Chapter 13

The following day, Gabriella woke up more rested than she had felt in years; her leg was still throbbing, and her pussy was sore, but that was to be expected. At first, she was confused about why she had slept so well until she remembered and started to feel guilty. Gabriella felt that she had taken advantage of Luke and made herself a promise right there that it would be something that would never happen again. The next thing she noticed was that it was light out, and she was alone. Looking around, Gabriella could hear Luke and Marion whispering. Finally, she forced herself to stand, wrapped the blanket around her body, and limped to where everyone else was. There, she was hit with the smell of breakfast, the sound of blades being sharpened, and music coming from Luke’s computer.

“Well, look at what the cat dragged in,” chirped Alice, and to Gabriella’s embarrassment, everyone, including Luke, laughed. Her embarrassment deepened when Stella pointed out Gabriella’s rapidly reddening cheeks and the dried cum on her legs, causing the group to laugh harder. Marion laughed so hard that she fell off the stump she was sitting on. Gabriella couldn’t run away, so she started laughing with the group. As she laughed, she felt her guilt melt away. After all, Marion had insisted on sharing Luke with her, and Gabriella was very thankful that her first time was with a man who knew how to take proper care of her. She then noticed her hunger as Pollyanna handed her a bowl of leftover stew and a piece of bread.

“So, Marion, what’s our game plan now?” Gabriella asked while she ate.

“Well, you are restricted to camp until your leg heals and don’t even think about arguing. You can still make arrows and other gear without leaving camp. I also want you to exercise daily so your leg doesn’t stiffen. The rest of us will be taking turns posting lookouts around the camp. When not on lookout duty or hunting, we will train hard and develop better arms and armor. After your leg heals, we will start collecting fresh intel on Cecilia. She might be better than Richard, but I highly doubt it. I figure her harsh policies will start to drive people out of their homes, and when that happens, we will encourage them to join us. Once we are strong enough, we will strike again. This time, we will have even more advanced weapons, much better intel, and most importantly, won’t be underestimating Cecilia.”

“So, what happens if we are discovered before I heal?”

“Well, then we fight. There are booby traps hidden around the camp that enemy troops are sure to find. By the time they get through, we should be able to have our horses saddled and get out of here with all of our gear. If we fail, well, then we fight and die here.”

Gabriella looked like she had turned into a ghost; she was so pale. Marion had changed, and until that moment, no one but Luke had realized just how much. Marion was starting to show the makings of becoming a great queen. The rest of the women also caught Marion’s change and quickly came to the same conclusion as Gabriella. Not only that, but they all privately realized they would gladly follow Marion into the pits of hell itself.

Gabriella then limped over and picked up her sword. She took it out and limped up to Marion, where she kneeled in front of her the best she could. She offered her the sword and swore an oath of absolute loyalty until her dying breath. The rest of the group followed, including Luke, much to everyone’s surprise. Everyone had figured that Luke’s loyalty was already a given. Through this, Marion’s cheeks were crimson with embarrassment. After Luke had finished, Marion swore her loyalty to the group to her dying day. She would gladly die to defend them.

Once everyone finished, Marion started giving the team their assignments and watch rotation. Marion made sure she spent at least as much time on watch during the difficult times of the day as the rest. She also ensured everyone had at least a few hours a day to relax.

The following month was busy for the team. An infection had set into Gabriella’s leg, and she almost died. Only Alice’s dedication and Luke’s knowledge saved her life. Luke had been able to distill enough high-strength alcohol to slow Gabriella’s infection enough that her body had been able to fight it off. Marion had finally gotten over her morning sickness. The rest of the team had fully recovered, although Stella still had bouts of survivor’s guilt. She kept this at bay by working as hard as possible and reminding herself that she would get her revenge. Luke was the busiest of all.

He spent every minute training the other group members or working on better arms and armor. Luke wasn’t worried about the smoke from his forge, giving away the group’s position because he had built the forge in a large cave and vented the smoke through a chimney incorporated into a fake house above the cave. Getting the chimney through the stone above the cave was hard, but Luke had picked a spot where the stone was thin. The cave was also used to store their loot. This way, Luke wouldn’t have to go far to grab another piece of metal to work on. Some of the steel was so bad that Luke had to melt it down and cast it into bars before reforging it. When he melted the steel, he added some carbon or other minerals to produce better steel. With the size limitations, Luke could only cast 30kg of steel at a time. He achieved the heat needed by using coal from a deposit nearby and blowers powered by a waterwheel that Luke had built during their first month here. It wasn’t the best arrangement, but Luke made it work.