The Terror of Thorn: Child of War: Book 2 Page 13

  “Stay down while I get the rest” Xander began as he pointed towards the front of the castle. “There are at least five guardsmen out front and although they are not wearing their armor, they are heavily armed.”

  Xander took more trips and brought back the entirety of the force he was going to use, disappointed Patrick or Samantha would not be there for this battle. Xander walked out of hiding and gave a signal as he ran around the side of the building and charged the unaware guards. Xander put his arm up and shot fire at the captain who reflexively put his arms to his face. Xander put all the power he could muster into the kick he delivered to his groin as he sped past him into the castle with his rag tag army in tow.

  Xander searched the castle wondering where the rest of the guardsmen were at until he spotted a large and ordinate door from which several voices could be heard coming from the other side of it. Xander kicked down the door of the throne room to find several people there, one of which had to be King Janus, as he had a crown on his head. Xander smiled as the men looked at him first in annoyance, then in fear all except Brendan who did not recognize the danger Xander possessed.

  “King Janus, the great betrayer!” Xander began as he drew his weapon, not minding the palace guard since it was likely they would give him a wide birth after what had happened with their captain. “I have been waiting for this longer than you know.”

  “It’s Erik the Red back from the dead” said General McWilliams as he stood up and began to back away.

  “That is not Erik the Red” Brendan said wondering why everyone was freaking out. “That is a farm boy that’s a bit slow in the head, I found him on Javik’s estate.”

  “I am neither” Xander said as never took his eyes off of Janus. “I am Xander, son of the protector of Riley and I seek my vengeance!”

  “Vengeance for what? I have never heard of this Riley person! Guards! Guards!” screamed King Janus.

  “My mother was in charge of the outpost closest to Thorn. She was killed and then desecrated; I will not have her unavenged!” Xander said as he began walking across the room.

  “This is preposterous, if your mother was some type of Soldier, then she was just a casualty of war, it was nothing personal” Henry the Earl of Glou said.

  “Then consider Janus, pretender to the Throne another casualty. Your death is at hand!” Xander said as he continued getting closer to King Janus.

  “I cannot let you harm our King, there are rules to warfare and you simply do not kill the ruler of another nation” Brendan said as he pulled out his sword.

  “Janus betrayed my father Erik the Red to the Queen of Rangel. He was killed by this so called Patriot who lusted for power. Many of you know this to be true, my father conceived me with a witch, a woman who did not deserve the death she got. I am also married to the future Queen of Rangel, a woman Janus tried to have killed as this war began. If you want to pretend to be justified, then justify that.” Xander said as he got closer to King Janus.

  “Your majesty, this fight should be between the two of you. I will not be the person to shed royal blood. Gentlemen of that nature do not tend to last long, custom dictates you take his challenge” Brendan said as he sheathed his sword and stepped aside.

  “You’re nothing more than a coward” Duke Bodders said as he drew his weapon and stood in Xander’s path.

  Xander grabbed his sword by the blade, which on closer inspection was obviously ceremonial as no real swordsman would ever dream of fighting with such a weapon and yanked it out of his grip before delivering a thunderous punch with his gauntleted hand knocking the man out cold.

  “How do you expect to escape after trying to take my life?” Janus said as he grabbed his sword and held it out in front of him.

  “I care nothing about a retreat; all I want here is your life” Xander said as he held his sword at the ready.

  Janus stopped moving and took a defensive stance. Xander raised his gauntlet and lfed his aura into it, making a stream of almost white colored flame straight into the face of Janus. As Janus tried to scream and began frantically patting his face, Xander grabbed a hold of one of his arms and using the power the armor gave him, ripped it off at the socket. Janus hit the ground as Xander tossed his arm aside.

  “My vengeance is just, if there is any among you who still has allegiances to this man as he lay dying, grab your sword and let’s end this.” Xander said as he looked the other men in their eyes.

  “You have some nerve” Brendan said as he walked around the table. “Are we to assume you are here on the behalf of the Rangelians, or are you here to claim the throne?”

  The question took Xander by surprise. The Throne was by all rights Samantha’s but what if he took the throne? He could have his own country and be free from Rangel, free from Aubrey but is that what he really wanted? Why couldn’t he be in charge and Aubrey could live her life the way she wanted him to, smiling and making babies. Xander knew down deep he really did love Aubrey and now he could have his cake and eat it too.

  “How long can we hold out against the Rangelians?” Xander said as he began to weight his options.

  “The witches are tougher than we thought your Majesty” General McWilliams said apparently not willing to end up like his former monarch. “I see no way to end this fight by killing them, the only way I could see is by attrition, we could hold out for months but if the enemy commits all of their troops it looks like Rangel would close the show. Their army was split in two fighting Ingland as well as us, but apparently that part of their army got Ingland to submit. Apparently the Inglish are locked in their own civil war and Rangel was too much to handle. That army will arrive at our doorstop in a week’s time along with, if rumors are to be true, a member of the royal family, possibly your wife.”

  “What of the merchant Javik?” Xander asked remembering his first mission.

  “He is being treated well but is in poor health. I can’t imagine him lasting longer than a couple of months.” The Earl of Glou said.

  “The plan for him was to put his daughter on the throne as a descendant to Erik the Red. She was to marry the High Witch’s son Patrick, a fearsome warrior to be on the wrong side of. Javik’s daughter Samantha has begun to covet the throne and would not hesitate to let Rangel take over as long as she can be Queen, even if as a puppet ruler. The only hope I can see right now rests with my wife.”

  “Your Majesty” Brendan began, “she should be happy you have seized the throne, she could call off this whole invasion thing and leave us with our heads intact.”

  “My wife would only be happy with me back in Rangel, she would likely kill all men of note and leave their wives or daughters in charge. I could not guarantee your safety.” Xander said as he thought about Aubrey’s mean streak.

  “My lord, the soldiers in the castle have either been captured or killed” Joveon said as he and the men Xander assaulted the castle with started filing in the throne room. “Do ya wont me to take care of this lot for ya?”

  “That will be alright Joveon” said Xander as he went back to thinking about how to end the war.

  Xander explained the situation to his new men and why they may need to keep Patrick away a little while longer. What he needed though was a plan to reach Aubrey.

  “Your Majesty” Joveon began, “What about the men you sent to Rangel when you wanted to meet up with their army, can you still teleport over there?

  Xander smiled as he pulled his piece of cloth from out of his armor and laid it down flat. In a few moments Xander sat in a carriage with Aubrey.

  CHAPTER 28

  “Xander thank the Gods!” Aubrey said as she pulled him in close. This time Xander held her too and gave her a kiss as sensuous as he could muster.

  “I see you must have really missed me” Aubrey said as her tears began to fall.

  “I have, where are we?” Xander said as he stopped his embrace.

  “We are a day or so outside of the capital of Thorn, I thought you were captured, I came here for
your release.” Aubrey said as she stroked Xander’s hair.

  “I had hoped you made it safely back to Rangel, I had no time to fight your attacker” Xander said as he remembered the ambush he and Aubrey had survived.

  “I fought him off until the Palace Guard could subdue him, they had infiltrated all throughout that outpost. But none of that matters, the only thing that matters is that you are here with me now.”

  “I have kept Patrick and the Samantha woman safe, and I have raised a small army, I can bring them to you now” Xander said as he remembered his other allies.

  “The man that was found with the cloth you enchanted told us all about some of your adventures and told us you would be here as soon as you could. I have also heard the High Witch has been on a particular nasty streak when she found out her son was in harm’s way, she knows I am in route and she should be reaching our position along with General Anaya briefly with a full update on the war.” Aubrey said as she leaned in to give Xander another kiss. “Come, let’s tell everyone the Royal Consort is alive!” Aubrey said as she stood up and opened the door of her carriage. As soon as Aubrey opened the door Xander could hear someone call a halt to the march.

  “Tell everyone we are making camp right here” Aubrey said as she talked to the guardsman. “The High General along with the High Witch can meet me right here, we go no further.”

  “Your highness, the High General along with the High Witch arrived moments ago, I can tell them you want to meet now if you want” Xander heard someone reply.

  “That will be fine, set up something as nice as can be, perhaps the tables we took from that Inn a ways back. We are going to have a feast!” Aubrey said as she closed her carriage door.

  Xander stayed in the carriage with Aubrey until it was time to make their appearance. Aubrey had brought Xander nicer clothes but after their last attack, relented and let him to continue to wear his armor.

  The High Witch saw Xander and seemed a little relieved, though she would never admit to needing something from someone else, Xander knew she would become more visibly relaxed once she saw her son.

  “My lady would you like for me to fetch Patrick?” Xander asked trying to judge her attitude.

  “That would be appropriate given we have much to discuss concerning the upcoming siege.” Elizabeth said trying not to show her hand.

  Xander drew a teleportation circle and appeared back at his camp. After relaying to Patrick what the High Witch wanted, He along with Samantha traveled back to the Rangelian camp. Xander told Priscilla it would be disastrous if she were to join them, Aubrey was known to be jealous and he could not guarantee her safety. Xander gathered Patrick and Samantha and transported back to the camp.

  “Enchanter, yours along with the Champions presence is required at the war table.” General Anaya began as she wondered what information they had. “Although you are men, it is likely you have seen some weaknesses that can be exploited.”

  Xander, Patrick and Samantha followed Anaya to a table that was headed by Aubrey. After Xander sat down, their meeting began.

  “Here is where we are at in this war, the merchant Javik was taken prisoner along with all of his men and supplies according to the Royal Consort” Anaya began. “That means we have a well-fortified enemy who can hold out for quite some time. Our preliminary attacks have been met with overwhelming force, resulting in our side taking the majority of the casualties. If we send everyone at once we may be able to take the capital but at a terrible loss of men.”

  “Men are expendable, what is a couple of lives lost to the greater cause?” The High Witch said.

  “We would likely not have enough people remaining to protect our Queendom and Thorn if we were to apply such an action” Anaya replied.

  “Is this including the men who are loyal to my father who would likely flock to my side?” Samantha asked.

  “Right now they are a wild card, I do not know the hearts of Thornian men.” Anaya replied.

  “Well Xander told me he has been able to build a small army, could they help in the siege?” Aubrey asked her advisors.

  “How exactly were you able to build this army enchanter, the men I spoke with said they were from the southern part of the nation and never heard of Javik or Samantha.” The High Witch asked.

  “They follow me because I am the son of Erik the Red and his spitting image.” Xander began before finishing “They know I would not let anything bad happen to them like my father before me. They follow me because I would lead them to victory against an unbeatable foe.”

  “You’re the son of Erik the Red? Preposterous!” General Anaya said before Patrick spoke up.

  “My lady” Patrick began “Is it really all that preposterous that a Red Haired Child of War who happened to be an enchanter and whose mother was taken captive by the conqueror himself is the off spring from such a man?”

  “How long have you known this?” Aubrey said as she looked at Xander.

  “Since I was very young, my mother told me all about my heritage and why I should keep it secret.”

  “Proof that your mother was an even bigger failure than I ever imagined” the High Witch said. “Just think of it, the men thought you, the Royal Bed Warmer was some kind of great warrior that could lead them to victory! They even thought this King Janus an unbeatable foe!”

  “They are correct, I would lead them to freedom under the tyranny under Javik.” Xander said as he put a smile on his face.

  “And how will you do that?” Anaya asked.

  “By joining up with the Thornian army, getting access to the castle and killing him and avenging my mother who did not deserve her death and my father who was betrayed.”

  “And how exactly would you do this my love?” Aubrey said as she tried to calm the group down.

  “I do not have to try your Highness, it has already been done” Xander began. “His body is cooling in the Thornian throne room as we speak if it hasn’t been disposed of.”

  “Why didn’t you say this to start off with, let’s put Samantha on the throne!” Patrick said excitedly.

  “It wouldn’t work” Xander said as he unrolled his summoning circle cloth and put it on the ground by his feet.

  “Well that was the reason for this whole thing in the first place, let’s get to rebuilding this new Queendom” the high witch said.

  “It wouldn’t work because they already have a new leader” Xander said relishing the fact they were in the dark.

  “And who would that be?” asked General Anaya.

  “That would be me” Xander said as he let his words sink in. “You will also turn this little army around and return to Rangel. You can tell Queen Celeste if she wishes an audience she can send me a missive through official channels.”

  “Xander are you insane, even if we believed you, what would stop us from taking over this country” Aubrey said as she stood up.

  “I have something that Celeste wouldn’t dream of harming” Xander said as he stood up and grabbed Aubrey. “I have the Aubrey, Royal heir to the Crown of Rangel.” Xander said as he teleported Aubrey away.

  CHAPTER 29

  “Your majesty, we had wondered when you would return” Brendan began. “The people are demanding to see your face; your appearance gives them hope.”

  “Xander where have you brought me!” Aubrey said as she pushed Xander away.

  “I am assuming this lovely lady is your wife, shall we get your rooms ready?” asked Brendan motioning to Aubrey.

  “This is my bride, future Queen of Rangel and currently Queen of Thorn.” Xander said inwardly laughing at being an equal with Aubrey. “No, she can stay and hear what we have to say, if she gets a little too excited, perhaps we should have a bed ready for her, just in case.”

  “Xander I dare you speak to me like this, when we get home..” Aubrey said before Xander cut her off.

  “You’ll do what exactly?” Xander said as he stepped up into Aubrey’s face. “You’ll have me flogged is that it? Well you are
home, our home. Not that miserable shining palace you shared with Celeste.”

  “How dare you speak about the Queen so familiarly” Aubrey said as she began to scream.

  “What exactly is she going to do about?” Xander said laughing as he gave her his back and started walking around the room. “I have the heir to the Throne, she nor any of her agents, the cold calculating High Witch or the patriot General Anaya would dare put you in harm’s way. If anything happens to you, she will be without an heir and her enemies would be content to let her die and assume the throne that way.”

  “Xander why are you doing this to me? I love you!’ Aubrey said still unbelieving of the events that had transpired.

  “My dear, you are married to the most powerful man in the KINGDOM!” Xander said as he remembered the words she spoke to him. “You should be content to be waited on hand and foot and have beautiful things. Your only job would be to make babies with me. It’s not a bad life, in fact it is a life many women would kill for. Why do those words sound so familiar?”

  Aubrey glared at Xander as he gloated about his victory. “My mother will find a way to free me” Aubrey said in her harshest voice.

  “Perhaps, but then what?” Xander said as he began to laugh. “She wouldn’t dare kill the Royal Consort, it’s my job to make the future Queen of Rangel. Besides, no matter what has transpired with us you still love me. The worst I could expect is a good flogging, an experience you should be happy I wouldn’t visit upon you.”

  Aubrey thought about Xander’s words and realized he was right. “Show me to my rooms!” Aubrey said as she stormed out of the Throne room.

  “Well she certainly is spirited your Majesty” Earl Glou said.

  3 Weeks Later

  “Let me get this straight” Queen Celeste said trying to keep her voice calm. “Aubrey’s husband is the new King of Thorn and told you to leave and you did it?”

  “Your Majesty” the High Witch said in a shaky voice. “He had the Royal Heir prisoner. I went to their capital anyway just to see was this some type of jest, but he is in fact the King. Many from our army already joined his side by the time I arrived.”