Part 48

Greza couldn’t sleep that night.  The next morning would start her first day as Duke Verin’s body guard.  She’d be spending every day near him and she wondered if she could handle it.  Would she allow herself to be distracted and fail him?  Would she let him down? 

But what worried her the most was this Princess.  No matter what she did she was destined to not be in love with the Duke.  He had a different destiny planned out.  It hurt to know that she had lost the game long before she had ever started playing.  She was ignored by the prophecy and was doomed to be within arms reach of what she wanted but to never get it. 

The prophecy was turning out to be more of a curse.

Where was her happy ending in all of this?  Was she not mentioned because she’d die soon?  With her part over was her time on stage finished?  Would she be forced off or would she simply vanish from sight and mind?  Either way there was no happy ending for her. 

She had to remind herself that she didn’t do this for a happy ending, but because it was the right thing to do.

Once the Princess was revealed there would be no way she could watch the two of them fall in love.   At that time she would make her bow and exit the stage.  The Divine Lights could ask a great deal from anyone but that would be beyond her ability to bear.  She had limits and that was a limit she knew she couldn’t cross. 

The next morning Onata and she reported to the Duke’s quarters.  The guard knocked and Verin called out for them to enter. 

He was sitting at his desk in a simple black night robe and writing letters. 

“Preparations, my Duke?”  Greza asked. 

“Indeed they are.  Are you two ready for a war like none of us had ever seen?”  He asked.

She had no idea if she was ready or not.  She had seen an Imperial army column marching past the manor once.  It stretched on forever and she grew bored of it before she ever saw the end. 

“Duke Verin, may I ask a question?” Onata said.

“Of course.”

“Why?”

He put his pen down and turned in his chair to face them. 

“How long has the Empire been around?”  He asked.

“One thousand five hundred and seventy two years,” Greza said.

“And that’s one thousand five hundred and seventy two years of slavery, domination, tyranny and degradation.  Onata, you know first hand what it means to be a slave in the Empire.” Onata cleared her throat and scratched her ear.  “Even if a master treats a slave ‘well’ they still don’t have their dignity or freedom.  Then there are the beatings, privations and much worse things.

“This system can’t be left to stand.  We have to do something to stop this or our ancestors will condemn us for being cowards.”

“Then its not revenge,” Onata said. 

He shook his head. 

“It was never about revenge.  It’s about hope for our future generations.  I’m not going to let our children live in a world like that.”

He turned back to his papers. 

“You’re not going to let your children go through what we did, are you?”  He asked.

“My children?  I don’t plan to have…well…No.  I don’t want anyone to live through what I did.”

“Exactly.  That’s why I’m gambling all we have on this war.”

After writing the letters he went into his bedroom and eventually came out fully dressed.  They followed him to a meeting with his officers where they began to plan out the war. 

Greza paid careful attention.  She wanted to see how he thought.  She saw that he anticipated several reactions by the enemy and made contingency plans for each one.  He put himself in the place of the enemy general. 

He continued throughout the day to reference one of his officers, a thin man with glasses.  He was the officer in charge of logistics and could run numbers without pausing.  He knew exactly how many pounds of supplies would move their armies how many miles. 

“Richkurk, I want you to hand pick one platoon of your scouts and send them out to harass enemy supply lines.  That will be their job for the duration of the war.  I need them to keep the pressure continuous.  Recruit locals, freed slaves.  Don’t let them breath,” Verin said.

“Well, two of my top picks would be Onata and Greza, but I suppose they’re occupied,” Richkurk said, sending them a quick wink. 

“That they are but you have plenty of good soldiers to choose from.”

“And how long will that last?”

Verin looked him in the eye and neither of them said a word. 

“When do we march?” Tempest asked. 

“Before spring.  I want to be in position before they realize it.”

That soon?  That was only a month away.  Was that enough to prepare for war against the largest Empire the land had ever seen? 

The image of countless Imperial soldiers swarming their position like a flooded river remained in her mind as she went through the day.  Her eyes remained on alert looking for any danger to Verin, but her mind was also engaged. 

During dinner Alethia waved her over to her couch where she picked at a plate of thinly cut meats and cheeses. 

“I see you’ve brought Onata over to our side,” Alethia said. 

“Have you had a chance to talk to the Duke?”

“Not lately.  He’s understandably preoccupied with this war and since I know nothing of military strategy I’ve been waiting it out on the sides.”

“He’s not in a mood to listen, then.”

“For him the anticipation is always the worst.  Once the war starts he’ll sweeten up.”

“Enough to believe us?”

“Probably not.”

She didn’t like waiting until the largest war the world had seen in over a thousand years began to approach the subject of the Lost Victor. 

“We need more proof,” Greza said. 

“Find the Witness and the Princess.  Then you’ll have your proof.”

“But without that book I don’t know how to find them.”

She lowered her wind glass from her lips and looked at her with a puzzled expression. 

“You don’t have to find them.  If they’re part of the prophecy, they will find him.  Everything will fall into place.  All you must do is keep your eyes open.”

“And watch the Duke’s back at the same time.”

“It’s one and the same.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“It won’t be.  Nothing worth doing ever is.”

Part 47

Greza didn’t see the assassin until it was too late.  Now she stood over his blood covered body wondering what would have happened if Onata: the Protector hadn’t been there. 

“Who’s trying to kill the Duke?”  Onata asked. 

Greza kneeled down next to the body and began going through it.  They had people staring at them and the Duke, but she ignored them. 

Rumors would be all over the barracks by dinner. 

“My guess,” Onata said, “is that it’s someone who know he’s the Promised Victor.”

“You’re starting to believe, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Greza didn’t push the issue but inside she was smiling. 

“Someone kidnapped him so maybe they want to deal with him now,” Greza said. 

From his “warrior plates” around his neck they found his name and unit.  While the mock battle continued on they went to the man’s barracks and began looking through his stuff.  He had no journal, no letters and nothing beyond what the Company had issued him. 

“This man left us with nothing,” Onata said and kicked the man’s footlocker closed. 

“You think they have more than one agent?”  Greza asked. 

“That’s an unpleasant thought.”

“We’re not paid to think happy thoughts.  We’re paid to serve the Duke.”

“Ah, yes, Your Duke.”

“He’s your Duke as well and if we can’t protect him then we’ll fail in our duty.”

“Remember that man you fought at the border?”

“Of course.”

“You think this has something to do with him?  What I mean is…do you think this is the Empire?  They have to know what the Duke’s planning.”

That was indeed an unpleasant thought.  If the Empire wanted Verin dead, they had a lot of resources to throw at him. 

“I think we need more information.  If the Duke is in danger, we have to find out by who and we have to protect him.”

“He has his officers.”

“Who are too busy to watch his back all the time.”

“Grez, do you want to watch the Duke’s back or his backside?”

“What?  How can you even suggest that?”

“Ha!  It’s true isn’t it?”

What angered Greza the most was that Onata was partially right.  She did enjoy looking at Verin. But it was more than that.  He was the Victor and dark forces would oppose him.  He needed to be protected so he could fulfill his destiny. 

“If he dies, the darkness wins and we’ll both be out of a job,” Greza said. 

Onata elbowed her and winked. 

“Say what you will, Grez, I can see the bloom of love.”

“Shut up.”

After the mock battle they interviewed all his squad mates one by one.  By all accounts he was a quiet man who kept his own council and never made friends with anyone.  He claimed to be from Ekonia but his accent had been wrong.  It sounded more Imperial. 

After dinner they reported what few findings they had to Duke Verin. 

“It was a matter of time before they found out,” Verin said.

“Then we don’t have the element of surprise,” Tempest said.

“I never counted on it.  But their spies seeing a threat and the Emperor mobilizing his armies are two very different things.  His spies deal with intelligence and politicians seem to avoid intelligence at all costs,” Verin said.

“That’s cute,” Tempest said. 

“I can use my magic to find out who this assassin was,” Alethia said.

“No, don’t waste it on this.  He was one man,” Verin said.

“For now.  There’ll be others,” Tempest said. 

“I agree, my Duke,” Greza said.  “We have to assume that whoever sent this man will send others.  In all probability it is the Empire.”

She wasn’t sure she believed that.  In her heart she felt the man had been sent by whatever dark forces had kidnapped the Victor.  But logic said “the Empire” so that was what she reported. 

“Then what do you suggest?  I lead a war with one eye on the enemy and one eye on my own back?”

“No, I suggest you have dedicated body guards with you at all times,” Greza said. 

“I concur,” Onata said. 

“Sounds like they’re volunteering,” Alethia said. 

“Wait, that’s not what I was implying,” Onata said. 

Verin laughed. 

“Makes sense to me,” Verin said.  “Onata, Richkurk has told me on several occasions that you have the sharpest eyes in the army.  And Greza, we already know that you can rip almost any man apart with your bare hands and your dedication is beyond question.  I order you two to report to my quarters at seven in the morning.  You’re to follow me everywhere I go unless I say otherwise.  That means you can’t follow me into the bathroom.”

“But…but Commander Richkurk…,” Onata tried say something.

“I’ll tell Richkurk in the morning myself.  Don’t worry about him.  I’m the leader of this army.  That means I get to make decisions like this.”

They were both stunned to silence as they walked back to their barracks.  They undressed and climbed into their beds. 

“That didn’t turn out as expected,” Onata finally said. 

Greza could hear Onata chuckle in the darkness. 

It was a surprise to say the least, but now that it happened it made perfect sense.  Onata was the Defendor so it made sense that she’d be close to the Duke.  Every time she thought about it, it felt more right.  Onata was a part of the prophecy. 

A part of her said that it wasn’t fair that Onata was named in the prophecy while she wasn’t.  After all, she had found the Victor, not Onata or anyone else.  She was telling everyone who he was yet she knew somehow that she wasn’t the Witness.  Since she certainly wasn’t a Princess that left her out. 

A follower of the Divine Path shouldn’t seek our rewards or do the right thing because they expected a compensation.  Quite the opposite in fact.  Often good deeds were only met with scorn and hardship. 

Perhaps being forgotten was her hardship.  She told herself that it was a small price to pay for having the honor to serve the Divine Lights and the Duke. 

No matter how many times she told herself that the pain didn’t go away.  As important as her work was, she herself wasn’t important enough to be mentioned. 

She began to wonder if she’d even be remembered.  It was a selfish, vain desire but it was real and she had to deal with it.  She was after all, just a mortal like anyone else.  She wasn’t a demi-god. 

“Grez, you still awake?” Onata whispered. 

“Yes.”

“So, you really are a virgin?”

“How is that remotely important?”

“Just curious.  You were a slave like I was and you’re easy to look at.  I don’t see how you could have escaped what even ugly slaves can’t.”

“I told you, I had my protector.”

“Yeah, but I always assumed that you and him…”

“He was like my father.”

“So?  ‘Like’ doesn’t mean he was.”

“I’m a virgin.  Change the subject.”

“Sorry, but I’ve been thinking.  The Divine Lights love virgins, right?”

“It’s considered holy, yes.”

“Then it wasn’t coincidence that you were protected.  You’ve been set up to be Their servant for a long time.  I can’t think of any other slaves that were protected.” 

She hadn’t thought of that.  How long had she been prepared for?  Childhood?  Birth?  Did her mother have anything to do with it? 

What little she remembered of her Mother she remembered that she hadn’t acted like the other Ork slaves.  She was kind and intelligent.  She taught her to hide her talents and hide her resentment.  But she couldn’t think of anything Mother said or did that related to the prophecy. 

All she knew was that her mother came from the Long Tusk Clan and that her father was a Dark Elf noble of some kind.  Useless for her current situation.  She wasn’t who she was born as.  She was who she chose to be. 

Part 46

    It was the winters first field exercise and snow covered the frozen moors around the fortress.  A vast white plain of nothing stretched out in every direction.  A general couldn’t ask for a better practice ground. 

The Company was split into two equal sides and she stood off to the sides with the her half of the scouts.  Lt. Daran led her contingent and they were facing Richkurk’s scouts. 

Normally that would have her worried, but she was on the side that the Duke himself was commanding.  She was a mere hundred yards from his position and could see everything he was doing. 

“You’re staring again.”

“No I’m not,” she said and quickly looked away. 

Onata just laughed.

“Oh, that’s right.  He’s the Promised Victor.  How could you not gawk at such magnificence?”

“It’s true.  He is.”

“Magnificent?”

“The Victor.”

Verin was still talking to his officers when the other army began to march.  It was led by Tempest.  Alethia sat this practice out.  She preferred to stay in her quarters eating grapes, drinking wine and reading. 

They moved closer to the Duke in anticipation of receiving messages.  He had horns and flags for the basics and now they blew the one long note for “advance.”

As one the Duke’s forces began to march forward to meet Tempest’s army.  She watched as the blocks of infantry moved in a deliberate pace.  The cavalry advanced in stride with the footmen but stayed at the wings.  A small reserve force remained in the rear to plug any holes in the line. 

She never tired of seeing the perfection of a well trained army.  It was different than the personal, solitary training of the gladiator fights, but it was just as demanding and she liked that.  She wanted to become better and struggle was the only way to do it.

She wanted to be better to serve him better.

The armies grew closer and already padded arrows were filling the space between them.  She tried to see how the enemy would react and see the battle the way Duke Verin did.  The books said generals saw several moves ahead.  It was a game of anticipation. 

*

Onata thought Greza was a fool, but a harmless fool.  Aside from being a zealot, she was honest, kind and brave, three virtues lacking in the world. 

Divine Lights: ridiculous.  The idea that any powerful deity was watching them and helping things along was pig muck.  No one was watching and if they were, they didn’t care. 

For seventeen years she was a slave.  Seventeen years of pain, degradation and abuse.  No kind or caring god would stand by and watch that happen, not if he had the power to do something about it. 

If there were Divine Lights, she wanted to punch them in the face. 

Greza seemed to be studying the battle.  She got that particular look she got when she was concentrating.  Her lower jaw would stick out, showing off her enormous lower canine teeth.  She’d probably stop doing it if she knew she was doing it. 

The girl was as easy to read as a highway sign. 

Onata took off her helmet and straightened her hair.  She had to take the helmet off over her horns.  Only two holes cut into the helmet allowed her to actually wear it, but it made getting it off and on a pain.

She loved being in the scouts, but she hated the cold.  Warm weather was so much nicer.  Good thing campaign season was in the spring and summer. 

She looked over to Duke Verin to see what it was that Greza saw in him.  Yes, he was better than any other leader.  He cared about his people and tried for justice.  Perhaps that in itself was worthy of admiration. 

Very well, the Duke was an amazing man, but she wouldn’t admit that to Greza. 

Then something caught her eye.  Off behind the Duke and his entourage was a bowman.  Nothing strange in that, there were hundreds of bowmen around.  But this guy caught her eye because he was walking by himself.  No one was by themselves except couriers. 

She turned to get a better look at the man.  He wasn’t looking to the sides and had his eyes locked on Verin. 

The arrow that was notched in his bow wasn’t padded. 

Suddenly the situation was obvious. 

“Greza!”  She shouted and spurred her horse forward. 

She didn’t have time to explain the situation.  She had to stop him.  The Duke was closer

“Duke!  Watch out!”  She called out. 

Verin turned to see who was shouting at him.  He still didn’t see the danger. 

Onata pulled the crossbow off of her back in one, well practiced move and threw a bolt on it. 

The assassin was pulling his arrow back, preparing to take aim.  She had to be faster or Verin would be dead. 

She raised her crossbow and took aim.  But he was standing and she was on a moving horse.  She expelled all the air from her longs and tried to time her shot with the movement of the horse. 

He had his arrow back full pull and was getting ready to fire. 

Onata fired and watched her bolt shoot forward as if time had slowed down.  At times like this she was always amazed at how sharp her awareness became.  She heard Greza riding behind her and saw the Duke’s head turning to see the assassin.      

She also watched her bolt fly through the air.  It looked like a small dot with three fins.

The bolt slammed into the man’s neck a half second before he fired.  His arrow loosed and flew by Duke Verin’s head, moving his hair by the wind of its passing.  Her bolt had sunk in all the way and was sticking out the back. 

As soon as she reached him she jumped down, landing on her hooves and crouched down beside the dying man with her mercy knife in hand. 

“Who are you?”  She demanded, but quickly realized the futility. 

Even if he had been inclined to talk, the arrow in his throat wouldn’t let him. 

Greza came running up beside her.  She looked down at the man with a sneer of  disgust.  She then spit on the dying assassin. 

“You recognize him?”  Greza asked.

“No.”

Then Duke Verin and his officers rode up.  His officers were wide eyed and looking around like panicked birds.  Verin was calm as a windless pond. 

“That was a one in a million shot,” Verin said.

“He was trying to kill you,” Onata said.

“And you saved me.”

“My lord,” one of his officers said.  “I think we should get you off the field.  There may be more of them.” 

“You’re right, but I’m not going anywhere.  Onata, you have my thanks and I’ll be more thankful later.  Right now I want you and Greza to find out who this man was.  Find out why and who his employer is.”

“Yes, Duke!” Onata and Greza said in unison. 

She turned to Greza who was looking at her with that “concentrating” look again.

“What?”

“You just saved the Duke’s life.”

“I don’t have time to think about that.”

She didn’t do it for any fame or reward.  She just reacted like anyone else would. 

“Stop looking at me like I’m some hero,” Onata said. 

She wasn’t a hero.  In fact, she was a pretty horrible person at time.  She drank too much, slept in other people’s beds too much and only cared about herself. 

“You don’t understand,” Greza said.  “You saved Duke Verin’s life.  The life of the Promised Victor.  You’re the Protector.”

“Don’t get into that crap right now.”

She waved dismissed it with a wave of her hand, but in the back of her mind she found that it wasn’t nearly so easy to dismiss. 

Out of everyone in the army, she was the only one to see the assassin.  She pulled off that shot faster than the man and from horseback.  She shouldn’t have been able to make that shot.  She wasn’t that good. 

She looked over to the Duke and saw what Greza saw, a fearless man that wouldn’t let anything stop him.  He would win no matter what.  Her mind filled with all the possibilities.  All of Greza’s evidence sorted out and fell into place. 

He was the Victor. 

Part 45

Greza awoke sometime in the middle of the night to raised voices and the sound of a key in her door’s lock. 

When the door opened Duke Verin came in followed by Onata. 

He looked furious and she recoiled away until she saw his face grow soft and he smile. 

“Come with us, Greza.  We’ll get this sorted out.”

He then turned back to the guards and his face grew cold again. 

“I’ll deal with you two in the morning,” Verin said. 

He helped her up and took her out into the courtyard where Sgt. Karak stood with a group of other soldiers.  Tempest, Alethia and a few other officers were there.  She looked around for Richkurk but didn’t see him.  He was probably off on a secret errand. 

“She’s the one that attacked me, Duke,” Karak said. 

“And why would she attack you?”  Verin asked.

It seemed Greza was in the middle of an impromptu trial.

“Well, Duke, she’s been sleeping around with most of my men here and when I told her to leave and not come back…see, I don’t like whoring going on in my unit, she got angry and sucker punched me.  Just ask anyone here.  They’ll all tell ya she’s a bit of a bed warmer.”

The men behind him all murmured in agreement and nodded their heads. 

“Does she have anything in her defense?”  One of the officers said.  (Probably Karak’s officer.)

“I never did anything of the sort!  He was drunk and wanted to bed me and when I refused he tried to attack me,” Greza said.

“She couldn’t beat me unless she sucker punched me,” Karak said. 

Most of his men fell silent and she heard Alethia snicker behind her. 

“You don’t know who Greza is, do you?”  Verin asked.

“I know enough.”

“Did you know that’s she’s our top hand to hand trainer?   I’d have you two spar to prove it, but I already know she could take you down in less time it would take to explain how.  She wouldn’t need to sucker punch you.”

“Well…maybe, maybe not, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s been playing the whore in my platoon and I don’t like it.  That’s why she hit me.”

“And what do you say, Sgt. Greza?”  The officer asked. 

Apparently he was the impromptu judge. 

“I’m a virgin,” Greza said. 

Karak laughed as did most of his platoon. 

“It’s true!”  Greza said.  She could feel her face grow warm. 

All this was going on with Duke Verin standing right there.  If he believed one word these men were saying then all respect he might have for her would vanish and she’d just be scum to him. 

“I can find the truth out,” Alethia said. 

“No need,” Duke Verin said. 

“How so,” the officer asked.

“Because I know Greza.  She wouldn’t lie.”

“And these men that fight so honorably for you, are they not worthy of your trust?  There are procedures to follow, Duke.”

“It’s okay,” Greza said. 

Verin nodded to Alethia. 

Alethia came up and stood very close to her. 

“I’m not going to do any spell.  I don’t care if you are or aren’t.  I’m not going to let them disgrace you like this,” Alethia said.

“But I am.”

“You are?  How?  Never mind.”

She waved her hand as if performing magic and then turned away from her.

“It is as she said.  She is a Virgin.”

She could hear grumbling coming from Karak and his men. 

“What say you now?”  Verin asked to Karak. 

“Nothing, Duke Verin,” Karak eventually said as he looked to the ground. 

“Thought so.  You’ve accused an innocent soldier and tried to put her name in the mud.  No pay for two months for the entire platoon, including its officer.”

Verin dismissed everyone and took her, Onata, Alethia and Tempest up to his private study.

“I’m sorry it took so long to find you,” Onata said on the way to the study.  “But we never thought to look for you in the prison.  No one knew what happened to you.  When you didn’t show up for class we started looking.  It wasn’t until Verin received a report that a half Ork woman was arrested that he charged down here.”

Onata spoke in a hurried voice and kept her hand on her shoulder.  She had been worried for her. 

When they arrived at his study they took seats and Verin ordered food to be brought up to her. 

“I’m sorry this happened,” Verin said.  “It does not reflect well on my men.”

“I knew it would get sorted out,” Greza said.

“But it shouldn’t have had to get sorted out.”

“Wait,” Tempest said. “You really are a virgin?”

Greza wanted to shrink and disappear.  This was not a subject that should be openly discussed.  Especially not in front of Verin. 

“I am,” she managed to get out. 

This day couldn’t get worse.  She’d rather be held captive again for several more months. 

“Tempest!” Alethia said.

“What?  She used to be a slave, right?  I’ve never heard of a virgin slave.”

“I had a protector,” Greza said.

“Who?  Don’t tell me the Divine Unknown Ones or whoever they are,” Tempest said.

“No, but he was a follower and taught me everything I know.  He couldn’t protect me from the arena where I killed more people than I care to remember.  No, I was soiled in a different way, but soiled nonetheless.”

“It’s alright, Greza.  You don’t have to explain yourself to us.  We know your worth.”

And what was her worth?  Was she just a simple scout to him?  It was silly to think that she’d be anything more.  He was the leader of a mercenary company that was about to go to war with the Empire.  He didn’t have time to waste thoughts on her.  She was a soldier, a weapon in his arsenal and nothing more.

She couldn’t stop thinking about him.  He was the embodiment of perfection.  He was strong, kind, thoughtful and dedicated.  Every word he said was etched into her heart where she could relive them in the quiet moments of the night.  But her words were soon forgoteen.  She was fortunate that he even remembered her name. 

She was a tool and nothing more.  The more she tried to reach beyond that the more suffering and heartache she’d feel.  It would be better if she didn’t have to see him than be reminded of everything she would never have. 

Her parentage had never bothered her but she did have to look at the reality of the situation.  Dark Elves were viewed as heartless, conniving predators and Orks were ugly brutes with no redeeming qualities.  To be both was no blessing to a good man such as Verin.  Like any good commander he’d use her strengths for his own purposes, but anything more was impossible.    

“Something wrong, Grez?”  Onata whispered. 

“I’m just tired.”

Onata held her gaze a few moments more before answering. 

“Just eat something first.”

When the platter of food arrived she ate quickly and then excused herself, saying that she had had a difficult day.

She then went back to her bunk and cursed the feelings that were growing inside her like an unwanted weed.  She didn’t know if this was what the poets called love, but she wanted to be near Verin always and help and support him.  He was the finest man she had ever known. 

Part 44

“He agreed?” Duke Verin asked.

“Indeed, my Duke,” Greza said and handed over the message.

“I must admit that I’m surprised.  I didn’t think he’d agree.  I’ve been planning my campaign under the assumption that he wouldn’t participate.”

“Greza here spoke up and said a bunch of stuff that pissed Decaron off, but somehow he still agreed.”

“What did you say to him?”  Verin asked her.

“I asked him what he had lost to the Empire.”

“And what did he say?”

“Nothing.  He left the room.”

Verin smiled and shook his head. 

“You are a strange one, Greza.”

She didn’t want to be strange.  She knew her life was anything but normal, but strange made her feel like some kind of freak.

“Umm…thank you, my Duke.”

“I could use more strange like you.”

After they were excused Onata went off to the baths for her traditional hours long bath after a long mission. 

Greza was more hungry than anything and went to the chow hall.  It was late at night and no one was there.  Only a solitary lamp lit the room.  She walked over and picked it up before going into the kitchen to see what she could scrounge up.  She found a loaf of bread and began looking through al low cupboard for some cheese, dried meat or anything else that looked good.

“What do we have here?  Good evening, pretty,” a man’s voice said from behind her.

She turned to see a soldier with a sergeant’s uniform.  He was a large man with scars on his face, clearly a veteran of many campaigns.  She didn’t recognize him.   But she saw the way he looked at her.  She knew that look.  It was the same look the Imperial nobles made when they eyed a servant or slave they wanted to take to bed.  The blank stare came from the surety that they’d get what they wanted no matter what.

This was not a kind man. He was one who was used to getting what he wanted.  He also reeked of alcohol.  Whatever reason or restraint he might have were probably gone from him now.

Greza stood up to face him. 

“I’m Seargent Greza of the Scouts.  Can I help you?”

“Oh?  A woman scout, eh?  What they keep you around for?  You keep up the moral I bet.”

“You’re drunk.  Go sleep it off somewhere.”

He took a step closer.

“I wasn’t thinking about sleeping, darling.”

“I’m going to get my food and leave.”

“You’re not going anywhere, love.”

“Leave me alone or you’ll be subject to the Duke’s justice.”

He laughed.

“Was that supposed to be a threat?”

He then reached for her and she batted his hand away.  This made his face contort to one of complete rage.  His skin turned red and veins popped out of his neck and forehead. 

“Who you think you are?  A man’s got a right to get what he needs.”

With that he lunged at her.  She side stepped and brought her knee up to his groin.  The impact brought him to his knees where instead of red his face was now purple. 

“Did you get what you needed?”  She asked and then kicked him in face, knocking him out.  He fell to the ground in a clatter of pots and pans.

It was men like him that brought so much pain to the world.  They abused anyone they thought lesser than themselves.  She hated him and everyone like him.  How dare he think he could do whatever he wanted with someone else?

Then she grabbed the bread and a wheel of cheese and left the kitchen. 

The next morning as she was walking from the barracks to the Scout’s instruction room she heard someone yell, “stop right there!”

She turned to see the drunk from last night with two guards trailing behind him. 

“That’s her.  She’s the one that attacked me,” the man said.

“I didn’t attack you,” she said.

“Then how do you explain my face?  Guards, arrest her,” the man said. 

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Come with us, girl,” the guards said. 

There was nothing she could do.  If she fought, she’d be breaking the Duke’s law.  This would get sorted out. 

They tied her hands and led her to the fort’s dungeon, a place she never thought she’d see. 

“Go find Onata of the scouts and tell her I’m here,” she said to the guards. 

“Don’t give me orders, whore.”

“Whore?  Why do you call me that?  I’m not a whore!  How dare you call me that!”

If her hands weren’t tied she would have struck him, laws be damned. 

“We know your kind, girl.  You sleep around with everyone in the barracks and when they get a little rough you get rougher.  You can’t beat up a respectable soldier like Seargent Karak and expect to get away with it.” 

“You animals!  I’m innocent.  Go tell Onata or tell the Duke!”

Then one of them punched her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her.  A second later another blow struck her face.  For a human he hit hard.

They tossed her in a cell and slammed the door.  She fumed for a while before regaining control of her temper with the meditations of St. Tarilian.

It didn’t matter.  As soon as Onata finds out she’d be here to get her released.  It should be any minute. 

But the day wore on.  There was no window but she knew it had to be around midday.  What was taking Onata so long?

What if she didn’t know where she was?  She’d be looking for her but who would have thought to look in the dungeon?  That was the last place she’d expect to find herself.  Yet here she was.

What if no one believed her?  What if they took that man’s story over hers?  She’d be imprisoned or worse, thrown out of the Company.  She could bare prison and animosity if it meant she could continue to serve her Duke. 

The lone lantern in the hallway burned out and the faint light she had was gone.  She was left alone in the darkness, a place she was used to but hated. All she could think about was her captivity as a prisoner of war. 

Judging by her sleepiness she guessed that night had come.  What was taking them so long?  She lay down in the moldy hay and went to sleep.  There wasn’t anything else to do. 

Part 43

After telling Tempest everything they knew about Verin and the Lost Victor, Tempest sat back in his chair and thought.  His face was completely calm.  She looked over to Alethia for any kind of clue as to what Tempest was thinking.  Alethia was likewise unreadable. 

Finally Tempest spoke up. 

“There’s two possibilities,” he said. “Either you’re pulling a joke on me, in which case I’ll react with anger and possibly violence.  Or you are both delusional and need a holiday to get your heads turned around the proper way.”

“It’s true, Temp.  He’s the Lost Victor,” Alethia said.

“Second option it is.  At least I won’t have to hurt any of you.”  The enormous Minotaur stood up and went over to his armor that was hanging from pegs on the wall.  “I have more important things to do now.  I must polish my armor, take a nap and get a snack.”

Greza couldn’t believe it.  The Bull of the prophecy didn’t believe it.  After Verin she probably should have been expecting it, but she had imagined this going better than it was.

“Nothing we said sunk in?”  Alethia asked.

Tempest whirled around, snorted and barred his sharp teeth.  His power and anger filled the room.  Both her and Alethia recoiled back from the sudden fury of the great beast.

“Sunk in?  Yes, it’s sunk in.  Alethia, you chase dreams and adventures.  I know you have a need to collect all the memories you can, but this is ridiculous.  I don’t care if you waste your time but don’t waste mine.  Greza, you’re one of the best scouts I’ve seen and a soldier like few others, but you’re a fanatic that insists a dead religion is still true.  It’s not and no one cares about your Divine Lights anymore.  The sooner you two see the truth the sooner you can get back to doing something useful.”

They were then shown the door and had it slammed behind them. 

“He took it better than I thought he would,” Alethia said. 

“At least you believe me.”

“That’s two of us.  Now we need to convince others.”

“Mercenaries aren’t known for being particularly religious or open minded.”

Greza walked back to her room, disappointed that Tempest thought it foolishness, but excited that she had at least one other person that knew the truth. 

When she got back to her room Onata was there playing a tuneless song on the flute.

“Where you been?”  Onata asked.

“Talking to Duke Verin.”

Onata’s left brow raised.

“Talking, huh?”

“Onata, you’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“I already do.”

“I told the Duke that he’s the Lost Victor.”

“The what?  You are crazy.”

Greza explained everything that had happened about the priest, the prophecy and Alethia’s discovery about Verin’s hand. 

“Very well,” Onata said.  “My dad used to do something with me when he didn’t believe my stories.  He would run through the scenario as if I was right.  So, let’s assume you’re right about this.  If the Duke is the Promised Victor, then who are these others that we can find?”

“The Bull and Raven I’ve already found.  Then there’s the Witness that will proclaim him to the world.  Then there’s the Princess that will marry him and start a new dynasty.  Then there’s the Defender who will save his life on more than one occasion.”

“How do we recognize these others?”

“I don’t know.  There is more scripture about the prophecies in books that I don’t have.  Those books are usually reserved for priests and such.”

“Then it sounds like your next step is finding one of these books.”

“You’ll help me then?”

“Sure.  Got nothing else to do. Just remember that I think all this is a chamber pot that hasn’t been emptied in a week.”

Greza would take any help she could get.  She hadn’t realized how tiring it had been to carry the secret alone.  It felt good to have help.  That night during her prayers she gave extra thanks to the Divine Lights.

Over the course of the winter she found herself training new recruits in hand-to-hand.  The training masters told her story of how she was a hero to every new recruit and to her consternation they embellished it to the point where even she thought she was a hero. 

She never yelled at the recruits like the training masters did.  She spoke kindly to them and gave nothing but encouragement.  Yet they were still frightened of her.  Whenever someone did something wrong she’d ask them to step forward to spar.  She gained the reputation of being able to transform into a demon.  She just told them not to confuse meekness for weakness. 

Greza checked the Duke’s library several times but it did not contain the book she needed: Prophecies of the Winter Prophet.   The book was considered by most to be too confusing, esoteric and boring for the lay people.

More messengers were sent out to other kingdoms and mercenary companies.  Every day the war grew closer.  Few people knew what it was about but some suspected that it would be the Empire. 

“I’ve never seen this much preparation for a campaign before,” she overheard one old veteran said.

This was only her second winter here but already she could see that the atmosphere of the fortress was different.  Crates of provisions were being stacked already and the training was far more demanding. 

Her and Onata were sent out again to deliver a message to another mercenary company to the south.  The mercenary general in charge there laughed at first at the idea of a company hiring another company but when he read Duke Verin’s letter the smile vanished from his face. 

“He’s serious,” the tall, thin man said.  He wore gold and blue silks and didn’t look like a soldier to her, but Onata insisted that the Storm Spears were one of the best. 

“He’s very serious,” Greza said.

“You know this is madness, right?  No army can take on the Empire and expect to survive.”

The man picked up a jeweled chalice and took a deep drink.  He held it like one of the dandy fops she had seen in her Master’s court.  This man had more in common with a woman than other men. His hair was long and braided and she saw traces of makeup.  

“No one army,” Onata said.  “That’s why we’re getting many armies.”

“No, no, no.  I’m not going to risk my precious men on an idiotic adventure that’s doomed to failure.”

“It’s not doomed to failure,” Greza said.

“Oh?  And how much does a grunt know about such things?  You’ve fought in dozens of campaigns?  Studied the art of war for decades?”

Onata gave a barely perceptible shake of the head to warn her about any mention of the prophecy. 

“Lord Decaron, our Duke is not one to enter into such things lightly,” Greza said.  “He would never attack the Empire unless he saw a way to win.  Also, think about what you have to gain if we win. Land within the Empire.  Fortune like the kind that only Imperial nobles know of.”

She was about to end it there but then she had a feeling to push further with this man.  He dressed like a fop but she knew there had to be more to him that what was apparent. 

“Lord, also think of this as a chance to right so many wrongs.  For generations the Empire has kept everyone in subjugation.  The difference between slave and citizen is growing less and less every year.  The Empire does as it wants; throwing anyone that dare questions it into dungeons where they’re never heard from again.  Whole families go missing and the rights that were once sacred to the People are all but gone.  Tell me, Lord Decaron, what have you lost to the Empire and what would it be worth to get it back?”

Decaron’s eyes went wide and his knuckles whitened around his goblet. 

“You know nothing, girl,” he whispered. 

“I know that injustice can only reign so long.  Justice will eventually prevail.”

“What I lost cannot be regained.”

“Then let it be avenged.”

Decaron threw his goblet to the side and stormed out of the room.   

They waited the night in a guest room where Onata asked over and over again if she had lost her mind. The entire time she wondered if she had blundered. She ran the conversation over and over again in her head.  She had said what she thought was right and couldn't do any more or any less.

“Decaron will never sign now.  I’m not sure what you said, but you pissed him off and that’s seldom a good thing to do when trying to convince someone to join your side.”

In the morning they were summoned to Decaron’s office.  He was dressed in thick robes and wore a thin crown on his head.  He didn’t look at them as the entered and only waved them to come nearer.  

He didn't look happy.

“Tell your Duke that I think he’s insane,” Decaron said.

Greza’s stomach tightened as she thought about the report she’d have to give to Duke Verin.  She had angered Decaron and practically ensured that he wouldn’t agree. 

But then Decaron continued. 

“And tell him that he should make room for one more in his mad house.”

He handed them a message scroll and waved them off with a thin hand covered in rings.