The three marines moved forward through the camp. Leo coughed as smoke from the nearest fire caught in his throat. No doubt the fires would be kept burning all night; the patrolling knights would add logs every now and then. However, the fires would be damped down until the day began anew and the fires were needed once more, both for warmth and so that they would be ready for the morning.
The knight commander paused at one of the larger tents in the field. It was in the center of the camp, where it would be most protected. A knight was on sentry duty outside. He clasped his gauntlet to his chest and bowed his head, stepping aside at the knight commander’s approach. The knight commander nodded in acknowledgement and the marines followed him inside the tent.
The tent flap closed after them. Several lanterns, with candles burning merrily inside, illuminated the space. There was a roughhewn table in the center with the plans for tomorrow’s battle strewn all over it. Leo’s quick eyes started scanning immediately. He heard Nick make a slightly startled sound in his throat behind him.
Leo shook his head, and wondered if Gatlan and Sintiya had their own ways of gathering intelligence. Gatlan was planning on entering the battle area from the opposite direction; they would be clear to charge one another. Which meant that the ridge on the right would give them the best positioning to take out the Sintiya commanders without running afoul of the Gatlan offensive.
Once the bloodlust got up, Leo knew that the battling knights stopped at nothing. He had only narrowly saved a woman from being decapitated in the Kaslea border village. There had been no need to kill her, she had just been trapped and terrified. However, she had been alive and in the target zone—that had been reason enough for the knight.
“Thank you.” Leo nodded at the knight commander, who started in surprise.
“This is clear to you?” the knight commander checked.
“Yes, we have what we need,” Leo confirmed.
“Very well,” the knight commander boomed, clapping his hands together, causing a metallic clang. “Time for the evening meal.”
Don’s stomach gurgled loudly at the suggestion as they all turned and left the tent. Even with the fetid underlying smell of the camp, Leo couldn’t stop his mouth from salivating at the increasingly strong smell of cooking meat as they walked closer to the nearest campfire.
Just from a glance, Leo could tell that there was no way there was enough meat for everyone. There were cooking fires spread throughout the camp, but it would only feed half the forces, if that. Several logs were arranged around the largest campfire, and Leo realized this must be this world’s version of an officer’s mess. The knight commander gestured for them to sit.
“You,” the knight commander pointed at a squire. “Serve these envoys of our king now.”
The squire ducked his head in acknowledgement and bustled around the camp. He fetched three rough carved wooden bowls. Leo cringed. They had been served out of similar utensils several times, and especially now, after their recent bout of sickness, he was wary of how unhygienic the wood was.
“We have our own,” Leo offered quickly.
He was grateful to see another two squires stumble over with the packs the horses had carried. They still all carried packs, but they had taken out much of their camping gear from what they carried on their backs now that they had horses. If they lost it, that wouldn’t be the end of the world; if they lost their weapons, ammo, or technology, that would be a disaster.
Leo quickly dug into the packs and withdrew his metal dish that they cooked and ate with. He handed it to the squire with a slight smile, who blinked but took it without complaint, hurrying back to the fire and taking a portion of the roasting fowl. Don grunted and pulled his pack closer, finding his own dish, and Nick did the same.
“Thank you,” Leo said to the squire when he handed him his dish. The squire’s eyes widened, and he ducked his head and quickly went to serve Don and Nick.
The flavor of the roasted meat exploded over Leo’s tongue, and the warmth was decidedly welcome in the chilly night air. Leo shivered slightly as the breeze teased at his uniform. He idly looked around the camp, mentally comparing it to the frontline camps he’d been assigned to more than once. There were a lot of differences, obviously, but in many ways it felt the same.
In the middle of the camp, there was a wooden post, which was flying a Gatlan flag. It rose higher than the tents and all the other flags. Yes, having a flagpole was quite common, but this post seemed to do more than just fly the flag—it had a number of ropes connected to it, although from this distance he couldn’t ascertain their purpose.
There was a low murmur of conversation between the knights, and the general low hum of movement around the camp. However, mostly Leo could just hear the clear sounds of the night—the rustling of leaves on the branches, the whistling of the wind, and the hooting of some kind of nocturnal bird.
Suddenly, Leo’s ears caught a far more human sound as a low whimpering cut through the air. Instinctively he tensed and looked around for the source of the sound, expecting to see a medical tent or a wounded soldier nearby. However, there was nothing like that in view. The quiet cry sounded again.
“Shut up,” a knight ordered hoarsely. He didn’t shout, but it was more than loud enough to ring through their part of the camp.
There was another whimper at the command and some sniffling. Leo grimaced and shifted uneasily, trading an uncertain look with Don and Nick. It wasn’t their problem, and there was really nothing they could do seeing as this was Gatlan’s camp, and Gatlan was their ally and not their enemy. However, it had been a Gatlan knight Leo had killed for attempting to assault that village woman, and to his ears the whimpering sounded like a terrified woman.
Don tapped him on the arm, wordlessly handing him his night vision goggles. Leo nodded imperceptibly and held them to his eyes, scanning the immediate area. He blinked. His night vision had just become a blur of white. Leo pulled it away and checked, but there was no fire visible in that direction.
He focused and allowed it to adjust, and it showed a lot of heat signatures. Through the goggles, he could see the forms of knights and squires all over the camp. However, these weren’t spread out like those other forms. Perhaps it was a prisoner pit and it was Sintiya’s forces that were packed in like sardines down there.
However, the sinking feeling that it wasn’t just a disgusting way to treat prisoners of war weighed heavy in his gut. Leo handed Don the night vision goggles back and gestured with his head in the direction of the forms. Don looked and his mouth set in a grim line.
“Now, how about some entertainment?” the knight commander offered jovially.
He rose from the log and beckoned them over to the prisoner pit they had just been looking at through the goggles. It must have been at least six feet deep, covered with a wooden lattice ceiling, sealing the dirt prison. The wooden bars had a hinged trapdoor built into them, and a rope that presumably the knights threw down to pull the prisoners up when they wanted them.
The door was secured with a surprisingly sturdy-looking metal padlock. There was no way for any escape. The knight commander threw open the trapdoor and Leo looked down. He wished that he could say he was surprised, but he wasn’t. Inside the pit were two dozen terrified-looking women. Some were standing, others were crouched, a few were slumped. All of them were dirty and dressed in rags.
Every so often, a quiet, pitiful moan came from one of them. There could be no mistake what this was—it was a pleasure pit. They had taken women—from their own kingdom or from Kaslea, Leo wasn’t sure which, and he didn’t know if that made it better or worse. This was inhuman, treating anyone like this. He thought he was going to be sick, but he swallowed back the bile.
“You can have first pick of the evening,” the knight commander declared, his eyes greedily roving over the forms in the pit. “We’ll have them scrubbed down for you, of course.”
“Of course,” Leo repeated hollowly, barely managing to hide his disg
ust.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nick practically shaking with rage. Leo placed a firm hand on his shoulder in reassurance, his eyes holding a promise, which caused Nick to relax, but his eyes still burned. Don’s expression was unreadable, but Leo knew that it was likely taking all his self-control not to scream about this disgusting sight.
However, no matter the absolute revulsion they felt, no matter how much they wanted to free those poor women, they had to walk away. There was nothing they could do now; voicing a token protest would achieve nothing and perhaps make things worse. King Oswald would hear and he wouldn’t understand.
If there was a pleasure pit in the Gatlan frontline base camp, it was clearly officially sanctioned. After all, it was the knight commander who was showing them the pit. Everyone would know about it, even if not all the knights partook of the flesh they had secured themselves. Leo tried to remind himself that it was a different culture, and different rules, but that just didn’t fly. This was wrong no matter which way he looked at it.
“Actually, I think it would be better if we left now,” Leo said nonchalantly.
“But it’s after nightfall,” the knight commander objected, his brow furrowed in concern.
“I know, but we don’t need to go far. Just get into position for the morning,” Leo explained casually, his voice trembling slightly. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. “Thank you for your generous hospitality,” Leo choked out. “I just don’t want to fail the king.”
“Naturally, our duty comes first,” the knight commander allowed. “Very well. I will have your horses prepared.”
“Thank you,” Leo said stiffly.
It was with relief that Leo stepped away, because he couldn’t stop looking down into the pit. They started walking back towards the entrance of the camp. The sight was seared permanently into his brain, but as with all memories, the edges would get knocked off in time.
Leo felt like he was holding his breath the entire time they waited, the tension balancing on a knife’s edge. However, soon enough, squires led over their horses with their belongings back securely in the saddlebags, and they remounted and hurried away from the Gatlan camp.
Five minutes later, Leo slowed the horse, dismounting quickly. They needed to talk about where they went from here, and they were finally out of earshot of the camp. The moment he hit the ground, Nick exploded.
“We have to save them,” Nick whispered emphatically, his eyes wide.
“I don’t know…” Don shook his head.
“You don’t know?” Nick hissed. “How could we do anything else?”
Don shrugged. “I get you, man, I agree. But Gatlan isn’t supposed to be our enemy.”
“Leo, we can’t leave them like that,” Nick begged.
Leo winced. Talk about a rock and a hard place. He agreed with Nick completely, but it was a risk, and with Earth on the line, did they have any right to take that risk? If he had thought about it, then he never would have shot that Gatlan knight to save the woman last time. It had been the right thing to do, but it had been risky, and it could so easily have gone terribly wrong.
The fact that they had managed to evade the knights that had pursued them, and that no accusation had been laid at their door, suggested that they had gotten away with it. However, they couldn’t count on luck being with them at every turn. Gatlan was promising them everything, and they couldn’t risk that.
However, could they live with themselves if they just walked away completely? If they didn’t even try and help? What was happening in the Gatlan base camp was beyond wrong, and it made Leo sick to his stomach. The second he had seen the shivering, hunched, and trembling forms, Leo knew he had secretly sworn to himself that they would return and that they would make it right.
If only the execution were as easy as the intention.
“I agree with both of you,” Leo said slowly. “Ultimately, though, I think we need to try. If we can help safely and without exposing ourselves, then we need to do it.”
“Thank you,” Nick breathed.
Don’s mouth set in a firm line. He nodded. “I don’t envy you that decision, man. It might be right, but…”
“It’s a risk,” Leo finished. “The camp should be pretty much deserted during the battle tomorrow. Only one of us is needed on the sniper rifle. Two of us can sneak in and free them. It could work.”
“It could get us all killed,” Don noted dubiously. “But I’ll be there with you.”
Leo shook his head. “No, you can be on the sniper rifle. Nick and I will take the camp.” He held up his hand to stop Don’s protest. “You’ll be alone, no one watching your back. I know how you like to take all the risky assignments.”
“Hey, I’m just protecting your ass,” Don said in a mock hurt tone.
“Just for that, you can take the next watch,” Leo joked. “Let’s find a good spot to make camp; there’s still a few more hours of shuteye before dawn.”
Leo hauled himself back up into the saddle, and they set off again. He could breathe a little easier now that they had officially decided to try and help. However, he did feel the tingle of apprehension. This could well be their undoing. They would need to be careful. Ultimately, their mission had to come first. Nothing could endanger their relationship with Gatlan and risk losing the offered reward.
They needed that superweapon and the way home. That was more important than anything else, even their souls.
Chapter Nineteen
The next morning, with trepidation, the three marines prepared to split up for the first time. Leo looked around the campsite that they had found late last night. It was a small clearing inside the forest. Far enough inside that no one was likely to stumble upon it by accident, but close enough to the edge as to allow easy access and, far more importantly, enable them to find it again.
They would have to leave the horses and their non-combat gear here. It was a risk; their continuing mission would be a lot more difficult without them, should someone stumble across the camp and help themselves. However, they couldn’t take the horses with them on either of their missions today. Stealth was the name of the game.
Don took the sniper rifle and gave Leo a confident nod and a grim smile as he marched off in the opposite direction. Leo knew with absolute certainty that Don would get it done. He was dependable, and he wouldn’t let anything stop him. However, Leo couldn’t help but feel uneasy; a marine was never supposed to stand alone. But in this case there was no choice.
“This is the right thing to do,” Nick whispered as they weaved their way through the forest.
The early morning mist was still thick on the ground, the clouded sky shielding the sun from burning away the night’s dew. Leo shivered slightly. The day was damp and overcast; there would likely be rain or at least miserable drizzle later. The weather certainly wasn’t shining on them today.
“Yeah,” Leo agreed.
The images of the women in that pit were seared into his brain. He had seen the worst of humanity in his career, and he could shut the images out in the field. He’d managed to sleep last night, well trained to grab whatever shuteye he could when it was possible. One day it would likely all catch up with him. Humans could really do some nasty stuff to one another.
The two marines crouched down at the edge the tree line, hidden by the undergrowth. Leo pulled out his binoculars and surveyed the camp; it was practically deserted, just as they had hoped. They didn’t have the cover of darkness to shield them, or a disguise such as armor to hide their identities. However, the field of view was broken up by the tents and the carts and barrels, which all provided a lot of cover.
That was useful for them, but it did cut both ways. It might shield their approach, but it would also make it harder to see if anyone was coming until they were almost on top of them. They really couldn’t afford to be caught doing this. The mission came first, but they had to be able to live with themselves, too.
“Alright, let’s go,” Leo hissed, dart
ing forward.
He crouched down behind a cart and looked around. Seeing no one, he moved forward to the next cover, a barrel. Leo pumped his arm and Nick joined him. They leapfrogged their way through the left side of the camp, to where the pleasure pit was located. If anything, it looked even more ominous in the light of day.
Leo had been in holes in the ground; they were damp and cold even in the summer. In the middle of the clearing, there was no shelter from the sun when it was at its zenith, just the shadows of the bars that kept them trapped. Leo swallowed back bile when he recalled how casually the knight had offered to have one of them scrubbed down for them, seeing as they were living in their own filth. It was beyond inhumane.
The padlock on the trapdoor was a nuisance, but one he was prepared to deal with. He would have to break the lock manually. Picking the lock would be easiest, as they couldn’t blow it or shoot it. That would make too much noise and draw attention. Plus, their gear was distinctive; it would be as good as writing their names across the bars.
‘Keep watch,’ Leo mouthed to Nick, who nodded in response, his expression tight and grim as his eyes panned around the camp.
Leo scooted over to the trapdoor and lifted the heavy padlock. He wasn’t carrying an actual set of lockpicks, but he had his Swiss army knife. He opened it and shoved one of the blades into the large keyhole. It wasn’t like it was a complex lock, and it didn’t require much finesse.
“Hey,” one of the women called hesitantly, her tone tremulous and soft.
“Shhh,” Leo hissed, putting a finger against his mouth. “Stay quiet. I’m trying to get you out.”
Leo grimaced as, rather than going silent, an outbreak of muttering started. He glared askance down into the pit and grunted. This lock was putting up far more of a fight than he had thought; it was taking far too long to open.
Justified (#2 Divided Destiny) Page 19
