The Destroyer Book 2 (39 page)

I looked at Gorbanni, who quickly gave the number of eighty-two. Thayer nodded and walked back to his team to bark out orders.

"I'll take the rear," Alexia said quietly, but she didn't leave.

"Okay." I smiled at her and faced my new friend. "Go back with your people, Gorbanni. Tell them that we are leaving soon. Point out the bodies and the carnage our warriors created. You are all capable of this. We will show you how. Let them know the way through the wilderness will be hard."

The man nodded, turned to walk away, halted, and then spun to face me.

"Thank you for saving us." His eyes teared again. "I thought I would die tonight. I couldn't take it anymore. Everyone I have ever loved was gone. I had no hope. I knew it wouldn't work. I knew the guards would kill me. I didn't care. I was a coward. I'm not fit to lead these people. But you are. I'll follow you until I die Kaiyer. You've given me a purpose." He didn't wait for a reply before he sprinted back to the closely grouped band of his followers.

"Let's hope we can get them all to the campsite. Then the real work will begin."

"Aye. This was a successful mission. Entas will be happy with us. It couldn't have been executed any better." Alexia walked away as I grunted in agreement.

"Kaiyer," she said over her shoulder. "Gorbanni isn't the only one who would follow you until death. I was reborn the day you and Thayer saved me. I have a purpose that fills me more than I ever dreamed. Thank you." I hadn't expected this from her and I didn't know how to respond.

"You're welcome, Alexia," I whispered, but the words were wrong. They were not enough. How could words express the hope and the feeling of comradeship I had with her? It would take years to properly express how I felt. I knew that she heard my words, though she had joined her team across the smoking estate by the time I had said them.

This was the beginning of our army, and we would not fail in our quest to save humanity.

"Do you miss your friends, O'Baarni?" The voice was laced with mockery and lifted me back to the present in a disorienting spin.

"Will you miss your life when I rip it from you, bitch?" I spat at the golden-haired Elven who had been tasked with escorting Greykin, Duke Beltor, the queen, and I out of Castle Nia.

The woman's eyes were a vibrant green, like oxidized copper, and were flecked with small pieces of gold. They narrowed slightly and her long fingers paused in their task of pulling her thick hair into a loose side braid. I expected her to spit back something in anger, but she seemed to have her emotions under control as much as her leader did.

"That would mean an unfortunate ending for your pet human. What is her name again? Nadea? I'm sure her life is worth more than mine to you." Her pink lips spread into a malicious smile. The other Elven woman chuckled from across the small fire pit where the three of us sat.

I did not reply, instead focusing on the piece of venison the other Elven spun over the flames. This woman had pewter hair with streaks of rust color running through it. The silver-haired leader of the Elvens in Nia told me that my escorts were his best soldiers. I did not want to risk Nadea’s life by killing them. The golden-haired Elven was the same warrior who killed Nanos’s guard the night we gave him the duke’s letter. She had also been rather eager to put an arrow in me when our plan failed in the dungeons under Nia.

"He's still quite feisty," the woman cooking said to the other in the old tongue. I tried to forget her name, but I had always been good with names. She was Vernine. "He seems capable with the horses." She looked past me to the three beasts we had ridden from Nia.

"I like him," the golden-haired one said back in the same language. Her name was Isslata.

There were rumors that I spoke the ancient tongue, but since they believed most of the O’Baarni did not, Isslata and Vernine had tested me for the first few days of our journey together. I did my best to pretend I could not understand them, but I had almost lost my composure last night after Isslata spoke in detail of Nadea being raped by a dozen Losher soldiers. I drew on the skills I had honed while hiding from Elvens, maintaining my breathing and heart rate to appear calm and indifferent. When they did not get a reaction from me, they began to converse freely in their tongue. For the most part it had been plans for ensuring I did not escape, and their theories on where Greykin, the queen and the duke would travel after we parted.

"You like the O'Baarni? I should be surprised but I've known you long enough not to be," Vernine said as she threw her pewter mane back over her shoulder and tied it with a thin strip of leather. I sometimes struggled to understand them. The language had changed a bit from what I knew and some words were accented differently.

"Yes. I really want to fuck him," Isslata said. Luckily, Vernine's gasp of shock covered the sound of my stomach tightening.

"Are you speaking truthfully?" Vernine's mouth opened in amazement.

"Oh yes. You weren't there in the dungeon. The O'Baarni completely disrespected Alatorict. I've never seen him so mad. I want him to say those things to me while he takes me from behind. It will be delicious." Isslata stared at me out of the corner of her eyes and shivered. I focused on the roasting piece of venison and tried not to feel sick to my stomach.

"If you're too dumb to spin the meat, I'll do it instead," I seethed at Vernine, interrupting what she had been about to reply to Isslata. She glanced down at the food in surprise and reached out to turn it absentmindedly. The fire was tall and was keeping the darkness at bay. We only had another night before we needed to return to Nia, but it would not be a problem if we maintained our current rate of travel.

"I thought Alatorict and you were . . ." She looked to Isslata.

"For a few months. He started to bore me. I believe he is still infatuated with Fehalda." The woman stretched her arms and sighed. "He was fun for a while. The O'Baarni will be more entertaining."

"A human though? The idea disgusts me." Vernine glanced at me and then back to the piece of meat on the fire. Her eyes were the color of rubies and reflected and magnified the gleam of the flame.

"Not just a human. The O'Baarni are different. They have been chosen by their clan to take the gift of power."

"He doesn't look like much. He is starving and half-dead." They both turned to study me. I glared back. Isslata had mentioned a clan again. I wanted to find out more, but I forced my breathing to stay normal.

"This one killed Greretal and his team when they were here six months ago. He also killed seven of Fehalda's best warriors," the golden-haired Elven said with a hint of smugness. She broke her eye contact with me and turned back to her friend.

"I heard that, but didn't believe. Greretal had a reputation, but I never saw him fight, so perchance he was not as good as they say. Seven of Fehalda's warriors should have done the job, though."

"Perhaps it isn't true. Of course, this one spoke to Alatorict like he was used to killing our kind easily."

"Aren't they all arrogant?" Vernine unsheathed a long knife and cut into the large piece of venison.

"Yes. But they have amazing strength and endurance." Isslata looked down from the night sky and at the food. "How's it look?"

"Almost done. You speak about O'Baarni from experience?" Vernine's mouth formed a coy smile. Isslata giggled softly.

"Twenty years ago I was traveling through Asek. I had a few days to relax between assignments and I was staying at this horrible human establishment, bored to tears and contemplating killing everyone in the whole town just to generate some excitement."

"That wouldn't have gone over well." Vernine laughed understandingly.

"This O'Baarni comes into the inn. His name was Testar. He was from Malek's clan and seemed just as disinterested with the current situation as I was."

My breath caught in my throat at the mention of Malek. Luckily, they were engrossed in Isslata's story and they didn't seem to realize I was listening.

"We spent a few days in bed. I was so sore, I thought I'd never be able to use my pussy again. We must have fucked over twenty times. It was unbelievable." Isslata sighed again and looked back at me. I kept my eyes locked on the fire and the piece of meat there.

"You are incorrigible.” Vernine laughed and leaned away from the flames. She glanced at me and fluttered her eyelids slightly. Her skin was the color of white cream and a slight blush crept to her cheeks.

"You're as wet as I am now. Don't deny it." Isslata giggled and twisted her finished braid around her fingertips.

"Maybe," the pewter-haired woman said finally. "This is done." She cut off a hunk of the venison and put it on a thin tin plate. She looked over to my direction and passed it up over the fire.

I never would have imagined that I would share a campfire and dinner with two Elven women who were talking about their sexual exploits. It was absurd. I believed I had eradicated their kind. I suddenly missed the company of Greykin and Nadea's father. We hadn't spoken at all during our sojourn since we didn't want to risk any hint that Jessmei was alive and in a small village to the north. The big man had given me a bone-crushing hug when they separated from us a few hours ago. Beltor also embraced me, whispering in my ear to find Nadea. The queen ignored me when we parted, like she had most of the brief ride. The woman complained almost every minute of our travel. I couldn't help but think that the king had been cursed by a horrible wife and son, but blessed by a beautiful and loving daughter.

Thoughts of Jessmei filled my head again, taking me peacefully away from the disgusting conversation the Elvens were sharing. I remembered Jessmei's soft touch, her dimpled smile, even her concerned frown had imprinted in my memory. She seemed to be the exact opposite of her mother; Jessmei never complained and found happiness in every occasion. I recalled our long talks while we lay together after our lovemaking. She had shared and educated me about my new world, the different kingdoms, and the way her culture evolved throughout history. During the weeks in the cave, it seemed that we had done nothing else but relax on the sleeping mats and talk in between intense bouts of sex.

"Is the food good, O'Baarni?" Isslata asked in Paug's language as she took her third small bite.

"Do you lack taste buds or do you just have no opinions of your own?" I ate another mouthful of the meat and didn't look up at her. The woman growled softly and then was silent.

"No Isslata, I don't think you'll be fucking that one," Vernine said in the old tongue, her voice doing the mocking now.

"I'll have him. I always get what I want. The empress told Alatorict she won't reach the castle for two weeks, but I figure she will be at least another month. There is plenty of time." Isslata spoke with confidence.

"I doubt it. The only object he seems interested in putting in you is his sword, and I mean the sharpened metal one, not the flesh one you would prefer," she said with a snicker. "He'll be locked up in custody and will probably only be visited by Alatorict." Vernine laughed.

"Want to make a wager?" Isslata set down her plate and dabbed her lips with a piece of white cloth.

"What is the point? You will lose." The gray woman cut off another chunk of venison and put it on her dish.

"I'll make it interesting." Isslata's voice drew out at the end with a teasing tone. Vernine considered for a few moments before answering.

"Alright. What terms?"

"You'll join the O'Baarni and me for the second round of fucking." Isslata's lips curved into a cruel smile.

"Absolutely not." Vernine almost spit her food out. I had already finished my plate of meat, and I could have easily eaten the rest of the deer haunch had the nausea not been sinking into my stomach like ice water. I pulled my cloak around my shoulders and curled up on my bedroll, with my back to the fire and the women. Whatever Nadea was going through was hundreds of times worse than this. I could endure them for another two days.

"Ahhh. Cold feet? You seemed confident before." Isslata's voice was filled with mockery.

"I'm not letting a human touch me, let alone fuck me," Vernine said with disgust.

"A minute ago you determined that it wouldn't happen. Now that your body is in the game you aren't so sure anymore." Isslata laughed. "Besides, if I started riding him at this moment you know that you would want to join us. Don't lie to yourself or me."

"No. You aren't going to fuck him and this bet is pointless."

"I guarantee that you will enjoy yourself. He'll be able to handle both of us easily. You might be disgusted now, but you'll feel differently when you taste my entrance while he's thrusting deep inside of you." Isslata's voice came across as an excited rush. The thought of doing anything with either of them made me want to vomit more.

"He might not want both of us at the same time." Vernine's words meant that she was already coming to terms with the bet.

"Males are all the same. Even though they only have one penis, they want as many women at the same time as they can possibly get. We are both beautiful; he'll have no problem letting me bring him another tight sheath for his sword."