Adventure of Rekka Ch. 08

"I would follow my orders," he whispered.

-

Private Caius stared blankly into the distance with bored disinterest. If his sergeant decided to check on him and saw he was slouching between the merlons, his chin in his hand he'd not hear the end of it. Unlikely, the man was almost certainly asleep in the small gatehouse used for filling out reports. Caius envied him, night watch was unbelievably boring. The Watch Stones made the post pointless. A blind man would notice when they began to pulse their message of alarm. His job could be done as easily sitting in a warm room drinking tea while watching out a window.

He looked around to his fellow miserable guards, three of them spaced evenly along the walls to his right. Plinius appeared to be sleeping while standing at parade rest, a skill his comrades found admirable. The two farther away were much the same as he, bored and waiting for the end of watch.

"Nothing interesting ever happens here," Caius breathed, leaning against a merlon.

With those magic words the Watch Stones began to pulse slightly faster in unison. Caius's stomach sank as he began to scan the area before the walls. The pulsing stones shed a clear white light farther than torches were capable, giving a clear view across the field to the cleared treeline hundreds of yards beyond the walls. His view was only blocked by the hill the road curved gently around to the east. The pulsing of the stones were quickening, making it harder to discern movement, a common complaint of the soldiers.

Looking grimly at his comrades along the gate, who were trading looks with him and each other, Caius wondered who would be the brave fool to sound the alarm. Plinius remained dead to the world, appearing to stoically gaze into the distance and beginning to snore. The pulses came quicker now, and Caius decided to be the canny soldier who woke the garrison in time for battle or the jumpy fool forced to endure a ration of shit for ruining their sleep.

"Wake Plinius before Sarge catches him, I'm raising the alarm!" he called to the other two, pulling out the horn slung at his side. Placing it to his lips he blasted out three long mournful notes. His fate was sealed, now. Turning he watched the other soldier slap the back of Plinius's head. The man immediately woke, hard earned slacking reflexes letting him wake without panic. Immediately he pointed over the wall.

"Incoming wagons," he calmly called out before turning to look at the Watch Stones, now violently flashing the alarm. "Demons must be hot on their heels. Sergeant, do we open the gate?" Plinius addressed the man running up the stairs, desperately rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"No, dammit all! Captain's decision! You, keep that horn going. If anyone's sleeping through this I'll throw them over the damn wall when I learn of it!" the man roared, pointing at Caius.

Caius faithfully continued to call the alarm, watching as lanterns burst to life all throughout the compound. He spotted the Captain rushing towards the wall, tucking in his shirt with his coat jacket unbuttoned as he shouted conflicting orders at any who drew near.

"Knock that noise off, damn you! The dead have surely awakened! Sergeant, what's happened?" he ordered. Caius peeled off mid note, choking slightly.

"Wagons returning, sir! Demons hot on their heels so the stones say," the sergeant answered, pointing at the pulsing lights. The gesture was unnecessary, you couldn't ignore them with your eyes closed.

The captain looked over the wall just in time to see the wagon slide to a stop in front of the gate, the horses nearly pushed beyond their limits. The beasts were covered in lather, breathing as though they'd run through the night, and likely had. The captain's eyes grew wide, the other vehicle was most certainly not a wagon.

"Good lord, is that the warden's carriage?" he shouted at no one.

"Looks it, captain, sir," the sergeant replied anyway. "Damn! Look what they have in the wagon!"

Covered in chains and ropes one of the demons snarled and growled, straining mightily against her bonds. A twin to the one that had been forced from the walls with the new explosives. The captain found the sight beyond jarring, it made no sense at all. The monsters were never captured, they were either killed or routed. There was no use in interrogating them, most of them were barely capable of speech.

"Open the gates, sir?" the sergeant prompted, recognizing the driver of the wagon, waving at him. His head whipped up then, looking back the way the wagons had come, his heart beginning to race.

"Damn! Do you hear that, sir?" he hissed with trepidation. Clashing sounds of battle echoed just out of sight, men screaming while the demons roared an unfamiliar battlecry, swords crossed in anger was a familiar sound to every soldier in earshot.

"No! They're not bringing that demon into my garrison! They've brought the monsters down upon our heads! They're insane! It's beyond criminal!" the man roared, ignoring the sergeants second question and pointing accusingly at the wagon's driver.

"Cornelius, damn you! You've gone mad!"

"Captain, good to see you as well. Open the gates in the name of Lord Flavius! Rouse the men, battle is imminent!" Scipio shouted back.

The captain's face drained of color. He'd be hung if he failed to assist the infamously foul tempered Lord. Still, he hesitated. Something did not feel right, why was Scipio driving the wagon and not leading the battle? Why was Lord Flavius not demanding entry with his usual arrogance? His answer came swiftly.

A gauntleted fist pushed through the open window of the carriage followed by the owner's bellow.

"Open the damn gates you wretch! I'll have your commission along with your head! Graaah! You butcher..!" The last statement made little sense, but the captain's finely tuned sense of self-preservation roared to life.

"Open the gates you damned fools, must you require orders for the most obvious decisions? Lord Flavius will have your lazy hides!" he cried, hopefully loud enough for the Lord to hear.

Men bent to the task, turning the gears that raised the gate and portcullis. The flashing of the Watch Stones spurred them on with maddening haste. The second Scipio judged the clearance would allow it he ducked his head and drove the wagon into the courtyard The carriage followed a heartbeat moment later The milling soldiers below surrounded the wagon, spears ready as they stared in disbelief at the demon chained within. The gates slammed shut behind them.

The captain ran down the steps four at a time doing his best to break his neck. Arrowing towards the carriage he was intercepted by Lieutenant Scipio.

"Captain, no time! Lord Flavius is wounded. My men turned back to give us time, I've been ordered to gather a relief force and drive them off," he rattled off with professional clarity.

"Wh-what? Nonsense! We cannot leave the garrison undefended!" he cried, anxiety giving his words a shrill edge. Pushing Scipio aside he rushed to the side of the carriage, only to skid to a stop as a man pushed his way through the window to glare down at him, holding an armful of bloody bandages.

"You! More bandages, damn you! Can't you see this is an emergency? What the hell are you doing? Hot water! Damn and hell, if you stress my Lord you'll kill him! Don't bother him, I'm performing surgery here! Do your damn job, Captain Cornelius has command! Do as he says! Where the hell are those bandages you fool? If my Lord dies I'll see that everyone from here to the capital knows of your crime!" He threw the bloody bandages to the ground before diving back inside, his cries for clean linen echoing from within the carriage.

"My.. my lord? Forgive me, but this is completely against protocol.. Surely you don't intend us to go forth and meet the demons?" the captain begged. It was clear the man was losing his grip on the situation, his eyes growing wild as his hands shook. An unfamiliar odor was bothering him as well, scattering his thoughts with inappropriate desires.

"Blast you! Gaaah! Get your hand out of there, it's a wound not a glove! You damned fool, do as I command! Captain Scipio knows my will, jump to it before I have you hung for dereliction of duty! Insubordination! The weapons are all that matter! Recover them! Curse you, are you using rope to stitch that up? I'll hang you next, you clumsy butcher!" the voice seemed to be having two separate conversations, further confusing the captain.

Scipio slid next to the man then, voice pitched low to not be overheard but filled with firm confidence.

"We need to gather the men, everyone we can arm. The demons have taken Carcere, they have the new weapons. Flavius was wounded capturing their leader, if the fiends escape she will be our only link to recovering the weapons. Clear the men from the walls, they've learned the workings of the weapons and they're using them to great effect. They're sitting ducks up there."

"Captain..?" the man asked, finding it difficult to process this new development. The strange smell was distracting him to no end now, not helping his racing thoughts one bit.

"Field promotion, for saving Lord Flavius's life. The creature nearly had him, though he fought like a demon himself. Carcere was a trap, my Lord and the survivors were barricaded in the stone tower. My Lord saved us, he bravely sallied forth to keep my troop from being overwhelmed. I won't let his sacrifice be in vain," Scipio explained, his voice filled with admiration, changing to barely controlled anger as he finished.

"I see, yes. Yes of course. We'll leave the archers, surely.. They'll be no use in a melee," the Captain responded vaguely, trying to collect his thoughts.

"No! Clear them from the walls, the towers as well! The demon's are likely choosing their targets as we speak!" Scipio cried, waving his arm with exaggerated alarm towards the towers guarding the northern end of the quarry. As if he'd called it down himself an almighty roar let loose, a large chunk of a tower's merlon shattering next to a shrieking archer. Seconds later another roar rang out, this time at the front gate causing men to fling themselves flat, plastering themselves against the wall.

"Clear the walls! Get off those damn towers! Rally to the gates! Arm yourselves, spear and sword!" Scipio shouted, smoothly taking command, jogging to the gates as he waved the soldiers to his position. The captain followed him, glad to let Scipio lead. He found it difficult to focus beyond the curious smell, the snarling bucking demon stealing his attention. Her sensuous curves and pliant flesh attracted his eyes whenever he tried to focus on the situation.

Scipio stood near the gate, cold impatience writ clear on his face as he watched the archers from the towers sprinting towards the courtyard.

"Get those men spears, swords, anything you can retrieve before they arrive. Raise the gate, we're not wasting any time! My men are dying out there, and you're going to relieve them or you'll regret your mother ever giving your father the time of day!" Scipio roared. The men reacted with unthinking speed as Scipio shed his laconic calm for raging impatience. They were in no mind to disobey, the bewitching aroma had worked its spell, as the men were sweating and unsure why their arousal was raging forth.

Once the gate had risen enough to allow the soldiers to duck through, Scipio ordered them out, slapping them on the back as they rushed. He turned the wide eyed captain away from the sight of the snarling woman in the wagon and pushed him firmly through the gate. As the last man ducked through Scipio ordered the soldiers manning the gears to follow him. In their haste they did not notice as he slowed and stopped, returning to the winch. Shaking his head in disbelief he kicked the latch free and the gate thundered closed.

"That should not have worked," he muttered to himself, waving to Sarah. She immediately sat up, ropes and chains falling free, clearly not connected to anything. Smiling her pride she hopped to the ground, rushing over to wrap him in a hug as she kissed him fiercely. Scipio clutched her desperately, adrenaline draining from him to leave him shaky and weak. He had been certain they would see through the charade, forcing them to combat the entire garrison. Despite his words he knew now that he would have killed to defend this woman.

The carriage door flew open, revealing Bill's smug face as he enjoyed the look of his shiny new quarry town. He waved at the gathered civilians who'd wandered near the walls to see what all the fuss was about. A few nervously waved back, unsure why the entire garrison had abandoned their posts, and who the tall woman was. Their situation was made horribly clear as Bill stepped down from the carriage and held out his hand to Rekka.

Several of the men turned and sprinted towards any stout door they could find, the sight of her eyes trailing flame giving wings to their flight. The rest began shouting, calling for soldiers and demanding answers.

Bill ignored them to shake hands with his driver. He forgot the man's name, but Bill had chosen him for the task because the man so clearly did not want to leave the arms of the two orcs who'd chosen to share him. The fact that the man was desperate to get back to his sweethearts before they found a new plaything ensured he would keep his mouth shut.

He'd thought about using Felix for the job, his loyalty without question. In the end he decided against it, pulling Helena and Felix aside for a discussion. They were to wait safely outside the walls until called for. If the worst came to be Bill ordered them to leave, disappear somewhere to enjoy what happiness they could find. The thought of the gentle innocent creature being killed through violent action turned his stomach. Felix was off the hook by association.

Besides, he wasn't sure how he'd stuff Helena into the carriage. It had been asses to elbows and getting to know each other better than they liked. At least in the case of himself and Tabitha. Rekka had molded herself to him with impressive flexibility, easing their discomfort by playing border patrol as they stuffed themselves between the benches to hide from prying eyes.

Watching the more quick witted civilians sprinting off caught Bill's attention. He cheerfully waved again before throwing his arm around Rekka and wandering over to the other couple. Tabitha prowled out of the carriage, rocking it with her weight. She calmly looked over the crowd before turning to join the others. Several more civilians sprinted away ready to put distance and thick doors between themselves and their new neighbors.

"See? Foolproof," Bill declared, smugness now rising to toxic levels within his body.

"I still can't believe it. Captain Dulius is not a stupid man, hot headed certainly, but no fool. I cannot believe he simply walked himself through the gates, this should not have worked," Scipio said, unsure why he was beginning to feel anger at their victory.

"I told ya, when the punishment for questioning someone is summary execution most people are going to shut their mouths and keep their doubts to themselves," Bill said, shrugging.

The Flavor Lord had really come through for them, his foul disposition and astounding arrogance a convenient weapon Bill was more than happy to wield like a club. The hardest part had been holding in his laughter as Rekka made faces at him while he channeled the spirit of an infuriated man who was utterly incapable of believing he could be disobeyed. Even Tabitha had been unable to stop a smile from slipping loose as Bill ducked back after lambasting the poor captain, continuing to shout for bandages. He was finally beginning to crack the woman's shell.

"This was so completely despicable, Bill. You're really good at dirty underhanded deception! I'm learning so much!" Sarah gushed. Her admiration of the shameless reprobate growing daily.

"Finally some appreciation, thank you Sarah," Bill gratefully replied.

"Your stupid plan was great, husband! I'm so proud of ya!" Rekka cheered, jumping into his arms for kisses. "I can't wait to hear the next dumb thing you think of! I'm so glad you're lucky!"

Bill decided to accept the compliment without complaint, Rekka's support never failing to cheer him. He would admit to himself that his plans were pretty stupid. He just had a pretty good handle on how these people thought. They seemed almost eager to be duped. Fighting the same battles for so long left them unable to expect anything but direct opposition. Any truly unexpected situation seemed to catch them flat footed. He couldn't pretend this would keep working, the second they ran into someone who thought outside the box they'd be in trouble.

"Well, shall we finish this? I don't want to patrol these walls myself and those fellas out there are just ripe for conversion. We're going to need more orcs, I think. There must be a hundred men or more living here," Bill said as he made his way up the steps

"Yeah, my girls won't be able to handle all that. They'll try their best, but soon they're going to be the ones begging for rest," Sarah agreed.

"No worries, I've got a plan for that. No fighting or trickery involved, so stop looking so nervous there Skippy," Bill snapped.

"I'm relieved to hear it. I'm not sure my heart can take another incident like tonight," Scipio replied, not making an issue of his new nickname. Bill's eccentricities were many and varied, it was easier to go along with his odd ways. The nickname carried no malice or insult in any case, he could live with it.

"Alright, lets see how they're doing out there." Looking over the wall he spotted the crowd of soldiers milling about. Looked as though they'd only traveled a short distance from the walls before comprehension reared its ugly head. Captain Dulius had gathered his sergeants to his side and appeared to be having a very heated discussion.

"They'll probably be back in a few minutes, can't wait for that conversation," Bill said with a laugh.

They paused to watch as Scipio jogged to the wildly strobing crystal, twisting it firmly. Immediately the annoying flashes ceased and it now glowed with a steady illumination. Scipio quickly did the same to the second, relieving their eyes from the annoyance the lights had become. Finished, he jogged back to receive the compliments of his grateful companions.

Scipio struck a match across the wall, lighting his pipe while he watched the brewing argument among his former comrades. The pipe caught Bill's eye, reminding him to check over Rekka and see if she was getting riled up by Sarah's mating miasma. Tabitha hadn't leapt from the walls to torment Larry again, so she was probably alright.

"How's it working, no uncontrollable inconvenient urges I hope?" Bill asked them.

"No more than usual! It don't smell bad, I kinda like it," Rekka replied, sniffing at the thing. Tabitha nodded her agreement. They both had a pouch of the tobacco on a secure leather sling tied around their necks. Through tense experimentation Bill had discovered simply smelling the stuff would clear their thoughts, countering Sarah's ability and allowing them to work as a unit. Before the discovery Sarah's role in the plan was to simply wait and see what happened, maybe force the defenders to fight on two fronts as she led an assault on the gates. Bill was delighted he could instead weaponize her passion perfume as part of the scheme. The fact that he'd have another absurdly dangerous friend within the walls was a reassuring bonus.

"I'm glad, I'm really happy I'm getting the chance to make friends. Scipio being able to love me for real, and meeting you all has been so completely amazing, I feel so lucky. It was a little lonely, I couldn't really let my hair down around my girls. Couldn't talk much with non-orcs, people tend to avoid us. Those that try stop being able to hold a conversation pretty quick. So we stick to our own. I missed talking with mommy. I wish I could let her know about this, she only has daddy now I'm gone," Sarah professed. Scipio took her hand in his with a comforting smile.