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

by Barnes, James R.

  The group received a lot of blinking stares and nothing else. Meric cleared his throat and tried again.

  "Are you folks having some trouble?"

  The man on the steps finally came to his senses and faced them. "We ought to be able to handle that... You folks are pretty well armed for friendly travelers," he stated, but it did not come out as an accusation. It was more like the fact was giving him an idea. He spoke again before Meric could reply.

  "It might be that we can help each other out. You in a hurry?"

  "Not so much that we can't be neighborly," Meric flashed him a friendly smile.

  The man nodded in agreement even as he started down the steps and in their direction. Brody and Meric were both off of their horses by the time the man arrived and reached out a hand to Meric.

  "Name's Neil." When he turned to Brody after receiving Meric's greeting he caught his hand up in a firm grip. It was not one of those "I'm more of a man than you" shakes, but just a man who works with his hands all day and does not have time for people that do not. Brody liked him right away.

  Alyssa arrived just as they finished and Neil quickly doffed his straw hat and knuckled his forehead as he mumbled out a nervous, "ma'am." The crowd shuffled a little bit and a few tried an awkward bow or curtsy, but her arrival took some of the tension out of those gathered. Even wearing pants and a leather vest, there was no denying that she was a Lady, and that must have reassured them that his group was not a bunch of bandits.

  "Good day to you," she said. She had a friendly smile on her face and merely stood at Meric's side as she waited for Neil to continue.

  The man shuffled his feet and had practically crushed the hat he held in front of him, as he tightened his grip and twisted. He cleared his throat and seemed to need to dig deep for the courage to go on. "Well, Your Ladyship.... We was just chewin' over a bit of trouble, and thought that... maybe... that is to say, seein's how you good peop-"

  "Oh for goodness sake, Neil." This came from a woman a few years younger than the man, and wearing a thick woolen dress with hand sized dirt smudges covering the front. She stepped forward as she spoke and looked Meric in the eye. "One of our neighbor's farms was attacked last night. Matthew helps them out sometimes and went that way after his morning chores were done. He came runnin' back not too long ago pale as a ghost and gabberin' about blood an' guts everywhere."

  She pointed back to a teenage boy sitting on a bench in front of the building. He had been blocked by the crowd when they had arrived, but they could see him now. He was hunched over with his arms wrapped around himself as he rocked back and forth slightly. It looked like he was mumbling something and every now and then he would squeeze his eyes shut, only to quickly open them again.

  "Said the front door was bashed in, like whatever animal attacked 'em went in the house." She had her own arms crossed tight at her chest and her shoulders hunched defensively.

  Neil must have had time to compose himself, because he started up when the woman went quiet.

  "Never seen no animal that would try breakin' into a house. And only thing big enough would probably be a bear, but there ain't been one of them seen round here in our lifetimes." He went to spit on the ground as he finished, but stopped himself at the last second to step back and turn well away from the others, and that was probably a good idea. Meric was about as easy going as a person could be when not on duty, but he was fiercely protective of his friends and he might decide a man spitting at Alyssa's feet was a little too disrespectful. Not that he would overreact, but he would not hold his tongue and these people did not need any more stress right now. Fortunately, Neil must have agreed. A silly thing to worry about at a time like this, but people could often be silly.

  "Can you point out the way to this farm?" Meric was watching the boy as he spoke, but faced Neil once again to await the answer.

  Neil was nodding vigorously and the woman that had spoken dropped her tense posture in relief. The rest of the crowd looked relieved as well, and began talking quietly to each other.

  "I'll show you," he said and turned to the young man that had alerted the rest of them to the newcomer's presence earlier. "Jacob, go saddle Sadie. Hurry up now!"

  Jacob took off back past Brody and angled toward one of the closest barns. As they waited Brody decided he would ask Neil a few questions. He approached the man as he was trying to straighten out the mangled straw hat. The families must have decided that since someone was going to investigate the attack it meant that they could get back to work. They began spreading out, heading in the direction of the various barns and fields. A few even followed the trail heading east, but he did not pay them any further attention.

  "Neil," he began. "Can I ask you a few questions?

  "Reckon so."

  "How many people at the farm?" Alyssa stepped closer to hear the answer, catching a few strands of hair that the wind had whipped cross her face and hooking them behind her right ear. A few seconds later Meric joined them as Neil answered.

  "Jeffrey, his wife Clara, and their three kids. A teenage girl and two boys 'bout ten an' and eight, I guess."

  "Have you had any trouble before? You know, animals missing or hearing strange things in the woods. Anyone claimed to see anything unusual while out hunting?"

  Neil squinted at him for a second and removed his hat again to scratch at his receding hair. "Some of the livestock's been acting a mite skittish the past few days, but nothing we don't see a few times a year. Jacob complained that the huntin' was a bit thin too, now that I think about it."

  Brody nodded at the answer and then moved to his horse, glad that the boy was returning with Neil's own animal. There was no need to get these people worried about Goblins if they were not the problem. This little community might very well be affected by the fight coming, but the place was far enough away from anything that they also might get bypassed. They would be warned in the near future anyway and hopefully they would heed that warning. If there were Goblins, or even Orcs, involved this place would just have to find out sooner.

  He swung up into Morgan's saddle and waited on Neil to lead them in the right direction. Morgan shifted sideways a step and then moved forward along with the others as they headed east, forming up the two files that they had become so accustomed to traveling in. Each column walked in a wagon rut and Brody noticed that the others had become more alert as they moved toward possible trouble. Malina had moved up to ride next to Neil and was chatting easily with the man as they rode. Brody knew she would move out to scout the area around the farm as soon as the destination was in sight. She would leave the farmhouse and barn to them while making sure that no one would sneak up on them. He turned to find Meric riding at his left and stringing his longbow while still scanning their surroundings. They were coming to the end of one of the fields on the left side and at that point the trail skirted the edge of some woods. Nothing too thick, but still with enough cover available should anyone want to attack from hiding. Malina chose that moment to spur her horse on ahead and entered the woods well before the rest of them reached the end of the field. Brody nodded his approval and focused his attention to their right just in case someone tried to catch them watching the woods too close. He did not really think it was necessary, but there was no reason to get sloppy now and he knew that Meric and Silas would be watching the left flank like hawks until Malina reappeared and gave the all clear. It was one of the good things about working with people you could trust; you did not have to worry about what was at your back.

  They rode on for almost a mile when the trail veered to the left and the woods finally thinned out. As they rounded the bend enough to see beyond the last of the trees, they spotted Malina in the middle of the trail, still in her saddle and facing away from them. She was sitting at the top of a low hill looking across a field of wheat that that separated them from the farm they were looking for.

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  The Hunt

  It was an idyllic view from the distance
they first observed the farm. The wheat was swaying in a rippling pattern as it was buffeted by the wind, and just beyond the end of the field the barn stood with the sun shining in through the loft opening, giving the hay stacked there a spun gold appearance. The house sat across from the barn separated by a wide expanse of yard that was only broken up by a well at its center. There was a chicken coup at the left edge of the yard sitting next to a small shed. At the right side was a stand of shade trees, where a picnic table could just be made out and a swing hanging from one of the bigger tree's outstretched limbs. There was a sun dappled pond a ways past the house surrounded by clusters of cattails and bulrushes.

  However, as they closed in on the buildings a more malevolent image began to form. The gate to the fence off of the back of the barn was torn clear of the hinges and the front doors were thrown wide allowing them to see a pool of some kind of dark sludge just inside the doorway. The front window of the house was smashed and the door was split down the middle with one side only hanging on by the hinge at the top. There were a few smaller pools of blood in the light gray sand close to the front of the house, and some splattering could be seen inside on one of the walls.

  They had waited at the edge of the woods while Alyssa and Meric both went to scout the outlying areas and the wait had been a nerve wracking one for Alyssa. She knew that they were too late to help anyone that might have survived the initial attack, but after the way they had discovered Melanie she could not help the urge to rush to the house and make absolutely certain that no one was alive.

  It was about an hour later when Meric came riding across the field to the right of the trail and waved them forward. He met them half way to the yard and started giving orders. Brody, Pierson, and Alyssa would check out the house while James, Silas, and Westerly would take the barn. Meric would stay outside with Malina and Woodard, the only other archer, to make sure they did not get any surprise visitors and would also be able to support either group if needed.

  The blood and smashed doors had been troubling, but they had already expected them and could see the damage well before they reached the center of the yard. What concerned Alyssa more than what they might find inside was the fact that as soon as they made it to the yard, Meric and Malina went from looking serious to very grim. The two of them traded looks and, if possible, became even more alert. The change in their behavior was enough that everyone else noticed as well. Malina was the one that spoke up as she looked at Brody.

  "Wargs." Alyssa did not think the woman realized that she was pulling her dagger a few inches and then re-seating it, repeatedly.

  It was just one word, but Brody and Silas both reacted the same as their friends had. Brody put a hand on his weapon and spoke to her.

  "How many?"

  Malina replied, but also looked at Meric for confirmation. "Three."

  Meric gave a sharp nod to her and then moved off.

  Brody pulled his axe and turned to face the rest of them.

  "Alright, listen up. Keep your eyes and ears open. You hear anything strange, you do not go check it out by yourself; you stay together. I don't care if it takes you twice as long, you do not split up. If you see something black and hairy that looks like a cross between a wolf and a bear, you yell out for help. Those with a shield try to keep the head occupied, while the rest of you go for the throat, eyes, or the heart. The heart is right behind the forelimbs, and make sure you strike hard. They have tough skin and thick fur. And don't forget to watch the front claws too."

  He received a round of nervous nods, including hers, and they all moved out. The destruction and blood continued deeper into the house with smashed furniture and even some blood on the ceiling, and the bodies they did find were unrecognizable. That was entirely due to the fact that all they found were pieces, and those pieces were not much more than bone and viscera.

  The house did not take long to search, with only a big common area and three bedrooms. They were moving back across the main room when Meric's shout could be heard through the front door. Again, it was just the one word "wargs," but it was all any of them needed to hear. Brody beat her to the door, but only just. He rushed out into the yard and once she moved outside herself, she could see Meric standing atop the well and loosing an arrow as he faced the north side of the farm. She looked that direction and finally saw what he was aiming at. There were three huge black wolves running at a frightening speed across the field separating the farm from another wooded section. Only they were not really wolves. They were way too big, almost as tall as a horse and they were much broader at the shoulders than any normal wolf ever was. Their heads flattened out a bit more and the muzzle was full of teeth that looked sharp, even from this distance. One other big difference was that all three had a rider sitting on some kind of crude saddle.

  It might have taken her longer to notice the riders, but her attention was drawn to one as it toppled out of the saddle, a red fletched arrow sticking out of its chest. With her eyes still on the galloping beasts she saw the one with the empty saddle stutter step, but not go down as it sprouted an arrow. Then another, and a third, before a fourth finally took it to the ground. Her shock had receded enough for her to take in more of her surroundings and that was when she could see Woodard taking aim now that the charging animals were in range of his re-curve bow. She also noticed that there were about twenty Goblins running along much slower behind the wargs. Another Orc fell from one of the beasts, but they were now almost too close for the ranged weapons, and closing too fast. She side stepped until she had a clear view and concentrated enough to form the fireball she wanted to throw. Hurling it at the warg that was a few yards behind the one in the lead, and as she released it she added a bit of air magic to give it the proper speed and force. As soon as it left her hand she focused on a spot ten feet in front of Brody, right in the path of the slavering wolf-beast in the lead, and placed the shield that she had been forming and that only she could see. The warg was bristling with several arrows, but kept coming and leapt for Brody at full speed about a yard before it got to the shield and collided with it head first. Its hind end shot up and the Orc rider was slammed head first into the shield. The crack from his neck breaking was loud enough to be heard over the yelp from his steed. She immediately dissolved the shield, because Brody wasted no time moving in to end the animal's life before it could recover.

  This all happened very fast and she had to take her eyes off of the beast and rider she had targeted with the fireball, so she did not know what to expect when she located them again. Luckily her aim had been true. She found two bodies rolling to a stop across the yard still engulfed in flame. The Orc frantically beat at his legs and stomach, trying to put out the fire, until Pierson's sword took him through the heart. The warg was missing most of its head and lay still as the fire consumed it.

  A handful of the charging goblins must have decided that they wanted nothing to do with the humans and turned back in the direction of the woods, but the rest came on without slowing. Alyssa had just enough time to realize that Meric was picking off the six retreating foes, before the rest closed the distance. She threw up a small shield in front of herself and prepared to attack, but found that her companions had moved forward to meet the onrushing enemy and she could not find an opening. She watched to make sure that none of them were being overwhelmed, but was thankful for the respite so she could recover. Meric had finished with the runners and was moving to join the fray, while Malina and Woodard had evened the odds a little more on the approaching goblins before drawing blades and heading for the melee. Only Meric reached them in time to offer any assistance, distracting the goblin fighting James just enough for him to end it quickly. While most of her companions began cleaning weapons and putting them away, Meric waved Woodard over to himself and Malina headed over to her horse. Alyssa reached Meric at the same time Woodard did.

  "Take your horse and move out until you have a good view of the area. Keep an eye out just in case. Malina will cover the north, so yo
u just worry about what is south of us," he said, and smacked the man lightly on the shoulder as he moved off.

  She was mostly recovered by the time he turned to her, but he must have seen something because he asked quietly if she was alright. She just nodded and watched as the others checked over the enemy dead. After she saw Westerly dabbing at a scratch on his cheek, she decided she had better do a quick survey to make sure there were no other wounded. It did not take long to realize that the only other cut was on the man standing next to her. When she finally got to Meric, she found a reasonably minor amount of blood running down the back of his left hand. She grabbed his arm and turned it so she could see the shallow cut on the back of his forearm just below his rolled up sleeve and the only reaction she got out of him was a glance at the cut and a shrug. The Goblin he distracted must have gotten lucky.

  "I think you will probably survive." She dropped his arm and turned to find her horse and the bandages in her saddlebags when she noticed Neil squatting down by the well and gaping at her. She vaguely remembered seeing him hiding behind the structure when she stepped outside and searched for Meric.

  "Neil, are you alright?" She took a step in his direction, only to watch him fall on his backside and scramble to get away from her. She let out a sigh and went back to tracking down Dela. She would let Meric deal with the farmer. There was nothing else she could do about it, she was not about to apologize for using her Gift and did not doubt that if she had not used it, they might not have fared as well as they did. She felt the familiar hurt at having someone look at her with fear, but it was not as intense as it once was. All she had to do was think about the people whose opinion she really cared about, and remember that none of them were scared of what she could do. Instead of dwelling on this stranger's horrified face she would remind herself of the way Meric looked at her with something very much different than fear. It was enough.