"I am Lady Alyssa Camden, daughter of Lord Marshall Camden and official Governess of the Daughters Royal, so appointed by the King and Queen."
The assertive tone silenced the laughter that erupted around the yard when the two fell, but the now disheveled men were still red-faced and hastily began dusting themselves off and trying to come to some form of attention.
"Begging your pardon my Lady," began the one to her left. "But the Colonel ordered us to secure the two children in one of the rooms in the admin building until he had time to deal with them."
Alyssa took a steadying breath, and though her fists were still tightly clenched, she spoke in a calm voice. "I will deal with the Colonel. These children are my responsibility and you would be wise to leave them be until I say otherwise." She then spoke to Pierson. "Keep everyone together until we return. If that fool does not show some sense, we will carry on as we were. Captain Bridgewater." With that she turned on her heel and strode purposefully toward the Colonel's office.
A young Private Third Class was just standing from behind his desk in the garrison commander's outer office when they entered the room.
"If you will have a seat," he began, pointing to a row of chairs against the wall.
She barely glanced at him and did not even slow down, grabbing the latch on the Colonel's door and barging in. She completely ignored the Private's shouted command for them to stop.
She marched up to the desk with James at her side and glared at Colonel Henley. The man tried his best to show a stoic disinterest in her while he studied a report in front of him, but she could tell from the red splotches on his pale cheeks that he was livid. As she drew in a breath to speak, he held up his hand in their direction, imperiously, and continued to read. Alyssa took control of herself, despite the strong desire to set the man's awful mustache aflame. With determination, she forced a calm air and decided to wait him out. While she waited she looked the man over.
She knew he had to be a second or third son from a minor noble family, as that was generally where officers came from, but the Henley name did not immediately ring a bell. Judging by his haughty attitude, he probably believed his family name was important. He was not very imposing to look at, though. About two inches shorter than James and twice his weight, the man's uniform was stretched tightly at his rounded mid-section and had food or drink stains just under his double chins. His pale skin and soft hands looked as though they had not seen the outdoors in years. With his aristocratic features he would probably have been an attractive man if he took better care of himself, though the sour countenance appeared to be a permanent fixture and greatly detracted from his looks. The salt and pepper hair that usually gave most men a distinguished look, was slicked back with too much oil and only added to his ridiculousness.
Her study of Henley was cut short as the man finally put the report down leaned back in his chair, fixing his stare directly on James.
"Where my orders too complicated for you to understand, Captain? They were, after all, very simple. Sit, shut up, and wait. Now seeing how you managed to make such a mess of things so far, I tried to use small words that I thought you could handle. How an idiot li-"
"That is enough!" The forcefulness of her tone cut Henley off with a start, causing his face to begin taking on an even redder shade. "You will deal with me, Colonel, and you will do so respectfully. I am the one with the final say when it comes to those children, and no one else." The sneer she put into the man's title was enough to darken his face even more.
His chest was heaving a bit, and the anger in his eyes as he turned to Alyssa was quickly evolving into hatred. He just stared at her for a few seconds and then slowly swiveled back to James.
"You see what happens? You have allowed this idiotic twit of a girl to put on airs and think she has some authority and now she believes she can come in here and give me orders?" Spittle was flying by this time and he looked back at Alyssa. "You may have the Captain falling all over himself to please you just because you spread your legs for him, but I will not be so foolish."
She could see, out of the corner of her eye, that James was just as shocked as she at this display. She could also tell that he was beginning to shake off the shock and was becoming angry. James began to turn the corner of the desk when Alyssa reached out and grabbed his arm, shaking her head, but still watching Henley.
The Colonel noticed and leaned across his desk to shout at them. "What? What do you think you were going to do? I will have you locked in the brig for even thinking of attacking me."
As he began yelling from halfway leaned over the desk, the smell of stale wine washed over her and she started to think she was mistaken about his splotchy cheeks when they had first entered. He had apparently been drinking, and from the smell, drinking heavily. She looked at James and could see he realized it at the same time she did. She was just about to turn around and leave when Henley started up again, only this time his bellow was aimed at his assistant in the outer office.
"Private! Lock this harlot up with those children. I will deal with them when I am done with the Captain." He paused and wiped at some of the spit running down his chin turning back to glare at Alyssa. When the Private did not come rushing in he cut his eyes back at the doorway filling his lungs to shout again, but whatever it was he saw there stopped him short with only a little squeak escaping. His eyes went round, his skin turned deathly pale, and his mouth continued to gape open. Before she could turn to see what had caused this, she heard a familiar voice address the Colonel.
"Private Tucker has wisely decided to stay at his post and ignore what is going on in this room." The commanding voice filled the room, causing Henley to flinch.
She and James had decidedly different reactions. James spun around and came to parade ground attention, while Alyssa could not keep the huge smile from her face as she faced the man in the doorway.
Lord Marshall Barclay Camden's focus was entirely on the man now behind her and her friend and the look the Colonel was getting probably had him close to wetting himself. Her father strode to the space between herself and James without ever taking his eyes off of Henley. She realized even she was holding her breath, waiting to see what would happen.
Finally the Lord Marshall spoke in a deceptively even tone. "Sit down before you fall down, Henley."
As the man collapsed in his chair her father finally faced her and smiled his much loved, slightly crooked smile. He reached out to pull her into a tight hug which she returned fully. "I am so glad you are alright," he said, his voice tight with emotion. "When we received the message from the Yost Garrison we feared that we would not be able to get to you and the girls in time." He squeezed her tight one last time, then released her and faced James.
"Captain, be at ease. I am in your debt."
James relaxed slightly and clasped his hands behind his back. "No debt, Lord Marshall. I was just doing my duty, as were my men. If you want to thank someone, then there are two men for you to meet that truly came to her aid in time of need."
"Then I look forward to thanking them personally, and hearing the whole tale of what you have been through." He was looking at Alyssa again by the time he finished speaking. "But first... Lieutenant Turley!"
His barked out summons produced a man about her own age, who stepped into the room and came to attention. "Sir."
"Escort the Colonel to somewhere quiet, where he can spend some time contemplating his actions. I will deal with him once everyone else is settled in and comfortable."
The Lieutenant practically had to carry Henley from the room, as he was shaking badly and unsteady on his feet. Her father was shaking his head in disgust as he watched the two officers leave.
"How that man ever received command of an entire garrison, let alone one as important as Seegrin..." her father was still looking at the door as his voice momentarily trailed off. "I have obviously been delinquent in my duties. A mistake that shall be remedied with a more acceptable thoroughness."
Ja
mes cleared his throat and spoke. "That might be even more important than you think, sir."
The Lord Marshall quickly focused all of his attention on the captain. "Explain."
James straightened back to attention almost involuntarily. Alyssa had once been told by a soldier at the castle that when Lord Marshall Barclay Camden turned the full military force of his stare on you it was like the man was crawling inside your soul and turning it inside out. It would never even occur to you to do anything other than exactly what he ordered you to do, and as expeditiously as possible.
"I will have a full report that you need to hear, but the crucial point is that we may be looking at a war with the Orc Nation in our future." She watched her father's forehead wrinkle in confusion, but he did not interrupt. "We defeated an ambush of thirty Goblins and two Orc commanders just two days ago that was intended to kill the King's daughters and their entire escort, while ensuring enough evidence was left so the Crown knew exactly who was responsible. This is in addition to the fate of the original escort which, though not yet verified, is believed to have been Orcs as well," James finished.
Her father was silent for a moment and then spoke to them both. "We appear to have much to discuss. Let's get everyone sorted out for the night and then you both can tell me what is going on."
James nodded before adding; "We also have a possible source of more information that is being questioned as we speak. Hopefully my men will be able to get some answers that will help all of this make sense."
"An interrogation is happening now?" He continued after James nodded. "My second can get everyone settled. Take me to them."
"Father," Alyssa spoke up before either man could move. "I need to come with you."
He was already shaking his head before she finished speaking. "You will stay with the girls. They need-"
Alyssa raised her hand, silently asking him to stop, and then turned to the Captain. "James, would you excuse us for a moment?"
He barely glanced at the Lord Marshall before making for the exit, most likely thinking he did not want to be present for an awkward father, daughter argument. As soon as he was through, closing the door behind him, she continued. "This man they are questioning... he had some enchantment or spell about him when I first saw him. I do not know what it was, but I think I had better be present just in case."
"Could it not have been just some glamour or..."
"It could have been, or it could be an enchanted item that lets him influence peoples mind. I will not know until I can examine him closer. It could be a harmless rune that keeps his dagger sharp, but it could also be a lot worse."
She waited while he sorted this out, knowing it would not take long. Her father was a man that never made a decision without thinking it through from all angles, but his agile mind would make short work of this one. If there was magic involved she was the only choice available to handle it, and they needed information.
As expected he was quick to agree. "Alright. The girls should be safe enough in the middle of a barracks full of soldiers, especially with the addition of mine and the Captain's men. Let me issue some orders and we can get going." He pulled her in for another quick hug and a kiss on the forehead before moving to the exit.
She followed close behind, anxious to get to her friends and find out just what magic Lord Weasel had and hoping she would be in time to stop it if it was a danger to them. And if she had to reveal her Gift, then so be it. She would not let her friends be harmed to keep her secret.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
More Questions
Meric followed Woodard and Brody into the back room of the dilapidated warehouse that the Sergeant had led them to. The trip had taken almost all back alleyways to get there, only crossing a regular street twice, and had entered the building through the rear entrance. Meric was quite certain they had taken three times as long to reach their destination than was needed. He was doubtful that anyone paid them any heed, but the soldier's caution was admirable. Once he stepped through the door and around Brody's big frame, he found the room had three other occupants. One was tied to a chair in the center of the abandoned office and was presumed to be the reason for their visit. The other two nodded in unison at Wood and each turned a wary eye to Brody, practically ignoring Meric. This was something he often found amusing, as his friend had some intangible ability to assume a menacing presence when he wanted to without any noticeable change in his appearance, at least as far as Meric could tell. One moment he could be the jovial innkeeper with the hearty laugh that everyone wanted to share their stories with, and the next he would be the battle-hardened Sergeant that could kill you as soon as look at you. Meric had often been told that he himself had a commanding aura that was noticed as soon as he entered a room, but when Brody was in full soldier mode, all eyes were on him.
Woodard's two acquaintances had the look of men that knew how to take care of their selves, and though they watched the massive warrior carefully, there was no fear in their eyes. The shorter of the two rubbed at a near balding head and suddenly grinned at Brody.
"Ha! You're a big'un ain't ya?"
Brody returned the grin before facing the man in the chair. The other stranger shifted his stance slightly as Brody stepped forward. The slender man had both thumbs tucked into his belt and each hand was resting on a knife. The man was watching the prisoner intently, and Meric was sure that if the fellow in the chair somehow got loose, he would not get far before being turned into a pincushion.
When Meric finally turned his attention to the Lord Weasel himself, he was shocked to realize that he knew who the man was. There probably were not many who would understand the significance of having this particular man involved in their troubles, but Meric did. Though it had been a while since he had personally seen Terrance Fenton, he did know enough about the man's past to be deeply troubled, as well as being nearly overcome with rage, by his presence here. "Shit."
All of the eyes in the room turned to him, and Meric saw Fenton's go wide at the recognition. The man must not have noticed him at the Soldier's Rest the night he and Brody got involved.
"Hello Terrance," Meric said as he moved closer, his voice deceptively soft. "You know, I've spent the last three years thinking about what I would do to you if I ever got my hands on you."
The man went pale and started struggling violently against his bindings as Meric stopped next to him. He stared silently into the man's eyes for a second before roughly grabbing him by the throat with his right hand and reaching for his dagger with the left.
Meric wanted to believe himself to be a good person, one he hoped his parents would have been proud of. He always tried to take the path of honor and hated having to take a life, only doing so when absolutely necessary. It was the way he was raised, a way of life his father had begun to pound into him from the first time he had begun to teach him the use of a bow and all of the responsibilities that came with wielding a weapon of any type. Even when commanding soldiers in battle he would exhaust all possibilities to minimize casualties, as long as it did not mean wasting his own people's lives. He realized a long time ago that this would be a constant as long as he chose the life of a soldier, but he also could not stand aside and do nothing when lives were at risk. He did take pride in being able to protect those that could not do so themselves and had received many commendations and awards for his abilities in the realm of warfare, but he had never taken pleasurein the act of taking a life. Whether from direct combat with an opponent or decisions he made in command of troops, he never would believe it was something to glorify. In this moment, however, he was having a hard time holding on to the beliefs ingrained in him by the lessons his father had taught him as a boy. Right now, what he wanted more than anything else was vengeance for the personal loss this man was responsible for.
He did not know how long he looked into the pleading eyes of the gasping man he was contemplating killing in cold blood. Yes, even knowing the horrible crimes this man was guilty of, it would still be co
ld-blooded murder to kill a defenseless man. As he gradually came back to himself and his surroundings, he felt the steady pressure of a hand on the arm holding his dagger. He looked up to see Brody intently studying his face, and also became aware of the tension that had suddenly thickened around them. Brody had his other hand held out to ward off the rest of the men in the room, but never stopped looking at Meric, and only applied enough force to his arm to let him know it was there.
"I won't stop you, brother, but you need be in the here and now before you decide on something so final. I know you well enough to believe he deserves your anger, but there are other things to consider," his friend said softly.
He eased up on the hand gripping Fenton's throat, but did not release him yet. The prisoner took several deep breaths while Meric maintained eye contact with the big man.
He was still trying to calm the rage in his soul when the door suddenly opened. The only ones that did not react with drawn weapons were Meric and Fenton. Once Brody turned to the door, Meric looked back into the fear filled eyes of the captive, before turning to see who was intruding. At the sight of Captain Bridgewater, who was startled into immobility by the four armed men facing him, Brody and Woodard relaxed and began to put away their weapons, followed moments later by Woodard's two associates.
James shook off the scene quickly and continued into the room with Alyssa and another man right on his heels. The older man bringing up the rear had a demeanor that screamed 'I am in charge' as he assessed the room quickly, with sharp eyes that did not miss anything. He had an impressive military bearing that was immediately noticed by the soldiers in the room, and Meric found his shoulders straightening slightly despite himself. The man's focus ended on Meric and Fenton with an eyebrow raised in question. Meric only spared him a glance, though, because he could almost feel Alyssa's stare boring into him. He sought out her face, and it was the look of concern there that finally made him release the bound man completely, stepping back several paces to remove the temptation as far as he could while remaining in the room.
A Soldier's Honor: The Scepter of Maris: Book One Page 11