The Azure Rider Ch. 03

On the third day, as they rode on, Agatha was awed the sheer height and expanse of the Forger's mountains.

"Do the Forgers live under the mountains or inside it?" she asked Sir Blaxton, feeling stupid for asking the question but too overcome by curiosity for diffidence.

"Under it. I have come here once before. They have burrowed into the ground, building beautiful palaces, halls and manors. It is quite something to behold. Unfortunately my vocabulary lacks the words that would do the Forger's Realm justice, but you just have to see for yourself."

"How do the mountains not cave in?" Agatha asked.

"Ah... I don't know. You shall have to ask a Forger about it. No doubt, they will be ecstatic that someone is taking an interest in their architecture."

They set camp at the foothills of the Forger's Mountain that day, and Orion sought Agatha and Lyla out afterwards, stating that it would be unwise to march the entire Army any closer to the Forger's Realm, as they may justifiably view it as a threat. He said that most of the men would stay at the foothills and tomorrow Sir Blaxton, Sir Alexander, Agatha, Lyla, a few of their men and he would ride towards the entrance of the Forger's Realm. He also asked Agatha to get her potions and herbs in order so that they could set to work as soon as they settled inside the Realm. Agatha scrambled to follow through with his instructions.

"Are you scared of him?" Lyla asked later that evening as Agatha fretted over leaking stoppers and cracked crystals.

"Who?" Agatha asked, raising her eyes from the rows of crystals arranged on the ground in front of her, each filled with a different potion.

"The General?" Lyla was giggling now.

"No, why?" Agatha asked, about a second slow in schooling her features into blankness. Lyla threw back her head and laughed.

"You are, aren't you? I have never seen you this distraught."

"I... maybe." Agatha scratched the back of her neck, grateful that Lyla had interpreted her reaction as fear and not a shameless search for approval. "We have all heard the stories about his temper."

"I think they are just stories," Lyla said matter-of-factly. "I think he is a very nice person."

Agatha raised her eyebrows, sincerely worried if the girl's brains had been addled from prolonged trauma.

"And why on earth do you think that?"

"Well, he arranged for these nice riding breeches and boots. He pays well. He looks after his men."

Agatha laughed darkly and said, "just wait until you get to know him better."

***

The road to the Forger's Realm was long and tortuous, requiring them to ride through barren canyons with steep cliffs rising on both sides. If Agatha were not so agitated over the fate that awaited them at the Forger's Realm, she would have taken longer to appreciate the red sandstone spires, arches and other rock formations that littered the wayside. Lyla asked awed questions about how the formations had come to be, and Sir Blaxton launched into an enthusiastic, well-informed monologue about wind erosion and nature of rocks. As they climbed higher, they started to see snow at the tops of the rock formations. Ice entertained them for a while by trying to balance his weight on the tip of the sandstone spires.

As they neared the Forger's Realm, the landscape started to change. The mountains grew higher in stature, made of black volcanic rocks instead of red sandstone, and the quaint rock formations were nowhere to be seen. They were greeted at the entrance to the Forger's Realm by a band of armed and hostile-looking dwarves. Neither Agatha nor Lyla had seen a dwarf before and they tried not to stare. They were short, stout, and bare footed, but they wore the finest mail Agatha had ever laid eyes on.

"Why don't they wear shoes?" Lyla whispered.

"I think it helps them climb better. Shh." Agatha whispered back.

At a signal from Orion, the men leading the party held out the white flag that they had been carrying. Orion disembarked from his horse and lifted his visor as a show of respect.

"We come in peace," he said, his deep baritone reverberating across the steep granite cliffs. "I am Orion Lanthechild, Rider of the Azure Dragon, General of the Lohenstraad Army. My dragon is flying above us, with your leave, I would like to ask him to land. We seek an audience with the great Forger King Thozomir Copperbuckle."

As they entered the Forger's Realm, Agatha began to appreciate why Sir Blaxton had refrained from commenting about the architecture using pedestrian adjectives. Intricately detailed ornate arches lined the hallways, glittering crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, glittering golden gargoyles were embedded into the walls, the furniture was made of sandalwood and similarly carved with a fine attention to detail. Agatha, who had never been very appreciative of architecture, found her eyes tearing up a little from the beauty of the Forger's Realm.

The meeting with the dwarf king went smoothly enough, with Orion explaining the reason for their visit. King Thozomir, justifiably did not want to commit to providing them with the weapon they sought until he saw significant improvement in his ailing men. Agatha and Lyla set to work, with Agatha employing her magic frequently, whenever she saw a patient who would not be cured with ordinary potions. Possibly at Orion's behest, a little female dwarf followed Agatha around with food. Agatha accepted the servings of sourdough bread gratefully whenever she needed, and by the end of the day, when she and Lyla slumped down at a corner of the infirmary, exhausted from their work, most of the dwarves they had tended to had their fevers broken, the colour returning to their cheeks.

Agatha spent the next day instructing their physicians on the herbs that they needed to break the fever, shared the recipes for teas and potions, elaborated on basic hygiene regulations like handwashing, wearing face coverings and concealing their expectorations. At the end of another grueling day, King Thozomir agreed to deal with them.

The weapon they had come all the way for was a hybrid between a crossbow and a compact cannon, only it was sharper, deadlier, and much more precise. The muzzle of the weapon could be loaded with ammunition, which in their case were small wooden spheres that the dwarves called "bullets" and the weapon could be held in two hands by an individual. The Forgers assured them that the bullets could be changed from wooden to silver to iron depending on their adversary, and showcased the precision of the weapons in a place that they called the "shooting range."

They returned from the Forger's Realm the day after, with a score of dwarves following them on short horses. Lyla started to giggle uncontrollably when she saw the stunted horses for the first time; Agatha had to clamp her hand over Lyla's mouth before she ended up offending a Forger. They rode back to their main camp where the accompanying Forgers met with their men and explained the workings of the weapon to them. Then the Forgers left, leaving the general clamor of excited men in their wake.

That evening, when Agatha and Lyla settled in their tent for the night, Lyla asked, "how did you keep your magic hidden for so long?"

"I don't know," Agatha answered honestly. "I spend every day in perpetual fear that someone will find out. You won't tell on me, will you, Lyla?"

Lyla propped herself up on her elbows and frowned severely at Agatha. "If that is how you think of me then maybe we should not stay friends anymore."

"Calm down," Agatha laughed, then hugged the petite woman so tightly that she squealed.

Lyla massaged her ribs when Agatha released her and asked, "does Orion know?"

Agatha nodded.

"Wasn't his wife a witch too?" Lyla asked.

Agatha did not answer, merely looked away and blinked furiously to ease the prickle of tears behind her eyes. She hoped Lyla would not be able to see her face in the dim light of the single lantern that hung near the doorway of the tent.

"What is it?" Lyla asked gently. "You can tell me, you know."

Agatha never got around to answering the question because they were distracted by a commotion outside the tent. Agatha hopped down from the bed and extinguished the magical fire in the little mason jar as Sir Alexander's inebriated howl floated up to them from outside the tent. A moment later, the owner of the voice entered, his red eyes swiveling alarmingly until they found Agatha hovering by the bed, her arms spread out protectively to shield Lyla from his view.

"Move, wench," he slurred. "I want the whore."

"Take me in her stead," Agatha said firmly. A second man entered the tent and grinned at them.

"Well, you are under Blaxton's protection, but say what, we will take turns on both of you." Sir Alexander seemed extremely cheered by the idea.

Agatha looked about the tent frantically for a sharp object, or anything that could be used as a weapon as Sir Alexander and his friend advanced upon them. She tried to run as soon as an opening was available between the two men, but Sir Alexander seized her wrist and dragged her towards him. On the other side of the tent Lyla screamed as the other man tried to tear open her shirt with a knife.

Agatha's eyes fell on the knife that Sir Alexander carried in his belt. But before she could reach for it, Sir Alexander grabbed her other hand and twisted the two into one of his, then pushed her onto the bed. Once she was one the bed, he kept her arms pinned overhead with one of his and grinning lewdly, began to unbuckle his trousers with the other. Agatha stopped struggling. When his manhood peeked out from his pants, she laughed.

"Good god, I usually treat people for impotence when it's that small," she taunted.

Sir Alexander roared with rage and released her hands to land a blow across her face. Agatha, who had been prepared for it, blocked it using one newly freed arm. With the other, she grasped the mason jar tightly and brought it down on the side of his head with all the force she could muster. There was a dull thud and Sir Alexander rolled from atop her and down into the ground with a colossal crash. There was a commotion outside the tent, but Agatha was beyond coherent thought. With blood pumping in her ears, she pulled the knife out of an unconscious Sir Alexander's belt and plunged it between the ribs of the other man, who had been trying to disrobe Lyla . The flap of their tent was thrown aside and Orion came running in, followed by Sir Blaxton and two men from their personal guard, and Lyla started to scream like a banshee as the inert body of her assailant fell on top of her, his blood pooling around them.

Agatha ignored the new arrivals and dragged the man away from Lyla and offered her a hand. Once Lyla grasped it and rose, she realized that it was sticky with blood. They faced the interior of the tent, where three out of the four men stood in stunned silence, and Orion took in the scene in front of him with an expression very close to respect plastered over his face.

"They were trying to rape us," Lyla said, her voice trembling.

"I can see that," Orion said, now struggling to control a smile as he considered Sir Alexander lying unconscious across his feet. Agatha knew exactly what he was laughing at.

"Are you all right?" Sir Blaxton approached them and collected their hands in his, consternation apparent in his voice.

"Yes," Lyla answered shakily. "Please don't punish Agatha, she was trying to save us."

"Who's the other one, Blaxton?" Orion asked, picking up the mason jar that Agatha had used to bash the side of Sir Alexander's head. Sir Blaxton turned the second man over with his boot and answered, "William Alden. Sir Alexander's squire."

"Get him out of here," Orion instructed one of the men who had followed him inside. As he moved around the cot to haul the body out of the way, Orion continued, "you are being paid for a reason. If something like this happens to my camp physicians again, I will be forced to find a replacement for every single one of you." He glanced around to look the other man in the eye, his voice as cold as ice. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, General," the two men murmured in unison. The other man scuttled over to help his comrade and between them, hauled the dead man out of the tent.

Lyla turned towards Agatha, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "You were going to give yourself up for me," she whispered, then hugged Agatha tightly.

"I am sure you would have done the same," Agatha said, holding her in an awkward hug, trying not to get blood on her shirt. Lyla started to sob into her shoulder while Agatha murmured words of comfort into her ear.

"I hate to interfere," Orion said gently, "but I need one of you to patch him up."

Agatha turned towards him and scowled, not caring that she was defying him in front of a subordinate. "You have to be joking," she said, fighting to keep her voice level.

"I'll do it," Lyla said, and releasing Agatha, she started moving about their tent, getting poultices and bandages.

"Orion, that man is vile," Agatha said incredulously. "Why are you ..."

"He's also, unfortunately, very good at what he does," Orion grimaced. "It will be difficult to find a replacement for him."

Agatha turned to Sir Blaxton, temporarily rendered speechless with rage. "Can you believe him?" she asked, "Say something!"

Sir Blaxton looked uncomfortable. "He isn't wrong, Agatha," he mumbled. "Men like Sir Alexander cannot be replaced easily."

"Oh, he's conscious," Orion said, glancing down, where Lyla was bandaging Sir Alexander's head. Orion knelt down beside Lyla and lightly slapped Sir Alexander to command his attention.

"Can you hear me, Sir Alexander?" he asked.

"Yes. What happened?" he asked groggily.

"You tried to violate one of my camp physicians. William is dead. You will not face any repercussions for your disgraceful actions this time, however, should such an untoward situation arise in future, I would like to remind you that competent camp physicians are much more difficult to obtain than Lieutenant Generals and I will not hesitate to offer you a dishonorable discharge. Lyla and Agatha are under my protection. If you try to harm them, you undermine my leadership. Are we clear, Sir Alexander?"

Sir Alexander groaned gracelessly. Agatha shivered. She now knew exactly why there were so many stories about the Azure Rider's temper. He had not raised his voice, but Agatha felt the keen stab of his reprimand as acutely as though she had been at the receiving end.

Sir Alexander groaned and said, "they asked for it."

Orion's hand moved so fast that it was a blur, followed by a thud of knuckles hitting flesh.

"He's passed out again," Lyla rebuked him.

"He'll live," Orion said dismissively, then peered outside, instructing the men standing outside to take Sir Alexander away.

Once they had left, Orion glanced at Sir Blaxton and a silent communication seemed to pass between them.

"There's something you two should know," Orion said. "There's trouble brewing in the Vandan borders again. Our troops posted in the Disputed Corridor have come under attack. Sir Blaxton and his regiment here will march to Remadra with the weapons, and Sir Alexander and I will march to Vandan borders with the remaining men. Lyla, you shall stay with Sir Blaxton. Four of the guards will go with you. Agatha, you shall come with me, as will the remaining guards."

"Shouldn't I stay with Sir Blaxton?" Agatha enquired cautiously. How was Lyla supposed to cure men injected with the venom? However, she fell silent at a single glance from Orion, and decided not to question his decision.

"We part ways tomorrow," Orion said, and he left the tent along with Sir Blaxton.

After they had left, Agatha said hastily, "he's taken my mason jar," and rushed out of the tent after Orion. She caught up with him near one of the camp fires, its embers now dying out.

"Orion!" she shouted, and he turned to face her.

"You took my mason jar," Agatha explained, pointing at his hand.

Orion handed it back to her.

"Why are you making Lyla stay here? We both know it's not the best decision," Agatha tried to implore with him.

"It is, and it would behoove you not to question mine," Orion said quietly.

Agatha was startled by the chill in his voice.

"I am just trying to understand. Sir Alexander is a terrible person," Agatha said, her voice close to breaking. She could not explain why, but she was desperate for a little smile from him. Orion stared at her critically.

"How do you think war works, Princess? How do you think soldiers entertain themselves when they are camping out in the middle of nowhere, thousands of miles away from home, battling men they don't know, for men they have never seen, not knowing whether they return home or not, watching their friends die everyday, fighting the elements day after day, until the honorable patriotism that had made them enlist is all but gone? What do you think keeps them occupied?"

"The spoils of the battle." Agatha said dully.

"Precisely. When you stay safe and secure in your home, reading in front of the hearth, another woman pays the price somewhere. When your lover goes about his day in peace, another man loses his life in his stead. And when you have seen your men entertain themselves in that way day after day, good men, who you had not thought capable of such atrocities, you learn to give them leeway. Because if you do not you would not be left with very many men. If you have any problems with that, take it up with the politicians who are incapable of signing a long-lasting Treaty."

Orion turned around and left without a backward glance. Agatha glanced down at her blood stained hands and the soiled mason jar and plodded back to her tent. There was a heaviness in her heart that she could not explain, and it had little to do with the recent attack on her person and everything to do with the man who had walked away from her, a man she now wanted with every fiber of her being but could not have.

***

Author's note:

Hi all,

Sorry for the lack of sex in this chapter, I hope the storyline and character development made up for it. There's oodles of it coming in the next chapter, so stay tuned! Again, I would hugely appreciate any comments or feedbacks. This is the first time I am putting my writing out for the public eye, so please tell me what you'd like me to change, or what you'd like to see more of.

~Ash