Chapter 5 Ian’s Sin
Captain Tane was aware of Victor moving around the tent only because there was a black shadow that wasn’t staying still. "See ya in a while!" he said as the shadow slid under the back of the tent. There was a light pat on the tent near his head in reply.
Victor made his way silently up the river to the pool at the bottom of the small waterfall. He navigated through some tall reeds to the shore and started removing his disguise. Finally, Sylvia thought as she unlaced her corset, it feels like forever since I have had this thing off.
She thought it felt like heaven as she walked into the water."I think I’d rather the captain do that,ifyou don’t mind," Ian said spitefully."Suit yourself." Victor passed the Veritásto Captain Tane."Ian, you can’t say anything to anyone," the captain told him as he cut the vines, "Sylvia has made a bond with me and if they find out Victor is Sylvia in disguise, then she will be dead and so will our chances of winning this war.""If she has earned your trust, I will do nothing to dispel this illusion. I, however, still do not trust her. I will have my eyes on you,Victor," he pronounced the name harshly, "Captain, what kind of bond did she make?""Ian I always feel better when I know you are watching carefully over me, bu
Ian looked at her. He had wanted this. His captain would banish her before she could do any more damage if he said nothing. She had fallen to her knees and Mikail was preparing for the strike. "Wait." The captain turned toward Ian."Is there more?""Yes...and no. She is telling the truth. It was before you took her on, so there would not have been any promise to keep. I have born the weight of this sin for quite some time."The captain looked at Ian hard. He was trying to decide if Ian was reacting to her influence or if he was acting out of his own will. His answer would not come from Ian."Ian, you did nothing wrong.""How can you say that? You know what happened better than I do m
Chapter 6 Retribution’s ContractFor another week, everything seemed to be going smoothly, then they had word that there had been sightings of a small band of enemy forces near the city of Nash. It was not far from where they were, but they had been headed in the other direction. Sylvia was just getting back from scouting to find Ian in the tent with the captain."Nash is closer anyway and we do need to restock our medical supplies." The captain was telling Ian as she slipped under the back of the tent. They were facing each other with one side to the opening and the other side in her direction. "We will not now have time to gather the herbs ourselves and then to dry them."
As they climbed into the coach, he took off his hood to reveal that he was indeed nobility. He was the lord in charge of this city. Sylvia relaxed a little. Then he started talking. "I cannot be seen in public with you, I apologize if I startled you.""There is not much that can startle me, but I am on a tight schedule at the moment.""Ah, yes. It is widely known here that you follow Captain Tane. But that means you do not have much time because his moves have become more secret of late. My problem is this: I am in charge of maintaining the peace in this city, but one of my top guards does not always want to follow the law. I have not been able to find anyone trustworthy who will tell me what goes on, but I have heard that he takes ruthless advantage of any female prisoner he comes in c
"I liked this dress. You have failed the test," she told him as she took his sword from its scabbard and sliced deeply into his stomach. She then took the blade from his hand (broken at the wrist in the process) and castrated him. He stood as well as he was able to strike her again, but she cut him from bottom to top – just as the guard he had taken the keys from walked in."Do not shout out," she told the trembling guard. She took the keys from the belt of the dead man. And saw the other guard back up as if to run for help. "Are you afraid of me?" she asked him sweetly."Yes," he replied as he shook."You need not fear me." she told him as she opened the door and left the keys in the lock, "So long as you let me pass, I will not harm you." She added her persuasive tongue to aid
Chapter 7 New StrategyThe next day while Victor was out with the men doing general chores, a message was delivered to the captain. He read it, reread it and still could not make any sense out of it so he called Victor in from his regular chores to look at it. Maybe he could understand and translate it; after all he had read the enemies’ journals."Victor, come in here for a moment," Ian called, "the captain wants to see you."Victor handed over some rope to the man next to him and walked into the captain’s tent."A f
"Oh," he said out loud. To himself it was another story altogether. So you have fallen for her. I have been wondering about that. The look on your face tells me that it is more than her value to this war that you are concerned about. Have you realized that she cares about you, too?It was when they started to return to their study of the maps that they realized the leaf was tied to a pebble with a single red hair. They could not know how long she had been gone. The leaf had been chosen because it was above the table that had been set up for the maps and the pebble was so that gravity would pull on the already weakened attachment. Neither of them were able to concentrate much on the maps for what felt like hours as they waited for her to return. When asked by one of the soldiers why they were so anxious, the
Victor was carrying a pack that seemed unusually full for a mission of such stealth, but no one questioned him and, in truth, the captain was the only one to notice. For the rest of the day they made their way quietly through the forest not daring even to speak to one another for fear of alerting someone to their presence. That night they were to make camp in a grove where there was much brush to give them cover. They found, upon their arrival, that a group of ten enemy soldiers had had the same idea.Victor smiled. The captain knew that he had planned this and that this group was the first they were to dispatch. They were far enough away from the main enemy encampment that the shouts of the men would not be heard and the captain could engage them his own way – where they could see him and know what was coming. Sylvia still didn’t understand why he insisted on being so visible instead of making
"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.