A Soldier's Honor: The Scepter of Maris: Book One

by Barnes, James R.

  This was another amusing idea and actually caused a low chuckle to escape from him, startling an attractive chamber maid that had been passing by. Her slight jump was soon joined by her gasp as his hand shot out and clamped around her left arm just above the elbow. He roughly dragged her into the space next to him, his smile widened as he watched her fear turn into a full blown panic once her vision adjusted enough to recognize who had her.

  His other hand had clamped over her mouth to keep her from screaming, but once he saw recognition in her eyes he knew she would keep quiet. That same hand trailed down to her throat and caressed her skin for a second before moving to grip her neck firmly, though not tight enough to restrict her breathing. He moved in close, pressing her into the wall and grinding his hips into her. He began to get excited as her breathing sped up, knowing it was not from excitement caused him to relish her distress even more. He especially loved the fact that she knew what was coming and though he was sure she was revolted, he was also sure she would not try to get away. She probably realized screaming would make things worse for her, and thought she could make it through without doing so. He knew different. She would scream many times before he was done with her for the night.

  The visions this brought on had him licking his lips and breathing heavy himself for entirely different reasons. After letting go of her arm his hand moved to grope her breast, squeezing so tight she whimpered. He then let go and began dragging his hand roughly across and down her dress to begin drawing the fabric up while thrusting his face against hers and crushing her lips hard enough to split them. He could feel the tears on her cheeks and reveled in the power he felt from having such total domination over someone.

  Just as he had bunched the material up enough to get his hand underneath he was shocked out of his euphoria by a loudly clearing throat. He was so startled that he actually froze, like a child caught stealing the pie from a window sill or like a frightened animal.

  Like a sheep.

  The fact that there would be witnesses to this display of weakness enraged him. The hand still clutching the girl's throat began to tighten as he slowly turned his head so as to find the person that had disrupted their King's entertainment. He could feel the maid begin to struggle as he locked eyes with Tobias Thrask, his military commander and adviser. The man stood with his hands clasped behind his back and his feet spread apart, as he leisurely rocked back and forth on his heels.

  Xavier reached up with his right hand to brush aside the strands of long black hair that had partially blocked his view. He hated the fact that he had to look up, even though the man was only a few inches over his own six feet. "This had better be important, Thrask," he grated out.

  "As much as I hate to ruin your... play time, the aviary caretaker sent a runner to inform you that one of your 'special messages' has arrived." Thrask scratched at the stubble on his chin, a bored look on his face. "If you would tell me what this is about, I could take care of it for you and you would not need to be interrupted."

  Xavier leaned harder into the maid, his left hand jamming her throat back against the wall. By this time the girl's pounding on his arm had grown weaker, but Xavier only noticed this distantly as something of little consequence. His mind was racing as he finally stepped back while yanking her out of the alcove and, with a hard shove sent her sprawling to the floor in the hallway. He strode quickly down the hall ignoring the Lord Commander and the gasping, sobbing mess at his feet.

  Xavier hastily straightened his thick silk robes of yellow and white and reached up to check the jeweled circlet he usually wore in place of the heavy official crown. He paused just before the entry to the stairs when his hand did not encounter it. He wasted only a second trying to remember if he had put it on before leaving his chambers this morning, and continued on his way. If he did not find it in his rooms, then he would just blame his personal servants and order them punished until it was found. That could be entertaining, since he had no idea where he could have left it.

  Taking the stairs two at a time, he made it to the roof of the building that housed the palace administrative offices in short order. He took a moment to compose himself and control his breathing. It had been a while since he had any form of regimented exercise and the four flights of stairs left him somewhat winded. He quickly surveyed the rooftop while he recovered and let his mind calm from the myriad of possible things that this message could say. Some people might take a moment to enjoy the cool and lightly overcast day thinking on how nice it was to be outside on a day like this. Xavier believed those kinds of thoughts were for the sheep and never even looked up as he moved to the doorway in the aviary that took up half the rooftop. He was the King of a great kingdom that would be even greater if all went according to plan. Those were the thoughts that he kept foremost in his mind, the thoughts that occupied a ruler's time.

  He almost collided with the caretaker as he passed through the entrance, and the man squawked and jumped back. Xavier did not even try to suppress his irritation as the man went to his knees groveling and apologizing.

  "Get up, you old fool," he barked at the man.

  The caretaker hastened to his feet and stood there for a second, wiping his continuously running nose with the back of a wrinkled, liver-spotted hand and staring at Xavier.

  "Well... where is the message?"

  The old man jumped and then moved to a workbench to the right of the door. He dragged a small cage over to the edge and after opening it, carefully pulled its occupant out. Cooing softly to the pigeon he walked back to Xavier and held it out to him. "I left the message tied to its leg, just like you ordered your Majesty. No one has touched it."

  Xavier ignored what the man was saying and took the bird with his left hand and worked the parchment tied to one leg until he had it loose. It was awkward trying to unroll it with the pigeon still in his hand, but he did not want to stop long enough to hand it back. He crossed over to the large window at the back of the aviary for more light to read the missive.

  Mission unsuccessful. Primary targets escaped. Will try again in port town.

  He whipped around at the mewling noise coming from the caretaker, preparing to unleash all of the fury he felt after reading the message, only to pause as he saw the old man whimpering and near tears staring at his King's hands. Xavier looked down at his hands to see the crumpled parchment in his right and a dead pigeon in the other. He did not even realize that he had crushed the life out of it after reading of his agent's failure.

  He left the aviary, tossing the dead bird at the old man without even looking at him. He could not believe the incompetence he had to deal with. A simple ambush. How hard can it be to kill two little girls. He should never have left it up to the Orcs. He should have hired mercenaries and sent a few goblins with them, then they could kill the goblins and leave their bodies at the ambush site so that Roderick would think the Orcs were responsible. That should be enough to get Glendon howling for revenge, and focusing their troops and energy to the north. They would invariably ask Rennick for support, for who knew more about fighting Orcs than they did? That would be the beginning of the end for them. They would never see the knife stabbing them in the back as they faced the Orcs in front of them.

  Thinking about the sheer brilliance of his plan was enough to lighten his mood up a little, and he made his way back down the stairs with a small smile returning to his face. He was reasonably certain that Terrance Fenton would be able to salvage the plan. The man was one of his best agents and had never failed him before. Then things could proceed accordingly. Of course he would eventually have to bring Thrask in on the plan, but that could wait until the first part of the strategy was actually successful. Subduing Glendon should not be too difficult since they would be caught completely off guard and find themselves fighting on two fronts. Between the hammer and the anvil, as it were. The real trick was going to be dealing with the Orcs after he had Glendon in hand. He had received word from the chieftain that was leading the Orcs in their plan
ned invasion, and knew he had less than two months to prepare for them. If they thought they were going to claim any part of his new kingdom, they were sadly mistaken.

  While thinking of his future conquest had always been enough to put him in a good mood before, the fact that part of the plan had already failed was enough to keep his anger simmering. The longer the events took to come to fruition in the neighboring kingdom, the more likely his man could be discovered and possibly questioned. Though he did not think that Terrance would willingly betray him, he knew that anyone could be made to talk with the right persuasion. He would have to go speak with the Witch. The mere thought of the woman made his skin crawl, but he could not deny the fact that she was able to do what she claimed, having seen with his own eyes. Magic was supposed to be something out of children's stories, full of wonder and excitement. He shuddered involuntarily. The things he had seen her do could never be described as such. He would have to trust that she could do all that she promised. The more he thought about all of the possible ways his plan could be ruined, the more his gut churned with anxiety. Which he believed was a sign of weakness, and weakness infuriated him.

  By the time he entered the wing of the palace that held the living quarters of himself and a few of the other important members of his inner circle, he was in a dark mood. As he made his way to his chambers so he could brood without witnesses, he saw a maid coming out of one of the side passages just ahead. He almost ignored her, but as she curtsied and ducked her head to stare at the floor it struck him that she looked familiar. The bruised neck and swollen lips confirmed his suspicion and he began to smile again. This was exactly what he needed to improve his foul mood before confronting the witch. As he passed the girl he reached out and clamped on to a fist full of hair and dragged her toward his doorway, smiling all the wider as she struggled and cried out.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Uninvited Guests

  Brody followed Pierson and Silas, with the other soldiers at his back. He was moving forward on the balls of his feet, alert and ready to react to any danger that might arise. They had already checked the barns and found several dead animals and the body of a young man. The man had not died easily. There were signs of a struggle, but it was obvious that he had been quickly overwhelmed and then viciously slaughtered. They had left the remains there until they could finish checking the rest of the buildings.

  Now they were approaching the house to go in through the front entrance. Pierson paused at the door to look at Brody and Silas, waiting until they both signaled they were ready and tightly gripping the bar to unlatch the sturdy door. As soon as both men gave the go ahead, he yanked the bar and pulled, the door moving almost silently on well-oiled hinges, he stepped back to give them room to enter. Silas went in and to the left, his two short swords at the ready, allowing Brody to enter and take the right. Brody grimaced as the stench hit, a smell he was sadly familiar with immediately causing his stomach to clench. He quickly scanned the common area they found themselves in and finding no threats moved to the doorway close by on his side. Discovering nothing more than an empty closet, he turned back to see Silas moving to the only other doorway in the room, leading back into the house. That is also about the time the Orc stopped in the threshold, shocked at seeing the two armed men in front of him.

  The startled Orc hesitated. Silas did not. Silas' left hand sword took the shocked creature in the throat before it could even think about shouting a warning or getting a hand half way to its weapon. He stepped to the side as the Orc's hands spasmed, and the hunk of meat it was holding thumped to the ground followed shortly after by the fatally wounded body. The silence that came after was quickly broken by a deep grunt from the next room and then a goblin came charging at Silas screaming a war cry and swinging its mace. He jumped back to avoid the attack and give himself some room, but was saved from having to defend when the goblin's weapon slammed into the top of the door frame. The goblin recovered after a short angry scream, yanked the spiked weapon out of the wood, and launched at Silas through a rain of splinters and chunks of wood. It was followed into the room by two others, who were so intent on getting at Silas that they never saw Brody moving to his right, a wicked grin on his face. After a quick glance through the entryway to make sure there were no more enemy combatants, his war axe took the last goblin to enter in the back of the neck, severing its spine and most of the neck so that the head was barely attached to the body. Brody stepped forward over the weakly twitching form on the floor to get at the other beast. It was already turning to bring a curved sword to bear. He blocked the weapon high and to the left with his shield while stepping hard into a kick to its mid-section. The goblin immediately doubled over, making a retching noise, displaying a nice target for his axe at the back of the skull.

  Brody wrenched his axe loose and looked to his friend to see if help was needed, but as he suspected, Silas had made short work of the other goblin and was cleaning his swords on the slain warrior's hide jerkin. Brody would face any man or beast in a fight without fear, but he was honest enough with himself to admit he was not sure if he could beat Silas. Silas was scary with those two blades in his hands, and Brody was happy he was on his side.

  Pierson was surveying the carnage with an approving eye as the remaining soldiers entered the room behind him. He waved those men deeper into the house after a brief glance at the five mauled human bodies also occupying the room, and stepped up next to Silas to examine the enemy dead. Brody shifted back two steps to make room as the men went through the door next to him and turned back to where the Lieutenant was crouching next to the body of the Orc, going through the pockets of its leather and hide clothing.

  Orcs were a tall, slender race. They averaged six to seven feet tall, and while slightly built, most possessed a wiry strength and were very fast. With a tough, hairless, hide-like skin that was greenish grey in color, sharp teeth, and pointed ears that rotated independently they would never be mistaken for a human. The Orcs were a warrior race, their human level intelligence and their speed, coupled with the fact that they had excellent hearing and decent night vision, made them a formidable opponent. The goblins were a distant relative to the Orcs, and were different enough in appearance that there was no difficulty telling them apart. Goblins were about a foot and a half shorter and more heavily muscled, not as fast as an Orc, but stronger. They had a darker green coloration, and were even more beast-like in appearance. Coarse dark hair (usually in the form of a topknot) over a heavy brow, and a slightly muzzled face with small tusks protruding from the bottom lip made them look very brutish. With an intellect well below Orcs, they were often used as slaves and battle fodder by their more devious and cunning cousins.

  Brody was shaken from his ruminations as Pierson straightened from the last goblin with a frown on his face. The Lieutenant was just about to speak when they heard a muffled yell from the back of the house and the brief clang of weapons. The three men rushed back through two other rooms, the second with a goblin that was dead from a wound to the back, into the kitchen where they found the rest of the soldiers standing over the bodies of two more goblins, and one of the men keeping pressure on his forearm where it was bleeding.

  Pierson looked at the man with a raised eyebrow.

  "I messed up, Sir. I saw the one creature busy tearing into the body there," Private Terry Cullen said, pointing with his injured arm at the remains of a young woman. "I didn't check my surroundings before I attacked. The other one hit me in the arm before Westerly put it down."

  "Perry," Pierson spit out, looking at the other Cullen twin. "Take your brother back to the others and have Specialist Carver look at his arm. The rest of us will finish clearing the house. There are only a few rooms left, so it should not take long. Tell the Captain we will return shortly with a full report," he finished.

  The two turned back to the front of the house and headed out, with Perry quietly admonishing his brother.

  Brody had been watching two of the exits to the room while Si
las was already heading to the third. Once the Lieutenant's attention was back on the task at hand Brody moved to the doorway at the back of the kitchen area leaving Pierson and Westerly to search the remaining unsecured space. His objective turned out to be a large, ransacked pantry. He was turning back to the kitchen when a barely audible noise made him freeze. He held his breath and focused all of his attention on finding the source. He was just about to chalk it up to the noises an old house made as it settled when he heard it again. A quiet, hiccuping sob coming from behind a barrel that was under a shelf in the corner with bags of meal stacked around it. He darted to the cask and rolled it out of the way. Hiding behind it, trembling with terror was a young girl that was maybe a year or two younger than Sarah. Her long brown hair hung down around arms that tightly wrapped her knees which she had her face buried in.

  "It's alright little one," Brody soothed softly. "You're safe now. All of the monsters are gone. Come on out," he gently brushed some of the hair back as she peeked at him and he knelt in front of her.

  He heard a noise behind him and held a hand out to halt Pierson as he appeared in the doorway of the pantry. "Get me a blanket," he asked the Lieutenant?

  The girl lurched forward and buried her face in his chest as she started sobbing loudly. He held her tight and rubbed her back, murmuring encouragingly to her as he waited for a blanket.

  Shortly after a light scuff behind him announced Pierson just before the man tapped him on the shoulder with a hand holding a worn wool blanket. "We are all clear," was said softly as the cover was passed to him.