Fostering Faust 2, page 26
part #2 of Fostering Faust Series
“Indeed. I worry that my people would be assaulted. Physically, sexually, or otherwise. I must ensure their well-being, and I’m willing to take a loss to myself to otherwise secure that.
“They were only doing their duty when the earl failed them,” Alex said.
Wrinkling his nose for a fraction of a second, the duke clearly had a thought about the earl.
“Fine. I’ll agree to all that, but I’ll have your word on your secrecy about the earl and what happened to him. The only person you’ll be released to discuss your thoughts about it with would be your duchess,” the duke said.
“Done, and struck then, to be upheld on our pins,” Alex said, holding his right hand out across the table to the other man. His left hand was pressed to his pin.
Sighing, the duke took Alex’s hand, his left hand touching his own pin.
“I swear to abide by the conditions set down in the acceptance of the surrender of Count Alexander Brit,” said the duke.
“I swear to abide by the conditions set down in the acceptance of my formal surrender of the city, and my entourage,” said Alex.
And it was done.
Alex was formally a hostage of the duke, and his part in this war was over for the time being.
Now… I just have to figure out how to get home. Escape, or… otherwise.
Chapter 23
Alex left the keep without the duke, who wanted to remain behind and survey the entirety of the structure.
Which Alex just took to mean he wanted to inspect the treasury.
Rebekah was on Alex’s left, Eleanor on his right. Her armor and weaponry had been packed away and locked in a trunk. Then put with Alex’s personal belongings on a wagon. It would follow the coach Alex, Eleanor, and Rebekah traveled to Gaelis’s capital city in along with Eleanor’s war horse.
All that remained of the Terk soldiery and citizens were being rounded up and put on other wagons. Alex knew the duke would keep his word and treat them correctly. But he still worried secretly.
Getting into the coach, Alex made himself as comfortable as possible.
At least we’re not being shackled. The duke is treating us exactly as hostages rather than prisoners.
“Master, what did you arrange?” Rebekah asked, leaning forward from her seat across from him.
She’s still nervous about her position. Ah.
“For safe conduct and treatment for everyone. I can’t speak to everyone’s individual release, as that had no bearing on anything, but we’ll all be safe. Safe and treated well,” Alex said, closing his eyes.
He’d lost Terk. Lost Terk and had been captured. This was a failure. A big one.
He was alive and unhurt, however. Everything else was just a matter of changing the situation to suit him.
“Well done, Master. I imagine you’ll be held for ransom for a time. Or a prisoner exchange,” Eleanor said. “My oldest brother was taken as a hostage in a skirmish once. Father paid to free him.”
Several seconds passed and Eleanor shook her head.
“Though his personal guards were not freed. Father felt they’d failed to do their duty.”
“Indeed,” Alex said, not commenting further. Letting it sit on that note would work well on Rebekah. Her mind was always turning and burning with what to do next to remain safe. To get more for herself and remain unhurt.
The coach was surrounded by soldiers that seemed to be part of a ducal guard. Gaelis’s version of Alex’s house guard.
Just many times greater in number.
As the carriage started to roll away, Alex got a good view of the city streets. Soldiers were everywhere.
They were looting, breaking into houses, and generally turning the city into little more than a ruin.
It wasn’t hard to imagine that if anyone stayed behind, their fate wouldn’t be good.
“I pray everyone heeded your words,” Eleanor murmured. Glancing to his side, he found her watching the scenery as well.
“I doubt it,” Alex said, looking back to the sacking of Terk. “There’s always a few people who won’t give up their homes, belongings, or otherwise. I can only hope they have a swift death.”
Here and there were small fires. Off to one side was an entire house that was a true bonfire, burning merrily to the ground as many others looked on.
Maybe they’ll accidentally set off one of the fire-trap houses and start a chain reaction. That’d be nice.
Rebekah reached over and flipped the curtain down over the window.
“Forgive me, but… I really don’t want to watch. Just in case,” said the thief, her tone subdued and strained. Not for the first time, Alex had to wonder if the woman had lived through something similar to this.
Folding her arms under her bust, Rebekah looked down at her leather-shoe-covered feet. Whatever was going on inside her head, she didn’t seem willing to share at the moment.
Quietly, without a view, they rolled through the dead city known as Terk.
Roughly thirty minutes later, they bumped to a stop.
“Count Brit,” said a voice from outside the coach.
“Yes?” Alex asked, lifting his chin up. Reaching over, he pulled back the curtain over the window.
Standing just outside was a soldier in the ducal guard colors.
“We’re going to be heading into the countryside momentarily. After this moment, we won’t be able to stop for any reason, other than to make camp.
“Our orders are to take you straight back to Gael,” said the man. “I would recommend you and your companions take a moment to relieve yourselves.”
“Ah… that’s a good idea. Thank you, soldier,” Alex said. “May I open the door and disembark?”
“Yes, Count, that’d be fine. I’ll get the door for you,” said the man, nodding his head. Then the door opened with a clack and swung outward.
“Thank you,” Alex said, stepping down from the coach.
“Just over there, Count,” said the man, indicating a building nearby. “There’s an interior room in the back. It has a latrine dugout below that empties into a sealed culvert. I don’t recommend attempting to escape through there. It’s a dead end… and it reeks.”
It was a small, squat, lower-class merchant house. Alex felt his breath catch for a split second as he recognized the building.
There were guards positioned around the entirety of it, clearly there to make sure Alex didn’t escape or get accosted.
Nodding, Alex went into the building without a word. Eleanor and Rebekah followed him inside, the door closing behind them.
Moving quickly to the back room, Alex found it exactly as the soldier had described.
“Seven, you have any flint on you?” Alex asked, getting down on his knees. Looking at the raised bench with a hole in it, Alex wondered how to do this.
“Flint? Yes, I do,” she said. “Why?”
“I also need some iron or steel,” Alex said, pulling at the wooden bench. “See if there’s a handkerchief or a small shirt. Something that’ll burn long enough to hit the bottom.”
“Master, what are you doing?” Eleanor asked.
“This is one of the fire stores. There’s a mass of accelerant under here, in the culvert. If I can just get this side lit, it should travel backward. With any luck, I can turn the city into a goddamn inferno,” Alex muttered.
Popping, the bench came away from its housing.
“Ugh, it stinks,” Rebekah said. “Here, Master. A small eating knife and my flint, as well as some cloth.”
Taking the three items, Alex peered down into the dark below.
“Damn,” he grumbled. “I feel like we should go to the bathroom first, but I don’t want to add anything down there. Bad enough I don’t know if someone else used the toilet and possibly washed the oil away.”
“I do need to go to the bathroom. Ah well, I’ll just piss in the mattress,” Rebekah said. “Another stain won’t be noticed. There’s no way I’m holding it till we make camp.
“Come on Six, you can go first.”
“We’re doing what?” Eleanor asked, her voice slightly incredulous as their boot heels padded off and away.
Striking the back of the knife to the flint, Alex produced several sparks immediately. Adjusting his aim, he continued to strike the flint above what looked like a small child’s pair of pants.
It only took a few seconds, but there was a quick flare up as the clothing material caught fire.
Pushing it down into the dark pit, Alex watched the flaming bit of cloth flutter.
Then it hit the bottom—and did nothing.
Damn.
Then again, we didn’t really think it was going to need to be lit from this side. We were always expecting to light it from the keep.
Guess I lost my chance on that one.
There was a soft crackling noise, and then a small trail of flame began to come to life around the clothing.
The fire began to lick a strange, meandering path to the back wall, then vanished into a barred iron grate.
Oh. Good.
Shit.
Pushing the bench back into place, Alex gave it a gentle shove. He found it was solid.
Getting up, Alex inspected the area.
Everything looked normal. One would have to look into the actual hole to see any fire.
Alex moved over to the bedroom, hoping the fire would travel backward toward the other depots.
He found Rebekah sitting on the corner of a bed, her pants around her ankles, her hands at her sides. She was clearly peeing into the mattress.
Eleanor was on the other side of it, buckling her pants back into place.
“All done, Master?” Rebekah asked, looking at him. There was no shame in her, even as she emptied her bladder.
Not knowing how to respond at first, he simply nodded.
Rebekah quirked her brows at him, and then a slow smile spread across her face. She didn’t say anything, but he got the impression she’d gotten some dark thoughts for the bedroom.
Alex was finding that Rebekah tended to explore sexual things with him. To see what he liked and didn’t like.
Finishing up, she stood and took a corner of the blanket. She wiped at herself, then flicked it onto the bed.
“Great. Let’s get out of here after you add to the bed yourself,” Rebekah said, pulling her pants up.
A few minutes later, the trio were leaving the building. Two soldiers went in after them, apparently to see if there was anything amiss. They returned without any urgency, looking rather bored.
Shortly after, they were rolling along the road again. As if nothing had happened at all.
Keeping himself alert for a possibility to escape, Alex watched the guards. He didn’t think they’d give him an opportunity, but he wasn’t about to not look for one.
An hour later, they pulled to a stop on the side of the road after exiting a rather dense bit of woods.
The area they were pulling into had a well-camped looked to it. There was still several hours before nightfall, but it seemed the guards were settling in for the day.
As they started to go about their business of setting up the camp, someone swore loudly.
Looking to the guard, Alex found the man staring back the way they’d come.
Turning his head in the same direction, Alex saw a massive black plume of smoke.
It was gigantic.
As if it were blotting out the sky itself.
A flickering glow within the billowing black cloud could be seen as well.
Orange and red lights flowed through it, dancing and dodging throughout.
“It’s as if there are demons playing inside of it,” said a guardsman. “Like a hole to the hells has opened up.”
Distantly, a giant tongue of flame flared into the sky, spearing through the smoke. It lit up the sky, illuminating everything.
Then it died away again.
Must have been a depot going up.
“It’s an inferno,” said a second guard.
As if naming it such invoked an image of Alex, everyone turned to look at him. To gaze at the Count of Infernos. The city he had just left had now become an angry blaze.
Turning his eyes from the fire, Alex looked to the captain in charge of this detachment, who was looking at Alex with a strange expression.
“Where should I bed down? I’d prefer to lay near the fire if possible,” Alex said with a flat tone.
***
Rolling into the city of Gael, Alex was tired.
The ducal guards escorting him had practically flown away from the flaming wreck of Terk. As if the very hounds of hell had been set loose upon the world.
No one would speak to him, but it was clear they were all quite afraid of something.
Blasting through the gate and bouncing down the road, Alex closed the curtain and leaned back on the bench seat.
“I feel like I’m going to throw up,” he muttered. “They’re going far too fast. It’s like the wheels are going to disintegrate off the damn carriage itself.”
“They’re terrified of you, and of what the fire meant,” Eleanor said.
“Huh?” Alex said, looking to the knight.
“The way they look at you. They’re deathly afraid. Terrified. I imagine they probably think you’re cursed, or have supernatural powers,” Eleanor explained.
“Ha. That’s just stupid,” Alex said, closing his eyes.
Rebekah was sitting next to him, her fingers lightly toying with the back of his neck.
“No it isn’t, Master. The way you set it up left no one behind to speak of the tale. And those who could are all sworn to you through life and death,” said the thief. “There will be no one who can reveal what you did, or how you did it.
“Your title is well deserved, though I think some people will learn to fear it for other reasons after this.”
Alex shrugged, not sure what to say to that. “Whatever.”
Rebekah chuckled softly, her fingers curling up into his hair.
She’d become incredibly attentive to him. She was acting as she always had toward him, but her affection was focused so tightly on him that he wondered if it was more than Riley’s right now.
Then again, her reasoning is running away with her fear. Her mind is lost. Until she can get new assurances, she’ll seek it out.
We’ll get her freed from that fear tonight or tomorrow. No sense in making her twist in the wind over it.
“For what it’s worth, despite being dishonorable in the most extreme way, I feel it was… vindicated,” Eleanor said. “Though it pushes the line since it was done after you surrendered.”
“That’s a good point,” Alex said, making sure to address Eleanor. He needed to keep pressing her needs and points of weakness. She was making amazing strides in the last day or two, but he needed her to keep going. Her reversion had been halted. “Thank you, Six, for being my safeguard. I’ll keep that in mind, and I’ll consider how I can rectify it later. I appreciate you.”
Cracking an eyelid, he peeked over at Eleanor.
Her cheeks were red, a small smile sat on her lips, and her eyes looked off to one side. She seemed rather pleased with herself.
Good. She’s feeling quite secure.
I’ll need to use the next opportunity to finish her Numbered contract and get her into bed.
Turning his head a bit, he angled Rebekah’s fingers until they got at an itchy spot on the back of his head. Part of Rebekah’s own need was to feel like she was fulfilling his. He’d be happy to use what she was offering.
The carriage came to a stop much faster than anyone inside was expecting. Unable to brace himself, Alex ended up pitching forward into the seat in front of him.
Rebekah was a second behind him, practically landing atop him.
“Watch it, you fool!” shouted someone from outside. “Are you trying to anger him?”
“No, no! I didn’t, I just—”
The conversation died away and fell into heated whispers. At the same time, the door jerked open and the captain stared into the coach.
“I’m so sorry, Count. That wasn’t intentional. The driver pulled on the reins too fast,” said the man.
Disentangling himself from Rebekah and getting to an upright position, Alex shook his head.
“I feel like I’ve been churned into butter,” he grumped.
“My sincerest apologies, Count Inferno,” said the man. “Your rooms have been prepared in advance. I also took the liberty of asking for a lunch and baths drawn.
“Everything has been prepared and set up for you.”
Making a dismissive hand wave toward the man, Alex got out of the carriage.
“Ah…” the man said, clearly waiting for some type of response.
“That’s fine,” Alex said. Wishing he’d figured out a way to escape, he turned instead toward the steps leading up to the massive manor ahead of him. “Please send my thanks for my accommodations to whoever is sitting the ducal seat.”
Putting one boot in front of the other, Alex started heading upward toward the door.
“The young master is in right now. He oversaw everything to make sure it was correct for you,” said the captain, trailing along at Alex’s side. “I’m sure he’ll be quick to see you once you’ve had a moment to freshen up.”
Nodding, Alex kept advancing. There wasn’t any point in talking to the captain further. Any information the man could provide, Alex probably already had. He’d need to speak to this “young master” to figure out where to go next.
Because with any luck, the duke of Gaelis was little more than a smoldering skeleton back in Terk.
The captain sped past Alex and went to talk to the guards at the door.
When they opened the heavy doors, Alex was allowed to walk through with little more than a glance.
A single maid was waiting for him on the inside. She bowed her head immediately to him, then gestured deeper into the home.
“My name is Beth, Count. I’ll be attending to you during your stay with us.
“If you could please follow me, I’ll escort you to your private rooms. I personally made sure everything was ready for you moments before you arrived,” said the woman.
“Thank you, Beth,” Alex said, turning to follow her.
