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

by Barnes, James R.

  "They do not need the money. Brody's inn does very well, and Meric sold our king two very expensive horses several months ago. I could probably retire on what was paid for one of them. And as I said before, they have never shown themselves to be anything but good honest people. Yes they have a very serious secret about who they really are, but that secret was disclosed to me very early in our friendship. I chose to judge them for their actions, not stories spread by a ruler that has never been trusted by my own kingdom. I decided to keep their secret to myself."

  "And I can see why you stood by that. Very well. I have had an eye on your career for a long time, Captain, and I have no reason to doubt your word."

  James could not keep the shock from his face, and had no idea what to say.

  Captain Worth and Lord Camden both grinned at him before the Lord Marshall said, "Do not let my lapse in judgment about Henley completely ruin your good opinion of me. The man was only meant to be a place holder. I intended for you to take command of the Seegrin post in just over a year from now, after you got some more seasoning in Yost."

  "I... thank you, sir. I appreciate your trust and will not let you down."

  "No doubt. I am afraid, however, that those plans might have to be put on hold for now. You and your men are now the most experienced soldiers we have when it comes to fighting Orcs and Goblins." He held his hand up to stop James from commenting. "I know. Thwarting an ambush and surprising a handful of unprepared enemies hardly make you experts, but we must work with what we have. Any thoughts on how receptive your foreign friends might be to a request for their assistance?"

  "I anticipated that it might come up and spoke with Meric about it. He was initially surprised, but I believe that when it comes to fighting the Orcs, he will be happy to offer his services."

  "That would certainly be a boon. His name is known to me, and we began to keep an eye on him even before he started to achieve some recognition in their war against the Orcs. The man's military record is impressive. And his is not the only one. Sergeants like Brody Sonder are worth a platoon's weight in gold. What about Sonder and the others?"

  "They will follow Meric's lead. They may no longer be formally a part of the army and may act more like family than soldiers, but they still consider him to be their commander."

  "Outstanding. I will work that out after the King has been fully informed."

  "I should add that while I know Meric and the others will be fully committed to fighting the beasts from up north, if it turns out that our suspicions about King Xavier are validated, I do not think they will be willing to fight their own countryman."

  "Understandable. I think as long as there are Orcs to deal with there will be no need for them to even worry about anything else. The question is; if what they fear is true, and Xavier is involved in some way, will they still help with the Orcs or do they decide that would make the beasts allies and therefore part of Rennick's army?"

  "I do not think that they could ever ally themselves with the beasts, but it is certainly an issue that needs to be addressed before hand. The less left to chance the better."

  Lord Camden nodded thoughtfully and then sent James on his way. As he made his way down the hall he tried to sort through what he had just been discussing. Pride could be a dangerous thing, but only if you let it get out of hand. After sixteen years of service it felt good to have his hard work and dedication to duty recognized by his superior. There had been many commendations and medals awarded in his career, but when the praise came from the highest authority in the military... well. He could allow himself a few moments to enjoy that feeling, allow that the shoring up of confidence he felt was not necessarily a bad thing. Using it to stiffen his resolve to always try to improve, rather than think it meant he was now entitled to something more. Duty was in his blood, and it was how he tried to live his life. Receiving command of this garrison would have been another proud moment, but he did not even feel any disappointment at that being placed on hold. He knew that there were more vital things to worry about now. Whatever the situation would be going forward he was ready to do his part and having Brody and Meric involved was sure to make it interesting. Not inclined to stop the chuckle that thought produced, he did try to keep his mirth subdued. It would not do to have any of his men see him walking around laughing to himself.

  After a few near misses, he finally tracked down his Lieutenant as the man was getting the last of their group squared away for the night. He gave him a few orders that probably were not needed, and went to find a bunk for a few hours sleep. He knew that while the girls were now safe, life was only going to get more hectic from here on out. Thus is the life of a soldier.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Conquest

  Veesha stalked across the room he had just entered. The two occupants reacted to his sudden appearance with vastly different expressions. The older one with the pale, craggy face and milky left eye was obvious in his disinterest, even though it could only be seen fleetingly, as his attention left his work and then went right back. The younger Orc at his side was full of awe as he continued to stare. Veesha chose to ignore the young one for now, but he would remember him. If the apprentice showed promise, it would be beneficial to cultivate a relationship. Nulat was old and would die before too many more years, sooner if Veesha needed him out of the way, and his replacement would need to be someone that could be properly controlled. The old one knew exactly how important he was and might just be crazy enough to think that no one would dare touch him. He was wrong, of course. Veesha did not become the leader of the strongest clan by letting others tell him what he could and could not do. He always found a way to get what he needed. It was true that Nulat was the most skilled shaman in the clan, but he had three others sufficiently under his thumb that could be used together to take the aging magic user's place. If he knew Nulat as he thought he did, then this apprentice would have the potential to one day be the equal of his master, and that would be remembered.

  Without speaking, Nulat held up an amulet for Veesha to see. The talisman consisted of an intricately carved ring that that hung at the end of a still swaying leather thong. What made the amulet special was not the ring, but rather the magically preserved eye that fit neatly inside of it. The amber pupil had a barely discernible glow to it, and was slightly mesmerizing as it gently swung back and forth. He had been present when Nulat had replaced the wolf's eye with a shimmering blue orb, and then set the eye into the amulet. The animal had just stood there as its left eye was cut out and only whimpered softly as the magical replacement was put in place. Blinking away the momentary fascination, Veesha looked to the old shaman and waited. He was certain the decrepit fool enjoyed these little mind games, but would only put up with so much. Hiding his irritation was not easy, and some of that might have shown, because Nulat chuckled and lowered the amulet. The shaman still took his time before speaking.

  "The second attack failed," he said in a gravelly voice. "They were outfoxed by the humans, their ambush was ambushed." The old one added with another chuckle.

  Veesha's iron will was the only reason he was able to reign in his temper. He fought down the urge to kill the elder, and spoke to him in a tight voice.

  "What happened?"

  "As I said; the humans discovered the trap, and surprised the waiting troops instead. It might be of interest to you to know that there were some old friends of yours with the humans." Nulat was grinning evilly now.

  Veesha stepped forward aggressively and raised himself to his full height. "Explain."

  Not cowed in the least, the still smiling shaman gave him an answer anyway.

  "The White-Haired Demon was among the attackers. As were the young war leader that made such a fool of Raven Clan's warriors, and that ferocious axe wielder that killed so many of your own fighters."

  Veesha's hand raised up to the scar on his face, but he was unaware of this as a white hot rage rose up inside of him. He was barely able to restrain himself from striking out at the n
earest target with the murderous intent he felt in his heart at the mention of the man who disfigured his face. The scar running from the left side of his mouth and back through his ear still ached in certain weather. He had been too far from any healers so the wound had actually healed fully, and could not be repaired. It had split his mouth open halfway back to his ear and only part of that had mended, so not only was it hideous to look at, it also caused him to drool occasionally. It was a constant reminder of his fight with the dual-wielding swordsman. A fight he had entered confidently with his shield-brother, a lifelong companion that was almost like a brother, at his side. They had shared many victories together, and Jovar was his second in command for the force that his own Wolf Clan had sent to reinforce Raven's troops. His command of a thousand were the only ones that his clan would commit to the invasion. His confidence had been short lived though. He and Jovar had fought together many times and were used to working as a pair, but it had not mattered against the human devil. He had survived the encounter by pure luck, and his willingness to sacrifice one of his men to give him time to escape. His shield-brother had not been so fortunate.

  The sharp points of his claws had drawn blood from his palms by the time he calmed down enough to face the older Orc. The shaman was smart enough to give him the time to recover, and did not offer any remarks that could stoke his anger. When he finally faced the pair of magic users again, it was with some measure of control.

  "So, the human king lied. They were not dead as he told us. He could not turn them over as part of the payment for our help, because he had no idea of their whereabouts." Veesha willed himself not to pace.

  "It would seem so. The Tracker continues to follow them, but they have entered another city. I will instruct it to wait at the city's exit on the other side, across the great river. I am sure they are still heading to the human kingdom's center."

  Veesha waved this off. "Do as you will, but it is no longer a priority. The humans plan was useful for a time, and it appears that it has already accomplished its goal. The other kingdom believes we attacked them, and so they should be preparing. If so, they will seek aid from their neighbor and this... Xavier can continue with his strategy. We will hold their attention until they begin to fight each other, and then we will press forward. Once the western kingdom is crushed by both of our forces, we can begin our search."

  "And if Xavier does not keep his word?"

  "I have no doubt that he will try and betray us. He clearly covets the crown of his neighbor, and believes that he will take control of those lands as well. His empire building will not stop there, either. His greed will always drive him to grasp for more. I have already decided that as soon as the westerners are subjugated, we will strike at Xavier's army. We hit them while they are celebrating. I will have a reserve force of warriors waiting to attack while they are engaged with us. We will use their own strategy against them. It will be bloody and may cost many warriors their lives, but in the end we will have no one left to oppose us."

  "Will you be doing a little empire building of your own?" Nulat's face was expressionless as he asked this.

  "I will do what is best for the clans, and nothing less. I expect you to do the same."

  "Of course, my Chieftain." This time the old one had nothing but simple honesty in his voice.

  Veesha acknowledged the shaman's loyalty to his clan and let him know that he wanted to be kept informed on the Tracker and its prey. He had a feeling that he was not done with those particular humans yet, but the next time he faced any of them he would make sure they were the ones that lost. He would never forget his only defeat as a war leader, and revenge would be his in the end.

  Orcs bowed their heads respectfully as he passed, and Goblins scurried to get out of the way. He walked down the torch lit hallway absently acknowledging some of the more influential members of the clan while he headed to a council of war leaders. It had taken time and careful manipulation, but he now had almost the entire clan behind him. The few dissenters he had to deal with did not have enough clout to cause any real trouble. As he approached the meeting place, he wiped at the spit leaking from his ruined mouth and threw back his shoulders. He had to present them with a leader that was strong and in total control. Any sign of weakness and they would pounce. He strode through the doorway and took his place at the large, round, stone table and then took a second to make eye contact with all of the warriors present. These men did not care about history, or religious trappings. They were not looking for an artifact that could be used as a symbol to unite their people, nor were they interested in the scepter's agrarian uses. They wanted to conquer. To crush the enemy, any enemy would do, but especially the humans. The defeat by the humans was a foul stain on the honor of the Wolf Clan, and must be cleansed by the destruction of those responsible. Even though it was only a single company of warriors, they were outnumbered and used poorly by the Raven clan, it did not matter. Veesha was fortunate that these males blamed their former Chief for the affront. Otherwise, he would most likely have been executed for failing his command.

  "We are ready to move forward. The fool king to the south has made a mess of his plan, but the result was likely the same. Their attention will be to the north, and we expect them to ask their neighbors for help, a neighbor that will be looking to stab them in the back. We will crush the western kingdom between our forces and then be free to search for Thardenfell and the relic."

  "I still believe this is foolishness," Choss replied. "Why do we let them know we are coming. We should have launched a full scale attack at them before they even knew we were there." He was the only one present that had enough power to speak the words that might be seen as an offense by his Chief.

  Stillness settled over the room as the other four war leaders waited to see how their Chieftain would react. He had to take moment to reign in his anger, but to all outward appearance he remained calm. He knew that Choss was not actually trying to undermine or challenge him, but the older warrior would continue to test him. He would not follow a leader that he did not respect, and that respect must be earned. Many of the decisions Veesha had made were favored by Choss, which was well known, as was the fact that the war leader would only back another warrior.

  "We have no way to cross the mountains directly into their lands. We will divide our forces. Half will cross to our south, and make their way through the eastern kingdom. The other force will take ships and land south of the mountains to the west. We would not be able to march our full force across those lands and then cross the river without being discovered well before we were in position to attack. If we had not involved him, the eastern king would think we are invading again and would fight us. The enemy would be able to rally their forces and meet us on grounds of their choosing. With the combined might of the clans we would eventually be able to fight our way through, but the cost would be too great." He paused here to see heads nodding from all but Choss, though the older Orc was now more thoughtful than hostile. "Now the humans in the west will panic, knowing they have a horde of Orc warriors ready to descend on them, but not knowing where they will come from. They will look for help from their neighbor against a common enemy, and that neighbor will smile and say 'of course we will help' and then stand behind them ready to strike when they are not looking. The king from the east will tell the west that they have found us in his lands, but his forces were unprepared and were overrun. They will plan to meet the threat together, never knowing about the ships, and that will be the beginning of the end."

  Choss bowed his head in Veesha's direction and then spoke. "Then we will crush them all." He was smiling when he finished. They leaned in to the table and studied the maps spread out there, ready to begin making plans in earnest.

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  Job Offer

  As would be expected of the center of power for any kingdom, Dallena was a sizable and bustling city that spread out from the castle located at its heart. From a distance the keep itself was an aesthetically
pleasing design of tall spires, grand arches, prominent balconies, and numerous colorful pennants. In contrast, the curtain wall surrounding the bailey was stark, dark gray (almost black in the shade) and utilitarian. It stood tall above most of the surrounding city and would likely obscure the keep from onlookers unless viewed from the distant hills. Several watchtowers stood up from the wall and were separated by a walkway that could accommodate six men walking abreast. There was a dual portcullis that allowed access to the castle grounds from the main thoroughfare, but no other entrance was visible from Meric's current vantage point. The city spread out from the wall in a wagon wheel design with many small side streets connecting the 'spokes'. From a distance the city looked clean and while many buildings crowded inside the outer-most defensive wall, the layout did not feel cluttered. The city's two other inner walls and the outer wall, made of a material much lighter in color and not nearly as high, were nowhere near as formidable as the one surrounding the castle, but were still serviceable defensive positions. It would be a difficult city to lay siege to.

  Sitting astride Ferron and looking down the hillside at the sprawling city of Dallena brought forth conflicting emotions for Meric. A feeling of accomplishment for reaching their destination with Alyssa and the girls relatively unscathed wrestled with anticipation for what was likely to come next. The trip from Seegrin to here had been uneventful, which suited Meric just fine. He knew that there were going to be plenty of days ahead with all of the excitement any person could ask for, and he also knew better than to ask for that excitement. Life had already given him plenty of days full of adventure and he had no desire to invite any more. They would come all on their own, unasked for and relentless.

  He looked up at the clear mid-day sky before sweeping his gaze through the nearby surroundings. The air was still only mild in the warmest part of the day, especially in the direct sunlight, but late at night into early morning the chill was becoming more noticeable. Fall was coming on and though there would be no snow in this area for a few months, Meric could not help wondering how difficult it would be to move troops across this countryside in more than a foot of the stuff. Hopefully they would never have to find out, but he knew Orcs did not let inclement weather deter them.