Chapter 9

James groaned, shifted and sighed, he blinked his eyes open to look up and see two pretty blues looking down at him.

“Welcome back.”

“God you’re pretty.”

She smiled brightly, “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit,” he shifted, pushing himself up and sighing.

“I’ve got something that can help with that,” she said. “It’s a mixture of herbs that can be found that have healing properties.”

“Thanks,” he took the offered flask, brushing her fingers with his, she smiled at the contact as he took it and drank. He coughed and spluttered.

“Spicy, no?”

He nodded coughing and wiped his mouth and took another swig, she took it, walked over to the woman and gave her some.

“We need to go back to the camp,” James said.

“Why,” Danni frowned.

“I need to get my shit, I parked it a ways away, so they shouldn’t have seen it.”

She nodded, “I’ve not heard any horns in a while, we’ll go back, get your stuff and then head on back.”

“Thanks.” James turned to the spy, “Danni and Gabrielle I know, but you I do not?”

“Klara, I’m a servant of the queen.”

“Why are you naked,” Danni asked curiously.

“I was about to be gang raped,” she shrugged, “James put an arrow through the Captain’s throat and we fucking ran.”

“Like fuck,” James said. “A very pretty name Klara.”

“Thank you, I owe you my life.”

He inclined his head.

Danni frowned and he turned to him and he looked back at her and asked, “What?”

“This is the part where you say, it was nothing?”

He laughed, “I’m not a knight, and I’m not a hero. I’m just an average guy helping out and having a spy owe me one is always something to keep in the back pocket.”

She twitched and inclined her head, “Not a bad way of thinking.”

“Besides,” James’ eyes went to Klara’s dark triangular snatch, “I can think of other ways that she can pay me back.”

Klara sighed, “When we’re healed, I’ll consider it.”

“Men,” Danni said with a roll of her eyes.

He turned to Gabrielle, the blond studied, “Besides, you still owe me a debt.”

“James.”

He cocked an eyebrow, “I want repayment.”

“When you’re dressed.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

James went with Danni outside, they couldn’t hear any horns and scouted around, it was difficult to do, while naked.

Satisfied they were in the clear, she frowned.

“What’s on your mind?”

“That was too easy,” she remarked.

“Well you did kill all of them and they were on the move,” James reasoned, “My guess is that they had other things to worry about then two naked spies.”

“True.”

They got on the horse and back tracked to the general location, he scouted around until he found his mare and grinned, she whinnied, happy to see him. He stroked her nose and grabbed his bag, in it was a change of clothing, which he happily put on.

“Well I don’t have any problem with shame now.”

“You did before?”

“Yes,” he nodded, “Well, when half a fucking armies seen your dick, what else is there to worry about?”

She laughed.

“Come on let’s head back.”

When they got back to the cave, James took off his shirt and trousers and handed them to Klara, she frowned.

“Why?”

He shrugged, “So you don’t have to wonder around naked, I mean I don’t mind, but I imagine it’ll get cold.”

She nodded, “Thank you.”

“By the way,” Danni frowned, “What were you thinking?”

“About what?”

“The torturing?”

James shrugged, “I was thinking about loyalty to the Queen?”

“Really,” the tall dark haired beauty questioned. “You don’t owe the queen anything, and it sounds like you got coerced into it.”

“True,” he nodded. “I did feel oddly drugged.”

Danni sighed, “An old tactic I’ve heard being used in the past, next time tell them everything, you don’t owe the Queen shit.”

“I know,” he nodded. “But if they thought I was a spy, it could’ve been worse.”

“How, you were tortured, burned, beaten and cut?”

“I could be dead.”

She twitched and nodded.

“For now, we rest, I will stand first guard.”

James nodded and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. All too soon it was time to move again, he groaned as Klara helped him off the floor, she looked at him, the two sharing a moment together, his fingers sliding off hers, causing her to shiver.

“James,” she whispered.

He did, they got up and left the cave, feeling slightly better. They got onto the horses and Klara got onto James’ lap with a helping hand and rode off.

They rode towards the small town ahead, and saw disgrace before their eyes.

From a tall oak tree hung almost a score of soldiers, their necks broken and their sides stained with crimson.

Killed.

‘Jesus,’ the worst part was the silence.

Another tree ahead featured the same somber scene. James felt his guts churn at the massacre. They bore the colors of the Kingdom, and the heraldry of Lord Tembar, one of the local rulers.

James took a deep breath. He smelled decay and flowers. It was a beautiful spring day, but the township was completely ransacked. As they walked down it’s streets, James saw children and women slain where they stood. The men were not any more fortunate. He saw in particular a dead man nailed to a wall with a pitchfork. Just how strong was the killer?

Even the farm animals were dead, mutilated and butchered to feed the army. The windmill was still standing, but it was all burned inside, its blades idly spinning in the wind.

“I’m not going to like this.”

Klara turned to James, “Like what?”

“I’ve got to search the properties.”

“What for?”

He looked at her, slightly green, “Clothing.”

She nodded, understanding.

“Danni, a hand.”

“Of course.

Vultures were looming in the sky, coming to enjoy the carrion.

James felt sick. The harsh reality of the middle ages’ warfare struck him like a war hammer. He thought of how many battles like this were fought each day ... No. He corrected himself. This was no battle. This was a massacre. A soldier was split cleanly in two, his innards spilling. The odor was overwhelming. And the silence, oh, the silence. He could even hear his own heartbeat.

Jesus...

He shook his head and started breaking into homes, it was a gruesome task but needed to be done.

James found a man lying against a wall.

He groaned and James paused, leaning down to him he coughed and looked up. “Stranger?”

“Hello.”

“They killed everyone.”

“I know,” he nodded. “I will get word back to the Queen.”

He inclined his head.

“Do you believe in the Gods?”

James didn’t know what to believe, but the dying man didn’t need to hear that, “Yes.”

“What gods do you believe in?”

“The one’s that look after us after we pass.”

“Good,” he coughed. “I’m thirsty.”

James presented his flask and gave him a drink, he got a jacket, placing it over him, to keep him warm in his final moments.

“Thank you,” the man closed his eyes and his final breath left him.

“To a shitless death,” James said patting his head. He gathered the rest of the stuff, clothing included and took everything back to the women.

“James you okay?”

“No,” he sighed. “I want to bury every single one of them.”

“We don’t have time.”

“I’m aware,” he nodded and dumped everything. They had more appropriate clothing for Klara, who stripped out of James’. Any other time he would’ve found the scene erotic, seeing her firm naked breasts but at the moment, it wasn’t arousing at all.

She handed him her clothing and he nodded his thanks, he got dressed properly, sorted out his hidden blades.

“I found this,” Danni said bringing him a short sword, he attached it to his belt and nodded his thanks. They ate, mostly in silence, when they had gathered what they needed, they got on their horses. This time, Klara sat with James and Gabrielle with Danni and they pushed hard

James went on the vanguard, his fast mare on full gallop. They passed the pastures and went into the forest.

He recognized something. The terrain. He had passed here before. When he just came out of the castle. He saw a crooked tree that clearly marked that the Capital was 1 day from here.

They rode all through the night, and by the morning even James’ mare was unwilling. The poor animal was tired beyond the breaking point, and James couldn’t really blame her. James imagined the sight of the city, it’s walls breached and it’s houses burning. He didn’t want to see that.

They tied their horses to a tree, which had a pond nearby and a growth of grass around it, and got some bed rolls ready. James slept, but his dreams were all chaos. He woke up early, not feeling rested at all. But they had to push forward. James went to check the horses, but he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Spring was upon the beasts, it seemed. Danni’s horse was mating with James’ mare. He was suddenly laughing. Upon this stressful time, the shadow of war looming over the horizon, the beasts just did their natural things.

Oh, how James envied them.

He watched for a moment as the mare just took it, remembering Isa bent over his bed, his cock in between her wet lips as the witch took it from behind. He remembered his hands over her massively round breasts as he fucked her for all she was worth and delighted in hearing her cry out.

“Oh Gods James.”

He smiled.

He returned to the camp and woke up the women.

They rolled up their futons and packed up their belongings. Gabriel produced a bag of dried jerky out of her backpack, and they shared it as breakfast. They went to where the horses were tied, to continue with their race.