Scout's Oath: A Planetary Romance (Scout's Honor Book 2)

by Henry Vogel

  Another sword dropped. “Me, too”

  Sword after sword fell, each followed by a cry of surrender. I had feared the trogs would keep killing, but the Great One kept them in check. Within seconds, the fight was over.

  And then David pushed through the crowd of trogs and tunnel rats. He swept me into his arms and his lips met mine. I was whole again!

  Chapter 48

  Callan

  David held me tightly, the feel of him and the scent of him overwhelming my senses. Then I realized part of that scent had the sharp, metallic tang of blood. I had been so overjoyed to see David, I hadn’t noticed the blood splattering his clothes.

  “Darling, how much of this blood is yours?” I asked.

  “None of it,” he said. “Or not much of it, anyway. I got a few scratches, nothing more.”

  “Yes, your Wonder Boy is hale and hearty and disgustingly unharmed,” drawled Martin from behind David. “That’s more than some of us can say. I’d wring my hands in distress, but it would hurt too much and my hand would probably start bleeding again.”

  I looked around my husband and gasped at the sight of Martin’s mangled hand. “Oh my God, Martin! What happened?”

  “I discovered that tammars are extremely quick, Your Highness. They also have big, sharp claws.”

  “We’ve got to take Martin to Tristan! The Pauline is not far from here and Tristan has a surgery setup to handle our wounded warriors.” I glanced at the trogs, seeing nothing more than minor cuts and scrapes. “And it looks like Martin is the only one in need of a surgeon.”

  I took David’s hand and started back down the tunnel. David did not come along with me.

  “You and Milo take Martin back to the airship and let Tristan get started,” David said. “The trogs and I have to finish business down here.”

  “What do you mean by that?” I asked. “I just got you back, David.”

  “Callan, David has sworn to kill King Rat,” Martin said. “He’s got some wild idea about freeing the city–states of the vile little rat boy’s influence. You know, typical heroic and noble stuff about making the world a better place blah blah blah. What I find irksome is the lad thinks I’ll let him take all the credit simply because a tammar scratched my hand.”

  “The right word is ‘mauled,’ Martin,” David said.

  “You say mauled, I say scratched. Whatever. I entered these tunnels to find you and take you back home,” Martin said. “I am not leaving until you leave.”

  David massaged his forehead. “Why are you being so stubborn, Martin?”

  “There’s this princess, beautiful but possessed of a fiery temper who–”

  “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Martin Bane!” My smile and tone belied my words.

  “You’re all mad,” David sighed. “Fine, Martin, come with me. But Callan, you and Milo–”

  “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, David Rice!” I did not smile and my tone brooked no argument. “If you have got to kill this King Rat, then let’s get it over with. The sooner the man is dead, the sooner we can go home!”

  David met my gaze for a few seconds then smiled. “As you wish, Your Highness. I’m too tired to argue, anyway.”

  Milo grinned and gave me a thumb’s up. The Great One chuffed, a sound I’d come to recognize as trog laughter.

  “Lady Death worthy mate for Hand of Death.”

  David looked at me. “Lady Death? Hand of Death?”

  I patted David’s arm. “I’ll tell you after we’re safely onboard the Pauline.”

  David had the trogs gather the swords dropped by King Rat’s men and then ordered those men to lie face down on the floor. He left half a dozen trogs guarding the prisoners and, with a wave of his arm, led us back down the tunnel to find King Rat.

  Chapter 49

  David

  I’d only been in these tunnels for a few days, but I’d obviously missed out on a lot up in the real world. From the way Milo snickered at the Great One’s words of approval for Callan, quite a tale awaited me.

  The map of the tunnels my implant had constructed didn’t stretch into the area where we were. With a little guesswork on my part, I found my way into familiar territory in short order. Now certain of my course, I led the way toward the entrance to the tammar pit. King Rat had been there mere moments ago, so it was the best place to start. If he had wandered off, I felt certain I could find someone who would know where to find him. I was further certain that someone could be convinced to share the king’s location with me.

  Martin tried to hide it, but he was on the ragged edge of exhaustion. He’d lost a lot of blood and the fight we had just finished had worn him down even further. With every step he took, Martin’s breath hissed quietly through clenched teeth. If I was the wounded one, my implant would have flooded my system with analgesics. But the pain killers weren’t like adrenaline, which our bodies made and our implants stored. Martin had been on Aashla for fifteen years without access to implant resupply. By now, I doubted he had any analgesics remaining. I had to get Martin back to Tristan for proper medical care as soon as possible.

  We swung into the tunnel leading up to the doors to the tammar pit. Two men stood guard. At sight of me, they raised their swords.

  One shouted, “Rice is—”

  Then the trogs padded into the tunnel behind me. The guards’ eyes went wide and the talkative one screamed, “Trogs!”

  The two guards bolted down a side tunnel. With the guards out of the way, I prepared to make one heck of an entrance.

  “Great One, have two of your warriors slam those doors open as I approach.”

  The big trog spoke and two of his warriors slipped past me to the doors.

  “Callan, please walk at my left side. Oh, and do that regal princess thing you do so well.” Callan came to my side, her court posture and countenance settling over her like a favorite gown. I linked arms with her and wished I could match my wife’s composure.

  I looked over my shoulder. “Milo, please give Martin a steadying hand. It just wouldn’t do for him to collapse and spoil our grand entrance!”

  With everything in place and everyone ready, we resumed walking. At my signal, the two trogs threw open the doors. They banged against the walls so hard one door cracked. The sound reverberated around the tammar pit. Silence fell and all eyes turned our way. The crossbowmen, my main worry, lounged near the door, their weapons propped against bench seats or lying on the floor.

  “King Rat, you have threatened my country, imprisoned my friends, and kept me from my wife. I am tired of your dark, dank tunnels. I am tired of the scum you call subjects. I am tired of you.”

  I pointed my sword at King Rat, who stood rooted in place just outside the tammar cage. “Your kingdom is at an end and your power broken. Life as you have known it is over. Face me. Man to man. Blade to blade. Face me and die like a man!”

  Chapter 50

  David

  The echoes of my challenge faded and still none of the tunnel rats moved or spoke. Then one of the crossbowmen shook himself free of his surprise. With an inarticulate cry of rage, he grabbed his crossbow and tugged on the cocking lever.

  The Great One roared and charged past me. He rammed his spear straight through the man and out his back. He lifted his spear over his head, the dying man still impaled upon it, and roared again. With a heave, he flung the body at the feet of the other crossbowmen. He waved the crimson–coated spear before the eyes of the remaining crossbowmen, daring them to attack.

  Eyes wide, the men stopped reaching for their weapons. One after another, they raised their hands and backed away from their crossbows.

  “What are you doing, you cowards? He’s just one trog! He can’t kill all of you before some of you shoot him!” King Rat waved his sword toward us. “Attack them! Defend your king!”

  The crossbowmen obviously decided they were out of the fight and they showed no interest in getting back into it. They ignored the order and kept backing away. But half a
dozen of the king’s guards drew swords and charged up the stairs toward the Great One. With a blood–curdling yell, the Great One and his warriors leapt down the stairs to meet them.

  The trogs outnumbered the guards three to one and didn’t hesitate to take advantage of their superior numbers. The charging trogs encircled the overzealous guards. Lowering their spears, the circle of trogs closed in. Far too late to save themselves, the men came to their senses. Pleas and screams fell on deaf ears. On a command from the Great One, the trogs thrust their spears into the men packed before them. Again and again, the spears thrust until the men within the circle no longer cried or moved.

  At my side, Callan paled but watched with resolution.

  Seeing me eying her with concern, she said, “These men watched and cheered the slaughter in the tammar pit months ago. They watched and cheered as bound and helpless people were ripped to pieces by the tammar. At the very least, these men held weapons and had the choice to fight or surrender. That is far more than they granted the tammar’s victims.”

  Callan was right. Perhaps this wasn’t exactly her culture, but it was her planet. She knew its ways far better than I, who had been here but half a year. I kept my expression impassive and spoke only after the trogs stepped back from the bloody corpses.

  “Does anyone else wish to die to defend a king who cowers from combat and watches the slaughter from a safe distance?” I waved my hand toward the trogs. “You all know the trogs’ reputation. If you’d rather not face them across the tip of a spear, throw down your weapons now. Any who surrender will be spared. Any who still hold weapons ten seconds from now will die.”

  All around the tammar pit, weapons clattered to the floor.

  “Smart move, rats,” Martin called. “Now clear the pit floor. I really need a drink right now, but I can’t go get one until my friend David kills your king in a fair fight.”

  Chapter 51

  Callan

  Tunnel rats backed away from King Rat while Martin’s orders still echoed around the tammar pit. The king of the rats spun left and right, looking for support from someone. He called something, anger in his voice.

  I turned to Martin. “Do you feel up to translating for me? I don’t speak this language and would like to know what’s going on.”

  “I would be honored, Your Highness.”

  With Martin speaking softly in my ear, I turned back to watch my husband and King Rat.

  “Come back here and defend your king. We have a thousand rats in these tunnels. We can destroy them, but only if you defend me!”

  Walking down the stairs to the pit floor, David shook his head. “You’re wasting your breath, Vraal. No one in this room will waste their life defending a dead man.”

  “You will use my proper title and show proper respect when speaking to me, boy!”

  A laugh devoid of all humor escaped David’s lips. “You truly are delusional, rat man. I show you more respect than you deserve simply by speaking to you. As for proper titles, I can think of many appropriate ones. I will not, however, use such language before my royal wife or my young friend, Milo.”

  King Rat’s eyes blazed with fury and more than a little madness. “I could have killed you the moment you were dragged before me, you know. But I did not. You now owe me the same consideration, Rice.”

  “Apparently you are delusional.” David spread his arms and spun in a circle. “You kept me alive for this. I bet you can see the spectacle in your mind. The seats packed with tunnel rats. Four hungry tammars circling the edge of the cage. The warmup victims littering the cage floor, nothing more than mangled corpses. Finally, I am dragged into the pit and thrust into the cage. A fitting end to the man who ruined your last great spectacle.”

  David stopped his slow spin and glared at King Rat.

  “That is why you kept me alive. That is why I’m down here in the first place. You want revenge? Come and take it! You want spectacle? Congratulations, you get to be part of it!”

  Regardless of how this duel ended, King Rat’s rule was finished. David had shown the man had grown too weak to keep his throne. With my years in court, I could read the tunnel rats as if they wore signs proclaiming their feelings. Did David realize that?

  “He’s already lost everything, David,” I called in Mordanian. “Don’t expect rational behavior from him.”

  Giving me a tired smile and a nod, David turned toward King Rat and, with a flourish, drew his sword. The rest of us spread out around the wall of the pit, ringing the two combatants. The Great One spread his warriors around the circle, insuring none of the tunnel rats interfered in the coming duel.

  “Let’s get this over with, rat boy” David said, stalking to the center of the circle.

  King Rat roared his fear and frustration and anger. Sword held high, he charged at David!

  In the blink of an eye, David changed. Quick and graceful to begin with, he grew more graceful, and so much quicker my eye barely saw his sword. He straightened, his weariness washed away before my eyes. As I have done so many times since I first learned the possible dangers of Boost, I fervently prayed this Boost would not kill him.

  David blocked King Rat’s attack with contemptuous ease. He stepped aside, allowing the man to charge past him, and kicked King Rat in the backside as he ran past. The king stumbled to a halt, his eyes blazing at the insult.

  King Rat bent from the waist, clutching at his heart. As soon as David took a single step in the king’s direction, the rat spun around, his sword swinging in a wide arc. David simply ducked under the swing. Then, with the flick of a wrist, he slashed open King Rat’s sword arm. King Rat’s sword dropped to the floor and he clutched his wounded arm. David swung the pommel of his sword across the king’s jaw. King Rat collapsed in a heap, cringing and mewling at David’s feet.

  David shook his head in disgust. “I came down here to kill you so you’d never threaten me or mine again. But now I see you for what you truly are. And what you are is a man so pathetic I won’t sully this fine blade with your foul blood. Crawl back to your tunnel rats, Vraal. They can dispose of you.”

  Weariness settled on him again as David dropped Boost. He turned his back on King Rat and walked toward me. Behind him, King Rat rose to his feet, a dagger raised to plunge into David’s unprotected back!

  Chapter 52

  David

  I walked away from the craven rat king, longing to do nothing but wrap Callan in my arms and hold her until this whole affair faded from my mind. Smiling, I reached for Callan. An answering smile spread across her lips and the fear in her eyes faded. Then the fear rushed back into her eyes. She pointed over my shoulder.

  “David!”

  Pushed to the limit by running battles, narrow escapes, and on–again, off–again Boosting, my body was slow to react. Sluggishly, I spun to face whatever threat Callan saw. Martin, standing at Callan’s side and suffering from blood loss and exhaustion, was too far away and even slower than I was.

  I saw the glint of polished steel.

  I saw the white of King Rat’s bared teeth.

  I saw my death reflected in King Rat’s eyes.

  I saw the Great One and his trogs watching with great interest. As I understood their customs, this fight belonged to me. They would not dishonor me by interfering.

  I saw King Rat lunge toward me. The dagger descending too fast for me to react. If I had a spare second more, I could dodge the blade. But it seemed I had used up my allotment of spare seconds.

  In a blur, something small moved between my attacker and me. King Rat screamed as a knife appeared and pierced his wrist. His hand spasmed and the dagger meant for my heart fell to the floor. Shock flooded King Rat’s face. He stumbled away, hands clutching at a second knife protruding just below his rib cage. King Rat opened his mouth and blood flowed from it. He coughed once, spraying blood over the small figure between us.

  “Leave my family alone!” Milo snarled, the sweet kid I knew so well replaced by the kid forced to fight for surviv
al on the streets of Faroon.

  King Rat’s eyes rolled up into his head and he fell backward. The body convulsed once and lay still.

  Milo spun to face me, concern written on his face. “Are you okay, David? Did I get him before he stabbed you?”

  Callan swept past me and pulled Milo into a tight embrace. “Yes, you got him in time. The dagger never touched David. And I can never thank you enough, Milo!”

  Then I reached out and joined the embrace.

  “So, family, huh?” I asked.

  “Um, it just came out wrong. I meant to say friends.” Milo didn’t meet my eyes.

  Callan snorted. “You most certainly did not mean to say friends! And, as far as I’m concerned, you are family, Milo!”

  Milo looked up, tears glistening in his eyes. “Do you really mean that?”

  “Of course, we really mean it,” I said. “Now, what do you say we get out of these tunnels. I’m ready to see the sky again!”

  Chapter 53

  David

  I turned to the tunnel rats gathered around us. “King Rat is dead. There is nothing left for you down here. It’s time to get out of the tunnels and give up this stupid excuse for a life.”

  Despite everything which had happened in the last few minutes, one of the tunnel rats still managed to dredge up some attitude. “And what if we don’t want to leave? What if I want to be the new King Rat?”

  “You see those blue guys over there?” I waved my arm toward the band of trogs. “If I hear anyone stayed in these tunnels—much less crowned himself the new king—I will personally lead a few hundred of them into these tunnels. If I have to do that, the only things we’ll leave behind are the corpses of every tunnel rat we find.”