by Jamie Davis
“I think it’s time for her to meet her loyal dragoons. She should get to know who the three of you are and you should get to know her.”
“What’s the little girl like?” Liam asked. “I know she’s young, but does she have what it takes to be on the throne at her age, even with a regent?”
“With the right person to guide her, yes,” Cari said. “She’ll be more than capable of stepping into the role.”
“I hope so. It’s not going to be easy for her in the beginning.”
“That’s why she’ll need people like you by her side,” Cari said.
“And you as well, Cari Dix,” Liam added.
Cari didn’t know what to say. She wanted to help Jaycee succeed but she wasn’t the type to help rule an empire. Luckily, Rodrigo changed the subject.
“So, tell us what you’re supposed to do for Merrick. What do you need me to do? It’ll be good to be back in action with you, Helen, and Francesca again.”
Cari settled back in her chair and explained what Merrick needed to be done. Together the five of them hammered out a plan for Cari and the others to free Merrick’s men and women.
Chapter 19
Merrick had an envelope delivered to them at the inn the next day. One of the barmaids brought it up to Cari’s room as she was dressing to head out for the evening’s rescue attempt.
Cari opened the envelope. Inside was a map of the city with the encampment marked just outside the northern gates. There was also a list of names. In the accompanying letter, Merrick explained she could use the names to identify his people and get them out. Once she had helped them break free, if he wasn’t at the gate waiting for her, she was to bring them to a warehouse at the edge of the Merchants District. Merrick would wait for her there.
Cari folded up the map and placed it in her pouch.
“I still wish you could take me with you,” Percy said as he watched her prepare to leave.
“And I told you it’s more important for you to stay here to keep Jaycee company. She needs protection more than I do.”
“She has those three dragoons to do that. She doesn’t need me.”
“Nonsense,” Cari said. “You’re her friend. She already knows you. She hardly knows them at all. Help her get to know them and keep her occupied while I’m gone. It shouldn’t take me long and when I get back we’ll start making plans to continue on our journey towards the capital. I’m counting on you, Percy. You’ve been the one on this whole journey I’ve trusted most to keep Jaycee safe. That hasn’t changed now that the others are here. Besides, sometimes it’s better not to be in the thick of the action. You can lose sight of what’s really important. Stay by her side. That girl in there, she’s what’s really important.”
Percy’s expression changed to one of firm determination after Cari’s pep talk. He nodded as he considered Cari’s words. She decided to lighten the mood a bit. “Besides, if you ask, I’ll bet one of the dragoons will teach you some of their fighting techniques. They’re some of the best I’ve ever seen in combat and you could do a lot worse than having one of them as a sword master.”
“Do you think they’d teach me?”
“I’ve told them that you are Jaycee’s closest protector. I think they believe it’s in their best interest to teach you as much as they can.”
Percy’s chest puffed up with pride. Cari smiled as she settled her weapons in place, checking once more that everything was ready to go. “I’ll fill you in on what happened when I get back. This is probably going to be pretty boring, anyway. The guards are all supposed to be drugged and asleep by the time we get there.”
Francesca, Helen, and Rodrigo were already waiting in the hallway outside Cari’s door as she stepped out. “Off we go?”
“After you, Captain,” Rodrigo said.
Cari shook her head. “The Vengeance is long gone. I am Captain no more. Cari will do just fine from here on out, folks. We are all companions in this grand quest together.”
That brought smiles to everyone’s face and together the four of them headed down and out of the inn.
Smiley and his carriage waited outside as promised. Cari handed him four silver pieces once again. “We need to head to an imperial army camp just outside the north gate. Do you know of it?”
Smiley spit a stream of tobacco juice on the ground and nodded. “I hear they’re running press gangs in the city and picking up good, common folk to join the Imperial Army against their will.”
“That’s what I’ve heard too. I think it’s time for us to pay them a visit and see about some of those people pressed into service. A few of them work for a friend of mine and he would like them back.”
Smiley snarled, “I don’t much like people being pushed to do things against their will. I’ll wait nearby after dropping you off for when you’re ready to return. Just call for me. I don’t want to get too close, in case someone recognizes me and my carriage.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you stay far enough away to be out of the line of sight. No one will associate you with us.”
Smiley actually lived up to his namesake and smiled at that. Cari smiled back before she climbed up to join her friends inside the carriage. With a jolt the carriage started forward, rumbling over the cobblestones towards the north gate.
The journey to the northern gate took about a half hour. The city streets were still full of people and the carriage wasn’t able to go very fast through the crowds. It was well after dark by the time they arrived outside the city gates. The carriage stopped and Smiley called out to her, “This is as close as I should probably get, ma’am. You can see the campfires and the tents from here.”
Cari climbed out, followed by the others. Smiley was right. She could see the tents of the camp nearby. “Good enough, Smiley. Wait here for us. Hopefully, we won’t be long.”
Cari and her three companions started off in the direction of the imperial army camp. Merrick said it was only a few companies of troops. At the time he made it sound like that wasn’t that many people. It turned out Cari didn’t know how many people there were in a standard company. There were several hundred men in the camp. It wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought to find Merrick’s men.
“What’s the plan, Cari?” Rodrigo asked.
“I hate to say this, but I am making this up as I go along, just a little bit.”
“What else is new?” Helen said. “Isn’t that how all of your plans start?”
All four of them laughed at that statement. Cari realized how much she enjoyed the company and friendship these people offered her. Her time on the Vengeance had been one of the best in her life. She lost many companions when the ship sank, but those who survived were among her closest friends and she was glad they were still here by her side.
Cari turned her attention back to the task at hand as they got closer to the camp.
A guard called out, “Halt! Who goes there?”
Cari called out in return, “I have to speak to your officers. I don’t suppose you can direct me to which tent is theirs?”
“The officers stay in the city, ma’am. I can point you to the sergeant in charge. He’s the one involved with most of the training.”
“That will do just fine.”
The guard gestured for them to follow him as he shouldered his musket, letting it hang by a sling over one arm. Cari glanced at him. His uniform didn’t fit very well.
“How long have you been in the Imperial Army?”
“I’ve been in the army just under a month, ma’am. I used to work for a tanner in town in the city. I got a little too far into my ale one night and when I woke up, I was here in the camp. I was told I’d taken an oath to join the Imperial Army and that I had no choice but to stay or I’d be executed as a deserter.”
“Is that the same for everyone in this camp?”
“Pretty much. I don’t much want to be in the army, or fight in any war, but I don’t want to be hung as a deserter either. I’m pretty much stuck here.”
Cari considered what she’d heard from the young private. If all of the people in this camp other than the sergeants and corporals had similar stories, it wouldn’t be fair to only free Merrick’s men. She had to release them all.
Bonus quest accepted — free all the imperial soldiers
The private led her out to a tent much larger than the others clustered around the camp. It looked like the sergeants lived in relative luxury, much better than the men they trained. All the other tents were small, two-man affairs with the men and women sleeping directly on the ground.
This pavilion had thick, plush carpets laid out as the floor. There were camp tables and chairs set up for the sergeants to sit while eating. She even spotted a few scantily clad women lounging about. The Duke of Charon obviously took care of those who were doing his dirty work. Cari wouldn’t be surprised if the women were being pressed into service just like the soldiers and the rest of the camp.
A tall, dark-haired sergeant with a thick mustache stepped out of the large tent and spotted the guard leading them through the camp. “Private, what are you doing away from your post on guard? You do know leaving your post and duty is an offense punishable by death.”
“Um, this woman, she said she had business with you, Sergeant, sir. I needed to show her where to go.”
The sergeant turned his attention to Cari. “What gives you the right to tell my man what to do?”
The sergeant and his attitude started to piss Cari off. That, along with the squalid conditions in which the common soldiers lived all served to increase her anger. “I am the woman who is here to set things right. There are people here who have lives in the city and jobs to return to. You have no right to take them and press them into service to fight your Duke’s battles.”
“Oh? I think you’ll find I have every right in the world. The Duke of Charon is the man leading the Empire right now. He doesn’t take very kindly to people who don’t follow his orders, especially when they’re women.”
“I’m familiar with the Duke of Charon. He wanted me to do something once upon a time and I told him exactly what he could do with his intentions.”
The sergeant looked her up and down for a few seconds, taking in her appearance. His eyes widened. “You’re her.”
The sergeant said it as if he was uttering a curse.
Cari smirked at him. “And if I am?”
The sergeant recovered. “Then me and my friends are going to collect the ransom that’s been placed on your head. Being the one to capture Cari Dix is going to make me a legend across the empire. The Duke rewards those who do him favors like this.”
The sergeant leered at Cari and called out over his soldier. “Major, you’re never going to believe who just walked into camp. You really ought to come out here.”
Cari took a step back while reaching for her sword and dagger. She wondered who the man referred to.
A tall man stepped from inside the pavilion. It was the swordsman she’d first met in the caverns beneath the silver mine months ago when she stopped the Duke’s agents poisoning the water supply for the city of Tandon.
He stepped out of the tent. Unlike the first time they met, he now wore an imperial officer’s uniform. There was no mistaking who it was, though.
When the man laid eyes on Cari, he gave her a very broad smile. “Cari Dix, how nice of you to drop by. You know, we thought you were dead for quite some time until someone loyal to my master managed to get us word that you somehow managed to escape the sinking of your ship. I really must know how you managed it.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not in the business of sharing my secrets with people I don’t know. Last time we met I didn’t get your name.”
“Of course, how rude of me. I am Major Carson Novachik. I am the commander of the Duke of Charon’s personal security service. You have been giving us quite a difficult time. The last time we had any notice of where you were, the Duke’s men were chasing you somewhere on the coast near where we first met.”
“I had to deal with quite a few of the Duke’s soldiers back there. I’m sorry we had to kill so many of them. They were inconveniencing me.”
“Those losses and others you’ve had a part in are why we are here in Hyroth. The good news is recruitment efforts are going quite well.”
“What a coincidence, that is also why I am here. I and some others have an issue with your methods. People should be given the option to volunteer, not pressed into service against their will.”
“They are volunteering. Each and every one of them signed the paper of their own free will.”
“Nonsense,” Cari said. “You drugged these people and then told them they signed, blackmailing them to remain in your service. That amounts to slavery, and I have no time for slavers.”
“I don’t see how you’re going to stop us. There’s only four of you.”
Cari looked at the sergeant major and then at Novachik and smiled. The drugged wine should have worked by now. “I only see two of you.”
The major grinned and turned back towards the pavilion. “The rest of you can come out now. It seems we’re about to have a bit of a fight on our hands.”
From the huge tent behind the major, six massive orcs stepped out. Cari thought Thad was the biggest orc she’d ever seen. She’d faced one nearly as large when she took down a ship full of slavers the previous year. But these six orcs were enormous by comparison. They all wore imperial sergeants’ uniforms, but Cari had little doubt they only wore them out of convenience to keep up appearances. They had to make it look like this was a legitimate imperial recruiting camp.
On either side of Cari, her companions spread out ready to receive the fight. Cari knew this was going to be a desperate battle. They were going to need help.
Cari grabbed the list with the names from Merrick from her pouch. She thrust it into Rodrigo’s hands. “Go find these people and anyone else that wants to join you. I think we’re going to need a little bit of help.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“I’m not asking you to, in fact, I want you to hurry back. Like I said, I think we’re going to need more help.
Rodrigo looked at the odds she faced and nodded. He took the paper and ran off into the darkness. He called out names at the top of his lungs.
Cari smiled, that was one way to do it.
Major Novachik scowled and pointed after Rodrigo. “Two of you go and stop that boy.”
Two of the orcs turned and ran after Rodrigo. Cari cursed under her breath and hoped he would be able to watch out for himself. That did, however, even the odds a little bit and she still had Francesca and Helen, both fierce fighters themselves.
She decided there wasn’t going to be any further chatter. The major, the four remaining orcs, and the first imperial sergeant she’d addressed all drew their weapons and charged at Cari and her remaining friends.
The fight shifted into a desperate melee right away. Francesca faced off against two of the massive orcs, as did Helen.
Both of the women backed away a little, giving up ground as they defended against the rush of the attacks coming at them.
Cari couldn’t help them. She was more than occupied with her opponents. She already knew the major was good with a sword. He’d nearly killed her the last time they met. The human sergeant was pretty good, too.
She found herself backpedaling away beside her friends, giving up ground in order to maintain her defensive posture. Somehow, she managed to knock away all of the attacks coming at her. She’d gained some additional experience in her travels since the last time she met the major. She felt confident she could at least fight him to a draw.
The challenge here was she fought two opponents, not just one.
The first attack to get past her defenses came when the sergeant ducked past her dagger’s attempted parry and cut a shallow slash across her midsection. It barely scraped skin but it did cut through her new clothes.
Health damage health -6
Cari gr
imaced and decided she needed to change tactics. It was time to go on the attack; otherwise she’d never be able to counter all their blows.
She knew she had to connect some of her own strikes. Only then could she power up her burst of speed skill. If she could do that, she’d have a chance against these two.
Cari decided to focus her strikes on the sergeant. If she could whittle down the odds and get rid of one opponent, it would be a more even contest. The major almost seemed to be holding back so far. It was as if he was waiting for her to try something.
She glanced to either side. Her friends were doing better than she was though Helen now moved with a pronounced limp. The first mate managed to kill one of the orcs facing her and it looked like she’d inflicted severe injuries to the other one. Francesca had also finished off one of the orcs, though she still fought a desperate battle against the other.
Cari decided it was time to even the odds in her battle as well.
She feinted an attack directly at the major then shifted in a spinning move to bring her rapier about in a sweeping slash at the sergeant’s exposed neck. He got his blade up to deflect some of the blow.
Cari missed cutting open the man’s neck but still managed to cut deeply into his shoulder. It was only a flesh wound, but she managed to slow him down a bit. It looked as though the injury to the shoulder of his sword arm had affected his ability to fight back against her attacks.
“It’s not going to be as easy as you thought to collect that reward, now is it?” Cari gloated. “You’re about to be killed by a girl. How’s that feel?”
Taunt engaged
The sergeant growled and charged directly at her, all pretense of defense missing from his attacks.
The major tried to stop his comrade, calling out, “Don’t fall for her tricks.”
It was too late. Cari had him exactly where she wanted him.
The sergeant’s charge got in the way of the major’s advance, blocking his attacks against her and giving Cari the one on one advantage she was looking for.