Fourth Vector Ch. 06

Just beyond the men were a group of women, probably about fifteen in all. They were closely huddled together for protection and they watched the group of male servants with darkened eyes.

"What's been going on in here?" asked Greg as his eyes darted between the marines, the servants, and the women.

"We found those men in here, sir," said Nunes. "They were . . . with the women. We could hear the noises they made as soon as we discovered the false wall. The women were screaming so we made our way down here. Once we saw what happened, we surprised them. That one was guarding the other three while they had their way with several women." Nunes pointed to the man on the furthest end, a blank-faced man in his late twenties.

"Who are the women? Where did they come from?" asked Heron, his face a curious mixture of confusion and concern.

The women looked amongst themselves as they tried to nominate a speaker, finally settling on one who looked like she would be the oldest. That wasn't saying much as from what Jack could tell, she was only about mid-twenties in age. Recognizing the crown of Heron, she prostrated herself near his feet when she came closer.

"Your Majesty, we belonged to the harem of Daimanos," said the honey-voiced woman. "We are his personal comfort girls. Whenever he needed us, we'd appear to give him relief from the rigors of ruling the Sorellan people."

Heron made a disgusted face. "You're whores!" It was both a question and an accusation. The woman pulled away from the king as if she'd disappointed him by the admission but eventually nodded her head.

"Yes, Your Majesty. We serve at the personal pleasure of Daimanos."

"Bless the gods," muttered Heron. "How many of you are there?"

"Fourteen presently, Your Majesty," answered the woman. "There used to be fifteen of us only recently."

"What happened to that girl?" asked Heron.

The woman bit her lip hesitantly. "Antonia no longer pleased the king. She left one day and never returned."

"What a tragedy," said Heron while shaking his head angrily. He balled his fist while his nostrils flared as he struggled to contain his rage. The whore shuffled away from the king, no doubt frightened that she was about to become the first victim of his anger. Heron noticed her panicked response and beckoned her to come forward.

"Come here, child," said Heron. "You're free now."

"Free?" she asked while looking confused. "What do you mean free?"

"Daimanos is dead," said Heron. "He was my brother and he was killed a week ago. He is no longer your king."

"Daimanos is dead?" whispered back the whore.

Heron nodded slowly.

"You're the king now?" she asked while gesturing to his crown and his robes.

"That is correct. I am Daimanos' brother, Heron."

"But what is to become of us?" she asked while pointing back to the other women. "All we've known is this life within the palace. What are we to do now?"

"Your lives are your own now. You're free to do whatever you please. Whatever brings happiness to you," said Heron.

The whore bit her lip again. "Perhaps we could serve at your pleasure now? We could constitute your own royal harem?"

Heron began to laugh. The anger which had so gripped him earlier began to dissipate. After laughing heartily for a few moments, the king began to shake his head. "I'm not my brother. Ah, um, what is your name, my dear?"

"Melora, Your Majesty," answered the whore.

"As I was saying, I'm not my brother, Melora. I have a family of my own, and I have no use for pleasures of the flesh. Even though my queen has long since passed away, her memory sustains my soul in such a way that the temporary physical could never touch. I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to do with you."

Melora nodded, seeming to understand his reasoning if not being a little disappointed by his response. "I'm afraid I don't know what we're to do with ourselves then, Your Majesty. Most of the girls are only trained to be concubines. Many of them have never cooked a meal before or handled a sewing needle. What are we to do with ourselves now?"

Heron brought his hand to his chin and stood in silence for several moments. Jack could see the man's eyes flickering back and forth between the girls and wondered what solution he would come up with. He was pleased by Heron's initial response not to take over the harem, but if they truly had no skills, Jack wondered what they would do for survival.

"I have it," said Heron finally with a fatherly smile. "My palace back in my city has a wing that is closed off, only because we never needed it. Too much space for too small a family. You girls are welcome to come with me, and I'll provide for you while you try to reintegrate yourselves back into Sorellan society. I'll help you in whatever way you need in order to learn a skill. But I don't want you to go back to whoring. Do you understand me?"

Melora gave the king a shrewd look as she contemplated his offer. Even though Heron's offer was much better than she expected, accepting it would mean leaving behind everything they had known. It was a daunting thought for them to start over again in a new city and with no skills.

"May I talk to the rest of the ladies first?" asked Melora diplomatically.

"Of course, Melora," answered Heron. "Let me know when you've decided.

Melora nodded gratefully and approached the rest of the group. Jack looked on while they deliberated between themselves. Several of the girls had their eyes fixed on Heron while they discussed his offer while others kept their dull whispers contained between themselves.

Curiously enough, one girl kept her eyes trained on Jack. For a moment, Jack wondered if she might have been blind by how intensely she stared at him, and he figured that she must not have any control over her eyesight. Yet, he saw the woman blink several times, and at one point, she turned her head to look at the group before quickly returning her gaze back to him.

She was a pretty thing, even if she was a bit on the younger side. The most remarkable feature about her was her short, shoulder-length cropping of blonde hair. She wore a determined look on her face as if she hadn't yet decided what to think of him. It was rather off-putting to say the least and Jack found his attention resuming back to Heron.

Finally, Melora pulled away from the group and approached the king once more. Bowing before Heron, she quickly announced the results of their meeting.

"We'll accept your offer, Your Majesty," announced Melora with a flourish in her voice. "If you'll take care of us, we'll do all we can to learn how to sustain ourselves with your aid."

Heron clapped his hands excitedly. "That's wonderful news, Melora. It will be good to see a little liveliness back in my castle once more. It has been quiet for far too long."

"Your Majesty is most gracious to us. We didn't expect to be treated this way," said Melora.

Heron blinked at her. "What else would you have expected?"

The woman shrugged. "If you hadn't taken us for yourself, we expected to be thrown out into the street. We're not oblivious to the fact that our lives are better off in the palace than back out in the city. Many of us would not survive going back to that life. Especially with men like that out there." Melora thumbed her finger over to the four servants, still arraigned quietly against the wall.

Heron smiled kindly. "I don't think anyone grows up with the intention of becoming a whore. Circumstances seem to push us in most unexpected ways, and before you know it, you've gone too far down a path that you shouldn't have. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a second chance."

Melora beamed with a smile. "I'm looking forward to seeing your home, Your Majesty."

Heron nodded. "I will arrange for your transport back to my city. I'm afraid this palace won't be standing for much longer after my plans are put into motion. If you'll come with me back to the main level of the palace, we can get you girls situated. Are you hungry?"

"Starving, Your Majesty," answered Melora as the rest of the girls began to stand. "We've been locked down here with only water provisions. We haven't eaten in days."

"We must take care of that first," said Heron. "While it looks like most of the palace's stores have been raided already before our arrival, I'm sure we could round up some food to take care of you for the time being."

"I know where there should be extra food stores," offered Nikias. "I can go see to it at once." Nikias then leaned closer to the king and whispered something inaudibly into his ear.

The king nodded excitedly. "Excellent, thank you, Nikias! Now, follow me ladies, and we'll go up to the main hall."

"What about these men, Your Majesty?" asked Greg, pointing to the servants against the wall.

Heron's face darkened. "I will not tolerate rape in my kingdom. I'm sure my brother had a prison cell. If you'll be so kind as to find it, I'd like these men to think about their actions in there for a long time. We'll move them back to my city when we destroy the palace."

Greg nodded. "You heard the king," he said toward the Marines. "Get these shitheads locked up."

"Roger that, sir," answered Nunes as they began to pull the four men from the wall and then marched them out of the cellar. As soon as they were gone, the rest of the whores breathed easily and began to emerge from the deepest parts of the room.

Heron led the way back to the main floor as Greg and Jack hung back to make sure every girl got out.

"At least Daimanos had good taste in women," muttered Greg quietly as the women crawled out.

Jack smiled. "You saw how he reacted to Abigail the first time he saw her. He had an eye for beauty, that's for sure. Too bad he didn't have an eye for kingship."

Greg chuckled. "Too bad Heron didn't want the harem though. I would've volunteered to take it over willingly but no one asked me."

"Yeah, there's a reason for that," said Jack with a laugh.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty," came a voice from their side.

Jack turned to look around Greg and found himself staring at the blonde-haired girl from earlier. Now that she was out of the shadows, he could really take a good look at her. She was indeed very pretty, and her best feature was her bright, blue eyes. She wore a kind smile and seemed to approach him with a mixture of awe and excitement.

"Excuse me?" asked Jack, suddenly remembering the way she stared at him from earlier.

The woman looked down to the ground and then back up at him. A shy smile filled her face as her gaze met his once more. "Thank you for freeing us, Your Majesty."

Jack smiled gently. "I'm afraid you have me confused with the king. The other man who was just here, Heron, is your king. The man who was talking with Melora."

The smile dropped from the woman's face. "That can't be right. Who are you then, sir?"

Jack's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "My name is Jack Easterbrook. We're from the nation of Java, and we're allies with the king." Jack pointed back toward Heron even though the man had long since gone back to the main floor. He was more confused by such an innocuous question.

"Are you the king there?" asked the woman.

Jack smiled and then started to chuckle. "No, not even close. I'm just a naval commander. I command three ships but that's about it."

"Surely there must be more to you than that," said the woman with a confused look on her face.

Jack chuckled again. "Sorry to disappoint you."

The woman blinked several times while holding his gaze as if she was unsure what to make of him. Her eyes drifted lower, sliding over each portion of his body before meeting back to his own amused gaze. She did it one more time, and Jack's gaze darted over to Greg, who mouthed the word "crazy" before looking away. Jack struggled not to laugh at the scene in front of him.

Finally, the woman's eyes settled back on his. "You must be a great man. I can see that clearly. Only a great man would have freed us from that monster, Daimanos."

Jack opened his mouth to respond but no words came out. He struggled to think of a suitable response to her last charge but kept coming back empty. He couldn't decide if the girl was just crazy or desperately in need of food. By this time, it was only the three of them remaining in the cellar and Jack wanted to get back to the main hall with everyone else.

"Perhaps you should follow us and get something to eat?" he said, thinking a good meal would do her a world of good.

The woman grinned in excitement and nodded her head. "I'll follow you to the hall. Just bring me with you, all right?"

Jack smiled cautiously. "That'll be fine. This way, I guess." He grabbed the girl gently by the arm and began to walk toward the false wall. At the slightest touch, she sighed with content, thoroughly enraptured at the close contact with him. Jack couldn't help but find the entire situation slightly farcical and even looked back to Greg who was obviously thinking the same thing.

They emerged on the other side of the false wall and quickly ascended the stairs to the main level. As soon as they were out in the open, Jack had to quickly divert his eyes. It wasn't as easy to tell in the darkness of the cellar, but out here in the light, the woman's clothing was so thin that it was nearly transparent. Her nipples stuck out prominently from beneath the white-colored fabric, a fact that Jack tried to ignore as much as possible. However, the woman giggled once she saw him struggle to avoid eye contact with her body.

"It's okay, sir," said the woman with another giggle. "They're just tits. Every woman has them and I'm sure you've seen plenty."

Jack felt himself go red in the face. Perhaps the woman wasn't as delusional as he thought. "We'll have to find you some proper clothes though before you leave here. Can't have you dressed like that out there with all those soldiers around. You'll drive them crazy."

She turned and gave him a beaming grin. "You think that I'm pretty then, I take it?"

Jack nearly choked in response, avoiding the answer to that question. She took his silence for confirmation and continued anyway.

"I was Daimanos' favorite, you know? He liked me the most of all the girls," she said with a hint of pride in her voice.

Jack nodded slowly. "I can see why. You're a very spirited girl."

She beamed with a smile once more. "My name is Vera. May I eat my meal with you, sir? I'd like to sit with you, if that's all right?'

Jack smiled politely. Something about the girl was odd but there was an innocence about her that spoke volumes about her persona. There seemed to be more to Vera than met the eye despite the awkward moments of their introduction.

"Sure, Vera. That would be fine," said Jack as they entered the great hall.

Vera clapped her hands excitedly before rushing to put her arm around his own. Jack just wished he knew the cause for all of her enthusiasm and more importantly, he hoped he wouldn't regret not ending his contact with her right there.

They arrived back in the main hall with the rest of the group shortly after. By that time, Greg had dispensed most of the Marines to take a defensive position around the palace while Nikias had rounded up a couple servants who were still left in the palace and had not partaken in the devastation of it. In that regard, they were able to pilfer some of the remaining stores from Daimanos' personal stocks and feed the girls. Even though most of the good food had already been stolen or eaten, they made due with what was left.

"How did you find yourself in this part of the world, sir?"

Jack smiled at the inquisitive blonde-haired woman by his side and thought about his answer before speaking. Vera watched him with intent eyes before slowly biting into a piece of old, stale bread.

"I was sent on a mission by our emperor," answered Jack. "We came to this part of the world to find new allies. Luckily, we were able to meet Heron and that's what brought us here to the palace."

"Is your emperor a nice man? Is he kind like Heron?" asked Vera.

Jack bit his lip, trying to think of a suitable answer to the question. While there wasn't anyone alive who would describe Charles IX as a nice man, he couldn't exactly tell Vera the truth of the matter.

"I haven't met many men that are as kind as Heron," said Jack with a grin. "But our emperor watches over all of us and protects us."

It wasn't stretching the truth too badly and it was technically correct. Vera bought the answer with a nod of the head and returned to her bread. Jack looked around the room and watched as the rest of the women were entertained by the king, who was telling stories of his family and his children. They watched with rapt wonderment at the man who had so recently freed them and offered up his home, their faces adorned with happiness.

At one point, Nikias returned to the king with a worried look on his face and whispered something into his ear. The smile that had worn so prominently on Heron's face dropped at once. He issued a series of largely inaudible orders to the minister and Nikias took off again shortly after.

"Excuse me for one moment, Vera," said Jack as he moved to stand from the table. The girl nodded before returning to her meager helping of bread. Jack moved quickly to sit by Heron who still remained quiet with the girls as he processed whatever Nikias had told him.

"Any problems?" Jack asked, concerned about the quick change in demeanor of the king.

Heron nodded. "Not here. Let's move away from the table."

The two of them walked away from the rest of the girls and headed toward a quiet corner. Once they were out of earshot, Heron's shoulders slumped.

"What's the matter? I could tell something was wrong as soon as Nikias came back," asked Jack.

Heron took a deep breath. "I sent Nikias to find the vault where Daimanos kept his treasury. It was empty when he got there."

Jack's eyes went wide. "All of it?"

"All of it, Jack. There wasn't so much as a single coin that fell out of someone's pocket as they emptied out the lion's share," said Heron. "Someone cleaned it out."

Jack's mind began to race. "Could it have been the servants? They didn't see any issue raiding the rest of the palace? Could they have stolen it?"

"According to Nikias, only a few people kept the keys to the vault. He did, Barak had one, Alcydes, as well as Daimanos," said Heron. "It couldn't have been the servants."

"Could Daimanos have moved it before he left the city?"

"Nikias said it was still there when you left the city over a week ago," said Heron with a shake of the head. "If he and Alcydes left together, that takes out two options right there."

"And Daimanos wouldn't have the time to have emptied it before he was killed," said Jack. "That really only leaves one option—Barak."

"We need to find that man," said Heron while making a fist with his hand. "We need to recover that treasury. Without it, we'll have a much harder time rebuilding Sorella."

"What do you want to do now? Search the city?" asked Jack.

Heron nodded. "If you can help with your men, we'd appreciate it. I have Nikias checking every remaining nook and cranny, but I suspect the gold is no longer in the palace."

"How much was there?" asked Jack. "How much gold are we talking about?"

Heron motioned for Jack to come closer to him. "Enough to fill a decent-sized wagonload. Nothing but pure gold coins, all bearing the likeness of Daimanos. There's no way all of it got out of the city without somebody noticing it."

"Unless it was covered in some way," said Jack. "But how do you cover that much gold?"

"We need to find out what happened quickly. The more time they have to escape, the less time we have to find them."

"I'll get word to the rest of the marines immediately," said Jack. "Don't worry, Heron. It could not have gotten far. We'll find it."