The God Warriors (22 page)

"Not a chance, Sir John. I will not abandon my service to a champion of the gods. Now, do this in order, do it slowly, and hang onto your concentration. You ready?"

John simply nodded. It was becoming harder and harder to keep the forces of Chaos from exploding outward. Briefly he felt his sword wobble. The Chaos above their heads flared brighter, but Adrostos didn't even flinch, saying, "Now, increase your bands of Order. Make them three times thicker, slowly, then four. Do it now. Good. Now shrink them into your blade. Yes, I realize it is still spinning but you can't slow the spin until you reduce the size. Did you not notice the bigger it became, the faster it spun? Right, just like that. Keep going until it's wrapped around your blade.”

John concentrated for all he was worth, and it was hard. Soon, he had the bands encased around his sword like a glowing sheath. Beside him, Adrostos nodded and smiled in a pleased fashion.

“Great, Sir John! Now simply stop the spin. You should be able to do it now. The Chaos will flare, but stop it, do not release the Chaos yet. Simply stop it from spinning," he said in a low voice, and as simple as that, John brought the Chaos to a halt. Once again, he was holding his blade wrapped simply in Chaos like before. He sighed heavily and released the Chaos after disbanding the Order, and the fury encasing the blade winked out.

"Whew. Thanks, Adrostos," he sighed, almost collapsing, but the helping shoulder of the wizard propped him up.

"You're welcome. You did not do anything we have not done before, simply on an extraordinarily larger scale. We had the same problem in trying to spin a fireball and lost a few wizards before we learned how to control it. I must say that your strength is incredible. How big do you think you could have made it?" asked Adrostos.

"Good question, when I felt it feeding off energy other than mine, I knew I could easily expand it to the size of the castle grounds, perhaps larger. I would hate to try it, though," he said, and the wizard laughed and clapped him on the shoulder with his free hand, the other around John's back to provide support.

"Please don't, Sir John. I don't want to blow up the city, which likely would happen.

"Aye, no kidding. Now let's get out of here and make sure the royals are safe, and I need ale in a bad way," croaked John.

As the two men exited the outer anteroom, cheers rose up from around them in the brightly lit courtyard. There must have been over a hundred torches and lanterns burning, and John was amazed at the number of guards present. There were thousands. More came, and small parties of twenty to thirty ran everywhere, searching for more invaders.

Belatedly, John sheathed his sword as the general and Ulf ran up to him, then the queen was there with her two daughters, and suddenly everyone was trying to shake his hand or hug him. Even Adrostos received his share of congratulations, but started shouting when the queen released him from her latest squeeze.

"Sir, John needs an ale and quickly," he shouted. A cry answered, "Coming right up!"

"I think we all need an ale," the king said as he shook John's hand for what had to be the fourth time. "Let's go in and sit down. It looks to be a long night.”

So, how did I do, Ares?
He asked the god, feeling him lurking nearby in his thoughts.

[Lucky you did not explode, but the princesses are safe, and Mother says she sees no more ripples in their timeline for the near future,] answered the god, satisfaction evident in his voice.

Honestly, I did not know what else to do. Those crossbows caught me by surprise; all I could think of was creating a barrier.

[Yes, you did that. It was actually quite ingenious. Those bolts were tipped with poison, so the slightest touch would have killed the royals. Now, go celebrate. You have earned it.] Then the god was gone, and John pulled himself back to the real world.

"Talking to one of the gods? Ares perhaps?" asked General Vendele who still stood beside him while trying to guide him back into the castle.

"Yeah, I suppose the tattoo glowed?"

"Yes. Now, let's get inside and figure out what happened,."

"Yes, General," answered John.

Minutes later, he was seated on a freshly cleaned sofa, a full tankard in his hand as Alicree stood across from him, one arm draped around the neck of each Lorr wolf, guards bustling about. The king was in deep conversation with General Vendele. Seated across from John was the queen, holding tightly to Milsanna, and beside John sat Adrostos, while Alvaldi stood at their backs. Scattered throughout the room were Sotar and guardsmen in defensive positions.

It did not take long to figure out how the dark ones had gained entry. They had flown in on the leathery beasts they used as flyers, each capable of carrying three Jugazi. They were similar to the eagles the Lorr flew. The difference being, the Jugazi's flying beasts were reptilian, and the Lorr's were giant birds.

The Jugazi dropped off a couple dozen of their people on the roof battlements, taking the guards stationed there by complete surprise, then even more had landed in the back gardens, those Jugazi storming the castle from the rear entrances, primarily the kitchen and washroom entrance. All staff in those rooms were quickly murdered, and from there it had been a simple matter to either descending from the roof or entering through staff hallways. Last count had the death squad numbering over a hundred. The dark ones did not intend to return, as the flyers had left as soon as they dropped their passengers off.

Korath and Sotar casualties were higher, numbering over a hundred dead Korath and almost forty Sotar. The crossbow bolts had taken a huge toll on the defenders, a fault that the king ordered remedied by the inclusion of shields while in the castle or on entrance duty. John felt disappointed in his performance. He was responsible for the deaths of only seven of the attackers. However, the general pointed out that without that shield of Chaos John erected, the dark ones would surely have killed the entire royal family with their crossbows.

Then, with the royal family escorted back to their rooms and Princess Alicree giving John a last hug and kiss on the cheek, he was told more reports would be available in the morning from guardsmen specially trained in investigation. The king gave a strict admonition to Princess Milsanna to stay put and out of trouble for one night, and though she pouted and winked at John, who ignored her advances, she agreed. If he ever did find a lady friend on this world, it certainly would not be a spoiled teenage princess. Besides, he was picky that way, and if the truth were told, he still missed his wife.

Finally, allowed to retire to his quarters, he only had to tolerate the company of over a hundred Sotar. At least they allowed him a modicum of privacy, even though over a dozen squatted just outside his bedroom door. Sleep hit him hard. He did not even remember his head hitting the down pillow, and if he had any dreams, he did not remember them.

Morning came bright and early, but it was eight bells before John rolled out of bed to strap on his armor, somehow cleaned during the night. He then set off to the dining area with dozens of Sotar in tow. Ulf joined him as he was working his way down the breakfast line, stuffing his plate with sausages, sweet cakes, thick slices of bacon, and a huge tankard of ale. By special request, John was able to get a half dozen eggs fried and delivered to his seat at the long table near the entrance. His body was starving from its expenditure the night before. He needed energy, and he completely ignored those around him as he shoveled food into his mouth as fast as he could. His attempt at replenishment was working. The shaking he had started to experience walking into the dining area was diminishing. He finished sopping up the last of the bacon grease and egg yolk, sitting, staring at his empty plate for a moment, while contemplating another trip to the food line, when a large hand friendly clapped down on his shoulder.

"Don't get up, we brought it to you." The voice was Alvaldi's, as was the hand, and John relaxed, noticing a tiny female figure step up next to him with another plate of food. This one was filled with three large sweet cakes, two fried eggs, and several large strips of bacon on each side. Alicree had arranged the meal to look like a smiling face, causing John to smile in return as he leaned over to accept her kiss on his cheek. She was becoming a very possessive and demanding little girl.

"You need to shave," she said wrinkling up her face and frowning at him theatrically.

"Alvaldi! Who is this bossy assistant you've acquired?" John demanded in mock tones of outrage just before stuffing half a slice of bacon into his mouth and taking a swig of ale to wash it down. He also saw that Korth and Kirth, who had accompanied Alicree, were eyeing his plate with apparent greed in their eyes. "Excuse me, a bossy assistant with two hungry assistants of her own," he chuckled and tossed the last two slices of bacon to the wolves, who caught them in midair, gulping them down quickly. Alvaldi laughed as he responded, "The King foisted her off on me, and I had little choice in the matter. He seemed to think the princesses would be safer surrounded by sharp steel and unmannered men."

"What? You don't love your little Ali anymore?" cried out Alicree as she grabbed his hand tightly, looking up into his face with sorrowful eyes. For a moment, she appeared to start crying before she began to laugh at Alvaldi's expression. "I'm just teasing, silly."

"She's going to be trouble when she gets older, brother," said John to Alvaldi. He sopped up egg yolk with part of a rolled sweet cake then stuffed it in his mouth.

"She already is, but she is right. You should shave, or grow a full beard, you're a general now, remember?" Alvaldi stated pointedly. "Onias used to have a shaving kit in his saddlebacks." This caused John to rub his face thoughtfully, feeling the unshaven roughness of his face and the two long puckered scars that adorned it. The other day, he had only told the barber to trim his hair a bit but not shave him. He did not have the time. Now he thought it might be a good idea.

"You have a point, but before I head back to my quarters to shave, tell me, Alvaldi, who was the unlucky one that got stuck with Princess Milsanna?" he asked, and immediately Alicree started giggling again while Alvaldi said nothing, only shifted from foot to foot. John looked up quickly, seeing them both staring at him.

"Oh, no, no, no," John said quickly, and then seeing their expressions did not change he repeated himself. "No, no, no, Alvaldi. No way. I just saved his life, he wouldn't do this to me, would he?"

"Oh, Sir Johnnn," came a melodic voice from the doorway to the captains’ dining hall. John visibly cringed. It was not that Milsanna had a bad voice; she actually had a very nice voice, one he had heard was very well suited to singing. He cringed because along with that voice was the personality of a spoiled rotten six-year-old in a seventeen year old body. John refused to turn around, hoping and praying to every god he could think of this was still a dream.

[You are not dreaming, but Mother will see what she can do with the girl once you reach Jordache. Until then, you are stuck with her, John.] This time, John was positive Ares was snickering in his thoughts.

"I believe the King feels a champion would be a better husband and leash for his eldest than some of the castle fops that are currently trying to woo her," whispered Alvaldi into his ear moments before soft arms circled John's neck and pliant lips planted a too moist kiss on his cheek.

John slowly turned to view the leech clinging to his neck, her eyes and lips only inches from his own, a cunning and calculating expression adorning her face. He did not need to be psychic to realize he was in big trouble. He had to hurry, though. The Sotar were burning their dead at ten bells, and he wanted to be ready for the ceremony.

"Come on, Elsa, hurry up!" exclaimed Aubri as she poked her head in Elsa's doorway. Beside her, the smiling face of Habbie popped into view. "That new merchant from Calmath is setting up his wares, and if we don't get there first, all the good outfits will be taken."

Elsa was currently indecisive on what to wear. Most of her clothing was militarily oriented or extremely functional. Currently dressed in only her underclothes, which consisted of a support strap for her breasts and brief shorts for her bottom, she was poring over the contents of her clothing chest, frantically looking for something to wear.

"I don't know what to wear?" she cried as she rummaged through more items, vainly looking for something of simple design and functionality.

"Here, we'll help," said Habbie as both girls strode into the room and pushed Elsa to the side, while rummaging in the compartment.

Elsa backed away and not for the first time reconsidered her friendship with these two. Aubri was a senior guard in another company, while Habbie was a lady in waiting to Queen Amyst of Jordache, but together, the two of them were trouble for almost everyone near them. Both were exceedingly beautiful and garnered almost as much attention from males and females alike to make these two happy, but when not busy with their respective duties, they were almost wanton in their display of affection to each other and need for attention. Somehow, they had latched onto Elsa a couple years ago and not let her go.

Aubri was the ultimate tease, and as far as Elsa knew, even Lasos had not bedded her, for Aubri's taste in a partner ran strictly to women. At five feet ten inches, with a muscled frame offset by a face with blue eyes and blonde hair, she could have been mistaken for a Lorr, though she was fully human. Small petite breasts, narrow hips, and fair skin completed the picture of a deadly fighter and lover of women.

Habbie was the polar opposite in terms of looks, with dark brown hair and amber eyes. Her short five-foot frame filled out in what men considered all the right places with breasts of a size to rival Elsa's own. She also preferred the female sex, and Habbie's proclivities with other women were the primary reason she found herself in the capital, under orders to find a husband. As an only child and of noble blood, her parents eventually wished a grandchild or three. That obviously had not worked out the way they had planned, and it was Elsa's understanding Aubri and Habbie had been together now for over three years.

Earlier, the ladies forced Elsa to agree to a shopping trip for the peasant's ball. Upon each occasion of hosting the games, held every four years in Jordache, there were quite a few public dances. One of these, known as the peasant's ball, was extremely popular. In a country that largely held women equal and deserving of respect, this was a ball where almost anything goes. The attendees expected to dress as peasants, wore flimsy skirts and revealing blouses for the women, and homespun pants and leather jerkins for the men. Over the decades and centuries, it had actually degenerated somewhat into a wild atmosphere, with many highborn ladies dressed as streetwalkers, more nude than clothed. As rules went, there were few: husbands were not allowed to prohibit their wives from attending, nor boyfriends to prohibit their girlfriends. Speculation also abounded that not all births nine months later were of those couples' joint bloodlines.

Nevertheless, these two had taken Elsa under their wing, declaring her so country born that drastic action needed to be taken. At least this time neither was pawing at her body, thought Elsa as she watched them discuss each article of clothing, limited though the selection was. They touched her sometimes in jest, even though each was dedicated to the other.

"Here, try this on Elsa," said Aubri as she held out a plain skirt along with a beaded halter top that showed more of Elsa's midriff than she normally cared to display. Aubri held an outfit the two talked her into buying last year, one she wore a single night when the three of them went out drinking in some of the better establishments. That whole evening had summed up the girls’ attitudes. Wear inappropriate clothing to higher-class events just to gauge the shock value of the clothing. Elsa had been embarrassed and tried to hide her face most of the evening, whereas the others had gloried in the raised eyebrows and comments of people nearby.

"Yes, wear that, Elsa. It looks great on you. Shows off all those delicious curves," agreed Habbie.

"Fine, but only for shopping, you two," she declared as she quickly donned the proffered items then looked at herself in the single item of vanity she possessed, a full-length mirror. When she was satisfied with the way they hung on her large frame, she started to put on her guard boots only to be met with shrieks from her two friends.

"By the gods! No, Elsa, you simply cannot wear boots with a skirt. It is just not done. Here, wear these slippers," Habbie said as she held out a pair of fine leather slippers Elsa normally wore in the evenings to relax after a bath.

"See, you're beautiful, Elsa," smiled Aubri.

"I am far from beautiful," laughed Elsa, starting to enjoy the process of getting ready.

"Okay, then striking," chirped Habbie.

"I'll go with striking. Now let's get something to eat."

Immediately, both girls shook their heads and declared breakfast off limits. Food would bloat them, and they wanted to look their best when trying on new clothes. Habbie, taking a quick brush to Elsa's hair, let the long tresses cascade down her back and declared they were ready to leave.

The trip to the market was typical of an outing with these two, Elsa thought as the three of them garnered more than their share of looks. She and Aubri were dressed in midriff-baring halter-tops to show off their defined abdomens, while Habbie wore a tight corset that revealed more than it hid of her upper body assets. Striding along while gripping her belt-knife painfully at her waist, Elsa resigned herself to hours of whistles and lewd remarks as the three of them looked for the perfect outfits for the peasant's ball.

After a half hour of walking, they entered the merchants’ square, which was a series of squares taking over the central open park area of Crystal City. The tents of hundreds of merchants filled the spaces between trees, water fountains, and benches as each owner displayed their wares. As the city was just waking up, they were some of the first to arrive, the stalls not yet crowded. The girls immediately dragged Elsa to a large tent near the center owned by one Fato Kiep, a clothing merchant from Crystal City’s sister city of Calmath. He was a well-known merchant that dealt strictly in the more risqué fashions, and though pricey, his designs were very much in demand.

It was larger than most, with colorful silk sides and an awning in front. When they entered, full-length mirrors were everywhere, along with racks and racks of clothing. Most were brightly colored, but some were more conservative in nature. It was to these clothes that Elsa headed as Aubri and Habbie stripped down to their all the way down to lower, under things. Since nudity was not exactly taboo, it was common practice for women trying on clothing to strip to see how the garments fit, and Elsa dreaded what they would eventually come up with, while also vowing to find something quickly before they decided to help her. She knew that each girl would go from naughty to very naughty before finding what achieved their individual look, and then picking out what they thought would look best on Elsa. She tried to hurry.

"Oh, isn't this top just darling?" squealed Habbie, holding against herself a sheer bodice that completely showed her nipples through the sheer upper half of its cut, causing the others to simply shake their heads.

"Nooo," exclaimed Aubri, "You want to keep those bumps covered, Habbie. Only let the outer rings show, she winked and swatted her girlfriend on the butt. She then compared two different tops against her that were equally as revealing.

"You know, if you wear outfits like those, the city guards will arrest you for plying your wares on an unsuspecting public," remarked Elsa as she pulled a black upper garment off a hook and slipped it over her head. It was semi sheer and covered most of her own assets, though she would need a darker and smaller undergarment to go with it. The white one she currently wore was poking out the top. However, she did like the fact that it stretched all the way to her waist and only left the uppermost hemispheres of her breasts visible.

"By the gods, no Elsa. That is hideous," complained Habbie, and then Elsa watched as the two girls exchanged looks while walking towards her. Her heart sank, knowing it couldn't have been that easy.

"It covers what it needs to cover. I like it," she said defensively as Aubri and Habbie pulled it off together, tossing it to the shopkeeper, who grinned. He was not grinning because she was mostly naked, as he had seen everything in his years as a purveyor of the latest in risqué fashions. He was grinning because the other two were performing an exorcism on Elsa's idea of fashion.

“Oh! Now, this is lovely and sexy," remarked Aubri as she held up a halter-top similar to the one she currently owned but even briefer is that were possible. Adorning its semi-translucent black fabric were tiny silver sequins sewn in that had a rippling effect, almost like running water over pebbles in a brook. The bottom of the top, hemmed to curve under the breasts while the upper part cut downward in a wide V showing more than half her assets. Elsa was mortified, but at least it was not as skimpy as the tops her friends were trying on, and she could always conveniently misplace it before the dance. Habbie quickly undid the back of her under top and pulled it from her as Aubri slipped it over her head then fastened the back. Elsa belatedly noticed the shopkeeper’s eyes grow larger as he viewed her size and closed her eyes as the other girls struggled to pull the top into the correct fit for her form.

"Here, allow me. I can make any adjustments quickly while you shop for other items," said the owner as he moved closer, placing several small objects in his mouth.

She knew that the shopkeeper was used to being embarrassingly close to women's bodies and held still as he cut loose the straps at their seam then snugged the halter tightly under her breasts with one hand, gripping the back where it clasped together to taking up the slack. In his mouth, he held a dozen pins. As the upper part fell over, exposing her, she blushed. The knife he held in one hand was very sharp, but she knew he was only making the necessary adjustments for altering. Then she noticed the outer rings of her nipples were showing and quickly whispered to the owner.

"Could you close in the center a little bit? I do not wish to show quite this much."

He grinned at her then, after pinning the back, moved to the front. With two deft movements, he tucked the bottom edges in closer with more pins, which barely covered her areolas. He asked in a low voice," Does this work for you, lady?"

"Yes, thank you. If I don't agree, they'll simply find something even worse," she breathed in reply.

"Bear in mind, the cut is too low for you to wear an undergarment," he murmured chucking softly.

"I noticed that, but it hides well enough and provides support where it is needed," she answered back.

"True, you are gifted in that department. This was originally intended for a lady quite a bit larger than you, circumference wise, but on you it looks simply wonderful."

"I bet you say that to all the girls," she said back.

"Yes, I do," and he winked. Then, when his ministrations were complete, he pulled her to another rack and removed a skirt from it. "This is supposed to match that top. Try it on while I start these alterations." With those words, he disappeared behind a curtain near the back with the top she had picked out held in his slender hands.

Smiling, she nodded, glad that he showed decorum in his dealings with customers, even though it had been obvious he'd noticed her ample bosom. She smoothed the skirt against her belly, running her hands along its sleek surface, admiring the texture and suppleness. Then she held it up to wave gently and again saw the silvery shimmer the tiny sequins created upon its surface. However, no sooner had she tried it on (after laying the one she wore on a nearby bench), once again Aubri and Habbie were by her side shaking their heads in dissatisfaction. She had no idea what was wrong now, other than it was too loose around the waist. However, it was the perfect length, running down almost to her ankles.

"Fato!" shouted Aubri, and the back curtain swished to one side as the shopkeeper hurried to them. "This needs to be taken up also, it's entirely too long."

"Oh, I agree, mistress. Let me see." With that, he raised the dress high enough in the front to see her knees and nodded thoughtfully. "She has lovely knees, it would be a crime to hide them during the festival, so how about this?" Once again, he had a mouthful of pins and was quickly hemming up the dress until it rode four inches above her knees.

"I think it should be another four to five inches higher," remarked Aubri, looking at the temporary fix.

"I disagree, mistress. Look," and he raised the skirt high enough to uncover her under things. Again, she felt her face blush as he pointed out her legs. "Her legs are entirely too muscular for that height, but lower works well. She has lovely knees and calves. She will need new undergarments, though, and I'm sure you know where to find them, don't you, mistress?" he smiled at Aubri, who nodded and smiled back, adding, "Also, new shoes, though those slippers are nice, but an outfit this spectacular needs something special."