Fourth Vector Ch. 07

"If you can supply the food, we'll take care of the horses," said Nikias. "There's still plenty in the city, and we can spend some coin to borrow them for what we'll need."

"It sounds like we have just about everything," said Heron finally. "Are we all in agreement to gather what we can today, and we'll leave at first light tomorrow?"

The king smiled as three heads began to nod right back to him. "Good," said Heron. "Let's get this meeting adjourned so that we can start working on our tasks. Nikias, if you'll work on the horses, that would be terrific. Elektra, I'll ask you to rummage any provisions you can that are still left in the palace. Jack, let's bring what you can from the ships to the palace. And for myself, I'll draft up orders to connect your ships with my chief engineer back in my capitol for your needed repairs."

"That sounds great," said Jack with a genuine grin. "Let's get moving here soon."

They all stood up at once and shortly thereafter, both Nikias and Elektra were filtering out in opposite directions to start their own tasks. Jack was slower to get moving due to his wound, but it only afforded time for Heron to speak with him again.

"This will promise to be quite the adventure from what it sounds like," said the king with a childish grin. "I haven't been to that temple since I was a boy. My father used to tell stories about it. All the stories of the ancient gods and the first Sorellans. The temple featured prominently in many of those stories."

"And to think," said Jack before crossing his arms. "If we can really stop Barak, someday they might tell stories of the wise king Heron and the way he rebuilt his country after a long, devastating war."

Heron began to laugh heartily. "Wise king, eh? You sure you got the right man? Sometimes, I feel most like a doddering, old fool instead of an intelligent sovereign."

"I think that's the very factor that makes you a good king, Heron. Your modesty is well-suited for this position as the father of your people. Daimanos never seemed to understand that."

"There was much that escaped my brother," said Heron with a nod. "My hope is that this treasury is the last thing to escape from him."

Jack smiled, and with one final nod to the king, he turned to begin his trek back down to theDestiny. He wasn't halfway across the floor when Heron called back out to him.

"You know, I wanted to show you all that I could about my homeland," said Heron. "The great interior, the scenery, the people—all of it. I do wish it would have been under different circumstances though. I'm almost afraid to see the firsthand effects of the war on the countryside."

Jack turned to face the king. "The important thing is that it can be rebuilt. We can make Sorella a great land once more. I'll do all that I can to help you, Heron."

The king smiled warmly. "Thank you, Jack."

Jack had no sooner turned to exit the grand hallway when another voice pierced across the marbled walls.

"Sir, wait! Wait for me, sir, please!"

Jack came to a full stop as soon as he recognized the voice. He planted his foot and spun around to face the newcomer, only to be greeted by the sight of Vera, one of members of Daimanos' harem.

The blonde woman came bounding across the floor to him, her pace only slowing down once she nearly reached him. Vera was quite a lovely-looking girl, having delicate, golden-blonde hair that went just past her shoulders and smooth alabaster skin. Her bright blue eyes were full of trust, and despite the awkwardness of Jack's encounters with her, he found it hard not to enjoy the girl's company when she was around.

As a member of Daimanos' harem, she had been secreted away in a closed off portion of the palace that was only accessible by moving past a false wall. Knowledge of the harem was supposed to be kept private to Daimanos and his most trusted ministers yet his flagrant request for the whores around any time day or night meant the harem was more or less an open secret.

Thankfully, she was now dressed a bit more modestly than the day they found her. Due to Daimanos' personal tastes, most of the women were only clothed in what could only be called see-through rags, designed to showcase their subservience while also highlighting their features. And Vera had many features to highlight. Jack had nearly wallowed in guilt at the first sight of her impressive bust line and her casual nonchalance about being so exposed to so many eyes.

Unfortunately, that was something that she had come to live with due to being in the harem, but it meant they had to go to lengths to find clothing that would fit the women once again and give them back a degree of modesty. For that reason, Vera now wore a simple Sorellan gray tunic that still emphasized her femininity but offered her a much higher degree of privacy. Jack much preferred to deal with her fully clothed even if a tiny part of him enjoyed seeing the girl's body.

"Good morning, Vera," said Jack with a kind smile. "I thought I asked you to stop calling me sir?"

Vera finally reached him and bowed her head with an embarrassed look. Part of what made their relationship awkward was the fact that she had first thought he was Heron during her release and had addressed him as your majesty. She had been particularly confused when he explained his true role as a naval commander and still insisted on calling him sir, despite him asking her to stop with it several times already.

"I'm sorry . . . Jack," said Vera, carefully saying his name like it was the first time it passed her lips. "I guess it's just hard for me to use just your first name."

Jack smiled. "You'll get used to it in time. Did you sleep okay last night?"

Vera nodded excitedly. "It was wonderful! I haven't slept in a proper bed in ages. Those quarters that Heron set us up in were just fantastic. I slept like a baby!"

Jack chuckled at her enthusiasm. Initially, the members of the harem had requested to transfer their status from Daimanos to Heron and serve as his own personal concubines. What they hadn't counted on was that Heron was a much different type of king from his brother and flat out refused their request on the spot. Instead, he promised to shelter them until they were ready to rejoin society on their own terms, effectively putting an end to their status as whores.

To that end, he put each of them into their own room throughout the palace as one of his own guests. For the girls, it was quite the difference from the cramped cellar they had previously. Jack knew exactly the condition of the rooms in the palace, having stayed here one night during their previous stay with Daimanos.

"I was always preferential to the bath myself," said Jack with a smile, remembering his night in the palace room and the luxurious bathing tubs within.

Vera assumed a dreamy look. "I must have stayed in mine for nearly an hour last night. It felt like I could finally scrub away all the nastiness of being in the cellar. It almost reminded me of my old life."

"Old life?" asked Jack. "I suppose we never really discussed it, but what was your life like before Daimanos? Have you been here long?"

Vera shook her head. "Not long really. It's only been about a month since I was purchased from the slavers."

"Slavers?" asked Jack in shock. "How did you end up in the possession of slavers?"

The smile dropped from Vera's face and she turned away from him. "It's a rather long story, sir—I mean, Jack."

"Tell me. I want to know."

Vera turned back to face him. "Where to even begin?" She took a deep breath before continuing once again. "First of all, I suppose you can tell that I'm not a native Sorellan?"

Jack's eyes flickered to her hair and then back to her face. "The thought had occurred to me. Your light features really stand out here compared to the rest of the people."

Vera eagerly nodded. "That's because I'm Galician, not Sorellan."

Jack's eyebrows raised as he once again took a once-over on the bright-eyed girl in front of him. Having heard all about the Galicians from Heron, he now finally had one right in front of him.

"Galician?" Jack asked. "Heron has told me about your people. I'm afraid I hadn't heard much about you until the king told me much about your land and your recent history."

Vera nodded solemnly. "Galicia isn't really that great of a place anymore. It's all I've ever known, and it was better than being a whore, but my grandmother used to tell me about the old days of Galicia. Back when there was still a king. Anyway, time hasn't been kind to us."

"So how did you end up with the slavers? Captured, I take it?"

Vera nodded. "I suppose the story starts with my father. He was a merchant and he owned a small ship that used to take his wares throughout the Vector. Some of my earliest memories as a girl was waiting for father to come back from one of his trips. We never had much but he used to always bring something back for me. One time he brought me an ornate doll from the lands of Picardy to the northeast. It was one of my most cherished possessions, that is, until the fire."

"Fire? What fire?" asked Jack.

Vera assumed a painful expression. "My mother and my sister. There was an accident at our home one day. Unfortunately, the fire spread quickly, and they were unable to get out in time."

"I'm sorry, Vera," said Jack, reaching out to comfort the young woman.

Vera wiped a tear from her eye. "Fortunately, father was home from one of his trips. And I was in school. Afterwards, all our possessions were just gone—devastated from the fire. So father took me with him on his trips. It was something to get used to initially. I was terribly seasick at first and to this day, the rocking of the waves still makes me somewhat nauseous. But I got the hang of it. And I got to spend so much more time with him as we traveled to different lands and islands."

"I'm sure he appreciated the time spent with you too," said Jack with a sad smile. "Since it was just the two of you."

Vera nodded. "I really liked that time spent with him. We sailed for years together, him and I and a few hired hands. That is, until a few months ago."

"What happened then?"

Vera let out a heavy breath. "The storm. We got caught in a storm not far from here actually. It came on us quickly and before we knew it, we really couldn't get out of it. It completely destroyed the ship. As far as I know, I'm the only one that washed up alive on shore."

Jack put his arm around the girl. To be so young and to have lost all of her immediate family was a tragic way to begin your life. Vera buried her face in his shoulder, nuzzling against his jacket. For a few moments, he just held her, hoping that she felt some semblance of comfort that had so long been denied to her. Finally, she pulled away to look at him.

"Even though I was alive, I had the misfortune of washing ashore in Andalucia."

Jack straightened visibly. "Andalucia? Those are the slavers, aren't they?"

She nodded. "Yes. They found me on the beach, nearly dead. I don't have many memories of the next few days but needless to say, they were able to keep me alive. As soon as I was well enough to stand, they sent me to the slave pens." Vera shuddered against him.

"I can't imagine what that was like."

"It was awful, Jack," she said while looking up at him. "It made the cellar under the palace look like some sort of resort. The pens were terribly dirty, and the smell was just awful. The type of smell that always attracted flies and other vermin. And it was always so hot. Andalucia is mostly desert and the temperatures there are always scorching, even during the night. It was the worst experience of my life. Even the people there were in a miserable state. Most of them there for no fault of their own other than the fact that they were on the wrong side of a war or had no one to protect them. It was just tragic, Jack."

"How did you end up in Sorella, Vera? What happened?"

Her chin raised slightly. "I was sold by the clan that captured me. A Sorellan trader under the employ of Daimanos grabbed me and another girl after spotting us. I didn't know it at the time, but most of the girls came from the Andalucian slavers. It seems the late king enjoyed a bit of variety in his whores."

At that last sentence, Vera's head fell in shame. Shame at being reduced to someone's plaything, only to be summoned at will and discarded just as easily. Jack made a gesture to force her to look back upon his face.

"You're no longer a whore, Vera. That life for you is over," said Jack. "You have a chance to start over."

She looked up at him. "I know. I just forgot what it's like to see kindness again. After the ordeal with the slavers and being around Daimanos." Vera shuddered. "The things that he made me do . . ."

". . . were things you'll no longer have to do again," Jack finished. "Heron has opened his house to you. He'll help you get back on your feet. And get you back to Galicia."

Vera began to shake her head. "I don't want to go back to Galicia. At least, not right now."

Jack frowned. "Why not? It's your home after all, and you haven't been there in so long. Why wouldn't you want to go back?"

"It's my home, yes, but there's no one left for me there now," said Vera. "Everyone that I called family is now dead. If I were to go back to Galicia, I'd still be alone."

To that, Jack had no answer. Vera's words made sense, and it was something even he'd felt himself when his parents died. The only one back in Java that he had to call family was his sister. Though he deeply loved Jocelyn, if that tie no longer existed, he couldn't say he'd be in any hurry to go home either.

Vera locked eyes on him. "I want to stay with you, Jack. I don't want to go anywhere else but with you."

Jack's face contorted into a look of shock. "With me? But why?"

"There's something about you that I can't quite understand. Your aura is so bright, Jack. You're a special person, I can just feel it. And you saved me from Daimanos. In a way, you're like the closest thing to family I have now," said Vera.

Jack smiled gently. "Vera, Heron was the one who saved you from Daimanos. This is his land, and he's the one who gave you your freedom back."

Vera shook her head fiercely. "No, Heron is only here because you're the one who killed Daimanos. I heard the chatter around the palace about your personal battle with the man. Nothing would have changed with my condition had it not been for you."

"Vera," started Jack while grabbing her hands. "I'm an officer in the Javan navy. The life I live is complicated, and now it's about to be even more so with us being at war. It wouldn't be safe to have you with me. You've already had to deal with so much tragedy that entangling yourself with me would only invite further trouble."

"I don't care about that, Jack," said Vera with another shake of the head. "Besides, I want to come with you to take back the stolen treasury."

Jack grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to a quiet corner. His voice barely above a whisper, he said, "How do you know about that? Only the king and a few others are supposed to know about the treasury."

Vera shrugged. "I overheard Heron talking about something missing to Nikias yesterday. They thought I was already gone but I lingered in the hallway before going back to my quarters. I overheard everything, Jack. That's where you're going soon, aren't you? You're going to take back the treasury from Barak?"

"There seems to be more to you than meets the eye, Vera," said Jack with a disapproving stare.

She shrank back from him. "Don't be upset with me, please? I just overheard that tiny portion, and then my curiosity got the better of me."

"We have a saying about curiosity in my part of the world," said Jack. "And it's not a good one."

Vera smiled. "As do we Galicians."

"Vera, the trip we're going on will be exceptionally dangerous," warned Jack. "There's still bands of roving soldiers in the interior. Most of them are Daimanos' men, and they are still armed. They will be low on coin and probably hungry too, which will make them even more desperate."

"Jack, all of my family is dead. All of them tragically and I've been nothing more than a whore for the past five weeks," said Vera with a pointed glare. "What more could anyone do to me that I haven't seen already?"

"Plenty," huffed Jack. "Those soldiers are going to be desperate for more than just food. A pretty little thing like you would be passed around like a pipe if we fail."

Vera gave him a determined smile. "Then we shouldn't fail, right?"

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Vera, it's too dangerous for you. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you out there."

"I know the interior. I've been there before," she said quietly. "My father used to trade here years ago. I can help guide you. I know some of the roads!"

"So does Nikias," said Jack. "He'll be able to guide us along the proper routes to help us catch Barak as fast as we can. Besides, you'd just be another mouth to feed, and we don't have much in the way of provisions. It's just not a good idea, Vera."

"What if I provide my own provisions?" asked the determined blonde.

"How would you do that?"

"Follow me," she instructed before leading him deeper into the palace. Jack took a deep breath and followed, walking alongside her as she quickly moved along the halls. Soon enough, he figured out she was taking him back down into the cellar, where the harem had been located, and she removed the portion of the false wall to continue forward unimpeded. Finally, she came upon what was a tiny storage room just before they reached the main sleeping quarters of the harem.

"Over here," said Vera with a wave, before coming to what had been a supply cabinet for the nearby palace kitchens. Vera opened one of the shelves, revealing an empty space inside.

"There's nothing there, Vera," said Jack with a frown.

"Keep watching," she said while she pulled the shelf out of place and revealed a tiny hidden compartment within. Vera rummaged around inside and began to pull out some extra provisions. The first thing she pulled out was a half-eaten loaf of bread, quickly depositing it in Jack's hand. After that came the jars, small and unopened containers of foods that wouldn't spoil and as well as several other creations that indicated a well-stocked supply.

"How did you get all of this, Vera?" Jack asked.

"Most of it was given to me for rations, but I didn't eat it," she said with a shy look. "Food was always scarce and there was always little of it to go around for the whores. When I was sold to Daimanos, I was a little heavier than I am now, so I decided to store food when I could just in case there came a day when there was none. I can bring this as my contribution."

"Still, that's one facet," said Jack. "There are other considerations."

"I can also cook for all of you," interrupted Vera. "I can tend the fire at night. I can take care of the horses as well, for the first part of the journey. I know you are taking the horses. I may not be good with a gun, but there are other ways I can help you, Jack. I did this for my father, and I learned many things about taking care of a large group. I can be helpful to you—just let me show you."

Jack opened his mouth to fight but found himself closing it. The determined look on her face was back, and she soon perched her hands on her hips and nearly glared at him.

"Don't say anything more, Jack, please," she said while holding her hands up. "I'm coming with you even if I have to run alongside your horses all the way there."

With his will crumbling, Jack brought his hand to his jaw and just stared at the girl dumbfounded. "Why do you want to come with us so badly?"

Vera lowered her hands. "I just think I'm supposed to be in this with you, Jack. I can't explain it. I feel very strongly that I need to come with you."