An Adept's Duty: The Scepter of Maris: Book Two

by James R Barnes

  There would never be peace; no treaty or truce would be signed between the Tyrant and the rebels. Not after this. Everyone talked about how the King was insane, but Cody did not really think it was mentioned with the true definition of the word in mind. It was more a harsh way to label a man unleashing real evil on his people. Watching the flames become brighter in the fading light of evening, he knew without a doubt that the Tyrant was truly, in the fullest extent of the word, insane. The man could never be forgiven for this. It would be his death or theirs, with no quarter given.

  The grumbling from behind him was becoming louder as they all watched Miller's Crossing burn. Cody's Sergeant, Wren Roark, stepped up beside him.

  "Damned green-skinned devils! We need to do something, sir."

  "We will, but not for Miller's Crossing. Unfortunately, there's nothing we could do for these people other than get ourselves killed."

  Cody glanced at his second in command when he finished speaking. The man was visibly upset, but he only grunted in anguished frustration. He knew that his Lieutenant spoke the truth.

  "What we are going to do is split up from here and warn as many as we can. There are still some outlying farms that they haven't reached yet, and we need to beat them to it. Send half east with you, and I'll take the rest west. Split off into teams of two... we regroup in four days at High Falls."

  Wren unclenched his white-knuckled fists and after one last look at the doomed village, he walked off to join the other ten members of the squad to start handing out assignments. Cody also gave one last look back to the chaos, and pulled his coat tighter as he burned the view into his memory. He never wanted to forget. While the Orcs and Goblins were the ones committing the violence, he felt that these deaths, this slaughter, should also lay at the feet of the Tyrant. This blood was on his hands, and he must pay.

  The trees that lay between them and the town rippled and swayed in the grip of a strong breeze, and for a moment the sounds from the carnage below were carried away from them. The only sound present was the creak of his leather gloves as he tightened his grip on the longbow in his left hand. He wanted nothing more than to go down there and empty his quiver into the enemy, but as hard as it was to turn away, he knew that would be pointless in the end. He may be able to kill many of them, but not enough to make any difference. All he would do is alert them to the presence of his squad. They would be more useful trying to save any that they could.

  "Sir," a quiet voice said from his just behind shoulder.

  A glance revealed Wren's cousin Kayla. Cody bit back a sigh. He had no problem what so ever with the Private herself, however, her cousin had been trying to play matchmaker from around the time the young woman was assigned to their squad. Wren did not even try to be subtle about it. The rest of the unit seemed to find quite a bit of humor in it, and even encouraged their Sergeant at times. Kayla, from all outward appearance, was indifferent. A fairly skilled tracker, she worked hard and did not complain about tasks assigned to her. Quiet and soft spoken when she did talk, she got along well with everyone, but seemed to be just as comfortable on her own.

  Wren had once told Cody that she had a hard time growing up due to her mixed heritage. Average height for a woman, with long, straight, raven hair and light brown eyes, her skin color was what really set her apart. Though he had heard others describe her as brown-skinned, the word that came to his mind was caramel. Maybe even similar to the color of Zeke's coffee when he added cream; smooth, soft, rich... alright, so maybe he was attracted to her, but that did not mean he was looking for a wife in the middle of a rebellion. He had enough to worry about.

  She quirked an eyebrow in question, and he gave her a brief nod and moved off to his horse. They needed to get moving.

  #

  It was an hour past sunset when they reached the boundaries of the first farm and it took them another half an hour, moving at a canter through pastures and fields, for the homestead to come into view. Cattle had been their only companions so far, though she thought she had heard sheep calling in the distance mixed in with the gentle lowing of the cows. Kayla now squatted next to Cody just inside the tree line and surveyed the yard and buildings before them. It had stopped snowing not long after they had set out, and the overcast sky was beginning to clear up. With a sliver of the moon just peeking over the trees, the farm was mostly dark outlines populated with even darker shadows. There was still a glow in the sky to the northeast from the direction of Miller's Crossing, and it was bright enough to paint the tip of the house and barn a faint orange.

  On their way through the outlying pasture they had heard a dog barking, followed by what might have been someone yelling at the animal and then silence again. Kayla hoped that meant the family had brought the animal inside and they could approach without much fuss, but she searched for the dog just in case.

  After several minutes with no sign of animals or enemies, Cody signaled her and they moved forward. The snow crunched lightly underfoot as they made their way toward the side of the house, moving in fits and starts, trying to time their movement with the dwindling breeze to cover as much of the sound as possible. They were halfway across the mostly open yard, nearing the only full-sized tree on their side, when the baying started. There were at least two hounds close to the front of the home, and it sounded like they knew that there was company coming. She and Cody both collapsed against the tree and tried to use it as cover, even though it was doubtful it would have been enough for one. Kayla hoped that the darkness and lack of movement would assist in concealing them, but she had hunted with dogs before; it was their noses that were the real danger.

  A few deep, controlled breaths calmed her enough that the panic was kept at bay and she could think clearly. Cody shifted back around to the direction they had come from, and she thought he might be about to order them back to the trees. Just as he started to move she grabbed his shoulder, clamping down tight to keep him still. Moving her lips close to his ear, she whispered urgently.

  "Listen..."

  There was a lull in the breeze just as he froze his movements. The dogs were baying again, but the noise was coming from farther away.

  "They are after something in front of the farm. Maybe they heard noises from the town?" Kayla asked.

  Cody nodded tersely, and moved to look around the tree. With the wind still absent, a new sound intruded in the brief seconds of quiet when the hounds paused in their barking. Kayla sucked in a sharp breath of the frigid air as she realized what it had to be.

  "Goblins." Cody softly exhaled the word. He must have realized it at the same time she did.

  Both of them whirled back to peek around the cover, and scanned the area to the northeast. Kayla jerked in surprise when the farmhouse door slammed open and the farmer started bellowing at the hounds. Wearing a nightshirt and boots as he stepped out beyond the stoop, and holding aloft a lantern, the man's shouting cut off with one of the animals loud yelps followed by silence from both dogs. The farmer took a hesitant, half-step back and tremulously called out to the empty darkness.

  A startled shout came as one of the dogs came tearing by the man, its tail tucked between its legs and whimpering softly. Kayla could not tell for sure from their hiding place, but judging by the farmers confused, half fearful calls for the dog to come back outside, she assumed the animal had entered the house. That was about the time that the man heard what had spooked his animals. A Goblin screaming a war cry. All three of them looked in the direction of the sound and saw shapes in the low moonlight moving out from the trees and path leading to the farm. The farmer let out a yell and started scrambling backwards, but then she quickly lost sight of him as she stepped around the tree and nocked an arrow.

  Waiting for orders had not crossed her mind until about the time she was releasing her first shaft. If her heart was not racing so fast, and her breathing did not need to be controlled while she shot, she would have let out a sigh of relief when she heard the twang of a second bow immediately after she let fly.
The Goblins were moving fast, but her shot had been true; the Goblin tumbled to the ground and rolled to a stop even as she sighted on another. When her second shot struck home, she felt only dismay, though this beast also went down. She had just shot at the closest enemy on instinct, not considering that it was the farthest to the right, and therefore should have been a target for her partner. Her arrow arrived a just after Cody's. The Goblin she should have targeted never slowed; it slammed into the door of the home, bounced off, and then charged again.

  A moments hesitation cost precious seconds, but then she began to aim at one of the last two.

  "I've got them. Help the civilians."

  Cody's shout stayed her aim and had her turning toward the building. Even as she pivoted to target the beast at the front door, she watched in dismay as it busted through the doorway. Kayla dropped her aim and sprinted to the front of the house, detouring by way of the woodpile off to her right. Luckily, the wood ax stuck in the chopping block was not driven in too deep. The tool came away easily in her right hand, and did not even slow her down. Hefting it up to ready for a strike, she rounded the corner and entered the home. Directly in front of her the Goblin was in the process of flipping the dining table out of his way, so he could get at the man who was ushering his family down the hall behind him and brandishing a chair at the intruder. With the creature's attention focused elsewhere, Kayla dropped her bow and took hold of the ax with both hands. Never even slowing, the tool-turned-weapon was whipped down with all of her might right into the base of the Goblin's skull. The beast's growling, unintelligible words were cut off instantly. It wavered for a second, and then collapsed to the floor.

  Kayla's chest burned from sucking so much cold air, but the fear and excitement had her heaving in more breaths as she stood over the slain beast. Before she could relax, she remembered her Lieutenant and with a shout for the family to remain inside she spun away, scooped up her bow, and was out the door.

  In the time it took for her eyes to readjust to the darkness, the sounds of fighting drew her back toward the tree they had used for cover. Once out of the light shining from the doorway the scene in front of her became clearer. One of the Goblins was hauling itself forward on the left knee and hand. The other hand was clamped over a cut across the back of the right, obviously hamstrung. It still appeared to be very determined, so she dealt with it before looking for her Lieutenant. One arrow and the creature collapsed and was still.

  It did not take long for her to find Cody. As she finally located him, it was to see his short sword drive into the last Goblin's side from behind. It was evident when the blade pierced the heart, because the beast gave one last jerk and Cody let it fall to the ground. Even though he looked like he had still not caught his breath, Cody immediately spun and started in the direction of the house, only slowing when he saw her. His shoulders slumped briefly, in relief, and then he straightened and asked after the family.

  "They're safe... for now. Goblin's dead. Don't think we should wait around to see if they had friends, though."

  Cody's snorted laugh was short, but was followed by a warm grin. He squeezed her shoulder as he made his way past her.

  "Keep watch out here. I'll gather the family," he said and then disappeared inside.

  Kayla was glad to let him have that duty. It took her time to warm up to people, and so she was never comfortable with strangers. In her experience, first impressions were worthless. A lesson learned the hard way, when people she had initially trusted had shown the true darkness in their hearts once they were out of the public eye. If her cousin had not found her when he did... she shivered and steered clear of those memories. Crickets and night birds were beginning to fill in the silence of the night, and it was a welcome sound. For now, it looked like they were in the clear. Having a family to watch after would make their travels more difficult, but it had to be done.

  Kayla took a deep breath and sighed it slowly back out. At least she had Cody with her. The Lieutenant was one of the few people that had earned her trust. She had been with him long enough to believe she had his true measure. He would not abandon her, even when the going got tough... which she knew it would.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Wrath

  The cold, early morning breeze whipping past his balcony sent shivers racking through Xavier, but even though he was alone he did not show any outward sign. The King's head was held high while he watched the soldiers muster in the courtyard. There was minimal jostling and no signs of confusion as the men assembled with their Company. A sure sign of their discipline and fortitude. They would march forth today on their way to mete out justice, the wolf's head pennant of House Soloman flying proudly at the vanguard. In two days time the Company would reach Longhall and begin staging there to put down this rebellion. The newly appointed Lord Commander Linden Mersk was even now riding out along with his men to meet up with several of his Commanders at the town to begin planning before carrying out the campaign.

  Orders had been sent out in secret, calling men that could be trusted to meet in Longhall. To the outside observers, they would only see a squad of the Rennick Guardsmen going out on patrol, or a small unit of soldiers traveling on some task. With the soldiers all coming from different directions, and in different sized groups, there should be no alarm raised for the rebels until it was too late. The town of Longhall had been fully subjugated, cleansed of treasonous peasants, and ready to support their King's wishes. Lord Commander Mersk would use it as a base of operations with none of the seditious miscreants any the wiser.

  Xavier allowed a small smile to play across his lips as he watched his will being manifested in the glorious sight before him. They were the jaws of the wolf, slowly, inexorably closing tight on the throat of his prey. Thus beginning his plans to bring control where there had only been chaos. Even as his enemies surrounded his kingdom, he would not cower in fear. By force of his will, he would bring discipline and order to a world that sorely needed it. Once the people saw that he was bringing an end to the madness and tyranny, they would embrace his benevolence.

  After one last look at his men making an orderly exit of the castle grounds, he turned back to his quarters. Two healers were half carrying a chamber maid toward the entrance of his bedroom, gently ushering her out of the room where he had thoroughly enjoyed himself with her last night. Another maid was removing the bed sheets spattered with an unhealthy amount of blood. Feeling especially cheerful, he called a morning's greeting to them all just before they exited. It was gratifying to see his companion for the previous evening flinch even though it must have been very painful. He did so like to leave an impression. The girl had been quite lovely before he had gotten to her. She had honestly been one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on, peasant or not. Her angelic features and luscious figure were now, sadly, no longer as lovely. The scars she would have on her face would be the only ones visible, but he was certain they would be enough to discourage anyone from remarking on her fairness again.

  It was unfortunate for the woman that she had been cleaning outside the room he had used to meet with the Chancellor yesterday. Xavier had left the room in a foul mood, and she had been there. After hours of amusing himself with her while he ranted on all of the troubles heaped upon him, he was surprised she survived. The more he had thought about the rebellious peasants plaguing him, the angrier he became, vocally purging his anger for them while he physically did the same with the girl. Even now, he was almost impressed that she left the room upright. It was not long ago that he would not have allowed her to continue breathing and would have hidden what was done, but then he realized that would not do. A King did not need to hide things from the sheep. His word was law. They would obey.

  #

  Serena Durbin was in agony. Every movement brought pain, and yet, if she could have gotten out more than a pained whimper she would urge the two healers to move faster. Just being in the same room with that vile monster filled her with fear and loathing. She ha
d not even wanted the healers to work on her before moving her, as they said was necessary. Their pleading gained enough time to bandage anything that was still bleeding, but that was it. Her logic was that the process of moving her would undo some of that anyway, so best to get her somewhere she could stay. Though not happy, they agreed.

  Now, out of the Tyrant's sight, she began to relax as much as the pain would allow. Willing her legs to hold as much of her weight as they could stand, she tried not to be too much of a burden on them. They had been kind, and were trying to do all that they could to ease her anguish. Though she appreciated the support, the pitying looks made her stomach turn. Serena had always been proud of her strength. Both the muscles built from laboring on her family's farm, and the mental toughness earned after losing her mother at thirteen. She had been forced to raise two younger brothers, keep the farm operating well enough to feed and clothe them, and take care of a father who had all but given up and crawled into a bottle. Ten years later she was bound and determined to make that tempering work for her. She had a feeling that she would be tested to her limits.

  "We are almost there, child. Just a little further," said the kind, older woman on her right.

  Serena could only nod gently. They had neared the hall with the infirmary, and she would be glad to just lie down for a few hours. The single flight of stairs they had gone down had almost been more than she could handle. The healers would patch her up as best they could, and she would rest this day and through the night, letting their medicines and rest help her regain some strength. Then she would be leaving. Leaving the castle, Parna, and Xavier's reach for good. Despite knowing she would be far from fully healed, she had to get away. Not just because of the horrors she knew Xavier was capable of, but also because of the information she had.