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Baron Storm Nattas
The Cripple’s son
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The city maps are the artist's representation on information given and not to scale
Hah, at last a nice fucking day, Storm thought, the sun shining on the clear of clouds azure sky. Tropical birds chirping loudly, large sharp fronds over his head and the green on them watered-down almost khaki in its hue. His arms dropped down and touched fine sand with his fingers. The light breeze had brought it on the marble tiles. Powder like and sizzling hot. He’d spent a small fortune to get the rocks out of Sandbay Beach as far as the port in Nattas Cove, where the crews had used the larger ones to pave the still unfinished docks.
The manor’s main building had been constructed, but there was still work being done to the outer wall following the banks of Emerald River, despite the latter not easy to cross without a boat. Moon’s Haven kept growing with Mayor Reganus filing report after report asking to expand the thrice expanded already initial building plan. Storm would have had him killed for being annoying, but Sudi had reminded him that he was naught but a paid lackey playing a character to fool the citizens.
So the mayor was spared.
Eh, he thought. The moment you stop to rest your mind, another problem appears to ruin your mood. He needed to keep his schedule free for a day, enjoy the location and the ending summer. His eyes roamed the picturesque golden sand beach cut amidst the palm trees. Griet standing tall and thin in it, chocolate skin gleaming in the sun, coral beads adorning her hands and ankles, short tunic wrapping around her wiry body nicely. The small boy in her arms playing with the young Assassin’s breasts.
Hah, double nice.
Find that nipple son.
Speaking of nice breasts, Miranda emerged from the clear waters, as tall as Griet but fuller and more feminine in… well, everything. While her skin almost matched the Issir’s, Aegium girls favored bathing in the nude, and she had lost a ton of weight the past months Miranda was big where it mattered.
The former Queen Regent laughed at their son’s shenanigans, with Griet returning it since Silvio had an uncanny way with the women surrounding him. Storm pushed himself up so he could have a better view of the two women from the shaded veranda, his eyes mostly on the voluptuous Miranda. He could feel the beginnings of a raging hard on, so severe he felt light-headed for a moment. Storm grimaced and shifted position to accommodate his tools better.
“You’re a shameful mongrel,” Maja hissed, her hands crossed over her chest, a large hat protecting her from the sun.
“For taking the time to look at my boy?” Storm asked and reached for his banana juice. It was good for the bowels according to Numerius Baro, the Dottore living in Moon’s Haven permanently for the past year. Storm hadn’t given him a lot of options during the brief ‘negotiations’. “No shame in it,” he added categorically.
“You’ve been ogling his mother and my pupil for half an hour!” Maja grunted plenty angry, but Storm kept his expression unchanged, eyes firmly set on Miranda’s nicely wet sheer outfit. A bathing tunic, she’d called it. Easy to remove, easy to put on. Storm had found absolutely no fault in her logic.
“No shame in that either,” he admonished her. “As a matter of fact, I’m going there to see if they need anything,” Storm added and stood up, carefully adjusting his swollen cock to avoid the stern faced Sir Barnard’s scrutiny. The knight had his eyes on Miranda protectively.
In a sense, Storm decided still in a good mood, whilst Maja threw her arms up having a fit of histrionics quite typical in older women, we both love the former Queen. We just love her differently.
Hehe.
Storm cleared his throat, gave a curt nod to the greying knight standing under the shade at the other edge of the Manor’s massive veranda and walked onto the sand to reach the still playing near the sea trio.
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“There’s our good Lord Nattas,” Miranda beamed and turned to greet Storm, the soaked bathing tunic stuck on her like second skin. She tasted of crushed mango, sand and salt. Storm felt lightheaded again and used his right hand on Miranda’s opulent hip to keep himself upright, fingers snaking inside the dip of her hefty rump.
“Lord of arses,” Griet retorted mockingly and Miranda chuckled at her expression.
“Griet dear, Storm doesn’t favor the Five,” she reminded the leering young assassin and pressed her soaked body on him fully.
Abrakas crooked toes!
“I stand by me words just the same,” Griet countered and Silvio bit on her nipple over the tunic hard, making her wince shocked. “Little shit… strange man,” she hissed and pulled him away.
“Haha,” Storm guffawed proudly. “There ye go, answer given,” he said, Miranda panting in wonder feeling the state of his cock. Never had a more vigorous and virile chap walked the sands this side of the Scalding Sea, he mused thoroughly impressed himself.
“Why name him Silvio?” Griet asked oblivious to his plight. “It’s a Lesia name.”
“Storm suggested it,” Miranda replied hoarsely and left his side to take the boy in her arms. Silvio digging into his mother’s more lavish bosom with enthusiasm. “It was like he read my mind,” she added with an affectionate glance.
Eh, just fuck it, Storm thought very aroused. I’ll roll in the sands with her and explain what happened to Sir Bernard after. With the amount of vigor I’ve accumulated I’ll probably do Griet and Maja in the process.
The thought worthy of serious consideration despite the danger involved in bedding two assassins and the even more dangerous former Queen.
She wasn’t the sharing type.
“Abrakas willed it,” he croaked and Miranda brought Silvio near, the boy swinging hard and catching Storm’s nose as he stooped to play with him.
The smack brought proud tears in his eyes.
“Wow,” Griet retorted not believing him, or just reacting to seeing Storm getting punched in the face.
“The God of Depths doesn’t lie,” Miranda mused with a smile and returned the still swinging wildly Silvio to Griet. “Take him to the shade. I’ll come feed him.”
“I don’t mind doing it,” Griet replied with a smile and walked gingerly towards the manor’s south veranda. This side of the large paved yard coming almost to the washed out yellow sands and the pink-white marble tiles half covered with it sizzling hot.
“She likes him almost as much as your daughter,” Miranda murmured in Storm’s ear, the Baron absorbed with the assassin’s fit rear moving away. “It’s his biggest talent. He’ll break great a many hearts.”
“Mmm,” Storm agreed, though he was of the opinion the boy needed to grow a real cock first as that dinky just wouldn’t cut it.
“Let’s make love in the deep waters Storm,” Miranda hushed and he grimaced, his forehead burning where the sun touched it.
“I can’t swim,” he grunted. I’m also almost fully roasted under this heat. The fat will start dripping any moment now.
“All Abrakas children can you horny fool,” she countered, but Storm turned serious.
“Didn’t have the time to learn,” he explained with a sigh. “Between working and my lessons, I never really had the chance for vacations.”
Or the coin.
“Aww, should I teach you?”
“Let’s get off the bloody sun,” Storm suggested with a pained grimace.
Miranda looked at his face and then nodded. They walked together, her hand laced in his and Sir Bernard watching them not particularly pleased. The knight had picked sides though, so there was nothing he could do about it.
“You’ve made this for me,” Miranda whispered and Storm breathed out, his lips kissing her knuckles softly.
“I had to,” he replied soberly. While it was seventy percent a lie that thirty percent of truth was important enough to almost move him to tears.
Perhaps it was a bit more than that.
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Miranda took Silvio inside the manor to feed and clean him, relaxing herself in the large internal pool-sized bath afore collapsing tired from her exertions on their bed, right next to the small boy.
“You are in a good mood,” Maja hissed an hour later.
“I take it you’re not,” Storm retorted and poured some of his own wine in a silver cup to taste it. There’s still work needed to get it right, he thought with a grimace after a sip.
“I’m worried about Sirio,” Maja said frustrated.
“He’s with Lucius, he’ll fit right in,” Storm replied.
“You know he’s not built for this kind of work.”
“Is this for real? Why do you care?”
“You promised that nothing bad will come to him,” Maja reminded Storm.
“Nothing shall… probably. No one will ever harm that fool,” he assured her.
“I could have used Ard for this,” she said.
“Lucius would have never trusted him. I don’t believe he trusts Sirio.”
“Isn’t Lucius on your side?” Maja probed a bit worried. “That’s the plan right?”
Storm sighed and placed his goblet on the short marble table. A silver intricate pattern running its sides, resembling vines laden with juicy grapes.
“The plan is to save Regia and ourselves,” he explained. “Using whatever means necessary.”
“Miranda is fine with Jeremy on the throne,” Maja argued.
“Nobody will ask for her opinion. Frankly speaking, her mind is on our son and that’s fine by me, for a while,” Storm replied. “Lucius isn’t though and even if he was, Jeremy is easily swayed and now he has family of his own. I don’t trust him to keep her safe.”
“Will Sirio bring Lucius to your camp?”
“You have to understand that nobody can sway him. He’s all Jeremy isn’t. What Regia needs is someone smart enough to see the trouble coming our way and react decisively afore it is too late.”
Maja stood back and crossed her arms on her chest.
“The Khan’s war will never reach us.”
Storm grimaced. “War, much like Lucius don’t care for your opinion also. You can’t speak of morrow with the knowledge of today. Things might change. Ursus is about to play the general and rumors say Lesia has thousands across the border at Cartagen. Who will react if that happens, or if the Khan comes here?”
“Without ships?”
Storm rolled his eyes and pointed towards the distant harbor. “I have ships, granted they are small, but I have also a big one some-fucking-where and I’ve been Baron for a moon. It’s one thing to fight a Lord, or two, another to fight a unified Kingdom. The Cofols and Lesia are whole, whilst Regia is torn apart. If those pious idiots at Kaltha fuck this up a bit more, the bowl might tip over and the soup spilled on our feet.”
Maja grunted and Storm thought it as good a time to go and cuddle next to Miranda and Silvio, but he spotted the dilapidated head of the half-breed Sudi walking down the huge hall and frowned. The hall was cutting through the middle of the Manor from the main entrance to the beach. The cane his loyal right hand man carried clanking on the marble tiles.
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“Well that’s fucked,” Storm grunted instead of greeting a sour-looking Sudi.
“Wouldn’t risk it,” Sudi countered glaring at the smiling Maja.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Hello Sudi,” she said. “You look much better today.”
Sudi showed her the gaps in his mouth in a snarl, where the teeth had fallen off due to her poison. That was an adventure Storm would rather forget.
“Right,” Storm intervened and glanced behind the wiry scowling man. He had brought company with him. “I take it we have a problem?” He guessed.
“What does she do exactly?” Sudi grunted dodging the question, which only fueled Storm’s unease.
“Never mind that Sudi,” Storm replied. “We have moved on to a different topic.”
“I haven’t,” Sudi countered and Maja rolled her eyes afore strutting away. “Fucking bitch. I hate her boss.”
“You must see past yer differences,” Storm advised him. “Smart people bury the hatchet, fools fight to their last breath.”
Sudi grimaced not convinced.
Buffoon.
“Ursus is expecting a lot of ships,” Sudi informed him on the latest from Novesium. “The harbor is bristling with activity.”
“Are we sure this isn’t just preparations for the coming festival?”
“I don’t see Ursus interested in it chief.”
“The festival you mean? Because he’s making a killing out of it.”
“He has about three thousand troops fully ready to march. They are going after Lord Sula.”
Storm nodded. “If Brakis messes this up timing wise and Sula catches him over the river, Ursus shall get arse-fucked so hard he’ll open another brothel to work it himself.”
Lord Ursus had made a fortune with his lax stance on whores. A decree that Storm wholeheartedly agreed with. Nattas liked Novesium so much, he’d built a barony near it. But his eyes were always on the bigger prize.
“Ursus doesn’t have the stomach to fight Sula in the open.”
“Hmm. They told him something enticing enough to steel his spine. Has Parkor heard anything?” Storm asked of his nephew still in Alden to run their network of spies.
“Ligur is gone is the word.”
“To Asturia?” Storm grimaced. “He won’t attack, unless he’s certain of the win. Ligur is very cautious and Lucius knows it. This is a dead front for now. Lucius has another plan in the works and Holt won’t move without checking it with him first. It’s built in the old goat to follow orders.”
“Lucius is in Asturia per Sirio,” Sudi reminded him. “He married Monica Holt.”
Was that little cunt of age? She must be by now, he thought, trying to remember the ‘Black Rose of Asturia’ but failing.
“I would too,” Storm admitted looking about him worried and paused to eye the two lecherous armed men Sudi had brought with him. A half-breed and a Lorian. “Excellent strategic move,” he added soberly.
“He didn’t divorce his northern wife,” Sudi said. “The news won’t sit well with the Three Kingdoms.”
As if Lucius cared about those wanting him gone.
“He has a son with her. It is not that strange if you look at it without sentiment,” Storm explained. “Why do you think Lord Holt agreed? I assume the first wife has seniority, if we go by Eplas given they are more experienced in this fine custom.”
Storm never thought Lucius had it in him, but then again the man had been away for so long, he probably was way different than what Storm remembered him.
Sudi shrugged his shoulders.
“What happens if he gets another son?” he asked.
“Hmm. That’s Asturia’s problem, not ours. Is the Legion with Lucius?” Storm asked thoughtfully.
And kids are easy to get rid of.
Which is why he had to hide Silvio.
“Not all of it according to Sirio,” Sudi replied.
“The hells does that mean?” Storm grunted. “They missed half of it en route? What does Flavia say?”
“They left a month after them, but they never reached Asturia,” Sudi explained. “The priestesses are busy this time of the year.”
“Surely they can put the cock down for a fucking moment and scribble a couple of lines! Use the one hand for crying out loud!”
Sudi blinked at his outburst. “We could use the scribe to probe them, but I really don’t trust Sirio near them chief,” he sort of offered.
They’ll probably probe him and not the other way around was his meaning.
“Mm,” Storm frowned and stooped to have some of his wine, but paused mid-move and grunted. “Bring me a bottle of Flauegran and that map.”
This shite is undrinkable still.
“What map?” Sudi probed just to be sure.
“Of the Sinking Isles,” Storm retorted blankly. “Are you seriously considering it? Move ye wrinkled cripple!” He barked irate, his face flushed. “You,” he grunted pointing a finger at the other half-breed. “Fuck are you?”
“Ahm,” the well-armed thug mumbled, gold tooth cracked right the middle and plenty of rot under it. “We was asked ta come milord.”
“Right as waturr,” his friend said with a smirk.
Great, Storm thought and waited for Sudi’s return to learn more. Another bunch of illiterate idiots. Just about what I should have expected.
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“The Queen Regent is resting,” Sir Bernard informed him. “I’ll catch my rest in the anteroom Baron.”
“Very well,” Storm said and cleaned his face with a fresh towel. The knight nodded and marched away passing by the returning from upstairs Sudi. The latter placed a leather map on the table, a fancy bottle of wine next to it and proceeded to pour himself a cup from the bottle Storm had opened earlier.
“It’s not ready yet,” Storm cautioned him. “It needs work.”
“It’s fine chief,” Sudi replied with a grimace. “Right boys?”
“Ayup,” the duo agreed with one voice.
“She’s sleeping with the boy,” Sudi said next, pouring him a fresh goblet of red wine from the new bottle.
“Everybody is aware,” Storm replied. “Maja isn’t going to poison me again Sudi.”
“Usually the first time is the more difficult chief,” Sudi argued.
“Not with her life on the line. She won’t try again.”
“Uhm. She likes the scribe that’s the only leverage you have.”
Nattas sighed. “While that’s true and an advantage, trust that I have way more than that.”
“We don’t need her,” Sudi insisted. It was this time of the day and Storm respected his commitment. More than a decade after they had met, the half-breed was Storm’s oldest underling. A friend even, the term used loosely around the Baron’s circles.
“Better to have a tool and not need it,” Storm repeated his favorite mantra humbly and stared at the map trying to guess Lucius plan. The young heir had ruined many a maps in his youth trying to put his ideas on paper afore he learned to paint them himself much to the relief of his father.
What will you do? Do you need the North lad? Obviously you do, because then all this trouble would have been for naught.
Alistair’s grant plan.
Lesia will never move, the late King used to murmur years back when he had the time to think on the realm’s future. After everyone but Roderick, himself and the young heir had left the throne room. They love coin too much and coin prefers unions, or easy conflicts. But this is the biggest one. What’s left half-finished. We need a foot in the north Nattas. By force, or diplomacy.
He who rules the north shall never have a want for good fighters.
From Krakenhall to Kas, Storm thought. Sovya next, to come back using a feint. An army to Pascor to block the Lakelords from getting involved and sever the road to the lands of ice. Another in Anorum waiting. Not going straight to Asturia when they finally moved out.
“Chief?” Sudi queried with a grimace, the two lackeys behind him gulping down Storm’s sour wine with enthusiasm.
“Why leave the army in Pascor?” Storm asked thoughtfully.
“The Wolffish is difficult to negotiate with, mayhap he couldn’t find the middle ground.”
Van Calcar would never fight a legion by himself, or Lucius risk it with the road from Yepehir open. This was done on purpose. Storm put his goblet down and placed a finger on the north banks of the Canlita Sea, then traced it all the way to the lake’s turn at Badum. The Van Durren had put Lord Janos on the throne, then married him with the Hoff girl. This wasn’t Lord Albert’s idea, not even that hothead’s Sir Henk also. This is that priest of Oras Charles. With moral Sir Robert out of the way he looks to put his hands on more of the lake.
Someone had to get out of the way, to free up more real-estate.
A great alliance of lords about to form across the great pond.
Lucius had foreseen the danger.
“Or he did,” Storm said and sighed. “The army being part of it. Easiest way to fight a pack of dogs is to ally with one of them against the pack.”
“Where would the other legion go?” Sudi asked.
Nattas reached for his goblet. “A Sula is running the Fourth Legion. If Lucius was coming here he wouldn’t have sent him to Pascor. He’s not coming to help Lord Sula. There’s a stray dog about to enter the fight and he has moved preemptively to stop them. Lord Sula be damned. Hence why his kin is beyond the pond.”
“What are we going to do?”
“If the dog is Lesia Jeremy is fucked,” Storm said soberly. “They’ll run circles around him, move timely and with professionalism, not minding the cost. It would be an investment for them,” he grimaced. “By the time our Council figures out what’s going on, they’ll be in Novesium and while I have a fondness for my motherland, I can’t stand their frugal righteousness. I’m a man of many vices Sudi.”
Sudi nodded unsure. “What are you saying chief?”
“We’re going to help Lord Sula ourselves,” Storm said and got up.
And fuck Lord Ursus in the process.
“Eh,” Sudi murmured without enthusiasm.
“Why did you bring those two here?” Storm asked him brusquely.
“Damion Grin Bert,” Sudi said and the duo got up after draining their cups and burping loudly.
“Who is that?” Storm asked and eyed the shifting nervously thugs.
“Pardon, I meant the Damion Grin Bert gang,” Sudi corrected himself. “Damion and Grin are here.”
Right.
“So who is Damion?” Storm asked and the half-breed raised a scarred hand, a woman’s ring on it. Gold with a white pearl the size of a grape.
“They will be captains of the ‘Reformed’ unit out of Moon’s Haven,” Sudi elucidated further.
“Are they reformed?”
“It’s just a moniker chief, don’t worry about it,” Sudi assured him.
“I was hopeful not worried actually,” Storm retorted.
“Well, it’s a recruiting tool also,” Sudi explained. “A ‘haven’ for those needing a change from a life of murder, pillage and stealing.”
“So like a ‘legion’ in a sense. A way to whitewash past sins away,” Storm said and Sudi smacked his lips afore correcting him again.
“As I said chief it’s a recruiting tool and moniker, no change is happening, but these two are skilled enough to assume a leadership role. We have over four hundred very dangerous armed people in town. They need constant monitoring.”
“First let me commence by saying I’m shocked these two are the best you could come up with,” Storm started. “Having said that, I now realize the quality must be even worse than what I initially perceived, so disregard my whole argument. Shite,” he sighed heavily and wiped the back of his neck and hair with the towel.
“Ah screw it, fine,” he relented. “It’s your pet project, just have them ready,” Storm looked at the smirking ‘reformed’ captains thoughtfully. “What happened to the third one? That Bert dude,” he asked curious.
Damion took the initiative to reply, seeing as he was the more articulate of the two.
“He kicked the bucket chief.”
“An accident?”
“Smoked too many ‘Moon Rocks’ in that pipe o’ his,” a sad Grin explained.
Storm stared at him numbly.
He’d no idea what the fool was talking about.
“Sulphur dust mixed with poppy seeds mainly,” Sudi elucidated further, ever a well of knowledge on illegal drugs and the cheapest of whores.
“Good grief,” Nattas gasped. “Was he suicidal?”
“Always reckoned it nigh odd he went out so young,” Damion replied, with Grin nodding in agreement, one eye closed the other ogling from the effort to think deeply.
Or keep a nasty fart in.
“Lookin’ at the hind dis was probably a hit milord,” Grin stumbled through his answer, taking Nattas incredulous look for permission to dig further into their conspiracy theories about a drug addict’s death.
It wasn’t.
“Get them off my face!” Storm exploded irate having had enough, a vein throbbing on his forehead. “They are dumb as knobs! GODS DARN IDIOTS! Fuck!”
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Half an hour later Storm had paused at the doorway and was staring at the fiercely tanned Miranda, her skin flushing red and sweaty, sleeping next to a snorting Silvio. The boy’s peaceful face covered in drool that dripped on his pretty mother, small hands hugging her.
It’s a bloody jungle out there son, Nattas thought, careful not to wake them. Cunning crooks and the realm’s vilest of scum. Serial killers and stupid fools with too much power in their hands. Mad kings and air-headed Queens. Evil bastards like your father. Professional Assassins and real monsters. But also prizes and a mountain of fame. Treasures forgotten away but within reach. There’s adventure and risk aplenty. Pleasure, travels and exotic fucking women. I’ve built you a ladder. All you have do is climb it, or piss it all away.
Silvio was gulping down sand earlier as if it was grain.
So that was a concern.
“He’s smarter than you chief,” Sudi whispered and almost gave Storm a heart attack. Nattas twisted around to glare at him, but the loyal lackey had a sober expression on his face that gave the heavy breathing Storm pause. “So he’ll make better choices hopefully.”
“See now, you are not sure,” Nattas murmured clearing his throat. “Kids are fragile.”
“They are.”
Storm nodded a little moved. “In a sense you are family too,” he said glancing at the scarred face of the half-breed standing next to him.
“I know chief,” Sudi replied, using both hands on his cane to keep himself upright. Even more of a cripple than Lord Nattas. “It’s my boy as well.”
Eh.
Storm sighed, all this sentimental talk ruining his mood and then seeing Sudi still gazing at the large bed, he asked casually.
“Are you staring at the Queen’s tits Sudi?”
The half-breed replying without hesitation or a hint of shame.
“Can’t help it chief. They are lovely.”
Yep, Storm thought taking it in stride and caught both hands behind his back.
Darn right they are!
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