Nero had ventured up, watching him with predatory curiosity. “Are you feeling okay, Excellency?” he asked. “I could take over the lead for a while if you like.” The mercenary gave him an evil, cunning smile that was pure mockery.
Gavin responded by slamming his fist into the mercenary’s jaw. The blow knocked Nero’s face to the side, tossing him back three feet. Nero lay on the ground blinking and stunned. Gavin glared up and met the stares of all the other mercenaries; every one of them averted their gaze.
He still had some control, but if he kept getting weaker this mission and these mercenary dogs would fall onto Gypsy’s shoulders. It was probably only a matter of when.
Gavin just hoped his young daughter was ready.
Chapter 19
Gypsy sat by the riverbank wiping the grime off her new armor with a damp rag. The late afternoon was pleasantly dry and the temperature was beginning to ebb as evening approached. Only a few feet away from her, Scarlet was bathing nude in knee-deep water. Gypsy had tried to dissuade the doctor from stripping naked but Scarlet had responded that she was caked with dirt and insect bites from head to toe and just couldn’t take it anymore. Gypsy understood. She’d do it herself if she wasn’t so sure they would be interrupted by one of the mercenaries at any moment.
Casually watching Scarlet, Gypsy wasn’t surprised her brother was so attracted to the new doctor. She was very appealing with long, wavy, red hair, smooth pale skin with soft blushes of pink, and the kind of curvy body most men went nuts for. Gypsy’s own body was very different; it was long and lean like an athlete, with much smaller breasts than Scarlet’s. But she didn’t envy the other woman. Being that pretty attracted a lot of unwanted attention.
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” she called out to the doctor.
“Of course not. Ask me anything,” Scarlet smiled back. Kneeling in the water she scrubbed her arms with a soapy cloth.
“Do you have any feelings for Desmond or do you keep him content for your protection?”
Scarlet scowled at her and gave a sort of snort. “That’s a pretty insulting thing to ask.”
Now it was Gypsy’s turn to make a face. “I don’t understand. It wasn’t meant to be insulting. Why do you think it is?”
“You basically asked me if I was having sex with your brother so he would keep protecting me. In other words am I just using him? The answer to that question is no,” Scarlet replied, seeming genuinely upset at Gypsy’s question.
“I still don’t understand why you’re mad. There’s nothing wrong with keeping company with someone for protection. In fact it’s very common here for unattached females, especially if you’re not AEssyrian. It would be the smart thing to do.”
“Oh. Well where I come from using sex as a bargaining tool is looked down on, even more so if you don’t give a shit about the person you’re having sex with. So I guess I’m sorry I got mad. Like a lot of things here, it’s just a cultural difference.”
Gypsy nodded. “So you do have some feelings for him.”
“I do. But I’m not really sure if he has any for me. It hasn’t really come up in the short time we’ve been with each other. He’s very hard to read, and in case you didn’t notice, he doesn’t talk a whole lot.”
“A lot of women would consider that a blessing,” Gypsy said before laughing.
Scarlet smiled and shook her head. “Yeah, I know, and that’s all fine when you know where you stand with someone. Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea whether he cares about me or just likes to sleep with me.”
“I’m guessing both. He just has difficulty defining his emotions. I know he cares a lot about you; he told me so. But I think he has a hard time expressing it.”
“Well that makes me feel a little better,” Scarlet said as she worked some soap into her wet hair.
“Desmond’s got a lot of unresolved issues in his life and he can be really hard to get to know. Even more so when he feels the need to be on guard which is most of the time.”
“I can’t even imagine what it would have been like growing up under your father. It amazes me that either one of you turned out as well as you did. You would’ve had to put me in a mental institution by the time I reached adulthood,” she said then immediately leaned forward and submerged her head completely under the water.
Gypsy watched the water turn milky around Scarlet’s head as the soap was pulled from her hair and carried downstream. Pulling her head up out of the water she flipped her hair back and Gypsy waited for her to take a few breaths before saying, “Actually Desmond never lived with Gavin. He was sent to AEssyria by his mother when he was thirteen and lived with Gavin’s older son, Northe. I personally think he was pretty damaged before he even got here.”
“Really? From what?” Scarlet pulled her hair back and began wringing the water out of it.
“I can’t answer that. I don’t know anything about his life on Kirillian. It was way before my time and he won’t talk about. Whenever I press he just shuts down and starts answering everything with yes, no or silence.” Gypsy frowned. “So I usually just drop it.”
“Yeah I know what you mean. I asked him about his mother once and he got pretty grouchy and withdrawn. Do you know anything about her?”
Gypsy leaned forward and soaked the dirty rag in the water. “All I know is that she is some sort of Kirillian equivalent of a noblewoman. She was my father’s consort for a brief time and that’s how Desmond came about. From what sparse gossip I can get from some of the older women, he was no accident. He, of course, could fill in any other details but he won’t.”
“Hmm…that’s interesting.” Scarlet seemed to consider this for a moment then continued. “What about you? You grew up with Gavin and seem to be okay.”
Fidgeting with one of the straps on her boot, she replied, “It was tough and we had our share of volatile encounters, which was pretty much all of our encounters once I hit my teens. But my mother exercises remarkable control over him and always made everything alright.” Suddenly being struck with the possibility of never seeing her mother again was almost too much for her as a hundred memories, both happy and sad, weaved their way through her thoughts. Not wanting to cry she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek and rubbed her forehead. She stopped almost immediately when a light crunching noise found her ears. Someone was approaching and Gypsy jumped up with her saber. She wasn’t surprised to see Nero creeping up. “You’d better have business here,” she said, pointing her weapon at him.
He glanced past her trying to get a better view of Scarlet. Gypsy stepped in his way. He grinned. “I was just coming by to see how you girls were doing.”
“You have three seconds to get back to the camp before I slice your dick off,” she replied.
Nero looked unfazed. “How’s your dad doing?”
“One,” Gypsy said coolly and advanced a step.
“He’s been looking a little done in by all this hard riding. Good thing he has the doctor there to look after him, right? He’d be in a pretty bad spot if he didn’t have all those drugs she’s been feeding him.”
“Two,” Gypsy said, taking another threatening step closer.
“Then again he does have you and your brother to protect him. Thank the Gods for the kiddies,” he said with a nasty smile. “Fruit of his loins, so to speak. But you both can’t breast feed him all the time, now can you? No, daddy is starting to show his age and that can be a very frightening thing. I know I’m all broken up about it.”
“Three.” Gypsy thrust her blade at Nero’s groin and he jumped back staring at her like she’d gone insane. “Next time,” she warned, “it’s coming off.”
“Okay,” he said with his hands in the air. “Okay. I’m going. But even with all your fancy training, you can’t take all of us on, Gypsy. Maybe it’s time to consider your options. Just let me have the doctor for a few minutes and you can save yourself a lot of headaches. Why would you protect her anyway? She’s no one to you.”
Gyp
sy had had enough. She stabbed forward cutting Nero in the thigh and coming within an inch of his penis. He jumped back and pulled his own saber. Gypsy kept advancing quickly.
“Let’s go, you fucking piece of filth,” she taunted. “Surely even you can best a girl.”
Nero glared at her and continued to back up. She let him go, making a mental note to deal with him later. She didn’t want to leave Scarlet unattended, even if it was for a good cause. He disappeared back up the trail toward the camp.
Scarlet came up behind her. “What did he want?”
Gypsy turned around. Scarlet had dressed so quickly her clothes were sticking to her damp skin. “You.”
Scarlet stared off up the trail and frowned. “I’m sorry, Gypsy. I didn’t realize anyone was keeping tabs on us.”
“Don’t be sorry. Those animals are always watching us,” Gypsy said, collecting her stuff. “Even worse, they’re watching Gavin.”
“He’s in really bad shape,” Scarlet confessed in a soft whisper. “I don’t know how much longer he can keep this up. He’s headed for a complete collapse.”
“Well,” Gypsy said thoughtfully. “He’s not going to listen to anyone and if he keeps spiraling down we’re going to have to consider some other options. I need you to give some thought as to what those options are going to be.”
Chapter 20
The general was getting worse by the hour. Despite her best efforts to keep him in the saddle, his back simply wouldn’t stand for anymore riding. Scarlet did the best she could to control his pain but nothing worked despite the high doses of drugs he was taking. He’d be fine for the first couple hours of riding and then the agony would overwhelm him and he would order them to camp again. Scarlet wanted desperately to help him but she was running out of ideas. Reflecting on Gypsy’s request for options she knew there was only one thing she could do that might buy him a few days of normalcy but that involved putting him in hibernation and she doubted he’d agree to that.
Outside his tent, she mentally prepared herself for the vicious mood he’d be in. As much as she despised him, she had to admit she was a little jealous of his selfless devotion to Harlan. He was such an interesting contradiction; a man capable of such intense love for a woman who was a complete and unrepentant ass to everyone else. Being alone with him had become an exercise in patience. Often she felt like she was entering a boxing match, lucky for her all his attacks were verbal. But she never knew when one was coming and, as his discomfort and weakness grew, he became even more combative.
She ducked inside and knelt down to where he was sitting on the ground. The confines of the large tent trapped the scents of stale sweat and old, uneaten meat. His rations sat on a plate behind him, untouched and covered in flies. The general was so ill that she didn’t think he’d even had a drink in two days. He had removed his patch and she could see the pale, shocking scar that remained in place of his left eye. The damaged eye itself no longer existed, only a scarred and sunken hole where it had once been. He rubbed his forehead slowly, like a man trying to solve all the problems of the world. There were dark circles around his orbits and a cruel hardening to his mouth. He was obviously quite exhausted and could have benefited from some sleep.
He looked at her, his one intact pupil narrowing to a sliver. “You will quadruple the dose.”
Scarlet, who had started rummaging in the drug case froze and stared at him. “That will kill you. I won’t do it.”
Gavin glared at her and she’d never seen such naked hatred. A chill crawled down her neck. “You’ll do as you’re told,” he snarled.
She stood up and took a few steps back from him. “I want to help you, General, but what you’re asking for is suicide. I won’t do it.”
Gavin tensed. “Funny,” he said in a mocking tone. “You weren’t always this scrupulous. As I recall from a report I recently became privy to, you were involved in a certain freshman internship with a man named Doctor Nathanial Ross.”
Scarlet’s stomach dropped. Oh my God! How the hell did he find out about that? “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stammered.
“Oh, but you do. What do you think Harlan would say if she knew the truth about your work there? Such fine, upstanding humanitarian work. I’m sure you neglected to put it on your resume. Do you think she would keep you on, or turn you over to the authorities? What about your boyfriend, Desmond? Would he still be interested in dating a woman who participated in the abduction and torture of dozens of AEssyrian peasants?”
Her throat tightened but she kept her tone even. “I never participated! I was just an intern, a student. I didn’t know what was going on in those labs until it was too late!”
“I’m sure the emperor would find this information as enlightening as I did. You’d probably find yourself rotting in an AEssyrian prison somewhere in the stinking jungle,” he mused.
“I hate you,” she said, glaring at him. “I really do. You are the vilest son of a bitch I have ever met and I can’t believe Harlan, or anyone for that matter, married you.”
“Give me the fucking medication!” he barked.
Scarlet’s stomach tightened into a sickening knot. “I’ll give you three doses.”
“You’ll give me four!”
“I’ll give you three and we’ll wait an hour. If you still need another one after that, I’ll give it to you.”
Gavin nodded defeated. “I’m done arguing with you. Do as you wish.”
Scarlet was wary. He’d given up too easy. She knew the moment she got too close to him, he’d be all over her forcing her to do as he demanded. No, she needed someone to keep an eye on him. Clutching the medical kit close to her chest she poked her head out of the tent. She knew Desmond was on watch and felt a warm relief fill her when she spotted him just across the camp crouching by one of the fires. “Desmond?” she called. “Could you come in here for a moment?”
Desmond stood and quickly came over to her. “What do you need?”
Scarlet smiled at him. “Since you are my assigned bodyguard I think I may be in need of some protection,” she said. “The general and I are having a disagreement and I’m afraid he might force the issue. Would you please stay and keep an eye on him while I give him his medication?”
“I’d be happy to,” Desmond said.
Gavin seethed with hatred. “Maybe I should tell my son a story about your early career to keep him entertained.”
She took her place behind Gavin and prepared the first of three injections. “You go right ahead, sir. Just take care not to move while you’re talking. And I’ll do my best not to hit too many tender nerves while I’m back here. Of course my professional recommendation is that you not talk and remain perfectly still, that way I have less of a chance of hurting you unnecessarily.”
Chapter 21
As much as Gypsy hated to admit it, killing one of the mercenaries earned her a tense measure of respect among the rest of them. Now, instead of questioning every little thing she told them to do, most of them just did it. This evening, two of the most successful hunters in the group had even given her some extra rations. That’s when she knew she’d moved up in their eyes.
Her biggest problem was Gavin. There was no denying her father was hurt and getting sick from all the meds he was taking. Nothing could hide that fact now. He often had to stop several times on the trail so Scarlet could put cold compresses on his back. And Gypsy could see the mercenaries watching him like vultures waiting for a wounded beast to take his last step. Nero, the ringleader of the worst ones, was getting bolder by the day, challenging her in subtle ways. Soon she would have to kill him, too, or risk him trying to seize power.
Gypsy came into Gavin’s tent to give him the evening report. He lay on his belly on top of the reed mat, twitching from the pain. His spine was a purple, swollen mess and Gypsy winced just looking at it. How he could even get up anymore baffled her.
As was their routine, she delivered her report and waited for him to ask any questio
ns. There was a long silence. Finally he said, “I’m slowing us down.”
She didn’t reply. It wasn’t a question.
“You should leave me behind and continue on with your brother,” he said.
Nero and his cronies would just love that. Gypsy wasn’t about to leave her father behind to be murdered by one of these criminal thugs. The thought of him being left out there vulnerable like this was unthinkable. Besides, she needed his experience. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ll talk to Scarlet and see what our options are.”
“And if I order you to leave me?”
“I’ll be forced to disobey you. I’m not going to lose both you and Mom,” she replied.
He fell into a brooding silence. “I have failed your mother,” he said miserably. “She’s counting on me and I cannot save her.” For a horrifying moment Gypsy thought he was going to weep. But he didn’t. Gavin may have been a lot of things but he was always in control of his despair.
“You’re doing everything you can, considering the circumstances,” she said. She felt awkward. She’d never seen Gavin this broken and it was scaring the shit out of her.
“Come here to me,” he said.
She came over and knelt down. His yellow eye seemed to peer right into her soul. “Yes, sir,” she whispered.
“Promise me you’ll continue on to find your mother no matter what happens to me,” he said. That’s when she grew concerned he was planning to take off by himself. Gavin was too egotistical for suicide but he would remove himself from the mission if he felt like her mother’s life depended on it. She’d have to keep a closer eye on him.
“Of course I will,” she said. “But nothing’s going to happen to you. We’ll figure something out. I promise.”
“You’re a good daughter and an outstanding soldier. I know you will be a tremendous success someday.”
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