by T J Trapp
In a moment the soldier’s hands flew up as he grabbed his throat; blood spilled from his nose and eyes, and he collapsed to the ground with hot blood steaming from breaks in his skin.
“Anyone else want to question her?” Alec said. “Want to wind up the same way as him?”
After a shocked pause, as the scene before them sank in, one of the remaining soldiers asked, “Do you promise that we will live?”
“No,” said Alec, “I don’t promise anything.” One of the soldiers took a step backward. “The only thing I promise is that I will not kill you right now if you surrender,” Alec said.
One soldier dropped his weapon, and then the others followed suit. Then, with muttered curses and angry shouts, the mob of captives started to surge forward.
“Stop!” yelled Harl.
The mob hesitated and then stopped.
“We need to find out any information they have,” said Harl. “They can’t talk if they’re dead!”
Harl picked three people to tie up the soldiers and watch them. By mutual agreement, Alec and Erin left Harl in charge of securing the battle scene and scavenging the raider’s possessions for anything useful.
✽✽✽
Erin and Alec walked back towards their wagon in the main part of the slavers’ camp. As they approached, a smocked figure came running up to them.
“Lily!” Erin exclaimed with delight.
Lily threw her arms around Erin in a long hug. “I am so happy that you are all right, and that both of you are free!”
Erin hugged her back. “Thanks for what you did. I know it had a price.”
Lily looked at her and then her self-assured façade cracked. Tears welled up in her brown eyes. “It did,” she said in a quiet voice. “The soldiers took advantage of us serving ladies because they knew they could find others willing if we didn’t do whatever they wanted.” She sighed. “But I guess it wasn’t much worse than being an inn-lady.”
“It’s over now,” said Erin, and hugged Lily again.
Lily turned towards Alec. “I knew you would return and I knew you could free Erin. I had confidence in you and your magic, and you did it.”
Their reunion was interrupted by the arrival of Harl and the former captives bringing their spoils from the battlefield.
“Harl, this is Lily,” Erin said. “She is a companion of ours and was captured with us. She was forced to work as part of the slavers’ staff.”
Harl looked at her, and his face brightened. “You know the workings of the camp? I can organize our fighting force, and the others, but since they held me as one of the slaves, I have seen nothing of the workings of the camp.”
Lily nodded. “I do.”
“Then would you be willing to help me organize the camp? I know nothing of the food supplies or kitchen. We have a lot of people we need to feed … or else they are going to be very grumpy,” he said with a cheerful wink.
Lily nodded her head in agreement and looked at Erin.
“Go,” said Erin with a smile.
Harl and Lily headed off towards the kitchen tent, and Alec heard him telling her “… and besides food, we need to figure out sleeping, security, a latrine, and …” with Lily nodding and adding her ideas on re-arranging the camp and tending to the former captives.
✽✽✽
Erin and Alec returned to their wagon, cleaned up, and unloaded the slavers’ loot. Most of their belongings were still in the wagon under the ill-gotten booty. Erin checked through their clothing and took inventory of what was missing from their supplies. She opened the secret compartment where she had stored the rings and put one on her finger. She put the other ring on Alec’s finger.
Alec poked around the wagon to see if his medallion was there.
“What are you looking for?” asked Erin.
“My medallion. They tore it from my neck when we were captured.”
“It’s not here,” said Erin. “I saw them lose it out on the Grasslands with all our clothes when they captured us. The only thing they kept was my sword, and I found it in their armory.”
“I can’t find my staff, either,” said Alec, looking under the wagon seat. “They must have discarded it.”
“I didn’t see it in the armory,” said Erin.
No staff. No medallion. Just a rake handle. Alec thought briefly about attempting to return to the place they were captured to see if he could find the medallion. Then he thought about the impossibility of that. It was lost a week back, some place on the Grasslands where there were no identifying landmarks. It was beyond his skills. Well, the new medallion is working fine – must make do with it. Now that he knew how to make medallions, perhaps he could make an even better one.
They set up their wagon so that they could use it this night for sleeping, then walked back towards the center of camp. They could smell food and heard the bell that had called the soldiers to their dining tent. Neither of them had eaten that day. Better to be fed, then to be fed to the trogus, thought Erin.
At the dining tent, Lily had established an orderly line and was giving everyone directions. Lily saw them and motioned to them.
“We are feeding everyone the soldiers’ food tonight. We have enough of their rations for a few days, and it should make everyone happier. We set up a special tent for you and the other camp leaders. Your food is over there with Harl.” Lily pointed to a smaller tent nearby.
They joined Harl, who introduced them to three others.
“These three and Lily are my lieutenants,” he said. “We need to get this group organized and move out of here. We can’t stay here – we have limited food and water, and most of us have no idea how to get home. Lots of us are pretty sick or lame from the conditions we endured as captives and will have a hard time walking.” He stuck a spoon in his food and smiled at the first bite. “But that is tomorrow’s problem,” he said, eating with gusto and scooping up a bit of gravy with a hardtack biscuit. “Today’s problem is to get everyone fed, and then impart enough order so that we can keep a veneer of civilization in this camp.”
Alec ate in deep silence. The soldiers’ fare was not gourmet cuisine, but it was much better than the pasty mush the slave captives had been fed. Or half-raw game meat.
How did I come to oversee a camp-full of half-starved, battered, ailing refugees? Alec thought. Why do I feel like I need to rescue everybody and why did I feel justified in boiling that soldier’s blood?
✽✽✽
It was getting dark by the time they headed back to their wagon, holding hands, and talking softly to each other. So much catching up to do.
As they walked between the soldiers’ wagons, they heard a muffled whimper.
“What is that?” Erin said.
“I don’t know, but it came from over behind those wagons,” Alec said. They went around the corner to find a crowd of about ten men overlooking a scuffle. Alec tried to push his way through to see what was happening.
“Wait your turn,” said the man in front of Alec, not looking at him. “We can all get a chance at her.”
Alec pushed the man out of his way. In front of the men was one of the younger girls, captured at the most recent raid, lying naked on the ground beside the wagon wheel. One of the men Alec recognized as the abuser of the teenage boy had cornered her and now stood over her, unfastening the pants he had taken from a fallen soldier.
“Stop that,” said Alec.
The man turned towards Alec and leered. “Who’s going to stop me?” He did not recognize Alec.
“I am,” said Alec.
The man re-fastened his pants. He looked at the young woman and snickered.
“Don’t go anywhere without me. I’m not done with you. This won’t take me long.”
The tough man had taken possession of a soldier’s sword and now picked it up. His comrade abuser was also there and stepped up, also holding a sword.
“You think you can take us on,” said the first man. “You don’t even have a weapon! Just run along and leave
this to us men!”
Alec sensed Erin pushing her way forward. This is my fight, she thought to Alec.
You’re right, Alec thought. It’s yours.
Erin stepped up to the bully and drew her sword. Her name, etched into the side of her sword, came alive and glowed in the evening’s half-light. Those around her had the impression of a flaming sword. The crowd stepped back, and more than a few decided to leave. The two aggressors stepped towards her, not particularly impressed with the pyrotechnic show. Since she was a mere woman, they did not make a coordinated attempt to attack her.
The second man swiped clumsily at Erin. She stepped to his right side so that she only had to face one opponent. He swung again. This time she caught his blade and twisted. He ended slightly off-balance; his return slash flicked inches from Erin but left him open to a quick blow. Erin aimed true and sliced the inside of his sword arm. Her razor-sharp sword flicked through muscle, bone, and the main artery deep in his forearm. His blood began pouring out, and his sword fell to the ground. Erin turned to the other opponent, the ring-leader of the abusers.
His sneer faded, and he began to take Erin more seriously. He engaged Erin in a tight fight. Alec knew that Erin was the better fighter, but the captivity of the past several days had left her weakened, sore, and stiff. The man was fighting more conservatively, parrying Erin’s thrusts and stepping back from her sword. Although he had the same disadvantage – weak from days in captivity – he was bigger than she and was trying to out-muscle her.
On the ground behind her, crawling from the pool of his blood, the other man managed to grab his dropped sword with his left hand and scrambled to his feet. From her vantage, engaged in swordplay, Erin could not see him.
Alec stepped up behind the injured man and banged him on the head with his staff. There was a satisfying thud when it hit, and the man again slumped to the ground.
The fight was almost over. Erin’s opponent was tiring and made a misstep that left him open to her blazing sword. Erin slashed across his neck. The man fell with a gurgle and a crash. Erin’s sword still glowed, ember-like, and she looked at the others.
“Isn’t it time for you boys to quiet down for the night?” she said. “Or does anyone else want to try to harass this young lady?” The others all answered by mutely slinking off.
Erin turned to the trembling girl and hugged her. “It’s all right now,” Erin said softly. “You’re safe.” For now, she thought darkly.
Harl, Lily, and one of the other lieutenants arrived, running between the wagons, drawn by the ringing sound of sword on sword.
“We heard you, but couldn’t find you fast enough,” Harl said. “We saw the end of your fight.”
Lily took the young woman from Erin’s arms. “Was she…” her voice trailed off.
Erin shook her head. “No. Not this time.”
Lily helped the shivering girl to her feet. “I will take care of her for the night,” she said.
“We’ll take care of these two,” Harl said, pointing to the two fallen men.
✽✽✽
Erin and Alec were again alone, but the event had shattered their jubilant mood. Erin was starting to shake from the aftermath of the fight and the chill of the night air. Alec put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as they walked away from the two bodies on the ground.
“Let’s go to our wagon,” he said gently. Once there, they spent a long time laying in their sleeping spot, nestled under proper blankets for the first time in over a week, holding each other and telling their stories of their captivity and rescue. Alec stroked the bruises and welts where Erin had been beaten. She winced slightly when he touched a particularly deep cut.
“Let me try something and see if it heals you, or does anything,” he said.
“Okay.”
With that, Alec pulled dark energy through his medallion. He did not focus it on anything specific but just allowed it to soak into both of their bodies. He could feel the euphoria brought about by the dark energy and could sense that Erin was feeling it also. Maybe it would help her as it had helped him.
“I knew you were a Great Warrior. Mother used to say, ‘braggarts talk but great men do.’ You have done more than any other warrior of Theland ever did. No one else could have beaten fifty men to rescue me.”
“I don’t feel like a warrior at all. I didn’t want to be without you, so I did what it took to get you back.”
“I missed you but I knew you would come back and rescue me,” she whispered, nuzzling into his beard. “You are so warm.”
A sense that they belonged together filled them both. They were drawn to one another and gave in to their feelings. Soon his arms were around her, and his cheek was against her face, her hair smelling of dirt and leaves and blood. An animal sort of smell, he thought, and he found himself reacting to her presence – her smell, her bare body, her warmth, her dark eyes, her resolute fierceness. He was kissing her before he realized what he was doing but was very aware that she was responding to him in kind. As their bodies came together his only thought was to make love to her, and as they coupled the terror and angst of the recent events dissipated and they felt the deep comfort that physical bonding can bring. Afterwards they lay quietly in each other’s arms for a long time before dropping into a deep sleep, safe together.
Mornings always seemed to come too early. Maybe the nights are shorter here, what with all those moons and all, Alec thought idly. He lay under their wagon enjoying the warm feel of Erin against his side. He knew their moment of leisure couldn’t last – there was too much to do today. Erin rolled over, satisfied, and smiled at him.
“I sleep well in your arms,” she said.
Alec looked at her body as she moved towards him. He thought her beautiful, as always, but more importantly, there were no bruises on her.
“We did something,” he said, elated.
“Of course, we did,” she purred.
“No, no – feel your bruises.” He ran his hand down her back.
“My bruises – oh! They’ve quit hurting!”
“They look like they’ve healed. Let me see the welts on your legs,” he said, running his hand down her thigh.
She looked at him, one brow arched, with a sly smile playing on her lips. “At least you are interested in more things today than just my back. Is this another ploy for the Great Wizard to feel me?” she said, nestling tighter next to him. The she whispered, “You were wonderful and might not need a ploy to feel me.”
The two of them would have continued if someone had not interrupted them.
There was a knock on the side of the wagon. “Begging your pardon, sir, and ma’am,” one of the new lieutenants said, coughing discreetly, “but Captain Harl wants to have a council in an hour and would like you there, if possible.”
“We will be there shortly,” they both said in unison, quickly rearranging their blankets.
They dressed and stopped by the dining tent for a quick bite to eat.
“Not much left,” the serving lady said. “Most others have already eaten.” She served them scraps of the main food on a hard tack biscuit, but they were satisfied with the fare.
“Let’s go take a quick look at the wagon that exploded before we go to the council,” Alec suggested. They walked over to the ruins of the wagon that had fallen victim to Alec’s ‘magic.’ The soldiers had parked it some distance from the other wagons, probably for extra security in the event of a fire, so none of the other wagons in the camp were damaged when Alec caused the stored ammunition to explode.
“Yes, the dragon made short shrift of this one,” Erin said, squeezing Alec’s arm.
The body of the wagon was riddled with holes. The force of the simultaneous firing of all the ammunition had pushed the wagon over on its side. Two wheels were broken beneath its weight, and the axles were fractured. The canvas covering had caught fire – the wagon carcass was a charred hulk.
As they circled the wagon, Alec pulled in dark energy to see
if he could detect any gunpowder. Most of the powder had burned, but he could feel a little residual. He wanted to feel the signature of the gunpowder so he could recognize it. He suspected he would sense it again.
They both kicked through the charred wood and bits of equipment lying around, but it was Erin who made a find. She picked up a burned piece of metal with a small loop and showed it to Alec.
“That’s a trigger from a gun … one of the death rods!” Alec exclaimed. Erin brought it over to him for inspection.
He turned the charred piece of metal over in his hand. It had been blown apart when the shells in the rifle magazine ignited, and it had burned afterward, but there was a little metal button with something inscribed on it.
“Runes,” said Erin, poking the piece with her finger.
The inscription said “safety” with a little arrow. Alec felt sick.
“What?” Erin asked.
“It’s in English … it is in my language,” he said. How can that be?
“Well, of course,” said Erin. “Of course, wizardly tools would be inscribed with runes of the wizardly language.” Erin wasn’t surprised at that but was surprised that Alec was surprised.
✽✽✽
Erin and Alec entered the council tent only a few minutes after the others. Harl’s lieutenant was bringing the prisoners out for questioning, one at a time. The first of the captured soldiers were made to kneel before the council, still bound hand and foot.
Harl began the questioning. “What is your name?”
“Zag.”
“You are a soldier?”
The man nodded.
“To whom do you owe your allegiance?”
“We are Aldermen,” the prisoner said, a bit impudently for a man in his position, Alec thought.
“He speaks the truth,” said Erin to Alec. Then to Harl, “With my ring, I can sense truth, and I can tell when someone lies.”
“What are Aldermen?” Alec asked.
“We are the force of Alder, and you will all obey the force!” Zag threw back his head and looked directly at Alec. “Treat me well, and I will put in a good word for you. If not …”