Devoured Innocence

by Michelle Marquis

  The female guards eyed everyone with warranted suspicion. When their narrowed gazes fell on Scarlet with her infant strapped to her chest, they relaxed slightly. It definitely helped to have a woman in their group, even if she was human. He wondered if having Gypsy among them would have helped or hindered. His sister’s aggression was more male than female. He’d hate to see what she’d be like protecting her own child.

  The taller, heavier guard had dark green skin and auburn hair that hung in one braid down her back. She was decked out in standard steel body armor. Diamond shaped, amber markings adorned the neckline of her chest plate, denoting her rank of corporal. The rest of the plate was engraved with naked females hunting with spears.

  “Who are these men to you?” she asked looking directly at Scarlet.

  Hazen squirmed and fussed against Scarlet’s bosom. Gently bouncing the child, she gestured to Desmond and then the others as she introduced each of them. “This is my husband, Desmond, and next to him is my colleague, Krull. He is a physician and in need of medical care. The AEssyrian warrior is my brother by marriage, Commander Kharon. The Commander escorted us so we would arrive here safely. And this,” she said beaming down at the infant, “is my son, Hazen.”

  The guard gestured to Krull’s wound with the tip of her sword. “What happened to him?”

  “We were ambushed by robbers. Please, he needs immediate medical help.”

  Desmond was proud of Scarlet and how the skewed truths dripped off of her tongue like honey. Tending to their son she seemed only half concerned with the guards, looking as benign and motherly as anyone ever could. It worked outstandingly. And why not? She was at the minimum equal to these guards in status at the Queendom.

  The guard who had spoken looked skeptical of Krull’s suffering. Another low level military official with an inflated sense of power. Desmond wanted to smack her. “Why didn’t you get help at one of the medical outposts on the way here?”

  Scarlet’s full lips dipped into a sad frown. “We tried. But the one we came across was destroyed and all the staff killed. We are—”

  “You don’t need to explain. We know exactly who you are,” the guard said.

  The Razorback guard doing all the talking kept stealing furtive looks at Kharon, then her eyes darted past to the surrounding area. Finally she lifted her chin toward him. “Where is your wife?”

  Desmond guessed Gypsy’s marriage to Kharon was common knowledge after he’d killed Astor and honored their joining in front of a pretty hefty crowd.

  “She needed to attend to another matter, Little Mother,” Kharon replied.

  The guard’s eyes warmed immediately and she smiled. Not many AEssyrian males knew how to properly address a Razorback woman. It took all of Desmond’s restraint not to roll his eyes. It was a brilliant move on Kharon’s part, but the veiled act of submission still annoyed Desmond.

  “I don’t know,” the guard said, her tone amused and sexually teasing. “I’m not supposed to let any of you in. We were told to send you all back to the empire if you showed up.”

  Desmond had had enough of this. “Who exactly are you supposed to send back? I’m sure the Queen didn’t mean the female doctor, her sickly infant and the injured Kirillian doctor.”

  “You’re probably right about that, Theron,” the guard agreed, speaking his name like a curse staining her lips. “I’m sure she just meant you and the Commander here,” she said giving Kharon a flirtatious smirk.

  Scarlet scowled, shaking her head. “No, no, no. I want my husband with me.”

  Desmond rode closer and kissed her. “There is no way they are going to let me in because of who I am. You and Hazen need to stay here until I come back. At least give me the comfort of knowing you and our son our safe.”

  “You can’t just leave us,” Scarlet protested.

  With pain reverberating in his neck, arm and side he slid his good arm around her waist, grimacing as he leaned over. As he pressed close he could feel his sleeping child’s heartbeat between them. It was strangely relaxing. "All that matters to me right now is safety for you and Hazen. For once, please don’t argue. Let me have this one thing.”

  Scarlet’s eyes lowered in concession. “Promise me you’ll be back soon,” she said tightening her arms around him.

  “I promise I’ll do the best I can. You’ll like it here, trust me. I’ve heard the creature comforts are quite an improvement.”

  “I don’t care about that.”

  Desmond smiled, “I know. I am just trying to make this a little bit easier. Okay?”

  “Is Dr. Harlan Theron here?” Kharon asked the guard.

  “She...uh...escaped a few days ago. The details are unclear but officially the Queen says some old AEssyrian man helped her.”

  Desmond and Kharon exchanged a worried glance. “Titan,” Desmond said.

  Kharon’s mouth dipped down. “On top of everything else.” He turned his attention to the guard. “Will you please see that my family members and our friend here are are well cared for?”

  The guard gave him dazzling smile laced with carnal intentions. “Of course. How long should I say they are staying here?”

  Desmond shifted in his saddle and winced. “We can’t give a solid commitment, but I am fairly certain the Queen will forget about them in a day or two. At any rate, my wife, child and Dr. Krull are not fugitives. The Queen should have no objection.”

  Kharon winked at the flirty guard. “Thank you for your help, Little Mother. We’ll be back to collect our people soon. Hopefully we’ll see each other again.”

  The guard moved aside to let Scarlet, Hazen and Krull cross. “I look forward to it.”

  Desmond watched them go until they were out of sight. “All right stud, let’s go find your wife and my sisters.”

  Chapter 16

  Gypsy knew even before Trajan rode into their camp that evening. They had lost them. If she hadn’t been on that mission with Gavin a few years ago, to rescue her mother, she would have pushed through the night. But echoes of her father’s teachings were everywhere. If we find Makara and we’re exhausted, he will get away again and may grab me as well or worse, kill us all.

  Staring into the campfire, she wondered how everything could have gone so wrong. If only she knew her mother was safe it might make all this bearable. But as it stood, she didn’t know if anyone was unharmed, even Kharon and Desmond. They could have been intercepted before the Razorback border and killed.

  Remembering she had a rare means to ease some of her worry, she reached out to Kharon. His anger at her had evaporated and she immediately felt his soothing love. Krull, Scarlet and the baby had been delivered safely to the Queendom. He and Desmond were denied entry, but neither would have gone in anyway.

  Kharon let her know he and her brother were coming to help them look for Missy. We just stopped to make camp as well. You and Trajan need to get some sleep and rebuild your strength.

  Any news on my mother?

  There was a long pause in their mental communication. The border guard said she escaped. We think Titan took her. That is all I know, my love. We will catch up as quickly as we can. Trajan left us some excellent hidden markers. I need to sleep now. Stay safe. I love you.

  Before she could respond, Trajan walked over and crouched next to her by the fire, still holding the reins of his mount.

  “I understand your fear, Gypsy, but this aggressive chase is hopeless. The harder we pursue Makara, the deeper into the wilderness he is going to run and the harder he’ll be to find. If he believes we are getting too close, he has no aversion to night travel. By my estimate, Makara has gained at least six hours of ground on us, but he has to sleep too. If we back off, create a comfort zone and wait, he’ll slow down and resurface. I am pretty sure he won’t hold onto her very long because she is a child and an ass ache to travel with. Not to mention she looks human, so he will have the added burden of concealing her identity to avoid someone stealing his bounty.”

  “But she doesn�
��t have a bounty on her,” she whispered in a cracked voice. “What if he sells her to a brothel or an off world slaver?”

  “That’s not likely. Doing that won’t even pay him a quarter of what is being offered. You have to think like a bounty hunter. Children are worth nothing and she was a relatively easy catch. He wants to make as much money off her as fast as possible so he can regroup and come after the rest of you.”

  Gypsy was confused. Am I missing something? “When I stopped in at the last town, I managed to get some information by over-tipping one of the barmaids.”

  Much to Gypsy’s annoyance he hesitated, like he didn’t want to share information. “So what did you learn from your pretty new friend?” she asked impatiently. Gypsy loved Trajan and he’d always been a reliable ally but right now he was frustrating her to no end. The information upset him, she could tell.

  “Currently there are two bounties. The first is from the emperor Megolyth. It is only for you, Desmond and Kharon. Among hunters it is considered a soft bounty because the emperor’s financial challenges aren’t much of a secret. There is a concern among my brethren that he won’t pay and they will end up with a promissory note, which is worthless if he loses the throne.”

  After stopping for a few breaths he continued. “There is now a second bounty. It was issued through the Leviathan Kingdom by your ex-husband, General Caraculla. He has offered triple the emperor’s bounty for the safe delivery of any of the Therons. That is where Makara is probably headed. That’s what I would do. Not only will he make more money, but there are a hundred different ways to get there and he doesn’t have to deal with the instability of the empire.”

  “Have you ever been there?” she asked.

  “Yes, but this is fresh information so he probably tried to get to the empire first. If he knows, he will have doubled back to get to Leviathan’s. All he has to do is reach the North Sea and find a ferryman. The entire palace is surrounded by water except during low tide. We have already pushed Makara two weeks ride from Leviathan’s kingdom. If we hound him too much, he might just give up the bigger bounty and sell her to whoever is handy.”

  “You said before that he wouldn’t do that.” Gypsy tried, once again, not to cry.

  “I truly don’t believe he would sell her to a whorehouse, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t sell her as a slave or house servant, especially if he has any wealthy contacts.” Placing a comforting arm around her, he gave her a squeeze. “I get it, Gypsy, I really do. But your ex-husband has done us a huge favor. Makara is now going to try to get Missy to him and that buys us a lot more time. Of course, that’s assuming Caraculla means her no harm either.”

  She shook her head vigorously. “No, he would never hurt her.”

  Trajan stood up. “Good, now on to your second problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  Standing up, he mounted and scanned the darkness. “An Imperial legion is closing in on us. We need to split up. They don’t care about me so I can keep looking for Missy. But I suggest you surrender to them. Their commander was a good friend of your dad’s. I doubt he’ll care about turning you over for a bounty, but he is doing a sweep for deserters and traitors. If you turn yourself in, give him a good story and swear your loyalty to him, they won’t imprison or execute you.”

  Gypsy stood with a hand on her sword and began collecting her things as Trajan rode off into the darkness. She thought about trying to escape too, but then heard the unmistakable crunching of boots advancing through dead leaves not far from her. Based on the lack of stealth it’s gotta be a soldier. Lucky for him I’m going to take Trajan’s advice.

  Lifting her hands in surrender she squinted off toward the cluster of trees where she had heard the not so subtle footsteps. Out of the dark, a soldier charged forward. Fearful that she was under attack, Gypsy pulled her sword and pointed it right in his face. When the firelight flickered briefly, exposing his features she saw it was Makkai. The shadows of his true paternity gave her some comfort once again. Gypsy lowered her sword.

  His bright blue eyes sparkled and he gave her his usual big goofy grin. Makkai lowered his sword too. “Gods, I’ve missed you,” he sighed.

  She wanted to throw her arms around him and hug the life from him but then cold steel touched below her left ear. Standing completely still, Gypsy turned her head just enough to see the mounted commander whose sword caressed her neck. Like her father and husband, he was a bull male who must have weighed close to three hundred pounds. His black uniform was decorated with gold leafing around his collar and there were several service patches on his chest. Beneath his muted jade skin was a face that was hard and weathered. A deep scar split the bridge of his nose, right between two mean copper eyes. This male wasn’t a complete stranger to her. When she was a child he had been to her home a few times to drink with her father, but she never knew his name. All she remembered was that her mother wasn’t too fond of him.

  “Drop your weapon, Lieutenant.”

  She held it out, letting it hang loosely from her limp hand. That was apparently unsatisfactory, so the commander sliced the flesh beneath her ear.

  Gypsy felt the sting and a trickle of blood run down the nape of her neck. She released the sword and it fell to the ground with a metallic thud. She made no other movements. The commander dismounted and strode right up to her, staring her down with a malignant ferocity. Immediately she lowered her gaze while bowing her head.

  A long, tense silence followed before he spoke, “The emperor says you and your family are traitors. Are you, Theron? Have you renounced your allegiance to your emperor or are you just a craven deserter?”

  This was one of those times where a wrong word or disrespectful tone could turn her from a soldier to a prisoner in a second. Kharon was always telling her she needed to think before she spoke. Being a Theron was not something that came easy, but there was a lot more at stake here than some push-ups, cleaning detail, or boring guard duty. The intricate delicacy of the situation wasn’t lost to her. She resisted the urge to say something that might jeopardize her freedom and her life. Instead, she searched for the right words to say.

  Gypsy decided to bathe her answer in vagueness. “I am an officer of the empire, Commander. I am neither a deserter nor a traitor.”

  When she didn’t hear him respond, she stole a glance up to see if he was still eyeing her. He was and there was nothing friendly in it. While returning her gaze to the ground she caught sight of his name. The gold stitching on the black uniform fabric read Commander Dzabol.

  “Will you swear your loyalty to me or is your allegiance to another?”

  “I am yours to command, sir.”

  Makkai frowned and mounted just as more soldiers rode into her camp to watch the show. They all seemed excited and nervous like a wolf pack waiting for the alpha’s permission to tear into a downed elk. Before the commander spoke again, Gypsy watched him dismiss Makkai with a vicious look. Then Dzabol glared back down at her.

  “I am sorry for the loss of your father. Where is the rest of your family?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, sir. I was helping my brother escort his wife and child to the Queendom for medical care when we were attacked by robbers and got separated. I think that was a week ago...but, I’m not sure. I’ve lost track of time.”

  He seemed to consider this. “You will come with us.”

  Since no one made any move to arrest me, I guess I’m still in the army…for now. Gypsy kicked out her fire, gathered her gear and mounted. As was customary for her rank, she rode directly behind the commander, the soldiers following behind. All she could hope for was that her current status did not change. If she got demoted to a prisoner she would be bound and sent to an Imperial jail. Dzabol could also choose to hang her without question if he decided to name her a deserter.

  A command tent had been erected in a small clearing with smaller tents and fires scattered across the landscape. Large groups of soldiers were gathered everywhere, eating, chatting or tendin
g to their assigned duties. Trajan wasn’t wrong about the size of this outfit. Based on the expanse of the encampment there had to be at least four thousand men here.

  Dzabol gestured for her to follow him into the command tent. The two guards stationed outside each lifted a side of the door flap so they could enter.

  The center floor of the tent was covered by a thick brown and white skin rug. It had seen better days. After removing his armor to a wooden stand, he sat in the center of the rug with his legs crossed beneath him. Next to him was a short metal two-shelf rack. The lowest level held four tall glasses with metal handles. On the top of the rack sat three opaque glass bottles. One was black, the other two red. They were corked but she doubted any of them were wine. He beckoned her over and pointed to the floor in front of him. She approached slowly and sank down to her knees facing him. Removing the black bottle and two glasses, he pulled the cork with his teeth and poured them both a drink. She took the glass when he held it out but didn’t drink.

  “These are dark times in the empire, Gypsy. The emperor is challenged to keep his realm stable and intact and that is not proving easy. There are those who are better served by spreading lies and mismanaging positions of trust.”

  Is this asshole kidding? Megolyth is exactly where he put himself and I hope he ends up dead. Unfortunately even if he did lose the throne, he is related to a lot of the nobility as well as other monarchs. He would just end up getting exiled to some palace and try to regain his throne someday.

  Dzabol tossed back his drink and gestured for her to do the same.

  “I’ve heard that, sir.” Gypsy really didn’t want to drink this. Looking down into the cloudy white liquid she said, “I’m afraid I am not much of a drinker, but thank you anyway.”

  The smile that crept across the commander’s lips was taut with malicious amusement. “Then I have been hearing erroneous tales about you. My apologies,” he said then paused for at least a minute. “Are you sure I can’t coax you into just one drink?”