The Terror of Thorn: Child of War: Book 2 (9 page)

              “First thing first enchanter” Patrick said as he looked at Xander. “Your clothes will be a sure giveaway if anyone knows what to look for. Your entire outfit has the royal crest of Rangel all over it, I say we jump the first group of people we see, get some equipment, then figure out where we are and see if we can meet back up with the army.”

              “You can meet back up with the Army Patrick, I am not.” Xander said as he dusted off his clothes. “I thought I wanted to be Rangelian again, but it’s not what I want. To have others decide your life for you, tell you who to marry and how to act, that’s the reason this one here is in all this mess” said Xander as he pointed to Samantha. “I would never have freedom in Rangel, I would be forced to be Aubrey’s lapdog jumping whenever she says so and dealing with her mother, the real power in Rangel.”

              “I don’t get you enchanter, you were married to the second most powerful woman in Rangel who never stepped out on your relationship once. Your sole job was to make babies and be pampered, and as Rangelian women go, Aubrey was easier on the eyes than most. Instead you would rather be a pauper in some hole.” Patrick said to Xander.

              “You mistake me Patrick, I am not content to be a pauper, I want it all. I am the son of Erik of the Red and Maxine, Witch of Rangel. I want it all; I am going to be a ruler in my own right someday in a land far from the reach of Rangel.”

              “This is madness enchanter, you the son of Erik the Red?” Patrick said shaking his head. “Let’s say this is true, who would follow you? Thorn has not looked kindly upon the conqueror since his death and Rangelians wouldn’t follow a male. How exactly are you going to get people to follow you into battle, it doesn’t matter how strong you are, you would still fall.”

              “Mad I am not Patrick.” I want you to look around you, already I have the strongest man in the world, the Champion of Rangel and the future Queen of Thorn following me. I am sure once I help place her on the throne a small bit of land would be secretly set aside for the Xander the Red to establish my new land.”

              “This is not worth fighting over” Samantha chimed in. “If Xander can help and get me placed on the throne, then I would be happy to give him a plot of land to do whatever he wanted to do with it. I would even play my part in the Queen’s plan and marry you, or do you think I do not know her machinations with your mother?”

              “So you escaped one forced marriage to be brought in another” Xander laughed grimly, “The women of Rangel can never be trusted, you are a fool if you believe otherwise.”

              “One marriage was with an old man who would never even think of giving me any power, my future was to be laid upon until I squirted out child after child, while he ran the streets sowing the countryside with his bastards. At least with this one I know the people would only see him as my husband, someone to be cheered and celebrated but at least I would have power. I am not silly enough to trust your Queen, but I know she would rather have me on the Throne than any male. I also know while she would give any help she could to help make Thorn into a system like she has set up in Rangel, she definitely does not want to get her hands dirty here in Thorn.”

              “Ha Patrick, it looks like whatever plot was hatched did not escape the Thornian’s notice. She had you and whatever scheme was hatched figured out” Xander said with humor in his voice.

              “Enchanter, this tossing of insults is not like you at all. Have you gone mad since the attack?” Patrick inquired.

              “I am far from mad” Xander began, “You have no idea what I am really like.”

              “Can we save this posturing for another day, we need to find out where we are” Samantha said.

              Xander created a teleport symbol that was a twin to the one he made in his small cabin in the Norrayan woods. After trying to teleport and failing, Xander sighed to himself, and came to the realization that someone must have somehow altered or destroyed the one he had back at his cabin, his father’s book now lost to him until he could get back to the woods. He told this to his party and they began to walk following the setting sun. Xander had no idea if they were heading deeper into the wilderness or towards a road, but he did take the time to take in the scenery.

              Xander felt the slight summer breeze play against his skin. As he inhaled deeply he could smell flowers of a type or name he did not know yet he enjoyed their aroma. Xander looked all around him and noticed although there was no trail, but the ground seemed as if it was disturbed recently, how soon Xander could not say but definitely within the day or so, the broken twigs and branches he spied were still green inside with moisture, not the browning twigs you would have after a day or so.

              “Someone has been here recently” Xander said as he pointed to the ground signaling where it had been disturbed at. “Anything big enough to do this is either man or our lunch if we can catch up to it.”

              “If it is man, I would be spotted from miles away by anyone with even poor eyesight. I will drop back a ways until you are almost out of sight. If you are in danger give me a signal.” Patrick said as he ducked a little, a futile effort given his height.

              “If I raise my hands above my head, I am in some type of trouble” Xander said as he pulled out his dagger. “We need to find both of you some type of weapon, even if it is only a stick, you never know if it might help.”

              Xander and his party continued on with Samantha and Patrick hanging in the back with Xander out front scouting. Before long Xander could hear men screaming, followed by a sound Xander knew only too well, the sound of the whip. Xander took off in that direction, careful not to disturb any vegetation his height or taller, less it gives away his position but made no attempt to be silent, his hopes resting on whatever is happening would cover his sounds. Xander could hear men laughing as whoever was screaming screamed no longer. Xander crept up to the site where he thought the noise was coming from and could spot five men all brandishing swords. Xander looked all around them and could see two men who were obviously dead. If Xander had to guess, after they finished whipping one, they ran him through with a sword as one of the men was cleaning his weapon on the dead man’s clothes. Xander saw one of the men snatch someone off the ground, an older man with the whitest hair Xander had ever seen.

              “Now there old man, you seen what happened to your boys but I’m going to let you in on something” the man holding the whip said. “I don’t care about the gold anymore; all I want to do is whip your old back bloody.”

              The old man spit in the man with the whip’s face as two others lifted him off his feet and tied him to a tree. “You are going to rot in hell for this, there isn’t any money. I pray to the Gods someone pays you back for this O’hare.”

              “Well your old ass sure in the hell won’t be around to enjoy it, but here is a little something to remember me by.”

              The man with the whip raised it to its apex as the people he was with started sheathing their weapons seeing no threat around them. Xander bolted from his place as the first lash struck home. The old man’s cries muffled the death scream of Xander’s first victim, which took Xander’s dagger in the back. Xander pulled out the dying man’s sword as he spun to face his second attacker who was pulling his sword out. Xander slashed out at his weapon hand, cutting the hand off at the wrist. Xander decided he was no immediate threat as he faced off against two other swordsmen, but this time they had their weapons out. Xander feinted in and out, trying to get them to commit but the attackers had some skill and seemed content to keep Xander at bay. Xander was going on the attack when his back felt like it was doused in fire.

              Xander froze for a second and could see his attackers began to go on the offensive so he wisely rolled out of the way as his opponents started to circle.

              “So you want some of the action too huh? You can get a better taste of old Charlene here after she is done beating the flesh off that piece of shit tied to the tree.” The man said as he kissed his whip before putting it away and pulling out his sword.

              Xander backed himself up as his opponents wisely circled him, testing out his defense here and there but not really committing. These were no sword hacks Xander quickly surmised, these had to be either military men or people skilled in not only the blade, but how to fight together. Xander could tell from the clashes they had he was definitely stronger and faster than his attackers, but they had numbers on their side. Xander Parried a blow aimed at his legs and barely had the time to dodge another aimed at his head.

              “Almost got you there boy, you gonna regret getting involved here, and for what, some old man” the whip wielder said as he took another swing.

              Xander knew eventually he would get tired and was debating whether to just feint and run when a rock came crashing down on one of the men, not hard enough to do much damage but enough that Xander knew his shoulder had to be hurting a little. “Here is another one for you” Samantha yelled as she threw another rock, forcing the same man to dodge.

              Xander could see the men get temporarily distracted by Samantha and quickly took advantage of it, giving the rock dodger a quick death with a sword through the heart. The man still had enough sense that although he was dying, he reached out and grabbed Xander’s sword out his hand as he fell backward, taking the blade that impaled him to the ground with him. Xander saw he had no blade and wisely maneuvered so the two men were on one side of him instead of surrounding him.

              “You go take care of the hero while I give his rock throwing bitch something to really scream about, he aint that tough without a weapon” said the whip wielder as he made his way towards Samantha. Xander could see Samantha turn to flee when something knocked her violently aside and suddenly up sprang Patrick, ready to meet the whip wielder.

              The whip wielder tried to use his blade but it was no use, Patrick’s speed enabled him to grab the man’s sword hand and deliver a punch which sent the man down in a heap, all in practically one move. Patrick continued on to where Xander’s attacker was and lifted the man high above his head before smashing his back across his knee. Xander heard a loud sickening crack and knew if the man lived, he would never walk again. Patrick picked up his sword and quickly put the crippled man out of his misery before walking over to kill the whip wielder.

              “Stop Patrick, let him be” Xander began. “I have seen that man kill sons before their father’s eyes. I have something special for that one. Xander went over to his dagger and used it to crudely scratch an enchantment on one of the swords, which soon began to glow white and start to deform.

              “Enchanter, perhaps you have lost your touch, that weapon won’t hold up to whatever you are doing to it” Patrick said as he notice the sword start to warp slightly.

              “It will hold up as long as I need it too, hold him up by his ankles” Xander said as he walked towards the whip wielder.

              Patrick held the man up by his ankles, easily lifting the man off of the ground. He had no idea what the enchanter had planned but figured he was going to brand the man in some way. Patrick thought about this as Xander drew his sword back and cut off both of the man’s legs at the upper thigh, the heat of the sword instantly cauterizing the wound. Patrick was in shock as he noticed he was holding two legs as their former owner tumbled screaming to the ground below.

              Xander watched as Samantha vomited with Patrick not too far behind her. As his associated were emptying their stomachs, Xander quickly cut off the man’s arms as he screamed in pain. Xander took the whip off of the man’s belt and turned him around on his stomach.

              “I believe you said something about Charlene getting a taste” Xander said as he violently gave the man lashes until he passed out.

              “You surprise me enchanter” Patrick said as he came to his senses. “Here I thought you were no more than a mere whipped puppy, fearful of his master’s wrath.”

              “This was necessary, let’s untie the old man over there and hope he isn’t seriously injured” said Xander as he walked over to where there man was tied up. Xander looked and saw the man leaking out of his side, sometime during the attack one of the men must have ran him through. Although Xander did not know him, to die in such a way after knowing terror made him want to whip the now limbless man again. Xander untied the man and saw that he and his sons received a proper burial. Xander had just finished placing the last clump of dirt on the man’s grave as a crossbow bolt whizzed past his ear and landed solidly in the tree behind him. Xander drew his dagger as Patrick went crashing into the tree line, coming out with a struggling woman who had pure hatred in her eyes.

              As Patrick drug the struggling woman closer, he could tell she was older than his twenty one summers but he did not figure her for over 30.  Her hair was red, that much he could tell but it was so dirty which shade of red was beyond him. Her face was dirt covered also, and at first glance he would have pegged her for being poor, unable to afford the amenities but then where did she get the crossbow.

              “Look Enchanter, if you plan on quartering this one I want no part of it” said Patrick as he ripped the crossbow from her hand and threw her on the ground.