SafeHaven

by Xander Jade

  The weres looked at my hand holding the key for a few moments before Tara called out to one who was near. The blonde woman came over timidly and stopped. Moving around the collar, I spotted the two holes and inserted the key. A few seconds later, there was a click and hiss. Gripping the device, I pulled it apart and advised the woman to step forward. She did and gasped, rubbing at her neck.

  Tara and Kristoph stood up and came over. Kristoph asked, “Where the hell did you find one of those?”

  Shrugging, I answered, “From a prison, stole it from a dead gnoll. Now, call your people over and let’s get this done.”

  They didn’t even have to say anything. Everyone saw the commotion and stood in line, males and females. Had to be twenty of them. After I released the weres, they thanked me. I said we would talk after the meet and bid them farewell. Walking away, Mel came up beside me.

  “Damn Maximus, that’s a lot of people you have at your settlement. You have a defensive structure that houses them?”

  I grunted but didn’t say anything. She kept silent on our way back, as did I. Suddenly she said she needed to go. I nodded as she took off. This shit was getting more complicated every minute. I was almost back to my spot when a voice spoke out of the darkness.

  “Have fun with the centaur?”

  I looked up to see two orcs walking towards me. It was Racar who asked the question.

  “She was my bodyguard for tonight.”

  He chuckled and said, “Yes, she was making sure no other female could get their claws or hooves in you before her.”

  I shrugged and Tavoria snickered, “No comment?”

  “Nope. Not really sure she would be doing that, but not going to deter either. My main focus isn’t to pick up females, it’s more complicated than that.”

  “Oh, so if I was to come over and do the same, you wouldn’t mind another bodyguard?” Tavoria smirked.

  “Not at all. I’ll get to watch those sexy legs walking in front of me and stare at your ass cheeks as they sway back and forth.”

  That caught her by surprise and her cheeks went dark green. Racar roared in laughter. Tavoria tried to hit him but was unsuccessful. She then brought her attention back to me.

  “Why would you say that?”

  I looked at her to see if that was a joke, but it would seem by the curious look in her eyes, she was serious.

  “Why not? You’re a beautiful woman. Your fierce attitude, and the fact you lead a horde of your kin is rare. Your skin color or race is no deterrence for me, but your significant other is definitely a lucky man. Er… orc, uh male. Whatever. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”

  Her eyes were turning misty and she turned to walk away. I shrugged and kept sauntering over to check on Zeus. Racar’s deep voice startled me. “She’s never had anyone tell her that. You intrigue her, Maximus.”

  Flinching, I snarled, “Dammit Racar, I thought you left too. It’s a good thing I don’t have my sword with me.”

  He chuckled. “Sorry.”

  I didn’t reply, he just kept walking with me. Zeus came into view a few moments later. The big boy was grazing, but pulled his head up when I came near. I patting his neck and rubbed behind his ears. He snorted then went back to grazing.

  Smiling, I went to a log and sat down. Racar did the same.

  “What’s on your mind, Racar?”

  He grunted. “It’s just weird that you’ll let us join you. I was curious as to who is in your employ at the moment.”

  “Well, not sure if you know any of the other clans or not, but Gurak is my lead for the orcs.”

  He nodded. “I know Gurak well. He’s a good leader and honorable.”

  “Yeah, anyway, he explained to me what was happening in his village, that they were captives as well. Forced to work for evil. At first, I took it upon myself to offer an alliance, but it has developed further than that. We’re friends.”

  Racar didn’t say anything for a couple minutes. I was sharpening my blades. He finally broke the silence, “You’re definitely not like others of your race. They shun us, all the other races as well, though it’s not to say that some of us haven’t deserved that treatment. Our clan leader is honorable though. He always demands our loyalty and best. He’s also Tavoria’s uncle. She and I have fought and bled together since we were young, Tavoria always wanted to take control and lead. And she is good at it. I vowed to be at her side whenever she needed me. My mate Shel and her are good friends.”

  Nodding and listening to his background, I continued sharpening my blades. A sound to my left brought me out of my work. It was Dhorn and Elonis.

  They glanced at Racar and nodded. Elonis advised, “Maximus, my father would like for you to join us at our camp.”

  Turning to Racar, “When the discussion for our next move comes up, you and Tavoria will be there.”

  He nodded and I put away my blades, then followed the duo back to their camp. It took a couple of minutes. As we came upon their camp, I noticed there were more of their kind than had been at the battle. There were also barbarians and even weres. They escorted me straight to where Thadoneus and Greinn were. Numerous females and males were about, they were chatting with each other as we came up. They noticed me right off and conversation stopped.

  The crowd watched me as Thadoneus and Greinn came over. The duo bowed to me, which brought gasps all around.

  “Maximus, thank you for joining us. Please sit down and enjoy some food that was prepared by my lovely wife with the help of others,” Thadoneus said with a smile.

  Nodding, I found a vacant spot to sit down. A female barbarian brought me some food and drink. I was famished, so dug in, not caring what others thought. Conversation started again, although it was lower in volume. They gave me a second helping. I devoured it too, not realizing how hungry I was.

  Handing over the bowl to a female centaur, I said, “Thank you for that.”

  She smiled and turned to pick up others. Most everyone was seated. Mel and Elonis were with their family, Dhorn was with his. Kristoph was with Tara and another woman whose name I wasn’t sure of. A couple minutes of conversation and Thadoneus spoke out.

  “We’re gathered to discuss some disturbing news. Or at least I’ve been advised it will be unsettling.”

  He turned to me and asked, “Can you tell us what is happening? Or at least what is going on?”

  “Sure. The ones behind all the slavery, killing, and evil in our world are demons. They are bringing what some call The Darkness. I’m assuming it’s a demon lord, but not sure about that.”

  That resulted in silence all around, and I mean the whole campsite was silent.

  Greinn spoke within the silence, “How you know?”

  All eyes were on me now, I replied, “Because, I am the balancer.”

  The crowd started murmuring immediately. Thadoneus questioned in a curious manner, “Balancer? What does that mean?”

  “Soon, our world will be fighting for its survival. Race against race, each one will have to choose a side. I am the one to unite the kingdoms or more particularly the races to fight the evil ones, then take on the demon hordes that will come into our world. The fuckers have their minions enslaving anyone they can get and will try to persuade those captives to come to their side.”

  They lost it then. People gasped while others started talking over the top of each other. I just sat there waiting for my duo. They were slowly making their way over, which had people yelping as they came up.

  “You see, behind me are Hercules and Reaper. They are here to protect me and fight evil. I have six hundred beings of different races at my home right now. Well, it’s our home. The duo and I freed a prison that was guarded by wens. We then fought our way out when an army full of dark ones came to take those people away. We got information from the overlords that were detained and found out that a demon is bringing war to our world, not sure when, but it is inevitable. Now, we’re building up an Army of Races to combat them.”

  Thado
neus stammered out something I couldn’t understand. Greinn shook his head in disbelief. Kristoph didn’t even look up. But Mel and Tara didn’t have any problems with asking questions.

  Tara asked, “What do we do?”

  Mel nodded, “Yes, how do we prepare?”

  ‘Guys? What do we need to do at this point?’

  ‘Tell them to call the elders to discuss the herds and tribes uniting,’ Herc responded.

  ‘The weres will probably follow you out of here anyway,’ Sig answered with a chuckle.

  Reap chuckled as well. ‘Don’t forget the orcs. Tavoria will be right beside the intriguing Maximus.’

  The trio cackled within my mind, no one around could hear them except me, which was annoying as I was stuck listening to them.

  Sighing, I said to the crowd, “You need to gather the elders of your tribes and herds. Tell them what is coming, we either unite, or fight alone and perish. Right now, I am on a quest and will be out of pocket for a few weeks. When I return, I need an answer from you regarding your involvement, if any, in the coming battles so I can plan accordingly.”

  The surrounding crowd started talking and discussing things. Seeing the faces on these people, most probably didn’t even believe me, but I’d told them what I had to and they would have to decide what to do with the information.

  After the crowd calmed down, Thadoneus said, “Thank you for the information you shared, Maximus. We will converse on these topics.”

  I bowed my head and left, not really caring what happened now. They need to figure out what they are going to do. I went to find some water to clean myself up. Afterwards I went to my spot, it was empty of anyone lurking, so I went to sleep.

  ***

  The next day, I was awoken by sounds around me. Opening my eyes, Reaper and Herc were beside me, but others had been watching me sleep. Eerie, to say the least. Two from each race: Mel and Elonis, Tara and Kristoph, Tavoria and Racar, and Dhorn and Dashi. Ignoring them and getting out of my bedroll, I stretched my body and my back and neck popped.

  Wiping the sleep out of my eyes and brushing my hair down, I glanced over and asked, “What can I do for you folks on this bright and early day?”

  Tara spoke first, “We want to know if that was all true, what you said last night.”

  Looking over the group, my eyes landed on the orcs.

  Elonis advised, “We talked with Tavoria and Racar to let them know what was discussed.”

  Oops, forgot to get them.

  Tavoria spoke after him, “They advised of your plans for the future and I told them about our prophecy.”

  Grunting, I responded to Tara, “Which part of last night?”

  Mel jumped in, “You being in the middle of this and the demons.”

  “What you heard was the truth as I know it. There are things I cannot tell you at this time, but you need to get your people together and prepare. I’m not sure of the timeline on this, my job is to prepare and get others ready as well.”

  They grumbled and shook their heads. I said, “Look, I’ve done my part and advised your leaders. They have to decide what is their best avenue to go. I have other things that need to be taken care of but will be back for the orcs in a few weeks.

  Kristoph glanced at Tara and she blurted out, “What about our discussion?”

  Mel asked, “What discussion?”

  Elonis turned to Mel and raised his right brow. Mel ignored him and looked straight at Tara.

  Kristoph groaned and spoke, “Our last discussion was to maybe join him when he goes back to his home.”

  Tara was concerned for sure. I replied, “You realize if you come with me then all of your prides will be in danger, not just here and there. Always.”

  The weres nodded but weren’t swayed one bit. Kristoph responded, “Yes, it doesn’t matter. We will be waiting when you get back.”

  Tara smiled broadly and winked at me. Groaning inside at this whole situation, my thoughts were elsewhere now, thinking about what will happen within Mair. Mel brought me back to the present.

  “Can anybody join?”

  Elonis replied quickly, “Melia, you know your father and mine will not allow that.”

  She scoffed, “Whatever. They can’t keep me from doing this.”

  They looked over at me and I put my hands up. “I’m not in that discussion. Whatever you decide, I’m fine either way. Now, I need to get going. Take care.”

  They nodded and walked away, leaving me to myself. It took a few minutes to pack up my gear and attaching it to Zeus, I chewed on some jerky as we left.

  ***

  King William and family were eating the mid-day meal in Whitehurst Great Hall. Duke Blaine Archibald and his family were in attendance as was Duchess Francesca Hartley and hers. High Mage Edward and Lady Shea completed the assembly. The group talked about the current situation in Augustia as they ate.

  “What is being done about the garrison in Norwich?” Duchess Hartley asked. “The attack took it completely out of commission.”

  “We’re doing everything we can,” King William advised. “I have given out orders to the commander at Tregaron to send a company to assist in securing the garrison.”

  “It will be detrimental if we can’t get it back in working condition,” she responded with concern.

  Duke Archibald nodded, “We are in agreement with you and give our condolences. We are sorry to hear about Jarvis.”

  She nodded, as did her son, David, and daughter, Flora. “David is leading our troops and will meet the commander there in a few days.”

  “Okay, I will send a message to let them know,” King William replied.

  When there was a lull in the conversation, High Mage Edward politely asked, “Have you had any more luck recruiting mages, Duke Archibald?”

  “No, we haven’t,” he replied with some frustration in his voice.

  “Well, hopefully the gods will lead some to you,” Shea responded with encouragement.

  “Oh, let’s stop with this kind of talk,” Queen Rebecca suggested.

  The group was silent for a bit as they ate their parfaits for dessert. When she was done, Duke Archibald’s daughter Josephine smiled. “Princess Corisande, we heard that you and Lord Tristen are courting, is that true?”

  Cori’s ears went red and she grit her teeth. “No Josephine, it isn’t.”

  Josephine’s smile fled and was replaced with confusion. Estelle chuckled out, “Cori sent him on his way when he tried to hold her hand.”

  The crowd tried to hold in their smiles and laughter but failed. Soon, the table was filled with chuckles.

  After a bit, the conversation was light until they were interrupted. A guard came in and bowed. Everyone at the table turned to look over.

  “Your Majesty, please forgive the intrusion.”

  King William nodded. “What is it?”

  “A messenger has arrived from Oakenshore. He has news.”

  Everyone perked up at that announcement. King William gestured to the door, “Let them in.”

  The guard bowed and walked over to the door and opened for the messenger to walk in. He did and strolled over quickly. Stopping by the king, he bowed before holding his hand out with an envelope.

  King William took it and immediately opened it when he saw the signet of Lord Foster. He read and reread before folding it back up. The king thought about what he wanted to do, and it took him a few minutes. Everyone at the table kept quiet.

  Turning, King William addressed the messenger, “Get yourself sustenance. I will have a message for you to take when you return.”

  The messenger bowed and left. King William pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Duke and Lady Ackley have taken a leave of absence on the request of the nobility, stating that they weren’t focusing on the city. They voted to let the heir Lord Blake take over temporarily.”

  The gathered gasped and murmured.

  Duke Archibald asked, “I take it it’s not going well?”

  “Th
at’s an understatement and they are asking for help. At the moment, I’m pulled in all directions from the attacks in Augustia. I don’t know who would be able to go assist.”

  “Why not send Alexander?” Duchess Hartley proposed.

  “No, he’s needed here.”

  “Send Estelle and Shea,” Queen Rebecca suggested. “They know the layout and will be able to calm the nobles down. And the two will be able to get the court under control.”

  The king thought about that and after a minute, he nodded. “I will send Shea and Estelle. Sir Nathan will take a squad to guard them. You will leave on the morrow. I’m sorry ladies and lords, but I need to give out orders and messages to send out.”

  They all nodded and he left the hall.

  ***

  Getting back to my journey, my mind was filled with the crap that happened earlier. At least I was able to give them the info to make their decision to join the fight or not.

  Crossing the border into Mair was uneventful. I was on high alert to make sure no person or thing would get a jump on me. The mountain range was supposed to be ten kilometers from the border. I was ready to get this shit over with.

  I stopped for a bit to converse with my guide. Sig advised me again that the elemental was headstrong, and might be a bit of a pain to deal with.

  ‘And what may I ask is the breed of this elemental?’

  He hesitated and didn’t say anything for almost a minute. ‘A yikarian.’

  ‘Did you say, yikarian?’

  ‘Yes, and before you get all hysterical, they aren’t evil. At least this one isn’t.’

  ‘How the hell do you know that? They take over people’s bodies just for giggles, and when they’re done with them, they usually just kill them. Some also have slaves, remember the Dao?’

  ‘Yes. My information comes from my eyes on her. She doesn’t use her magic jar spell, I don’t think she even uses the Dao, but she definitely knows earth magic.’

  I groaned. ‘This just keeps getting better. And how am I going to get this yikarian to help?’

  ‘That will be for you to figure out.’

  ‘Whatever.’

  We got back on the trail slowly while I thought over what was about to happen. A fuckin yikarian. Shit.