Conversations ended abruptly as the unmistakable male voice entered their midst, emanating from a black floating orb above the blazing hearth. “Cage?” “Cage Love?” “Dad!” came the voices of his girls. Rena shot to her little feet and ran over to her mothers with a bright grin. Brooke sat down her tools while Meeka smiled brightly. “Dad, are you on your way home now?”
“I need to make a slight detour.” He responded.
“What has occurred, Love?” Brooke asked immediately, hushing the other women who whispered.
“Saved a mouthy princess, had a fight with three Empire mages.” He said airily.
“So the usual.” Meeka smirked while patting Brooke’s tense thigh to ease her discomfort. “Tell us what happened.” For the next several minutes he retold the recent events. “So you will be delivering them to Castle Emroc?... And Poli and Ulon are alright with this detour, you called it?”
“Ulon’s a bit pissed, but Poli was thankful.” He admitted.
“How long must we wait, Cage Love?” Brooke asked directly.
“A day and a half more to reach Castle Emroc… so about four to five days and I’ll be home… Where’s Sean?”
“Elder Metak took all of the boys in the canoes over to teach how to properly tend the herds. We got word from the breeders that some of the pregnant females will be giving birth soon and the boys will learn to tend them.” Rena said. “Sean Brother also went. Mother, Meeka Mother and I are staying here with the elders till they return tomorrow. I’ve missed you, Dad. Come home soon.”
“Well I haven’t missed him, isn’t that right, Love?” Brooke purred in Meeka’s ear and gave a tender stroke through her long blonde hair.
Meeka quivered and retorted “No we haven’t.” She teased and Cage well knew it. She then came closer to nibble on Brooke’s ear.
“Others are watching.” Cage warned. “Let them.” Brooke murmured and couldn’t resist kissing her woman’s full lips. “You are both evil!” he laughed and canceled the magic as he saw Brooke’s hand start reaching for Meeka’s flower.
As Cage turned around and lowered the soundproof barrier he heard riotous laughing coming from the soldiers. As he smiled Luke asked “Why did you cancel the spell. It was just heating up!”
“Better not say that to them, they would kill you for that. You may compliment their breasts, ass or any part of their body, but in my tribe only their mates who’ve earned the right to see them mating can say such. Brooke especially wouldn’t tolerate that comment since you are not her mate. She is our priestess and my mate.”
“The blonde one or the black hair?” Luke asked. “And what made the copper beauty start flirting?”
“Black. Brooke likes to tease me so I return home sooner and the other is Meeka, also my mate. And that is as far I’m going to divulge about them.”
“The pretty ones always get the best women, eh Bern?” Cody whispered. “And the rumors are true, not an homely one that I could see. And naked, well that was the best sight I’ve seen in months.”
“Got that image stuck in my mind too.” The ranger returned. “Too bad none of us have a woman who won’t even glance at you without coin. Lucky bastard this Cage is I tell you.”
“Well one of us did at one point.” Fredrick said with emotion and sadness. “I wish I knew what our punishment will be before arriving. Remember, Boys, I’ll take full responsibility for everything that occurred, but one of you must live to help my sister and care of the girl.”
“What are you talking about?” Cage asked when the heavy, ensuing silence was only broken by Shorty’s snore. “What did you do so I’ll understand what awaits when we land. You owe us that.” He said for himself and Daku.
“The princess forbade you from disclosing, Captain.” The handmaiden reminded. “Even if he did rescue us we cannot speak of it.”
The way she spoke so directly made Fredrick nod. “She’s correct in that we are forbidden from revealing our intentions without permission. I’m grateful for your assistance more than I could ever repay, but I cannot, Cage.”
“Fine, you better all get comfortable.” Cage suggested casually, understanding what it was like as a soldier under explicit orders. “It is going to be a long trip, but you” he laid his flat gaze on the witch. “I will order to contact someone at Castle Emroc and send advanced notice of our arrival. Make sure they know that once you end contact that they will not be able to track our exact location. My wards are currently shielding all of us from sight and seeker thread. And I will not allow anyone to spy till we land. Also be sure Skylar is there along with Sek when we touch down because I need a word with them both. Get to it. You just saw I can use my sight mirror again, now so can you.”
“But I’ll need my staff…” she started saying and stopped as he shook his head.
“You will just have to be quick, now wont you? This isn’t a negotiation, unless you want to try Ulon and see if he’s willing.” All saw the rose dragon shaking his head with clear meaning. “There’s your answer, get started.”
Reluctantly she opened a very small mirror to save her needed energy and spoke to someone with enough influence to get things done. Whoever she contacted was yelling back and it was clear that whatever they were doing would be dealt with swiftly. When she dropped their savior’s name there was a quiet pause before the individual said “It will be done. The king will be very displeased about this. Tell Lord Cage we will be ready, but after this ends you will need to look for new lodging and occupation.” Cage realized she was just fired openly so that he in particular heard. The magic ended, but then tears flowed and she had to look away from everyone.
“Sir, why am I so tired?” Gregory asked. “All we are doing is sitting, but it’s as if I’m doing morning drills.”
“I know not.” Fredrick responded while looking down to the ground and hardly able to grasp just how high up they were. He and the others were quite fearful of falling for it would be instant death to fall from such height. “I too am overly exhausted just doing the smallest things.”
“It’s the altitude.” Cage explained while turning the page of the thick book. It had been about two hours since picking up the group and to occupy time while the soldiers privately discussed different topics and to pass the time he read. The men turned to him for more. “Air is thinner up here, but Daku and our dragon friends here fly much easier and faster the higher they go. But we humans have more difficulty since we prefer land. That is why I said to relax, so you don’t pass out… Oh, is anyone hungry or thirsty?”
“We all are.” Fredrick said. “But, can we land so that we can relieve ourselves?”
“Sorry, but Daku told me we aren’t going to land till he reaches the capital. He doesn’t want to chance a repeat should another attempt to kidnap the squirt happen. We are less vulnerable up here. From the ground we cannot be seen and there is nowhere to hide if approached. Besides, no one in their right mind would dare try anything with a warlock, griffin and two deadly dragons so close.” Cage stated to the soldiers. Only Shorty and Luke were fast asleep along with the twelve year old. He closed the book and laid it down and said “As for your other need…” He stood to remove a large wooden mug from a pocket and created a fine black string of magic to tie around the handle before tossing it to the captain. The string extended from his fingertip. “Piss in that and when you are done, throw it behind Daku to empty. He won’t be happy if you spill any on his fur.”
“My thanks… And I’ll do just that.” Fredrick carefully walked down the spine and kept his back to everyone, but they heard him sigh “Ahhh.”
“Tell me about yourselves since you all apparently know me. I know you are soldiers, but nothing more than that.” Cage said as he took out four canteens full of water and handed it to Bern, Cody, Bryan and the handmaiden. They all were parched and didn’t respond immediately just as the first drop went down their throats.
Fredrick threw the mug and when it emptied its contents Cage drew the container back wh
ile using a spell to clean it from any splashing. By the time the captain returned so did the mug who went to another man in need. The captain sat down saying “That’s better… so you want to know of us… outside of our roles as the king’s soldiers?” Cage nodded as he sat among them. “Well I’m also proficient with my brews. Usually by the time I return home after an expedition my drink has aged properly. My sister owns a tavern and sells my brews since soldiers, even on a captain’s commission, doesn’t make enough to live comfortably. Wine, mead, rum, I make it all.” He pointed to the slumbering knight. “Luke is twenty five and helps at his parent’s bakery when on relief. Shorty is twenty seven and runs a weapon’s school in the Emrocan Scholar’s Guild and is a master of the quarterstaff and knife throwing.”
Gregory passed the half empty canteen to the captain who was thankful. “I’m twenty two and as you know, I’m a ranger. Bern and I are cousins born only a month apart and when we don’t have a mission we are out keeping roads and trails clean of highwaymen, bandits and also to make sure the civilians who use them are safe. Sometimes we get requests to make sure an area is safe if there is suspicion, but usually we ride the country and do what is needed and offer help when necessary. We try to also harass the empire when we come across their trail, if they somehow snuck into our land and avoided detection.”
Cody then took his turn. “I’m thirty, a bit of a blacksmith and help my father and brothers. My father is the best blacksmith of Emroc and all the armor and weapons we carry, I made… Well, not Bern and Gregory’s bows. If any repairs my brothers here need to their metal, I’m the one who fix’s them. I put much pride into my work and won’t let them carry anything standard. They have the best equipment in Emroc.” The knight boasted while the men nodded while unconsciously resting a hand on their weapons for comfort.
Bryan returned after his turn relieving himself, allowing Bern to go do the same. The large man sat to say “I’m twenty seven and come from a long line of horse breeders. Mainly we rear warhorses, just like those we lost today. Outside my brothers here, I find more enjoyment in their company than people. I only have six sisters, but they tend the barn. They won’t be happy that our steeds were killed without siring another line. We were bringing them home since we bought them back in Twilight. What a waste.” He sighed while scratching his beard.
“So I hear you are all single, but also none have kids… except this person who you were all thinking of earlier. I take it someone died recently and left behind a daughter. From what I’ve observed, he must have died in an earlier attack from those men we killed.” That startled the men deeply, Cage noticed by their reactions. Then they all looked down in mourning. Whoever it was seemed to have been a dear friend.
“You would be correct.” Fredrick could barely choke out. “We did lose someone. I see these men as my sons and all are special but he…”
“He was one of those genuinely good people you couldn’t help liking. Quiet, but always there to offer a hand and never want for anything in return.” The soldiers all nodded to Bern’s statement as he sat down and returned the clean and dry mug.
“Um, may I?” The handmaiden asked after crawling closer, her eyes puffy and red from crying. At least she finally recovered some. Cage handed her the mug and she walked away to also find relief.
As Cage turned back around to the soldiers he immediately noticed Fredrick had drawn an eight inch knife with a wooden grip. The only thing saved the man was how he held it reverently and how the other men looked at it sadly. Cage would have killed him for drawling the hidden knife while his attention was distracted if Fredrick gripped it tightly, but he cradled it like a baby bird.
Then Cage noticed the pommel’s engraving. His stomach dropped as he snatched the knife from the soldier’s grasp. A closer examination showed a shield engraving and inside were three dots with lines creating the image of a triangle. The men weren’t ready as he yelled “Sonofabitch!” in one fast breath.
“What?!” Daku demanded as he spun his neck around. The shout and movement jarred those asleep into waking. Shorty and Luke sat up and were a moment from drawling their weapons while the princess sat up and rubbed her eyes as if coming out of a good dream.
Cage glared down at the men to demand “Tell me this didn’t belong to a man by the name Nolan.”
“You knew Nolan?” Fredrick asked while standing.
The slip of focus resulted in losing the mug when the woman threw it like everyone else before he yelled. He didn’t care since he can grow another easily enough. All eyes focused on Cage as he gripped the blade that was identical to one he knew well.
“Cage, you don’t think…” the warlock held out the pommel and Daku’s blue eyes narrowed on the recognizable family crest. “Damn.” The griffin cursed and flapped his wings a bit aggressively to release the emotional tension.
“Cillian, Tiffa and Meeka are going to be devastated.” Cage said and sat down while gripping the wooden handle as hard as he could.
“How do you know Nolan’s family?” Shorty asked while rubbing his eyes. “What is going on and why…” He rolled his shoulder, his eyes widened and he punched Bryan in his arm. “Don’t do that trick on me ever again!”
Everyone quieted after that and waited for Cage to talk, it wasn’t long. “Do you remember the blonde, my woman?”
“Wait…” Bern gasped some. “That was Meeka? Nolan’s kid sister who is cursed… the hair and eyes… Shit! Why didn’t I notice the resemblance.”
“You weren’t looking at her face.” Shorty lamely joked and none felt like laughing.
“Damn it.” Cage said almost tiredly. “I never got to meet the brother of one of the women I love and tell him his parents send their love…” then an idea struck him and he decided to try out necromancy for the first time. “I summon for the one named Nolan, brother of Meeka and son of Cillian and Tiffa. Come to me.”
Everyone backed away as they heard his voice take on an otherworldly quality as it was filled with mana. He created a point in front of him, invisible, but infused with raw mana for the spirit to feed on and maintain shape. But as he completed the steps he heard Ulon say “That will not succeed. You had to know or can visualize their appearance to call a spirit…”
“Not unless he is Lord Death.” Came a voice.
“Nolan?” Fredrick’s voice quivered as he and the soldiers looked around, but were unable to see the collecting mist gathering form. Both Ulon and Poli’s jaws dropped as the spirit of a handsome man dressed in knightly armor emblazoned with a dragon appeared on Daku’s back. “Son, where are you?”
“Unseen to your eyes since I’ve learned only the mages with the power of a sorcerer and above may see a spirit.”
“I can fix that.” Cage said in the mana filled voice and created an identical illusion around the fallen man and heads gawked. He then applied the illusion to copy the spirit’s movements. The soldiers all dropped to a knee with tear-filled eyes and smiled. “You must stay close to these guys, Nolan, for you to have responded to my summons so quickly.”
“I do, ever since my heart stopped I’ve been with my brothers in arms, my daughter, sister and parents. It was difficult being dead, but since you, as I’m told, are Lord Death, you are free to call even those you never met. But I’ve learned much and seen what you’ve done for my family and want to say thank you. I’m glad my sister finally found love. I left home at sixteen and haven’t seen her since, but I sent a few letters. I was afraid she would never find happiness, but I’m glad you’ve made her happy…” he hesitated before saying “I have a request.” Cage gestured him to continue. “Can you see to it my daughter is raised by Meeka or my parents. I’m forbidden to speak to them through summoning, but since I didn’t have magic before, I cannot bring my spirit together to tell them what happened.”
“Why are you forbidden?” Cage asked the pale spirit.
“Because it is a law of spirits. I was only able to come to you because my comrades were not technically related
, Lord Death.” Nolan turned around while holding the invisible supply of energy to remain solid and whole. “Hello, Brothers. It is good to finally get to tell you something.”
“And that would be?” Bryan asked, barely comprehending seeing an actual spirit of a dead friend.
“You lot are pathetic!” Nolan yelled with a teasing smile. “Do not mourn me anymore you fools. My sacrifice wasn’t in vain. It gave you enough time till Lord Death arrived. My only regret is my daughter is too young to remember me, but I’ve been reunited with my wife and ancestors. I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe, but it isn’t your time to join me. You bunch have much to d…” Nolan choked like someone strangled him and Cage suspected he treaded on thin ice. For a moment Cage felt the brush of many spirits and just as quickly, the feeling vanished as Nolan quickly recovered. “I’ll always be by your side.”
“Hopefully not in the privy or behind a door with a lovely woman to keep my bed warm?” Shorty said in his usual manner.
“Not in the privy.” Nolan promised. “But I’ll be there making sure you don’t make a fool of yourself and send the woman screaming in terror when she sees you naked.”
The soldiers all laughed.
Fredrick took a step closer, wonder in his eyes. “Nolan, I know it really is you now… I’m sorry.”
Ascension of the Warlock (Book 4 of the Death Incarnate Saga) Page 15
