A Warrior's Redemption (The Warrior Kind) (32 page)

I got up and grabbed a blanket from off the bed and carefully laid it over her. She stirred slightly but then went back to sleep clutching the blanket to her chin. I smiled at the childish gesture. Going back to the chair I sat down. I slouched down in the chair and tried to get somewhat comfortable, which just wasn’t going to happen no matter how I tried.

Krista woke up momentarily startled and looked around. She was on her sofa and someone had covered her up with a blanket. It all came back to her now, Sebastian’s surprise announcement, Roric’s rough embrace and then his startling gentleness and announcement of his involvement in her past.

How had her ordered and disciplined life here at Sebastian’s suddenly been turned upside down? Change, was the story of her life it seemed. Morning light was streaming in through the windows. She didn’t see Roric anywhere in the room. Judging from the rumpled condition of the chair across from her, she surmised that must have been where Roric had spent the night.

She smiled softly. Yet another facet had been revealed in the strange warrior who had stormed into her life and thoughts. He was a gentleman and he was kind. She remem
bered the gentle way he had treated her after his passionate embrace and shivered at the combination of both the memory of his passion, coupled with his gentleness of spirit. What a rare combination of elements to find in a man. He affected her like no man ever had.

I ambled down the hallway coming back from the kitchen where I had just finished breakfast. Sebastian’s study door was open and I paused outside of it. Not sure whether or not to go in, “Come in Roric.”

How did he know I was here and not someone else? The man must have the senses of a cat. I stepped into the room and Sebastian looked up at me and studied me as I came over to his desk and sat down.

“Did you enjoy yourself last night?” He asked knowingly.

My face flushed a little at his question. “Somewhat.”

Sebastian smiled warmly, “You didn’t bed her did you?”

“No I did not and neither have you.”

Sebastian chuckled, “How very astute of you. No, you’re quite right. I have not and to my knowledge no one else has either.”

“Why did you offer her to me?”

Sebastian looked reflective for a moment and then answered, “You and her seem to have a connection is that not true?”

I nodded yes and told him the story of our childhood experience at the slave market.

Sebastian nodded and said, “I suspected something like that. I have come to care for her a lot. I thought I could trust you to treat her right and I’m glad to see I was correct in my judgment of your character. It is no longer safe for her to stay here. And as I see that not only do you desire her, but that you also care for her deeply I’m giving her to you.”

He leaned forward and handed me some papers. I took them hesitantly still dazed by his statement. He was giving me Krista! I swallowed, hardly able to believe that this was happening.

“Now in a more serious note here is the compilation of all the information I have gathered.” He held out a book to me. I took it and glanced at it, “Applied Math and Economics.”

Sebastian and my grandfather shared a common trait for cryptic behavior. “You need to leave by sundown. Three horses will be at the inn where you contacted my operatives.”

“My horse! I’m not leaving without him!” I said speaking up.

“Already taken care of he is at a corral on the south end of the city. You can pick him up on your way out of town. Krista and Rugar will meet you there at the inn. Now I’m sure you must have much to do to prepare for your departure so I will bid you farewell and may the Creator see you safely on your journey back to our homeland.”

I took the dismissal for what it was and rose from my chair with Krista’s papers and the book in my hand. I turned to go knowing that this was likely the last time I would see this man, who had just casually given me everything I could have ever wished for.

“Roric.”

I looked back at Sebastian.

“Take good care of my girl.”

“I will sir.”

“May the Creator smile warmly down upon both of you and our nation.”

Krista stood looking out the long glass window of her room. Silently she said goodbye to everything she had liked and found of comfort here in Santarus. Her entire world now consisted of the stuffed saddlebags at her feet.

Her world was once again in an upheaval of change. She hadn’t really been surprised by Sebastian’s giving of her to the tall warrior from the north. She had nothing to be ashamed of. She had kept her bargain with Sebastian to the letter. She knew in her heart that what he had done was what he had thought was best for her, but she couldn’t help the anger that rose up in her for her old master at being so callously traded about like an expensive porcelain vase. Roric would treat her well, and be a kind master to her that she didn’t doubt, but their relationship would be much different than hers had been with Sebastian.

It would be a far more intimate one and when he grew tired of her she would be shipped on to the next man and the next, until she was too old to be of interest to anyone and then she would be used to clean floors or some other low task until she finally found peace in death.

“Krista it’s time to go.”

She turned and nodded at Rugar and stooped down to pick up the bags, but he beat her to it.

“Thank you Rugar. Thank you for everything you’ve always done to care for me.”

His hard to read steely eyes were clouded unusually, as he stared at her for a moment and then he offered his arm like a man of high society would to a lady and she took it as a high born lady would.

Later in the twilight of the evening Krista and Rugar stood waiting in a darkened alleyway near the inn where they were to meet up with Roric and Zarsha. Krista heard the clatter of a carriage draw near and then she saw it stop at the inn. She moved to step forward, but Rugar suddenly barred her way with one of his powerful arms. She looked at him questioningly noting the tenseness of his body in response to some unseen danger in the darkness. He met her eyes and shook his head sharply no. Krista looked back at the carriage before the inn.

Roric and Zarsha had gotten out of it and the carriage continued down the street. There seemed to be no one around, when suddenly shadowy figures seemed to materialize from everywhere and surrounded Roric and Zarsha.

Krista gasped and turned to Rugar, “We need to warn Se
bastian!”

“No, it’s too late.”

“How do you know that?”

Just then there was the rumble of an explosion and a flash of light that lit up the evening’s gloom.

Rugar finalized, “It’s too late. Come we must leave this place at once before the dark ones find us.”

Sebastian had watched his grand nephew and the sweet little girl leave in the carriage and then he had seen his pas
sion flower for the last time, as she had left with Rugar. Then he had seen them, the dark ones. They had found him after all.

They came closer towards his home like wary dogs finding their way through an unknown lair. Let them come, Sebastian thought to himself. His work here was finished. He had served his God, country and family well. Now he would go out equally well.

He could hear doors being opened as they made their way into the house and began to search through it. None of his servants were home because he had sent them all away. He had been expecting the dark ones to pay him a visit. Sebastian turned away from the window and moved back to his desk. He sat down in his time worn seat to wait. He didn’t have to wait long.

The door of the study opened with a soft click and they slipped inside the room like the harbingers of darkness that they were.

“Where are the servants?” One of the cloaked figures asked.

“I didn’t think I’d have to spell out the obvious to you minions of darkness, but as you can plainly see they are gone.”

“We will find them and find out all that they know of you and your traitorous activities. They will die slowly and painfully just as you will. They will tell us every….”

Sebastian held up his hand cutting the speaker off midsentence, “Yes, yes, I know. You guys really are long winded on the whole pain and suffering aspect of life. Could your fixation on pain and misery be related to some eternal fate of yours, I wonder. As for telling you anything, all I have to say is, ‘Go to hell!’”

Sebastian flared a match with one hand and moved a statue of a rearing stallion on the corner of his desk a quarter of a turn with the other hand. There was a loud whooshing noise and then the room and its contents exploded into a fireball of flame, which engulfed the room and soon the entire house.

Chapter Sixteen

Breath of Life

I tested the manacles that held my hands above my head in the darkened cell of the cities’ dungeon. I wasn’t getting out of them that much was clear. There was a noise in the darkness that was more of a feeling than an audible noise and I knew that I was not alone. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up and I prayed for courage against the unknown presence in the dungeon. A normal sounding voice spoke up smoothly into the stillness of the room.

“Roric, son of Lorn, heir to a long line of proud men, if it was permitted us you would be dead now.”

A hideously scarred and burned face was suddenly within inches of my own. Part of me wanted to quiver upon seeing the unholy fire in the man’s eyes, but I was a child of the Creators and He was greater than this dark aberration that had once been a man.

“It must burn to have limitations placed on you. You would think that would tell you something.” I said nonchalantly into the face before me.

The man creature growled and struck me across the face hard, but then quickly drew back from me as if he had seen something I hadn’t in the cell be
hind me worthy of causing fear.

“You won’t be so insolent tomorrow. We may not be directly allowed to end your miserable life, but there are other ways to stamp out an ant. I promise you that we will make your end as slow and painful as possible. You and your family have been a hindrance to our plans for a long time, but that will end with you, tomorrow. Your grandfather will be all alone then and he has grown old and feeble, as is the way of man.”

The figure turned away to melt into the shadows and I spoke out, “Whatever happened to that Marfoul fellow? He had the same idea concerning my extinction as you do, but it didn’t work out so well for him last time I checked.”

“He has been dealt with for his failure. It will not happen again.”

The last words were said in a half snarl and then it was gone and I was alone again. They weren’t allowed to kill me outright? I looked up thinking that must be where the Creator was when you wanted to talk to Him and then I realized my mistake. The Creator was everywhere, even here in this dark damp cell with me.

“If You’re not allowing them to kill me outright how about loosing these manacles so I can get out of here and rescue Zarsha?”

Silence followed my suggestion to the Almighty. I waited and still nothing happened. I rattled the chains holding my arms above my head. They were still securely fastened. Either I didn’t have enough faith to get the job done or the heavenly answer was ‘no’ to my request.

My optimistic mood fell hard. I thought about it all as I had plenty of spare time. Faith was a hard thing to under
stand. I knew the Creator could simply free me if He so chose to. So why didn’t He? I believed He could and yet why didn’t He then reward my faith and just release me.

No answer came to my quandary of spirit. I was at least alive and unharmed. That was something, actually that was a lot more than could have been expected otherwise. I guess the Creator had other plans, which was disappointing to say the least.

I had liked my plan better than…well this stinking cell. The great unknown of what tomorrow would bring was not something I looked forward to either. I fought to quell the negative thoughts that poured into me at the thought of the evil tomorrow could bring. If the Creator was the God of today, then He was also the God of tomorrow and if He was preserving my life today then perhaps He would tomorrow as well. My resolve strengthened some, but I still felt like it would crumble at any mo
ment.

My voice echoed slightly in the empty room, “Thy will be done, but I do ask this of You. Please help me rescue Zarsha and escape with her, Krista, and my uncle’s information to the Valley Lands. If your plans for me are different then help me obey and fulfill them even if it means losing my life. My life is yours to do with as You wish, but ………..” I stumbled to say the last part, “I don’t want to die yet. Especially when everything seems like it’s turning out for the better.”

My last words seemed in someways to be a betrayal of my faith somehow. It was clear that I still did not trust the Creator with everything and the knowledge of that tormented me even more than the thought of what tomorrow would bring. There was little peace to be found in the wake of my empty words that lacked faith. No voice from heaven echoed in the cell informing me of how or if deliverance would come.

I sighed and hoped that there would be an answer tomorrow. The important thing though was that despite my lack of faith the Creator would not forsake me, but that was no guarantee that I wouldn’t die to this life in order to take part in the next. Would that be so bad anyway?

I could hear the crowd crying out in a pitched fervor of excitement before I even saw them. It was a sound I hated and had never wanted to hear again and yet like a bad toothache it was back with throbbing intensity.

Before I emerged out of the tunnel into the arena I whispered out to the Creator suddenly overcome with the fear of what would happen to Zarsha, if I failed to survive whatever test they had lined up for me in the arena this time, “Are you with me Lord?” I felt nothing in terms of an answer.

My spirit felt heavy within me as I continued to trudge towards the arena. I couldn’t believe how my last experience in the arena, where the mouths of tigers had been stopped supernaturally seemed to have been completely forgotten. I was such a terrible follower of the Creator to doubt His abilities to save me given what He had already done for me!