He walked in to find her doubled up on the floor next to the cot she usually occupied when she was there. "I was wondering when you would arrive."
"Why? Do I owe you something that has slipped my mind?" her tones were full of the pain she felt, but were otherwise playful.
"Respect, caution, avoidance of betrayal, but I do not think you have forgotten any of that. No. What I want from you is information." The elderly man sat with eyes apparently unseeing the agony of the woman on the floor. She remained silent, clutching her abdomen.
She was half his age. Her hair was a deep red, quite different from his graying black. Her eyes, a bright – almost luminescent – blue, were a startling difference from his dark brown. After a pause he said, "Not going to offer?"
"What information do you want, Revenge? I’m not exactly in a good position to refuse, am I?" she sounded annoyed at the question, but said nothing more.
"First, you took this contract on Captain Tane after I advised you against said contract. Then, after studying, planning, and conspiring, you led him away from the trap that you laid for him. After that, you allowed yourself to be imprisoned. Upon escaping, you made sure they knew who you were. Why?" He watched her unblinking while he spoke. Something in her countenance changed at his questioning.
Through gritted teeth she said, "I have my reasons, just as you have for the things you do." They are more similar than you know this time...
"Do you know that the Counsel of Five has put out a contract on you?" Revenge sounded as though he were carrying on light conversation. She nodded. "Sylvia, do you realize what they intend to do to you should you be brought in alive – Yes, that is the preference. It has been paid, up front, and you are only worth half the price if you are dead upon arrival."
"I am aware of the situation. Would you please back off? I know Captain Tane is honorable, on the side of this war that needs to win, and that I should have listened to you in the first place when you told me that if anything I should be working to aid him, not selling my services to the highest bidder no matter the moral of the job. I know! But right now what I need is a dark, quiet place to spend the next few days while I finish this cycle and formulate a plan!" She sounded as though she would have very much liked to strike out at the man who still sat in the chair.
"Very well, Celka, I will have a meal prepared when you can eat again," he remarked calmly as he rose to leave.
"DON’T call me that! It was what Venom called me so as not to reveal my name. I expect you to call me by the name you gave me."
Revenge walked over to Sylvia, helped her onto the cot and said gently, "Something you did for yourself when you gave Tane the name Sylvia. How do you plan to keep that a secret?"
"I made a mistake, but the general is so apprehensive about letting me go that he has had most of the documents pertaining to me destroyed. You know how I feel about Venom. Is it such a difficult request that you not refer to me in the same manner he did?" her voice, too, had lost its edge.
Within the week, she was gone again.
Chapter 1The ContractCaptain Tane unrolled the parchment that had been handed to him by the messenger who had both arrived and departed that morning. He was a tall man, taller than most of the men in his company, but not by much. His sandy blonde hair was common for the people of this region, but his green eyes stood out a little. His father’s had been hazel, like most of the Tane family who trained the horses at Chadwick manor. He had his mother’s green eyes. He thought about his parents for a few moments, strengthening his resolve, before forci
"That is why I did that. I am here to save your armies once again.""My armies do not need you to save them. Last time you led us away from victory, remember? That is when I found out you were a spy and threw you in prison." He said with such venom she did not know if even the fact that the men were still enchanted would spare her life this time."As soon as I was out of that prison, I was contacted. Some of my peers thought that I had misunderstood the instructions I had been given that day. Some of them thought that I was just showing the fact I was a stupid female and should not have been entrusted with that mission or any other. But my employers were not so misled. They knew that I took you away from the fighting on purpose and are after blood."
Chapter 2 VictorIn exactly an hour, the captain was on the field talking to some of the men who had gathered around to see the sparring match when a young man wearing studded leather armor walked up, saluted him, and said, "Victor Sill Young reporting as ordered, Sir." The other soldiers walked off the field instantly assuming that Victor was the apprentice the captain had taken and whispering to each other that this young boy must have exceptional skill for the captain to take him after ten years of not taking an apprentice at all.The captain looked closely at this boy. Close enough that their noses were almost touching then asked in a low voice, "Sylvia?" The soldier only gave a sligh
The captain jumped. "I was wondering when you would be back," he said as he turned to face her, " Where are they now?" One glance and he turned back to his maps. She was definitely Sylvia right now and that outfit didn’t hide her curves.She walked over behind him and leaned over his shoulder to point to the map. "Here. They are setting up camp for the night. We have bought enough time to come up with a strategy and put it into action but only if we move quickly. They will not be fooled for long."Before he could ask what they would least expect from this position, they heard Ian say hello to the guard outside the tent. The captain looked up at Ian and glanced over his shoulder to find himself alone with Ian, his second in command.How the devil does she do that?"What is it Ian?"
The three-day march to the city of Bohen was long and tiring. They rose before the sun each morning and did not set up their tents at night. They rolled out their blankets on the ground itself without the light of fires. The last thing they wanted was to draw attention to themselves.When they finally reached the city, they camped in the forest nearby. They sent a couple wagons into the city for supplies with the men again dressed in civilian’s clothes. If they were inquired of, they were to say they were headed towards the mountains to mine for gold. The mountains were at least three weeks away to the east. The camp itself was well hidden and well guarded. The army had nothing to do but wait for their enemies to approach. In the mean time, the captain and Victor held more training sessions and poured over the corrected maps.That evening, everythin
Chapter 3 SwimmingAfter an hour or so, the captain announced that they needed to do some hunting. Victor picked up a bow and quiver and asked if they were going alone."Hunting is normally done in parties of four," came the reply, "but I could see how two could play into the apprenticeship." They left and told Ian on the way out of camp that the captain was taking Victor out hunting.They had barely gotten out of camp when Victor whispered to the captain, "You are making too much noise. Stay still for five minutes." It was then that the captain realized he could not hear Victor’s footsteps. Before he could say not to, the boy had vanished. The captain sat down an
The rest of that day was without consequence. A scout reported sighting of the opposing army a day and a half away, so the men set in to relax for the evening. They knew that for some this would be the last chance and no one could know if they would be included in that some. Since the day was hot, they requested permission to go swimming in the river. The captain granted their request."Hey Victor, come with us!" one of the soldiers shouted as they headed for the river. Victor paled, but his back was to the soldier who had said it so only the captain could see."Victor has been set to guard duty to learn discipline," replied the captain calmly. He gave a slight smile to Victor when he saw him mouth "Thank you".The same man approached Victor later and said, "Tough gig. I’m glad I
Chapter 4 The MountainsThe next morning the camp was buzzing with the excitement of the impending battle. Victor had gone scouting and returned to say that there was an enemy encampment not far away and that if they were quick, they could take the enemy by surprise. They were quick.The battle was fast with few casualties. The enemy soldiers, when they saw Mikail’s men bearing down on them, decided to flee. "I saw how well you fought today, Victor," said the captain after the battle, "if you did not have my trust before, you have it now." He put his hand on Victor’s shoulder.