Nightfall stood up and said in a very loud voice so that everyone could hear it, “You all know that Leena is under my protection. Marcy is now also under my protection. Anyone who bothers them is bothering me and will suffer the consequences.” Then he softly said as he looked at the two women, “Go now before I change my mind.” He then sat down and reached for his wine.
Marcy and Leena quickly left the bar. Marcy shouted to an old man with grey hair behind the bar, “I quit!” as she left.
Nightfall watched them leave and smiled. He couldn’t believe it; he had actually done something good for someone without getting anything in return.
Chapter 17
Nightfall was sitting at his table in the Red Cup and he was all alone, rumor had it that Marcy and Leena had left town. On top of the table sat about twenty light brown cloth sacks tied shut. There was a cleanly dressed man standing near the table waiting for Nightfall instructions. He had brought six burly men with him and they stood to off one side waiting for orders. They too were all cleanly dressed and well groomed.
The Red Cup had just opened up a couple of hours ago and the tavern was already about half full. Everyone was quiet though as they watched Nightfall and the seven strangers. They knew that something big was going to happen and happen soon. They all had heard strange rumors and they couldn’t wait to see if they were true. If they were then there would be much celebrating tonight. They could only hope that the rumors were true.
Nightfall finished his drink and looked up at the man standing in front of the table and off to the side. He put the empty glass down and stood up. He stretched his muscular arms and said, “Now is the time to give this city a fair and just king! Have your men grab all of the pouches and all of you follow me!”
Nightfall walked around the table and headed straight for the front door. The cleanly dressed man followed him. The six other men had grabbed all of the heavy bags and trailed behind.
As they left the Red Cup and walked down the street, a large crowd of people followed them. They had heard the rumors and wanted to witness what was coming. They were happy and excited.
Nightfall led the way with the cleanly dressed man by his side. The six men that were following looked at the crowd and became a little nervous because they knew that they were carrying a vast fortune with them. They would defend it with their lives like they had been paid to do.
Nightfall led the way down street after street and the crowd that was following became bigger and bigger. He didn’t talk because he was preparing himself for what he intended on doing. He wasn’t even totally sure why he was going to do it. One good reason was because he hated Toraxis the king of Tharn. The king had insulted him and looked down on him when he had first met him and no one does that to him and lives to tell about it. The only reason that Nightfall didn’t already took care of the perverted fat slob was because at the time he was too busy hunting all of the sorcerers of The Brotherhood.
Another reason that he was going to put a good man on the throne was because of Leena and her friend Marcy. They had both told him how some of their friends had gone missing and they pretty much knew where they could be found. He had feelings for Leena and he wanted Tharn to be a better place to live just for her.
Nightfall walked up to a corner and then he went to his right down the branching street. Up ahead he could see the majestic palace and he smiled.
He walked straight ahead and came into a wide and spacious open plaza that was already full of people and a lot of soldiers along with the palace guard. He stopped and looked at the palace on the other side of the public square.
The cleanly dressed man said, “I told you that all would be ready. Cran is waiting with all of the soldiers and the palace guard that are faithful to him and they all hate Toraxis and will follow any instructions that you give them.”
Nightfall smiled and walked forward. He said, “Lead me to this Cran.”
The cleanly dressed man smiled and led Nightfall across the square and straight towards a very large and muscular man that looked like a fearsome warrior. He had fiery red hair and a short neatly trimmed beard. He was busy giving orders and moving his troops into the position that he wanted.
Nightfall looked at Cran as he got closer and he laughed. The man looked like a king should look.
Cran turned and saw Nightfall coming and he walked forward to meet him. As they closed the distance Cran held out his hand in greeting.
Nightfall took the hand and said, “Are you ready to become king today?”
“I am more than ready. Toraxis has made everyone suffer long enough! I await your orders,” Cran said.
Nightfall said, “Today I am going to kill the king and all that follow him. I will give you the throne and you won’t lose a single man. I am a very powerful sorcerer and you might not like what you see. When I am done here I plan on leaving Tharn and I don’t think that I will ever return. I will return though if I here that you start acting like the king that I am about to destroy. I have heard that you are a just and honest man and that you are very well liked and respected. If you stay true to how you are now and don’t let the power and riches blind you then you will live long and prosper. Are you willing to be a just and proper king or should I look elsewhere?”
Cran said with much passion, “I promise that I will do exactly like you say. I will rule fairly and with compassion. I want our city to thrive and be great again!”
Nightfall smiled and said, “I will do everything. All I want you to do is make sure that everyone that is loyal to the king is separated from you and your men. When we enter into the palace I want you to send your men out to round up any of the men that you know for sure are loyal to the king. Have them brought to the throne room where I can dispose of them.”
Cran said, “It will be done!”
Nightfall then turned and walked straight towards the palace. He crossed the wide public square and everyone moved aside and let him pass. He walked right up to the large ornate door that would lead into the palace.
As Nightfall neared the door everyone got out of his way. He said a word and the massive door opened by itself and Nightfall walked through and into the large entry room.
The foyer was jammed packed with citizens and soldiers along with some of the palace guard. Nightfall ignored them all and walked straight towards two massive doors that were closed with six soldiers standing at guard before them. He looked towards his left and saw the door that opened to a small room where he had been kept waiting by a foolish guard the very first time that he was in the palace. He had come to offer his services to the king. Seeing that room fueled his anger thinking of how he was disrespected.
When he was about four or five feet away from the large double entry doors two guards were about to open them when Nightfall said a word causing the doors to open by themselves and swing wide open allowing Nightfall to walk straight through and into the throne room.
The room was immense and decorated with thick soft carpets of bright colors and heavy draperies of fine fabric depicting images of beautiful women in different stages of undress adorned the walls. Toraxis sat comfortably on the plush red cushions of the throne with a beautiful slave girl on his lap. He was dressed in a brightly colored tunic of light blue and white. His flabby hands were busy caressing the slave girl’s naked flesh. She looked very unhappy and very much afraid. The room was empty except for the king and the poor young female.
Toraxis then noticed that his soldiers and some of the palace guard along with many common citizens had entered the throne room unannounced and they were being led a man dressed in all black.
The so-called king thought for a minute and then he recognized the bold man in all black. The king said as he caressed the frightened young woman, “I no longer need your services so leave before I have to have you thrown out!” Everyone gasped in shock.
Nightfall almost lost it and blasted the king with red flame but instead he just smiled and said, “Come here girl, you are safe now.”
The woman tried to get away but Toraxis held her tight with his flabby hands. He glared at Nightfall with hatred and said, “Who do you think you are?”
Nightfall walked forward and said a word. The king’s hands released the woman and she immediately broke free and ran down the four steps and across the floor and straight into Nightfall’s arms. He told her to calm down and then he wrapped a dark satin robe around her that Cran had just handed him.
Nightfall turned to Cran and said, “Have some of your men take robes and go and free the rest of the captive women and seize any of the guards that are watching over them if they had molested any of the women in any way. Bring them all back here to the throne room. I want the women see what I am going to do to the king of Tharn.
Cran quickly gave the orders and about twenty men ran out of the throne room with applause from all present. They had all heard what Nightfall had said.
Toraxis was trying to shout profanities and give orders but he found that he could no longer speak or even move. He strained and strained but he could only move his eyes and they were now wide open in terror.
Nightfall turned to Cran and said, “Have all of the soldiers and the palace guard that are faithful to the king stand over there and have everyone move away from them.” He then pointed to the far wall on his right.
Cran was swift in following Nightfall’s orders. About a third of the men in the throne room were escorted towards the wall on the right. Soldiers also were sent out to the barracks to get the rest of the soldiers and the palace guard that were faithful to Toraxis.
Within about a half an hour all of the treacherous soldiers and palace guard were standing by the far wall and wondering what was going on. They were held there by Cran’s men with drawn swords.
Minutes later about sixty young and beautiful women wearing long soft light colored robes came in with more of Cran’s men and they had also brought quite a few men with bruises who had their arms tied behind their back. The latter group had foolishly admitted taking advantage of the imprisoned young women. The men with their hands tied were escorted to join their comrades by the wall.
Nightfall looked at all of the men by the wall with disgust. He was an evil man and he freely admitted it but he never forced himself on any unwilling female, ever. He hated people like that and they were now going to pay!
Toraxis watched everything that was going on and he was starting to get afraid, very afraid. He couldn’t talk so he couldn’t ask for mercy or lie and say that he was sorry and would change. He couldn’t even run away because he couldn’t move a muscle.
Nightfall walked towards the unlucky men near the far wall. He stopped when he was about ten feet away from the front line of them. He looked to his right and to his left and then he said, “I am going to ask you a question and what you say will determine if you live or die. If you lie then you will surely die.”
Some of the men tried to run forward and attack Nightfall but they quickly found out that they couldn’t even move. They didn’t notice that Nightfall had said a word of power putting a spell upon all of them so that they couldn’t stir. They were helpless and at the mercy of the man dressed in all black, if he had any mercy.
Nightfall smiled noticing what some of them had tried to do. He said, “Are you all faithful to the king of Tharn?”
They could talk but that was all that they could do. No one said a word.
Nightfall said again, “Are you all faithful to the king of Tharn? Whoever doesn’t answer this time I will immediately kill with no mercy whatsoever.”
There was a brief moment of silence and then they all as one said, “Aye, we all serve the king.”
Nightfall said a word and they all exploded into a ball of searing red flame which totally consumed them until there was nothing left but dark ash littering the golden polished floor. Then the ash disappeared in light grey plumes of smoke which drifted upwards and then disappeared.
Nightfall laughed and then he turned around and walked towards the throne. No one in the room shed any tears for the evil men that had just been consumed by magical fire, in fact most of them smiled.
Nightfall stood in front of the throne before the steps. He looked up at Toraxis and smiled. He said, “I should let all of the women that you have molested kill you but I will be somewhat merciful and do it myself. He then said a word and the king of Thar was no more. He disappeared and all that was left was a rising cloud of black smoke that rose upwards towards the high ceiling and then disappeared.
Nightfall walked up the steps and stood before the throne. He turned around and faced everyone. He said in a clear and loud voice that everyone in the spacious room could hear, “I have cleansed the palace of all of the evil men who have been robbing you and molesting your daughters. I am not seeking nor do I want the throne. Cran who is well loved and a just and fair man will from this day forth be your new king!” He then motioned for Cran to come up and take his seat on the throne.
Cran walked up the steps and past Nightfall and sat down. The people in the throne room cheered and cheered in happiness.
Nightfall turned and looked at the new king and said, “Congratulations my king. I am now going to leave you. Set up all of the payments to the women and their families. I leave you my donation for doing it.” He then pointed towards the six men holding the cloth bags.
Cran said, “I don’t know how I can ever thank you. You have just done so much for the city and its people that the debt can never be repaid. You are always and forever welcome in Tharn.”
Nightfall nodded and then he walked down the steps and across the floor and through the entry room and out of the palace. People cheered him as he left.
Nightfall went straight to Starns Stables. Within minutes he was riding away from Tharn. Once he was out of the city he stopped briefly and looked back. He looked at Tharn with mixed emotions. He was thinking of Leena and Marcy. He also knew that he was going to miss the Red Cup because it had become a home to him. He shrugged his muscular wide shoulders and smiled. He spurred Night on and said, “Let’s go! There are a lot of outlaws waiting to be slain!” Nightfall laughed and thought that now was the time to be evil again, very evil! He rode straight east towards the grass lands and vengeance.
Chapter 18
Red and Bruk would leave the village the next day early in the morning. Rose was a little upset that she couldn’t go with them but her father had forbid it, saying that she was just a child yet.
Red had managed to get her dad’s blessing in her helping Bruk in his quest. Her father didn’t know where they were going or what the quest was but he figured that with Bruk that she would be safe enough. He also knew that if he forbid her that she would probably go anyways. She was stubborn that way, especially with the chance to go on an adventure.
Early in the morning the following day Bruk and Red left the village and headed north. The whole village watched them leave. Everyone wished them luck and said to watch out for the bears.
Rose was standing next to her father and she wasn’t very happy. She wanted to go with them but her father had said no. She didn’t think that she was too young.
Richad watched his daughter and Bruk ride away until they were well out of sight and then he looked at Rose who was still pouting and said, “Come on, let’s go and get something to eat.”
Rose looked north where she had last seen her big sister and then she reluctantly followed her dad to the hall.
Bruk and Red traveled far the first day rarely stopping. Their mounts were covered with a large white insulated blanket that would help them in the cold and not interfere with their stride.
Bruk and Red were wearing heavy insulated vests and coats along with fur lined water resistant boots. They also wore a pair of water resistant fur lined pants over their regular pants. They were more than prepared for the cold. The farther north they would go the colder and snowy it would become.
The farther north that they went the hillier and rougher the landscape became. The whole regi
on ahead of them was covered in a thick blanket of snow and ice. Many trees dotted the land and were covered in snow. Besides the fearsome white bears there were many smaller furry animals that made their home on the snowy land.
Bruk looked at Red as they rode. He pointed to the east and said, “That bear doesn’t see us. It is busy eating something and that is all it is worried about for the moment.”
Red looked and said, “That is the first bear that we have seen so far these past two weeks. We have been very lucky. In about another week or so we should see some kind of a sign of the lost city. We should head a little more to the west now.”
Bruk pulled on the reins and adjusted the unicorn’s direction.
Red said, “That is better. I am looking forward to finding that lost city. I hope that we find some treasure there. That would make up for my last adventure when I lost all of them jewels; I’m still not over that.”
Bruk laughed. He was enjoying Red’s company. She was a good woman and she had a great sense of humor. She was also very smart and she was a very good cook.
They rode on all that day without seeing another bear again. They traveled far that day and near the end of the day late in the afternoon it started to snow.
The snow came down heavily making it hard to see as it started to get dark. Bruk looked around and saw a small copse of leafy trees next to a small snow covered hill a little way to the west and said, “Let’s head that way. It will provide a little shelter from the wind and the snow.” He then pointed to where he was talking about.
Red looked and smiled. She turned her mount and said, “Let’s go and get out of the wind.”
Bruk let her lead the way and within about ten minutes they were by the trees. Bruk quickly took care of the mounts while Red got a fire going so that she could prepare a meal. It was their normal routine.
The branches from the trees pretty much blocked the falling snow and the hill blocked most of the fiercely cold wind. All in all it turned out to be a very good place to stop for the night.
The Sword of Vengeance (The Chronicles of Bruk the Barbarian Book 4) Page 13