Portals of Infinity: Book Three: Of Temples and Trials Page 21

  “Well at least they’re out of our hair for a while. What happens next?”

  “You go home and spend some time with your Queen. It’s best if we just sit back and let the other gods go after the followers who no longer have a place to worship.”

  “Just like you intend to do here, I’m sure.”

  Fel smirked, “Of course, and because Fordessa is now in my pantheon, this territory is now considered to be fair game for me, so it only makes sense that I try to convert whoever that I can.”

  I nodded, “Well home is definitely in order, I want to be sure Rachel is safe and our son is back home. Then I can see about dealing with Wreth.”

  Fel nodded, “He’s currently heading for Tradeson, though I doubt he’ll stay there long.”

  I looked at him surprised. “You can tell me where he is?”

  Fel nodded, “He’s not a priest or a champion, and Tantrus has no further use for him.”

  I nodded, “Thanks.”

  I woke up when one of the priests healed me. I got up and went to look for the others, and found my second in command. I could see that our dead had all been brought out of the temple and several people were setting it on fire while others dug up the wards.

  “How many men do we have left?” I asked looking around.

  “Forty one Sir.”

  I shook my head and sighed, “Mounts?”

  “Thirty seven fit to carry riders, twenty nine that aren’t.”

  “Mount up the worst of the wounded who can ride, let those in the best shape walk, they can lead the wounded wolats, and get going. I’ll catch up in a few minutes; we’ll let the local priests deal with burying the dead.”

  “Yessir. Beggin’ your pardon sir, but you look like you should be riding and not walking, you sure you can catch up?”

  I sighed and shook my head. Even with the healing I felt like crap and completely worn out. “Once you get out of town, and out of sight, wait until I catch up.”

  He nodded and saluted, “Yessir!” and went off to gather up the men.

  I went and found Nikki and the others; they were with Jane who was talking with Felecia interestingly enough. Of course, their main temple was here, so I guess I should have expected it.

  “So now what?” Nikki asked looking at me, she looked pretty beat up as well, but then we all did.

  “Well I’m heading home for now, you and Dez can either go home, come with me, or I guess do whatever you want.”

  “I’m going home,” Dezba said giving me a hug. “I’ve got things to deal with.”

  I hugged her back, “Thanks Dez, I owe you one.”

  “Oh don’t worry, I plan on collecting!” She laughed.

  “I’m going to go visit with my new sister,” Nikki said. She gave Dezba and Jane each a hug and said goodbye.

  “Jane?” I asked, “What are you doing?”

  “I’ll be staying here; the High Priestess here tells me she needs me.”

  “Hi Felecia,” I said and gave her a hug, “First time meeting?”

  Felecia nodded, “Fordessa likes her.”

  I smiled, “I think you two will get along. She’s a musician too.”

  “Oh really?” Felecia smiled and looked over at Jane.

  “You two haven’t...” Jane asked looking back and forth between us.

  Felecia laughed, “No, not ever.”

  Jane smiled, “Good.”

  I shook my head grinning. “I guess I have just been dismissed. Thanks Jane, you where the Hero of this battle, without you we would never have won. You got the High Priest and the altar.” I gave her a hug, “Thanks for the help, thanks for becoming Fordessa’s champion. If you ever need me, just tell Fel.”

  I turned to Nikki, “Time to go,” and we followed our troops who were already on the move.

  Fourteen

  (Saladin – Outside Hiland City)

  I sat there with Rachel by my side and a platoon of guards behind us as we watched Wreth’s estate burn. Tomorrow I would visit Diament’s son and tell him his father’s wishes, and show him where his dad had kept the blueprints for the dam, along with all the other engineering documents.

  Rachel had already let it be known to all that Diament’s family would be honored for his sacrifice to the crown.

  “I would never have expected Wreth to do this,” Rachel sighed shaking her head, “Not in all my years. He was never a brave man, never a risk taker. He was always the last to venture on anything, always taking the cautious path.”

  “Greed does strange things to people hon,” I said. “I suspect Barassa offered him a lot of power, probably promised to make him the ruler of your kingdom.”

  “Under them of course.”

  “Oh of course, though I doubt they would have honored their agreement, after all you can’t trust someone who’s already turned traitor once. I’m surprised he never thought of that.”

  “Well I guess we’re at war with Barassa now.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it too much yet hon,” I said and pulled her close.

  “Oh? You know something I don’t know?”

  I nodded, “I was talking with Fel. He told me that all of Barassa’s neighbors that had gone looking for churches in their realms found and destroyed quite a few. Tantrus just lost a lot of power and probably followers as well. Add to that a rather severe backlash from losing a major temple and a half dozen or so churches and he’s got to be reeling pretty bad right now. I still don’t think he has a new high priest yet either.

  “On top of that Barassa’s King Stivik is facing a lot of very disgruntled neighbors. I suspect a large part of his armies will be getting chewed up over the next year, in border disputes as his neighbors voice their displeasure.”

  Rachel purred, “Well that’s good. Maybe we’ll be lucky and we won’t have to go down there and finish them off.”

  I shrugged, “Time will tell. But at least the pressure is off for a while now.”

  We watched a while longer in silence as the roof finally caved in. Treason against the royal family carried a stiff price in Hiland. Wreth’s entire family had been put to death; even some of the servants had been killed. I was left out of that thankfully; it was more of a job for the crown, and not Feliogustus’ champion. And while I might not have approved of it, I kept my mouth shut. Even if Rachel hadn’t ordered them put to death, the people of the city would have killed them, they were incensed that Wreth had not only turned traitor, but that he had thrown in with the Barassaians.

  “So what do you think of Nikki?” I asked as we headed back to the Castle.

  “It’s interesting that she’s a champion as well, but I can see it in her. She’s more of a soldier than you are,” Rachel teased.

  “Yeah, well to be honest, I should have figured she would become one once she found out she could. As a fighter she scares even me!” I laughed.

  Rachel laughed with me, “Yeah, I think Holse is in love with her. I know all of his officers are.”

  I laughed.

  “So when are you going after Wreth?” Rachel asked turning serious.

  “As soon as we get back to the Castle. Now that things here are safe I can go deal with him.”

  Rachel smiled, “Good.”

  Wreth had about a three-week lead when I set out after him, but I was going mounted and I had the advantage of Fel telling me where he was, and what direction he was headed in.

  It took me almost two weeks to catch up with him, and the whole time I just went over how I was going to kill him, make him suffer, and make him pay. When you can heal someone’s wounds, you can come up with some pretty nasty and creative ideas. But as I rode after him, my anger cooled and I started to look at myself.

  Some of the things I had thought of doing to him didn’t really sit well with me, once I wasn’t so angry anymore, and I thought back to Steph and her ‘Rule Two’ about not loving anyone but yourself, and if you did, making sure no one else knew about it. Suddenly I could understand why. This was a prett
y nasty job, and people were going to die. Even if you kept them perfectly safe, eventually they’d die anyway.

  And here I was with two wives, both of whom I loved deeply and would do anything to protect. I had several children now that I loved as well, and would do the same for; hell I even had two ‘girlfriends’ now that I felt pretty strongly about. I wondered if the reason that all of the champions I had met so far catted around so much was so they wouldn’t develop feelings for anyone? To avoid making those bonds that would break, no matter how hard you tried?

  Maybe that was what Steph had meant when she stabbed me, it wasn’t the sleeping around that would hurt me, it was the falling in love with every woman I met. Or at least falling in lust, I thought with a sigh. It was time perhaps to start growing up, and start thinking things through a little more, rather than just going with the flow. Not letting myself be distracted by every pretty face, and maybe paying more attention to the political maneuverings of those around me. And maybe even asking Fel more for his council and opinion.

  While he couldn’t always tell me everything, obviously he could drop hints. I needed to become more perceptive as well.

  Overall, this had been a pretty easy year, and mostly I’d just been along for the ride. I’d let myself be too easily distracted in Tradeson, and not paid attention to the situation back at home. People had died in both cases because I really hadn’t bothered to make sure nothing was going on behind my back, when I should have expected it. Rachel was the Queen and our son would be the King! Of course someone would try something when we weren’t there.

  Looking back it should have been obvious that things at Tradeson would get worse, once I was gone. If it hadn’t been for Fel’s watching out, and the help of Nikki, Dezba, Jane, and Joseph, I’d be pretty well screwed right now. Not to mention Rachel, and perhaps even Fel. Worse, our son would be dead.

  Not a pleasant thought.

  When I finally caught up to Wreth, I watched him for a few minutes. He didn’t look happy, that was for sure. But he wasn’t crying about his situation either from what I could tell. He was just hiking along with a heavy pack on his back.

  I figured his plan was to find a nice small town where he’d never be found, use whatever wealth he had brought with him to set up a new life, and forget all about Hiland. But I wasn’t about to ask him.

  I got off my wolat and strung my bow, he was probably a hundred yards away, and I was behind a rise, he hadn’t seen me yet. I took my time aiming at him, and when I let fly; my arrow hit him in the back of the head. I doubt he even knew what killed him.

  I buried him there in an unmarked grave, took the gold to bring back for Rachel and burned the rest. It started to rain then, it had been steadily getting colder, fall was in the air.

  I opened a gate back to Fel’s temple, and grabbing my wolat’s reins, we went home. Tonight Rachel and I would celebrate that worm’s death, but tomorrow, tomorrow I’d have to stop thinking of this as a game.

  End Book 3

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  John Van Stry

  www.vanstry.net

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