Games of the Powerful

by William E Samela

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  The sun had gone down and as her wont, Magna sat by the fire with her dog lying on the bear rug close enough so he could get the area behind his ears scratched. He is huge but as gentle as can be with her. She could put food in his mouth and take it out again with nary a growl in complaint. She did not know what type of breed he is but his large head with a mouth full of large white teeth, big eyes always full of pure light and love for her could be quite intimidating to some especially those whom he does not know. His long white fur, fluffy tail and a big black nose made him look as docile as could be but outward appearances can be deceiving for he could be as vicious as a mother bear protecting her cubs when it came to her. One special day recently when she was followed leaving Fort Blackshadow where she had been buying some needed supplies he proved his worth and love for her.

  They left the fort at midmorning with her backpack full of the supplies she needed paid for with services rendered. Magna has special talents earning her gold at the best times and at the worst a few coppers with silver in between. She is a healer and has other abilities that in the eyes of many make her a witch. The soldiers and their families at the fort are pleasant to her but in a standoffish way that hurts her feelings. In the past, she has gone many times to the fort to heal an injury or save a life and still they mistrust her, none ever wanting to know her or get close to her in any way. One evening she happened to be at the fort healing one of the officer's children when she heard about a dance that evening in the officer's dining hall. Her mother well not really but her mistress who found her as a baby and took her in had taught her all about the court, how to act and to dance like a highborn woman of the court. Her thought was that someday Magna might find herself in the court and these skills might be beneficial to her.

  When she finished curing the baby of a fever and gave her mother some herbs to give her with milk she decided to see what the excitement was about dancing and listening to music. That decision turned out to be a big mistake for her. She walked to the officers dining hall where the music was coming from tentatively opening the door and walked in. It could have been that she was wearing her hiking leathers framing out her exquisite body, and her long curly flaming red hair hanging all the way down the middle of her back or it could have been her pretty face that needed no powders or pants to hide the age wrinkles that instantly stopped the music. The partygoers turned and looked at her, the men in the room ogled her and the women glared at her effrontery for daring to be where she was not wanted. These corpulent and aged women with paints and powders have all utilized her special skills for one thing or another.

  Magna stood paralyzed and outta sorts not knowing what to do or say. The longer she remained the more embarrassed she became causing her face to get redder by the second. Then one of the corpulent painted ladies laughed pointing at her face with the entire room even the men previously ogling her joined in the laughter. The tears started gently at first then they burst forth like a storm causing even more laughter spurring her into turning and running from the hall. When the door closed behind her the music and gay laughter returned to the hall with no thought of her, and what they had done to a young impressionable woman.

  Magna’s cabin is around eight leagues from Fort Blackshadow far enough away no one will bother her unless it is an emergency. Since the terrible night in the dining hall, she is even more grateful for the distance. When she left that fateful morning after picking up her supplies from Fort Blackshadow, she planned to camp out one night then the following day look for herbs she would need for nutrition and healing. Not in any hurry, she casually walked through the forest enjoying its beauty with her giant of a dog by her side. The forest consisted of huge black oak trees that when the sun shines through the leaves it gives the semblance of black shadows during the day hence the name of the forest. Late in the afternoon, she reached a spot in the trail where a small freshet with cool clean water ran among the trees, and decided to make an early camp. She cleared away the undergrowth and leaves to make a small fire. Right next to the stream were some convenient rocks she would use for her small fire pit. Within minutes and a couple strikes with her dagger on some flint, she had a nice cozy fire going.

  Her beast of a dog ran off into the forest hopefully to bring back a coney or two for supper, so she made herself comfortable sitting with her back to a tree when she heard a snap of a tree branch not too far off in the forest. Grabbing her dagger in her hand, she went into a crouch when she heard a voice from the forest telling her that they are soldiers from the fort and all they wanted to do is share her fire. When they came into the light of the fire, she knew they had other things on their mind. One held a crossbow pointed directly at her and both were leering at her with lascivious grins on their faces. The one with the bow told her to drop the dagger or he would shoot her and they would still have their way with her warm dead body. Deciding she did not have much choice she dropped the dagger hoping that her faithful dog would return in time to save her.

  They moved on her quickly one grabbing her by her hair and the other her legs holder her down on the ground. Trying to resist she was slapped so hard that she saw stars to the point of blacking out. When she felt the point of a dagger nicking her throat she froze. The soldier holding her legs climbed on top of her and she will never forget his face with his smelly beard and rotten teeth as he bent and kissed her roughly on the mouth. Taking her dagger, he cut her wool shirt off her exposing her breasts. Leering and breathing hard from the excitement of seeing his victim helpless he slowly putt her knife between her legs cutting the leather ties one by one enjoying the moment. Suddenly, he violently ripped her pants from her body throwing them aside. Once she was naked, the tears started flowing from her eyes and all she thought of is losing her maidenhood to these to vicious scoundrels. The brute of a man stood in front of her pulled his chainmail over his head tossing it on the ground next to her. He quickly removed his boots and pants quickly followed by his jerkin. He knelt in front of her and told her she is going to feel what it is like to have a man take her maidenhood and not some young love struck boy.

  Suddenly, a flash of white struck the vile solder sending him into the fire screaming in pain. The other solder holding the dagger to her throat released her in shock, which gave her the chance to roll away from him. Her ever-faithful dog struck faster than she thought possible and latched onto his throat driving him into the ground. The naked soldier stood in rage and pain from the burns caused by the fire looking for the crossbow but he is too late. When Magna rolled away, she came within easy reach of a cocked crossbow. Not wasting anytime, she pulled the trigger skewering him in the chest the bolt passing clean through his naked body. She will forever remember the look of shock on his face as he died falling to the ground. The other assailant was dead with most of his throat ripped out lying on the ground next to his body.

  Hurling her stomach and sobbing she crawled to the stream to wash her face and get a drink of the cool fresh water. The cold water from the stream cooled her burning face and throat making her feel a little better. With her hand, she splashed the cold water on the back of her neck massaging the tension from her muscles. If anyone were to see her, they would think she was a wood nymph, with her long hair dangling in the stream and her naked body bathed in a shaft of moonlight slicing through the canopy of trees. With her stomach threatening to hurl again, she stood on weak legs staggering to her backpack for a change of clothes. Quickly getting dressed, she headed back to the fort followed by her ever-faithful dog.

  Shuddering thinking about that night and the nightmares she has because of it, she scratched Fangthane behind the ears hearing his familiar sigh as he is about to fall asleep next to her. The hurried walk back to the fort was surreal and she really could not remember much of it. Once at the fort, she told the gate guard who knew her well what had happened so he let in her in to see the commander of the fort. Quickly relating her story to the commander and some of his soldiers, they returned with her
into the forest. Again, the trip back into the forest was surreal, torch light dancing and flickering across the tree branches, no one talking, a steady noise of heavy boots tramping through the woods breaking branches making a terrible ruckus and the occasional cough of a soldier breaking the quiet of the night.

  When they arrived at the campsite, the commander believed her story when he saw the naked body of a soldier with his clothes and armor on the ground with the now unloaded crossbow beside it. One of the solders spoke up strongly inferring she lured them out here in the forest with her dark magic and killed them for the sake of it. Her so-called evil magic cured his severe toothache from a rotten tooth that had him crying in pain and he did not seem to mind her using magic then. The commander quickly shut that kind of talk down ordering his solders to take the bodies back to the fort. Magna returned about a week later for some supplies and the same corpulent painted ladies were whispering loud enough for her to hear them blame her for the deaths of the soldiers, she lured them into the forest with her magic, and her body with promises of love and she killed them. Even the soldiers gave her unfriendly looks whispering among themselves.

  That had been a full moon ago and there had been not one word from the fort not even to cure one baby with colic. Still rubbing Fangthane behind the ears, she wondered how in the world she had come up with such a stupid name for a dog. “Well Fangthane you do have a stupid sounding name but it is your name and you seem to like it,” she said to him even though he is fast asleep. “In the morning we shall be leaving the only place we have ever known, we are going to the court,” she said hoping that she did not live to rue this decision.