by Xander Jade
A wood elf stood up from his group and looked straight at Sasha before speaking, “What is our fearless leader going to do about building up our clans? He seems to have four females of our race in his house, and looking around the settlement, our clan is lacking in females. The ratio is 3:1.”
The circle didn’t know how to react to that. Sasha stood up and smiled, “Olan, I’m sure everyone noticed how you waited for my husband to leave before you spat that shit out of your mouth. …To answer your question though, my husband has already taken care of building his clan up.”
Everyone but the Alpha’s mates were confused over her statement. The wood elf sitting beside Olan asked, “What does that mean?”
Sasha started rubbing her stomach and answered, “You didn’t really think we were just gaining weight from the wonderful food that has been prepared for us, did you?”
Those who didn’t know gasped and went wide-eyed. The female wood elves chuckled and mirrored Sasha.
Olan made a hissing noise and spat, “Why would you allow this, Sasha? It is forbidden.”
Tia came to her sister-wife’s aid. “Are we in Laohone? No, we aren’t. Fuck off, Olan.”
Zoroc, a high elf yelled out, “What you women have done is disgusting. You more so, Tia. When your parents find out you’ve been hanging around that, whatever he is, they will take you away and kill him.” He looked at the others from his race and continued, “We might just take care of it for them and take you back ourselves.”
The weres were already up and their eyes were glowing, ready to tear into the elves, and the mages had their spells ready. The rage in everyone around was stifling.
Cass let her lightning out as she went over to them. “You motherfuckers need to think very carefully about your next words. I’ll fry your asses or at least paralyze you until my crew behind me chew you up and spit you out.”
Gurak, Sean, Frank, and Jacob stood behind them, waiting for them to do something idiotic. The others were behind Cass, growling.
Gordon came over to stand beside Cass and spoke, “You have thirty minutes to get your racist ass out of here or I’ll let these people make you. This applies also to any of your people who agree with you. I won’t have this shit start up now, vacate the area.”
The high elves huffed and took off, Olan and another moved off with them. Two wood elves stayed and waited.
Sasha asked, “Harrid, anybody else? …No one will speak about this again. I’m sorry that you want more of our race to help expand, but we belong to our Alpha. Eventually, some will come and join us, or you will have to stop with the old law shit and go find someone to love. Elwin and Pelleus are doing that.”
They nodded and everyone calmed down. Cass commanded, “Gurak, take a few others and make sure those fuckheads leave. I don’t want to see them ever again or else I’ll barbeque them.”
He nodded and left to carry out the order.
Gordon addressed everyone left. “Let me make one thing clear. From now on, you will never say shit like that again. If you have an issue, come to Cass or myself. Race doesn’t have the same meaning here as it does elsewhere. As you can see when you turn in any direction, everyone here is different, unique. We can’t live with the same rules that have affected us our whole lives.”
He looked around at the angry faces. “We’re here because of an individual who took it upon himself to help out and do the right thing, but he’s not going to hold our hand in every aspect of this settlement or village. Whatever you want to call it. No, our leader expects us to carry out his orders and requests. We are here for him, to help and learn what is needed in the coming months or years because our world is about to become very different. Did you not listen to him when we had the same freakin discussion before we came here? If not, you need to really think and decide what your next steps are. Max will not tolerate discord. No, with the shit he has to worry about now, he’ll just kill you.”
Val came into the discussion then, “Sean, Marie, I want to make sure no one in our were community has any of the same thoughts. If they do, take care of it.”
Sean scoffed before speaking, “We don’t have that kind of shit happening. At first, we did, but it was taken care of and they were told to leave. Alpha didn’t know and he never will.”
Marie nodded and looked over at the elves then spat on the ground.
Sasha commanded the mages present, “Frank and Jacob, same goes for you.”
“We’ve not had any complaints or disagreements since the first few days we were here,” Frank said in a calm voice.
Leena turned to her left and asked, “Oter, what say the dwarves?”
He chuckled and answered, “None wit any respect fir our leader will say a bad wurd in his direction. He haz given us purpose again and the xtre forges he wantz build will foreva cement our lives here. Soon, our kin will hear of us and will send warbands to join us. We may hav ta build mor baraks ta houz them, but az fir any discord. Nay.”
The two other dwarves agreed, and a couple minutes later, the circle was calm again.
Gordon spoke with authority, “Ladies and gentlemen, today has been disgraceful. The very morning that our leader left on his quest, this shit happened. When we adjourn, take care to listen and provide solutions to the problems of the people. More will come soon enough. This will not happen again. Thank you for your time.”
The circle disbanded and went off to their duties. Cass and the other ladies were talking when a voice interrupted them.
“Pardon me, ladies,” the women looked over to see Harrid. He continued, “We would like to apologize for the remarks of the others and will make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Sasha nodded. “Thank you for that.”
They bowed and left. Leena said, “I don’t give a flying fuck what anyone says. Nobody is keeping me away from my husband, ever. They don’t like it, then they can get the fuck out.”
Sasha chided her daughter, “Leena, they have the right to their own opinions. We need everyone that can join us to do so. Others will feel the same way except now they know that our husband is powerful. Not just in any physical or magical stance, but with his followers. We cannot lower ourselves to their level, we just need to remember to hold our heads high because our husband is our commander and leader.”
Tia put her two cents in, “Agreed, but it doesn’t mean we can’t bitch slap them a little.”
The women giggled and went off to handle their assigned projects.
Chapter 7
Sir Nathan made his way with a group he was leading to the practice yard of the Whitehurst training grounds. When they got to their destination, he stopped and bellowed out, “Company, halt! Good. Now, get with a partner and start sparring. Hand to hand first, then practice swords. Get to it!”
His men hurried over and did what they were commanded. Nathan observed for some time before he was interrupted, “Sir Nathan, how is the training coming along?”
Nathan turned to look who was there. Duke Morris Alpine and his son, Travis. They were accompanied by Duke Alford Hensley and his son, John.
“Good morning, milords. It goes well. They’re young and need experience but will be ready to march when the time comes.”
The lords and their heirs looked on as the sparring started. They asked questions and when satisfied, they left. Sir Nathan rolled his eyes at the pompous lords, knowing that when the time came, they wouldn’t be protecting anyone but themselves. He turned back to watch his squadron again.
“They look improved.”
Nathan glanced over and spoke, “They are, sir. How is the mage recruiting going?”
High Mage Edward smiled. “As well as can be expected. We’re doing better than the other major cities. Oakenshore, Yorkshire, and Reklawe are having problems with their recruiting. Of course, Duke Ackley isn’t himself these days, so we can’t really compare them until he gets back to normal.”
Nathan nodded and was lost in thought for a few minutes before speaking again, �
�I’ve noticed that the Royals aren’t preparing like they need to.”
Edward scoffed, “The only one practicing is Princess Corisande. Her sister, Princess Estelle, isn’t keen on getting dirty and Prince Alexander is working on politics and the business aspects of Augustia. I can’t really blame him since that is what he is supposed to do, but I would rather him take time out of his schedule to practice his magic. Him being a water mage and all.”
Sir Nathan agreed. “How long do you think we have?”
“Not sure. Our interrogation wasn’t fruitful. Could be within the year or in the next five. We just don’t know.”
“No use in worrying about it now,” Sir Nathan sighed. “I also know that the king has sent Will out trying to send any recruits to each town he is near. May not see him for some time.”
Edward nodded and the two discussed their plans for other training and the high mage left the captain to his duties.
***
The days after Gordon went missing were tough for the Lord and Lady of Oakenshore. Not knowing what happened, and having no evidence leading anywhere, was taking a toll on them. The Ackleys were trying to get back into the daily routines but couldn’t get their minds right to do what needed to be done. The king and duke had sent out search parties, but everyone came back empty handed. People in Oakenshore had seen the decline in prosperity and were hoping things would get back on track.
The nobles of Oakenshore came together to vote again. They thought it was time for Duke Ackley to step down until he was better prepared to take care of their city. Instead of going straight to the king, they decided to give the heir a shot to rule temporarily. The group had a meeting with the Duke and Duchess to discuss their concerns, explaining what they’d seen in the past weeks. Merchants were bypassing the city, crime was up, and consumers weren’t buying anything. The two finally agreed but reluctantly and Blake was put in charge of the duchy.
Duke and Duchess Ackley traveled to Westley, which was forty miles from their home, for some alone time and to try to relax. The couple felt somewhat better not having to deal with politics and the city business right now.
For the first week it was better, and the citizens began to think things were back in control. But they forgot that the heir was young and immature for his age. The nobles that voted for him to take charge didn’t know that he usually thought that others were beneath him.
Immediately, Lord Blake started assigning his friends and colleagues into positions of authority, which would help him with his goal of ruling with a firm hand. Curtis and Michael were put in charge of the recruiting of mages and soldiers, but the duo didn’t care about their duties. They were more interested in how many ladies they could bed. The two did not have any new recruits to start training and the two knights that usually took care of such matters came to investigate. Sir John and Sir Malcolm were told not to worry about this matter and to handle any problems that Lord Blake prioritized. The two knights shook their heads, knowing that this was going to end in disaster.
Lord Blake’s first time in court, ten citizens were sent to the mines to work off a two-month sentence for not paying taxes on time on a first time offense. Five people went to the dungeons because they didn’t agree with some of his decisions. A family of three was in the stocks for a week and a man was given twenty lashes for calling Blake a tyrant for his terrible acts against the people of Oakenshore.
Lord Blake also raised the taxes for everyone in the city and the farms on the outskirts. It caused an uproar. He took guards off the city watch and had them work at other locations, which turned out to be his investments and businesses. This led to more crimes within the city.
In only three weeks of duty, Lord Blake had the economy of Oakenshore spiraling downward. The heir didn’t understand the predicament he put himself and the city in, he just did what he wanted done and wasn’t worried about any complications or consequences.
The nobles were outraged. Lord Foster stood up in their meeting and said, “The king needs to be aware of this, if he’s not already. We need someone to help bring our wonderful city back to where it was. Lord Blake isn’t the person to do it. He needs to be held accountable for what he’s done and what he will do.”
They agreed and voted unanimously to send word to the king for help. As the mage relay was controlled by Lord Blake, they had to send a letter to His Majesty. The two with the best handwriting wrote their claims and pleas for help. The messenger went out at dawn towards Whitehurst.
***
The trip to the Kingdom of Mair had been uneventful so far. We skirted around Silvershore, not wanting anyone to ask questions. Zeus was adamant about stretching his legs, so I let him loose a couple of times. Stopping for the night, we camped out off the road a couple hundred feet, built a small fire, and ate some jerky and cheese that the ladies packed.
Sigmus wanted to go hunt with the furry duo, so the trio was out and about. I laid back on a log, thinking on what was ahead. The next few weeks would be hell. Taking a couple calming breaths, I meditated before working with my magic, needing to get better and faster at casting. My mana pool was still hindered but I shook those worries off. I had backup when needed. The trio came back later and plopped down by the fire. They spoke about the coming weeks, but I tuned them out and went to sleep early.
The next day, we set out at dawn and saw the beautiful scenery around us. The trees were green and the foliage thick. I couldn’t see through some of it. Amaryllis and Larkspur were blooming on the sides of the roads. We saw rabbits, and lots of insects flying around. Fireflies, butterflies, and some species that I couldn’t identify since they were too far away.
Not much talking went on, it was the same as the day before, uneventful. The only item of note was that there were a few stags running about. They didn’t come near us of course, but I could see them from a distance. People were just as skittish. They kept away from us as well. Wonder why? It was boring actually. A few days went by and all we did was talk idly or work on my magic. We hadn’t seen any dark ones as of yet, but we kept our minds clear and ready for anything.
When night came, I let my beast out to roam so we could get familiar with each other. He advised me of what I needed to learn and how to work on these skills. Things like blending into the scenery, hunting, and our strengths and weaknesses. He also advised how our bond works and some of what we could do but was tight lipped about most of it. His excuse was like the others, when the guardian comes, they would explain what was expected and then they could answer any questions.
Taking those words to heart, a sudden thought occurred to me. ‘Sigmus, how many fuckin voices will I have in my head?’
He chuckled and advised, ‘The elementals will only talk when training is needed or if you ask questions. I’m only talking to you now because you need guidance to obtain your bonds. When your guardian gets here, they will do most of the speaking for us. They are in charge of your training and growth from then on.’
‘Huh. Okay. Shall I tell anyone about that? I mean, would anyone believe me?’
Sigmus said, ‘No. Not till they get here. People won’t believe anyway, look what happened when you told them about bonding.’
‘Do we need to get all the bonds necessary before my guardian comes?’
Sigmus didn’t say anything for a few minutes but then said with his cryptic mind playing shit. ‘They will come when ready.’
I grunted and nodded my agreement, knowing I wouldn’t get anything out of him. Bastard.
‘Really? I hear everything you say,’ he said in his uppity voice.
‘Well, fuck you. Hear that?’
Reap and Herc cackled.
Sigmus chuckled as he answered, ‘Loud and clear.’
On the fourth day we arrived near Notholm Forest. Zeus and I were traveling on the road with Herc and Reap in the forest. We thought it would be less conspicuous and we wouldn’t be long before reaching the Tetrad Crossroad. The crossroad was famous because it was the intersection
of four kingdoms. Augustia, and Mair, where many races lived, most of them evil, as well as Azgrag, the land of the orcs, and Amenoa, the Amazon Kingdom.
We topped a hill and heard noises. Shouts, roars, and metal hitting metal. Signaling Zeus to gallop, we hurried towards the sounds and in a couple minutes we came upon what seemed to be a battle. I pulled Zeus into the forest to conceal us. Reap and Herc came up to us. We needed to plan our next steps, accordingly.
Orcs, redhats, and trolls on one side, their army totaling what looked like over three hundred. There were lions on the other side with two races I had only heard of. One group were almost seven feet tall with long black hair, caramel skin, and muscular bodies. The males were only wearing trousers and had what look like trees in their hands, which turned out to be big ass clubs, though some of them hoisted blades. The females wore trousers as well but were wearing leather tops. Barbarians, their home was the Kingdom of Mair. The other race was half human and half horse. They were very tall and muscular, and were carrying bows. Centaurs, also from the Kingdom of Mair. These combined warriors totaled about the same amount as the other side, making the battle nearly even.
What made it interesting was the group of wens hanging in the back of the dark ones, guarding caged wagons. There were also amazons off to the west in formation. The weres, centaurs, and barbarians were deep in battle with the dark ones. No one saw us in our camouflage.
‘Seems the fuckers are at it again.’
Herc advised, ‘Yes. Looks to be slave wagons by those wens.’
Sigmus responded, ‘What do you want to do, Chosen?’
‘We need to get to those wagons and free them, but at what cost?’
Reap said, ‘There seems to be only five wens. We can take them.’
‘Unanimous vote guys.’
Sigmus responded, ‘I’m in.’
Herc commented, ‘You’ll have to shift, Max. Probably your primary form.’
Sigmus agreed. I had a thought, ‘You think we can skirt around them to unlock those cages?’