Chapter 11

For the next two months of travel, extraordinarily little happened in the way of threats. Lillian and Kayla ran into a Tora two weeks into the journey. Lillian froze as fear from her last encounter with a tora flashed in her mind. We stopped the wagon nearby as the others raced to her. It took four of them to dispatch the beast and we ate well, though we were disappointed we did not have the means to preserve the rest of the meat. We did remove the hide and wrapped it to sell when we got to the capital.

The Tora attack had given the platoon some much needed experience working together to take down a larger and more powerful foe. Their abilities would allow the scales to be balanced when dealing with the more powerful Voguel. I had no doubt that we had yet to see the full strength of an Old One and I hoped that we would be ready to deal with that threat when the time came.

I could feel the nervousness of the group grow as we got closer to our destination. I did what I could to ease their tensions, but I knew there was only so much I could do. It would not really change until we had met with the Dran and heard his decision. Thankfully, Janet had sent carrier birds to get her plans in motion just before our departure, should the Dran act unfavorably. Still, this was a gamble that might or might not pay off. We could only hope that he would listen to reason, but I feared we would not be so lucky.

As we crested the top of a large hill, the capital came into view in the valley below and I marveled at the sheer size If it. I had never been to the capital of my own province, but my father had mentioned it a time or two. This town put Retvan to shame by the sheer size of it. The large city sat beside a river that ran from the northern mountains to the southernmost regions of the province. A large stone wall surrounded the core of the city, while farms and other populated areas were outside. Those were surrounded by a wall of large logs, not unlike what Cartha employed.

We headed towards the main road and I watched the various sights as we went deeper into the city. Janet had opted to drive the wagon as she knew our destination and it would allow me to absorb what was around me better. We passed through the first checkpoint with barely a glance from the guards. The people were hesitant when the wagon approached, and I could see suspicious looks as we passed by. I put it out of my mind as we approached the inner walls.

As we approached this next checkpoint, one of the three soldiers who were stationed there gestured us to stop. Behind them was a large portcullis which was closed at the moment. The soldier that had stopped us walked forward and approached Janet. He looked irritated and I expected he was going to be in for a rude awakening.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing? Commoners stay out of the central area, so turn your wagon around before you get hurt.”

In a flash of movement, Janet had her sword drawn and the tip under the man’s throat. Given her skill, she had not even needed to use her abilities and I watched a flicker of fear cross the man’s face.

Janet leaned forward and growled, “Listen here, you pompous little shit. I am Janet, commander of the Torgal. You can see that by the symbol on my cross guard. You will open the way for us to enter and you will apologize, or I will see to it you are shoveling horse shit for the rest of your life!”

He glanced down and his eyes widened when he noticed the image on her cross guard.

“I am sorry, ma’am,” he said quickly. “We were given orders not to let anyone in unless they were part of the Dran’s court or council. All others were evacuated from the town and forced to live outside the walls. We were given orders to turn all attempts to enter the center back and arrest or kill those who resist.”

Janet and I looked at one another and knew that our plan was going to have to go through as we had discussed.

“Very well. My companion and I will be heading in to speak with the Dran. The rest of my platoon will be meeting with some people who will be assisting us. Since I expect they will be outside the walls, they will be leaving the wagon.”

He nodded and Kayla, Faye, Ingrid, Irenia, Elsie and Cherish stepped out of the wagon. They each nodded to Janet and I before walking off in groups of two to their destinations. The guard nodded and called for the gate to be raised. We went through and I felt a sense of unease as it lowered back down. That sense of unease grew as we made our way to the center of the city. What should have been streets filled with people, were instead empty and devoid of life.

We did not see a single soldier until we arrived near the center, where the richest of the citizens lived. There we saw groups of three or four soldiers patrolling every street and walkway. And we were stopped three times before we reached our destination. Each time Janet had to get in their face and remind them who outranked whom. When we arrived in front of the Dran’s palace, I looked in disgust at the pretentious nature of the building and knew that my estimation of the man was right.

He, like Brant, believed in money and power above all else. He coveted both and used them to lord it over those he should be helping and protecting. Instead, he chose to protect himself and those loyal to him and use the rest of his people as sacrifices.

We got out and I signaled to Lillian to come out of the wagon. The reaction of the guards was as expected. The second she jumped out of the back, pandemonium ensued, and the soldiers rushed to attack her.

Janet commanded them to stop but three pushed their attack anyway. Those three found themselves on the ground with either a blade to their throats or a wolf on them ready to rip their throat out.

“The wolf is with me,” Janet bellowed so all could hear her. “Attacking her is equal to attacking a member of the Torgal. If you fail to respect that, I will kill you myself. Am I clear?”

A few muttered a response, so she yelled out the question again. This time they all responded with an affirmative and she demanded they make sure to tell all others the same. We let the fools go and sheathed our weapons. Lillian walked over to my right side and we entered the palace.

A snooty man in frilly clothing demanded to know why we were there and when he learned who we were, he sputtered and ran off. A few minutes later he ushered us into a throne room and my opinion of the Dran lessened even more. There was not supposed to be a throne room, as there were no kings or kingdoms. It appeared that this Dran did not care and was taking measures to become a king in his own right.

I realized now that he had never intended to defeat the Voguel, not until he consolidated his power. To the left and right were fat, aristocratic men and women who oozed arrogant self-importance. They looked on us, especially me and Lillian with disdain, but we ignored it as we approached the Dran.

As we drew closer, I took a look at the man. He looked to be a little bit shorter than me, no more than one hundred and eighty centimeters tall. He looked to be between two and three hundred pounds, with greasy skin. He leered at Janet with lust that he did not bother to hide, and I fought to find myself hiding a smile.

“Ah, my dear Janet,” he said in a nasal tone. “I am happy to see you have returned. I got your correspondence that you sent when you arrived. I am sorry to hear of your losses but pleased to hear of your victory against the threat in Bardack. Who is the man you have brought with you and why is there a filthy wolf in my presence?”

She bowed slightly and replied, “This is Davik. He was instrumental in defeating the Voguel that attacked his province and, due to our lost numbers, agreed to come here to help us deal with our Voguel once and for all. The wolf is his companion and has been able to assist in weeding out those who are a threat.”

The Dran sighed and said, “That is nice and all, but I want that creature killed immediately!”

As two guards approached Lillian, I drew my sword and said, “That is not going to happen, so unless you want your men to die, you will tell them to stand down.”

We stared at each other for a moment before he gestured for his men to stop, for the moment.

The Dran got a smug look and asked, “Do you realize who you are talking to, boy?”

I nodded. “Yes I do. I am looking at the man who sent Janet and her people to Bardack to assist in killing Voguel. The man who told her to kill anyone who might have been infected with the curse, DESPITE the fact there was and is a cure.”

The Dran laughed and said, “There is no cure, you foolish boy.”

I smiled and said, “Yes, there is. In fact, the cure is so powerful the person can never be cursed again. If someone takes the cure and has never been bitten, they can never be cursed. This cure will systematically remove the possibility of the Voguel turning any more people. Administered to every citizen in Vishant, as well as any entering or leaving the province, you will ensure the extinction of the Voguel.”