Fourth Vector Ch. 12

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"That's a damn big fortress," said Greg several hours later as the small group of five stared up at the sandy, formidable walls of the high clan king's stronghold. It was early evening, and Jack's force was posted just outside the city, close enough to offer assistance in a bind, but still far enough away that they were on their own for the meeting with the king.

"Let's get this over with," said Jack before gesturing for all of them to follow him. "We need to get Kat and then get moving." Jack's heart rate was beating wildly, hoping that the Galician woman was just on the other side of those sandstone walls. If that was the case, he intended to purchase her back from the king, and his pockets were weighed down with enough gold to make that happen. He hoped it would be a simple affair yet the land of Andalucia had a habit of surprising him.

"Clan chief, what are we to do if we find this woman you're seeking? How will you persuade the king to release a slave to you?" asked Abel from his side. At that moment, the king'sSciavo guards were closing in on them, offering to take them inside to see the king.

Jack grabbed a gold coin from his pocket and flashed it at Abel. "I'm hoping this will do the trick."

Abel's eyes went wide. "No, clan chief, that's not—"

"Who approaches the high clan king of Andalucia?" boomed a loud voice from just overhead, drowning out Abel's protests. Jack turned his attention away from his babbling deputy and looked at the twoSciavo in front of him. He promptly identified himself by his name and those of the clans he commanded.

"You'll need to disarm to see the king. It is custom," said the guard while gesturing to their weapons.

"Do what he says," said Jack to the others. He then turned to face the guard. "But don't think that we're not deadly without our weapons."

TheSciavo sneered and then gestured to a spot where they could place their guns. Jack, Greg, Abel, and the two other marines set down their weapons and were led inside a great hall at the front of the fortress. As the men lined up to enter the hall, Abel once again slipped beside him. "Clan chief, you must listen to me, it's not wise—"

"Jack!"

Jack's head whipped around in the direction of the familiar voice. His gaze centered on a metal cage that ran along the side of the greeting hall of the king. Inside, he could see nothing but near-nude women, many of them lounging about in various positions within the cage. Yet, it was the flash of blonde hair that drew his attention right away.

"Kat!" he yelled upon seeing her sky-blue eyes. He ran to the cage as she did the same, both of their hands connecting in an instant. She looked just how he remembered from that last day in Sorella, her clothing only slightly more worn and torn from that time. There was much in her eyes—sadness, despair, but most importantly, a hope that now seemed to fill them.

"You're here. I can't believe you're here," she said quietly, squeezing his hands through the metal cage.

"I couldn't abandon you. Especially when I found out what happened to you."

A tear formed in her eye, slipping down to her cheek. "I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again."

"I'm here now. And I'm going to get you out of here," he said firmly.

Kat bit her lip. "I don't think it'll be easy."

"I don't care. I'll do what I have to in order to get you out."

She smiled briefly, her gaze falling down to his chest before flickering up to his eyes. "I missed you so much, Jack."

"I missed you," he whispered back. "When I told you back in Sorella that I'd see you in two weeks, I didn't imagine it would be like this."

She pressed her face against his hands. "Neither did I."

At the end of the hallway, there was an audible sound. Someone had coughed loud enough to get Jack's attention and as he turned, he saw several members of the king's court watching him with expectation. The man who could only be the king sat on a golden throne, displeasure already written onto his face.

"Let me deal with this. I'll figure this out, okay?" he said to Kat before slipping away from the bars.

She nodded and rewarded him with another smile. If Jack thought his heart was beating wildly before, it really took off now. She was here and she just needed him to set her free. He walked with firm purpose on his way to the king, determined to let nothing stop him from securing her freedom.

As soon as he reached the throne, one of the king's stewards let out a booming announcement of his presence. "Your Majesty, Clan Chief Jack Easterbrook has come to pay his respects to you. Honorable leader of theMuthadaand theNumratha." The emphasis on the two clans was stressed, a stealthy reminder that it was not proper custom. "May I present His Majesty, Vertulis, king of all Andalucia."

"So you're the man making all the trouble in my kingdom?" said Vertulis, regarding him with a wary gaze.

Jack studied the man for a moment before answering. Vertulis was an older man, possibly mid-fifties in age with coarse, dark hair and long, black beard with a few tinges of gray to them. He had dark, cold eyes and a slight smirk on his face that showed he'd been looking forward to this meeting.

"You could say the trouble has been the one finding me," said Jack finally after watching the king closely.

Vertulis threw his head back and laughed heartily. "That's the kind of answer I expected from a foreigner. You don't belong in this land so how is it that you find yourself in charge of two of my clans?"

"I'm here on my own mission," said Jack coolly. "I wouldn't be the head of those clans if they hadn't decided to be hostile to my men. They surrounded my force and tried to pick us off. I did what I had to in order to stay alive. They had no cause to attack us."

Vertulis sneered. "They needed no cause. Warfare is the way of life in Andalucia. I wouldn't expect you to understand that."

"I understand perfectly now," countered Jack. "My clans understand that now too."

The king flinched when Jack mentioned clans as a plural. "Surely you know what happens to men who try to unite the clans? Have your warriors told you of the fate that awaits you for that task?"

"I'm aware," said Jack cryptically. "Yet, I'm not here for warfare. My mission is peaceful. If these clans would just leave our force alone, we will surely depart the land."

Vertulis started to laugh again. "You have much to learn about Andalucian politics. You've painted a target on your back a mile wide at this point. Do you know that I'd be well within my rights as king to kill you where you stand?"

"I don't think a man of your intelligence would take such a hasty move," said Jack. "Especially without hearing my proposal. Your claim also rests on one simple question."

"What question is that?"

Jack gestured to the men around him. "Whether you could reach me before we killed you."

The king's cheek flinched as he stared at Jack. The meeting was turning more sour than Jack intended, and Vertulis' hostility towards him was only growing deeper. It was time to draw it back and remember who he came here for.

"I don't wish to quarrel with you, Your Majesty," said Jack finally, bowing his head slightly in a show of respect. "I just want to finish what I came here for and get back to my life."

The king's face started to relax. "Perhaps our exchange was getting too heated. You're an intriguing man, Jack Easterbrook. I can tell from your words that you are a man of purpose, such as myself. An interesting aura surrounds you." The king seemed to look deep within Jack's eyes, as if he was questioning part of Jack's very soul.

"With your help, Your Majesty, I think you can shorten my stay in Andalucia greatly."

"Well then give voice to your request," said Vertulis simply.

"I'm here to secure the release of a woman," said Jack. "A woman that was put into slavery by mistake. She's not a slave, and she's a free woman. I've come here to make sure she comes back with me."

Vertulis started to chuckle. "You need to spend more time talking with your clans to understand our customs. It matters not to us how slaves are attained, legally or otherwise. The only thing that matters is that once you're a slave, you're always a slave. Until you die."

"That being the case, I'm asking your permission for an exception. It's of paramount importance that I secure her release, Your Majesty."

Vertulis' upper lip curled in amusement. "Her release? Is it your woman? The one that warms your bed at night?"

Jack felt his cheeks warming, but wouldn't give him the benefit of too honest an answer. "As I said, she's very important to me." He half-turned to face the slave pens, causing Vertulis to look past him to the object of Jack's gaze. His expression turned sour almost immediately.

"Who is this woman?" he asked as the amusement on his face evaporated.

"The blonde woman in the pens back there," said Jack while pointing to Kat. "I wish to secure her freedom. I have coin with which to bargain for her life." He pulled out a few gold coins from his pocket to show the king. "I'm sure we can come to some kind of an arrangement."

Almost immediately, the air around the hall turned stiff. Several of the stewards around the king started to chatter to themselves while theSciavo reached for their weapons. All the while, Vertulis' face slowly filled with rage. As his nostrils flared, he pointed a finger to Jack.

"You dare come into my city and offer to purchase my slave?" said the king while his tone got louder. "My slave?" he roared, taking the crown off his head and throwing it at the floor in anger.

Jack took a step back, not knowing for sure why the king was growing more angry by the second. Vertulis pushed up from his throne, soon towering over the rest of Jack and his men.

"You insult me with your offer of gold for one of my whores! You do not offer to purchase another slave from a man, let alone the king of Andalucia!"

Jack began to shake his head. "It was not my intention to offend, Your Majesty—"

Vertulis seethed and began to speak through clenched teeth. "You are to leave this palace immediately. You will gain no more audiences with me,Tur'hava."

Tur'hava. There's that title again, thought Jack.What does it mean?

"You will leave now and not return! If you think you can step into my palace and insult me, you will find yourself gravely mistaken, foreigner!" roared Vertulis.

Jack found his chances of quickly rescuing Kat melting rapidly. Around them, theSciavo formed a barrier between him and the king, their weapons drawn as they rapidly approached them. The situation was so tense that they could only step backwards, away from the enraged king.

"I apologize for any offense, Your Majesty," said Jack finally. "We still have much to learn about—"

"Yes, you do," said Vertulis menacingly. "Now get out!"

It wasn't worth fighting any further. This round was now over, and Jack had to concede defeat. Signaling the rest of the men, he turned and walked toward the exit as Kat watched him with pleading eyes.

"I'll be back for you. I promise," he whispered to her as they were escorted out the hall.

"I know you will," said Kat with a quick nod. "Please be safe!"

As soon as they were out of the main hall, Jack and his men grabbed their weapons and were escorted outside the fortress walls. TheSciavo watched them as they left, their weapons still at their sides and ready for conflict.

"Well, that didn't go so well," said Greg as soon as they were away from the stronghold. "Got any other ideas?"

"I'm thinking," said Jack. "I just hope I didn't manage to put him on the list of our enemies here too. For our sake and Kat's."

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Vertulis grabbed a goblet of water and drank it all fully, throwing it to the ground with a heavy clang as he finished it off. He struggled to regain his cool, still furious at the insult leveled at him by that man.

Purchase one ofhis concubines? The absolute nerve of that man.

Yet Vertulis couldn't shake the feeling that he was indeed theTur'hava. And if that was the case, the man was incredibly dangerous. He would need to be neutralized before he got any more powerful. It required the purpose of every able-bodied Andalucian warrior on the entire island.

Jack Easterbrook needed to be destroyed.

"Bazu, get over here," said Vertulis, snapping his fingers at the timid steward.

Bazu nearly fell over himself as he made his way to the king. He bowed deeply at the foot of Vertulis' throne. "Y-yes, Your Majesty?"

"I want you to send riders out to every clan," said Vertulis calmly. "I want them to converge on Septhada and to engage and destroy this man, Jack Easterbrook. Capture him at all costs. Call in all theSciavo as well and set them on the same purpose. I will make sure this man is enslaved for the rest of his miserable life just for his insult. There will be no dawn for theTur'hava."