Book 6, Chapter 2: One Kind Soldier
Whatever warmth I had gained by running through the underbrush was fading as the night crept on. Standing outside a large brown canvas tent, listening to the two men who’d tried to capture me, I hugged myself. Why oh why didn’t I think to take an overcoat? I was daydreaming about heading back to the field of bodies and picking out a nice warm and heavy cloak.
“Are you cold, lass?” The older man eyed my dress. His remaining teeth were yellow, and he seemed almost too old for an army.
“Yes.”
“You can take my overcoat then.” My new guard, preventing me from leaving, the guy I caught marking his territory on a bush, took off his coat and wrapped it around me.
I hated myself for it, but I wondered just exactly where this piece of cloth had been. It smelled of men and sweat and horses. But, he’d given me warmth. That deserved something. “Thank you, good sir.”
He smiled in return. Most of his teeth were there.
I tried to focus on what was being said in the tent.
“You’re sure about that?” said a voice I presumed was the commander or guy in charge if that wasn’t his rank.
“A great many bodies in a large circle. Some of them wizards and wizardesses I knew.”
“How many?”
“Uhm, sir, it was then, ah-”
“You didn’t count the bodies?”
“No, sir.”
“You see,” said the second scout’s voice, “that’s when we saw this girl. Pilfering the dead.”
“Ah-ha. And? Why did you follow her instead of determining whether any of the mages were alive?”
“They were dead, sir.”
“And you know this how?”
“None of them were moving.”
A long pause. Probably uncomfortable for the scouts who, thankfully to me, didn’t seem all that bright. Or, they actually were, since they caught me, the mass-murderer of mages here, but couldn’t get their point across. Honestly, though, the mages killed themselves. I didn’t cause their deaths. But I sure wasn’t unhappy with that outcome.
“And why did you think this girl was so important?”
“Well, sir, she, uhm, must have something to do with it all.”
Peeking in, I could just see him nodding his head in complete and utter disbelief, raised eyebrows and all, “A girl? I see. Something to do with the fact that all our mages, our lords and ladies, are dead? Did she also melt our castle?”
I fought the urge to put up my hand. I could answer that! A resounding yes. I told their castle’s stone to return to a younger, much hotter, form. Probably, though, it was best not to admit such things. The mages who’d attacked me, they were well trained in capturing deities – imprisoning deities, stealing their magic – and I, well, I didn’t want any more mages on this world. When the castle walls, ceiling and floors turned to molten rock, it took their libraries and history with it. No more knowledge, no more training new mages.
I did it slowly, though. Gave the people inside plenty of warning to escape. But not enough time to, say, categorize and remove the most important books and important cultural items. More like, grab your backpack and get out amount of time. It is not for the divine to kill mortals. Unless they steal what is not for mortals, which those mages most certainly did.
And this encampment, this army, was the result. All the non-magical workers of the castle.
I was an idiot. Sure, I thought of them enough to not kill them all when destroying their castle, but not enough to realize they’d be around after the battle, impeding my ability to leave. I deserved getting captured.
“Something wrong, lass?”
“Oh. Yes. It’s troubling that so many people died. I can’t get my mind off of it.” Shit, I’d not listened to the rest of what they were saying.
The commander’s voice, louder, “Send the girl in.”
It was a command tent. Two tables, one with maps, one functioning as a desk, with chairs around. The two scouts who’d chased me off to one side, looking rather sullen.
The commander himself was a short, stocky man, brown hair, looking slightly past his prime but still in good shape. Or perhaps he was simply dead tired. It’d probably been a difficult day for him, rescuing and organizing everyone, regrouping to this encampment. He looked up at me, straightened his shoulders and posture, brightened up a bit, stood, smiled, gesturing at a seat in front of him, “Please.”
Taking hold of my dress, I curtsied, “My lord.” I tried not to wince however painful this was for me. A deity to be worshiped. And now a girl! Giving obeisance for others. I hated myself, but I wasn’t sure if it was for being a girl or being so very arrogant. Why oh why did I take this form before losing my powers? I knew, I already knew the answer, but I wouldn’t give it to myself just now. No, I was too annoyed with my choices to give in to comfort.
But already I missed him, the big man. Morry. And Brin, my mistress of the bedroom. He future husband, Tred, whom I made an earl. Even my loyal general, Brundle, putting my kingdom back together. I missed them all and wondered if I’d see them again. Not if these people figured out who I was or thought me a thief.
“I’m no lord. Captain Gyges, of the Mage’s army. Though,” he sat, “we seem to be without mages.”
I nodded my head, saying in my head, ‘don’t confess, don’t confess, don’t confess.’ I kinda wanted to. ‘Yes, Captain, I killed them all. What are you going to do about it?’ Nope, bad idea. Shush, mind!
“My scouts here, ah, report that you were pilfering the bodies of the deceased.”
“Pilfering is perhaps the wrong word. I found myself, uhm, entirely without supplies. My horse ran off with all of my belongings. And my dress was horribly torn in the process. With the temperature sure to drop, as unfortunate and repulsive as it is, I needed to procure warmer clothing.”
“And you consider this dress to be warmer clothing?”
“It was the best I could find. Most were soiled.” I needed to distract him, “Also, they, sorry, the unfortunate deceased, had no food or water.”
“Ah. We have plenty and will provide that for you, of course.” He nodded to the solder who’d pissed in front of me, “See to it.”
“Captain,” one of them stepped forward, “why did she run? If she did nothing wrong, why did she run from us?”
“Perhaps the smell?” he said. “Think, you idiots. A young maiden finds hundreds of corpses and you. What is she going to think?”
Standing, I curtsied to the scouts, “Exactly that, good sirs, forgive me. I was most frightened.”
By the look on his face, he didn’t believe me. But that didn’t matter. He was just a scout.
“There. Thank you, that will be all.”
The scouts left. I guess being a little girl had its advantages sometimes.
The captain put his hands on the table. “Now that we’ve got that finished with, my lady, who are you and what is your business here?”
What to tell him? Not that I was Princess Cayce, ruler of Nevarrelund, sole survivor of my family and soon to be queen. The mages might have explained they were trying to kill me. I thought about claiming to be an earl’s daughter, but he might know them all, depending on his education. Probably not, given that these guys were out of my governance, but maybe.
So, I made it up. “I’m Baron Leafson’s daughter, Sarah. Uh, lovely to make your acquaintance.” I fought the urge to stand and offer him my hand. But those were the gestures of the culture and world I’d come from. I used to wonder why I came to this world and found the answer in a mirror. It lead to a multidimensional trap, one that housed this world’s gods and my brother. And the Others, who were so unlike us as to be disturbing. But I certainly didn’t come here to be stripped of my powers, to be a fifteen-year-old girl! That part had to be a miscalculation on my previous self’s part.
Alright, it was my miscalculation. I was supposed to destroy the Trap, release my brother, and return to being a deity. Oh, if only I could remember my past life as a god now! Then, I could accomplish much here. And I certainly wouldn’t deign being captured by these people.
No! I didn’t want to! Not that, not that life. I chose not to accept those memories for a reason, for my friends, these lands, my kingdom. My person. Thousands of years of memories flooding back would erase my mere year and change here, on this world. No thank you, I liked being me.
“Lady Sarah?” He’d folded his hands on the desk, waiting.
“Sorry, forgive me, lost in thought. I . . . was wondering how my family is doing. What was that?”
“I said that you are days away from your family’s lands. Days by horseback. Whyever did you come here?”
“Uh, bandits, I’m afraid. At first, it was just a camping trip with my, uhm, fiancé to be and his family. Bandits attacked and I lost my way.”
“Bandits? We will have to double our guard, then.”
“Double?” That would make sneaking out difficult.
“Our force isn’t at full capacity. I’m sorry, these details do not concern you. So, somehow you managed your way here. Tell me,” he leaned forward, “did you see the mages’ battle?”
“Only the aftermath. There was a flash, like lightning, and when I found the clearing, the bodies were everywhere. In a circle, I mean. A giant circle of the deceased.” Hoping my young face looked saddened, I lowered my gaze, “Honestly, I’ve never seen so many bodies.”
“I’m sure. You saw a flash of lightning and rode toward it?”
“Yes. Curiosity bests me often.”
“I’m frankly surprised you survived this long. It must have taken you days to reach this place.”
“I’m famished, it’s true. And was very cold when your men frightened me. I was trying to start a fire but,” I leaned forward to meet him, “it’s very difficult without flint and steel.” Or, you know, a flamethrower. I could use one of those right now. I needed to distract the man from his line of questioning, “Now that you have rescued me, Captain, can you spare a few men to escort me to my father’s holdings? He would be most grateful and recompensate you, I’m sure.”
“Alas, my lady, I cannot spare the men. I have five hundred mages to bury.”
‘Five hundred, seventy-one,’ I did not say. Rather, “Yes, of course. Allow me to help in any way I can, Captain.”
“Help?”
“In any way I can.”
“Perhaps you can provide good company to my wife. Because you are a noblewoman, you shall stay with us, in our tent. Though we are a professional army, I would worry if you were to seek alternative accommodations.”
I did not sigh outwardly, I certainly didn’t, nor pout, though I really wanted to, but instead said, “It would be my pleasure.” How would I escape the commander’s tent? Especially with his wife keeping me company!
“Well then, I shall have my man here take you to our tents. And I shall see you later tonight, Lady Sarah.”
I rose, curtsied again, “Captain.”
And that was it. My audience was done.
My knights were coming from the west to meet me here. But not so many, perhaps fourteen or so. I wondered if the big man would be with him – I missed him terribly then! – and hoped not. These guys would almost certainly recognize my standard, and the captain would probably work out who I was. The mages most likely filled him in on the details, that they were all about killing Princess Cayce – and thank the gods they didn’t have any pictures to show him – but once they figured that out, they’d be happy to finish the job.
So, Morry would be better off rejoining our main army. If he came here, if he found me in this army, he’d likely get himself killed trying to rescue me. But he was almost certainly coming, probably leading the cavalry. He would. He’d want to see me safe, escort me home.
Maybe even hold hands. I squeezed my eyes closed at that thought. God damnit. A teenage girl’s body!
One thing was clear. I had to escape on my own before my soldiers arrived.
Damn.
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