by Randi Darren
“Yes. Please fall in with us and we’ll escort you to the capital building immediately.”
There was no arguing with that statement and he honestly wasn’t sure he could take an entire patrol without getting himself mobbed.
“Lead on,” Vince said, walking into the middle of the patrol. Immediately the soldiers closed up around him and began “escorting” him to the building at the end of the main thoroughfare.
A pre-Waste government building that had gone through a number of conversions to turn it into a castle. Complete with stone towers and wall.
Beside him, Petra stood up to her full height. With a grunt she fastened her helmet, pulling the strap tight under her chin. With a shrug of her shoulders she flexed her hands.
Petra began systematically cracking an open palm against each piece of her armor, seemingly checking the position and preparedness to receive a blow.
Vince couldn’t help but grin at his soldier as she prepared for battle.
Subtle, she is not.
Vince let his eyes take in the room for a single heartbeat before focusing in on the trio of people seated at a table.
Al was easy to pick out with that smarmy grin and punchable face.
Next to him was an older man dressed in expensive pre-Waste clothing. He looked like nothing out of the ordinary and Vince felt like he’d be hard to recognize in a crowd with that mud brown hair and turd colored eyes of his.
Which was amusing since Vince expected him to be the king.
Across from them was a third man, dressed in leather armor and ill at ease. He was only a bit more memorable with blue eyes instead of brown.
Judging on the color of his uniform, as that was the only thing it could be, it was clear this man was a representative of the Kingdom of Portland.
No one rose from their seats and all three men viewed Vince as if he were something to be scraped off a boot and tossed off the path.
“Reporting as requested, hub leader,” Vince said, staring at a point between Al and who he was assuming was the King of Washington.
“Of course you are. Do you even realize… no, no, you don’t. Because you’re a fool. A stupid fool,” Al seethed, his face turn a bright red as he spoke. “Running around the border without a proper route, doing nothing at all I’m sure. Nothing other than fucking your little play things.”
Vince blinked, collecting his thoughts. Without meaning to he began to reach out empathically to everyone in the room and just outside of it.
Behind him in the hall he could feel Petra, annoyed and nervous. The two guards with her feeling the same damn way.
The three in the room with him were angry. Very angry. Murderously so.
Vince had to keep himself from turning his head to the left when he felt a fourth mind against the wall.
A shielded mind.
I see you Seville.
“We were patrolling the border as you instructed. While I admit the the majority of the duty was uneventful, we did come across a battle. As I’m sure you’ve already read the report, I feel it pointless to repeat the details,” Vince said slowly. “Otherwise, we’ve followed your orders to the letter while maintaining the neutrality of the Ranger guild.”
The last sentence Vince said while turning his head to stare directly into Al’s eyes.
Al’s spine straightened at that, taking in a slow audible breath.
“We appreciate your services in that regard, Ranger,” the king interrupted. “You’re right of course, and we understand your wish to remain neutral while maintaining the peace at the same time.”
Vince turned his eyes on the king and nodded his head slightly. “Just as I slew the bandits in Portland, I slew what I believed were unlawful townsfolk in Washington. The Ranger guild is to remain neutral.”
The ambassador nodded his head once to that, nearly at the same time the king did. Al on the other hand looked like he’d wound himself up to a boiling point.
“I’ll have you flogged and flayed-” Al started.
“Where in the charter do you have that authority? As I stated previously, I followed your orders to the best of my ability, within the stated orders I was given,” Vince said without emotion.
Al slammed his hand down against the arm of his chair and lifted his other hand to point at Vince.
“Quite right, Ranger,” the king boomed. Al said nothing, but Vince could clearly see his words were only restrained by his teeth.
Vince said nothing and waited. He’d need to be dismissed by either the King or the hub leader.
“You’ll remain here in the capital for a time. I’d like to speak with you at length about your time on the border,” Al said slowly.
As he spoke Vince could feel the anger and hate oozing from Al’s mind, and a slow building sense of satisfaction and glee.
“We’ll have a room arranged for you here in the castle.” With that, Vince, felt the finality in the man’s mind.
He’s going to have us killed tonight. Fuck this. Being a Ranger isn’t worth dying over. If they want to kick me out for not following the rules, fine.
“I’ll-” Vince started but was interrupted by the doors behind him swinging open.
Turning his head Vince saw a squad of armed men lead Petra into the audience hall.
“These men will show you to your quarters. We’ll speak more in the morning,” the king explained. Turning his head to Al the king started up a different conversation.
There was no point in resisting. Both he and Petra had been frisked and checked for weapons by the guards who received them at the door.
Vince felt naked without his blade, but felt better that he’d given it to someone for safekeeping.
Even without it though, he knew he was a match for any two men here, and Petra perhaps three.
Being unarmed didn’t make a fight impossible, but it made it damned nearly so.
“This way… sir,” muttered a helmeted guard.
Vince said nothing but took his place next to Petra in the middle of the squad. They set off as soon as the guards closed around behind him.
Petra’s helmeted head swiveled to peer down at him. Without any response from him, Petra turned her face back to the guards ahead of them.
Minutes ticked by as they walked onward, and upwards. They climbed quite a number of stairs until it felt like they were probably in the tallest tower in the keep.
The hell am I, a princess in need of rescue?
Reaching a floor that seemingly had no further stairs to take they turned to a door on the left.
Cold iron covered most of the door in strips, giving it the appearance of being an iron door with wood, rather than a wooden door with banded iron.
“Invoke your slave collar and order your slave into this room and that she not leave it under any condition,” came an echoing voice from inside of the guard’s helmet.
“Petra, by the slave collar that binds you, I order you to stay in that room and not leave under any condition,” Vince said immediately.
Vince hoped that Petra would be quick enough on the uptake to realize this wasn’t what he wanted her to do at all, but that she needed to play along. He’d have to think of a plan so that they could escape.
Apparently he need not have worried, because Petra immediately turned around and marched into the room.
Closing the door behind her the guards then dropped a bar into place that would keep the door well and truly shut. Then they led him down to the other end of the hallway. Another door greeted him, much like the last one it had a security bar.
“Get in.”
Vince didn’t argue and slipped inside, taking a look around. Behind him the door shut and he heard the bar drop into place.
“Nice cell,” Vince muttered. All around him were rich furnishings the like he could only have imagined. The vast majority of it was pre-Waste and beyond expensive.
He briefly considered lighting it aflame. If they were going to kill him in the night, he could at least make it ex
pensive for them.
Noticing a window at the other end of the room he walked over to it.
It was big enough to actually crawl out of, but that’s where any escape plan would end.
There were no stones beneath the window or to either side. Directly above the window was a flat patch of stone that would prevent one from climbing up and out as well.
“Lovely unobstructed view. Oh, and look. A nice concrete stamp below me to catch me should I jump.
“Ah, how considerate. It’s even located in a private area below me for quiet cleanup. I think I even see lovely red splotches down there. It appears I’m not the first resident.”
Petra’s helmet free head swung into his view.
Vince blinked at her, too stunned to respond.
She reached up and tucked her hair behind her ears and then turned her head to the side to face him.
“This one assumed you desired her cooperation until such a time as she could escape,” Petra murmured. “She has barricaded the door in such a way that no one will be enter for many hours, then escaped.
“This one would ask her master to move so she could enter to complete her task. While heights do not bother her, this one thinks that a soldier ant clinging to a wall looks out of place in a human settlement.”
Vince nodded his head and quickly got out of the way. Petra filled the window as she maneuvered her legs through.
Suddenly breaking out in a smile he shook his head. He’d forgotten that much like an ant, she could climb nearly any surface.
“You’re a beauty Petra. I honestly hadn’t even begun to think of a way for us to escape.”
“This one thanks her master for the compliment to her appearance. Though she would like to ask you further about your preferences, she feels this is not the time.”
“Quite right, quite right. Alright, let’s see if there’s anything small we want to steal, barricade the door, and then figure out what we do next.
“Personally, I’m done with this place. I figure we slip out once sunset comes, get out of town. Swing over to that village, pick up Fes and Meliae, head out to the deep countryside, and lay low for a while.”
“This one thinks her master’s plan lacks detail, but agrees that as an outline, it’s a good start.”
Vince scoffed at that, smiling once more. “Between the three of you, I’ll never have to worry about being misled, will I?”
Petra merely shook her head.
Chapter 14
Guards had come to check on them. They had discovered quickly the door was blocked. Blocked by very expensive furniture and items that they didn’t want to be responsible for. They were forced to retreat rather than earn their kings wrath.
Besides that nothing happened. Vince spent the evening chit chatting with Petra.
Up to this point, apparently her life had been one of conflict. A neighboring ant colony had provided her with a daily war that had lasted for her entire life.
She described an endless conflict in which she slew her enemies and watched her colony mates die. Daily.
Ants could repopulate quickly and losses were absorbed with little difficulty.
Petra was a bit of an abnormality though. She learned, adapted, survived. Most of those who fought with her, or against her, were too young to know any different. Or too stupid to believe there could be a difference.
Which is why she had left the nest when it was apparent there would be no possibility of recovery. Even if there had been other survivors, they would have probably gone straight into another battle with their neighbor, only to be wiped out.
Vince had become so engrossed in her story that they’d talked about little else.
When the sudden explosion of orange sunlight beat through the open window Vince was surprised.
“Dang. Time we got a leg on,” Vince said, getting to his feet. “I know we didn’t talk much about the plan, but I really can’t think of what else I’d add to it. Trying to detail it out would achieve little since we’re not sure what to expect.”
Petra grunted and checked her helmet on her hip and her bundled armor on the other side. They’d decided that it would be better for them both if she made the descent in only her normal clothes. After a moment she looked back to him. “This one dislikes it, but agrees.”
“Well, with that being said… should I mount you like a horse or do you carry me?” Vince asked. He wasn’t quite sure how Petra planned on getting him down.
“Master will ride this one. She apologizes that this will not be comfortable, and asks that you hold on tightly to her with arms and legs.”
“Right,” Vince said under his breath.
Petra sidled over to him and lowered herself down. Her ant abdomen laid on the ground and her legs were arranged a little differently to accommodate him getting on.
Reaching out he laid his hands on her segmented abdomen and leaned forward. Lifting a leg over her he slid into the space Petra had indicated.
Wrapping his legs around her hips he reached around and locked his arms around her middle just under her breasts.
“Master, could you please move your ankles higher or lower? This one must shamefully report that you have rested them directly atop an area that would not assist in climbing,” Petra said, as she stood up slowly.
Thinking about it, Vince realized he had quite literally pressed his ankles into her nether region. “Sorry, Petra.”
Easing up a bit he managed to move his ankles down further till he found the point where her skin went from human to carapace.
“Better placement, this one thanks you.”
Petra started to walk forward and Vince couldn’t help but feel amazed. Petra’s movement was smooth. Her legs working around him as if he weren’t even there.
Then they were outside the window and sideways.
Vince managed to keep himself seated and held onto the athletic ant-soldier as she glided along the wall to the back of the building.
Finding himself not enjoying the view, Vince pressed his face into Petra’s shoulder blades and took slow breaths.
He could feel his center of gravity change as she maneuvered them along the wall. At times he swore they were nearly upside down. As quick as could be believed, Vince felt the world right itself underneath him.
“This one reports that she has escaped with her master. Though, she would ask her master to remain seated. She can move more swiftly than he and can get him across the rooftops and out of the city quickly.
Vince nodded his head against Petra’s back. “Done. Get us outside the city.”
Petra didn’t hesitate. They were off in a flash. Vince could feel the air parting around Petra from the speed she put on. His orientation to the world changed as what felt like to him she was jumping from building to building.
Didn’t even know Waste ants could jump. Normal ants can’t.
“Master, this one sees the one called Seville,” Petra said as they came to a sudden stop, breaking through his thoughts.
“What? Where?” Vince asked, peering out from around her back.
Lifting an arm, Petra indicated towards what looked like a man and a woman walking down the street.
From this distance, he could certainly believe it was Seville, but it was hard to really confirm that.
“Get us closer.”
Petra bunched her legs and bolted. In seconds they were around the front now and could see Seville’s face easily.
It was indeed him, and walking beside him was an elven maiden. She wore a dainty slave collar of northern make and they looked like they were engaged in a quiet but heated conversation.
The elf gestured with her hands in short chopping motions while Seville made gentle waves with his own, seemingly soothing her.
They turned down a side street and paused, pulling items from a satchel the elf had been carrying.
“Masks,” Vince said softly as they pressed the items to their faces. It was the only thing it could be. “But why? Let’s follow them. Discr
eetly.”
Petra took them straight up the side of a building. Forcing himself not to close his eyes Vince found they were following them from above.
“This one wonders why they wear a mask,” Petra whispered.
“If I could answer that one, we wouldn’t have to pretend to be the Hardy Boys,” Vince replied.
“Who?”
“Never mind. Kids books my parents gave me.”
Vince looked up towards the direction Seville was heading.
“Seems like they’re heading to that mansion’s rear gate, doesn’t it?” Vince said, pointing down at the two below them and the gate ahead.
Beyond the gate was a large four story mansion that sat squarely in the middle of a large green.
The building was massive in scale and looked like the definition of opulent.
“This one agrees. What does Master wish?” Petra asked.
Vince though about it, and as he thought about it, he let his senses expand. Seville’s mind was still locked up tight, but he elf was wide open.
Apparently Seville didn’t think to tell her about me and my tricks. Which means what he knows about me, is a secret to everyone else.
So far. Who knows how long that’ll last.
The elf was full of lust, fear, and excitement. Which made no sense. At all.
She was too far for him to pry into her actual thoughts though.
“Let’s… follow for now. If they go inside, maybe we can slip into a room on that fourth floor. Think you can manage it without being seen?”
“This one is not used to subterfuge, but believes she can succeed, Master.”
“Right. Let’s do it then.”
Vince and Petra watched their prey walk quietly to the gate.
Upon reaching it a guard materialized at the gates. Vince hadn’t even noticed the dark outfitted man.
Something changed hands and Seville was allowed to enter with his companion. The gate was surprisingly noiseless on it’s opening and closing.
Seville walked casually up to the nearest door and entered as if he knew what to expect.
Petra slipped away from the side of the house facing the gate. Moving around to a different side, with a higher wall and a lack of guards, Petra scaled it with ease.