by John Evans
"Do you think they are still close by?" asked Shara.
"I don't think so," answered Per. "It said it did not sense them in the cavern. Let's be careful, though. I want to check through the castle to see if there is anything we can use for our return trip."
He found food in the kitchen and discovered the living quarters. Cedric's room had been torn apart as if he had packed up hastily, while Yayenski's was neat and orderly. A crystal ball rested on a pedestal, which Per packed up along with any books he could find. The most startling discovery awaited them in the throne room.
"Well, I think he died happy," stated Per.
Yayenski was sitting slumped on the throne. His eyes were wide open with a frozen look of ecstasy on his face. The crotch of his pants were saturated. Per stripped off all of the dead man's rings, bracelets, and necklaces, then tied the body up in a blanket.
"He's going to start to smell soon," said Shara with a curl to her lips.
A lavender light shot in through the window and played back and forth over Yayenski's body. It disappeared as fast as it had appeared, leaving the body to glow a little before the glow faded from view.
"I don't think so," replied Per. "Are you ready to leave?"
"Yes, let's get out of here," said Shara.
Chapter 12: Insurrection
"How far is it to Delta?" asked Shara, looking into the forest from the rim of the crater. She had abandoned her dress, which was the one she had been wearing when she had been kidnapped, had endured much in the months of travel. Torn, stained, and worn threadbare, it would be hard to call it even a rag. Shara had amazed Per by cutting down one of his shirts and a pair of his pants, and sewing them with needle and thread until they were a decent fit for her.
"Eight or more days," replied Per. "This area was infested with the remnants of the army of creatures Yayenski sent to attack the city. Most of them should have gone back to their natural habitat, but there may be some stragglers. Are you any good with a weapon?"
"Not unless you count my body," replied Shara with a smirk. "I can use a dagger, though."
Per handed one of his extra daggers to her. She took it and belted the scabbard to her waist.
"I know we have been over this, but I think we should head straight for Delta," said Shara. "Cedric was right about the instability my abduction will cause. We need to get back to the Overlord as soon as possible."
"I know, but remember, we have to make it back alive," replied Per. "It's a long walk to Delta. It's only three to four days to MarHaven. We can get my horse there and hopefully buy another. Even if we can't, we can ride double and it'll only be six to seven days back to Delta. We gain the security of being mounted and, at most, we only lose a day or two."
"I know, I know," said Shara placating. "You've said it all before."
They made their way towards MarHaven. The time Per had spent underground had been sufficient to disperse the numerous creatures and beings that had been roaming through the forest before. It was midday of the third day since they had left the crater area when Per spotted the imposing barbican of MarHaven.
"What are we stopping for?" asked Shara when they halted several hundred yards away from the barbican.
"For someone of my size and heritage, it is best to play it safe with dwarves."
They waited more than half an hour before the huge doors of the barbican creaked opened. A dwarf emerged out of the inky darkness and Per immediately recognized it as Gola.
"Per! I thought that was you, lad," said Gola gruffly. "How in Torak's Beard did you get out here? I've got all the sentries on the lookout for you. When I got the call about you being here, I thought the woman might be Iona, but she's much bigger in the teats."
Shara stared at him open-mouthed in shock as Per tried to hide his grin. "First time meeting a dwarf?" asked Gola.
She shook her head. "No, but the others I have met were dour and taciturn, talking only about the business at hand. They left as soon as our business was concluded."
"You must be Queen Shara," said Gola. "The others you've met were traders and diplomats, ill at ease around folks bigger than us. I'm hoping that box contains what is left of Yayenski." Per nodded affirmatively. "Good, that's one less worry."
"What else are you worried about?" asked Per.
"Holina and Delta, to name two," replied Gola. "Since she and Iona left, we haven't heard one word from Delta and we've no one to spare to go see what the problem is. It's been weeks and I'm getting worried."
"I don't like the sound of it, either," said Per. "We have to go to Delta and I promise to find Holina. Is my horse here and do you have any mounts we can buy?"
"There's a human village in one of our mountain valleys that is taking care of your horse," said Gola. "I'll send word and he'll be here tonight. I'll have them bring down a selection of horses for you to pick from. You'll also need some supplies I suspect. Don't worry, Your Majesty, I'll provide them at a very reasonable rate."
At dawn the next morning, Shara found herself seated on an ornate dwarven-made saddle on a spirited palomino. She named the horse Sprinter. Per was at first unsure of her choice, but when she and Sprinter rode circles around him, he reappraised his view.
"What do you think we'll find when we get to Delta?" asked Shara as they rode along.
"I don't know," replied Per. "Given their recent history, it could be anything. I'm hoping it's just that they haven't anyone to spare to send messages to MarHaven."
"You don't believe that, do you?"
"No, I don't."
It was several days later when Per heard hooves coming down the road ahead of them. He knew they were close to Delta and, without knowing why, he did not want to be seen. Signaling silently to Shara, they rode off the road and hid in a large group of bushes. The hoof beats grew louder and Per saw a group of six riders, dressed in leather armor and were armed with swords, spears, and bows, appear from around a bend in the road. There appeared to be an attempt at uniformity in their dress, but it looked sloppy. The riders came up the road at a trot and passed the two hidden people without seeing them. He waited a few minutes after they were gone before riding back out onto the road.
"What was that about?" asked Shara.
"What did you think of them?" asked Per, jerking a thumb in the direction of the riders.
"Guards or militia of some sort," replied Shara. "They look to be newly formed and only partially trained."
"In answer to your question, we don't know what the situation is at Delta. If those guys had been anything else – peasants, for example - I would have stopped them for information. Strange, isn't it? They can send out patrols, but can't send anyone to MarHaven."
They proceeded slowly from then on. It was easy to avoid people because there was not anyone about on the road. The farms they passed by were also avoided when Per spotted a couple of militia riders standing guard at the first one. They were about two miles from Delta at dusk when they heard someone calling to them softly from the brush along side the road.
Per stopped, turned to face the person, and drew Dorgeth from its sheath. The brush crackled and a young woman stepped out nervously to the side of the road. She was dressed in leather pants with low boots and a loose blouse.
"I remember you," said Per. "You're the girl from... your father owns the stable I housed my horse in. What are you doing out here?"
"I don't know," replied the girl. "Some crazy old man came by the stables and talked to me and my father this morning. The next thing I know I'm out here hiding from the patrols and waiting for you."
"What's happened in the city?" asked Per.
"Master Merchant Teamer took control of the city," said the girl. "He's scared lots of people with the prophesy and he also holds a lot of notes for debts. He swayed enough people to his side that he could isolate the General and dispossess him as ruler. Rumor has it that the General, Lady Iona, and her mother are locked up in the dungeons. The city is closed to all non-humans and is locked up tight at
night. That crazy man told me that the patrols are out looking for you."
"Any chance of getting by the guards at the gates or do we have to assault the walls?" asked Per.
It's funny you should say that because I do have a way to get you in," replied the girl.
The girl led them around to the side of the main gate that they had been approaching. At one spot, she indicated that they should leave their horses behind. Per tied the reins to a branch of a tree. He decided to forgo his heavy crossbow and pulled his halberd out. They all crept close to the tall city wall, and Per was startled to see a thick, knotted rope hanging down from the battlements above.
"Don't be surprised by what you see above," whispered the girl. "She said they won't remember anything. Just climb up and get down the steps. We'll hide you at my father's stables."
"I can't climb that!" gasped Shara in a shocked tone, looking up at the dizzying height.
"You go ahead," said Per to the girl. As she climbed up the rope, Per made a bowline noose at the end. He draped the noose over Shara's head and under her arms. "I'll pull you up. Just hold on tight and use your feet to keep you from banging into the wall."
The girl quickly scurried up the rope and Per followed her up. As he approached the top of the wall, he heard grunts, gasps, and moans coming from the battlements. He pulled himself up just enough to peer over the wall's crenellations. What he saw almost caused him to let go of the rope in total astonishment.
Contico was on the battlements, servicing five militiamen all at the same time. One was fucking her pussy as another banged her up the ass. The third one was holding her head as he fucked his hard cock in and out of her mouth. Contico was jacking off the last two with her hands. The girl was standing ten feet from them and motioning Per to come on. None of the militiamen were looking at her.
"We have to hurry," whispered the girl. "She said they'll lose their lust when they cum."
Per suddenly understood that not all of Contico's plants had been destroyed. He wondered how she got out of the dungeon, but decided that was a question for later. He braced against the wall and began pulling upward.
Shara was shaking in fright when she finally was pulled up to the top of the wall. Per climbed back down and tied the end of the rope around the box containing Yayenski's body. He then climbed back up and pulled the box up after him.
The three of them snuck through the streets, alleys, and hidden paths of Delta. Per was glad that the girl was leading them because he was lost after the second turn. It finally started to look familiar when he spotted the dwarven inn that refused to give him and Iona rooms. The inn, however, was a burned-out shell of a building.
"Teamer ordered them to leave," whispered the girl, catching Per's stare. "They refused. His men burned them out and killed them all."
"This is putting you in a great deal of danger," said Per quietly. "If we're caught..."
"Let's hope we're not," said the girl simply. "The patrols inside the city are all Teamer's men. It's funny. The army has been confined to their barracks and hasn't done anything. It's rumored that the General Staff is staying at the palace."
"Or is being held hostage there," added Shara, her eyes glinting at the political intrigue.
"More like their families are," corrected the girl. "There's a large group of militia patrolling the officer's quarters."
"How about we get into the stables instead of standing in the street?" asked Per.
They relaxed a little when they finally got into the stable and the girl led them up to the hayloft.
"Shara, do you have any ideas of what to do?" asked Per. "I doubt Teamer will give me a chance to get at him."
"That is a personal solution and may not accomplish what you desire, even if you do succeed," stated Shara. "The Merchant's Guild may be running the militia. If Teamer dies, another merchant may just take his place and we'll be back at the beginning. We need to get the army out of its current state of inactivity. They're the only ones who can free the hostages and defeat the militia. They're hunkered down in their barracks and we need them to break this siege."
Per winced when Shara said the last word, but did not say anything. He knew his political awareness was infinitesimal compared to hers. Suddenly, a door latch clicked and he motioned the girl and Shara to remain quiet. Carefully picking Dorgeth up, he looked over the ledge to the floor below.
"Where are you?" whispered Contico loudly.
"Up here," said Per softly.
Contico negotiated the ladder with some difficulty. When she finally managed to climb up, Per could see her clothing was all disarranged. She sat down on a bale of hay with a sigh of relief.
"Oh, I haven't been fucked like that since, well, a long time," said Contico. "The guards didn't remember a thing after they came off the pollen."
"I thought it was all destroyed," said Per.
"The flowers were,' replied Contico. "I still had a small stash of pollen left that wasn't found. You're probably wondering why I'm helping you. Even when the General had me locked up in the dungeon, he treated me like a lady. Teamer is a pig. I guess he needed my cell, so he booted me out with nothing to my name. I prefer the General in charge than Teamer."
"We were saying that we need the army in order to defeat the militia," said Shara. "Do either of you know any officers who would be willing to help us?"
The girl shook her head, but Contico nodded her's vigorously. "I do, but I don't think Per can come with us. Teamer has given a description of him to everyone. Getting the army to act without orders is one thing, disobeying direct orders to capture Per is another. I'm sure Teamer does not want to add your head above the gate."
"She's right," said Shara. "Per, it'll be better if I go and talk to the officers without you."
"Wait a minute," said Per. He turned to face Contico. "You mean there's still a head above the gate. I thought Teamer would have gotten rid of it the first chance he got."
"He tried," said Contico. "It's protected by magic. The wizard who tried to break the spell protecting the head was literally blown apart into a thousand pieces."
"I wonder what Teamer would do if we got Yayenski's head and body on the wall?" asked Per rhetorically.
"Don't even try it!" exclaimed the girl. "That is the most heavily guarded gate of them all!"
"What's this about heads?" asked Shara dumbfounded.
Per explained the prophesy and the three sieges to her. Shara listened as he went on to tell her how Teamer had tried to change the prophesy. At the end, she just shook her head. "He's probably bringing around its fulfillment each time he tries to stop it. It does give me one more thing to bring before the officers."
Contico left them, promising to return in the morning. The girl went to her house, while Per and Shara slept in the hayloft. The three women met in the morning and left him alone in the stables. The girl's father came in to do work in the stables, but he obviously knew Per was there because he did not go up to the loft or even look up there. It was not until late afternoon before they returned.
"The army isn't happy with the situation, but their General Staff hasn't issued any orders, so the units are locked into immobility," said Shara. "The officers weren't even talking to one another until we brought them all together."
"What are they going to do?" asked Per.
"Restore the General to power, free the families of his staff, and defeat the militia," said Shara glibly. "They're working out a plan tonight. The one thing they insist upon is that Yayenski's head and body must be place above the gate just prior to the attack."
"And how did they suggest we do that?" asked Per crossly. "I doubt the four of us could even move the crypt stone, even if we didn't have to contend with the guards. We may be able to get the head in place, if we're extremely lucky, but the body is out of the question."
"I'll go talk to them," said Shara. "We're going to have to take some action soon before we are found out."
She left and returned a couple of hours later. "The
officers want both, but will settle for the head," advised Shara. "To them, it's a symbol that the General is correct. I think it shows their faith in him. Everything is planned for tomorrow morning at dawn. Trumpeters will sound the start of the attack. They want control of the city, which means they will be concentrating on the inner defenses. They won't be assaulting the walls or gates unless it becomes necessary."
"So, in other words, I have to sneak on top of a heavily fortified gate to get the head in place," said Per sourly.
"I doubt you'll have to sneak if I take care of the guards like I did last night," said Contico with a smile.
"I think you like the pollen too much," said Per.
"It beats blood, guts, and gore," replied Contico.
"And what if there is more than five guards up there?" asked Per. "What if there are fifty?"
"Then I'll be a very busy girl," said Contico with a shiver. "I think we had better get some sleep. We're going to have to approach the Head Gate along the top of the wall, which means we'll have to leave early. We'll never get to the top of the gate if we try it from the ground. Once the army starts, the militia will increase their security."
"I'm going to lay out my gear and rack out in the tack room," said Per as he headed to the ladder to climb down. He looked over at the girl. "I think we should all stay here in the stable. Can you stay out without alarming your father?"
"I've stayed out here before," said the girl. "It won't be a problem."
Per had almost told her to go home, but he was pretty sure that Max was the crazy old man who had talked to her. He was sure that the crazy old man had some reason for having her help him. As he laid out his armor and weapons, Per heard Contico and the girl whispering up in the loft. He rolled out his bedroll on the wood floor and stripped down to just his pants. Just as he was about to slide into his blankets, there was a knock on the tack room door.