Two weeks. It had been two weeks since the fall of Yol’vastume. The Coalition army had dug in deep in that time, repairing the walls, adding fortifications, and preparing for the inevitable siege that would come. There was still evidence of the first attack littered across the streets in the form of rubble, broken buildings, and the odd spot of dried blood scattered around.
Most days the streets were empty of any civilian traffic, leading to a ghost town feeling at times. If it wasn’t for the presence of the coalition soldiers, I might have believed that it was empty. I knew better, for the people hiding in their homes, keeping their heads down when they were forced to go out, looking like they were always on edge, it haunted me.
It was guilt. Guilt for the damage that I had caused, the lives that my actions had taken. Some of those people even came out to mourn their friends and family a few days after the takeover. That was a day that was hard for me to go anywhere. Around every corner was another sullen face that only served to further cast me down that pit.
I knew that it was irrational to put the blame on myself like that. People were being exploited and hurt. Families were being torn apart either way, and in the long run, my actions probably saved more lives than I was responsible for taking. It didn’t help much. If it wasn’t for my support group of friends, the guilt might have eaten me alive.
Speaking of support group, I started to stir from my sleep, shifting under the soft, light covers that hid my bare body from the outside world. Opening my eyes, the light streaming in from the window made me wince a little as it caught the little bits of dust in the air that created a shimmering haze. After adjusting to the change in light between unconsciousness and waking, I looked over my shoulder to see the person I loved the most in this world snuggled up against me.
Kala’s breathing was steady and smooth as I felt her chest gently rise and fall against my back. At times brief thoughts about how strange it was to be so enamored with someone who wasn’t even the same species as me crossed my mind, but those voices were fleeting as I remembered just how much she meant to me. Besides, her green scales were smooth and looked lovely in the morning light, just as they always were. While the scales on her belly may have gone through a change of color recently due to the expansion of our relationship, they were mostly back to normal. Would have been so sooner if she hadn’t jumped me several more times the following days before calming down.
It was always a shame to disturb such a perfect scene, but the day called to us, and this one was especially demanding. Rolling over, my movements disturbed the peacefully slumbering lady at my side. She inhaled quite sharply, letting out a soft, displeased, moan while keeping her eyes firmly shut.
Me facing her only opened myself up to a preemptive attack as she moved herself as close as possible to me, entwinning our bodies while preventing me from getting up. This was an attack with several goals. The primary one was the endeavor to continue sleeping, the secondary was the hope that she could prevent her source of infinite heat, me, from escaping, and lastly there was the lust aspect as she was obviously grinding her hips into mine, a new favorite pastime of hers ever since our relationship progressed to that point.
I couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at her while she feigned innocence in all those plans of hers. “You are one greedy little girl.” I whispered softly to her.
Her response was to smile and hum while nuzzling deeper into me. I allowed it and even closed my own eyes for a moment more of peace while releasing a slightly forlorn sigh. This got Kala’s attention though, and she separated from me just enough to look me in the eyes.
“You okay?” She asked with a gentle kindness in her gaze.
The concern she showed for me always made me feel better, letting me know that I wasn’t doing this alone. “Yeah, just had a bit of a dream about the people in the town again.”
Her eyes filled with sadness for me, and she moved one of her hands to rest against the side of my face. “You can’t keep beating yourself up over that. You know you helped a lot of people, right?” She scoffed a bit. “By the pits, you helped me more than I can possibly hope to repay in a single lifetime.”
“You know, I could say the same thing about you.”
Kala smirked. “Well, I know I'm amazing and everything, but I still think that you did more for me. You saved my life, brought me to safety, found my mother whom I thought I would never see again, and even chose me to be your bonded one. I can confidently say that my life has been better since meeting you.”
“Refer to my previous statement.” I said with a smirk that caused her to roll her eyes.
“It’s not just me. I’m sure all those families you saved think the same thing. Even my mother would, though she probably wouldn’t admit it.”
“Yeah, we’re not exactly on great speaking terms.” Ever since Silia found out I was sleeping with her daughter, she’s been thinking of, and sometimes expressing, various ways that she would castrate me. The hostility was palpable, though through the efforts of her daughter, she could not act on any of those dark urges.
I sighed. “Putting all that aside for the moment, it’s not the only thing that’s on my mind. Today is the day.”
Kala’s eyes widened just a little bit. “Oh, I almost forgot about that. It feels like time has been slipping away all the faster lately.”
“You’re telling me.” I was not looking forward to this day all that much, because it involved me facing the consequences of my actions directly. “There’s no putting it off though, I have to be ready to go in a few hours. Can’t be late for this.”
Kala nodded her head. “Okay, I won’t keep you then.” She then untangled herself from me and sat up, dragging the sheets off with her as she made to stand.
In a reversal of circumstances, I followed directly behind her and seized hold before she could fully escape the soft surface of the bed. I held her tightly from behind, resting my chin just over her shoulder. She could probably feel how stressed I was about what was to come, and her hand came up to run her fingers through my hair in a gentle scalp massage.
“Hey, it will be alright.” She gently cooed to me. My response was to grunt a little bit while exhaling heavily. “I know you’re nervous, I am too. I still think I should go with you, even if it slows everything down.”
“Yeah.” I grumbled. “I’d probably feel better if you did, but we don’t have enough time for that. It’s a day and a half to the sea from here on horseback, and Durdan wants me back as soon as possible.”
“I heard he protested quite heavily against you going.”
A small chuckle escaped me. “He did, but I wouldn’t leave this to anyone else. I made a promise.”
“I know. And I both love and hate that you keep your promises.”
As much as I would have loved to just stay like this forever, we needed to move. Leaning in, I gave her one last kiss on the neck before releasing her again. Once we were up, I got dressed and we met downstairs for breakfast. We cooked up a bit of meat, broke some bread, and added in a few fruits to balance it out. A good, quick, meal that left both of us satisfied. Now, though, it was time to face the first challenge of the day, one that was consistently in my path every morning.
My worshipers. Hell, even thinking that made me cringe and wish for the ability to simply turn invisible so I could avoid having to interact with any of them. It was so awkward walking through the crowd that was outside every day while they all looked up at me from their kneeling positions like I was about to shoot beams of holy light out my ass. Sometimes I regret not punching that damn goddess a second time.
Despite my best efforts, they kept trying to gain my favor with offerings they would leave outside my temporary house. At least it wasn’t as bad as the beginning when they had stacks of anything that looked even remotely expensive laying around out front. Nowadays it is mostly coins, maybe some silver candle holders or jewelry. I ignored it all, hoping that one day the hold outs who thought they could get something out of me via bribes would get the message.
My prediction about what they would do once they got more comfortable around me was spot on, much to my exhaustion. They wanted their prayers answered or wished for me to relay some sort of message to the heavens for them. Some had ailments they wished to be relieved of, others, concerns about their lives or the lives of their families, and then there were a few that asked if I would simply bless them so they might live a better life. I didn’t know what to do with them, and when I asked for advice from the only other authority figure I knew personally, Durdan told me to just do nothing, which seemed almost as difficult as taking an active role in trying to solve their problems. It felt rude to simply brush them off as I walked by, and there was a concern that at some point someone would take exception to that and try to force the matter.
It really was exhausting. Anyone that claims that doing nothing is a cowardly move hasn’t been put into a situation where their hands had been tied. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t, and there was nothing I could do about it.
At least the immense pressure dissipated somewhat once we moved outside of the immediate area of the small army that congregated around my place of rest. When I thought about it, it was scary what could be done with so many people wanting my approval. This was the kind of religious movement shit that started crusades. If I had a big fancy hat, I might as well have been the pope, though maybe Jesus would be a closer analogy. My thoughts lately have turned towards how those two dealt with this daily.
Kala and I quickly made our way towards the inner keep and away from the throng of devotees. The quantity might have been reduced, but the stares were still present in the passing gazes of the soldiers, some of whom even stopped to draw a little circle in the air with their fingers to offer a prayer. Ignore, evade, ignore, evade, ignore... The mantra was repeated as I tried not to give them any amount of attention that they could use to justify confronting me.
It was a lovely morning at least. The sun was shining as the blue sky above was dotted with the occasional white cloud. There was a slight chill on the wind, a sign that the seasons were about to change, something that Kala was not happy about as every time a gust would make its way down the street, she would snuggle up to me for warmth. I didn’t mind so much, I enjoyed being close to her, but apparently in the coming months there might be severe inclement weather, like storms of either rain or snow. While not an expert on medieval society, I knew that such weather could be deadly and difficult to manage for a world like this one.
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If I had the time, funds, and wasn’t currently embroiled in a war, I might have gotten to work on figuring out a system that might have improved the quality of life of the people who didn’t have access to a magical alternative for heat. Fireplaces were all well and good, but perhaps thinking of ways to distribute that heat elsewhere in the house, or even creating a new project to provide heating in cities, would help significantly. My thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice called out to me.
“James, Kala, good morning!”
Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw the brotherly duo of Otar and Jorn waving as they approached. The slight diversion was acceptable, so I turned to meet them as they came to a stop before the two of us.
They looked good, better than when they were just getting out of the hospital at least. Jorn was currently sporting the first test model for the prosthetics I had planned for him. It was lucky that I was able to find a workshop here, even luckier that it was still intact, and the owner was alive. It took some convincing, and no small amount of coin, but I was able to hire the man to help me make my idea into a reality.
There were two types of prosthetics I wanted to make for Jorn, one for casual wear, and one for combat. The casual one was the easy bit, though easy was relative I suppose. It was an intricate set of straps that ran from his shoulders to the stump where his hand used to be. Once there, it was connected to a padded cup that fit around his stump and held the wooden version of his hand. It was very basic and extremely limited in use, but according to Jorn it helped quite a lot just being able to see something there again. The combat prosthetic would take more time to complete as it involved not only a more complicated construction, but it also needed to be sturdy enough to use in a fight.
The brothers both gave us a sly smile before Otar spoke. “Well, it seems the lovebirds are up and about a little bit earlier than usual. What marks this momentous occasion?” He quipped at us.
Despite his good-natured attempt at humor, the subject matter was a bleak one and I couldn’t rouse much more than a half-hearted smile in response. “I just have a promise I need to keep, so I’m going to be heading out today.”
They both instantly understood. I had confided in my close group of friends everything that had happened and would happen some time ago. “Ahh, I see. That was today, was it? I still don’t know for sure if this is the right thing to do, but I can understand where you’re coming from. Matters of honor, and all that.” Jorn said with a sagely nod.
“Yeah, I'm not really looking forward to it, but I need to do this one last decent thing before I commit fully to the end of this war.”
“You sound rather confident that the war will end.”
“It has to end, it will end. It literally cannot go on forever, and even if I must march on the damn capitol by myself, I will be there to see it end.” I didn’t want to see any more of this than necessary, and the longer it went on, the more tragedy would spread. All the destruction and death, and while it may have faded from here after some time, you could literally smell it in the air. It wasn’t just the ash and smoke; it was the scent of panic, fear, blood, and rust. I doubted that the stench of it would ever leave me.
“Hear, hear! Let us all follow the champion to glorious victory!” Jorn cried out in a slightly mocking voice.
I scowled at him, but with a slight upturn of my lips. “You know I don’t like that title, so you can stow it before I cram it back down your throat.” Jorn ended up laughing at my ‘threat’ which made me ease up on the scowl somewhat as well. “How's the hand doing?”
Jorn lifted the wooden appendage. “I’m getting used to it. Still awkward when I try to pick something up when I'm not thinking about it. Ended up spilling more than one drink that way.”
“All a matter of adjustment. You got this, and I think you’ll like the newer version once it’s done as well.”
That made him grin a bit wider. “Looking forward to it. Can’t wait to get some practice in.”
“Should have the first version of it by the time I get back. Speaking of, I should probably get going before Durdan decides I'm not serious about this. Oh, but before that, can I ask you two for a favor?”
“Sure.” Otar said while his brother shrugged and waved for me to ask away.
“Would you mind keeping an eye on Kala while I'm away?”
Kala immediately took umbrage with that. “Hey! I’m not a child in need of watching.”
“I know you can handle yourself, Kala, but I'm asking them mostly because I don’t need to find out halfway through my trip that you decided to follow me.”
“I... Wouldn’t do that.” She said, not at all convincingly.
I gave her a skeptical brow raise. “Riiiight. Anyway, can you two keep her grounded while I’m out?”
Kala was giving me a stink eye but didn’t get another word in before the reply came. “Sure, I’ll keep her at home for you. Just don’t go and do anything stupid while you’re out there. If you end up delayed, I don’t think anyone would be able to stop her charging out after you.”
She immediately got that look in her eyes that said, ‘you’re damn right.’ “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks. Say hi to everyone for me and take care.”
We parted ways, work and obligations taking precedence over any desire for social time. I continued onwards towards the keep with Kala beside me, holding my hand, giving me courage. The gutted interior of the keep hadn’t changed much since the last time I was inside. The walls lay bare of anything other than the mounted light sources. You could see the outlines of where pictures or statues once stood, further strengthening that hollow feeling the building had taken on.
After the first week where the keep was torn apart for anything useful, it was simply left to the officers and personal guards to serve as lodging during their stay here. Durdan would most likely be in the main office as it was the best place to sort through the many orders, reports and requisitions that came with running an army. I didn’t envy him the task whatsoever.
I knocked on the door to his place of work and received an answer in his commanding voice. “Enter.”
Not hesitating to comply, I pushed it open to see the large middle-aged Ulgor general sitting at the richly colored desk with a map and a mountain of papers on either side of it. Durdan glanced up at us, noticed who it was, and then pulled his full attention away from the plans laid out in front of him.
“Ahh, James, you’re here. Kala.” He gave an offhand nod to my better half in acknowledgement, and she returned the gesture.
“I am. Is everything I asked for ready?”
“It is. However, I must first drive forth a few things to make sure that nothing is left misunderstood.”
“Drive away then.” I said with a wave of my hand. It might have been a little disrespectful, but Durdan had spent the better part of the last week trying to convince me to leave this task to another, and I was quite frankly tired of it.
“Firstly, it is a three-day journey in total, and I expect you to adhere to that timeframe explicitly. I know that you are still uncomfortable with the fact, but your position as chosen of the goddess has increased your political value exponentially, and I will not hesitate to send out a search party to drag you back here if need be. Second, you are not to engage directly with the family in question. You will bring her to their house, hand her the pre-arranged note, and leave. Do not deviate in any way from this as the risk for interaction would be too great. Finally, if, at any point, you are confronted by armed soldiers who might apprehend you, you will abandon her and retreat immediately. Is that understood?”
The first two I was alright with, but that last one was the sour note that made me furrow my brow. My displeasure was registered and subsequently ignored by Durdan who remained stoic as he stared at me while projecting his authority.
“Is, that, understood?” He said once more with more force behind it.
I knew that I would have to agree, he wouldn’t let me leave otherwise. “Understood.” I begrudgingly answered.
Durdan let out a sigh before leaning back in his chair. I could see a flash of weariness cross his face for a moment before being replaced by his steadfast mask of composure.
“You must understand the position that we both find ourselves in. I am letting you take the child now because at this point it is all but certain that someone has noticed something strange going on here. Whether our scouts let someone slip past or the cessation of outgoing activity has alerted another elsewhere, they will investigate it, that is, if they aren’t already raising an army to siege us. Our mages have repaired the walls to the best of their abilities, and we can hold this ground for a long time, but not forever. I will need your help, now more than ever.”
He leaned back over the map in front of him. “If we are to make this victory count for anything, then a great many things must be done. I know how you feel about your current title, but this is war, and we must all contribute no matter our own personal misgivings. You must complete this last personal task and make haste back here, for there is much I need ask of you. Now go.”
I wanted to question him a bit about what he had in mind but figured that was something that could wait until we had the time to sit down and discuss. For now, I would simply do as he asked and finish this as quickly as possible. With just a few words in parting, we turned to leave.
“I’ll see you later, Durdan. Stay safe.” He nodded to me in acknowledgement as I left the room. Now it was time to face my sins and fulfill my promise.
It was only a short trip down a series of hallways before I stood before the door to the bedroom I so dreaded. I was frozen outside, unable to move as a storm of guilt and fear washed over me. The only thing that snapped me out of it was Kala, who grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Flashing her a grateful smile, I took one last deep breath before opening the door.
The room was as soft and lavish as the last time I had visited. There was probably more furniture and decoration in this one room than there was in any other room in the keep at the moment. That might have mostly been because its original occupant was still living in it. Speaking of, I saw her there, sitting on her bed. Velanie, the young daughter of Balidor, former lord of Yol’vastume, and the man I killed with my own hands.
Just the sight of her caused my heart to twist into knots, but I did my best to not let it show on my face while speaking to her. “Good morning, Velanie. Are you ready to go?” She looked like she was at least prepared to leave. Her normal dress was replaced with some very nice riding clothes that looked pressed and clean. There was also a small satchel bag lying next to her on the bed, probably containing a few essentials such as a change of clothes and other personal items and her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail.
She gave me a small smile that felt a little forced. “I think so. The bag they gave me was so small though. Why can’t we just take a carriage?”
A few reasons. One, it’s slower than just riding horseback, Two, I don’t know how to drive a carriage and anyone who does would either not be allowed to or had no desire to work for the coalition in this matter. Couldn’t exactly tell her that though, so I just made up an excuse that was plausible.
“The carriages were damaged, so we will be riding on a horse, and a horse can’t carry all your things unfortunately. Don’t worry, I'm sure your uncle can take care of you.”
Velanie nodded with her eyes downcast. “Do I have to leave?” This was her home; it was obvious she didn’t wish to part with it.
“I’m sorry sweety, but it’s not safe here for you anymore. I made a promise to take you to your uncle to keep you safe. Maybe you can come back here one day, but for now, just think of it like taking a trip to see family.”
“Okay.” She said morosely before standing from the bed, collecting her small bag of things she wished to take. To say she wasn’t happy would-be simplifying things, but she didn’t argue with me as she started on the path to the stables. I didn’t like it any more than she did and would just as well have found some alternative to this whole situation. But things are never simple.
We found a horse, saddled up and waiting for us with everything we might need in the saddle bags. The stable master, a Valus, was minding the horses' reigns, his serpentine body extended behind him for several meters as he waited. As the main rider, I mounted first, getting into position before helping up the younger lady who sat behind me.
The better part of the last week was spent practicing riding a horse, not just for this, but at the behest of Durdan who said that I should learn how to as it would befit my new station. By all measures I was not an expert, but I could manage a good traveling speed without falling off at least. Kala came up beside us, looking up and trying to put on a brave face.
“Don’t do anything stupid out there, and if I find out you did do something, I'll pin you down, so you’ll never go anywhere again.” She smirked at me.
“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” I shot back at her.
She rolled her eyes with a groan. “Get out of here before I don’t want you back.”
Victorious, I chuckled before smiling warmly at her. “I love you.”
That made her smile as well. “I love you too.”
With our goodbyes said, I spurred the horse forward into a trot. Kala wandered out into the street after us to watch as we rode away. It stung a bit, to be separated from her, but it wasn’t forever. I prepared myself for the journey ahead, and the eventual conclusion to this chapter of my life. The next would surely be more harrowing than this.