Fifty three

Unknown pov

The white haired one saved me, I thought my life was over, hell it was over. I know that I am living on borrowed time and now I have found out what I am meant to do. I am supposed to free her husband. I don’t know how much a man can take but I know that it should not be up to what he has taken. If it was someone else, the person would have been dead but not this man, he didn’t even break. I heard that they will soon send him to the capital, to be tortured by the best investigators that we have. If I can do anything about rescuing him, it has to be soon.
I offered wine to the guards who sneered at me then made some suggestions about what I should do with my manhood since I could escape from the enemy with my life intact, as usual, I kept quiet as they drank the wine and made merry, my esteemed position as a spy was long gone, stead I became the manservant to the rowdy brunch. My lips pulled into the smallest grins before straightening back to the impassive mask I always wore. It would not be long before the wine effects starts showing and it will be a long time before the effects will wear off which would have given me enough time to get back into the warlord territory thereby making us are once more.

In thirty minutes time I was besides Orel. “You need to gather whatever reserves you have and listen to me as I try to save us.” I gently whispered to Orel who tried to see my face through the blood coating his, he has lost some weight from the last time I had seen him but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t a big man, I still need his help in carry him home because is bulk even when malnourished was still bigger than me, I have always been small on my stature that was why I was able to pass as a new trainee before I was caught.

“It is no use, I am going to die here.” Orel coughs out with bloody spittle leaving his mouth.

“You are not dying here, not if I can help it. We are leaving.” I said trying to remove the manacles on his hands and legs.

“I refused to be the batter element for my wife to regain me.”

“I am not battering you, I am going to be free you and you will by your wife side before long.”

“Why are you doing this, what do you want us to pay with?” Orel asks.

I shook my head. “You have already done the payment, now is my turn to deliver. We need to start going.” I said biting my lips in a worry

Orel studies me and I didn’t know what he sees in my eyes before leaning close and nodding his head. I let out a breathe that I dint know I was holding in and with carefully steps and as few stumbles as possible I got him out of the house and into a cart where I drove for a while before coming upon the former village the place there the army was when I was captured.

I stepped down from the cart and explained as much as I could to a passerby and finally I got a location. When I entered the cart back it jostled Orel who groaned in pain.

“Are we there yet?” He asked sweat pouring profusely from his face, I don’t need to feel his head to know that he has a fever, I have to get him as quickly as possible to his wife before anything goes wrong.

“No, they moved from Sagedge, their new camp placement is a little bit too far.” I replied him.

“Don’t trust people of Sagedge.”

“I know, I know how they betrayed you and your wife, the reason why they told me the new location is because they saw that I am a foreigner. Now we have to go back to Elisea and reconnect to the other border where they are but we would not get too close because I have a feeling that the battle has already started there.” I tell Warlord Orel and was concerned when he didn’t reply, after going a little further away from the village of traitors, I turned to look at the man who was a little too quiet for my taste- I wasn’t even hearing his little groans of pain- only to see him paler than normal and his chest was not moving.

“Warlord.” I called in a fearful state, he is my leniency at being accepted into the Dar Empire, that would not happen if he dies before meeting his people, and I cannot return his dead body back to his wife who spared my life. I came down from the perch where I sat driving the cart and rounded to his side, I pounded on his chest not knowing what to do but it seems to work as he took a sharp breathe in and began to cough. I stayed with him while offering him water to drink and settling him back to sleep before I resumed my place on the perch to continue the journey, the man is weak, and surviving only by his will, I have to get him to his people as soon as possible, only then will I be safe and only then will my life be spared.

Five days, that how long it took for me to take Orel back to the army and it wasn’t through any fault of mine, Orel has gotten better and at the same time worse, his minor bruises were already knitting their selves back together with the food I fed him but his major injuries were worsening and I was scared because I knew that if they don’t take care of some of Orel injuries soon, it will heal the wrong way and I had no knowledge of healing. I was tired, tattered and dirty from not taking a bathe in a while and for also not eating well but I also had no resources to spare since everything had gone to Orel to ensure that he didn’t die.

Getting round Erisea army and the battle field to where the Dar army settled was not an easy task and when Dar warriors surrounded the cart, I wept with joy as I whispered a word.

“Finally”

**********************************

Themis has lost count of how many she had slain and tortured with Gwenn acting as her shadow, the battle had been nothing but brutal, wrecking all her senses, she had no idea what was right or wrong anymore, she had evolved into a killer, leader and a warrior, she didn’t have a choice. All her waking moments where filled either with meetings or fighting and her sleeping moments were getting smaller but she could see that they were slowly beating Erisea into running, normally she would have loved to decimate the army but she didn’t have the power, they needed to not annoy Erisea since they still had Orel and also needed to recoup too since they have been suffering losses too and were also wary about the fight.

And because of her schedule, she was surprised when a warrior rode into the battle field, one from the looks of his armor less state was supposed to be on guard duty and not in the battle field in the middle of a battle. “Lady Themis, queen Gwenn, you have to return to camp now. It is urgent.”

Before Gwenn could asked, Themis had already stomped to the warrior “What happened?”

“The warlord is back.” He said with a grin, he said other things too but she could not hear him about the ringing that had started in her ears.

Themis hauled the Guard to her with strength that would have surprised her on a normal day but she didn’t care for anything except the knowledge of her husband. “Don’t joke with me, you will not like the demon you will get. Orel is at camp? Safe? Alive?”

The guard eyes which were panicked before grew warm as he nodded, he looked at her with his eyes admiring and wished he would get to marry a women who cares for him just as fiercely as Lady Themis cares for her husband, none would doubt her love for him since he was kidnapped. She had been heartbroken but the strength she displayed in her broken state led them on and gave them hope when the thought about their Warlord. Lady Themis might have no idea but almost all the warriors at camp wish that they would have a women like Lady Themis, she was already turning into a role model even with her state. “Yes my lady, your husband is safe, at camp and alive but barely, we took him to Dyane who is doing everything within her power to make sure that the warlord remains that way.”

“Then we return to camp at once.” Themis ordered barely stopping herself from running towards her husband. She still had a duty to do, she lifted the horn by Gwenn side, the horn that will alert their side that something has happened so with the state of the center of the battle field, a retreat or continue fighting will be ensured by Elison who was fighting at the thick if the battle.

“Are you sure that you want to do that, it might make Elison think that something has happened to one of us.” Gwenn eyed the horn with indecision but even she cannot remove the smile which was on her lips, her elder brother was back.

“Something has happened, he needs to rush back.” Themis answered before she slew the horn and when she heard Elison bellow of rage, she passed the Horn to the guard before she took off towards the camp. Now Themis was not a runner but the distance didn’t matter in her mind, she ran everything without noticing, all her attention was getting to her husband. When she got to front of Dyane tent, she saw warriors all milling around and when they saw her, they slowly parted giving her enough space to reach the front of Dyane tent without having to elbow her way through the crowd. She slowly walked to the tent where she opened the tent flap but the saucer flying to her head immediately made her duck… if not for her lightning reflexes due to her fights in the battlefield, the saucer would have aimed her on her face.

“How many times have I told you idiots that you cannot come in to check on him, I need to work on him and you all are distracting me? If this persists, I will tell the Warlady so that she can fray you all alive.” Dyane ranted still moving around the body laying of the furs in lightning movements while not getting distracted.

“So it is true.” Themis said softly as if the mere sound of her voice will prove that this was not real and that she was dreaming.

Dyane froze as she slowly turned to face me. She smiled through the tears gathered in her eyes. “Yes my Lady, it is true. Orel has been returned to us.”

With Dyane words, it was like every restrains hold back Themis Emotions was broken as she released a sob and walked to her husband side and used her hand to cover her mouth so her crying will not disturb Orel but still Orel brows farrowed before he slowly opened his eyes.

“My love.” Orel said with a grimace, it was clear he was trying to smile.

“Here, drink and go back to sleep.” Dyane said as she offered him a bowl to drink from. Orel drank from it and within minutes he was asleep once more.

“I thought that he would sleep through it all and wake up days later since he knows that he is now safe and protected but I guess he felt your presence and wanted to reassure you that he was okay.” Dyane explained.

“Gods, what happened to him?” Gwenn said standing over them, they were so caught up with their words that they didn’t know when Gwenn entered the tent.

“Multiple things but none we should talk about in his presence, once I am sure that he will survive and he is not in danger or contacting any disease that he stunt his healing process, I will come to your tent Lady Themis to give you a run-down of what his status of health is.” Dyane said as I nodded and smoothed Orel hand with was between mine, I kissed it before settling it down.

“He will be alright, he has to be.” I whispered. I stood up and allowed Gwenn to lead me outside the tent. As soon as we came out, warriors surrounded us all asking the same thing, how fares their warlord. Gwenn answer was a bark of silence and when the warriors succeeded in keeping their mouths shut, she smiled at them as she ordered. “Get back to work.” With that the warriors in front of them dispersed with grumblings. Gwenn took her hand and led her to her tent where she proceeded to break down as soon as the tent flap was down.

“Themis, are you okay, is it the baby?” Gwenn asked Themis completely scared at her reactions. Yes, it was the baby that was cause her to display the emotions she was displaying but she could not give that answer to Gwenn who will insist on dragging Dyane away from Orel who needed her attention more, to attend to Themis.

“Yes I am okay, I just cannot believe that he is home, that he is back to me.” Themis said with a smile through her tears. She gave a laugh too. “I am also happy that he is okay. Sound the war horn, it is time the people know that their warlord is back.”