To Catch a Merchant Princess Ch. 04

"Looks like there may be some trees up ahead, and we need to go that way anyhow. Good chance we can find what we need to make a shelter, or maybe even a dry cave that isn't already inhabited."

Alicia turned away and sheathed her dagger, though she was tempted to do it in full view of Thakkor. "Shall we go, then?"

Thakkor laughed. "That's the spirit. You ever consider taking up the life of a vagabond sellsword?"

If it meant being with you — in a heartbeat, Alicia thought, and almost immediately blushed a vibrant red. Fortunately, the pale light of the moon hid her embarrassment. "My father would have an apoplexy."

Thakkor signaled for Alicia to follow, and started out as soon as she did. "My Pop did when I decided to sell my sword instead of taking up with the city guard. He got over it. Fathers do that, though it may take a while."

"I'm not so sure about mine," Alicia responded in dismissive tones, wary that the tall grasses could conceal snakes, or any number of dangerous animals.

"I may need to beg your Pop for a job when we get back. Fantil's never going to take me back after vanishing like this."

"Trouble seems to follow me wherever I go of late."

"C'mon now, where's that spirit of adventure you had a minute ago?" Thakkor asked, taking Alicia's hand and raising it high as the couple walked.

Alicia had no trouble smiling. "You are right, of course. Let us adventure."

The adventure, however, involved little more than a stroll across the seemingly endless sea of rolling grasslands. Alicia quickly wished she was wearing her practice uniform rather than a blouse and skirt, because even if the tall grasses didn't hide dangerous animals, numerous plants determined to cut and scratch her bare legs certainly lurked there.

Alicia ignored the discomfort and kept pace with Thakkor. He'd walked slowly at first, but picked up speed when it was obvious that Alicia could keep up. The woodlet he'd mentioned loomed ever larger, until the couple finally reached the small woods. A wide trail led into the trees, culminating in a large circular clearing at the center.

Thakkor turned to Alicia and smiled. "Good news, I know this place. We're at the far north edge of the plains."

"That is welcome news," Alicia agreed, thinking that the clearing within the trees actually looked inviting.

"Not much in the way of comfort here, but the weather looks good, so we can probably bed down on some pine needles."

The handsome warrior's choice of words sent a rush of aroused heat flooding through Alicia's body, centering in her loins. She stepped closer to him, lost in his blue eyes, her lips slightly parted.

Fortunately, the couple's intent gaze meant that they were not looking directly at the flash of brilliant light when the brigands appeared.

"Kill him. Take her," Alicia heard a cultured voice demand.

Alicia pulled her dagger just as Thakkor intercepted an attack from the first of the four swordsmen. Steel rang out on steel, shattering the quiet of the night, accompanied by the grunts and snarls of the battle-joined.

A cry of pain erupted a moment later as Thakkor's parry opened a wound in the first attacker's arm. He had no opportunity to press the attack, as he had to defend against a second swordsman an instant after inflicting the cut.

One of the men reached for Alicia, but she turned away from his grasping hand and slashed. Her fine, sharp dagger opened the man's palm and his wrist. With an almost womanish scream, the man dropped his sword and grabbed his wrist, which was spurting blood at an alarming rate.

The fourth swordsman, previously seeking an opportunity to attack at Thakkor's back while the other two kept the warrior occupied, turned on Alicia when his wounded fellow fell back. She feigned a stab with her dagger and the man stumbled backward, obviously surprised and wary.

A gurgling cry accompanied one of the other murderous men collapsing to the ground. Thakkor's bloodstained sword instantly whipped into a parry of his second opponent's blade.

Recognizing the danger of the quick, skilled warrior, the man facing Alicia turned on Thakkor. The unkempt swordsman leapt toward Thakkor, his blade raised high for a double handed cut.

Alicia only realized she was moving when she felt her dagger bite into flesh and jar against bone. The man screamed in pain, twisting away and wrenching Alicia's dagger from her hand.

Seeing the movement in his peripheral vision, Thakkor took advantage of having pushed his other opponent back to snap the hilt of his sword into the stabbed man's temple. The blow caused the man to stumble toward Alicia, and she reacted with the only weapon she had available. She brought her knee up hard into his crotch, and he crumpled to the ground with a whimper, still struggling to remove the dagger from his side.

With only a single opponent left standing, Thakkor pressed his attack. His skills far outweighed those of the man facing him, and Thakkor opened the man's throat in a combination of two blows.

Alicia snatched up the sword the first man to reach for her had dropped and stabbed the man she'd put down with her knee. Hearing the sound of chanting, she snapped her gaze toward where the men had appeared. She saw a well-dressed man holding back from the battle, and a man in the robes of a wizard. Realizing the danger, she dropped her appropriated sword and jerked her dagger free.

With the wizard obviously building toward a crescendo, Alicia and Thakkor both took action. Alicia concentrated upon the magic stored in her dagger and released the dart spell. At the same time, Thakkor drew his own dagger, flipped it in the air, and caught the blade between his fingers and thumb.

Alicia's streaking dart of magical energy burst against the wizard's robes, doing little more than stinging the man. It did, however, distract him enough to fumble his spell at the last second. The magic, which would have surely taken Thakkor out of the fight, never sprang into being. Thus, when Thakkor snapped back his arm and hurled his dagger, the spinning weapon lodged perfectly in the wizard's throat.

The other man hissed a curse under his breath and jumped aside when the wizard sank to the ground. He slowly drew a finely crafted longsword and muttered, "Incompetent cretins." Holding the weapon with apparent skill, he stalked toward Thakkor and Alicia. "Well, my dear, you've certainly caused me no end of trouble, and now you will force me to sully my own hands."

Alicia gasped, those words sparking a memory of hearing them before. "You used to trade with my father. I heard you say that very thing on the day he broke his ties with you, Armand."

The man threw back his hood. "Indeed. The compensation for your ransom, while quite lucrative, is second in my mind to retribution for the slight you and your father delivered to me."

"He serves a minor noble with an enormous debt, and shares the count's propensity for gambling. My father also refused to allow him to pay suit to me," Alicia explained to Thakkor with contempt. She then gasped again, the identity of the man who ordered her kidnaping suddenly clear. "Count Yeltsin — he was the masked man."

A wide, disturbing grin spread across the opposing swordsman's hawkish face as he continued to circle the couple. "Oh, how I hoped you would make all the connections, you cunt. With those words, I now have permission to kill you."

"You are welcome to try," Alicia snapped back, her voice full of fire and confidence.

The swordsman laughed, seemingly distracted, but then suddenly sprang into action. He darted toward Thakkor, his sword flashing in a vicious slash.

Thakkor's sword intercepted the blow with a clang and a hiss, forcing the other swordsman's blow high. Alicia quickly realized that her dagger offered little protection or opportunity to strike against the man and his longer weapon. Even as Thakkor interposed his body between her and his opponent to parry another blow, Alicia took a step back, passed her dagger to her other hand, and knelt. As though summoned to her hand, she felt the hilt of the sword she'd appropriated earlier in a single blind grasp.

Knowing nothing of fighting with two weapons, Alicia let her dagger fall to the ground. Her mind raced as she considered her training, trying to decide how best to aid Thakkor. As quickly as she formed the thought, Alicia moved to Thakkor's left side and faced the disgraced nobleman's servant.

Thakkor blocked an overhead slash, and then used his superior strength to push Armand back, countering with a diagonal strike of his own. Off balance from the strength of Thakkor's shove, Armand had to dance backward to avoid the blow. Alicia noticed the man's eyes darting toward her just before he lashed out at her.

Her body moving before her mind could catch up, Alicia turned sideways and swept Armand's sword up high. She felt a surge of elation when she saw the surprise in his eyes. That emotion rapidly turned to fear, however.

Seeing Alicia in danger, Thakkor abandoned a position of balance in an attempt to intercept Armand's strike. Armand recovered from the surprise of Alicia defeating his attack to take advantage of Thakkor's miscalculation. He spun on his heel, his sword hissing through the air. Thakkor jumped back to avoid the blow, but nearly stumbled over the body of the man Alicia had stabbed.

Despite the surge of fear for her handsome companion, Alicia's training surged to the forefront, and she did not abandon her footing when she lunged forward to launch a stab at Armand.

Once again surprised by Alicia's skill, Armand barely had time to continue his spin, almost accidently intercepting Alicia's appropriated sword on the hilt of his own weapon. He jumped back, now wary that he faced not just one trained swordsman and a spoiled girl, but two capable swords.

Thakkor planted his feet, his look of surprise mixed with one of distinct admiration. He faced Armand, his sword at the ready, seeing Alicia doing the same in his peripheral vision. "Put down your sword," he growled ominously, sliding his foot forward.

Armand loosed a scream of rage and frustration, and lunged toward Alicia. His sword cut down for her left shoulder, but Alicia intercepted the blow. Her muscles strained against his far greater strength as she held him back. Just as she thought that she must surely break, the pressure vanished.

Thakkor let out a grunt as he attacked, aiming for Armand's sword arm. Armand whipped his sword into position, blocking the blow, and slashed at Thakkor's midsection.

Already in the process of stepping back, Thakkor easily avoided his opponent's sword. He then pressed his attack, his sword crossing with Armand's overhead. Knowing that Thakkor possessed the greater strength, Armand disengaged just in time to feign a blow toward Alicia.

Alicia broke off her attack and brought her sword up to defend against the attack that never came. Once again, Armand took advantage of Thakkor's overprotective instincts, opening a wide cut on the warrior's upper left arm.

Thakkor had just enough time to notice that Alicia hadn't needed his help. He focused his willpower toward ignoring his automatic reaction when seeing her in danger, and concentrated on his opponent, praying Alicia would continue to exhibit such astounding skill and luck.

Unused to anything resembling a fair fight, Armand panted for breath as his sword flashed, defending against a flurry of blows from both Thakkor and Alicia.

As she had in the courtyard against Trell, Alicia fell into the rhythm of the battle, striking and countering without conscious thought. Her hair whipping into her face and sweat threatened her vision, but she pressed on. Perpendicular to her, Thakkor took Alicia's lead, his strikes and parries perfectly complementing hers.

Armand fell back, looking for any opportunity to escape the punishing assault. A fleeting second of unbalance provided him a chance. Thakkor stepped into a gopher hole hidden in the tall grass, stealing the strength and accuracy of a powerful overhand blow. Armand took advantage of the minor stumble, forcing Thakkor's sword wide with his parry. When Alicia's sword stabbed toward him in the next heartbeat, Armand grabbed her leading wrist and jerked her in front of him.

Alicia yelped. She stumbled as she felt her fingers going numb from the strength of Armand's grip, his fingers digging between the bones in her wrist. Tears of pain joined the sweat blurring her vision. He pulled her arm up high, further stealing her balance. Barely maintaining her grip on her sword, Alicia snapped out her free hand and grabbed her numb fingers, allowing her weight to pull Armand's hand down. Standing on her tiptoes, Alicia turned to a weapon that Trell had stressed early and often in his training.

Armand screamed in pain as Alicia's teeth sank into his knuckles. He released her arm and simultaneously whipped a half-closed fist into her face.

Her vision nothing but red surrounded by encroaching darkness, Alicia fell. As she hit the ground hard, she had just enough presence of mind to snap a kick up at her opponent, praying to ward off the killing blow she knew must surely be coming, even if she couldn't see it.

As Alicia fell, Thakkor attacked. Armand was no novice, and knew that his second opponent would strike as soon as the obstruction of Alicia's body was out of the way. He brought his sword into position, ignoring the downed woman for the moment.

It proved his undoing.

Alicia's foot connected with uncanny accuracy, straight into the V of his legs. The jolt of mind-numbing pain from his crushed testicles caused Armand to falter, his sword out of position by little more than a few fingers width. That tiny space provided Thakkor with all the opportunity he needed. His sword slipped past Armand's guard and into the man's chest.

Blood instantly darkened Armand's shirt as his sword fell from his nerveless fingers. Thakkor withdrew his sword, and Armand stumbled back. He stood for a few seconds on wobbling legs, and then fell to his knees. With blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Armand fell face first onto the earth, vanishing into the sea of grass.

"Alicia, are you okay?" Thakkor asked, kneeling down next to the groaning woman. He noted with admiration that Alicia still maintained a grip on her sword.

Alicia blinked the tears out of her eyes and groggily asked, "Thakkor?"

"It's okay, he's down. Can you get up? Let me help you."

Alicia accepted Thakkor's hand and let him help her into a seated position. She could see Armand lying face down in the grass in front of her, obviously dead. She released her sword, letting it fall to the bloodstained grass, and leaned against Thakkor's muscular chest, her head still swimming from Armand's blow to her nose.

After a few seconds, Alicia nearly forgot about the pain and the battle. The feeling of her cheek resting against Thakkor's chest and his arm around her back erased all her cares.

"So are you okay?" Thakkor asked again, his hand caressing the small of her back.

"I'm fine," Alicia answered, though wonderful was the word that actually sprang to mind as she relaxed in his arms.

"There's a stream near the clearing in the woods. You could clean up a little while I... Well, take care of things." Unfortunately, that reminded Alicia that she was sitting in the midst of a field full of dead bodies, which certainly soured the mood.

"C'mon, I'll come in with you."

Alicia nodded and tried to avoid looking at the carnage until it was behind her. Thakkor showed her the stream and started a fire. Once the flames danced cheerily, he nodded back toward the edge of the wood and said, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Alicia washed as best she could, but she knew that she could never completely remove the blood spatters on her blouse and skirt. She then sat down by the fire, her eyes heavy now that the excitement had ended.

Thakkor returned just as Alicia thought that she would need to find more wood for the fire. A few pouches dangled from his arm, and he carried a sword in his hand. "I found your dagger, and I thought it would probably be a good idea for you to hang on to this sword. I grabbed a scabbard and belt for you, too. They had a couple of canteens, but not much else." He held up a tooled leather bag and said, "The wizard had this, but I can't open it."

Alicia recognized a few arcane symbols on the bag. "It must be magical. Only the owner can open most of those bags."

Thakkor shrugged. "We need a tent more than bat poop and dried rose petals anyway." He then handed Alicia the sword, scabbard, belt, and her dagger. "I'll show you how to put on the belt."

An idea occurred to Alicia, and she asked, "May I see the wizard's pouch?"

"Sure," Thakkor answered, and handed it over.

"You might want to stand back. I can't be sure what might happen when I try this."

Thakkor's eyes widened. "Uhm, then maybe you shouldn't try it at all — whatever you're thinking about."

Holding her dagger near the pouch, Alicia opened her senses to the weapon. "I don't think it will be dangerous. I might be able to open this, since my dagger does strange things to magic."

"I still don't know if it's such a great idea," Thakkor countered.

The more she felt the magical energy flowing between the dagger and the pouch, the more convinced Alicia was that she could safely open the wizard's bag. "Trust me?" She asked with a sweet smile.

Thakkor looked as though he was about to protest again, but the expression melted off his face in light of her smile. "Okay, but be careful."

Alicia gingerly touched her dagger to the buckle on the wizard's pouch, unleashing a shower of red sparks. Both she and Thakkor jumped from the display, but when the sparks faded away, Alicia saw that the buckle was open.

Her smile growing wider, Alicia opened the flap and knew instantly that there was far more space inside the bag than should have been possible. Thakkor stared incredulously as Alicia removed silk bags, books, wands, and even a staff several feet long from the small pouch. She then discovered a curious sculpture and took it out. The sculpture looked much like the command tent she'd seen Gwen's soldiers set up in the courtyard to air it out after a long period of storage.

Alicia turned the sculpture over in her hand and noticed a word carved into the bottom. As soon as she silently pronounced the magical word, she felt a jolt pass up her arm. In a fraction of a second, she knew what the object was.

"You okay?" Thakkor asked, moving closer and reaching out to her when he saw her jump.

"I'm fine, and I think I may just have the solution to our accommodations for the evening."

Thakkor stared at the carving, recognizing it as a tent as well. "Little small, don't you think?"

Alicia erupted in a silvery laugh and stood up. She walked a short distance from the fire and sat the carving down on the ground. She then returned to Thakkor's side and said the command word.

"Fuck me!" Thakkor shouted, jumping back a step as the huge tent blossomed from the tiny sculpture. He then looked over at Alicia and apologized, "Sorry. Startled me a bit."

Alicia laughed again and opened the door to the tent. Thakkor followed her inside, staring in wide eyed wonder. "Is that a tub?"

"And a real bed," Alicia beamed.

"It's cool — comfortable," Thakkor observed. "Sure as hell beats carting around a roll of canvas on your back."

"It will warn us of intruders and dangerous animals approaching, and the walls are impossibly strong."

Thakkor poked the tent walls experimentally and remarked, "So we can actually get some sleep."

"And I can have a proper bath," Alicia gratefully sighed.

Seeing the wistful smile on Alicia's face, Thakkor nodded and said, "I'll go gather up plenty of wood for the fire. We may not really need it, but I'll feel better with a fire burning. Just let me know when you're done. I could probably use a bath, too."