Fourth Vector Ch. 15

As he neared the end of his watch, he was relieved by his replacement, a younger and heavily-scarred warrior named Uba, and Abel soon made his way back to the central camp to give his report to the king. He'd spent the better part of six hours on watch, most of it in the midday heat, and he was looking forward to some time spent away from the front lines. Or maybe, perhaps even some time with Nia.

Following the usual path to the king's tent, he waited for Jack to be free of a meeting with one of theNumratha clan warriors before he got his turn. He bowed deeply to his sovereign before turning to face the man.

"Your Majesty," said Abel after locking eyes on him. "I've just finished my watch."

Jack looked more worse for wear. His eyes were narrow and his forehead was taut. Abel could see the man wasn't sleeping well for deep bags now occupied the area under his eyes. He seemed to be stressed beyond measure, something that wasn't wholly unexpected considering their recent reversals.

"Abel, have you seen anything?" asked Jack calmly. "Anything to report?"

"Nothing on the southeast side from what I could see. The desert valley we passed yesterday is still empty. Not a human or beast occupied it."

Jack gave him an odd look. "That would be surprising. I'd have thought they'd be pushing in on that ground now. They've shown every indication they were going to pursue us once we started moving so I thought they'd be pouring through that valley by now."

Abel shrugged. "It's not to say they still couldn't, but perhaps they've pushed on through another way? There is a coastal path that will save them time and come in directly north of our current position. It's possible they've changed course and headed due east to reach that path."

Jack rubbed at his chin before looking down at a map of the country in front of him. "I have men posted there from theBurlada but they've been quiet so far. I wasn't sure if they would chance a more direct route along the coast, especially if they knew what happened to the last clans that got a little too close to the water."

"I've noticed in my country, some lessons need to be repeated several times for them to stick," said Abel with a slight chuckle.

That finally made a grin appear on the king's face, and he soon laughed with him. "I'm tired of having to retreat, Abel. I didn't picture this campaign going in such a way."

"Every campaign changes its course at least once, sire. Nothing ever goes according to plan. If I remember right, if theMuthada's original plan went correctly, you might not be standing here right now."

Jack gave him a solemn nod. "Things were much easier back then. I only had a couple of enemies. Now it seems they multiply."

"All the better for us, sire," said Abel. "We get to take them out all at once instead of having to do it piecemeal."

Jack laughed heartily at that. "Does nothing scare you, Abel? All of your countrymen built of such stern strength?"

Abel gave him a small smile. "Only the best warriors can call themselves Andalucians, Your Majesty. It's all we look forward to. The only thing that scares me is dying an old man, forgotten in my bed."

"You know, men in most countries could only ask for such a fate?" asked Jack with an arched eyebrow. "They'd label that as a good death."

Abel grinned. "Andalucia isn't one of them."

The two of them shared a laugh before another member of theBurlada appeared in the tent. After giving a customary bow to Jack, the warrior started to speak.

"Your Majesty, we've just received an envoy from the enemy clans. He's asked to speak with you. Shall I send him in?"

"Is he alone?" asked Jack.

"Yes, sire. Alone and stripped of any weapons. We've searched him twice."

Jack gave Abel a guarded look before finally looking back to theBurlada warrior. "Send him in."

*****

Jack stepped back a few feet to rest against his desk as he crossed his arms. An envoy from the enemy clans at this point wasn't a good thing. He'd fought long enough in this country to know they only sent envoys when they thought they had you defeated. Many times, it was to give the last of several final taunts before you were crushed in battle. At this time, he expected nothing less.

"Do you want me to leave you, Your Majesty?" asked Abel as he gestured outside the tent.

Jack brought up his hands. "No, no, stay Abel. I trust your opinion just as much as anyone. I'd like you to be here to hear out this envoy and let me know your thoughts after."

Abel barely had time to nod before the tent flap was opened by theBurlada warrior, escorting the new Andalucian inside. Jack took careful measure of this envoy before he stopped in front of him. His face was bare, even though the rest of his head was surrounded by a black head covering. He was a young man, no more than twenty if he had to guess, with patches of dark hair on his face that hinted at his immaturity. His eyes were highly focused on Jack, and he offered no bow or salute as soon as he was in his presence.

"What clan are you from?" asked Jack as the young man simply eyed him up.

"I'm from the mightyLapusa clan," said the envoy haughtily. There were no signs of respect, and no recognition for Jack's title. This meeting was going off just the way he expected.

"And do you have a name?" Jack asked, already finding himself annoyed.

"I'm called Salam in my clan."

"Well, Salam, there is much for us to do so why don't you get to the reason why you're here. In doing so, please help me find a reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand to prevent word of our exact locations getting back to your clan?"

Salam's confidence took a hit with that proclamation, and the man noticeably sputtered with his next words. "I'm an e-envoy of my c-clan. We are protected under Andalucian custom!"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Is it not customary to bow to your king as well, Salam? Since we're breaking customs, why stop with just one?"

Realizing that Jack had a point, Salam offered the most half-hearted of bows before he straightened up. Jack had to try really hard not to let a grin slip onto his face.

"That's better," said Jack. "Now, what message are you here to give?"

"Our clan as well as our allied clans believe it's time that you surrender your crown, Jack Easterbrook," said the envoy boldly. "Ever since you've landed in this country, you've brought nothing but death and misery to its inhabitants. You've broken our customs and killed our rightful king by your own hand."

"I don't know how you think you can dictate those kinds of terms to me," said Jack with a slight chuckle. "I'm the king, and I'm nominally in charge of all the clans of Andalucia. You have two clans and some Swabians with you. Hardly a position of power with which to bargain with."

"Yet it was still the position that defeated you in battle," quipped Salam. "We pushed you back, and at this very moment, we're chasing you now. You know our force is superior to yours. We are but a day behind your forces. As soon as you stop, we'll be on you."

Jack bit his tongue. The man was right, but he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of admitting it. "What about terms? Didn't you come here with any other terms beyond my surrender? What happens to my men?"

"The clans that you have under your command will receive new clan chiefs, no doubt from members of theLapusa and theGartala," said Salam simply. "You will be killed, of course. We can't have you running around in this country anymore. All the foreigners that you have under your command will be enslaved as well. They won't have much in the way of lives, but they will still be among the living."

Jack started to chuckle again. "And you expect me to accept these terms?"

Salam shrugged. "My clan chief thought it wise to at least let you know what you faced. Such is the fate for anyone who has so disturbed this country. And we've heard some rumors as well."

"What rumors have you heard?"

"That you intend to free the slaves," said Salam, making a disgusted face. "We can't have that. We've heard of what you did in Septhada. How long until it's the entire country? We can't have you turning Andalucian society completely upside down."

"I freed those people because it was the right thing to do," said Jack behind gritted teeth.

"If you say. From our perspective, it was the worst thing you could possibly do. Slaves are not the same as Andalucians."

"Those men are the same as you," said Jack angrily. "They look like you, they think like you, they feel like you. Who are you to deny them things that you take for granted?"

"You know nothing of what it means to be Andalucian," snapped Salam. "And you call yourself king." The man spit on the ground.

"I don't think you're going to find any terms here, Salam."

Salam shrugged. "If that's the case, we will be forced to give battle to you again, and we will kill everyone in your camp. This meeting at least gives you the ability to enable the majority of your force to live." Salam then gave him a wicked grin. "Your fate is settled either way."

"It seems you don't leave me many options then, Salam." Jack took several steps closer, approaching the man's face. "Yet, you're forgetting one thing."

Salam's confidence took an immediate hit. He swallowed heavily once Jack was close enough to him. "What's that?"

"My men never surrender. And neither will I. I'm the man who used two clans to take the crown of this country." Jack leaned his head forward until it was just inches away from Salam's. "Don't you think I'm the wrong guy to fuck with?"

Salam gulped again, but not before taking a step back. "My message has been delivered. I take it you decline our terms."

"They are very much declined," said Jack.

"As you wish. I will return the message to my clan."

Jack snapped his fingers. "No you will not. Like I said earlier, I don't want word of our exact position getting back to your clan." Jack called for theBurlada warrior just outside the door, waiting for the man to stick his head inside the tent. "Take this enemy envoy and put him in with the other prisoners."

The color quickly drained from Salam's face. "I'm an envoy of theLapusa! You can't kill me!"

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you Salam. But you're my prisoner now." He then turned back to theBurlada warrior. "Get him out of my sight."

As Salam was dragged out of the tent, Jack returned to his desk and sighed. The message from the enemy clans was bold, but it wasn't without the threat of force to back it up. As long as they had the greater numbers of Swabians on their side, he wouldn't be able to let his guard down.

"Am I a fool for turning him down, Abel?" he asked quietly.

"No, Your Majesty," said Abel firmly. "There is still time for us to fight and win."

Jack hoped like hell that Abel was right.

*****

About an hour after the envoy had delivered his message, Jack pushed away from his desk and stepped into his personal quarters. The day was just about over, and his personal anxiety over their current situation was high. Right now, he just needed a break. He needed some time to think. Everyone in the camp depended on him for their survival, and with the odds looking bleak for all of them at that moment, he was feeling the weight of that responsibility particularly frustrating.

"Jack, is that you?" asked Kat as soon as he stepped into the room. Her pack was open and resting against the bed, while her journal occupied the spot on her lap.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were in here," he said while stepping closer. "I just needed some time away from . . . well, everything."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Does that include me too? Do you want me to go some place else?" She made the motion of tugging her journal back into her pack.

He shook his head. "No, no, please stay. You're not really included in that bucket."

She gave him a small smile. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that even when I want to be alone, you don't count in that. Your presence is calming," he said while sliding on the bed. "I feel better when I'm around you."

Kat smiled and slipped into his arms. She rested her head against his chest, enabling him to bury his nose into her blonde locks. The position was instantly comforting, and the soft smell of the Galician woman helped to push the current problems far away.

"I can feel how tense you are, Jack. I can feel it in your very skin," she whispered against his chest, as her fingers danced across the fabric.

"Can you blame me? There's so much going on right now," he replied.

"No, but we'll find a way out of this predicament. We always do, right?"

"The odds seem very against us right now. Especially with no hope of reinforcement any time soon."

She turned to look at him. "No word yet from your people?"

He shook his head. "It's unlike them. The last few days have been eerily quiet. I hope that no trouble's befallen them. But from what I've heard, the only Occie force is right here off the coast. They still have to be on the way to us, but there shouldn't be anything in their way to prevent them from reaching us."

"What do you want to do until then?"

Jack took a deep breath. "Keep moving south. We can't confront the enemy clans and Swabians with our current strength so we have to trade land for time."

"What about these Occitanians? Have they made any further incursions into the country?"

Jack shook his head. "Not from our reports. They've been content to float off the coast. They know we're here or else they would've moved on already. Truthfully, I'm almost waiting for them to land a force of marines to try to find us."

Kat nodded. "What about Abigail? What are you having theDestiny do during this time?"

"I told her to go back out to sea. If the Occitanians are staying close to shore, I want theDestiny and theTiger far away from them. We can't chance that battle."

"What if they're found? What would they do next, Jack?"

"You're awfully full of questions tonight," he said with a small smile.

"Sorry," she said with an embarrassed look. "I just don't like seeing you like this. I know how much this weighs on you, and I just want to find a way to help."

"You being here helps me, trust me." Jack kissed her soft lips tenderly.

The look of embarrassment slowly turned into worry after he pulled away. "Even if I feel responsible for where we are?"

"We're not going to go there, Kat," he said firmly. "It's not your fault that you got captured."

"I still feel like it is," she added quickly.

"It's not the same thing, Kat. I would have suffered in whatever country I had to in order to rescue you. I would have stolen you from under the nose of the Swabian emperor if I had to."

Kat giggled softly and then kissed him. "You have a bad habit of making some of the things I say seem ridiculous."

"That works both ways, trust me."

She kissed him for several moments longer as his hands wrapped around her delicate body. The heat in her kiss was starting to turn up, and Jack soon found himself panting between their lip locks. It was to the point that he was rubbing and squeezing her flesh, aching to get her out of her clothing.

"You're becoming quite handsy, Your Majesty," she whispered playfully as she ground her hips against his leg.

"Well, you're kissing me rather deeply," he countered. "I can't help that you're turning me on."

Kat gave him a wicked grin. "Is that what I feel poking me between my legs?"

He nodded quickly, causing her to sigh with content.

"I really want to feel you inside me, Jack." She continued to grind herself against his leg. Jack could almost feel the heat between them as she warmed his thigh. Kat threw her head back as her blonde locks cascaded down her back. In that moment, she reached up to cup her hidden breasts, a sight that further inflamed his passions.

"You have no idea how badly I want you," he breathed while his fingers kneaded her ass.

"You can take me, you know? Only you can have me, Jack. I'm yours whenever you want me."

Almost all of the stress of the day had melted away with her last words. She was now ready for him. Ready for him to cross that line fully, to lose her virginity at last. He quickly found all further brain activity ceased as he sought to rid her of her clothes and make good on her promise.

Yet, just as he was about to slide down her trousers, he heard another voice trying to get his attention on the other side of the partition.

"Jack, it's Greg. Can I borrow you for a second?"

Jack gave a frustrated sigh as he and Kat shared the same look of disappointment. "How urgent is this, Greg?"

"I'd say it's very urgent. You have to see this."

Jack took a deep breath while Kat kissed him softly. "Go on," she said. "There will be plenty of time for this soon."

"I certainly hope that's a promise," he teased.

She grinned. "You know it is."

He kissed her one more time before sliding out of bed, doing his best to hide his now rapidly-deflating erection. Pulling aside the tent partition, he saw Greg standing there with hope in his eyes.

"Read this," he said, handing Jack a note.

Jack scanned it quickly and then looked back to Greg. "When did we receive this?"

"About five minutes ago. This changes everything, Jack."

"It sure does," he said. "How far away are they?"

"Just off the coast about a half day away. We can be there in a good hour's ride from our current position."

"Did you give them our exact coordinates?"

"You bet I did. I just had it sent back through."

"Excellent," said Jack before crumbling the message. "Get word out to all units that we will retreat no further tomorrow. We're going to make our final stand in our current position."

*****

The next morning, Jack and Kat awoke early. Neither of them lingered long in bed, and both quickly got dressed so they could start a short journey down to the coast. Being only an hour's ride away, they wanted to get there quickly so they could return with speed, especially if the enemy wasn't that far behind them.

Once they were both dressed, they stopped to find Greg in his own quarters, already wearing his uniform and looking like he'd been awake for hours.

"We ready to do this?" he asked, standing up from his chair.

"Yes, let's get moving. The quicker we get back, the better," said Jack. "Did you pick a squad to accompany us?"

"Yes, I have one with eight men that are waiting for us," said Greg. "We should be able to make the journey quickly and have a heavy degree of protection."

"Great, let's go," said Jack as they soon exited the tent. Their current position occupied a small hill that was set along a lower lying valley of the mountainous eastern portion of the country. In front of Jack laid the flat valley itself, perfect ground for fighting, and all of it downhill from his current position. From this particular spot, the enemy could come down only one of three different mountain passes, and they would need time to organize before they pressed forward with an attack.

Late last night, Jack got word that an advance force of one of the enemy clans was spotted traversing the center mountain pass. Word was passed through by one of the sentries, a cousin of Abel's from theMuthada clan. Since the scouting force was already closing in on their position, it meant they had about half a day or so until the enemy force was on the plain and organized enough to offer battle. That meant that Jack had to be quick.

After they had their horses saddled, the small group of eleven took off with a rapid pace, the horses thundering their way along the narrow road that led to the coast. Large clouds of dust were thrown up along the way, necessary with the quick pace they'd set, and it forced all of them to rely on their protective headgear to get through without choking.