A Warrior's Redemption (The Warrior Kind) (27 page)

I had the sense that there was something better, some
thing worth waiting for someday for me and so I held on to that dream and guarded it jealously hoping that it would come sooner rather than later. I remembered my mother and what she and my father had together and knew that was what I wanted for myself too.

It was worth holding out for and now with my new found faith altering the very threadwork of my life it was simply the right thing to do. Looking up at the sky as I led Flin towards the lower village I said, “Lord knowing the right thing to do sure doesn’t make it any easier! Help me!”

The voluptuous blond was leading Seth by the hand towards a hut while three other women pressed themselves close to him sensuously along the way there. Seth could hardly contain himself over his good fortune.

Their progress was abruptly stopped by another woman, who reached out and stopped Seth’s journey toward the hut with a firm grip of his tunic shirt front. The woman was tall and very beautiful. She had dark black hair and her skin was the color of dark chocolate.

Seth was busy in the process of drinking in her exotic beauty, when she asked authoritatively, “Your friend does not care for women? Does he prefer boys instead?”

Seth was puzzled by what she meant until following her outstretched arm he saw that she was pointing at Roric’s retreating form.

“Him!
Oh no I’m pretty sure he prefers women! He’s just a little shy and to serious for his own good sometimes.”

Seth disappeared into the hut with the other women. The blond leader paused, “Are you not coming Kana?”

“No, I want him!” Kana said pointing after Roric’s re
treating form.

“Have it your way Kana, but you’re missing out.” The blond said before ducking into the tent.

I entered the village of men subconsciously looking for the man, who had caught my attention earlier. I had tried to ask a passing man for help, but the man had just hurried away from me, with fear written all over his face. Puzzled by their behavior I decided to leave. I was almost out of the vil
lage, when the man I had seen earlier motioned to me from behind a hut for me to follow him. Curious but wary of a trap I followed him at a distance.

He led me to a group of trees near a little brook on the edge of the forest. We were out of sight of both villages. He snapped his fingers and gave a come
hither motion. The little girl he’d had with him before came out from some reeds she’d been hiding behind and stood in front of the man.

Putting his hands on the girl’s shoulders the man said haltingly, “You must leave now and take the girl with you!”

“Why? Am I in danger? Is she in danger?”

“Yes!” The man said shaking his head vehemently.

“In danger from whom?” I asked. The man shook his head violently in denial of answering my question, as I saw fear intensify in his eyes.

“With your permission I’ll have your horse saddled here with the young girl waiting for you tonight. Come before dark! You must go and take the girl with you!” With that said the man hurried away from the hiding spot with the girl.

“Where are all the boys?” I asked to his retreating back, but he didn’t answer me.

Spooky little man I thought. He didn’t seem to be all there upstairs. One thing was for sure though, he loved that little girl. The girl couldn’t be much older than about six.

I started to leave the cove and then stopped myself. If there was some element of truth to what the man had said it would be good to have Flin hid where I could get to him. I tied Flin to a stump and made my way back to the women’s camp or at least the outskirts of it.

The little girl came out from behind some reeds, after she saw that the big man had left. Flin turned his head and nick
ered softly at the girl as she drew closer, Flin side stepped away from her before she reached him.

The girl pulled a long carrot out from her sleeve and held it out to him. Flin nickered again and after a moment’s hesitation ambled up to the little girl. He snuffled her head blowing her hair everywhere, which caused the little girl to giggle.

Flin leaned down and took the carrot form her hand and ate it noisily. After Flin was finished he looked down at her hopefully. She didn’t disappoint, as with a little grin she pulled out another carrot.

I pulled away from the tree I had been peering around and smiling I continued on my way to the outskirts of the village. Flin was in good hands.

I looked around the perimeter of the village to see if anything could be learned of any possible danger to us that would validate the little man’s fears for the girl’s safety. I was about to give up and reenter the village, when I saw John slip out of the village. His actions were those of a man who wished to remain unseen.

He moved deeper into the forest and I followed after him from a distance. An hour later to my shame I had to admit to myself that he was more adept at alluding pursuit than I was at tracking him, which surprised me because I was pretty good at tracking.

I had lost him within five minutes of him entering the forest. I was headed back to the village for the evening feast, when I heard a sound that stopped me in my tracks. After a moment of intensive listening it became clear to me that what I heard was the sound of a horse browsing.

Following the direction of the noise I soon found its source. John’s horse stood saddled in a hidden alcove of the forest. No one was around. Scouting the area I found a grassy knoll that had a depression in the grass where someone had sat for a long period of time. John? Perhaps he had wanted to avoid the lusty afternoon back at the village as I had. Why else would he come out here? Did he sense dan
ger too and if so why had he not informed me of it?

Probably thought I’d be busy whoring like the others were and past caring about such things. I got back to the village as the evening shadows began to grow dark only to find that the feast was already in full swing. I made my way carefully past the bare female bodies to Seth’s side and sat down.

The evening wasn’t without its share of lusty entertainment either. Several girls were moving sensuously to the rhythm of a savage beat being drummed out by several older women on old looking drums that appeared as if they had seen long service.

Seth and the other men were completely absorbed by the entertainment, as if they couldn’t get enough of it to satisfy themselves
to look away for even a moment. Seth did notice me as I sat down beside him.

He turned to me putting an arm around my shoulder as he did so, “Tell me brother, why did you miss out on enjoying yourself this afternoon? It doesn’t get any better than this!”

At my expression Seth exploded optimistically forth with, “Don’t worry there’s still tonight. That one!” He said indicating the blond leader. “You’ve got to try her and that short brunette over there. You wouldn’t believe what she can do with her….”

I stopped Seth mid sentence. “Seth, what you do is your business, but you should be on your guard around these women! Something isn’t right around here! Don’t you feel it?”

“You know me boss I’m always on my guard.” Seth said half jokingly turning his attention back to the dancers, which were taking it up another notch in intensity. I ate till I was full. Admittedly the food was very good and it helped to ease the miserable experience I was having overall.

Suddenly John got up and left the feast. He had sat quietly over there on the far side of the fire all during the feast without saying anything. He hadn’t seemed interested in the girls at all and strangely enough they hadn’t been in him either.

More of the women joined the few twirling dancers and things were getting wilder and more out of control by the moment. Some sixth sense within me started sounding out an internal alarm bell. I slipped out from the fire’s light, as Seth unable to restrain himself anymore leaped to his feet to join in with the dancers.

Slipping past the last few women at the edge of the feasting area I headed towards where John’s horse was located figuring that I would find John there. Several minutes later I heard a sound behind me. I had just crossed a moonlit clear
ing in the forest. Wheeling around ready to face one enemy or several I instead saw one of the women from the camp. She was tall and of a darker skin color than most of the other women, and yet she was very beautiful. She moved towards me her gaze direct and admiring.

“You are the man I wish to mate with. You will make me strong daughters.”

Somewhat taken back by her statement I was speechless as she approached with all the grace the feminine form can offer. She reached behind her and undid the fabric conceal
ing and supporting her breasts. The fabric fell to the ground and I swallowed reflexively.

This was getting way out of control in a hurry! I stared at her spellbound as she glided toward me. As she reached me she turned and pressed back against me grabbing my hands
as she did so and before I could think as to what she might be doing with them she brought them up to cup her full breasts, even as she rubbed back against me with her bottom.

“You like Kana?”

Trying to figure out my course of action let alone control my rampant senses was hard to come by in this moment, but I tried. All that seemed to matter in this moment was fulfilling the pent up need I had been repressing for years.

You need to focus Roric! You need to be careful re
member? Remember what? Why you’re in the forest? John! It had been something about John hadn’t it? The horse in the woods, his strange behavior and his horrifically bad choice of coming to this village of tempting hedonistic women!

These women were dangerous! They had stolen my hard won sense of self control completely from me ever since I had gotten here and I was tired of it! I thrust Kana away from me although every carnal part of me wanted what she was offering. Stepping back from her I fought to bring my breathing back under control. I could feel the blood pulsing through my veins, as if it was boiling inside them.

“I need to go! No offense meant, some other time maybe.”

I turned wanting to get away from the scene I was creating before I embarrassed myself even further. My training as a warrior saved me.

I heard Kana say behind me, as if she was spitting out venom, “The Vanah are not refused!”

Vanah?

I heard the noise of steel grating as it would on a knife sheath, as it was withdrawn from it and I reacted. My hands flew to my waistband and the daggers stashed there.

I felt her breasts touch my back and her strong right arm came over my right shoulder as her hand grabbing my chin and pulling it back for the killing slice. I had my left hand going up with a knife and I was almost too late. Her left arm whipped over my shoulder her hand holding a knife to slit my throat. As the blade slid across my throat it met the steel of my knife blade instead of the soft flesh of my throat and before she realized what had happened the dagger in my right hand was buried to the hilt in her side.

She gasped aloud reeling back from me holding the mortal wound in her side. Disbelief of her fate marred her beautiful face, as she fell to the ground pulsing out her remaining life onto the forest floor.

“You are indeed a great man to not have allowed yourself to fall for the erotic wiles of the Vanah. I’ll give you that much of a compliment at least Roric.”

I wheeled around toward the voice. Across the clearing sat John on his horse.

“What’s going on here John?”

John laughed, “I too am a great man, even though your grandfather chose to ignore it. This book that your grandfather and you would so causally have destroyed if not for me is the answer to our prayers! It holds the keys to eternal life!”

He held the big book up that he had somehow taken from the central pedestal without me noticing.

“Its author is probably Satan himself or someone mislead by him you fool! What knowledge do you hope to glean from it that’s worth your soul?”

“Spoken like a true believer of the Valley Lander version of faith. Your grandfather would be so proud of you! It’s a pity that you’re going to die here so far from your new home. You should have enjoyed the pleasures presented by the women, while they were offering them to you! Now they’ll just take until there’s nothing left to give! Farewell I have a great commission before me and masters to please. But let me say how grateful I am to already have been rewarded with the demise of the last cursed offspring of your grandfathers’ sanctimonious family.”

He pulled his horse around and jumped it into a gallop towards the forest, but not before I had thrown my daggers. I knew that they had landed, when I heard him cry out painfully, but he remained in the saddle and was gone from sight within moments.

I ran through the forest to get to Flin. I had to stop John and destroy that book! Reaching the hiding spot where I had left Flin I found him saddled and ready along with the girl and her protector.

The man was completely frantic. “You are late! It has begun! They will come hunting for you!”

“What are you talking about man?” I yelled as I reached out and shook him violently trying to make sense of him. For a moment he was more afraid of me than anything else and he blurted out the truth.

“The she devils come and get you! They torture you and then drink your blood while you live!”

Iciness closed in around my heart at his words and as the full realization of John’s treachery came to light. I let the man go and fairly leaped onto Flin’s back pulling him around towards the camp, but the man blocked me from continuing.

Tears in his eyes he held up the little girl in front of him, “Please! You are a good man! You take my Zarsha with you! So she not become a she devil too!”

I couldn’t resist the plea in the man’s eyes and I leaned down and grabbed the girl up into my arms and then ducked Flin around the man and galloped for the other camp.