“Oh…what has happened in the few hours since we had last talked?”
Ash started explaining about how the residences had come back to the home. Anabel was just a normal house wife but Henry was a well-known merchant who was able to get lighter duty and stay off the more dangerous combat details by bribing the upper level soldiers with goods that had been stored in his warehouses. At the same time he had spent a great deal of time around the officers of the enemy army and knowing the price of good information, he paid close attention to anything that came into sight. Ash first gave a quick report about the enemies’ number and weapons along with the more highly skilled members of the army and what Henry had known about what abilities that might hold. After he was finished with the most routine part of the information, Ash went into the information that had truly caught his attention.
“At the bottom of the cliff that borders the city, there is a hidden door that leads to a large tunnel smugglers use that also has an entrance into one of the larger warehouses inside the city. In the past few years, the tunnel has been used extensively thanks to the increased tariffs so it is safe for a large number of people.” Ash went on to explain how to locate the hidden entrance.
“That is excellent. I will start moving troops now. As long as they are not found out, it will make a great difference in the next battle,” Fay said with a hint of deviousness in her voice that Ash had not heard before.
“There is more, the illusions that are being used are magical items that one of the mages in the army makes. He is the right hand man of the general and a high noble of the country.”
“That is good to know, but it doesn’t help much,” Fay said and Ash could almost hear the frown on the other side of the ring.
“Let me finish,” Ash said with a stifled laugh. “When the army first took up residence in the city, the mage had the townsfolk move large rocks decorated with silver chains and weird encryption to different points in the city. These rocks are what allow a group of seven mages to freely control the illusions without exhausting their mana or mental strength.”
“That could be useful in many ways…I don’t know much about magical items so I will have to consult with some more knowledgeable to find the best way to use this information. Is there anything else to report?”
Ash finished the report by letting Fay know about the troop locations including that of the General and the Grand Mage who had taken up residence in the local Lord’s house which was located near the southwest corner of the market district. Once he was finished, Ash put the communication ring back into his inventory and moved to rejoin the rest of the group.
Thanks to Ash’s inventory and the ready kitchen and the number of spices that were readily available in the house, Li was able to make a meal fit for a king. The meal was so good that even Anabel praised it though her tone didn’t carry much in the way of comfort.
Though there was some feeling of comfort while staying inside the house, none of them forgot that they were currently inside the enemy’s lines and one small misstep could cause them to be captured or worse. That is the reason that once it was time to sleep, two remained on guard.
The merchant’s house was large, but it only had two rooms set up for sleeping. Ash and his wives took the master bedroom and gave the other to the married couple. Though Ash had an amiable relationship with the merchant Henry, it was not so well off that he could trust him completely. That was why once it was time to rest, Ash had Henry and Anabel tightly bound both hands and feet before having them placed on the bed for the night.
The master bedroom was large and the bed of ample size, but it couldn’t hold everyone at one time so Ash offered to sleep on the floor but his request was quickly rejected. After trying to argue his point, Ash gave up on the matter and threw himself on the bed. He was completely mentally and physically exhausted after the days’ events and it wasn’t long before he drifted off to sleep.
As Ash dreamed, he found himself back in Emelia’s palace sitting in the library on the long sofa next to his wife who was currently reading a book. Looking at her, Ash felt that something was different but at first he didn’t know what it was. After a few seconds of staring at her, he noticed that there were a few more lines on her face and a few strands of gray hair shimmering in the candlelight.
Ash wanted to say something, but each time he opened his mouth nothing came out. It was as if the world had stolen his voice. “Daddy…daddy,” a loud voice echoed from outside the door. Turning his head, Ash saw a boy about the age of seven run through the door.
Before Ash knew what was happening his arms were stretching out to lift the boy up into the air. The child started to laugh as Ash threw him into the air. Suddenly the child’s face twisted in pain. Ash wanted to ask what was wrong but before he could speak, he felt something warm hit his hand. Looking down he noticed that his hand held the hilt of his sword and a dark red liquid was trickling down the sword and onto his hand. Following the blade with his eyes, he noticed that the body on the other end belonged to his own son. Ash’s hand let go of the hilt as he backed away. His voice called out feebly to the child who lay unmoving on the ground but there was not even the barest hint of movement. His heart wrapped in anguish, Ash turned to where Emelia had been sitting.
When Ash turned around, he was no longer standing in the study that he had known so well but in the center of the city market. The ground was littered with bodies of people. His eyes going wide, Ash felt his heart stick in his chest. Yuki wearing a white dress dyed red in her own blood lay at the foot of the central fountain. Ash ran toward the young girl, but no matter how hard he tried, the distance never shortened.
Breathing hard, Ash fell to his knees crying out before he slammed his fist on the hard ground. His stomach churned and the contents of his stomach were emptied on the stone below him. His eyes watering, Ash looked down, refusing to lift up his head when a trickle of red came into view washing away the bile. The trickle was soon replaced by a steady flow and before long it felt as if Ash was fighting against a river current just to hold his place. With no choice, Ash lifted up his head.
Once again Ash had changed locations. He was now standing in the small fort where he had once nearly died. It was the first place that he had faced the true horrors of war. Ash expected to see the soldiers laying on the ground but it was not soldiers who added to the river of blood but the bodies of children. Most of the faces were unknown to him but many others he knew well as they were the ones closest to him. Shutting his eyes Ash felt tears stream down his face as he wished that he could pull his own heart from his chest.
“Ash.”
“Ash.”
“Ash.”
Voices rang out in Ash’s ears as his body was shaken, but he refused to open his eyes for fear of what new torment he would be faced with.
“Li, check Ash, something has to be wrong,” Ash heard Tolarea’s panicked voice. Unable to help himself, Ash’s eyes opened as he turned in the direction of the voice. Tolarea was large, having the blood of giants running through her veins. Ash always had the impression that she was as tough as stone and while she sometimes showed a feminine side, it wasn’t very often. When Ash saw Tolarea’s red eyes and worried look, he could not help but smile.
“Ash,” Li’s, Celina’s, and Seia’s voice rang out as soon as Ash opened his eyes. “Are you ok?” Celina asked rushing over to Ash’s side.
“What happened?” Ash asked wondering what had got them so worked up.
The five women in the room each looked to each other, then to Ash until Seia spoke. “Ash…You started to scream in your sleep. We tried to wake you up but no matter how hard we tried nothing worked.”
Ash let out a heavy sigh then looked down to his hands while he thought about how to answer. Looking at his hands, Ash noticed a small trickle of blood where his fingernails had dug so hard into his own hand that it had broken the skin. “It was just a bad dream,” Ash said after a long moment of silence. He didn’t want them to t
hink less of him, but neither did he want to lie to them and knowing himself, he figured that tonight would not be the only one that left him in such a bad state.
“Was it the child?” Li asked, her voice soft and filled with warmth. Ash didn’t say a word but he silently nodded his head. Li didn’t say anything else she simply walked over to where Ash sat in the bed and wrapped her thin arms around his head and pulled him into her chest.
At first Ash felt like pulling back but when the sound of her heartbeat reached his ears, he found it oddly calming and soon her felt the pain in his chest lessen as his breathing calmed down. Unbidden tears silently slipped from his eyes as his arms snaked around Li’s thin waist as he held her tightly, burrowing his face deeper into her chest. Li let out a slight gasp of pain but she never pulled back and instead used her hand to softly pat Ash’s head as she whispered. “It’s ok,” over and over.
After he had calmed down, Ash separated himself from Li and wiped the tears from his red eyes. He tried to find the words of to thank her, but they were lost to him as he looked at the warm smile on her face. Suddenly Ash remembered the others in the room and his face flushed red in embarrassment for a moment before he looked at their faces.
The look of contempt, shame, and disgust were absent. All Ash found were looks of concern and love. Ash had spent a lot of time among his demon wives, but he had only slightly connected with them. He did not hate them but he always felt bad for them in the back of his heart. They did not choose him for their husband but instead their choice had been made for them. This had led Ash to think that they couldn’t ever truly care for him, but at this moment those thoughts were blow out of his mind. Looking into the faces of his wives, all Ash could feel was how much they truly cared for him. Not as the Maoh but as their husband. To many, it might seem like a small thing, but to him it made all the difference in the world.
“Do you think it would help if we talked?” Celina asked, her voice showing her nervousness and worry.
“I don’t know,” Ash replied honestly.
Ash’s wives gathered around him remaining silent at first as if they were afraid to be the first one to speak. The first one to speak was Tolarea who simply asked Ash if he wanted something to drink.
After Tolarea spoke the others began to talk, not just to Ash but to each other. It was slow at first like a dripping facet. Slowly things began to pick up as if they were nothing but kids sitting around without a care in the world. Soon Ash was talking to Li, Celina, and the others like nothing had ever happened.
At first they talked about simple things such as the meal earlier and what had happened over the past weeks. The conversation slowly turned toward the war and the battle they had just made it through. The feeling of the room turned cold and Seia quickly turned the tone of the conversation by asking Tolarea if she wanted a child. From there the room seemed to erupt.
At first Ash was surprised by the sudden change in direction the conversation had taken, but soon he felt like running. The women happily talked about children and their eyes went from calm to happy, to that of a predator who was looking at their prey. Ash could feel the hunger in their eyes and while he knew they meant no harm to him, he still felt cold sweat forming on his back and he tried to silently move away from the pack of hormone driven women.
Soon the silent house was filled with the sounds of a fearful man who was quickly devoured by the ravenous women who had him cornered.
Later that night, Ash tried to move but he found that Tolarea had him in a vice like grip that refused to let him go. Though he still felt some lingering fear about sleeping, he had no energy left to fight the drowsiness that assailed him.
12-11
The next day went by slowly as Ash and the others waited for news from Fay and the demon army. With nothing to do, Ash spent most of the time talking with Henry while trying to avoid his wives whose eyes still held a deadly glint that threatened to drag him off at a moment’s notice should he let his guard down. It was not that Ash didn’t want to spend time with his wives, but some part of him was fearful of their current over aggressiveness. Ash started to think that war was not a good place for women. Not because they were weak. Anyone who spent time with Tolarea and the others would be clear that they were far from weak, but it seemed that the life and death battles seemed to spark something within them that turned them from cats in to tigers even after the battle was over. With his wives current vigorous mood, Ash’s only haven was making himself busy and with the limited things around, he could only do that by talking to Henry.
Ash didn’t want to talk about himself too much. He was sure that they would win the battle, but even after that there was bound to be a few months before they could completely subjugate the kingdom. During that period if Henry was able to use his information to make a profit, Ash was not sure that he would not do so.
Surprisingly Henry didn’t mind Ash’s tight lips about himself and was more than willing to tell Ash many stories about his own life. Henry had grown up in a poor family but had been lucky enough to be apprenticed to a merchant when he was younger. The only problem was that the merchant was a greedy and unscrupulous person. He would take many apprentices who each had to pay a decent some of money along with signing a very detailed contract. The contract stated that their apprenticeship would continue until they were able to pass the merchant guilds, tier two merchant test. To young children and unknowing adults they never thought deeply about this, but in truth it was a very high hurdle. Most apprenticeships ended once someone passed the basic merchant test, even the hardest hearted masters only required their students to take the tier one test. Most people who were able to pass the tier two test often had been in the business for a number of years.
When Henry was 18 he had passed the tier one test. It was at this time that his master had started sending him on long distance missions with very little profit. It allowed his master to make a small amount of money, but the big thing was the contacts and goodwill his master would receive for the transport of rare or needed goods to isolated places which also had their own rare goods. Instead of being made, Henry took this chance to make his own contacts while at the same time taking every effort to bloody the waters between his master and anyone he came across.
Ash quickly learned that Henry was a very intelligent and even shrewder person. If he had been born among the noble ranks, Ash was sure that he would have already been at the right hand of the king running the country from behind the scenes. The more Ash listened to how he ruined his master’s business, the more Ash started to both fear and respect the merchant who sat before him. The story ended when Henry had been 24 and passed the tier two test. As soon as he passed, he gained his independence and put in to motion the plan he had been building for 10 years. In less than one season, his master lost all his business went bankrupt and was sold into slavery as a debt slave. At the same time, Henry had bought out his master’s debt and taken over his business and started building up the empire that he now controlled.
Unlike Henry, his wife Anabel was completely different. She seemed fierce on the outside but the more Ash and Henry talked, the more the woman seemed to open up and put in her own comments. She had met Henry when he was 17 and still an apprentice. She had been a child of a local washer woman and had no money to her name but her and Henry had been drawn to each other. After they were married Anabel tried to have a child but when she had failed year after year she had asked advice at the temple only to find that she was barren. She had thought that Henry would leave her or at best find a second wife and set her aside to her own devices, but instead he had remained steadfast.
“How sweet,” Celina said having heard the story. She ran over and gave the startled Anabel a hug with tears in her eyes. “You are lucky,” Celina added.
Anabel quickly recovered from her shock from the young demoness, her face shifting from distaste to happiness. “Of course my Henry isn’t like this young man who collects women as if they are some kind of trophy.”
Hearing Anabel’s words, Ash couldn’t think of any words to refute. At first he had been opposed to marry more than one wife. He truly loved Emelia, but he had not really fought that hard against his fate. In fact he had given in pretty easily once he thought about it. Ash was happy that neither Emelia nor the other women seemed to hate the idea of sharing him, but he still felt some sourness in his heart when he thought about it. He knew deep down that it was unfair but it was not as if he could take back his actions now.
Seeing Ash’s red face, Celina let out a light hearted giggle before speaking. “Ash doesn’t collect women, it is more like we are collecting him,” Celina said happily. “I don’t think you would find one of us who are not happy with our husband.”
From the outside, one would think that Celina and Anabel were arguing against each other but the two women continued to talk and soon the atmosphere calmed down and the two women almost seemed like lifelong friends. Ash was amazed at how quickly and seamlessly the two women became friendly. Shaking his head, Ash turned his head back to Henry who was currently sporting an awkward look on his face as he watched his wife. Just as Ash was about to say something, he felt something echo in his mind. Before he could find out what the odd sensation was, it happened again. Thinking quickly, Ash opened his inventory and pulled out the communication ring which was glowing lightly.
“Give me a moment,” Ash said to Henry before leaving the room. As soon as he was out of sight of the others, he activated the ring.
“Ash…Ash,” Fay’s voice was saying over and over through the ring.
“What is it?” Ash asked as soon as he heard Fay’s voice.
“Finally, I have been trying to contact you for hours. I have been discussing our options with anyone that has any knowledge of magical items and we have come up with a few ideas. The first is to simply disable them, but if we do that there is a good chance that it will be noticed and your presence or that of the soldiers that we are currently bringing in will be noticed. The second is to use the hidden forces to attack them just before we launch our attack but that will alert them to our impending attack and waste a valuable resource of the hidden forces. The last option is to find a way to disable them after we breach the wall again. This is of course the best option but it is easier said than done. We have the devices that could do it, but the main problem is that our men don’t know the locations of the stones nor can we freely walk through the city…Any ideas?”
Reborn: War's Nightmare Page 8
