She closed her eyes as she entered the water. A soft moan slipped nearly unnoticed from her lips as the warmth surprised her. He could sense her fear and quickly understood the reason. "Do you believe that I plan to deflower you, girl? I assure you that, whether I may wish to do so or not, I have grown too old for such vices. I merely picked you, child, since I sensed the qualities I cherish in my women. Beauty, grace, and even youth. I am old. Having pretty women near to aid me in my golden years makes it more bearable."
"Wrinkled as you are, we have still learned to like you, master," Alia teased and kissed his forehead before glancing at Serra.
With the woman inclined before him, the vizier took hold and gently caressed her breasts. "Watch yourself, woman," he chided with a smile playing about his lips. "My hands still work as does most of me. Too many parts move slower unfortunately, but I can still enjoy certain pleasures of the flesh allowed me."
Serra drew back quietly to the far side of the pool as surreptitiously as possible as the other two explored the bounties that the woman had to offer. Krulir quickly noticed and frowned at her meekness. "Serra, come here," he ordered without malice. The girl did as she was told, though her reluctance was still obvious. "Take the soap and wash cloth. You will clean me from head to toe and, if I choose to caress you anywhere, you will yield. Do you understand?" he questioned making an unvoiced threat.
With tears in her eyes, Serra nodded. "Yes, vizier," she whimpered. Beginning with his back, the girl began her task.
Knowing that he needed to break this girl of her inhibitions to be a good servant, Krulir reached out and took hold of her breasts firmly. The girl's breathing hissed through gritted teeth in response. He moved his hands down her abdomen sliding them against the tight flesh ending with his right hand cupping the soft divide between her legs. His left hand reached back behind her soft slim neck and pulled her face closer to his. "This is the worst that I will ever do to you, Serra, if you cooperate. When you behave and do your tasks properly, life here will be pleasant. When you resist or fail me, I may need to punish you. If that is clear enough, then it is up to you to decide how you wish to be treated."
"Yes, vizier," she whispered as her body trembled between his hands. He released her and the girl continued her task of bathing him. She never paused though Krulir felt her loathing as she touched him where she had never laid her hands on a man before, even as he often touched her.
After the long bath was over, Krulir made his way to his bedroom leaving the two women in the bath. Okostre would lay in his bed to warm it this night. He considered when he would need to bring the new girl there one day.
With the vizier gone from the room, Serra began to shake uncontrollably and quickly tears came into her eyes. Alia watched the girl's whimpering passively from her side of the water. Serra's body was young and firm, she thought wistfully. Her youth resonated all through her even as Alia glanced down bleakly at her own slowly fading attributes. The woman was almost envious as she thought of the girl's emotions on display before her.
Alia moved forward to hug the girl to her breast. Their skin contacted and the feel of Serra sent shivers through her as well. The older woman began petting the girl's head and whispered to calm her. "Don't worry, Serra. It won't be that bad often. You just let it out and go on all right? You're strong enough, I'm sure. The vizier is usually quite gentle. Just do as he bids and everything will be fine."
After a time, the two women dried off and replaced their clothing. Alia led her to a small room off to one side that held a large bed. The two of them slid beneath the covers and attempted to sleep. Late in the night, Alia awoke to hear Serra retching into a bedpan beside the bed. The woman sighed and hoped that the girl would work out.
Gerid awoke feeling great pain. A dream of seeing his sister as a slave of Merrick, though he knew her to be dead, had floated to him as the man slept. He had also seen Simon working with some faceless plantation owner. His brother was doing the man's books and teaching his master all that he had learned of business to try and attempt to gain his freedom, or at least that was what Gerid guessed was the dream's theme.
When he finally tried to open his eyes after a time, darkness still engulfed his vision. Panic rushed through him. Feeling suffocated lent him to a frenzy of motion. Pulling at the weight attempting to hold him down, it took several seconds before light found his eyes. Gerid quickly wished it hadn't as he realized that he lay within a great mound of dead bodies. Their smell sickened him. In horror, the giant surged from the bloody mass.
A scream sounded from nearby as he waded from the mound of bloodied flesh. Several villagers were close by and witnessed the frightening sight of a dead man rising. Some scurried away with mumblings of sorcery and demons, even as the woman continued to scream incoherently. Looking himself over quickly, Gerid found that his skin and clothes were blood soaked, while his armor and weapons had disappeared. Probably scavenged, he thought offhandedly.
The girl's screaming persisted and annoyed Gerid swiftly. "Shut up already!" he growled crossly at her. Stunned by his outburst, she stopped. "Where are my weapons, woman?"
"The soldiers took `em," was the quiet, numb reply as she stared at him incredulously.
"Which soldiers?"
"Rhearden mercenaries," an older man answered from behind him. He appeared nearly as incredulous as the girl, who he moved forward to take hold of her shoulders.
"Do you know where they went or why I was left here unconscious in this pile of dead?" Gerid asked as his frustration started to well up and overwhelm him.
"They returned northeast to reunite with the rest of the army, I would assume. Why you would wake up in the pile is because they believed you dead. We heard them speaking well of your efforts though. You had slain quite a few of the enemy before your troops arrived to clean up the rest.
"I know that you looked to be stabbed to death from my own eyes. What manner of creature are you that you live now when a normal man would have surely remained to let the fires consume himself with the other dead?"
Gerid noted that his undershirt was indeed torn in several places that should have killed him when he looked at it. He pulled the garment up over his head and surveyed several red gashes on his torso. They were no longer bleeding much as his body attempted to scab over the openings. "Apparently, the enemy has done less damage than believed," he replied absently. Gerid looked up at the man and asked, "Tell me, can you show me a place where I can bathe and tend my wounds, perhaps even clean my clothes?"
The man was reluctant and his eyes strayed as if by moving them he could escape Gerid's attentions. "But what if your presence is an act of demons? My family would not be safe, if we invited you in. That is how they get you, isn't it?"
Getting annoyed again, Gerid shouted, "If I were a demon, then I would not care about washing away this blood! I would revel in it and kill you as well for sheer spite! Now if you don't mind," he spoke sarcastically, "would you please give me a chance to refresh myself and tend to my wounds, so that I might catch up to my men?"
A few moments passed before the man nodded reluctantly and signaled for Gerid to follow him. He and the girl led him to a small home where the man filled a large bowl of water and brought out a needle and thread to bind the wounds. The man had other children in his home and, while Gerid remained, the entire family huddled into the furthest shadows in the wall across from him. All eyed him intently.
Managing to coerce a few rolls, a large piece of meat and a canteen of water from the man in exchange for his just leaving quickly, Gerid soon took to the road that he guessed his soldiers would be following. After finishing the meat and a roll, the man found himself remarkably refreshed. Picking up his pace even, Gerid hoped to catch up to his company by the evening. He had only been asleep for a few hours, after all. How far could they get after cleaning up from battle?
Without even bothering to cast a backward glance to the town that had treated him like a living dead thing, Gerid strode strongly t
hrough the late afternoon light in pursuit of his men.
Chapter 17- Touched by Gods
"Halt where you are!" a soldier shouted into the dark woods surrounding the camp. Only a pair of fires was lit in their pits illuminating those parts of the camp with a half dozen tents erected around them. Gelinas, the third moon, was just beginning its entrance from the east and Turas was fading in the west. A nervous tension could be felt in the air from those who remained awake to safeguard the men of Gerid's company so close to the enemy line. The rustlings in the woods continued and the man shouted again, "Identify yourself, stranger!"
Gerid pushed through the final bushes where he could finally see the dim light of the small campfires in the center of the tents and bed rolls that constituted his command. Three soldiers stiffened only a dozen paces from him as he heard a couple of the other men from the west watch come running to help out. A rustling of bedrolls and tents meant that a few of the more sleepless men would be joining soon as well. One of the east watch, noticing Gerid’s white hair and great bulk in the darkness, suddenly shouted, "It's the lieutenant's ghost!"
Stepping forward swiftly, Gerid grabbed hold of the man's shirt and hauled him into the air. Dangling the man casually, he asked angrily, "Do I feel dead to you, Joric?" He returned the guard to his feet. "Where's Bakur? I need a few words with the sergeant. Ulus, go scrounge up some food for me also. I'm starving after marching after you all night." The second man paused even as Joric ran away without being told twice. Gerid's eyes narrowed and he growled, "I am not a ghost here to haunt you, but, if I die from your unwillingness to bring me something to eat, I will haunt you for the rest of your days! Now move it, man!"
"Yes, sir!" Ulus snapped with only a little less fear in his face. The soldier's training returned and he moved quickly to fulfill the orders.
The disturbance had already brought several other men running from their blankets. Bakur was one of the first to arrive with his sword in hand and only half dressed. The sergeant had saved Joric a search and the guard returned following several slow paces behind the other man. "What is going on here, Joric? Report," the sergeant commanded, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Finally, noticing Gerid before him, the sergeant's jaw dropped in shock. "Lieutenant!" he whispered in horror and surprise.
"I believe that is my sword you hold there, Bakur. I am not yet dead and you have scavenged weapons from my unconscious body? Have my weapons and armor brought to the command tent by morning, sergeant. I'll sleep there tonight and tomorrow I expect you and the other sergeants to meet me there immediately following breakfast."
Still trying to understand Gerid's reappearance, Bakur spoke numbly, "But you were dead. I saw your corpse for myself before committing your body to the funeral mound. I swear it!"
Finally pushed beyond his tolerance, Gerid snatched his sword from the man's slackened grip. Gripping it with his right hand, the left dealt a stinging slap to the older man's face half spinning him around on his toes. "Get it through your thick skull! I am alive and still your superior officer. Have my armor and weapons returned by morning or you'll be digging ditches for me for the rest of your life!"
"Yes, sir," Bakur mumbled weakly. As Gerid passed him, he quickly put the sergeant from his mind. The lieutenant didn't bother to look behind him to watch the sergeant stagger off still confused by the events.
Once in the command tent, Gerid wolfed down a tremendous meal and then collapsed onto a cot for some deeply needed rest. He had never been so exhausted in his life and was asleep as soon as his head reached the pillow.
The morning found the young lieutenant surprisingly refreshed. Upon dressing his wounds, he was surprised to note how quickly they were already healing. They almost looked as if he had been healing for a week or more. It was too remarkable and ridiculous to believe, so the man dismissed the idea from his head and simply finished dressing. His armor had been delivered during the night as he had ordered and Gerid put it on as usual though the chest plate had three large openings through its thin metal shell now. The tears would have to be tended to when they returned to the main camp and its metal smiths. Seeing the blood that still stained the areas around the gashes, Gerid thought that he was lucky to be alive. Shaking his head, the man guessed that the metal had managed to deflect just enough of the blows to prevent the swords from going deep enough to pierce anything vital.
By the time the lieutenant had dressed and was just finishing the breakfast that one of his men had delivered to the tent earlier, his sergeants had arrived. Gesturing for the four men to take seats on the light field chairs kept inside, Gerid didn't even bother to rehash their leaving him for dead, but moved to what he didn't know, "Bakur, since you were in charge while I was away, I'll need you to report on what happened since then. Did you send a messenger back to Commander Kolonus as I had warned Sergeant Rastei?"
"Yes, sir, I dispatched a pair of men to base as soon as the sergeant ran into camp with the warning. We then sent Rastei's platoon and mine straight to your battle while Ulius and Palus moved in flanking maneuvers to either side to prevent any of the enemy from escaping. We slew all but three of their men who we now hold hostage for interrogation at the base camp. The company suffered nominal losses (only four men and we thought you as well of course). Actually, you left us very little to clean up in the town by the time we arrived.
"After helping the villagers clean up the dead and making sure that there was no further resistance or hidden soldiers in the town, I led the men on a march that was headed back to headquarters to report on the situation."
Gerid nodded approval graciously, "It sounds like you led the company well enough in my absence, except for leaving your commanding officer for dead of course. I won't hold that against you, Bakur, since looking at my chest plate, even I can't figure out exactly how I survived the attacks. In fact, other than cuts on my chest, I am feeling almost healthier and stronger than before the battle. If only my appetite wasn't so large due to the blood loss, I'd never need to complain.
"Now let's put aside the strange matter. Yes, I see your thoughts wondering about this, but we still have a half day's journey to the rendezvous with the main army. If there are any other concerns state them now, or I'll consider matters closed and put behind us."
"Yes, sir, I have one thing to add," Rastei said and stood up from the seat. "I was there when Sergeant Bakur and the others found you, sir. You did seem dead. The gods must have had mercy on you for your bravery or perhaps some form of sorcery has been cast upon you, because, from looking at your wounds, there should have been no way for you to have survived that attack. You were not breathing, sir, since I believe both lungs appeared to have been pierced through and probably your heart as well, I'd guess.
"You know that I'll follow you without fail as I'm sure the others would admit also. Don't hold any ill will against us for being only mortal men. We truly believed you to be dead."
Patting the air before him with his large hands, Gerid assured, "Yes, don't worry about this. The more time that I've had to think and reflect upon it, the more that I wonder at my survival also. I don't know why I still sit here alive before you and I don't doubt that I must have appeared dead or you would have waited for me to awaken. I'll do my best to not make a point of it in my report to Kolonus so, if there is nothing else then I think that we should get this unit moving now."
All through the day the other soldiers seemed to look at their leader as if he was something new that they were not sure of now. Whether it was a corporal gaping over a collapsed tent as he passed or even his own platoon of men glancing furtively over at him as they marched along the road, Gerid seemed to feel all their eyes burning into his back. The lieutenant was relieved when they finally found Kolonus' new encampment knowing that he would have at least a small break from the men when they returned.
Upon entering the outskirts of the army encampment, Gerid noticed many of the men sitting near their tents sharpening their weapons. Many sported fresh cuts and
bandages that looked newly tended. He made his way past them all after assigning his men their place and quickly found Kolonus' command tent. With Sergeant Bakur just behind him, the two men soon found Kolonus, who glanced up at them as they entered the large tent's door flaps. The commander finished giving orders to a few of his aides and finally greeted him with a single word and a smile, "Gerid!"
"Commander," Gerid returned as he and Bakur saluted. "Did we miss something while we were away, sir?"
Noticing his lieutenant's torn and bloodstained armor, he answered, "Apparently not everything. What in the seven hells happened to you, boy?"
"I took on the enemy singlehandedly and lost. My messenger brought word of the situation in Paxthos, did he not?"
"Yes, he did. Kloste is apparently supporting Enswere. I've already sent word to the other divisions to be on guard as well as to his majesty in Camerton. Do you have more to report? I understand that the messenger left before matters were settled in Paxthos."
"We liberated the town as requested, sir. We have officially lost four men in battle. I was wounded as you can see, gravely enough that my men feared me dead at first, but obviously I live to stand before you. Sergeant Bakur led while I was unconscious and should be commended for his work. He also had the sense to capture a few of the enemy for questioning."
"Good work, Sergeant," Kolonus nodded gruffly. "If you would wait outside now, I still need to speak to the lieutenant." Bakur shot the commander a quick salute and turned smartly on his heel and returned the way they had entered. The tent was now empty except for the two of them. Sounds from the soldiers surrounding the tent entered as if from a distance as the two of them looked at each other. Kolonus suddenly turned and walked over to a travel locker and opening it, he searched through both maps and clothing. "Ah, here it is," he proclaimed at last as the man drew out a bottle of blackened glass. Popping the cork loudly, the commander then filled a pair of glasses and offered one to his lieutenant. "You, my boy, are extremely lucky, I would guess. You still look like you could use a drink about now. What exactly happened to you at Paxthos? You seem changed. You've killed before. Has all the killing finally caught up to you, lieutenant? It’s nothing to be ashamed of, if it has."
The High King: A Tale of Alus Page 14