Authors: Laszlo,Jeremy
“How?” the king grumbled, alerting Ashton to his interest.
“There is a healer back in Valdadore named Balantine, and her gift of healing is not one of mending, but of speeding growth so that wounds may heal naturally. There is a chance she could rush these half-men to maturity so that their fighting ability could be tested.”
“Like fighting fire with fire?” Garret asked.
“Precisely. You could raise these creatures as you wish, make them loyal. Maybe even breed them to create more,” Ashton said with a wide smile, all the while making some calculations. “Just think of it, my king, if they are born in litters in only a few months, and they can mature in little time, you could have thousands in a single year.”
“You think I should create more of these… things?”
“Instead of our doom, maybe they could be our salvation,” Ashton suggested.
He had the king’s mind thinking about it, he just needed to find the right angle to make him agreeable. Ashton didn’t dare bring the king’s fallen lover into the conversation, he’d seen already how quick to anger the king would become. He’d already tried the salvation route. There was only one more option he could think of.
“It’s been said that your brother goes to claim the throne of Drakenhurst for his own. What do you think will happen once he has created a new army of monsters? He can do it in very little time, you know he can. Then what? Valdadore has been pushed to the brink. You’ve already enlisted all that could fight, more or less, and few of them still live. If we can’t replenish our numbers, we will fall at your brother’s whim.”
“You are wise to see so clearly, Ashton,” Garret stated after a moment’s reflection. “Thank you for clearing my mind and showing me a path I could not see through my anger. We will try as you say. Seth has his hounds of war and I too shall have my own. We need to find a way to bring them back to Valdadore. All of them, mothers too.”
“As you say, Garret, it shall be done.”
Ashton celebrated his victory silently as he strode away with a smile. He already knew the plan would work. It was only a matter of time. He had not expected, however, the number of infants they would need to transport. With only two horses and a giant wolf, they had no means to deliver nearly two hundred people back to Valdadore. A plan was needed, and pondering their options, he imagined a way it could not only be done, but a way that would yet again push the king towards the path Ashton needed him to choose. Smiling, he sought out the dwarf.
Looking all about the small encampment, Ashton could not help but smile as he passed the nude man who was not only tied to a tree, but gagged in order to silence his protests. Hearing the dwarf’s grunts of exertion beyond the tree line, Ashton picked a path through the brush to find the shorter-statured man digging a shallow grave.
“I’ve reasoned with the king.”
“And what does he intend?” the dwarf grumbled, hacking away at the root-filled earth with his axe.
“We are to return to Valdadore with all the mothers and children in order to give them the king’s protection.”
“Tis a good thing, methinks,” Zorbin replied.
“I agree, but it brings us a new challenge.”
“What’s this?”
“We need to devise a means to transport them all to Valdadore,” Ashton explained.
“Tis a problem indeed. You thinking a cart of some kind?”
“More a litter, or a sled. You and the king could easily pull huge sleds in your blessed form, and together the horses and wolf could pull another.”
“No, the horses shy away from Xanth, but he could pull a mother and her litter.”
“Good, Then it is decided. Let me help you with this, and then boughs and vines will need to be collected to begin construction.”
It had taken two days to choose who would stay and who would march ahead with him to Drakenhurst, but Seth had known that each decision was crucial. Outfitting those that joined him on the road, they at least looked like an army. Three more days it had taken to reach the hill he now stood atop. He could have made the distance in a few hours, but moving with his men was slow and grueling.
From atop a rocky hill, he could see the sprawling city of Drakenhurst and the tall keep with its namesake. It was very much as he imagined it would be from the descriptions given by Goldenfingers. At the edges were shacks made of discarded materials and whatever the poorest dredges of society here could scrounge. Moving inwards from there, towards the center of the city where the keep stood, the houses grew more and more befitting habitation to the point they began to look lavish, becoming like works of art and sprawling palaces. Even from here he could see blackened patches where a portion of the city had burned. It was a wonder that the entire place hadn’t gone up in flames, so tightly packed were some of the homes.
Goldenfingers had been right. Unlike Valdadore, with wide streets that led straight through the city, there was no easy avenue of approach for an army to storm the keep. The city here had grown naturally without a plan and roads wound, twisting and turning, between the homes completely at random. Torching it would be the easiest means to clear a path, but would result in too many casualties, and tens of thousands would be made homeless in a matter of hours.
Fortunately, Seth had already devised a plan, and looking out over the city he could see opportunity. Turning to nod at the two men bearing carts behind him, he gave the signal and watched as they walked up and over the hill towards Drakenhurst. Their job was simple—locate and purchase several large shacks near the edge of town in the dirtiest, filthiest neighborhoods, and a few warehouses if they were available. Seth had given them enough gold to purchase a moderate mansion, but told them to be discreet. Now all they needed was time.
Climbing down from the hill hoping to avoid being seen, Seth made his way back to where his army hid within the tree line below. No fires were allowed, and everyone had been ordered to remain still and silent. It was difficult to make thousands be silent, but they were trying. Now that his plan was in motion, however, it was time for Seth to do some investigating of his own.
Reaching out with tendrils of his power, he felt his way through the immense city. Ignoring thousands as he brushed against them, he continued his search for any signs of opposition. Feeling the nagging pulls of those auras with the most power, it took little time for Seth to find what he sought. There, not far from the keep, was a collection of those blessed with magical abilities. Easily recognizable were the healers, and various devotions of mages known to exist in Drakenhurst, but so too were there some auras that Seth didn’t recognize.
Goldenfingers had told him of the academy where the youngest of those gifted were kept and trained to serve the king. These were not yet battle-hardened adversaries, but as children, they could still be used against him. As such, Seth began to watch each of their movements about the academy and surrounding city.
Pushing his powers further still, he sought out the keep itself and delved within its walls. It took only minutes to locate a handful of those with gifts. Five blessed warriors remained within the keep, one a follower of Gorandor and four more blessed by Vikstol. Already he knew one to be the captain of the guard, and the others his lieutenants. With his primary targets all located, Seth made another quick sweep of the entire city and finding nothing of note, he withdrew his power into himself, except for those links to those he wished to keep an eye on.
Smiling as he turned his head, he found Sara watching him and changed course to join her.
“Why the focused face, love?” Sara asked.
“Just looking around Drakenhurst for anything of interest.”
“Find anything?”
“Nothing we can’t handle.”
“Good. Then we are waiting until nightfall?”
“Yes, if all goes well.”
“Seems like a long time to just wait and wonder. How about I steal you away for a few hours and take your mind off of things?”
Seth couldn’t help but smile at her. She was up to something, of that he was certain. She had been wiggling, shaking, and bouncing all of her womanly goodness at him for days. He supposed if any time was good to surrender to her, now was just as opportune as any other.
Taking Sara’s hand, they strolled beneath the broken canopy of the forest, and circumventing the army they walked deep into a dark grotto far from the eyes and ears of their comrades. Seth had a pretty good idea just what Sara had in mind, if the sway of her hips was any indication, and as such he happily followed, his blood already beginning to boil in anticipation.
* * * * *
Thinking her husband beyond extremely satisfied, Sara sat upright upon him, still straddling his naked body with her own. Beneath her, Seth lay with his wings extended to either side, upon his back with a crooked grin on his lips. Unable to help herself, Sara smiled back at him, wondering what was going on behind the expression he wore.
“What are you thinking in there?” she asked, unable to help herself.
“I was thinking that of all the marvels I have witnessed and experienced in this world, you are my favorite, and one of the only that I like to enjoy over and over again.”
“Is that so? So I’m a marvel, am I?”
“I think so. You are amazing and one of a kind. There is no way I would have made it this far without you by my side. Even when I feel myself wavering, you are always there to give me strength. I am blessed beyond anything any god could give me, to have you, and although it doesn’t do your worth to me justice, thank you.”
“Do you really want to thank me?” Sara asked, seizing the opportunity.
“Of course.”
“I would really like to fly like you and Borrik.”
“Is that so?” Seth asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and sitting upright.
Without warning, he pressed his wings to the ground behind him and with one hard thrust he propelled them both upwards and into the air. Wrapping her arms about his neck and legs around his waist, Sara clung to her husband who still pulsed hard inside her. With every flap of his immense wings he drove himself into her deeply and with every lull she clung to him tightly.
With her body trembling, an unknown amount of time later, Seth settled them back to the earth, his grin returning once again.
“So, was it everything you expected it to be?” he asked, smirking.
“You have no idea,” Sara somehow managed between ragged breaths. “Let’s do that again, and soon.”
Finding love and passion amidst such loss and pain was probably not that unusual, Sara supposed. With such heightened sensations and tensions high, a release was often needed, and boy, did she feel released. Letting her arms fall from her husband, she traced the ridge between the muscles on his chest, down between those on his abdomen, and let her hand fall away. Like her, he had changed immensely in the last few months. Though she had fallen in love with a somewhat sheltered boy, he stood before her now a man who held his power lightly and sought to make the world better through his actions.
Smiling at her husband in return, she turned and strode away, giving him a little wiggle as she went to retrieve her clothing. She hadn’t gotten her wings, at least not yet, but she had gotten something even more important—time alone with her husband to show she loved and appreciated him. Dressing quickly, she strapped on her swords and tightened the buckles up the sides of her boots. Looking up, she found Seth already dressed in the black robes he preferred, and patiently awaiting her to join him.
Before long they were back with the army and Sara noted that Seth’s rat soldiers were now standing apart from the humans and wolves, aside from Jonas who presently commanded them. With darkness nearing, Seth’s plan was soon to be underway if, of course, his men had made it back from the city.
“Is everything going as planned?” Sara asked her husband as they approached Jonas ahead.
“So far as I can tell. My men arrived little more than an hour ago.”
Seth seemed to be everywhere at once these days. It would have hurt her feelings to know that a part of him had been keeping track of the whereabouts of other people while they had their passionate exchange, but she knew how much was on the line. Seth felt it his duty to keep all of them safe, and as such he was more cautious than ever.
“How comes our preparations?” Seth asked Jonas as they neared.
“You now own several hovels, my prince, and the men are ready to begin.”
“Good, Sara and I will be going with you. Borrik will stay to help defend the army should it need it. You will communicate with him to coordinate our efforts.”
“As you wish, Prince Seth.”
Sara couldn’t help but be excited about the plan. Her husband, Borrik and she had worked hard to develop a means by which to take the city with minimal casualties. If they pulled it off, they could be done with war, at least for a while, and Sara looked forward to a time when they weren’t in danger of being killed.
As darkness fell, Sara walked between Seth and Jonas, silently leading their troops down to the city below. It was a slow process, but assured that no guards patrolled the streets nor manned the city’s pathetic excuse for a wall, there was little need to hurry. In the darkness without any torches or other light with an overcast sky, they went unnoticed the handful of miles to the city’s edge.
Hopping over the short wall that served to keep livestock from overrunning the city streets, their contingent of troops split into two and turned in opposite directions. Following the map provided to them by those sent ahead to purchase property, they traversed the streets of the slums, finally arriving at a small lean-to style house that shared a wall with what appeared to be a small warehouse. Ignoring the home, they entered the warehouse one at a time, each taking a moment to look around.
Without light, her husband produced a large fireball, showing one large, open space with a dirt floor. To one wall were placed a tidy row of carts laden with buckets and shovels. Now it was time for the real work to begin. Using the talents of the manpower he commanded, Seth put the men to work, tunneling first, straight down nearly twenty feet, before making a right angle in the direction of the keep. Throughout the night, as carts were filled with soil, his men would whisk them away into nearby houses they now owned. Leaving no evidence, Seth’s rat troops worked throughout the night, never stopping for breaks or meals. Designed for tunneling, they made tremendous progress that night. It wasn’t until near morning that they quit in their efforts, laying low during the day when people moved about and were more likely to notice the excavation.
As the sun rose the next morning, one of Seth’s men climbed out from the tunnel carrying with him a bucket of mud.
“We’re close to the source, my prince,” the soldier hissed.
“Good work. Our other team is nearly to their goal as well. Tomorrow, we will complete this phase, and then Drakenhurst will be our new home,” Seth said, walking from one soldier to the next to clap them on the shoulder.
For the remainder of the day, all was quiet. Sara sat patiently for a time, before turning to pacing and then jumping down into the tunnel to have a look for herself. She couldn’t believe how far the troops had gone, but keeping the size of the tunnel to a minimum with a crew of men to clear the loose soil, they had tunneled very near to the keep, a distance of several miles in a single night. She couldn’t wait to see the rest of the plan in action.
* * * * *
Borrik waited patiently the first night and the second as progress was relayed to him via his captain, Jonas. By the end of the third night, the keep’s water reservoir had been drained, and the spring that supplied it was diverted. For the sake of humility, Borrik supposed, Seth let a third day and night slip by to allow those in the keep to get a tad thirsty.
When morning came the fourth day, and the order was relayed to him to move, Borrik led his misfit army out of the tree line and over the hills to become visible to the keep beyond. Leaving the bulk of his army behind, Borrik proceeded towards the city with two of his captains, carrying a white flag of truce in hopes of a parlay.
It took less than an hour for a simple messenger to appear, running across the fields towards them. He was young, not yet an adult, but even with obvious fear in his eyes, he approached with a pounding heart and came to stand before the immense werewolves.
“My master bids me to tell you to leave. No army has ever breached our walls, and we have defenders aplenty, blessed with mighty powers from the gods.”
“Tell your master to speak to me in person or I’ll raze your city and watch as those in the keep are dried like beef without the water I have taken. Tell your master that I will meet his champions of the heavens with demons from the abyss and when I am finished he will beg at my feet.”
Without another word the messenger spun and began running back the way he had come. Another hour passed and a large contingent of mounted troops appeared from the city, and rode out in formation to meet Borrik.