Choosing Hearts - The Fighter's Passion (Gritty, Explicit Romance Novel) (A Lusty Stand Alone Story) (5 page)

CHAPTER
THREE

“Bad tidings, my lord.” The young
messenger said, bowing down on one knee. “The South Tower has been taken,
leaving the pass open to the farming lands for the invading enemy.”

“And what of my
men stationed there?” The Duke inquired in exasperation. “I had an entire
cohort of good men manning the tower.”

“Most fought
valiantly, some fled… and some were bewitched.” The young man said, trembling
slightly.

“Bewitched?”
Edenton stiffened, his hands grasping at the armrests of his lavish chair.
“What do you mean by that?”

“The men were
fighting the enemy valiantly, until suddenly some fell ill while others turned
upon their comrades.” The messenger replied, eyeing the Duke with trepidation.
“Brothers in arms turned upon each other…”

“Is Rogan aware of
this?” The Duke turned to his attendant, the faithful Eustace.

The seventy year
old caretaker of the Duke’s estate nodded grimly. “Aye, my lord. Sir Rogan
leads our able warriors into battle as we speak.”

“Who is this
aggressor… who breaks the pact I made with Norton of Avangalus?” Edenton
scowled.

“He is a dark
wizard, most say,” Eustace replied calmly. “The one who was behind the
aggressions of the past… he comes out of hiding now and rules Avangalus in Lord
Norton’s stead.”  

“Does he have a
name, this wizard?” Edenton leaned forward in agitation.

“Nostrazcus… his
name is Nostrazcus.” The elderly advisor wheezed.

“And what are his
powers?” The large nobleman demanded.

“He appears to
have control over men and beasts and sometimes over nature.” Eustace said
slowly. “He has mastery over the dark arts and conjures up demons and other
horrors from the netherworld.”

“Whence do you get
all this knowledge, faithful Eustace?” The Duke eyed the man who served his
family for three generations.

“Travelers coming
from the south, my lord.” Eustace nodded grimly. “They have such tales to tell,
while resting at the inn that my brother’s sons own.”

“So we have a
formidable foe to contend with yet again.” Edenton pounded his fist on the
armrest. “Will peace not prevail long enough for us?”

“It has only been
three and a quarter years since we settled our differences with the
south-west.” The old caretaker shook his head ruefully. “Some had feared this
after Lord Norton suddenly fell ill and died during the winter.”

“Our forces, under
Sir Rogan’s able command, will triumph once more, my lord.” The messenger spoke
up.

“That we may, my
boy.” The Duke sighed. “But at great cost… once more my loyal people will be
subjected to the despair and terror of war, once more many will lose their sons
and husbands and fathers… will this ever end?”

~ ~
~

“This is not the
end, young Belen.” Rogan told the teenaged archer. “It is only the beginning.
Wars are long and tedious; each battle is but a path to the next one.”

“Yet we have won
this battle.Surely we must rejoice tonight.” Belen grinned, loosening the
tautness of his bow string. “Vineberg has been freed of the enemy.”

“Yes, we will
rest, we will eat well and we will drink tonight… and then we must move on.”
Rogan looked despondently at the carnage all around him. “News of another
breach near the Orenden farmstead has come. At first light, we will ride.”

“I agree with the
boy, Captain.” Gregory walked up, sheathing his claymore into the large
scabbard lashed to his broad back. “We have fought hard for five days to
reclaim this farmstead, reduced to a wasteland of rock and ash… and another six
days before that to drive the enemy out of Ebensburg. We need some rest and drink…
for the morale of the fighting men.”

“We will rest and
recover as much as we can tonight, old friend.” The tall knight smiled at the
veteran. “But every moment we tarry, the enemy gets a stronger foothold. I have
pledged my life to protect this land. Kirk Falls is as much home to me as it is
to you, the Duke and everyone else here.”

“We do not doubt
that for even a hair’s breadth of a moment, Captain.” Gregory sighed, sitting
down on an upturned wheel-barrow. “It will take long to rebuild Vineberg back
to what it was. Is this the darkness that mad Mymisa kept babbling about,
before she was thrown back into the dungeon?”

“I take little
stock of what lunatics say, Gregory. You know that well enough.” Rogan sat
beside his one time mentor. “But this enemy we face, this wizard Nostrazcus, is
one we know nothing much about.”

“Save that he has
usurped Avangalus and now seeks to covet Kirk Falls.” Draco strode up and
offered them a platter of salted beef and boiled carrots.

The hungry men
fell on the simple meal as if it was a grand feast. Food and water had become
hard to come by. The forces of Nostrazcus were depleting the land of its
resources as they retreated from Rogan’s superiorand better trained numbers.

“Eat well, men.”
Gregory announced grimly. “For even paltry repasts like this will be hard to
find as we move farther south.”

“Aye, eat well and
grow strong.” Belen held his bow up high, waving at the haggard men. “And
rejoice, for we are driving the enemy back within a fortnight of their
invasion.”

Rogan sighed as he
watched the brave warriors of Kirk Falls gather their strength and make ready
for the next battle. They had all fought hard and well, making him proud to
lead such a brave army. It had barely been three months into his blissful
married life when news of invasion and raids poured in from the southern
borders. Alicia was livid with fear at the prospect of her husband having to
lead the charge against the invading enemy, but she knew it was his duty. Her
sorrowful, tear stained face burned in his mind every time he thought of her.
He hadn’t seen her for almost two weeks, ever since he led the defense of the
Dukedom.

The night was cold
even as the fires burned all around the devastated farmlands of Vineberg. Rogan
wrapped his cloak around himself tightly and watched the embers crackle in the
diminishing flames before him. Sleep had not blessed him with her restful
embrace for more than three days and the effect was telling. He looked years
older.His square jawed face sported a weeks worth of bristle and his long fiery
hair was reduced to a ragged mess, damp and blood stained. As the night wore
on, he thought of Alicia and felt the comforting warmth fill his heart. She
made him stronger, gave him purpose, filled him with the desire to fight and
rid the land of evil.

“It is almost
dawn, Captain.” Gregory softly whispered, squatting down beside Rogan. “And you
are yet to get a wink of sleep.”

“I will sleep, old
friend.” He smiled at the older man. “I will sleep when I have made it possible
for everyone in Kirk Falls to sleep without fear.”

“As will we all.”
Gregory shook his head, but knew that Rogan was too stubborn to heed him as
always. “Yet even an hour’s sleep will refresh you to take on the task at
Orenden come the morrow.”

“I will be fine,
Gregory.” Rogan sighed deeply.  “Rouse the men, let us breakfast swiftly and
ride for Orenden. The enemy is reinforcing there and we will have our hands
full.”

“As you command,
Sir Rogan.” Gregory bowed and went off to get the sleeping men ready to ride.

Nostrazcus was a
man Rogan had known of before and he recalled seeing him as a skulking advisor,
keeping to the shadows behind the over ambitious Duke Norton of Avangalus,
during the time when he fought in the first war as a mercenary for Kirk Falls more
than three years ago. In a war where his exemplary fighting skills made the
difference, seizing victory for Duke Edenton and Kirk Falls, and bringing him
much fame and glory. What he did not know was that Nostrazcus was a wizard of
the dark arts and he had been manipulating the Duke of Avagalus to do his own
evil bidding. Now the wizard openly invaded Kirk Falls. He must have grown
stronger in his craft, but that didn’t matter to Rogan, his duty was to protect
the Dukedom with his life.  He looked down at the little glowing amulet his
love had given him on their wedding night a mere three months gone, yet it
seemed like a lifetime ago.

Rogan brought the
glowing stone to his lips and kissed it, thinking of Alicia and closing his
eyes. It gave him strength and hope each time he did that. He could feel her
every time the pendant pulsed. Maybe there was something to the power of these
insane seers and spell casters, he admitted to himself. There was something
more to the pendant than what it looked like. He felt the shiny little stone
was actually keeping him safe and well. But then, he knew, if one believed
strongly enough, everything seemed to be true. He rubbed his eyes and looked
around at the activity all around him. Sleep was not going to be his companion,
at least not until all this was over.

The men had begun
to awaken and gather up their weapons and armor. They had little food to pass
around, so less time was required for eating. Maybe on the way they would find
supplies from the villages and farms that were still left standing. Rogan
exhaled deeply and walked over to the horses. At least the mounts had plenty of
grass and dry oats to eat.

“Get a move on,
men.” Gregory’s resonant voice rang all over the ruins of the Vineberg
farmstead.  “We ride for Orenden in ten minutes. Make haste.”

Rogan heard the
groans and grumbles of the five hundred newly enlisted men he commanded. Most
of them were hurried conscripts - farmers, traders and craftsmen assigned to
defend their homeland. He had enough faith in them, but would not rely on them
to win the war. His highly trained elite force of a hundred warriors, fighters
and swordsmen by profession were the ones he truly relied upon. Strength in
numbers was what the enemy depended on, their army numbering over a thousand
men, yet none in the class and caliber of Rogan’s fighting hundred. He needed
the added five hundred conscripts of make the odds look lesser in favor of the
invaders lest the thousand strong of the enemy find the courage they never had
from seeing that Kirk Falls was defended by only a hundred fighting men.

“All mounted and
ready.” Gregory roared and then sounded the horn. “Ride out, men.”

Rogan kicked his
great black charger and galloped to the front of the tightly packed cavalry. He
took his place at the head of the charge, riding alongside Gregory and Belen.

“On to Orenden.”
The young archer bellowed. “May we rescue every fair lass there this day.”

“And drive the
enemy back to the nether whence they came.” Niles, the bladesman, gave more volume
to the young man’s cry.

The thundering
hooves of over a thousand horses shook the land, kicking up a cloud of dust
into the early dawn. Six hundred riders, well armed and ready for battle and
over four hundred spare mounts moved with the precision of a well trained
cavalry unit, cresting hills and splashing through streams until the farming
settlement of Orenden loomed into view.

Smoke from fires
already lit in several places rose to darken the pale light of dawn as the army
of the enemy dug into position to hold back the inevitable charge. A thousand
paces out, the Duke’s men kicked their mounts into a furious gallop, following
the man who led them in the many battles over the last few days. Rogan’s heart
pounded against his chest, filling his mind as the bloodlust for battle pumped
through his veins.

“Onward, men.” He
roared. “Take no prisoners; give no quarter.”

The clash of metal
on metal echoed deafeningly all around, mingled with the screams of dying and
maimed men. Lethal shafts loosed from recurved bows made from yew whizzed
around them, finding their victims with sickening thuds. Rogan moved through
the enemy ranks like a demon possessed.Only one thought filled his mind: to rid
of all this evil and get back to Alicia. The pendant began to glow brightly
against his chest.

“We have them on
the run… give chase, kill them… kill them all.” Gregory’s frenzied cry soared
over the raucous din all around.

“Show them that
the sons of Kirk Falls are not to be trifled with.” Niles roared alongside the
veteran warrior.

The enemy, what
was left of their vast numbers, retreated back in droves, driven back through
the pass where they had invaded from. The tower was in sight and Rogan knew
that their leader, Nostrazcus, was holding out in the keep of the tower. The
prospect of a long siege aggravated him. He wanted to end this now.

“We cannot breach
the walls of the tower, at least not yet.” Gregory panted, riding up beside
Rogan. “They have all retreated beyond the walls and their catapults and
trebuchets, which were once ours, can make this siege last for days.”

“We don’t have
days, Gregory.” Rogan almost snarled. “We have to break through those walls by
tonight. Have our own catapults and siege towers arrived?”

“They will, by
afternoon.” Gregory scratched his balding head, a trickle of blood running over
his gnarled fingers. “We must hold position and wait here.”

“We have them on
the run.Damn them to Hell.” The tall battle wearied warrior spat. “They will
have time enough to reinforce themselves from the other side.”

“This is the same
tower we had rescued Lady Gwendolyn from.” Draco rode up to join Rogan and
Gregory.

“Aye, it is, but
we are not fighting drunken bandits this time.” Gregory said with a grunt.

“But we know our
way around here and they don’t.” Rogan dismounted swiftly. “I have a plan. I
know the wizard lurks in there; that coward prefers to remain hidden.”

“What is your
plan, Captain?” Belen inquired, dismounting beside the tall knight.

“I will infiltrate
the tower through the weaker western gate. find the wizard and end this once
and for all.”

“A brave plan… but
foolish.” Gregory smirked. “So when do we get going?”

“Immediately.”
Rogan said. “Draco and Belen, come with me, and Harald. You, Gregory, must lead
the army in my stead out here. The enemy must not see our forces without a
captain.”

“Agreed.” The
veteran said. “Godspeed, my brave friends.”

“And to you as
well.” Belen nodded and fell in step behind the other three highly experienced
warriors as they made their way through the dense forests that surrounded the
western wall of the tower.

Most of the enemy
forces manned the top of the wall, with many clustered at the huge gates. The
four men stealthily made their way to the narrow corner of the wall and swiftly
scaled the creeper covered stonework. Belen’s silent arrows found their mark,
felling six of the ten guards, before Rogan and the other two disposed of the
remaining four.

“Ten down, another
few hundred to go.” The young archer grinned.

Draco motioned for
silence and gestured that they move along the southern part of the inner wall.
Rogan nodded his consent and led the way in, ducking through a small opening
that led to the drainage system. A few minutes through the dark, dreary tunnels
and they found themselves in the middle of a large underground hallway.
Suddenly, the stone slab shut behind them and the rapid rush of a hundred
footfalls sounded all around them. The four men stood up straight, finding
themselves in the middle of a tight circle of heavily armed men with spear
points lowered and trained on them.

“Ah, the great and
gallant protector of Kirk Falls, we meet at last.” A shrill, sneering voice
drifted over them.

“Show yourself,
wizard.” Rogan shouted defiantly.

“Oh, I will and
more.” The voice went on. “I will show you the folly of your ways.”

A section of the
spearmen parted and a tall, gaunt man dressed in pale white robes and a hood
seemingly floated towards them. His eyes were covered by the hood and only his
hawk-beak like nose and twisted grin were visible. He was taller than Rogan,
and his thin reed like arms were spread out as if in welcome. He stopped a good
length away from the four warriors, laughing softly.