"VICTOR!" shouted the captain. He stopped his advance. Mikail had seen that look before. Sylvia would have killed him. She did not take kindly to people insulting her natural talent or his. Whatever had earned him her respect and protection had caused this flare-up of her temper - it must have - and her prior disposition didn’t help matters. Though he found it surprising that she would act this way when she was so angry at him.
He finished reading the transfer papers. It seems that this man was a problem maker. He was arrogant and liked to slack off thinking that his father would take care of things just the way he always had behind the scenes with his money and rank. Not this time. That kind of behavior gets people killed. Normally, the captain himself would step into the ring to knock down his attitude a notch or two, but he thought of a better plan. Victor and, "Emmett? Is
Chapter 11 The RescueVictor wasn’t quite as fierce with his chores the rest of the day, but had not calmed down enough for people to ask what it had been all about. It had felt good to beat on the captain and that idiot who insulted him. Why did he say I couldn’t break him? That would have been so much more satisfying. She thought to herself as she headed back to the tent aft
At the camp, Marcel was getting nervous. Victor had been gone longer than he usually was when he went hunting and there was a nagging voice that told him he had been deceived in some way. He went to Remus, another of the guards, and told him what happened."You had better go and tell the captain," Remus said to him."He will have my hide for letting Victor out of camp. You tell him.""You are the one who did it, why shouldn’t you be the one to fess up?""Fess up to what?" asked Ian who had walked up behind them."Um..." Marcel started, "Well..." Ian fixed him with a piercing stare. "About a half hour ago, Victor had his bow and a quiver full of arrows and said he was going hunting," blurted Marcel. Ian’s look changed to worry as he waited for Marcel to continue, "I have not see
Ian and Mikail found their way to the rock clearing and were momentarily at a loss as to what to do next. It did not take them long to find a small patch of blood near the center, then the signs that someone had been dragged off of one side. She was alive! At least she was when they started dragging, there were signs that she had struggled to change position. They followed the trail into the forest.When they saw from a distance someone striking her, Ian had to grab Mikail’s sleeve to remind him to stay put until they could analyze the situation. They started dragging her off again."I do not ask you to go with me, Ian. In fact I beg you to return. I likely go to my death. Return to those who love you.""Mikail, I could not look at them knowing I abandoned you to die. My Friend, I will not leave you," he paused, "They will have to take the trail that
Then she told them, "I will adhere to your modesty as much as possible," and paused. They could not see how anything could be left to the imagination on this one. "Help me to sit down. I am going to save as much strength as I can, so untie these laces." She pointed to the laces down the front and at the wrists of the leather outfit she was wearing. They could barely be seen in the shadows they were in, but Mikail knew them well and could see in his mind just where they started near her neck and where they ended a little ways down her left leg breaking at the waist where the top and pants met."Don’t take the laces out, just loosen them," she instructed. When they were loose enough, she told them to help her out of the top of the scouting armor. When they did, to their relief, they found that she was wearing another of the corsets they had both seen. "That has to come off, too, if I am to become Victor again." Both th
Chapter 12 The CeremonySylvia woke to find Kollin bent over her and her corset open enough he could slide his hands along her ribs to see if any were broken. "When did you arrive?" she asked sleepily, but before he could answer, "AH, that hurts, it feels broken.""No, none of them are broken, but three are badly bruised. I arrived this morning. Now, tell
"Yeah, he ate some bad stew going through an enemy camp a week or two ago. Seems like ages now, though. He was out for three days and hated the two day recovery where the captain gave orders that he was not to do anything." Rowell laughed at the memory of Victor sulking around camp looking for anything to do. Emmett tried to picture it, but having only seen Victor in what he was told was a rare, but foul mood he could not imagine the kid begging for anything. "He gets restless fast.""Yeah. That much I could tell about him even through the bad temper yesterday." He walked around the camp with Rowell telling him how things were under Captain Tane’s authority. There was something different about this captain, but he couldn’t identify what. Then again, he had been told this captain was different more than once before he ever left the last camp. One thing Rowell said that struck him was that he would have a private
"I joined the army because my father thought it would be a good idea. I was sent to your camp because I thought I knew better than General Brock how the place should be run and I showed it in more than one way," he replied without looking at the captain. For the first time, he felt shame about how he had behaved. Just being in this man’s presence made him feel like he didn’t deserve this chance."You sound like perhaps you have had a change of heart.""Certain things have been brought to my attention, Sir.""Tell me about them, Emmett," Captain Tane prodded. Emmett told Mikail many things about his past and why he thought he had changed in the last few days. Mikail told Emmett some of the reasons they were fighting this war and why he did such interviews with each of his men. In those two hours, the men became fast friends. By the time his capt
Chapter 13 The LetterWhen he opened his eyes and saw that she was missing, he jumped up and started for the opening of the tent only to run into her as she was returning."Where have you been?" he asked accusingly."Good morning to you, too, Captain. Did you rest well?"Her mood has improved, he thought. "No. What have you been doing?" he asked in slightly softer tones."I have been outside of this tent," she replied. The way she moved told him that no matter how he questioned, she wasn’t going to give in and tell him where she had gone or why. He did the only thing he could think to
"Something like that. Captain, I do not wish to have this discussion with you at this time! You have interrupted a chiding I was receiving from Master Revenge," she spoke as though she was very close to sending him on to the manor. He took in the tears threatening to overflow the blue eyes he had come to love on a dear and trusted friend. He wanted nothing more than to protect her, but knew that something more was going on between Sylvia and her father than a mere chiding. They had done that many times back and forth and it had not made her cry. He bowed to her and walked just out of earshot, but kept his eyes on them.When Sylvia looked back up at the face of Revenge, his expression had changed. She couldn’t decide if she liked the new one better or not. "How long have you been with child?" he demanded through gritted teeth."This will be my second cycle missed," she replied flatly.
"I do not dispute that it is. Pay the woman that she and her guard may leave!""Guard?!" the man asked angrily, "She brought an entire regiment with her!""Never mind my guard," Sylvia’s voice was a shock to the crowd, "Let us finish our business and I will leave this place and my guard with me.""All of them?""All of them.""We will need some sort of proof that it was you who did slay Retribution," the once very haughty man sounded defeated."If the body and the blade are not enough, then what else can I offer as proof but the wound that blade inflicted on my hand in the struggle that preceded the death ofthat woman?" She held out her left hand to show the bandage."May we see that wound?" he asked. Sylvia pi
This time when he spoke, his tones and facial expressions were much softer. "I do not know all of the magic that was placed on the blade. I know that for me, the glow was green, not blue as it is for you. I know that it does not like to draw the blood of its master – that was one of the attributes I asked for when I commissioned it. I do not know why it did what it did, but I am sure it had something to do with it cutting you."The small group dispersed still thinking about what they had seen and heard and not knowing what they thought about it. Sylvia returned to the place where she had fought Delora. There she found that none of the men could handle Veritás without it striking back at them, though none could explain how as the blade never moved. She would have to clean it herself. She could handle that, even with a wounded hand.Thus ends phase one of this project ...&nbs
Chapter 27 Retribution’s RetirementIn less than a week, Ladies Chadwick and Kinden were settled back at Chadwick Manor and their lords were again inquiring as to what on earth they were planning. To them it was a game, nothing could possibly be serious about it because the women were too happy – in fact, they were so happy they cried sometimes.
"Because ... well ... you first saved my brother from certain death and then you requested that the medicine man come here and tend to my father who had been poisoned by Delora, thus saving our family again. He refuses to take even the smallest payment for his services. You," he paused and looked at her as though she were not entirely human, but in a good way, "I would swear that you are part or all angel sent from God’s own side to help this land recover from its sorrows.""You are too kind, Cole.""There is one other thing I must request of you," he told her hesitantly, "I must ask that you say nothing to the authorities of what we have done ... The consequences could be terrible for us.""I will keep your secret, Cole, just be careful who elseyoutell," she said with a maternal s
Delora allowed herself to be carried the rest of the way to the tree house without incident. There was terror in her eyes and etched in every line of her face. If anything, it increased when she was securely tied to a chair and her gag removed. She managed to speak after Retribution had pulled up the other chair in the small room and sat backwards around it looking at her. "W-What do y-you want f-from me?"Retribution smiled with such maliciousness that she could have made most of the guild counsel turn tail and run. "I know what you have been doing to your husband and his family, but I want to hear your story. Your fate may be a little less painful if you comply with my wishes." Delora paled then reddened. She started to let out a string of curses and insults, but was interrupted by Retribution’s steel re-enforced bracer coming hard across her face. "Insolence is not becoming of a fool." Disdain d
Chapter 26 DeloraShe crept quietly along the second floor ledge. They had been gone from the merchant’s home for three days and now it was time to return. She pulled her black cloak over her leathers. It would not do for anyone to see what she was wearing - after all there were few who even knew she wasn’t always in a skirt. She found the room she wanted and carefully slid the shutters
She stepped out of the bath. He watched her. Her wet hair contoured to the shape of her body. He heard her sultry voice telling him there was not a single towel in the entire room, but they could use one of his fine linen shirts if he would be so kind as to retrieve it and would he mind drying her?Mind? Any excuse to touch her was reason enough for him to do so ...But when he arrived at the chair where a shirt lay, she guided him into it and sat across his lap. He let out a groan of pleasure.Through the course of the night, she brought him to the brink of release and back again so many times that he lost count. Finally, as the sun began to peak over the horizon, they reached the peak of ecstasy and drifted into peaceful slumber.Somewhere around the noon meal, Sylvia appeared in a dressing robe that belonged to Mikail and requested food
"Would you back up?" the king’s voice was barely audible over Sylvia’s soft crying and the murmur of the hall, "We are in no danger from Mikail’s menorhis bride!" His comment made Sylvia smile, though for a different reason than he thought.If he only knew who I really am, those would not be his words..."Forgive them. They are overcautious in these perilous times.""There is nothing to forgive, Majesty, they were only doing the job loyalty demands of them," she replied, "It would be disappointing if they were to shirk their duties. Enemy spies have been known to infiltrate even the most watched places." The old king put his hand over Sylvia’s and nodded approval."Spoken with great wisdom, Lady Chadwick, it is good to see that Mikail has chosen well," he removed his hand from hers after giving it a slight squeeze.