AO 5 Ch 21

Chapter 21

I was out walking with Maribelle after a morning spent trying to sell and buy goods. My carriage was laden with all sorts of new goods, but my mind was mostly a jumbled mess. The problem with our two Zenovian guests weighed heavily on me, and I worried about Zuri being separated from me. 

Maribelle was, as always, with me and attuned to my desire. At present it was to just think and walk outside the town.

It was far more peaceful away from the town. Large bushes and sparse conifer trees dominated the view and were dense enough you had to weave a path between them. The grass was patchy at best, but there was still green, and it felt like spring.

"What are you thinking about, sir?" Maribelle asked as we walked along.

"Why, you, of course," I replied, leaving out the other topics. She blushed slightly at my statement.

"Why, thank you, Sir. I live to serve," she said.

I glanced over at her. Maribelle had sparkling blue eyes and blonde hair that fell down in two bundles of tight curls with a pair of ribbons crowning each bundle. She had a thick strip of maroon cloth wrapped around her throat to hide her bluesteel color. The maid's uniform that was not as clean and pristine as the ones she normally wore. Then again, she couldn't exactly walk around in magically enchanted outfits while she was pretending to be an actual maid.

At least not with my current identity. I would have to be far richer to afford something like that for a simple maid.

"But what's really on your mind?" she insisted.

"Plenty. I'm worried about Zuri. I'm concerned about Eva and Uncle Valken." I told her.

"But you said you trusted them." Maribelle stated.

"Trust is not always so simple. It can easily be lost, especially the longer you are away from someone. You just don't understand where Uncle Valken is coming from."

Maribelle pursed her lips. "If I may be so direct, sir..."

"Please, Maribelle, I value your opinion quite highly."

"I think you should stop worrying about what's outside of your control. Uncle Valken is a 500-year-old Vel’shae. You are, as are most people in the world, unable to control what he does or does not do. Regardless of how you feel, you can always make moves on your own. For example, you decided that you wouldn't tell Boss if we would go or not. That's the move you can make and what you should focus on, rather than the grand picture that Uncle Valken might be trying to weave."

I turned and looked at her out of the corner of my eye. "Don't take this the wrong way, Maribelle. But you can be surprisingly introspective at times."

She did a small curtsy. "Why, thank you, Sir. I pride myself in being able to fulfill all of your needs."

"Don't worry about it," I murmured. It wasn't a bad way to approach the situation. And at the end of the day, all this introspection is beginning to hurt my head. “You're right, Maribelle. I should focus on what I can control."

She stepped up, brushing herself against me. “Of course.” Her eyes held a need that I was beginning to recognize. In the midst of the bushes and trees, we were hidden from the town.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shade of a tree. "And what do you think it is that I should focus on?" I said, teasing her.

Maribelle bit her lip. "Whatever it is you want?" The words came out more as a question than I thought she intended.

"Whatever I want," I repeated. "That does sound nice." My hands reached into her maid's uniform and squeezed at her chest. "You have a wonderful way of driving me crazy. Maybe I'm crazy because all I want right now is you."

Squeezing Maribelle's breasts, I could feel the dark part of her mind beginning to spin up.

She wondered if I was going to press her up against a tree out here in the woods. If we were isolated enough for her to scream.

Her desires kicked off like a raging inferno. Maribelle let out a soft moan from her delicate pink lips as she tried to encourage me.

I chuckled and squeezed a little harder, enjoying the soft gasp that drove me wild.

She ground her ass against me and her eye lids fluttered with ecstasy.

Except we didn't get very far before Zuri landed next to me.

The way Maribelle whipped out a blue steel knife, ready to kill Zuri for her interruption even after she realized who it was, told me just how on edge Maribelle had been. She was more wound up than would be good for anybody.

Maribelle did not relax until I put my hand on her shoulder.

“Welcome back.” I grinned at Zuri and Eva. “You two look like you’ve had a fun trip. Tell me about it as we head back. Emlyn is getting some beauty sleep and Aurelia is checking the market for any communication from Uncle Valken.”

Both of them looked at each other before turning to me. There was a certain tension sparking between them before it dissipated as if they’d come to some agreement. It felt like they’d been fighting.

“This is private enough, more secure than the inn anyway.” Eva sat down and spilled the beans. “The estate is well guarded and also has experiments going on in the cellar involving corrupted or I guess mages becoming corrupted.”

Her words made me tense up. “Shit.” My eyes immediately went to Zuri who held up her hands.

“I’m fine. There was a moment of rashness, but I understand that if we plan and go in together, we can get all of them.”

I was not sure those words were as reassuring as Zuri had intended. She was never rash. It might as well have been the same as ringing the village’s fire bell.

"We are going to have to talk about that later. Sorry. For now, we need to get things together so that we can head up there for this ambush," I said, rubbing my forehead. "If there's that many mages and weird experiments, then those rebels will be entirely wiped out if they attack alone."

It wasn’t that I particularly liked Boss, but I also didn’t want to see those people throw themselves like an egg against a stone.

The girls all nodded. 

"That's a lot of forces for our small group to try and counter," Eva said. 

I snorted. "I'm going to pop some mage's head like bottles of that bubbly wine.” We’d figure it out. We always did.

“Champagne," Eva corrected me, tucking her hair behind her ear. The princess seemed to be regaining her footing since coming back with Zuri. 

"That stuff. It's delicious, by the way." I started trailing off.

"Ard, now is not the time to be thinking about food and drink." Eva coached.

I held my hands up in surrender. "Fine. Let's all get ready, and while we do," I glanced at Zuri, "you and I need to have a talk."

***

I had Zuri alone in the room. "Are you sure you're okay?" My eyes ran over every inch of her for signs that she was fraying from the loss of her parents.

"I told you it was just a momentary lapse in judgment." Zuri grew more defensive.

"It's not what I'm concerned about, Zuri. We're going into a fight where you have not just a right, but every reason to be upset. These people created monsters like Colin. I hope they are nowhere near as strong, but they are the same monster that killed your parents. Tell me that you aren’t pissed enough to do something stupid?" 

Her jaw clenched, and her lips flattened. Zuri restrained any emotions from showing on her face. 

"I understand myself, Ard." Zuri tried to stay composed, but I wasn’t fooled.

"I don't know if you entirely do," I said staring her down, "losing your family is painful, it is rough, and I understand that." I grabbed Zuri's hands, holding them between mine. "You're allowed to be upset, Zuri. If in this battle, you need to kill some things, that's okay. What I can't have, is I can't lose you." I looked into her eyes. "Do you understand that? I can't lose you."

I could handle revenge, a cold anger or much worse. But I couldn’t lose her.

Her jaw tensed. "You won't lose me, Ard," she repeated after me. 

Tension bled out of me. "Good. During this, you're going to stay with me. I want you by my side, as my protection. Because I'm going to send Maribelle in, and make sure every one of those mage bastards is nothing more than a cooling corpse by the end of the night." 

Zuri showed her teeth with that statement. The tall, Trevis woman, no doubt, wanted blood. 

"You don't need to hold me back." Zuri frowned.

"I think I do, Zuri. I need you to be honest with yourself. You said you had a moment. And you were able to not put yourself in danger this time. I'm not sure you'll be able to show as much restraint in the heat of battle. So, I would like you to stay by my side.”

“Rather than getting into the thick of it. Ard," Zuri put a little more force behind my name than usual. "I want to be up there. I want to do something about these people." 

"I understand. I really do, Zuri. But," I shook my head, "I don't think that's in our best interest." For once, I couldn’t let Zuri be our tactician. It was too personal for her.

"After everything you've done," her voice was accusing, "you're going to put me on the sidelines because I got a little flustered?"

It was plainer now than ever that I needed to hold her back. She didn’t mean it, but she was damned angry not to get her chance to take a swing at these people.

"You won't be on the sidelines, Zuri. You will just be by my side. Maribelle and Emlyn are under far less risk if they go in and risk themselves. You, on the other hand, and Aurelia, need to hang back. Besides, you've shown your skill with your archery. That will be helpful." 

I didn't like how she was taking the news. However, I did think it was necessary. If I had ever been confronted with the people who killed my father, I don't think I would be able to function normally when faced with them. I certainly couldn't be trusted to make the right decisions in the heat of battle. My safety and those of my group would go out the window along with my rationality. 

There was anger in Zuri's eyes, and I didn't blame her. 

"I don't think this is right, Ard." Zuri told me.

Giving her a helpless shrug, I couldn’t help but agree. "I don't really think it is either. But I'm more concerned about keeping you and the rest of our group safe. It would be best if you stayed beside me in the battle." 

I repeated my stance, determined to stick to it. There was little chance she would be able to say something to change my mind.

Zuri huffed. Realizing she wasn't going to win this one, she stormed out of the room. That was probably the most emotional I'd ever seen Zuri, which only made me feel more confident in my decision.

***

Unfortunately, Zuri was still bitter by the time we were in position. Uncle Valken had not left any messages for Eva. After our best efforts to maintain our presence in the town, we had to slip away at the last minute to make it to the battle in time.

Afterward, we would rush back, pretending we had never left the town to keep our guises intact.

It was a dark night when Aurelia dropped me off in the forest. The moon was barely a sliver in the sky, just a curved thread of its edge visible, making the night so dark I could barely see my hand in front of my face.

"How's it look, Eva?" I asked, stepping up to the treeline and looking at the fortified estate we would be infiltrating.

"About the same as last time we were here," she replied. 

Large watchtowers with fires lit at the top and torches on the walls around the bottom illuminated the estate. The main building itself had enchanted lights washing out bright white light from the windows and entryways. The whole thing seemed like a beacon atop the hill.

"Then perhaps they haven't gotten wind of the bandit attack," I suggested.

"Or they're not concerned about bandits," Emlyn interjected a touch too quickly.

"I like to think things are going to be okay, Emlyn, but we should plan for the worst. Eva, can you use your magic and scout out to see if there are any mages in those towers?"

She nodded, her eyes becoming dark like ink wells, as she used her magic to peer through the shadows of the fort.

Zuri leaned against a tree and crossed her arms.

"Are you pouting?" Emlyn teased her.

"Not pouting, just prepared to stay back and do my job." Zuri grumbled.

"Well, you're lucky," Emlyn said, drawing her bluesteel sword. For this mission, she didn't have to pretend to be a normal guard. Emlyn had insisted that I restore her face, removing the scars and giving her back her normal skin tone. "Chances of Maribelle and I dying are pretty high. At least you don't have to die. Also, if history repeats itself, Ard is somehow going to get in terrible, terrible trouble."

Emlyn checked her sword, staring down its length to make sure it was still in good condition. "So, chances are you're going to kill some people.”

Maribelle looked over her shoulder at Zuri, "You will stay by Ard's side." There was a threat in her tone.

Zuri didn't stop leaning on the tree, and instead just showed the two her palms. "I know my job, and I'm not going to let my emotions change that."

"Good," Eva said, blinking her eyes. "Because we have a slight problem."

"Oh," I said, turning to her. "What's the problem?"

"They actually have two mages on duty in the towers, and a third in the cupola. I would hazard to say they are more on guard than they were the other day."

"What about that cellar?" Zuri asked, running her thumb along one of the swords sheathed at her hip.

"I didn't check, because I'm going to ask that Ard burns it down."

Zuri's jaw tensed, but she nodded. "That is the smart thing to do. Just collapse the whole cellar and bury them and any mages down there with them. Though, there are things we could have learned, if we went down there."

"Don't think those are the kind of things I want to learn, Zuri. I don't want to know how to make monsters," I said.

Emlyn put a hand on my shoulder. "You can already make monsters. And apparently befriend them."

"Freddy wasn't a monster," I shot back, only to hear Cyam whinny from my shadow in agreement. "See?” I gestured at my shadow.

“Ard, a horse agreeing with you does not prove you correct." She shook her head, as if she was sad for me. "Anyway," she glanced back towards the estate, "we should get ready for what's about to happen. The bandits could attack at any moment."