The pope and his god had declared war on him and those that shared his blood, and it was time to fight back. His Holiness needed to be taught a lesson. K’xarr could feel his rage build just thinking of it, and they would soon feel his wrath all the way in Asqutania. He would bloody them this time. No matter what the price he had to pay, he was finished being hunted.
The Mistress’s words echoed in his mind. Be bold, take what you want. Hell, maybe he was evil, none of that mattered. He was done living like an outcast. If the world didn’t like his blood, he would drown them in theirs.
He arrived at the appointed spot near the far end of the docks. Out of the thick shadows of the Masarian warships, she came towards him with the hood of her cloak pulled up to hide her identity from any prying eyes. “You’re right on time, Mother.”
Gabrielle stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. “I have done the best I could, son. Those that support my decision will be here tomorrow.”
K’xarr didn’t like her affection, but he would tolerate it from the aid she would bring to his cause. He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Cromwell or anyone else hadn't followed him. “How many did you manage?”
“Scarlett, of course, and the twins, and surprisingly Winter has agreed to help. She seldom goes against Raven, but I am pleased she did. My white-haired sister is very powerful. Half of us will come to your aid, even though what you’re planning is nearly suicidal. In such close quarters, our magic can be dangerous to both sides.”
K’xarr frowned. “I know but it can’t be helped. Whatever happens will fall on my shoulders.”
“When the time comes, we will be ready.” She disappeared with a look of resignation.
Heading back along the docks, he felt exhaustion creeping up on him. Too many things still whirled in his head. He sat down near the pier where the old wooden carving the Masarians called King's Head stared, empty-eyed, out towards the dark ocean. No one knew who the rendering was truly of, some forgotten ghost that no one could even remember. That wasn’t going to happen to him. One day his name would be known throughout Saree. It would be whispered with dread for a thousand years. He grinned at his foolish dreams. Sucking in a deep breath of sea air, he watched the Masarian warships quietly drift out into the harbor.
***
He had brought her inside the area K’xarr had closed off and kept her overnight in a deserted fishing shack he had found along the wharf. Fixing a soft pallet of blankets, he had taken her inside and laid her down to rest. Upton had kept watch all night. She had wept until just before dawn, but now Ashlyn had grown silent. Ursula, however, still whimpered. He looked over at his twin leaning against the shack’s filthy wall. Her eyes were red, and snot and slobber ran down her face from her ceaseless blubbering. She would just have to get over it. It was his turn to be happy.
Captain Strom and General Achillus had ordered all the soldiers to find places to sleep inside the harbor district and not wander outside the barricades. So there were men sleeping inside warehouses and businesses, even the homes of civilians that didn’t want to get caught up in the coming battle and had fled to the other parts of the city.
He had found the small dilapidated shed so he could be alone with Ashlyn. It was filthy and smelled of rotten fish, but he didn’t think anyone would bother them in the rancid shack. Not sure what to do with the grieving woman, he sat quietly and waited for her to speak. Soon he would have to report for duty and he would need a safe place for her to stay until the fighting was over. “Do you want to go back to the circus?” he asked softly.
She gave no response. Scooting closer, Upton gently stoked her hair. She would get over Lucan’s loss soon enough, and then he would make her love him. He would just have to give her time.
The shack opened and Beck eyed him coolly. The man didn’t look it, with his missing teeth and unruly hair, but Beck was a stone cold killer and wily as a fox. “So here you are, brother, all snuggled up with Lucan’s girl. What are you still doing with her?”
“I took her to Rhys earlier and he gave her something for her nerves, it calmed her down,” Upton lied. “She just needs comforting. I thought I would stay with her awhile.” He tried to sound as concerned as he could.
“It’s a shame about the lad,” Beck said. “Unlucky, you coming across those Quintarans that were still encamped. Hastings and I didn’t see a thing out there, other than the whole bunch of them moving south.”
Upton knew what Beck played at now. The smart bastard didn’t believe the story he told about Lucan’s death. “It was truly ill-fated that we ran across that little group. I would say their commanders were slow to get them stepping.”
Beck moved closer and Upton let his hand fall to his sword hilt. The move was not lost on his fellow mercenary. “Listen, you woman-faced bastard. If I find out you killed a brother, I’ll have your life.”
Upton glared at the greasy-haired mercenary. It was pointless to keep lying, he wasn’t going to be believed, at least not by Beck.
The mangy mercenary smiled, showing his remaining teeth, and then closed the shack’s door without another word. Upton's eyes jumped to Ashlyn to see her reaction to what Beck had said. She still stared as if she hadn’t heard a word.
He didn’t need Beck casting doubt on Lucan’s death, and most of all he didn’t want Ashlyn to get thinking about any of Beck’s notions of what had happened out in the dark. He would have to be very careful how he played his hand. With any luck, the grubby warrior would die at the hands of the Quintarans and he would be in the clear.
***
Just after the sun rose, Kian tried to shake Endra awake, but she didn’t move. He rolled her over and found that the woman had been lying in a pool of her own vomit all night. Her color was pasty and he could feel her body spasm. Effortlessly, he picked her up and sprinted to the building Rhys had chosen for his hospital. Crashing through the door, he found the healer just crawling out of his bunk. “What’s happened?” Rhys asked, leaping up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“I do not know. I found her like this. I tried to wake her, but could not.” Rhys had Kian lay Endra’s limp body on a long table in the center of the room. The healer put his head to her stomach and then lifted her eye lids and squinted, studying what he saw.
Kian watched as he pulled a small vial from his bag. Rhys poured a tiny amount of the bottle’s purple liquid down Endra’s throat. She gaged a little, but began to breathe easier and her color slowly returned.
“She will be fine now, Kian. You can relax.”
He went to her and touched her face. “What is wrong with her?” the swordsman asked, concern written all over his face.
“Uh… I’m not sure, perhaps it was something she ate.”
“You are a poor liar, Rhys,” Kian said.
“Yes, he is,” K’xarr agreed as he walked through the door. “I saw you running down the street with her and thought I had better see what was happening. The Quintarans are arriving as we speak. I could use Endra on her feet, Rhys.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong and that’s all I can say for now. She won’t be able to fight for a few hours, that I do know,” Rhys said hotly.
“Come on, Kian. We will get our answers from Endra later. We don’t have time to deal with our deceitful healer. She will be safe here.”
Kian took Rhys by the arm. “I’ll have your word on it, Rhys.”
“You have it. She should be up and around soon. You have my promise, she is in no danger.”
Kian nodded his agreement. Rhys might be lying about what he knew, but Kian did not doubt what the healer said about Endra’s condition. “Tell her… Just tell her I was here,” Kian said as K’xarr pulled him out the door.
***
Endra came to a short time after Kian and K’xarr left. Her head was pounding and she felt sick. Rhys stood by her side, wiping her face with a wet cloth. “What happened to me?” she asked as she tried to stand.
Rhys pushed her back down on the table, a
nd she didn’t resist.
“You took the potion I gave you?”
“I did, last night, and I fell asleep. That’s the last thing I remember.”
Rhys frowned. “The child still lives. I didn’t think your blood would matter in this case, but I was wrong. I believe it made your body reject my tonic. It won’t let you destroy the child.”
Endra’s heart sunk. She didn’t know if she could make another attempt at ridding herself of Milara’s baby. It had taken all her will to swallow the poison the first time. “Is there something else I can try?” she whispered.
“No, short of cutting the baby from your body and I will have no part in that, Endra…not even for you.” Rhys reached over and handed her a glass of water. She drank it greedily. It made her head feel much better. “Kian and K’xarr were here. They didn’t believe me when I told them I didn’t know what ailed you.”
Endra stood up from the table on shaky legs, pushing aside Rhys's attempt to hold her down. “You didn’t tell them, did you?”
Rhys shook his head. “Of course not, but there will be questions, if any of us survive this idiotic battle, that is.”
Endra patted him on the shoulder. “Good. I will handle their questions. You’re not a good liar, Rhys.”
“You used to not be either, Endra.” She started to reply, but the sound of battle horns silenced them both. The enemy had arrived.
The grand inquisitor was no student of military tactics, but even he could see that the Masarians had dug themselves into a hole they couldn’t escape from. Clovis examined the defenses of the city and was astounded by what he saw. The city walls were undefended. Only the harbor on the far eastern side of the city was garrisoned with Masarian troops.
Granted, the harbor district of Gallio made up at least a quarter of the city and provided access to the sea, but what were General Achillus and Strom thinking? The main gate and the rest of the city’s battlements were completely devoid of any defenses at all. They could take the rest of the city without a fight.
The Church’s spies inside Gallio had met with him and Prince Cullen when they had arrived late last night. They had informed him in detail of what happened in the Masarian throne room. The Holy Father would not be happy about Bishop Carter’s death or the loss of two of his monks, but now he had the pope's enemies all bottled up right here in Gallio.
Strom and his mercenaries, the Slayer and his woman, even their demonic children were somewhere in the city. This was a wonderful opportunity to crush the children of the Beast once and for all. He would shine with God's holy light if he could send them back to the hell they came from.
His informants inside the city explained that the enemy had barricaded themselves inside the harbor district and they numbered just shy of fifteen thousand. Achillus must have pulled in every remaining man he had. That must have been why they had chosen the district to make their stand. The size of it would accommodate their soldiers and there was plenty of food inside the district’s warehouses.
Cullen joined him as their forces began to deploy. “It looks like they're all in the harbor, Eminence. The walls are well manned there and I would guess that they have put up some kind of wall or blocked the streets to the district.” Cullen flicked at his cowlick, and then went on. “Bottling themselves up in there is a mistake. We can easily take the rest of the city and if we launch a two pronged attack, one at the walls and one from inside against whatever they have thrown up in there, Gallio should fall in a matter of days, perhaps even hours.”
Clovis thought the plan was sound, even though it had come from Cullen. “I agree with you, my prince. I see they have pulled their ships out beyond the harbor, looks to be around thirty of them. I would say they mean to call them back as a means of escape when we get inside. I would also say the spoils you plan to take back to Hugo are on those ships. They would be foolish not to try and take the city's wealth when they run.”
“I will have those ships before we are finished, and my father will make good use of the Gold Road and the harbor. Once Masaria is ours, Quintar will be drenched in gold,” the prince said with an arrogant smile.
“When do you plan to begin the attack?” the priest asked.
“We will seize the city today and get a good look at the defenses they have put up inside. At first light tomorrow, I will send everything we have against them.”
“How do you intend to use the Blessed?”
“Half of them out here and the other half inside. I am not very clear on what they can do, so I will leave their attack to their own discretion or you can give them their orders, either way is fine with me.”
Clovis approved. The prince seemed to be competent in his strategy. “And what of the fleet, when are they to arrive?”
The prince folded his arms over his chest and pursed his lips. “I am not sure. With the forced march, we have outdistanced them and thrown off our timing. Maybe a day or two, it depends on the winds, but I see no reason to wait on the navy. The Masarians could never get thirty ships loaded with us at their backs. All our ships would do is blockade the harbor and stop any retreat by sea. And I don’t plan to ever give them the chance of getting a fishing boat launched, let alone a warship.”
Clovis smiled, a rare occurrence. It was just hard not to be pleased when victory was so assured.
***
Achillus and K’xarr looked on as the Quintaran forces deployed. Twenty thousand men half the enemy force marched right through the city’s main gate and seized the city without a hint of resistance. “Well, the city is lost,” Achillus said, shaking his head. “As soon as they get their bearings, they will be at the barricades, and when enough ladders are confiscated or built, those men outside will come at the wall.”
“Well, at least the remaining Church knights won’t be much good to them as they would have been out in the field,” K’xarr said, pointing to where the armored warriors were dismounting. K’xarr looked over the enemy’s disposition again. “I would say you're right, General. There is little chance we are going to keep them out. Even if we hold the wall, they will eventually get through those barricades. I would say those barriers will hold a day at best.”
“Then I don’t know why we set up this deathtrap.” Achillus waited for K’xarr’s answer, but the Camiran didn’t reply. “I also saw that the ships have sailed so far out of the harbor I can barely see them anchored in the distance. They are the only means we have of retreat. I don’t understand you, Strom. Do you want us all to die?”
K’xarr patted the top of the wall. “No, everything will be fine. The enemy is doing what I thought they would, just position the men where we agreed.”
“I want to know what you’re planning,” Achillus said hotly.
“I can’t tell you yet, maybe tomorrow. Till then, you will just have to trust me.” K’xarr made to leave, but the Dragitan grabbed his arm.
”I want to know why you can’t tell me what you’re planning.”
K’xarr looked down at the general’s hand and Achillus released his grip. “Because you would try and stop me.”
***
It took the better part of the day for the Quintarans to gain control of the rest of Gallio and round up the frightened citizens, corralling them into the far western side of the city. By evening, the enemy forces had been arrayed against them. Both sides had their men in position. The battle would begin in the morning.
Upton had taken the chance to gather some food to take back to the fishing shed. If he got caught leaving his position, the officers of the company would have his head. Struggling to open the door with his hands full of bread and cheese, he found Ashlyn sitting against the back wall of the shack with her knees tucked up to her chest. “I brought you something to eat and a jug of watered wine. If there is anything else I can get you, all you have to do is ask.”
Her brown, bloodshot eyes scrutinized him. Still puffy from crying, they inspected him and looked for answers to unknown questions. “Did you hurt Lucan?” she
blurted out.
He fumbled the things he had brought and dropped them all over the dirty planks of the shed’s floor. “I can’t believe you would say such a thing.” His mouth had gone dry and he stammered his answer. Her raw question had caught him off guard.
“Beck seemed to think you did it. He sounded very sure.”
He couldn’t read her face or the tone of her voice. Each was absent of emotion. She rose from the dirty floor without taking her eyes off him. “I think I want to go back home now.” She started for the door, but he blocked her exit. He couldn’t let her leave, not now. “The district is sealed, you can’t go. You’ll just have to stay here till the battle is over.”
“I’ll find a way through,” she said, jerking the door open.
It had been a trick. Ursula had been so quiet, so submissive. “Don’t, Ursula. I killed Lucan. If you want to hurt, someone hurt me.”
Ashlyn covered her mouth with her hands and backed away when she slammed the door. “I am going to hurt you, brother, by hurting the one you love.” She slowly turned her head and looked at the terrified circus performer. “You’re not going anywhere.” She slapped Ashlyn across the face and pushed her to the floor. The small woman popped back to her feet instantly. Ursula grabbed Ashlyn around her narrow waist and picked her up off the ground, slamming her to the floor. “Your circus tricks won’t save you now, bitch.”
“Upton, your voice... Why are you doing this?” the woman shrieked.
“Don’t call me that, you dirty little sow,” she said, punching Ashlyn in the face over and over. “My name is Ursula.”
***
Clouds had filled the sky, although Kian didn’t think it would rain. The air didn’t smell of it. Studying the enemy encampment, he noticed a few cook fires but no tents had been set up. The Quintarans weren’t expecting the battle for Gallio to last long. They planned to be inside before the shelter of tents would ever be needed.
Song Of Fury (Gods Of Blood And Fire Book 2) Page 42