Crusade Gone Awry Ch. 17

Lilly, for her part, lifted up her own hand to silence him. She laid a withering glare at her maid.

"Who's the queen here?" she demanded.

"That's not what this...!" Jadira tried to say.

"NO! That is what this is about! When father died you ALL insisted that I become queen! You wouldn't take no for an answer! You BEGGED me to do it, so I did. Because of you, and all the people under you, I AM QUEEN. And since I am the queen, I give the orders! Now get back on your camel and ride to the oasis. THAT IS AN ORDER!"

Jadira's face turned red, and her mouth twitched. She looked as if she wanted to continue arguing but couldn't. For the first time Marcus had ever seen and possibly for the first time ever, Lilly had pulled rank. If she was queen, that meant she was in charge. Period. Jadira let out a frustrate shriek through her teeth, turned, and began walking towards the oasis, disobeying the get on the camel part at least. Lilly groaned and raised her hands to her temple, rubbing her forehead as if she was in immense pain.

"Do I want to know what that was about?" Marcus asked, hesitantly.

"No you don't," Lilly muttered. She was silent for a moment more and then answered. "It's where the pigmen come from. That's where they settled after they were born."

"They live here!?" Marcus asked, raising his voice.

"No, but over a century ago they did. She wants nothing to do with them."

"I can understand that. So, it's empty now?"

"Yes, well it was until recently."

"What does that mean?"

"Some people beat us to it." Lilly turned around to her camel and began to climb it.

"We left the next day! How did they beat us?"

Lilly's ride stood up and she took the reins. "Because unlike us, they don't have to rely on camels. They have horse parts already attached."

A short time later, the caravan entered the settlement. As Lilly had indicated, a small group of people were already there. They were wearing dark ropes, carrying scythes, and had the lower bodies of horses. They were clearly centaurs, but they were unlike any Marcus had ever heard of. They were short, pure white, and were sporting horns on their heads. If he didn't know better, he would think they were unicorns. Not wasting any time, Lilly got off of her camel. She marched over to them where they all shuffled around, confused. She reached up and removed her veil and hood. Upon seeing her horns, each of them gasped and quickly bowed with their front legs.

"Forgive us!" the lead male said. "We weren't expecting someone so...feminine."

"My father died, and I inherited his position," Lilly said, sounding confident and commanding. "I am your queen."

"We are at your command...my lady," the leader said.

"Good. You may rise. What's your name?"

"Fahad your highness."

"Alright, you're the leader then. Is this all of you?"

Fahad hesitated for a moment before answering. "There is one more, Ermina. She is...being slowed down by a human accompanying her."

"A crusader?"

"Yes, my lady."

At the mentioning of that, Marcus quickly ran over.

"A crusader?" he asked. His presence surprised all of the centaurs, who were shocked that there was one accompanying their queen. Lilly motioned towards them to answer, and Fahad did so reluctantly.

"Yes, a man with some sort of bizarre fetish for centaurs."

"It's Tay Rainground," Marcus said immediately. He knew exactly who that was without any further information. Tay never made any attempt to hide his obsessions with either centaurs or horses.

"So that's at least three," Lilly said in Marcus's direction. The crusader flinched and looked away. Lilly was trying to add more people to his reason to live. All it really reminded him of were the sins that still weighed on his soul.

"Well," Lilly finally said, breaking the tension. "when she gets here, I have a job for all of you. You need to be my spies."

"S-Spies?" Fahad asked, sounding shocked. "Your highness, we stand out terribly! We're centaurs!"

"Yes, but your ability to enter dreams makes you perfect for this. Some people dream of past events. With how stressful this time is, they will likely dream of military briefings and plans. You are to find the leaders and read their dreams."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Fahad asked, panicking. "We're part horse! We can't sneak! We have no way to hide ourselves!"

"Actually, it just so happens, that some people who are very good at disguises are on their way."

*

"Okay, explain to me again why I, specifically HAVE to go," Oren complained as he marched alongside his cockatrice wife Mirat.

"Because we're eternally linked dear! Remember?" Mirat said condescendingly. This wasn't the first time she answered this question, and she was struggling to stay patient.

"I thought you could loosen the hold on the spell!" Oren complained.

"It wouldn't have that kind of range. You'd come crawling after me, begging to be close."

"I'm willing to try!"

Mirat clicked her tongue and sighed. Oren was a bit of a wimp, but ever since they set out, he had turned it up to eleven. She couldn't entirely blame him. Coming face-to-face with a demon had to be terrifying for a human. It was the only reason she continued to humor him.

Mirat's father, the thirty-foot basilisk, was slithering at the head of the column of cockatrices. He had heard Oren's whining and finally glanced back at him.

"What a weak, pathetic hairless monkey..." he grumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Decrepit, leather-backed sand-crawler..." Oren grumbled back. The basilisk instantly halted and spun around, his eyes lit up with fury. As quickly as the monster turned, however, Oren stepped to the side and stared at the person behind him. It was the smallest and gentlest of all cockatrices, Sharae.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you said that!" Oren cried, as if trying to push the blame onto her. Sharae's eyes widened and her chicken-like feathers puffed out in anxiety.

"Wh-what...?" she asked weakly.

Mirat gave her husband a glare and walked over to her friend, putting a hand on her head.

"Ignore them, dear," Mirat said sweetly. She turned angry eyes to her husband and father. "They're just being big, stupid men!" Oren opened his arms as if he were confused. The basilisk growled but spun back around and continued slithering. Mirat continued to stare at her husband, however.

"What?" he asked. "He won't kill her, but he'd snap me like a twig!"

"Not if you two could get along," his wife snapped.

"How is that on me!?"

"You provoke him!"

"Only when he provokes me!"

"He's a thirty-foot basilisk, don't take the bait you...!"

"Should we keep walking?" Sharae whined. The column was moving on without them. Mirat sighed and closed her eyes.

"Yes dear, we should keep walking. We're almost there, thank all that is holy."

When the large group of cockatrices, basan, one human and one basilisk arrived at the ruined settlement, they found it mostly empty. To their surprise, there were a few centaurs milling about, although a kind of which they had never seen before. The silver monsters only motioned them to a large canopy where several servants appeared to be setting up carpets and plants to make the area appear royal. When they approached, they saw that someone sat in the shade. They had a veil on their face and a hood on their head. The figure sitting on the throne appeared small and petite. The monsters glanced at each other, unsure of who exactly this was. The person on the throne sighed, as if already tired. She reached up, pulled her veil down, and removed her hood from her head. Her horns were now apparent for all to see. The monsters quickly gasped and knelt to the ground. Only Oren remained standing, appearing incredibly confused.

"The demon king is surprisingly...quite a looker," he muttered. The queen's eyes darted towards him, appearing annoyed. "Oh shit, you heard that?" Mirat, having enough of her husband's nervous babbling, reached over and struck him the back of his knees, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Shut-up!" Mirat hissed.

"I have been warned about your attitude," the demon said in a low voice.

"From who?" Oren complained, having not learned his lesson. Lilly cocked one of her eyes and waited. Someone walked under the canopy, standing beside Oren. The crusader looked up and was utterly shocked to see his commander glowering down at him.

"OH SHIT!" Oren cried, scuttling backwards.

"On your feet!" Colonel Lionheart ordered.

Oren glanced around, looking a little confused. "Can he still do that?" Marcus reached for his waist where a brand-new sword was. "Okay! Okay!" Oren finally popped up on his feet and saluted by putting his fist over his chest. "I'm at attention, sir!"

"Can that human stay?" the basilisk muttered about Marcus.

"You're going with me, is that clear major?" the colonel ordered.

Oren glanced between Mirat and the colonel, failing to speak a few times. "Um, about that, I kind of...can't get too far from her."

"Why?" Marcus asked flatly.

"We're kind of linked by magic. We're um, sort of married."

"Married? You abandon your post, commit desertion, and then marry a monster?"

The queen cleared her throat loudly, clearly directed at the monster comment. Marcus stiffened. It was kind of hard for him to make that statement considering who he had been sleeping with. After a few moments, the colonel composed himself.

"How far from her can you get?" he finally asked.

"If he stays in the walls, he should be fine," Mirat offered up. Oren turned and glared at her. She only shrugged.

"Then you are to follow me until your wife leaves, Major Akler," Marcus ordered. "If you dare abandon your post again, I won't hesitate to give you the punishment you deserve. Is that clear?"

"Inescapably sir!" Oren replied. Marcus considered hitting him for being defiant, but the colonel didn't exactly have the high ground here. The major glanced between the colonel and the queen. "What exactly are you doing with...?"

"We're leaving major! Start marching!" Marcus grabbed Oren by his collar and began dragging him away. Oren tried to complain, but the colonel didn't give him the time. Now that they were out of the way, the queen let out another exhausted sigh.

"You may rise, finally," she said flatly. All of the monsters obeyed. "As you may have surmised, I am daughter of King Azran. Following his death, I have inherited his crown. I am Queen Lillith and I rule these lands now."

"We will do as you command, my lady," Mirat said. "Um, if I may be so bold as to ask, that man isn't going to kill my husband, is he?"

"No, just provide some much needed discipline."

"At least somebody finally did," the basilisk growled.

"For the love of..." Mirat complained.

"Now that personal business is out of the way, I have a mission for your people. I require spies and your skills at magical camouflage will be useful for this. I need you to work with the centaurs and teach them your techniques so you can be my eyes and ears."

"We will of course comply," Mirat said. "however, I am curious as to why the centaurs would need to hide or what advantage they would provide. Centaurs are warriors, not spies."

"They are not typical centaurs. Go and discuss it with them and I think you'll understand. I have many more people to see today, so I must ask you to get to work immediately."

All of the monsters bowed and quickly began leaving, heading towards the centaurs. Lilly on the other hand, put her veil and hood back on. Although under the canopy, she still made sure to hide herself. She had to maintain a royal demeanor around her subjects. She could only relax when she hid her face. At least Marcus seemed to put himself back together now that he had someone to order around. The biggest task for the day, however, was soon to come for the queen. Renard, the monster key to this whole plan, was approaching the settlement.

*

Renard and Talia walked through the desert for days but faced no real problems. The surly turantas, unpleasant turtle people, provided them with plenty of supplies. They faced no threats either. Surprisingly, even the animals seemingly avoided them. What had originally been a death march when Talia had fled her army's slaughter, was now a somewhat pleasant stroll, as pleasant as the desert could be. After less than a week, they had apparently reached their destination because Renard had stopped marching and was now milling about. Talia put her hand on top of her eyes to gaze at the horizon. There was a settlement out there, surrounded by some walls.

"That's where we're going?" Talia asked.

"That's what the voice in my head said!" Renard complained, walking back and forth in the sand.

"It looks some kind of town, doesn't it?"

"I have no idea! The foxmen never went this way."

"Is the demon king there?"

"Probably!"

Talia turned towards Renard, her eyebrow cocked. "Is it wise to keep him waiting?"

Renard ground to a halt in his pacing, giving Talia a glare. "No! But I also don't know what he wants! For all I know he wants me to be on the front lines so I can die first!"

"Would he really do that?"

"I...maybe, I don't know!"

Talia sighed. Renard had a layer of bravado, but underneath that was his uncertainty, insecurity, and fear. He went out into the desert so he could throw all of his past away and find some new people to live with. Because of his caste, the pleasure one, he couldn't escape Tarbat's judgement. His life had already been decided for him. He had finally gotten away from all of that...only to have his life decided for him again. Talia walked over and grabbed his paw.

"We don't know what he wants," she explained. "Maybe it won't be so bad?"

"In my experience," Renard began. "someone demanding you to show up is never a good thing."

"Well, if he gets too rough, I'll sort him out!" Talia joked.

"Please don't," the foxman replied quickly. He then winced and grabbed his head. "He knows I'm here...or um...maybe she?"

"What?"

"The voice I keep hearing doesn't sound like...you know what, forget it. We better just go and see before my brain gets broken."

Talia squeezed his paw. "I'm here with you, you know, no matter what happens."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of."

*

Renard walked uncomfortably through the broken walls of the previously abandoned settlement. There were a few servants around setting up tents, but he was ignored. Nearby there was a brightly colored pavilion. Underneath was an expensive carpet, exotic plants in expensive vases, and a person sitting upon a throne. The person reclining on the chair motioned with one finger towards Renard, beckoning him wryly. Renard tensed and approached. Once he got under the canopy, he finally released Talia's hand and knelt down, bowing to his sovereign.

"I am appearing as ordered, your highness," Renard stated. Talia stood, both because she wasn't going to bow to a demon and because this wasn't her king. Her eyes studied the small figure on the throne, not expecting someone so small and slight to be the demon they all feared.

"Rise," the demon said. Talia flinched. Renard stood, his brow furrowed.

"That was the voice..." he muttered. As if remembering, the demon reached up and took the veil off their face and lowered their hood. Both of them were equally shocked to see an albino woman with horns. "Your highness, you're looking...very feminine."

Lilly sighed and closed her eyes. They were all going to say that, weren't they?

"Following the death of my father, I took the throne," she explained.

"He's dead?" Talia asked, shocked. "For how long?"

"About a hundred years," the queen replied.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Renard added.

Lilly shrugged. "I told Adrum."

Renard attempted to speak, but a bark-like sound came out. He then snapped his teeth together and angrily stared off into the distance.

"Of course you did!" he growled through his teeth. "I swear old man...!" The foxman regained his composure and turned back to his queen. "Well, I am at your disposal your highness...what do you ask of me?"

"You were a guide to this woman's crusade, were you not?" Lilly asked.

"Yes, I was..."

"I require you to do it again."

"What?"

"There is a new crusade that has arrived, led by their king."

"What!?" Talia cried. "Why?"

"It's a long story, and I have many more subjects to meet." Lilly pointed to someone behind them. Talia and Renard both turned to see a large hound trotting into the settlement. Even more shocking than that, someone was on its back. As the large canine approached them, the person slipped off and their eyes met Talia's.

"Lieutenant Bevens?" Talia asked, shocked.

"Captain Fenner?" Eliza asked, equally shocked.

"Oh no, why did it have to be you?" Renard whined.

"As you can see," Lilly interrupted, getting everyone's attention. "The next couple of days will be very busy. And I don't mean to rush you, but the next group approaching is the pigmen." At those words, everyone stiffened. No one wanted to be around for that. "There is someone who will explain everything, one of my servants will lead you to them. Renard, you will remain here." The queen motioned to one of the people setting up tents and they approached. Talia glanced at the foxman, worried. He returned that gaze, but ultimately motioned for her to go. The servant led the two crusaders away, with the hellhound following Eliza.

"Now then," the queen continued. "this new crusade is being led by their king this time. Apparently the first one was meant to mislead me. They intend to ransack my palace for the supposed treasure there and then rule this land. I want you to offer your services as a guide once again. This time, you will lead them to an oasis and abandon them in the middle of the desert."

"If I may, your majesty, how do you know they even want a guide?"

"They are seeking one as we speak." The queen's voice was curt, showing her annoyance. "No one in Tarbat is volunteering, so you shall do it yourself before they decide to force someone."

"What if they don't trust me?"

"I have been led to believe that you are QUITE convincing. I have faith you will accomplish this goal, as you've already done it once. You will need to leave at once to get there as soon as possible...and to avoid the pigmen."

Renard ground his teeth. He really didn't want to do this...AGAIN. However, it's not like he could tell her no. He wasn't even physically capable of defying her.

"May I at least say goodbye to the woman I love?" he asked with a little attitude.

"Fine, but there's no time for a conjugal visit."

"I mean...I can be quick..."

"No! And I might follow you to make sure!

"Dammit!"

*

The servant led both of the crusaders towards an oasis at the center of the abandoned settlement. As they passed ruined buildings, Talia and Eliza quickly caught up.

"So, this is a hellhound..." Talia said, after hearing Eliza's story with all the dirty bits left out.

"Yep!" Eliza cried happily. "I knew they were real! I call him Hound!" The monster trotted forward a little and put his face on the redhead's shoulder so she could scratch his face.

"Original," Talia replied flatly.

"How much of the army was left after those weevil things?"

"Honestly...I don't know. I kind of ran just as it began. Renard warned me ahead of time."

"Yeah, I couldn't help but notice you two arrived...together."

Talia cleared her throat and turned away, trying not to blush. "Well, I found him, and he thankfully nursed me back to health."

"Is that all he did?"

"Oh look! Another human!" As they reached the edge of the waters, they spotted someone sitting on the stump of a newly cut tree. They appeared to be whittling spears and were unhappy about it. As the two ladies approached, the servant left them. Hound also trotted away, but he made his way to the water to get a drink. The person working lifted his head and his face fell.