Fourth Vector Ch. 08

Greg shook his head. "None. They must be inside because I can't see a damn thing beyond horses and wagons."

"Wait, look at that!" said Nikias from their side, pointing back to the temple. All three of them looked over to the temple and dropped their heads when a man appeared at the front podium carrying something heavy along his back. Next to the pack, the man also had a musket slung across one shoulder. He stopped to look out at the open field, his eyes scanning along the horizon. Jack felt like his head was nearly flush against the ground as the man's eyes scanned their very position, and he prayed he wouldn't see them just yet.

By some miracle, he didn't, and as he descended down the podium, he walked around the corner to the space with the wagons and temporarily disappeared from sight. A few minutes later, he reappeared but he was missing the pack that he was carrying along his back. After another quick scan, the man disappeared back inside the temple.

"I'd bet my arsenal that his pack was filled with gold," said Greg once they were truly alone once again.

Jack nodded. "He must have put it in the wagon. This is great. We've caught up to them, and they aren't even close to leaving yet."

"That second wagon was only about half full," said Greg. "We might have a real opportunity here to recover this."

"Let's get back to camp," said Jack. "I want to update Heron about this and get a plan together so we can recover it. We'll need something good as I'm sure they're all heavily-armed, and the thought of attacking a narrow, confined temple isn't a great one."

The two other men nodded and quickly shuffled back to the ledge where they could stand once more and started the short jaunt back to the camp.

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Back at the camp, Vera had grabbed what remained of her cooking supplies, and with the help of a nearby spring runoff, she was cleaning everything used to make their meal before putting it away for the evening. Kat was sitting nearby, and as Vera washed each utensil, Kat would then dry it and store it away in their pack. On the other side of camp, Heron sat with his daughter in deep conversation, leaving the two Galicians on their own for the moment.

"All I'm saying is the moment we get back to civilization, I'm going to take the longest bath on record," said Vera earning a sharp giggle from her new friend.

"A long bath right now sounds wonderful," said Kat before running her fingers along her arm. "I can't wait to get all this dirt and muck off of me from this long trip."

"You should have seen the baths in the palace back in East Sorella," said Vera. "I may try to ask Heron if we can bring one or two along before he destroys the palace."

"I'm sure he has his own baths at his palace back in the capitol," said Kat with an amused grin.

"I just don't want to take that chance!" Vera scrubbed at a particular spot on the bowl in front of her, trying to get the stuck-on porridge off. "Besides, what if they aren't large enough? There's nothing worse than taking a cramped bath with your legs all jammed up because you can't stretch out."

Vera only looked up when Kat didn't respond. The slightly older woman seemed to be peering out into the night as if on watch for something. Or someone.

"Kat? Is something wrong?" asked Vera.

The other woman quickly shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. Sorry, I was just distracted."

"Distracted? By what?"

Kat shrugged. "I was just wondering when Jack would get back, that's all. Doesn't it seem like they've been gone for a long time?"

Vera blinked. "No more than thirty minutes so far I'm guessing."

A worried look appeared on Kat's face. "Still. That seems too long to be away. He should be back soon, right?"

Vera didn't respond right away but a smile was slow to form on her face until she was practically grinning at Kat.

"What?" she asked.

Vera looked down to the ground while still wearing the smile. "So how long have you had a thing for Jack?"

"A thing for Jack?" Kat stammered and looked down to the ground before trying to dry the bowl Vera had just handed her. "I don't have a thing for Jack."

"Is that right?" asked Vera with a half-cocked grin. "But you can't wait for him to get back already, right?"

Kat gulped audibly. "I just don't like that he's out there at night with potential danger so close."

"I wonder why that could be," said Vera with a giggle. "Unless you kind of like him."

Kat went red in the face. "It's not easy like that, Vera. My situation with life right now is rather . . . complicated."

Vera shrugged. "Couldn't we all say that right about now?"

Kat opened her mouth to respond but shut it quickly. A few moments went by. "It's just not that easy, Vera."

Vera dropped the bowl she was working on and came to sit closer to the woman. "It's okay if you like him. It's not hard to see why. A handsome man like that? The brave commander with a good heart? That's nothing to be ashamed of."

Kat took a deep breath. "It's just . . . I don't know if I'm ready for something like that. There hasn't been any time in the last few years for men. Even less before that, back in Galicia. I just don't know."

"Maybe time will tell, right?" said Vera as she hugged her shoulder. "I didn't mean to spring it on you, or to shock you just now. I just had a feeling."

"Is it that obvious?" asked Kat.

Vera nodded quickly, earning another heavy sigh from Kat.

"Great," she muttered quietly.

Vera started to laugh. "There are worse things in life than having a crush on a handsome man."

Kat turned to face Vera. "Do you share the same feelings? Are you into Jack as well?"

It was now Vera's turn for a deep breath. "I thought I was," she said quietly. "But I'm not sure to be honest."

Kat's face turned to confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Vera sat upright. "It's hard to explain. I do find him attractive but not in a romantic kind of way. I'm not sure what it is. I remember the day I met him when he freed me from Daimanos' harem. I remember praying that he would take me for his own personal harem because of how dashing I found him but after talking with him, there was something more there. Something that wasn't sexual or romantic but something that bonded us on a more personal level. Almost like family."

Kat started to nod. "So it's a platonic feeling then?"

Vera shrugged. "I think so? I'm not sure as I've never really felt this way before. There wasn't much time for men or for dating when I was growing up as I was always with my father. Of course, there were a few sailors on his ship that tried, usually to be nearly thrown overboard once my father found out. I was still a virgin up until a few months ago when I was sold to the Andalucians." Vera wrapped her arms around herself as the memories of her repeated sexual encounters at the hand of the slavers and Daimanos.

Kat quickly slid over and wrapped her arms around the younger woman. "I'm sorry to have brought up bad memories."

Vera wiped a tear from her eye. "It was just a sad chapter of my life, and it's over now, right? I never have to go back to that."

"You're free to create the life you want now," confirmed Kat.

Vera sniffled a few more times. "Anyway, when I'm with Jack, I feel something inside me. Something that gives me warm feelings toward him but not of a sexual kind. I hope that makes sense?"

Kat nodded. "I understand completely."

"I was worried at first about what I was feeling, and I thought I might be going a little crazy as I thought of possible explanations for it," said Vera. "Now, I've just come to accept it. He's made a mark on my life that won't soon be forgotten. I will forever count him as a friend for that alone."

"He's a good person to have in your corner," said Kat. "He's destined for great things."

Vera looked up at her. "How can you tell? How do you know?"

Kat quickly averted her eyes lest she come out with her secret. "It's just a feeling I have, I guess," she said. "How could he not with all that's happened even just here in Sorella?"

Vera questioned the sharp change in demeanor of her friend but didn't say anything about it. If she had to guess, Kat knew something that she didn't or knew something that she wasn't ready to share just yet. She chose not to say anything more on the topic—for now.

"And if we can recover this treasure tomorrow, it will be yet another great thing he's done," said Vera.

"We will," said Kat with a confident smile. "I just know we will."

"Sometimes, I wish I had your confidence," said Vera. "You always seem so sure of yourself and where you're going from here."

Kat smiled and looked down. "I don't feel that way with Jack currently."

"No one's perfect," said Vera, causing both women to giggle to themselves. "But in other matters, you seem almost unflappable. I can only imagine what your upbringing was like to be like that now."

Kat turned away and got quiet again for a moment.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up again," said Vera, knowing full well that Kat's past wasn't a good topic of conversation right now.

"Not your fault," said Kat with a weak smile. "You're right, I have seen a lot just from growing up. In my world, you had to be sure of yourself. You had to know you were making the right move. A lot of thought and deliberation went into every step, and even then, you could still lose if the fates were against you. I lost, and as a result, here I sit far from my home."

"That sounds horrific," said Vera. It was the most that she'd heard about Kat's past. Slowly, she was beginning to piece together snippets of the woman's life, and all of it pointed to a stunted and cruel childhood. "Were your family merchants as well? I know the trading world can be cutthroat just from what I've heard from my father."

Kat nodded weakly. "Something like that. It's a world I couldn't return back to on my own. There's just too much pain."

"Well, at least we're close to the end of this journey," said Vera. "After this is done, you can go anywhere or do anything. And you never know, maybe the king might let you keep some of the gold since you helped to recover it!"

Kat started to laugh. "I rather doubt that but it's a good thought at least. Who knows what I wouldn't buy with a stash of gold in my pocket."

"A few of those nice, luxurious bathtubs," said Vera, earning another round of giggles.

"That'sif we recover the gold," said Kat. "We need to catch up to this Barak character first."

"We just need to catch up to him," said Vera. "Once we do, I have this covered instantly."

Kat gave her a confused look. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean Barak used to be one of the ministers that was allowed access to the harem back at the palace," said Vera with a coy grin. "I still remember the way he used to look at me. The way he watched me when I was with Daimanos. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the man had quite the crush on me."

"That's not hard to see," said Kat. "I'm sure he hasn't seen so many blondes with your . . . endowments," she said while gesturing to Vera's chest.

Vera started to giggle. "Oh, he really liked these all right. I'd always find him watching me whenever I was nearby. So that's why I'm not worried about what we'll do when we catch up to him. All I have to do is distract him with my tits, and we can recover the gold before he even knows any better.

Kat couldn't stop laughing at Vera's words, even joined in by Vera as they considered such a notion.

"You may want to mention that one to Jack when he gets back," said Kat. "I'm sure he'd appreciate the extra assistance."

Vera nodded off to something just beyond Kat's shoulder. "Looks like we may not have to wait long. He's back!"

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Jack, Greg, and Nikias came back into camp shortly after their reconnaissance of the temple and the spotting of Barak's men. Gathering the rest of the group over to the well-enclosed spot by the wall of rock, they told them about their findings.

"Well, it seems our luck has held," said Heron. "If he's still there and that second wagon is half-empty, then we have a real shot of taking them in the morning."

"We have a good chance," said Jack. "Judging by the number of horses, it can't be too many men either. We shouldn't be too outnumbered."

"Those horses didn't look in great shape either," added Greg. "They need some serious rest. I'd be afraid personally to let those poor beasts go down the mountain fully laden with all that weight."

"So highly unlikely they'll be able to make a run for it," said Heron. "Even if they are sitting ducks right now for us, we have to be careful. That temple is an ideal defensive spot."

"Why's that, Your Majesty?" asked Vera.

Heron grabbed a small stick and began to draw a square into the dirt below him. On one side of the square, he drew a half-circle a good portion out from it. "This square is the temple. With all those columns and hidden corners, they could easily post a musket at every spot and make it nearly impossible for us to attack without taking casualties."

"And pick us off one by one while they come to no harm," said Jack. "We'd all be dead before they so much as broke a sweat."

"So what's the plan then?" asked Nikias. "How do we attack without getting chopped to pieces?"

"What if we used some kind of diversion?" asked Elektra. "Something that could bring Barak and his men out and then it's us that can pick them off instead of the other way around."

"I like that, Elektra," said Jack. "The tricky part will be where to go to launch the ambush. The surrounding terrain around the temple is mostly empty field except for the path that comes up the mountain. We managed to hide below a giant spruce tree, but only because it was already dark out. That won't work in the daylight."

"No, it won't," agreed Greg. "But the path runs perpendicular to the temple and the field in front of it. That corner we crossed to see the temple cut off all view of each side. If we can just draw them closer to the edge, they wouldn't even see us until it was too late. We could pick off any of those men that were armed and still have time to mow down the ones that thought about running back to the temple."

"That's damn near genius," said Jack while giving a firm clap to the Marine's back. "We'd just need enough of a diversion to pull them out of the temple. Even better if we could do it without them being armed at the same time."

"Who in their right mind would go out unarmed if they knew we were on their trail?" asked Heron.

"Not Barak's men," said Nikias. "The one man we saw was armed even just to deposit some of the gold in the wagon. He barely left the temple's footprint on the way, so I'm sure they wouldn't leave the safety of it especially if they thought they might get attacked."

"What if they didn't think they were going to get attacked?" asked Vera. "What if I could get them to come out with a little bait?"

Jack turned to face the young, Galician woman. "What did you have in mind, Vera?"

Vera turned to look at Kat before facing Jack. "You wanted a diversion? I have one. When I was in Daimanos' harem, Barak was infatuated with me. He always watched me, no matter where I was. I think if I can go out there and convince him that I want him, we might draw him out."

Jack thought about it for a moment before responding. "What makes you think he would do that? Did he really desire you that badly?"

Vera smiled and nodded. "Trust me. I believe if he saw it was me, he'd be thrilled. He used to be in the room when Daimanos was with me. I saw his eyes, Jack. He desperately wanted to be the one behind me instead."

Jack rubbed at his chin. "What if it's not enough? What if it doesn't draw him out though?"

At that point, Nikias spoke up. "Then we have to sweeten the pot a little more." The minister beamed with a smile as another idea began to take hold.

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The next morning, Barak was up early to finish the transfer of the treasure from the temple into the back of his waiting wagons. They were nearly finished, having robbed the repository room of just about every golden object with everything going into the plain, gray bags designed to be inconspicuous to unsuspecting eyes.

At this very moment, the last amount of treasure was being bagged up. Barak stood over the ledge to watch the rest of the men bag while also making sure that none of them were foolish enough to slip a few coins into his own pocket.

"Hey boss, can I have this?" asked Spiros while raising a tiny, golden tiara in his hands. It had recently been robbed from the head of the statue of Veratay, the wife of the first king of Sorella, Decon.

"No, you idiot," said Barak. "Put it in the bag with the rest of the gold."

"I just thought I could keep something small," muttered Spiros.

"You'll get paid at the end once we deliver the gold on the coast," said Barak as he rolled his eyes. "Not a penny beforehand either. Besides, what the hell would you do with a tiara? Prance around like a princess?"

Spiros went red in the face before tossing the tiara back in the bag as the men around him howled with laughter. Barak looked down to check the time, noting it was about an hour after dawn. They would have to finish quickly. The replacement horses would be waiting for them just down from the summit, and once they outfitted the wagons with fresh mounts, they'd be able to make great time coming down the mountain to the coast. They were only three days away from the meeting with the Swabians and he intended to be on time.

"That's it, boys," said Barak. "Let's get this job finished and let's go get our reward, eh?" The rest of the men gave mutters of approval. Judging by the state of the treasury room, they would need just about another hour to clean it out completely and then they could be off.

"Boss, you need to see this!"

Barak snapped around to see his man Otis poking his head into the treasury room. His musket was slung across his back, but he had a panicked look on his face.

"What's the matter?" growled Barak.

"There's a woman out front calling your name," said a very confused Otis.

"What? Speak sense, man! How could that be possible?"

"I don't know but she's quite the looker! Blonde hair, big knockers, everything!"

Barak's eyes narrowed.Could it be? No, no way.

"Show me," he said before following the man back through the remains of the temple. They passed through the main hall of the temple, past the giant statue of Malicoe that dominated the interior and emerged on the front stoa of the temple. That's when Barak's mouth dropped open at the sight in front of him.

Out near the cliff, just off the path that ran in front of the temple, was the whore, Vera. She looked just as delicious as he remembered, even if she was much more modestly dressed than he remembered. Her blonde hair flowed freely in the wind, and not even the plain tunic she wore for a top could cover the massive swell of her chest. The only part of her skin that was exposed was her face and hands, although with how cold it was on the mountain, he couldn't say he blamed her for covering up.

Yet his mind still raced. Thoughts and memories of her time in the palace slipped through his mind. Seeing her on her knees with Daimanos or getting rammed from behind brought the smallest of smiles to his lips. Now that the king was dead, perhaps he could finally have his wish. Maybe Vera could finally be his after all this time? But what in the world was she doing this far from the city? Could it be a trap?

She spotted him almost as soon as he was on the stoa. "Barak!"

"What are you doing here, Vera?" asked the confused minister.

"Thank the gods I've found you!" she said before stumbling to the ground. She carried with her a sack of things slung around her back but looked to be in a terrible state. Something didn't seem quite right.