Rigst laughed, then walked off towards the other slayers.
“My Daddy hates that stuff!” Olivia said, looking at the mug.
A man who didn’t enjoy ale? Sonja fought back the urge to call Jaye a pussy. “It’s not for everyone,” she said instead.
“Can I taste it?” Olivia asked.
“No!” Jaye abruptly said.
Sonja coughed, almost choking on her beverage. “Olivia, if you want to grow up to be just like me, I need you to do something. It’s very important.”
“What’s that, Miss Sonja?” Olivia asked. Her parents watched with furrowed brows, beads of sweat now trickling down both of their faces. It was a warm day, but not that hot; they shouldn’t worry so much.
“I need you to be a good girl. Always do what your parents tell you to do and keep being nice to everyone you meet.”
“That will make me strong like you?” Olivia’s green eyes grew wide.
“Well, you’ll need to keep calling me pretty.” Sonja poked her tongue out, then pointed to the little girl’s plate. “And eat all your meat. You don’t grow up big and strong on just vegetables!”
Before she could respond, Olivia was shovelling the meat from her plate into her mouth.
“Ah, don’t forget to chew!” Sonja held back a chuckle.
“Thank you, Sonja,” Hildemara said, finally making eye contact with the slayer. The look of fear had left her, and Jaye seemed more at ease too.
“I need to go and drink more of this icky ale with my slayer friends now.” Sonja stood up with a smile, leaving behind two happy parents, and an incredibly excited little girl. Sonja felt all warm and fuzzy inside, and it wasn’t caused by the wyvern blood or ale either. She doubted the little girl would go on to become a slayer—no women had, bar herself—but many had doubted her when she was younger too.
Rigst looked handsome that sun—on and off the battlefield. He was slouching at a table with Volk and Knoch. They all had ales in their hands and smiles on their faces. If they were half as thirsty as she was, they’d be all about ready for another beverage. Best not to keep them waiting.
“Another round?” Taringa Lodern asked from behind the bar. She was Volk’s cousin, they shared the same fair, freckled complexion, although, her hair was long, straight, and bright red, much easier on the eyes than the frizzy mess that sat atop Volk’s head. Her body was curvaceous, and she was rather attractive, especially for someone with Altkrugan blood.
“Yeah,” Sonja said. She didn’t need to though, Taringa was already pouring a round of cold, fresh ales. “It has been one hectic sun!” The bust on Taringa had caught Sonja’s eyes. The soft, brown top looked as though it was about to explode and release those large breasts out into the wilderness.
“I heard the boys sayin’ you had a few wyverns to deal with?” Taringa paused for a moment upon noticing Sonja admiring her chest. She laughed, then placed the drinks on the bar for her.
Sonja shook her head. “Sorry…” She wiped her face, some of the dried wyvern blood crumbled into flakes and fell to the floor. “I’m tired, need to hold my head up better.”
Taringa laughed. “You’re not the first to stare at my tits, and I doubt you’ll be the last!”
Beneath the grime on Sonja’s face, her cheeks went pink. She grabbed the drinks, then turned to the other slayers without saying a word. There had been a few suns when she’d felt like this. Usually it was after too long on the battlefield. The suns when wave after wave of creatures attacked Holtur. Not wanting to look weak or feminine, she’d always suppressed it easily enough. Not this sun, the tension had built up, and the desire to release it was overwhelming. Maybe she was getting old? Was twenty-nine old? No, plenty of her fellow slayers had more years on her.
She placed the four drinks on the wooden, rectangular table. “Ready for another round?” she asked rhetorically. Like her, they all took a big gulp of confirmation. Good. She took a large swig herself, hoping the ale would quell her arousal.
“Cheers Sonja!” The three of them said as she sat herself down next to Rigst.
“What… a… sun!” Volk said, pausing between each word.
“Stupid wyverns,” Knoch agreed, “we got ‘em good we did!”
“I don’t know how they repopulate so fast!” Rigst rolled his eyes, then took another gulp of his ale.
“My guess is,” Sonja said with a smirk, “that when the frozen suns come, they just hide in the mountains and fuck non-stop!”
Knoch made a dry retching sound in response. The others laughed.
“Makes sense!” Volk tilted his head, offering a slight nod.
“Maybe that’s what we need to do!” Rigst joked. “Breed more, so we have waves of children to throw at the oncoming hordes of monsters when they attack!”
The family Sonja had been talking to—the Reulings—must have overheard Rigst’s boisterous comment and took it as their time to leave. Little Olivia was being pulled along by her father, but with her free hand she waved to Sonja and called out, “Goodbye pretty lady!”
“I think you’ve got a little to learn before making an army of children, Rider,” Sonja said to Rigst.
“Ah…” Rigst rolled his eyes. “Didn’t mean to upset your fan club, pretty lady.” He gave her a big smile, creating wrinkles around his face.
The crows feet forming from the corner of Rigst’s squinting eyes stole Sonja’s attention. Had she noticed those before? She seemed to be noticing quite a lot about this particular colleague during the sun. Ever since he had tackled her to the ground, throwing her away from a swooping wyvern that she hadn’t noticed. It was an odd feeling indeed, for a couple of reasons; she had been rescued many times by other slayers, and usually her affection wasn’t aimed towards men.
Rigst turned back to the conversation with the other slayers, and Sonja noticed another man walk into the Wounded Wyvern. He was tall and lean, with short, brown hair, and wore a long, navy blue trench coat. It was Captain Clovis Sudtor, the captain of the south gate.
Following Clovis in was group of his own slayers. They weren’t as fit as Sonja’s lot, they also weren’t covered in blood. The south gate slayers made their way to the bar, whilst Clovis walked towards Sonja.
“You lot look like shit!” Clovis said, eyeing the four slayers.
They stopped conversing and looked at each other, realising he was correct. An awkward silence overcame the slayers for a moment, then they joined Clovis in a good belly laugh.
“Wyverns attacked from the north,” Sonja said.
“Lots and lots of em’!” Knoch added.
“No time to wash up after, I assume?” Clovis joked.
Sonja sternly looked the other captain in the eye. “I wouldn’t risk having my men die of dehydration.”
“Good!” Clovis nodded. “Neither would I!”
One of Clovis’ men placed a drink in his captain’s hands, then returned to the other south gate slayers.
“I’m assuming the south has been quiet?” Sonja asked.
“We find the odd graekan trying to wander into town,” Clovis said, then gave a thankful nod towards Rigst. “I’m not worried though. I highly doubt we’ll have another infestation on our hands any time soon.”
“Good!” Sonja raised a brow. “We got lucky with those things.” Towards the end of the most recent set of frozen suns, her and Rigst—with the help of Kallum—destroyed an entire colony of the turtle-like monsters.
“Thanks again for that. Hopefully we stay lucky,” Clovis said, then turned towards his men. “Stay safe out there, Captain.”
“You too, Captain,” Sonja responded.
Sonja, Rigst, Volk, and Knoch then continued to talk—and drink—the sun away. Sonja’s tension didn’t leave her, and the more she drank, the stronger her urges became. At one point Volk and Knoch had both stumbled off to the men’s room, in need of refunding some of the ale they had consumed. Alone with Rigst, Sonja couldn’t help but grasp Rigst’s upper thigh.
Rig
st didn’t seem too shocked. In response, he squeezed Sonja’s hand, and said in a casual voice, “Later.”
By the time they left the Wounded Wyvern, the sun had well and truly set. First moon was a bright, white beacon in a cloudless sky. Sonja should have gone home—or to her father’s—but instead she made a mistake. She ended up at Rigst’s residence. It was there she would remain until her next shift.
Chapter 3: Tequidi's Warning
Present sun…
Sonja released a sigh when returning the brass looking glass to her belt. “Only one?” she asked herself under her breath. A single flame wyvern was not something the slayers of Holtur had to worry about. It was the creature’s intent that had her worried. Why would the wyvern throw itself at Holtur alone? Surely the creature would be smart enough to realise it was a suicidal action.
“Maybe we can let it live? Let it leave?” The freckles on Volk’s pale face beamed as his light-blue eyes followed the inferno dancing about the sky.
Sonja had loaded the ballista turret and aimed it west, towards the oncoming wyvern. “A quick death would be a kindness.” She spoke softly, her eyes meeting his. “Much better than letting Ivan get his hands on it.”
Volk shuddered at the thought. “Thankfully, Ivan’s off dealing with Glacious’ Divine Ones.”
“He’d be on his way back by now.” Sonja shook her head, and her neck-length, curly, blonde locks danced about her ears. “And if the red leaves us alone, no doubt Ivan will chase after it.”
Volk shuddered again. “You don’t know that for sure, Captain.”
“Fine,” Sonja grunted, “if it leaves us alone, we’ll leave it alone.” She shook her head once more. “Just know, your appreciation for the thing may have caused it more harm.”
“Thanks, Captain,” Volk said.
Sonja held her hand out to a group of nearby slayers. They too were guarding the northern wall, arrows ready to fly on her command. “No one fires their weapons unless the wyvern displays hostility first,” she said in a dry tone.
The slayers all looked to each other in confusion. Most of the Holtur townsfolk knew the chaos and devastation a single wyvern was capable of. No one seemed to share the appreciation Volk had, and none had the understanding that Sonja did.
“But Captain,” Arnis challenged, “it’s a wyvern. A wyvern! We should take it out first!”
The older Bernard buried his elbow into Arnis’ ribs. “You heard the captain, if it attacks, it dies!”
“Thank you Bernard,” Sonja said with a smile. She turned to Arnis, narrowing her eyes. He wasn’t showing insubordination, he was just afraid. Afraid of not killing that which can kill us.
“I think this one looks different…” Volk was still staring at the oncoming wyvern. Its flight path was heading directly for Holtur, directly for the north wall. “What do you think that is, strapped to its chest?”
“Strapped to its chest?” Sonja repeated the words. She hurriedly brought the looking glass back to her eye, stared for a moment, then questioned, “Tequidi?”
“Tea-what-now?” Volk asked.
Sonja laughed. “Tequidi, a timid little Altkrugan girl.” She looked Volk up and down. “You would really like her, she’s a wyvern pilot!”
“A flame wyvern pilot?” Volk struggled the words through surprise and excitement. “How do you know her?”
“I met her up in Aestridge, when I took the bargetier’s victims to that resort. Remember? I had to help them get over the whole ordeal. Well, I got bored and ended up flying with one of her wyverns!”
“Kuhvi-shit!” Volk swore. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You wouldn’t have believed me. Plus you would have barraged me with a million questions!” Sonja snickered. “Now, the question is, why has she flown all the way to Holtur? I told her what we do to wyverns…”
“Maybe she misses you?” Volk had a hopeful look upon his face.
“At ease slayers,” Sonja called out, “it’s a friend.” She turned to Volk. “You stay up here for now. I’ll go meet her beyond the front gates. Last thing I need is townsfolk freaking out over a wyvern perched near the wall!”
“Can’t I come meet her too?” Volk whined.
“No!” Sonja felt like she was dealing with a child. “Seeing your face would scare her off!”
“Damn it, Captain, you know my family originated from Altkruga!” Volk crossed his arms, and furrowed his brows.
“I’ll organise the opportunity for you to give it a pat!” Sonja couldn’t help but laugh as she made her way down to the courtyard.
By the time Sonja was outside the front gate, the large flame wyvern wasn’t far off. It glided low across the lush green plain, flared its wings, then came to a halt barely metres away from her. Attached to its chest was an A-frame with an insulated sack. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, a short woman stumbled from the sack, and clumsily fell to the ground.
“Tequidi?” Sonja cautiously asked.
“Y-you remembered me!” Tequidi said with enthusiasm. The fact her offsider was a flame wyvern—large, even for the breed—made Tequidi appear even smaller than she really was. Sonja thought it was insane how such a small, timid human could command such a powerful creature.
“Well, of course…” Sonja ruffled her curls. “It’s not every sun you fly a wyvern, enter freefall, and almost die! I don’t think I’ll ever forget that experience.” It was a terrifying ordeal, but the wyvern Sonja had been attached to—one that looked identical to the one before her right now—saved her from falling to her demise.
The wyvern exhaled a puff of dark smoke in response. “Oh, y-yes, sorry about that. Raithia remembers too, d-don’t you girl!” Tequidi removed her goggles, then stuffed them into a pack that was strapped to the A-frame. She looked back at the wyvern, which gave a slight flick of its head.
“I thought she looked a little big,” Sonja said with a smile. It was, in fact, the same wyvern that had saved her in Aestridge. A good thing the slayers didn’t shoot the majestic creature down! “So, why are the two of you here? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? The two of you flying unannounced towards Holtur?” She glanced at Raithia’s eyes, and the black, slitted pupils grew wide. She then returned her gaze to Tequidi. “I told you what kind of problems we have to deal with here. You were close to being knocked out of the sky!”
“Oh, s-sorry. Umm…” Tequidi paused, put her thick glasses upon her face, then took in a deep breath. “I-I think there is a lot of trouble coming for Holtur. A large group of men gathered in Altkruga, th-they are hurting people for no reason. Th-they are heading east. Towards Holtur.
“You think a few men are going to hurt Holtur?” Sonja shook her head. “You don’t quite understand exactly what we have to deal with here. A few men won’t cause much of an issue.”
“N-no, there’s a lot of them.” Tequidi stretched her arms out wide. “A r-real lot of them! They are hurting lots of people! N-no one can stop them!”
“Why?” Sonja crossed her arms. “Why would a group of men want to come to Holtur and try to cause us harm?”
“Th-they are searching for something,” Tequidi said while fidgeting with her spectacles. “Th-their leader, Crispin, is a powerful man. He is the brother of Asof. I mean, Lord Turice.”
“Just what I need…” Sonja slapped her hand up against her face. “Another bloody bureaucrat trying to get his way.”
“H-he is not a bureaucrat…” Tequidi paused. “His b-brother had him exiled from Altkruga. Cr-Crispin is a bad man. A strong man. An influential man. A-and he will do anything to get what he wants.”
“I’m sure he would.” Sonja folded her arms.
“D-don’t underestimate him Sonja.”
“What should we do when he comes?” Sonja entertained the woman, she had travelled quite a distance to offer this information after all.
“G-Give him whatever he wants,” Tequidi said softly, “and hide all your women. Hide them good. D-Don’t let those men get
the scent of them. Say they are away or something, like when you all went to Aestridge.”
Sonja sneered at that, she didn’t like being told to hide. Then she noticed a single tear escape Tequidi’s eye. “What did he do to you?”
“He?” She looked up at Sonja. “It’s what they all would do that worries me!” She fidgeted with her glasses. “And nothing, no one did anything to me. Raithia saved me.” The large flame wyvern exhaled a puff of smoke.
“What about…” Sonja paused, trying to remember the name of the smart-arsed jerk who tortured her through the piloting course. “Ace, what did he do?”
“They killed him,” Tequidi said, her glasses fogged up and more liquid dripped from her cheeks. “Alexander Kingsford was a great man, despite what you may have thought. They killed Reizexus, then took off with him.”
Sonja thought for a moment, remembering Reizexus. He was the largest flame wyvern she had ever seen, even making Raithia appear tiny. He was the alpha flame wyvern of that family. Ace was the human alpha.
“They killed that massive wyvern?” Sonja asked, shocked. “Reizexus would have been a struggle for us, let alone some group of bandits.”
“I-I think so…” Tequidi said. “Raithia and I f-fled not long after the attack began. Some wyverns escaped, m-most did not. We heard his cries, b-but didn’t see him leave.”
“Shit!” Sonja blurted out. “What of the other flame wyverns, the ones that escaped?”
Raithia’s slitted pupils dilated, she understood what worried Sonja.
“Th-they dispersed,” Tequidi confessed. “S-some with riders, others without.”
“Damn it…” Sonja sighed. “It’s going to be a long, fiery, set of frozen suns…”
Tequidi shamefully put her hands over her face, then ran her fingers through her long, dark, brown hair. She took in a deep breath, then asked, “Wh-why is it that stray w-wyverns seek out Holtur?”
“I have no clue,” Sonja responded. “Why does the Altkrugan lord’s brother head for Holtur?”
“I th-think… your home is cursed.”
With furrowed brows and arms still folded, Sonja just stared at the little woman.
The Holtur Curse (The Holtur Trilogy Book 2) Page 2