I’m sure I will be fine.”
Upton reached across the table and lifted her chin. “You’re not going to go alone. Lucan is my sword-brother and I won’t let his woman travel all by herself. What kind of friend would be if I let you go up there without an escort?”
“What about the king? K’xarr said you were supposed to wait till Malric took the field. I don’t want to cause any trouble for you.”
Upton shook his head. “I don’t think he is ever going to leave and if he does, I don’t believe the king cares if I’m there or not. I’m sure it will be fine.”
“What about K’xarr?” she asked hesitantly.
Upton took a sip of his wine. “I don’t believe he would want me to let you ride off alone. Lucan is a member of the company and you are his woman. It is my duty to see you get there safely. I think the captain would agree with my assessment.”
Ashlyn jumped up from the table and gave Upton a fierce hug. “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
The night was steamy and her dress was uncomfortable. Ashlyn couldn’t wait to get back home and change into something a little cooler. Upton deposited her at the front doors of the circus with a slight bow. “We will leave tomorrow night, if you can be ready,” he said.
“Oh, I will be ready. I’m not going to tell Ergan or anyone else where I am going. I will leave a note for him so there won’t be any fuss. I will meet you at the barracks tomorrow night after my last show.”
He nodded. “Fine, I will have two horses saddled and ready to go.”
“How long will it take us to get there?” she asked, her voice full of excitement.
Upton rubbed his chin. “Just the two of us, maybe a week, give or take a day or two.”
Ashlyn smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. “I won’t forget this, Upton, thank you. I am sure Lucan will thank you as well when we get there.”
“Anything for you, Ashlyn. Besides, it's time I was getting back to the company anyway. Malric be damned.”
Ashlyn smiled with glee. Waving goodbye to Upton, she went inside to pack.
K’xarr would have his hide for not staying in Gallio and keeping an eye on things here like he
had been told, but he couldn’t disappoint Ashlyn. Besides, it would make him very happy to spend some time alone with her. She was the most enchanting woman he had ever met and her company eased his troubled soul.
Walking along the cobbled streets of Gallio with his hands in his pockets, he realized he was happier than he had been in a long time. It would be exciting to take her up north. He just wished he didn’t have to give her away when they got there.
Swinging open the barracks door, he found his sister sitting on a cot and glaring at him. “I hope you had a fine time with your circus whore while I sat here with nothing to do. And to make things worse, ever since she woke up, I have been listening to nothing but crying and moaning.”
“I don’t feel like doing it anymore, Ursula. Let's just forget it for tonight?” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow.
She walked over in front of him and put her hands on her hips. “I want to have some fun with our guest and you promised before you ran off with that woman that we would spend some time together when you got back. I went to a lot of trouble today to get that wench in here, now you don’t feel like doing anything?”
Upton sighed. “I am tired and we are going on a trip tomorrow night. I would like to get some sleep.”
Ursula licked her painted lips and pointed at him. “Then you can take care of things yourself.”
“Fine.” Upton stormed over to the cot she had been sitting on and flipped it over. Ursula had stripped the woman and done a fine job of binding her. The whore’s naked flesh glistened in the soft glow from the single candle that lit the room. Shaking with fear and slick with sweat, the woman pleaded to him with her frightened eyes.
He slapped her hard twice across the face. The whore’s bladder let go, which happened sometimes when their fear took hold of them. He straddled her, trying to avoid the urine. Pulling the gag from her mouth, he replaced it with his hand. “I apologize for making you wait with her. I know my sister can be insufferable sometimes.”
His victim’s eyes frantically darted around the room. He wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for but it didn’t really matter. His hands slid around her throat, cutting off the scream. His face turned red as he slowly strangled the woman. Even bound, she bucked and thrashed, trying to free herself from his lethal grip. Jamming his thumbs deeper into the hollow of her throat, he pressed until blood seeped over his fingers. Finally her eyes rolled back and her slim body twitched a little, then lay still. Releasing his grip, Upton let out a soft groan. He rose from the floor, vigorously shaking his hands to try and relieve the cramps. Legs shaking, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. It was finished.
Ursula walked over and put her head on his shoulder. “Are you going to keep her for the night?”
Upton shook his head. “No, I told you I was tired.”
***
The Masarians and the Church’s forces had clashed twice more, leaving an additional eight thousand dead men to join their decomposing comrades on the gruesome battlefield. For all the bloodshed, neither side had gained any advantage.
Endra had immersed herself in the conflict, becoming obsessed with killing the soldiers of the papal army. She imagined each man that fell before her to wear the face of Dracen Milara or Alfred Bennington. She had lost count of those who had fallen to her blade, but it wasn’t enough, not yet.
K’xarr had told her to go seek the children and find out if Bennington had spoken the truth. Yet she had remained. She told the mercenary captain she didn’t want to abandon her friends in the middle of a fight, but that wasn’t the truth. She was afraid to go look for her lost babies, afraid of what she might find.
Every time she entertained the idea of searching for them, all she could picture in her mind was riding upon their small, lifeless bodies lying along the roadside or walking upon their corpses in the tall grass of a field.
She had endured Vadin’s death, as horrible as it was, but she didn’t believe she could shoulder anymore grief. It would shatter her mind to see her little ones in some lonely place, lying cold and still. If she didn’t see that then it wouldn’t have to be true.
There was little chance the Fist had lied to her anyway. It would have only been an act of brazen cruelty, gaining him nothing. There was no hope inside her to cling to. Bennington had killed Vadin without batting an eye. She was sure he would have had no difficulty hunting down her other children as well and she didn’t want to ever see what his men had done to them.
For now, she would keep her focus on sending as many of the papal soldiers as she could to hell. Endra was headed toward the center of the Sons’ camp. She hated the name K’xarr had picked for his mercenaries and she had told him so. She hadn’t pushed it, though. Who was she to judge, with the oath she had sworn to the death god still fresh in her mind? Her words had been hasty and she regretted them now, but she knew it was too late. She had sworn the foolish vow in sorrow and anger, hasty words spoken by a broken-hearted woman. She did not think the dark god would care that her pledge had been rashly spoken. The pact had been made and she would have to own it.
The mercenaries were sharpening weapons and repairing their armor as she moved through their camp. The Sons of the Reaper looked the part. The sellswords were cold-eyed and grim-faced men. They had lost another three hundred of their companions and they planned to make the papal army pay for their brothers’ lives. They wanted revenge and they all knew their captain would see that they got it. K’xarr had found his place among these men and they seemed more than content to follow their ill-tempered captain no matter where he led them.
“Endra, wait,” Rufio called, jogging up from behind her. She had grown very fond of the quiet Dragitan. He had always been by her side over the last few years. K’xarr couldn’t have asked for a more solid and courageous officer than Rufio, and she could not ask for a better friend.
“What is it?”
Rufio fell in step with her. “I don’t know if you heard, but I plan to marry Rhys's sister Rachael when this is over.”
“That’s wonderful. I am happy for you.” She pulled him to her and kissed his cheek. Rufio’s face turned red at Endra’s display of affection.
“I plan to quit the company and start raising horses as soon as we finish up here.”
“K’xarr will sorely miss you, and so will I.”
“I guess my dreams of glory are over.” The Dragitan chuckled. “Rachael is not one for this kind of life and I love her more than fame. I guess I will have to learn to be a husband and a horse trader, though I am sure there will be days I will long to be astride a fast horse charging into battle with all of you by my side.”
Rufio smiled at Endra and she clapped him on the shoulder. “You will do well at anything you choose to do, Rufio.”
“What I really wanted was to invite you to the wedding, if you are still here when it takes place.”
“When do you plan to have the nuptials?”
“The first chance we get after this war is over.”
“If I am here, I promise I will not miss it.”
Rufio hung his head, his demeanor becoming solemn. “I want you to know I might be leaving the company, but I have not forgotten my vow to you. When the time comes, I will help you avenge the children. Rachael will just have to understand. When you take up that campaign, you can count me in. No matter where I am or what I am doing.”
Endra could tell his words were sincere. “It is alright, Rufio. My misery should not come between you and Rachael. I would not want that on my conscience too. When the time comes, you are welcome to join me. If not, I understand and relieve you of your vow.”
Rufio squeezed Endra’s hand and headed off to where the company’s horses were corralled.
She was happy for Rufio and would never hold him to the vow he made. The Dragitan deserved his happiness, she just wondered if he would be content to raise horses and children. He was a soldier at heart and a good one. Rachael may have a hard time keeping him at home, and Endra hoped the
young woman knew what she was getting herself into.
She found K’xarr talking with Achillus and his officers outside of the captain’s tent. Not wanting to interrupt their strategizing, Endra waited until the Masarians had departed before approaching.
K’xarr lifted his arms. “I thought you were leaving?”
“I was, I just...”
“Go find out about your children, Endra. When this is finished, Cromwell and I will go fetch Kian. You have my word on it.”
“He is in the hands of the Circle. I can’t ask you or Cromwell to face those mages. If he is not dead, the gods only know what they have done to him. It could be like before in the Dark One’s tower. I don’t know if I could go through that again.”
K’xarr gave her a quizzical look. “Before what happened at the village, you would have been giving me hell and demanding we go after him immediately, threatening our lives if we tarried an instant. What’s changed?”
She turned her back, unable to look him in the face. “May the gods help me, but I blame him for the children. I know in my heart it was not his fault, but I still hate him for surrendering to Milara and the church.”
“You said he did it to save you and Vadin, how can you hold it against him?”
“I don’t know, but I do.”
K’xarr shook his head. “That would kill him as sure as if you drove a dagger in his heart, Endra. Now I see why you’re not in a hurry to run off and find him.”
She nodded, stifling the tears that wanted to come. “I love him, K’xarr, but I just couldn’t be with him now even if he was here. Maybe in time… My heart and soul are torn asunder, they will need time to mend. I fear for what might have happened to Kian and I don’t want to lose him, but for now, I must leave him on his own.”
K’xarr cupped her face with his hand. “He may return, Endra. We have thought him dead before, and I want you to think on this: If he hadn’t surrendered to those bastards, you might have died right there in that village along with Vadin.”
Song Of Fury (Gods Of Blood And Fire Book 2) Page 32
