Champion of the Gods
Copyright© 2025 by QM
Chapter 39
“Back to a stalemate,” Darras sighed as he and Erren relaxed in their home.
“True, our foes have retreated to where it would be difficult to get at them, and we still don’t know where the dragon is,” Erren nodded.
“Could we just ignore it if we do find it in Gresh?”
“No, its feeding range is immense and without rivals, it would be a menace to the lower south continent,” Erren replied.
“Oh, right,” Darras acknowledged.
“Klea will have to command it to return to its inner lair and hibernate,” Erren explained. “I’m pretty sure there’s something there that preserves life in a form of stasis.”
“Wonder why it’s still awake?”
“The removal and destruction of its scales, most likely.”
“Can’t be that many of them left ... well, outside of the lair.”
“Yes, that’s another potential problem for us if we find it,” Erren grimaced. “You can defend yourself easily, but Firios, Klea, and the team, whilst protected from possession, are vulnerable to physical attacks.”
“Got to find it first,” Darras nodded.
“True, though there are other tasks for you,” Erren smiled.
“Say on, my love.”
“I need you to protect a political leader in Dumnon, Orcatia,” Erren explained. “He’ll eventually be an advisor to the future king, though he has offended one of the border Grāve’s who intends to assassinate him as he travels to Orcass.”
“Just for this journey?” Darras asked.
“Yes, this is a trip he must make to receive the Exchequer’s seal of office for Dumnon. It’s a formal ceremony giving him the power to investigate the local Grāve’s.”
“He can’t be bribed?” Darras chuckled.
“He can’t, though, until he receives the seal; he’s vulnerable to elimination,” Erren replied. “After he has it, any attempt on his life would cause an official investigation and likely the purging of any Grāve involved, along with their immediate family.
“Ah, that weird central authority they have,” Darras nodded.
“Yes, it’s how the central Grāve’s keep control of the border Grāve’s by protecting the instruments of the Exchequer.
“Yes, I can see why they’d want to protect their revenue gatherers,” Darras replied with a wry smile.
“But only after they appoint them, which is the problem here.”
“Take it, this Grāve would put forward his own man should this assassination succeed?”
“More than likely, which is why I need you to interfere in his plans, plus ensure the future king has sound financial counsel.”
“How do I get there?”
“From Banat in Torgillon, you’ll travel by coach and purchase a horse in Dumnon,” Erren explained.
“I doubt I’ll have the time to infiltrate this politician’s entourage ... assuming he has one.”
“He doesn’t, he’ll be travelling by coach with a couple of servants and a bodyguard,” Erren replied. “Unfortunately, the ambush planned will be more than the bodyguard can handle, hence your involvement.”
“Will the forest folk help?”
“Yes, via Doriel,” Erren confirmed.
“Good, that should make it easier,” Darras nodded.
“Yes, he has to travel through the northern edge of the Finton Forest, and whilst it’s possible he could be attacked in a village, it’s more likely to be within the forest where there are no witnesses.”
“I’ll ensure he gets there safely,” Darras promised.
“Good, now relax, this is our time,” Erren replied with a sultry smile.
Banat was a thriving town on the banks of Lake Suren. Recent trade came mostly from Cranagh in Rachtelin via barges, avoiding the random and excessive border tolls invented by the border Grāve’s to supplement their incomes. There was a regular coach service to Dumnon, and Darras was able to purchase a seat for the journey, observing several large merchant wagon trains leaving to follow the southern border of Torgillon, avoiding tolls until they reached Torgillon’s seaports.
The coach journey took three days, and the inns were comfortable enough, though the ‘head tax’ extracted at the Orcatian border was irritating. Dumnon was a reasonably pleasant town, and there were no signs of excessive overcharging as Darras had come to expect in Orcatia.
‘That’s because Salmer, the alderman politician you’ll be protecting, enforces the law in the town, which has tax exemptions from the two local Grāve’s, ’ Erren explained. ‘It’s why he’s deeply unpopular with both of them.’
“He doesn’t bribe?”
‘No, he doesn’t.’
“Definitely worth keeping alive,” Darras chuckled, and then went to the local Healers Guild to drop off some packets of southern herbs Hallis had provided for the healer there to use, getting a receipt for the sale.
Guided by Erren, Darras bought a suitable mount for his journey and, after a good night’s sleep, was able to follow the coaches of the alderman as they left town on the long trip to Orcatia. Moving away from the road when he reached the Finton Forest, Darras shadowed the coaches as they followed the main road to Orcass, the capital of Orcatia.
‘Doriel reports the ambush will happen in the following days outside the territory of the Grāve involved,’ Erren informed Darras, who was, when he travelled through the woods, under constant observation from the forest folk.
“I’ll still keep an eye out for other attempts,” Darras replied. “No doubt he has other enemies.”
‘Nothing I’m aware of, but yes, it pays to be careful.’
Having been informed by Erren that the alderman would be stopping for the night at a village inn, and that Doriel’s people reported no threats. Darras rode ahead to the inn, booked himself a room, and then settled in the bar area with a meal and an ale. An hour later, the coaches arrived, and the senior guard arranged lodgings for the alderman and his party, with the few guards having to bunk down in the stables due to a lack of rooms.
Darras chose not to interact with the alderman or his party, just sitting quietly with his ale, listening to the various conversations going on around him. Most were mundane, though Darras soon spotted another observer, one who, though trying to appear unobtrusive, was clearly focused upon the alderman’s party.
‘Well spotted, my love, he’s definitely watching them, though I suspect he’s there to let the Grāve’s men know their target is approaching, ’ Erren surmised.
“Irredeemable?”
‘No.’
“I’ll leave him be unless he starts something,” Darras nodded.
‘He’s suspicious of you, ’ Erren pointed out. ‘Though only because you’re alone and he suspects you’re a hidden guard.’
“Quite the supposition then, though I doubt he’s aware of how much I can hear,” Darras murmured.
‘He’s a bit paranoid, but not dangerous ... well, not to you.’
Darras took to his room early, meaning to awake at dawn and set off to where Doriel’s people had spotted the Grāve’s men, who were camped in the woods. This he did, though he noticed that last night’s observer was also up and about, but not planning on leaving as Darras was.
‘His suspicions about you are withering on the vine, ’ Erren giggled.
“He may regret that when he sets off and finds I’ve dealt with the Grāve’s assassins,” Darras smiled.
‘Doriel’s people have assessed them, mostly irredeemable, I’ll ensure you don’t kill any that aren’t.’
“Unless they attack me,” Darras chuckled.
‘Different rules apply in that case.’
“How many?”
‘Thirty, none particularly skilled but all typical bully-boy thugs.’
“And murderers.”
‘Yes, the alderman won’t be the first they’ve killed, ’ Erren admitted as Darras set off.
Once out of the village, Darras cut away into the woods following Erren’s directions until he finally dismounted, drew his bow and a quiver of arrows and set off silently towards the encampment where the Grāve’s men were.
“I’m surprised the forest folk tolerate them,” Darras said quietly as he observed a shambles of a camp.
‘They’ve been careful with the fires, ’ Erren replied. ‘That’s why they are still alive, though they’re about to find out that the forest folk won’t permit them to escape you.’
“Best get this over, then,” Darras nodded, drawing his bow and, aided by Erren, took out an irredeemable, swiftly followed up by another, before the camp reacted. The men may not have been terribly wise, as Erren viewed things, but they were disciplined and followed the shouted orders of their captain, took cover rapidly, and then began to hunt Darras.
Against someone less skilled than Darras, this would have been enough, though all it did was bring their party closer to their doom. Although able to target the captain, Darras chose for the moment to leave him alone as he was encouraging his men to hunt Darras and not to scatter. This meant Darras was able to take two more of them out before changing positions when the Grāve’s men reached the area from which a normal archer would be firing. Panic then ensued when an arrow hit the Grāve’s men from an unexpected direction.
“They’re going to scatter soon,” Darras murmured. “The captain is losing control.”
‘He’s irredeemable, so take him out, ’ Erren replied.
The captain, whose orders initially had been to hunt Darras down, was now yelling for his men to find cover and for his woodsmen to hunt down Darras, carefully. This ceased when an arrow from an unexpected direction hit him in the throat, sending him to the ground, dead. Two more arrows came from the same direction, felling the woodsmen and the survivors scattered, grabbing their horses and making a panicked retreat.
“That went well,” Darras commented as he searched the camp and dealt with the mess caused by the Grāve’s men.
‘It did, the survivors, though in numbers are leaderless and scattered, they won’t return, ’ Erren replied.
“I’ll still shadow the alderman, just in case.”
‘Yes, though I suspect any attempt now will be amateurish, not focused.’
“There’s still their observer.”
‘He’s not irredeemable; if trending downward, he will report back to the Grāve, nothing more, ’ Erren replied.
“I give these bodies to you, people of the woods,” Darras intoned after he had doused the fires.
Almost immediately, several fauns raced into the clearing and began dragging away the bodies of the fallen men as Darras loosed the spare horses and then headed back to where his own was tethered. From there, he rode on to the village where the alderman would make his last stop, rented a room and ordered a meal.
An hour later, the alderman’s party arrived, most stretching their legs to drive away the rigours of the journey, though several stared at Darras with slight suspicion. Darras’s keen hearing picked up an enquiry from one to the barkeep, though they relaxed when they learned Darras had been there for over an hour.
“I think they were expecting trouble,” Darras chuckled.
‘Yes, the most opportune time to attack the alderman was during this part of his journey; tomorrow they’ll be too close to Orcass for any such attempt, ’ Erren replied.
“I’ll make sure they do,” Darras nodded, then frowned as one of the alderman’s party approached him.
“State your business here, stranger,” the man demanded.
“I’m the stranger?” Darras chuckled.
“Answer, now!”
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.