by Randi Darren
“What about the archers?” Dan asked.
Alex took in a deep breath, then smiled bitterly.
“How heavily wooded is the area they’re in?”
“It’s not so thick as to be impassible, but it’s definitely going to slow us down if we chase into it. It backs up to a cliff you can’t do much with. It drops off into the wild lands to the south.”
“Oh? What’s the weather been like down there this year?”
“Dry. Why?” Dan asked.
“Set the whole thing on fire,” Alex said, flinging a careless finger around the wooded area on the map. “Burn it all down. We’ll replant afterward if we have to. Take some of the portable ballistae and use them to fire canisters of flaming pitch. Have your light cavalry spread out around the points they can escape and cut them down if they do.”
All around the table, shocked faces stared at him.
“No prisoners,” Alex said, making sure everyone understood that point. “Burn ’em out, cut ’em down. Once the whole place is cinders, check to see if you can salvage anything. I’m sure they have a camp in there. Otherwise, go back to your previous orders.”
“Aye… aye, sire. I’ll do that,” Dan said, his voice sounding tense.
Alex shrugged his shoulders and then thought of something.
“Bring me Ridge’s sister and nephew. I’ll be in my pavilion.”
Alex left them there.
Several minutes later, Carl and Nannie escorted Amy Ridge in. She looked much worse for wear than he remembered. She was dirty, her clothes were fraying, and she looked tired.
She was, however, unharmed and healthy.
Just very uncomfortable.
“Amy, welcome. Your brother has arrived in country,” Alex said, pointing at the seat across from him.
“Finally going to rape me? Or cut a finger off and send it back to him?” she asked, glowering at him.
“You look like something used to clean out a sewer. I have no use for you at all in my bed. As for sending a finger back, no, I was planning on sending you back to him whole,” Alex said, folding his hands in his lap.
“What, in a box then?” Amy said, sneering at him.
“No, alive and well, actually. But I’ll need an oath from you for secrecy, privacy, and to not betray what you know of the situation here. Also, I’ll be asking your cousin the same, if you decline. If he accepts, I really don’t have much use for you anymore here. I might send you back to Brit and put you in the dungeon there,” Alex said.
Amy blinked several times, her eyes unfocused as she stared through him.
“You said to swear? On which god?” Amy asked, her gaze returning to him.
“Leah,” Alex said immediately.
“Leah. Leah?” Amy asked.
“Indeed. Life and soul. To the privacy, secrecy, and to not betray me.”
“I do so swear on Leah, to those terms,” Amy said.
“Grand. Next. I would have you swear an oath to take a message to your brother for me. I’ll grant you your freedom for taking said message as well. On your previous oath, of course.
“The price for freeing you is that should I win this war against your brother, you’ll swear yourself to my service afterward.”
Amy looked mildly disgusted at the terms, but then nodded her head.
“Fine, I’ll do it. I swear to your terms on our existing oath. What’s the message?” Amy asked, looking wary.
“It’s a simple message. Leave,” Alex said, smiling at Amy. He is of course welcome to respond, and I’ll grant his messenger safe passage.
“Alright, off with you, Amy. I’ll give you a horse, but you’ll still have a long road ahead of you.”
Alex hoped he could prod Michael into action. The longer he settled in for a siege, the less likely he’d break away from it.
Chapter 33
Alex tried to soothe his horse. It shifted uneasily, seeming to want to be anywhere but here.
Not that Alex could blame it. The tension was sky high around him.
Unfortunately, he needed to be here.
He was the one who had come up with the plan, which meant he needed to be the one to carry the consequences when he ordered it into action.
That order would be to burn the forest to the ground, along with everyone who remained inside it, and to cut down those who fled.
They couldn’t afford prisoners right now, as they had nowhere to keep them. It’d cost him soldiers to do so, and he couldn’t afford that.
“I mean, it’d be nice to wear something thicker, but it’d slow me down,” Carla said.
“Huh. What ‘bout chainmail? That’s pretty sturdy and flexible. More so than that gods-awful plate stuff,” Nannie replied.
“Yeah… there’s quite a bit of chain in the armory. Need to have it adjusted to fit. Want to take a look when we get back?”
“Yeah, yeah. Need some better swords too. These have been sharpened one too many times and they just don’t hold an edge like they used to.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Valeria said. “I could use a good set of knives. For Coffin and my other agent, too.”
There was a pause in the conversation. Long enough that Alex turned his head to look.
All three women were staring at Riley.
“Probably need to train her to at least fight with a knife,” Nannie said finally.
Carla nodded her head. “You want to learn to use a knife, One?”
“You’d teach me?” she asked, looking between the other three women.
Alex turned back toward the ballista off to one side. The engineers were busy loading a cannister of oil into a custom-made bolt.
A slow-burning rope fuse had been tied around the rear of the bolt. All down the line, and curling up around the other side of the forest, were portable ballistae. All of them currently being loaded with their specialty ammo.
“Sire, someone bearing the colors of Tanulf is approaching from the west! Rapidly, too,” called one of his people.
Frowning, Alex turned toward the indicated direction.
Sure enough, there was a decent-sized party of people on horses heading his way.
“Let them pass when they arrive after you confirm who it is. I’m not aware of being in trouble in any way, so it’s fine. Everyone other than my Numbers can leave.” Alex then looked to Valeria, who was watching him after everyone but his Numbers had left.
“Can I ask you an odd question, Three?” Alex inquired.
“Of course, Master,” Valeria said with a warm smile.
“In any of your work experience, have you ever had a situation where your Master wanted you to kill someone, but couldn’t give you the order?”
Valeria’s smile faltered, her eyebrows sliding upward.
“I don’t think so… That’d be… a hard thing to arrange. The act of—”
“I was just curious,” Alex said, interrupting her deliberately. “Thank you, Three.”
Carla and Nannie looked thoughtful. Riley had complete confusion written across her face.
And Valeria looked as if she were trying to put together a puzzle only she could see.
Blowing out a breath, Alex looked back to the forest.
“We’ll be ready shortly sir,” said an engineer who wandered over after it was clear Alex wasn’t talking to his Numbers anymore “Getting reports now that a number of our teams are ready. I’ll let you know as soon as everyone is set.”
“Thank you,” Alex said absently, staring through the trees.
How many am I going to burn alive, and how many people will I deprive of a living?
That wood isn’t just a stand of trees. There’s no telling how many people hunt in it, cut down trees for homes, or collect firewood.
All for the sake of a title.
Count Brit of Ridge.
Alex lost track of time as he sat there thinking to himself.
“Count Brit,” said a pleasant voice.
Startled, Alex turned his head quickly,
watching as the duchess herself approached him.
She was dressed in riding leathers, though they still managed to flatter her appearance.
“Ah, Duchess. A pleasure to see you,” Alex said, bowing his head in observance to her rank.
“Are you so sure of that?” she asked, closing the gap until her horse practically pressed up to the side of his own.
“Indeed I am. I have no reason to be concerned for your arrival. You were notified of my intention the moment I decided to take action,” Alex said.
“That’s very true. To be honest, I was surprised. Angry, even,” Regina said. Alex could feel her eyes on him, as if daring him to ignore her gaze. “Then I realized I underestimated you. And that my father underestimated you as well.
“Neither of us thought for a second that you would actually take it to the king if we refused you.”
“Ah. I’m pleased to surprise you then,” Alex said, finally turning his head to meet her eyes.
She smirked, quirking one brow. “The way I heard it, you actually threatened our king with going to the emperor. That’s rather… not very you, Alex.”
“As I’ve said to many people, my time as a prisoner changed much about me. I’ll not be idle. I’ll not sit still and let things slide by. Through my very fingers,” Alex said, shaking his head. “No longer.”
“So I’ve seen. I must thank you, by the way. That impromptu defensive fortification you left behind curbed Gaelis from pushing into our lands.
“Then you provoked Ridge into forswearing his allegiance. It broke the entire faction he was a part of.
“And on my way in, I noticed the barony of Tilly seems to be wearing the colors of Brit,” Regina said. There were no questions, or even room for curiosity, in any of her statements.
“Baroness Mary has sworn herself to my service, and I accepted her. The declaration wasn’t made until I secured Ridge.”
“Yes, the timing worked out rather well. By the time her letter arrived at the courts, Ridge had already broken his oath.
“Gaelis offered him only money, and granted him no troops, advisers, or resources. Hence why I cannot and will not interfere,” Regina said, her eyes finally releasing him and shifting toward the nearby ballista. “Now it looks as if Tilly is throwing in their lot with us due to Ridge’s actions, and they look quite badly all in all. I do expect you to win, by the way. And when you do, I’ll uphold your victory over Ridge.”
Too late for that, Regina. You didn’t support me when I had a claim and a champion’s victory. I’ll not be relinquishing my writ from the king on you anytime soon.
“Whatever are you doing?” Regina asked, indicating the ballista.
“Removing an obstacle,” Alex said simply.
“Ah… sire… we’re ready, actually,” said the engineer. Alex couldn’t fault the man for not wanting to interrupt the conversation between his count and his duchess.
“Right…” Alex said with a sigh. “Send the signal. Let’s get this over with.”
“Get what over with?” Regina asked.
Alex didn’t respond; instead, he stared at the woods, waiting.
“What…?” Regina asked, only to stop when the engineer lit the rope.
Then he fired the ballista. After that, every ballista down the line began to fire.
Smoky trails appeared in the sky as the heavy bolts flew through the air.
As they struck trees, ground, and branches, their ammo exploded.
Oil scattered in every direction, and almost immediately went up in flame.
In the span of several beats of his heart, the ground around the impact area became a wild fire.
“It really was a dry season, wasn’t it?” Alex murmured.
“What have you done?” Regina asked, aghast.
“I’ve set up a situation where I eliminate an entire regiment of archers who were positioned to kill me as I passed by to defend the keep.
“This is war, Duchess. Not a silly skirmish or a battle for prestige. I will have Michael Ridge’s head.
“Unfortunately, it’ll likely be atop a pyramid of the heads of his own troops,” Alex said, watching the blaze as it rapidly went out of control.
Regina didn’t say anything. Though her silence spoke volumes.
“Good day, Count Brit. I expect you to pay me a visit at my court once you finish up with Ridge,” Regina said.
“Of course, Duchess,” Alex said, not looking away from the raging inferno that was now taking place.
Or turning his head away from the screams that he could just now hear, drifting on the warm, smoky wind.
The duchess left then, and Alex remained.
He refused to turn from the scene. Even when men began streaming out of the woods to try and escape the flames, Alex didn’t turn away.
Not until no one else came out, and the flames had long since swept through the majority of the forest.
Pulling on his reins, Alex steered his mount away from the smoldering ruins.
Thankfully, no one made any attempt to talk to him. Everyone seemed to realize he wasn’t in a good mood.
***
Alex pulled a boot off and dropped it to the ground with a dull thud.
“Boots don’t last when you treat them like that.”
Looking up, Alex found Leah sitting on his work desk, idly kicking her legs back and forth through the air.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, pulling off the other boot and repeating the process.
“Seven hundred and thirty-two. Forty-two deer, too,” Leah said. “Bunch of little critters.”
“Seven hundred what?”
“Men. That’s how many you killed in the woods. Only a handful survived,” Leah said, nodding her head energetically. “I got some power for each one you killed, since you’re my servant, but not much.”
“Grand. So you’re saying I should become a monster and see if I can’t beat my previous high score,” Alex said, leaning forward and pressing his elbows to his knees, resting his face in his hands.
“You’d never get anywhere near it. It’s still growing, even now!” Leah said. Reaching up, she scratched at the side of her head and then brightened. “Ah, I remembered why I came here.”
“Not just for the company? Not bored right now?”
“Nope. Though I don’t watch you very often. I have to be pretty bored for that to happen.
“The reason I came is you’re not fulfilling your bargain with me very well.”
“Hah? Last I saw, the crystal was full and even some of the pillar,” Alex argued immediately.
“Yes, yes, you have enough to last you for about two months right now. But at the rate you’re going, you won’t make it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“How to explain… let’s see. You sent Sylvia and Holly away.”
“I did, yes.”
“Because they wouldn’t offer you much in a trade if they actually agreed, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Getting Riley into your bed, and Valeria, counted for almost nothing. They acted the part of not wanting to, because they thought that’s what you wanted, but they had already decided to do so long before you made the deal.”
Alex blinked, shocked at that bit of news.
“They wanted it. Which means those deals? Worth almost nothing. Only getting Mary to prostitute herself to you was worth anything of note. She’s the one reason you have a full crystal right now, in fact.”
“I see. And Five?”
“If you got her to agree to everything soon, she’d be worth a quarter of a crystal. You keep making her wait, and giving her time to think it over, she’ll be worth less and less. You’ve already turned her around mentally to where you wanted her. It’s just a matter of time now before she asks.”
Alex closed his eyes and scrubbed at his face with his hands.
“Don’t worry—all those women in your dungeon? Lots of power there. Just go on a bed-banging spree and take ’em all. Tha
t or get them to do worse things. They have to not want to do it, remember? Has to be in your favor.”
“Yeah, I remember. I just… I didn’t think about it,” Alex said through his fingers.
“Nannie doesn’t even have a deal for her food, equipment, or lodging. You just let her run loose.”
“I mean. I do, but—”
“Alex,” Leah said, interrupting him.
Opening his eyes, Alex looked to the goddess.
“I am not a nice woman. I’m a goddess of murder. Of dark deals. The things that make others curse. I am She,” Leah said, her eyes turning pitch black and a shadowy aura starting to crawl out from her.
Alex’s mind railed at him and his heart quailed at the rapid change.
“I like you. Quite a bit. I like your wife. But I’ll still pull your soul out of your chest the minute our deal fails.
“Because I like you, though, I’m telling you all of this.”
The darkness in her eyes vanished, the shadow rapidly being pulled back into her body.
“If I didn’t like you, I’d just let you fail,” she said with a smile. “But we all have our rules we must follow.
“Now, my personal suggestion, if you’d hear it?”
Alex nodded his head quickly, his heart still hammering in his chest in fear.
“Keep your Numbers close; use them to buoy yourself. Get them into their deals and keep them around till they fall. They’ll keep your heart afloat even as you wade through a river of soul-wrenching deals and back-alley trades.
“Use the dungeon and your prisoners to fuel your soul, though. This is a merciless world. Everything you’ve done so far is distasteful to the masses. But it isn’t forcing anyone. Everyone has had a choice. Most nobility would have simply raped them all, then had them killed.
“Keep to what you’ve been doing, knowing that I approve. Just because I’m a mistress of the dark doesn’t mean I don’t have a heart or mercy,” Leah said. Then vanished.
Alex let his head hang, screwing his eyes shut.
Holy fucking hell she’s terrifying.
And… not wrong. You’ve been working to warm them up to your deals long before making them. Only Sylvia, Riley, and Carla got deals that went against what they wanted.
