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Slave Warrior Chapter 51

November 28, 2018 / posted in Chapter Book, Stories / No Comments

Back to Chapter 50

 

She hadn’t stopped crying since she had come back into her room.  There was no consolation that anyone could offer that made the hard, cold spot that had formed in her melt and go away.  Laun could not stop crying.

“All I wanted to do was hit him on the head.”  Edgar was both serious and trying to make Laun smile.  She barely looked up at him and the tears were still flowing.  Her eyes were red and puffy, her voice, when she talked, gravely.  There was enough snot coming out of her nose to saturate several cloths since she had started.

She blew her nose again and said, “All I could see was his body floating in the river, going past Falmir’s people as a warning.  It made me happy to think it.”  She had a sobbing fit and couldn’t continue.

Geralk was sitting in one of the chairs that had been in the corner.  It was next to the bed, the mat having been moved.  He shook his head in amazement.  “I’m just glad you have never been angry at me.  You took a fourth class assassin to his knees without really trying.”  He looked at her anguish.  It was plain and open, as she usually was.  “There are Master gatherers who would be at your feet right now.”

That made Laun twitch a smile, but then the tears came out and made it a frown.

Edgar held her.  It was all he could do.  He had tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted that if anything was to happen to the man they had captured, that she would do it.  She had asked that he be taken as long of a way to the chamber of death as possible so she could gather and prepare.  She had brought props that she had not used, planned for things that did not happen.  But what had happened had flowed and had shown a skill, a side of her that the others in the room shuddered at. »Read More

Slave Warrior Chapter 50

November 26, 2018 / posted in Chapter Book, Stories / No Comments

Back to Chapter 49

 

The hood was on him as he stood there.  He had been taken through large, noisy spaces.  He had been taken through hallways and up and down stairs.  He was certain that the keep and castle was not that big as he had been observing it for over a week.  But they had stopped and he was now in a room, cold and slightly musty through the sack on his head.

The sack was pulled off of him.  It was a room that had only one lantern and no windows.  He glanced around as his eyes adjusted and could tell there were people in the darkness, but not how many.

A female voice came to him from the darkness.  “Hello, quail.”  She stepped into the small amount of light the candle in the lantern was showing.

She pushed back the blue hood from her face and the man was surprised.  There had been several people with the same outfits, different sizes, different shapes.  He had seen who he thought was the King… The old King leave the keep gate with other plainly dressed people around him, the King wearing this same outfit as before him.  It had been easy to follow, though the King was good at going to ground, the colors would show back up and the assassin was able to follow without needing to find a trail.  He had followed, but then was caught.  If only he had been able to slash his throat...

She looked at him.  She turned to one of the men beside her and said, “Strip him.” »Read More

Slave Warrior Chapter 49

November 22, 2018 / posted in Chapter Book, Stories / No Comments

Back to Chapter 48

 

“Damnit.”

The light was barely more than it had been when Silar had fallen asleep, his arm around Laun.  He felt rested, though his legs twitched when he moved them.  She had taken more out of him than he had realized.  He opened his eyes partially and confirmed that she was not beside him.  He felt other bodies and heard other breaths and one snore.

And then he heard the soft voice again, swearing.  This time there was a small wood on stone sound, too.  And then muffled footfalls and a gasp.

He opened his eyes fully and turned slowly.  There was a shadow in front of the dawn-lit windows.  It was stretching, pacing and swinging something in lunges.  And then the object was dropped, the rug muffling the hit of wood on stone.

Silar could see that it was Laun as she turned towards the night lamp.  She was holding one wrist and flexing it in a pained manner before picking up the wooden practice sword again.  Silar thought he could hear knuckles crack as she swung the sword over her head.

The light was growing through the windows and Silar was enjoying seeing Laun try to practice.  Her form was stiff, but there was an underlying strength and discipline that he appreciated.  She was naked, her body trying to do what she wanted, pain and disuse showing in most of her movements.  There was just something about that hold that was making her drop the sword at the same point every time in her kata.  She was frustrated, but she picked up the sword again and again and tried over and over.  Until the sword dropped, at the same place in the routine, again.  She picked up the wooden sword and held it in front of her.  The light was not needed for him to see that the frustration was high enough that it might come out, the wood taking the brunt.

»Read More

Slave Warrior Chapter 48

November 20, 2018 / posted in Chapter Book, Stories / No Comments

<--Back to Chapter 47  Please consider tribute.  The Web Mistress is low on Chocolate.

The tent was up.  Orgia had both the boar and the stag hanging from frames under the canvas.  They were still being processed, but they had been gutted and cleaned and the skin was off the boar, the stag still having the hide carefully carved off.  

Orgia proudly showed how the plan had been executed for the tents.  There was a tent being used as a walkway between the keep doors and the main tent, a series of boards being put down to keep any remaining mud from getting tracked inside.  The main tent had areas already set up, the plants that needed protection having little fences around them for right then.  A heavy, old canvas was under the carcasses, buckets under the heads to catch any blood.  Lanterns were being hung from the posts holding the roof up and several braziers were being set up.

Several smaller tents had been set up on the far end that linked into the larger tent.  One had some of the practice equipment in it, one had a few tables and chairs stacked in it.  The area was large enough that a full practice could be held, or a small feast.  Orgia was beaming when she walked over to the wall that backed up to the laundry and pulled back the canvas.

“I was able to get them to hook it directly to the wall.  Much more stable, and we can open the windows to pass things back and forth, and for some heat in the winter.”  Letting the canvas down, Orgia looked around and Laun could see some of the potentials Orgia now saw.

“Thank you.”  Laun tried to not look too ashamed.  “I am sorry that I forced your hand on this.” »Read More

Slave Warrior Chapter 47

November 12, 2018 / posted in Chapter Book, Stories / No Comments

<--------Chapter 46

 

“And-tell me again how this happened?”

Laun had cold cloths on her shoulder over strongly scented salves.  “Ali and I were out riding, she was showing me some moves and there was an accident.”  Laun looked at Lucaris and didn’t blink, until the healer lifted one of the wrists.

“And this?”

“From the sex.”  Laun did not like to lie, but thought putting some distance between the sex and the shoulder would put Ali less in the line of fire.  She saw both the start of a smile and the start of a scold on the healers’ face, but neither of them came out.

Instead, Lucaris asked, “Was it good?”

Laun looked away.  “Yes, until my mind turned it into a nightmare.”

“Has it gotten worse?”

Laun shook her head and then nodded.  “It was the circumstance...  I was...at the peak and there was a shadow and my mind turned that into someone attacking.  Ali took care of me.  She always will.” »Read More

Slave Warrior Chapter 46

November 7, 2018 / posted in Chapter Book, Stories / No Comments

Back to the last chapter.

 

Laun thought of the last few days, and nights, as she went through the early morning of the keep of Salam-Dir.  She had not slept in the chamber that held the recovering people for several nights.  She had taken a nap in the sun the day before on Lady Hellon’s Hill after doing some preparations and had been awake most of the night on the top walkway on duty with a team of protectors.  Laun had an energy that drew from the plans for the next few days, and the cascading lists of things that needed to be done that would not quit in her mind.  She found she liked the air at the top of the keep, the pinpoints of light, and the thought of rolling something wet down the wall onto someone’s head.  She finally gave up early in the morning and tagged off with a protector at the sleeping chamber door.  She looked in and saw the patients were asleep, Lucaris looking haggard but awake in the chair.

Lucaris made a good motion three times and Laun backed out.

She went to the Great Hall and wrapped her cape around her.  She was still bundled up, laying against the wall when Orgia tapped her toe inches from her head several hours later.

“Lady, missing something?”

Laun ran her tongue over her teeth and said, “A gargle?”  She got up and followed Orgia into the kitchen.  There was already tea and Laun held the mug between her hands to warm them.  A fresh tunic was forced on the Lady and a piece of dried duck meat found it’s way into her hand.

Orgia was having a low level grumble until Laun said, “Orgia, is it possible to reappoint Lady Hellon’s room?”  Orgia’s outlook was much different after that. »Read More

Slave Warrior Chapter 45

November 5, 2018 / posted in Chapter Book, Stories / No Comments

Back to Chapter 44

 

It only took a few minutes to spread the word that Laun would like to have a meeting on Lady Hellon’s Hill of certain people.  Laun rode Grace to the Hill and only dismounted after the people she wanted were there.  She had asked for certain protector teams to join them and had them positioned far enough away that they would not be able to hear everything said.

Laun was shaken to her core.  The internal recriminations that sped through her were getting bloodier and bloodier in her mind.  The things she should have done.  The things she should not have done.  The things she should have known.

The bird had been put back in the coop.  Geralk pointed out that it was slightly too big to get out the fly-hole.  It probably saw the other birds, came in to eat and could not leave.  The messages were copied down, the originals given to Laun to keep.

Laun did not even bother to put another tunic on when she rode out of the keep.  It was warm enough for her and she was concentrating so hard on not breaking down in front of anyone that she did not even think to cover herself. »Read More

Slave Warrior Chapter 44

November 3, 2018 / posted in Chapter Book, Stories, Uncategorized / No Comments

Back to Chapter 43

 

It was a different morning for Laun.  The sounds around her were different.  The smells were different.  The bedding was different.

The arm was the same.

Laun listened to the snores around her.  Almost all were very loud and very masculine.  Though there were times that the dancers could get very loud while sleeping.  She smiled and she found someone’s finger was gently tracing her lips.

She did not open her eyes.  She let the finger trace her lips, go up the ridge and bump on her nose and smooth her eyebrows.  The finger went down her nose again and she pursed her lips, the finger stopping to get kissed before it started to trace down and around her chin.

The eyes she woke to were more familiar to her than her own.  Fount was looking at her from under a veil of his own hair, but the grey eyes were unmistakeable.  She moved her hips slightly and the reflexive hold on her from Edgar pulled her closer to him.  Laun smiled again and worked her hand out from under the blanket to touch Fount’s face. »Read More

Slave Warrior Chapter 43

November 1, 2018 / posted in Chapter Book, Stories / No Comments

Back to Chapter 42

Laun ended up having several days worth of fever.  It was low for a day or so and then spiked as a huge rainstorm rolled over the land.  Laun was not sure if the hissing she heard was inside or outside her head and her mouth was thick so she could not ask.  The coughing stopped after the fever broke, letting Laun sleep for most of a day.

Three more came down with the same illness.  They all were tended to in Laun’s chamber to keep them out of the general population.  Unfortunately for Disa, she was one of them.

When Disa woke from her first restful sleep in several days, she found that roles had been reversed.  Laun was not well enough to leave the chamber for great lengths of time, but she was well enough that she was slightly restless.  She volunteered to look after the people who had been in the sickbed with her.

Disa sat up.  Laun was in the chair, a candle burning on the table.  The brasier was set with enough coals to warm the room and the kettle on it.  Laun saw that Disa was awake and carefully climbed around the others to get to Disa’s side.

A hand was on Disa’s forehead and Laun smiled.  “Feels like it broke and you are on the mend.”

The hand maid looked at either side of her at the other two who were still sick and in bed.  “I feel better, I think.”

Laun held out her hand and said, “If you are anything like me, you really have to go to the privy.”

“I didn’t until you said something.” »Read More

Slave Warrior Chapter 42

October 30, 2018 / posted in Chapter Book, Stories / No Comments

Back to Chapter 41 - Need to refresh yourself about what is going on?  Scan through the chapter list to find ones you may have missed.

 

Cold, cold rain pushed by cold, cold wind kept everyone who could stay inside by the fires.  It had been almost a week since the twenty new arrivals had come in.  It was getting crowded in the wardmans’ bunk and some people started to sleep semi-permanently in the Great Hall.

The household was bustling with activities big and small, but all important.  From the people who were still clearing and fortifying the keep and castle to the ones who were mending the clothing for the upcoming winter, all hands were as busy as they could be.

The days were becoming long as the light grew shorter.  The morning meeting was now the only time that everyone tried to be together.  It was the time to check in with each other.  It was the time to make sure the jobs of the day were laid out, the priorities now openly made clear and not chosen by the people who wanted to do things.  The protector patrols and guard shifts were called out in the morning, everyone to know where the protectors were supposed to be and when.  And the food was the one meal that everyone tried to have, even though evening meal usually had more variety, more people were now on patrols or busy when evening meal was set out.

Laun was master of none of the skills it took to run the household.  But she was mistress of the household.  She found herself on the back of Grace going from defense to guard post most afternoons, even though Lucaris would wag her finger when she saw.  The palfrey had such a steady gait, and they knew each other well enough that Laun felt most comfortable riding instead of walking.  At least once a day, Grace felt Laun start to hurt and went to her knees so her Lady riding could get off and lay on the ground for a few minutes.  The warmth of the horse next to her, even when it was threatening another gale, was enough to keep her warm. »Read More

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