The High King: A Tale of Alus (12 page)

Pushing him aggressively back to the bed, Gerid was pleasantly surprised by her determination. It was as if she were now using her passion to fight for him. The man couldn't understand her worry. After all, he had never given in to Catiya before though he had ample opportunity. Tabitha should have known by now that her lover would not fail her in his resolve. The North Continent's people were known for their bull headed determination and he had made up his mind long ago about this.

For the next few hours, they made love out of passion. Taking brief rests, Gerid found his lover nearly tireless this night. She had always had a healthy passion, but Catiya's nearness seemed to act like a new fuel for her strength.

Gelinas' moon began to rise in the east as Tabitha finally fell asleep. Dawn would not be far off, but Gerid could not sleep this night as he gazed at the woman beside him bathed in the moon's light. Lying atop the covers in the warm summer night, she glistened with a light sheen of perspiration. His eyes slowly measured every hill and valley committing to memory every last glorious piece of her.

Gerid felt a weight upon his arm and a gentle shaking of a hand shoving at the side of his chest. His dreams had been filled with troubling yet exciting images of both Tabitha and Catiya. Often they fought before him as his subconscious worried over his relationships with both women. The nudging finally forced his awakening. His eyes cracked open to look at Tabitha to his right. The sky was lightening beyond her at the terraced opening. Looking to the weight nudging him from his left, Gerid found Catiya leaning naked across his arm. This time was not a dream.

"Catiya?" he moaned still half asleep.
"Get up," she ordered demandingly. Her voice sounded anxious as her eyes strayed to the sky beyond. "You and Tabitha need to leave quickly. The sun is nearly up and the both of you are still not awake. You both need to get back where you belong before people notice your disappearance."
Waking Tabitha, they quickly dressed while Catiya sat anxiously waiting in a stuffed chair. She refused to dress, though no one would ask her aloud, and Gerid could see that it bothered his lover. He had no time to worry over such things now though. With a hurried but passionate kiss for Tabitha, the three parted company to quickly return to their own rooms.
Gerid slipped back over the terrace railing while Tabitha quickly swept through the hallway to the room that she shared with the other maidens. Neither witnessed as Catiya slid into her bed. The girl pulled the pillow that Gerid had lain upon to her face and breathed in his scent. She soon fell asleep even as her tears ran down her cheeks.

It was only a few weeks later that the soldiers returned home from battle with Kloste. The Holtein mercenary company returned with Kolonus Holtein leading their remaining troops. Gerid had learned that, when they had first left for the war, there had been roughly two hundred men. The company once consisting of one hundred and fifty free men that had hired on for wages and forty-seven slaves, with ten of officer rank, now came limping back with less than a hundred men.

The household had all seen their return and also witnessed an explosion of anger from Kolonus when his brother Carter met him at the road. The king's generals had apparently put the various mercenary divisions into the forefront of the battles. If not for Kolonus' abilities to lead them to less vicious battles, there might not have been any left to lead back this time, he insisted to Carter.

"That General Globus," he fumed, "he ordered us to the center in the battle for the plain of Ylatus, Carter. I thought that you said that you had the king's favor! I mean, don't get me wrong, I know that we're perhaps his best company, but to sacrifice my men over such a worthless piece of land!" Kolonus bellowed angrily. Gerid could hear the words well enough from where he had come to watch the reunion. The slave moved a bit closer, however, in the effort to hear something that might be said that he could turn to his best advantage.

Carter had listened calmly to his brother's ranting along with Karma at his side. The look of steel from the master's eyes proved that he disliked his younger brother's words. In a flat voice that seemed made of stone, the elder brother answered, "Perhaps you have grown too soft, Kolonus. Years ago you would have relished the chance to lead the attack. As long as you survive, you should have no complaints. I am glad that the king has seen the quality of my troops. If we continue to prove that our methods work, perhaps he'll see fit to pay us for even more soldiers."

"But, Carter, we lost nearly half the men. Many of them were from our best ever..." Kolonus protested.
The cords in Carter's jaw stiffened significantly with each word. "No more. Give the survivors their pay and have the families of the dead informed. We'll begin paying the assured amounts that their soldiers signed on for immediately. At the end of the month, I think that we'll need to rehire and train the next company for next year. The king's current treaty will be over this spring and we both know that he'll try to conquer Kloste once again as he does every year."
Carter turned abruptly followed by a pair of his personal guards and left Kolonus behind to stare after him stunned. Karma shook his head at his uncle sadly. "You've begun to grow overly attached to your men, uncle. You have warned me against that since I was a boy. A single battle could bring a quick end to them as you said."
The older man nodded shame facedly. "I guess that's it, boy. That and I hate to risk their lives and my own for no real reason at the same time. There were some truly great soldiers that died for our king this year, Karma. I hope that we can find a way to replace so many."
"Don't worry, uncle," Karma replied casually shooing the words away from him, "the king always conscripts enough free men to cover our losses. In the meantime, I think that we can give you at least a few, good, strong, warriors from our current group of slaves already. In fact, let me introduce you to perhaps the best warrior that I've ever come across. Gerid..." he beckoned surprising the said warrior by the abrupt change in focus.
Gerid had never heard any good word from Karma before let alone one of praise. The words stunned him truly, but still he came forward.
"Uncle, this is Gerid."
Kolonus had to look up significantly to stare up into Gerid's face, but he was smiling. "He's big. Powerful too, I'd reckon. Can he fight?"
The singing of metal being drawn from its sheath drew their attention to Karma's sword. It glimmered in the mid-day light as he handed the blade to Gerid. "Why don't you see for yourself, uncle? That is if you are not too tired from the long march, of course."
Kolonus scowled at his nephew severely, "I am not so old that I cannot fight any man who dares after a march like this. In fact, I ought to teach you a lesson first, young man." Instead, he turned to face Gerid. "Don't worry I'll try to go easy on you, boy."
Moving quickly into a swordsman’s posture, Gerid prepared to counter the first attack while Karma backed away smiling. "Don't bother, sir. I'm better than I look even," he laughed.
Chuckling, Kolonus thrust forward testing Gerid. Countering effortlessly, the younger man returned the attack with a half hearted one of his own. They weren't fighting for real, after all, and he didn't wish to kill someone who could help him one day. The older man still smiled as he attacked aggressively. Gerid was forced to step back slightly as he fended off blow after blow.
Both combatants quickly realized the other was worthy of their true attention. Kolonus stepped in with even more intricate maneuvers trying to find Gerid's weaknesses or to perhaps overwhelm him in the process of looking.
A strange feeling began to possess Gerid as they struggled. His patience began to wane as the act of battle renewed a bloodlust that he had felt off and on for over a month after the bandit attack. The young warrior had prayed that it had disappeared forever, but he started reacting to Kolonus’s movements more determinedly. The youth refused to back down now that it was getting interesting. Solidifying his resistance even further, Gerid began to change his tactics in mid stride. Moving from his defensive posture, he began to strike back strongly. Drawing upon his nearly inexhaustible strength, the warrior began to rain blow after thunderous blow on the other's sword.
Not slowing his efforts or yielding any openings, Gerid began to drive the older man back. Kolonus's eyes began to widen in fear. "Enough!" he exclaimed breathlessly.
A final powerful stroke from Gerid's sword sent the man staggering backwards.
"Giving up already?" Gerid asked breathing only slightly harder. "You were the best test that I've had yet. Perhaps you can teach me a few of those maneuvers that you used on me one of these days. It'll give me that much more of an edge aside from my strength and speed." He flipped the sword in his hand to grab the blade and handed it back to its owner.
Kolonus looked up at him breathing hard. "Incredible. You are hardly winded. How did such a warrior become a slave? Where did you earn such skill?"
"I was a shepherd in Marshalla on the North Continent before our lord proved to be too evil to stay there. My brother and I had been given some training from a retired soldier before we left there. Pirates left us little recourse but to surrender when we sailed for a new home. Unlike the land, there is nowhere to run when you are outnumbered and when you're a long way from land survival sometimes means surrender."
"A shepherd," Kolonus said shaking his head. "Was your brother brought here as well? Two such warriors would indeed be a quick start towards an undefeatable force."
"My brother wasn't a fighter like myself and your family doesn't own him either."
"That’s too bad. I was beginning to think great thoughts of glory for us. Ah well, like Karma said, it’s a start."
"Hold on a moment," Gerid interrupted and held up a hand to give Kolonus pause. "Before you start counting on me, I want to ask for a condition to my fighting."
Kolonus looked at him angrily. "You are a slave. You will do as you are told."
With a harsh glare that made even the grizzled veteran flinch from its intensity, Gerid growled, "That is what I want changed. I will gladly fight for you for a time, but with the condition that I can earn my freedom in the process."
"What?" both Kolonus and Karma echoed each other's cry?
"You heard me. I want a contract that guarantees my freedom after two years' service as your warrior. After that time, I want the right to continue on as a free man, if I desire. Otherwise, I may just as well remain here."
"What if I give you no choice?" Kolonus demanded angrily.
Gerid's eyes narrowed in reply, "You'd be better off with my loyalty guaranteed than to fear a sword in the back from your own soldier."
Kolonus face darkened, but he replied evenly, "Three seasons."
"Uncle!" Karma shouted astonished.
"Two and I'll remain the following winter to train new men for you. Remember, that I may remain as a free man anyway for a time."
"Agreed."
"Uncle, you can't make that decision without my father's permission," Karma insisted.
The older man glared at his nephew, "I'll get it."
"I want it written into a contract and signed properly," Gerid added as the older man started to stalk away to the main house.
Kolonus turned and stated angrily, "You'll get your contract, boy. Who knows? You may not live to fulfill it anyway. Two years is a long time fighting in this country."

Over the next few weeks, Gerid soon had little time or opportunity to visit Tabitha. Catiya tried to watch some of his training as the new recruits began arriving, but between her uncle's wishes for no interruptions and her increasing boredom with the soldiers' activities, she returned only seldom. Without the women to distract him, Gerid dedicated his mind and body to the rigors of the Holtein battle training.

Kolonus was a grizzled veteran of dozens of campaigns and as such he knew what was needed to survive in battle. After the initial rocky start, he soon proved himself a good teacher for Gerid. There were also several leaders under him and they were referred to with ranks of sergeants and one was a lieutenant. With Gerid's superior fighting skills and a little encouragement from a suddenly supportive Karma, Gerid was soon promoted to a position of sergeant as well as one of the sword master teachers for the company. He still attended group drills and tactical classes, usually schooled by Captain Kolonus, but he was also a man of rank.

Gerid noticed early on that Karma had decided to take an interest in him personally. The master's son was still being trained to take his uncle's place one day, so his daily workout with the soldiers was not so unusual, but Gerid often found that the young man would take extra time to just talk with him when they were allowed to rest.

It was shortly after the first three weeks that Karma asked him to take on another task in addition to being a soldier. He became one of the man's guardsmen. This proved to be a true blessing, since his new shared living quarters were located only a small hallway away from Catiya's bedroom. He resumed his nightly role of lover to Tabitha.

The winter fell over Rhearden and things went well for all of them.
As spring came, however, word arrived from the king. The treaty with Kloste still held, but a new threat, the king of Enswere to the south, had begun hostilities by attacking and capturing the southernmost fortress of Rhearden, a city called Brahe. Gerid knew nothing of the city other than that which Kolonus and Karma told to him. It was a thriving river city on the Taltan Divide built with strong walls and well defended. They were sure that it must have fallen by treachery and it would be the job of two divisions of the Rhearden army along with a combined strength of over five hundred mercenaries to liberate the city. After Brahe was recovered, then King Colona would send reinforcements in to punish Enswere.
With the news of less than a week before they shipped out, Tabitha began to weep as they would meet at night.
"Come on now. Don't cry," he said trying to soothe the young woman. "It's going to be hard enough for me to leave here as it is, Tabitha. Please, stop crying."
"I'm sorry," the girl sniffed. She held him tightly as they lay together in Catiya's bed. "I just can't help myself. You're going to war and I fear that you'll never return."
Curling his finger beneath her chin gently, he tilted her face up to kiss her trembling lips. "Don't worry, I will return. Think of it. Two campaign seasons and I become a free man. If I do well in battle, I can earn enough money to buy your freedom at the same time."
Tabitha half smiled. Her eyes betrayed her worry even still and knowledge of Gerid's need for revenge on Merrick would mean even more fighting should he get that far. Her lover would be in the middle of wars often now and that could leave her a war widow she knew, but that future had to await the current battle's outcome. "I know, my love, but as your wife, it is my duty to worry about you is it not?"
He chuckled, "Think of it. When we are both free, the first thing we'll do is marry in truth. What a day that will be, when I can declare to the world that you are my wife, Tabitha Aramathea."
"Hmm, it has a nice sound to it, my husband," she mused quietly.
"Actually, I'm not afraid of battle in comparison to the worst part of going away."
Guessing his meaning, she batted her eyes at him and asked, "And that is?"
"How am I going to live without the love of a good woman like you?"
Sliding free of the covers, Tabitha's curves were his to watch as the woman moved to mount him. "Then we had better do our best to leave you with enough memories to tide you over, lover, because if I find out that you have been with another woman, you'll pray that you die in battle first."
He smiled as they fell into the rhythm of their love making. Gerid would definitely miss his wife, he knew.