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

by James R Barnes

#

  Choss watched across the field as one of the scouts ran down a few Humans. The male at least attempted to put up a fight, but it was pointless and short-lived. The Wolf clan war leader turned back to watch as a group of Goblins marched past with their Orc leader looking on, brandishing a whip to keep them in line. Only a few days before, a large number of these warriors before him had been grumbling and complaining. Now Choss was hard pressed to find one without anticipation plastered across his face. The bridge Veesha had raised for them had been nothing short of miraculous. As much as he hated those foul little Dwarves, he had to admit they were excellent builders. Two thousand years, and the thing had risen like no time had passed at all. Movement from the corner of his eye resolved into Morsha as he stepped up next to Choss, yet kept his eyes on the army marching across the once snow-covered fields.

  "They move with purpose once more. Even I can feel the blood singing in my veins, calling out for an enemy... it is a good feeling."

  The Supreme War Leader spoke with conviction, and Choss did not blame him. This farm should be the first of many over the next few days, and then they would face their first true battle at the Human city of Seegrin. While they were camped the night before Morsha had sent two dozen warriors, all with maps of the area they were now in, to show to the Orc war leaders. He wanted them to see how close they were to the largely populated areas. Mere days away from a sizable city full of the enemy. The plan appeared to be working, since all of the warriors Choss had seen were frothing at the mouth. They were going to wash over the Humans like a tide, slaughtering all in their wake.

  "Indeed. Much glory and honor, with rivers of our enemy's blood to flow. I feel more alive than I have in years."

  "Good. I have a task for you. One I think you might enjoy."

  Choss looked at the taller Orc suspiciously. This was the way a conversation might start that ended with him not attacking Seegrin with the others. Morsha must have known what Choss was thinking, because he held up a hand to calm him.

  "Fear not, Choss. You will not be at Seegrin, but I believe you will already be elbow deep in Human blood by the time the rest of us arrive at that city. Yost sits not far southeast of Seegrin. I want you to take two hundred of your fiercest fighters and a few thousand Goblins and raid it. Gather supplies, take any slaves you like, and kill all of the rest. Once you are done there; burn it to the ground."

  Choss' suspicious frown was long gone even before Morsha stopped speaking. A wicked grin had replaced it.

  "You do us much honor, Supreme War Leader. We will leave nothing behind us but ash."

  The other warrior was grinning as well, and they clasped forearms before parting.

  "Honor for the Bear," Choss said.

  "Glory for the Wolf."

  Choss bowed his head to Morsha and then spun away, shouting for his second.

  "Seval! Gather two hundred of our finest. We hunt!"

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  Interesting Company

  Every time Cody thought things were going their way, another problem always seemed to pop up. Whining and complaining about the way his luck was going would solve nothing, so he did what he had been doing for the past few weeks; shook it off and focused on the task at hand. Of course, the task currently at hand was somewhat undefined. Eight of his squad had joined him and Kayla at High Falls, and after waiting as long as he thought was safe for the other two to show, they started making their way toward Oakwood. For the most part, they avoided any towns they came across. There were a few empty farms, and one old abandoned fort that provided shelter from the weather. Fortunately, between the ten of them, there were a few of the squad that knew people in the area, and which ones could be trusted to lend them a hand.

  By the time they were two weeks out from Oakwood they had handed off all of the refugees fleeing from the Orc army, and it was just the original party sent out by Commander Harker, minus the two that were missing. Wren was still upset about losing anyone, and Cody agreed, but there was no time to wait or look for them. It was a hard call to make, but Cody felt he had to make it. With evading patrols and trying to go unnoticed, the trip was not exactly a fun one. Add to that the times when they were not able to avoid the enemy, and the other small issues that kept cropping up, and he was more than frustrated. Several wounds, lost supplies from falling into an iced-over pond, one man getting sick and all of them were weary beyond belief.

  With all of that, now roughly a week from their destination, he could have done without the current situation they were facing. A small enemy patrol was in the center of the village they had planned on stopping in for some supplies they could not do without. There were only six of them, but even though Cody's group outnumbered the Tyrant's men, two of his people were not fit to fight. Of the rest, three were just barely going to be of any help, and all of them were so worn down that numbers might not be the advantage that it should.

  The King's soldiers were in the center of town, laughing raucously as one of their number shoved a boy of about fourteen years to the ground and planted a boot hard to the boy's backside. When he landed face-first in a pile of horse manure the soldiers bellowing laughter doubled in volume. There were a few townsfolk standing around watching the scene unfold. Most of them shifted between anger and fear while they stood by helplessly. One woman was being forcefully held back by another of the villagers as she screamed for the soldiers to stop.

  Cody spared a quick glance around and could see a few more people watching from behind curtains or from shadowed doorways, but no one was trying to stop what was going on. It was hard to swallow, but Cody understood why; at least to a certain extent. The boy would take a beating, and the soldiers would have their fun and leave. That did not mean he agreed with the villagers, though.

  After taking a deep breath, he turned to Wren and was about to order the squad to spread out and attack the Tyrant's men from cover when a voice called out softly from behind them.

  "Are you going to stand by and watch like these poor villagers, or are you going to do something about it?"

  The voice came from the shadows of the lean-to built onto the side of the house behind them. Cody spun and nocked an arrow as fast as he could, moving sideways all the while. Wren directed the squad to shift back down the alley until there was no chance the soldiers in the middle of town could see their group as they faced this unknown newcomer. Cody could see the tip of an arrow from the corner of his eye steadily aimed in the same direction as his, and knew that Kayla was standing ready at his side.

  "Who are you, and what do you want?"

  "Easy, son. Just trying to find out where you stand. Since you're hiding from the soldiers, then I guess you're not with them? I plan on doing something to stop this... Are you and your people with me? If not, can I at least have your word you will not interfere?"

  The stranger slid out of the shadows while he spoke, and they were able to get their first look at him.

  "Commander Faber?"

  The question came from Wren, and the soldier did not even wait for an answer. Wren rushed right up to the man, blocking Cody's shot, and took the older man's hand in a firm grip to shake it. The grey-haired newcomer grinned at Cody's Sergeant and returned the greeting.

  "Well, Wren Roark. It's good to see you alive and well."

  "You too, sir," Wren returned eagerly, and then turned to Cody. "It's alright Lieutenant. This is Commander Fab-"

  "Former Commander," the older man corrected.

  Wren paused only for a second, and gave Faber a respectful nod.

  "Former Commander, Caleb Faber. He was the Commanding officer of the Royal Scouts for years... well, before Xavier came along and ruined everyone's life. He's one of the good guys, sir. You can trust him."

  "Thank you for that, but I can understand the need for caution."

  "No need, sir. I may not have recognized your face, but I do know the name. I was fresh from recruit training when I was ordered to Commander Vettor's staff as a runner. I met your
daughter, and heard many stories about you."

  "It's just Caleb, now. Well, we can catch up later, but right now I say we rid this village of some vermin."

  "That sounds like a workable idea. How many with you?"

  "Just myself, and one other that's fit to fight. That should leave us with enough bows that we can deal with this quickly. Spread out and catch them with their pants down."

  Faber grinned and Cody could not help but return it.

  #

  The volume of the laughter almost made sneaking around unnecessary. Cody eased up to the corner of the house chosen as his cover for the attack, and took a quick peek before ducking back. All of the men were still bunched up near the well at the center of the village, and oblivious to what was about to fall upon their heads. Cody often felt a twinge of guilt over killing someone without giving a chance to defend themselves, something scouts were often asked to do, but it had become less severe since his enemy had begun consorting with the devil, as it were. Putting down these men, who had done much worse things to others, did not cause him much heartache at all. It was something he made sure to remind himself of every time he was faced with the situation, though. Soldiers killed. That was not a fact he tried to deny, but he wanted to make certain he was still doing it for the right reasons.

  Since the quick peek around the corner had shown him one of the bastards practically standing on the boy's head and pressing it into the manure with his boot, as well as two of the others kicking their victim viciously hard at any spot they could reach, his conscious was emphatically clear. When Faber's signal came, there was no hesitation as he pivoted around the corner and let fly at the man whose boot was pinning the boy down.

  If it was not for one of the arrow shafts arriving almost a second behind the others, it would have looked like one of the precision drills he had seen Vettor and Lieutenant Malina Faber put on years before. All of the Guardsmen were pierced at the same time except for the last, and five of the six shots were mortal. The one that was off still hit the target in the chest, but did not kill him. In the end, though, he only lasted as long as the man that was shot late. With the two newcomers they had enough able archers to have a backup, and Private Cerie Black did not hesitate to finish the wounded soldier off.

  "All clear!" Cody shouted as the last of Xavier's men hit the ground.

  The villagers had all frozen in shock at the scene that unfolded in front of them, and remained still and silent until Cody's group stepped out among them. The woman who had been screaming at the soldiers was the first to break the spell, and she ignored the rest of them and ran straight to the boy. A moment later Private Riley Hedden, the squad's medic, moved to join the woman and look over the brutalized boy. This seemed to be what the villagers were waiting for, and half of them started talking at once. The rest moved back to form a group several yards away from any of Cody's people. Before the ambush, Cody talked a somewhat reluctant Caleb into taking charge until they had taken care of their enemy and had dealt with the villagers. Cody felt, and Caleb eventually agreed, that the people might be more willing to accept the older man as being in charge. If the former Commander had not agreed, then Cody was confident he could have handled the situation, but felt it would go smoother if that was not necessary.

  "Folks... if you will all calm down a bit, then we can sort this out."

  Caleb's commanding voice cut through the burble of conversation that had sprung up from the villagers. The man that had been at the center of the group stepped forward and addressed them.

  "What's to sort out? You've killed us all, as surely as you did these men. Do you think they will believe us when we say we aren't responsible? Or that they'll even care? We-"

  "You're a fine one to talk about protecting the villagers, Malek. You didn't seem too worried about my boy's well-being while they were beatin' him, you basta-"

  The woman had surged up from beside her son and charged the man as she screamed at him. Thankfully Hedden had yelled out a warning that the woman had a weapon, and that allowed Wren to intercept her. The Sergeant quickly disarmed her of the sword she had slipped from one of the Guardsmen's belt, but she still struggled to break free.

  "Now, Genia... you know that isn't... if we had tried to stop them..." Malek let out a frustrated sigh, and curled his fingers into his blond hair before continuing. "They would have killed us all. We couldn't stop them. If he hadn't talked bac-"

  "You bastard! You're blaming him. What if it was your daughter? We all know what they would have done with her. She ain't out here, though, is she? You hide her and send my son out to tend to them? Why didn't you do it? Why not you?"

  Genia's strength appeared to give out as she broke down and sobbed into Wren's chest, but Cody had seen the village headman flinch at her accusations, and he still looked troubled even after she went quiet. Caleb turned to the man, and addressed him directly even while Genia tore away from the Sergeant and went back to her son.

  "Malek, is it? We can clear these bodies out and you can tell them that the patrol never came through. They may believe you, or they may not. You know as well as I that they don't need a reason to harass you. They will do as they please even as these men were already doing... without provocation. They will punish you for their men not being here, and then punish the next village for the same thing. Xavier's new Guard is only getting worse." Caleb raised his voice and panned around to catch the eye of many of the other villagers. "You have likely seen more of these patrols on the last month than you have in the last few years, right?"

  That got them mumbling again, and even a few shouted questions as to why. The old scout nodded sagely and Cody was impressed at how easily he had commanded the full attention of everyone. He even had to mentally shake himself so he did not get caught up in it, and made sure to pay attention to their surroundings. Thankfully, Wren had already motioned for Kayla and three others to move out and take up watch.

  "It's because up north is no longer safe. Your King has pulled all of those loyal to him, all of those that appreciate his brand of cruelty, south so they do not interfere with his new friends. Friends that those of us with some sanity still call enemies. He has allowed Orcs through the Pass and given them free reign over the lands in the north."

  This statement caused a bit of a commotion among those present. As Caleb and he had been sketching out a quick plan, Wren was enlightening Caleb's friend about what was going on in northern Rennick. The former Commander had overheard and they gave him a brief rundown of the last few weeks of their lives. He had taken it harder than the villagers. The look of outrage on his face had actually caused a few of the squad to flinch back.

  It had not taken long for Caleb to agree to join them on their way back to the rebellion's headquarters. Cody knew that Commander Harker would welcome someone of Caleb's skills and experience, and also knew that many of their people would be heartened by the addition of a man that was basically a living legend. Once they had calmed down these villagers, they would gather the small party of people the former Commander had accumulated on his way north, and make for Oakwood. Then the fight for Rennick could hopefully begin in earnest.

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  It Begins

  Choss watched the walls surrounding Yost from the deep shadows of the forest near the western-most gate. The sun had slipped below the tree line almost an hour before, and he and his men were studying the city with some interest. They had seen many soldiers walking the wall around the city, as well as the handful manning the gate. Choss found that he was almost impressed with their alertness. It would not matter, of course. In the end his warriors would triumph, but it was worth noting that whoever was in charge of the city's defenses appeared competent.

  This actually worked in his favor, since the men with him would tell the others when they got back to their camp, and the proud Orcs would be even more excited by a challenge, no matter that it was not as worthy a target as Seegrin would be. Most of the farms and small communities they ha
d passed by had been deserted, stripped of anything useful. The few that had Humans present did not pose the slightest bit of challenge, and the disappointment was still grating on him. Even now, in front of this city, there would not be as much glory as one of the larger towns, but it would have to do. This would not be a true test of their prowess, but it would be a good start. There appeared to be enough opposition to give them a real fight, and judging by the alert guards and the abandoned farms, they were expected. Choss doubted it was so soon, though.

  The walls of the city were not going to prove as much of an obstacle as he feared. That was the one thing he was not prepared for, but thankfully it would not be necessary. Choss' smaller force did not have the tools required for a siege, and so they had assumed they would need to find some way to sneak beyond the walls. As it turned out, Yost was not designed to withstand a siege. At least not at present. There were signs of construction on the walls near the port, and he assumed that eventually the defensive walls would have been higher and sturdier. That would never happen now.

  After a few minutes studying his target, Choss waved the men with him back to camp and they gathered to prepare a plan. It would be simple enough, and should have them over the walls with relative ease. The soldiers walking the walls were few enough that they could choose a spot and time to cross over that would only need to be held by a few for a very short span of time. Once they had enough warriors on the wall to hold the soldiers at bay, the rest could pour over and let the slaughter begin. Fortunately, just as they had been preparing to leave the main force, Veesha had approached and added one more to their raiding party. Lethis was a shaman, and Choss had gladly accepted him to their ranks. The magic user could probably hold the section of wall by himself, but since he would not need to, Choss felt success was guaranteed.

  Early morning, roughly an hour before the sun rose, was usually the best time for a surprise attack, but Choss knew his men would not wait through the night. It was not something he was planning to do either. They were all ready for blood, and so he gave the order for them to gather at the tree line and wait for the signal. It would be a short wait, since he knew the Goblins would not be able to remain silent for long, but that worked well for him.