I strode down the corridors of the palace toward the king’s personal chambers, and a trail of servants, guards, and my companions followed in my wake. The palace staff were insistent upon waiting until the morning to disturb the king’s slumber, but I thought the leader of Arajah would want to know his island was under attack.
A good leader would already be awake and strategizing defense, but I had low expectations for the Coward King.
“What are you going to do, Bash?” Eva asked as she trotted to keep pace with me.
Behind her, Caelia was still fastening on pieces of armor as she ran, but Sarosh had opted to remain in her usual robes. The former slaves and Risthan flowed down the hallway between the horde of palace staff that surrounded our entire party, and the Arajians’ expressions were grim but determined.
“Have a parade, of course,” I joked as I jerked my chin at the servants who jogged to get past me in order to open the double-doors to the throne room.
“Of course,” Eva giggled.
“Do you think the king is even awake?” Caelia wrinkled her nose as she shoved her hair back into a leather thong.
“Who knows?” I snorted. “It doesn’t matter, though. I’ll rip him out of bed butt-ass naked if I have to.”
“That would be quite the sight,” Risthan said from behind me.
I flashed the silver-haired man a cheeky grin, but then I turned my attention to the secret hallway leading to the king’s personal apartments. The sitting room was empty when we arrived, but our group crowded inside, and then the search for the bedroom began. We worked as a team, and it didn’t take very long, but the leader of the entire island was indeed asleep in his bed while his kingdom was under attack by pirates.
“Despicable,” I hissed as I crossed the room to the ridiculously large four-poster bed, and I grabbed the king by the upper arm before I yanked him upright. “Your people are under attack! What the fuck are you going to do about it?”
The king’s eyes snapped open just as the weaponless guards reached to pull me away from their liege, but as soon as the king met my gaze, I released my grip.
“Attack?” The fear instantly radiating from the leader of Arajah was palpable.
I glanced over my shoulder at his servants and guards who tensed at his reaction, and I shook my head sadly.
“Your people are watching, Idinavisth.” I gestured to the palace staff and my Arajian friends. “We’re all counting on you to lead us to safety. What’s the plan?”
“Would you follow my commands?” The doubt in his voice was plain to hear, but I ignored it as I nodded.
I could spend one run through letting the king’s choices play out, but in the end, I wasn’t going to settle for anything less than complete victory over the pirate invaders.
“May I have a modicum of privacy before we engage further?” Idinavisth shoved the covers away from him, and he swung his gnarled, aged, bare feet onto the floor.
“I’ll wait in the sitting room.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “You have five minutes.”
The king nodded, so I returned to the parlor where we’d first met and claimed the throne-like chair at the head of the table that I’d lashed the king to with my vines.
Just because I was following his command during this run through didn’t mean I couldn’t remind him of my superiority. I was a god, and he was just a king, so it would serve him well to remember that.
King Idinavisth entered the sitting room just under five minutes later, and I let out the breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I knew I would follow through and replace the king from the seat of power if I had to, but I still hoped for the best.
The king’s gray eyes narrowed as he spotted me in his chair, but he didn’t say anything as he took the seat opposite me. Then he gestured to one of the guards, and the man stepped forward with a quick salute.
“Summon Captain Garival from the barracks,” the king instructed. “I want him to meet me in the throne room as soon as possible. Inform him of the current threat, and give instructions to muster all the men.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guard answered before darting out of the room.
“What exactly are your plans?” I asked.
The king eyed me for a minute as he tugged on the sleeves of his chainmail robe, but then his gaze flicked to my companions.
“If given the option between giving up your own life or losing a loved one,” the king said in a soft voice, “what would you choose?”
“I would choose to eliminate whatever was threatening me and my loved ones.” I frowned. “You didn’t answer my question, though.”
“You and I are very different people,” the king sighed. “Our people see the world through vastly different light. You cannot possibly fathom the levels of honor ingrained in our culture when you come from somewhere so… flippant.”
“I’m not going to take offense to that even though I want to.” I scratched the nape of my neck. “But it sounds like you don’t plan on doing jack-shit.”
“That’s just what I was going to say,” Eva interjected as she held the king locked in her hard gray eyes. “You’re just going to let them do whatever they want to your people?”
The king shook his head as though he was talking to children, and I resisted the urge to strangle him.
“The pirate king made a deal with me,” King Idinavisth said as though this explained everything, but we all just stared at him expectantly, so he let out a low sigh. “They would not dare break their side of the agreement or they would no longer receive the slaves we agreed upon.”
I let out a frustrated groan. “You really think they’re going to fucking honor their agreement now? There were explosions on the shoreline. Out where the villages have no walls like your fancy palace does. The least you could do is shelter the villagers here with you where they’ll be safe from shrapnel.”
“Of course, the gates to the palace grounds will be open to any Arajian.” The king nodded as though this was a trade debate, but he was haggling with the lives of his people, and it infuriated me.
I took a deep calming breath as I ran a hand through my steadily growing beard, and Eva flashed me a comforting smile. Then Caelia came up behind me and began to rub my neck with strong, nimble fingers, and I sighed as I leaned into the sensation.
“Let’s go to the throne room so the people know where to find you,” I suggested, and I gestured to the door. “After you, Your Majesty.”
I couldn’t help the sarcasm in my tone, but luckily for me, the king of Arajah did not pick up on it. Or if he did, he didn’t respond.
A short while later, we all stood in the throne room to one side of the king’s dais, and a parade of staff came before the king. His captain arrived with a troop of guards in wooden armor, but I still didn’t see a single weapon upon them.
“Usher the people into their homes and instruct them to board up their windows,” King Idinavisth instructed. “The less people on the streets, the smaller the sacrifice the pirates will require.”
The head of the servants was next, and the king gave instructions to assemble makeshift beds and medical preparations for the injured.
There was no mention of a counter-attack.
I shifted on my feet as I itched to intervene, but I wanted to see just how much destruction I would be saving the people of Arajah from. My women glanced at me curiously every so often, and I could see the questions burning in their eyes, but they trusted me completely, so they didn’t utter a single word against me as I stood idly by.
After the initial instructions were given out, the king sighed with an air of exhaustion, and a moment later he was angling toward his secret corridor.
The bastard was running away to hide already.
I shook my head in disgust, but before I could chase him down, a group of Arajians approached with desperate looks in their eyes. I allowed them to approach me, and I spent several moments calming their fears and reassuring them that everything would be alright. By the time I freed myself from the frightened servants, a wall of guards in wooden armor stood in front of the king’s secret corridor.
“We’ll grab the king later,” I said as I waved my hand toward the entrance to the throne room. “Let’s go see how the harbor is faring.”
“Does the king have any mounts?” Caelia asked with a worried frown. “It would be much quicker on horseback.”
My gaze flicked to Risthan, but he merely shrugged.
“Well, let’s go see if we can find some steeds.” I grinned as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’ll carry you on my back if you want.”
Caelia’s easygoing laughter was music to my ears as I considered the chaos about to ensue in Custanov, and I grasped the sound in my mind to store in my long-term memory. Each laugh was a unique treasure, and I didn’t want to forget a single one.
My companions and I left the palace, but we searched the grounds until we located the stables where the king had several prized stallions with top-of-the-line leather gear for each one. It was practically a godsend, and I made a mental note of where everything was located so I could access it quicker the next time around.
“I wonder how long it’s been since these horses were ridden,” Caelia mused as she attempted to calm one of the nervous steeds.
“They’re uncut,” Eva pointed out. “They’re bound to be a little frisky.”
“Maybe I should just ride with you, Bash,” the merchant said in a timid voice.
The return of her shyness, however briefly, warmed my heart, and I quickly agreed. Then the dark-skinned shopkeeper helped me saddle our mount, and a few moments later, our entire group rode out of the stables at a quick trot.
We rode at a brisk pace until we reached the walls of Custanov, but the gates were closed and abandoned. Risthan and Torin jogged over to the mechanism to open it, and I hated the idea of leaving it ajar as we left, but there was no guarantee we’d regain access to the city again if we didn’t.
Besides, the mechanism was on the inside, and I didn’t want to leave anyone behind. I might be letting the king do what he thought was right this time, but I’d be damned if I let anything bad happen to any of my friends.
“You make me feel safe no matter what else is going on,” Caelia murmured in my ear as she wrapped her arms tightly around my chest. “Thank you for letting me come with you even though it’s dangerous.”
“It’s far more dangerous when you’re out of my sight,” I said. “Besides, I want to keep you right by my side where you belong. Forever.”
“I could get used to that,” the shopkeeper giggled, and she nuzzled her face against my shoulder despite the metal armor covering my entire body.
As we drew closer to the coast, the sound of cannon fire grew louder, and the horses became steadily more nervous. By the time the shoreline came into view, the night sky was lit up with flames, so I could clearly see the ships anchored off the coast.
“What do we do, Bash?” Sarosh asked as we pulled our horses to a stop.
“We watch and try to guard anyone’s back as they flee,” I said. “The king’s an idiot, but that doesn’t mean innocent lives need to be lost.”
I could see my companions were less than pleased with our predicament, but I knew I was going to reset back to my save point, so I wasn’t concerned about the possible destruction the pirates could cause.
Then I spotted the sails of The Quest as she sailed within fighting range of the pirate ships, and my companions cheered at the sight. The crew of the Sorreyal vessel weren’t beholden to the king of Arajah, so they could act of their own volition, but they were vastly outnumbered by the three pirate ships in the harbor.
The cannon fire changed directions and aimed at The Quest, but the ship was still too far away for the balls to make impact. I could barely make out the noble figure of Captain Black-Eye as he stood on the deck, but I was confident in his ability to protect his ship and crew from a few pirates.
Besides, the thieving assholes were more focused on punishing Arajah than they were on the solitary vessel challenging them from a distance.
“Should we tell the captain to stand down?” Risthan asked in a worried tone. “Without aid, they could become easily overwhelmed.”
“I trust the captain to use his wits,” I explained. “Our job is to help the evacuees.”
“I understand.” The Arajian nodded, and his gaze swept to the coastline as another round of cannon fire slammed into the shore. “There’s no villages over there. What are they doing?”
“Fear tactic,” I guessed. “Let’s get to the closest village and start evacuating people.”
My companions nodded, and we once more kicked our mounts into high gear as we galloped down the wooded path to the small village near the coastline. The shadows were cool, and Caelia shivered against my back as we rode beneath the towering boughs, so I pulled my cloak from my saddlebag and wrapped it around her shoulders. Evangeline smiled as she watched the interaction, but she seemed unaffected by the growing cold.
We reached the village shortly after, and Risthan immediately swung his leg over his horse’s mane before the beast had come to a full stop. The doors to the buildings were all closed and the windows shuttered, but the silver-haired man paid them no heed as he marched up to the closest house and began to bang on the door.
“Pirates are coming!” Risthan shouted through the wooden barrier. “Get to Custanov before they set foot on land!”
The door was yanked open so hard the Arajian man nearly fell over the threshold, but he righted himself with all the dignity of a nobleman, and he bowed his head to the ratty-haired older man standing in the opening.
“Do you speak the truth or is this a mean joke?” The older man narrowed his eyes, but his gaze swept over our fine steads and shining armor. “You come with strangers to warn of strangers. You see my confusion?”
“There’s no time to debate, old one!” Risthan’s voice was nearly frantic, and another boom of cannon fire only emphasized his point. “Get to Custanov! Now!”
Then the Arajian beckoned for us to follow before he moved on to the next structure, so my companions quickly dismounted and split up to cover more ground. When we regrouped a short while later, a sizable crowd had formed in the streets. The fear and tension in the air was so thick I could have sliced it with a butter knife, but it was healthy for them to be afraid when they were going to be running for their lives. Still, I couldn’t resist bolstering their spirits a little, so I climbed back onto my stallion and trotted in a circle.
“People of Arajah!” I shouted. “I am the God of Time, and I will watch over your journey to the palace! Have no fear, no harm shall befall you while I guide your path.”
“A foreigner?” One of the villagers spat into the ground beneath my horse’s hooves.
“Then trust in me!” Risthan marched over to stand by my stallion’s head. “I was the one banging on your doors, and I warn you now that you will die because of your distrust. Run now, while you still have a chance.”
The people started off down the road in a hurry, and my companions remounted in order to follow them back to Custanov.
“There are other villages tucked into the forest,” Torin informed me as he cast a worried glance into the shadows of the trees. “The pirates could go through the woods and find them.”
“We should split up,” I suggested. “You go east, and I’ll send Alaster west. Once we get back to Custanov, Risthan and I will take north and south. We’ll get everyone we can back to the palace before the pirates can do anything to them. I promise.”
The Arajian seemed mollified by that, and he broke away from the group to head into the trees to the east of the road. I crossed the distance to Alaster, and I quickly relayed my instructions, but the older man was more than happy to comply. I was satisfied the two men would warn the outlying villages of the immediate danger, so I returned my focus to guarding the townsfolk on the way back to the capital.
The people began to falter and drift down the road, and we were moving at a snail’s pace by the time the walls of the city came into view, but the sight filled the Arajians with renewed vigor. Everyone hurried toward the walls, and the gate was still open, so nothing stood in our way.
The palace gates were closed and guarded, but they began to open as soon as I pushed myself to the front of the crowd.
At least the king wouldn’t deny shelter to his own people, or at least not when I was with them.
“This way,” I said as I led the way to the throne room, and my herd of townsfolk followed me like chickens behind a rooster.
The king was nowhere to be seen when we entered the audience chamber, but the space was filled with makeshift beds and pallets, so there was more than enough space for the refugees to rest.
More cannon fire shook the island, and scared cries erupted all around the room. These people needed their king, and he was hiding away by himself. It was pathetic, but there wasn’t much I could do about it now.
Next time, I’d leave him out of my plans altogether. He’d wake up with the pirate problem solved, and his people would be thanking me instead of him. I grinned to myself as I envisioned the scene, but then Caelia tugged on my sleeve and pulled me out of my thoughts.
“You were going to warn the other villages to the north and south,” my fiancée reminded me.
“You’re absolutely right.” My grin grew wider. “Will you stay here and tend to the refugees? They’re bound to be scared out of their minds, and they’ll need a calm voice of reason to keep them safe.”
“Absolutely.” The beautiful shopkeeper flashed a brilliant smile my way. “Thank you for trusting me with such an important task.”
“I’ll be back before you know it,” I promised, and then I crossed the distance to Evangeline to say a quick goodbye.
My wife was ready to go with me, but I was prepared for that, and I gave her the same logic I’d hit Caelia with. I didn’t want any of the people we’d just saved to think I was abandoning them just like their king had, so she agreed to watch over the people of Arajah in my absence.
“Thank you,” I said before I pecked her on the cheek and slipped out of the throne room.
I found Risthan in the corridor to the main entrance of the palace, and he jerked his chin in a casual greeting as our paths merged. We pushed through the large double-doors together, and I grabbed one of the lanterns hanging from the posts on either side of the door while my silver-haired friend grabbed the other.
My horse was still in the courtyard when I exited the palace, and Risthan’s was there as well, so we both mounted up to go our opposite ways. I put the palace behind me, but the guards didn’t hinder me in any way as I rode through the gates into the city. I was trotting down the road to the northern part of the island a short while later, and I had to admit, it was nice to get out on my own every once in a while.
I gave the stallion plenty of rein and allowed him to pick his way through the trees, but he maintained a quick pace. As if the steed knew our direction and intention, we entered a small village a short while later.
I swung my leg over my horse’s head and landed on the dirt road with a metallic clink of armor, and I spotted a pair of eyes peering at me through a broken shutter.
“I know I’m a stranger,” I said to the empty village in a loud voice. “But I am not here to hurt you. I’m here to warn you. Pirates are shooting at the shore, and it’s only a matter of time before they venture inland. It’s not safe here. Everyone needs to evacuate to the palace immediately.”
I waited for a response, but none came, and I’d almost given up when I heard the creak of hinges. The broken shutter opened to reveal a young girl with her copper hair woven into pigtail braids beneath either ear, and she couldn’t have been older than ten, but her eyes met mine with curiosity instead of fear.
“Will you kill them?” the little girl asked in a serious voice.
“If they get too close, yes.” I nodded. “Would you like that?”
“They took my parents,” she explained as she jerked her chin toward the interior of her house. “I miss them.”
“I bet you do.” I gave the young girl an encouraging smile. “Why don’t you come out here, and you can ride with me back to the palace?”
The copper-haired girl nodded and climbed straight out of the window, but she carefully shut it back again before she came over to me. Then she lifted her arms with an expectant air, and I grinned as I lifted her tiny frame into my saddle.
It was going to be a long night.
A few other faces were peeking out doorways and windows at this point, and I gave one more attempt to convince them to flee. No one responded to me yet again, so I decided to move on to the next village.
People were more willing to listen to reason further away from the city, and soon a trail of Arajian villagers lined the road behind me as I left another village. Having the girl with me aided my argument, but it was still tough to convince the suspicious townsfolk to trust in a foreigner.
I continued on like this long into the night, but I knew the pirates wouldn’t stay on the coastline for very long, and I wanted to have a good vantage point when that time came, so I eventually pointed my steed back toward Custanov.
There was a trail of people fleeing into the city on the road, and I gave them an encouraging smile as I trotted past them. The young girl on the saddle in front of me watched silently as we passed the line of Arajian villagers, but she nestled deeper into my cloak for the rest of the journey to the capital.
I rode straight into the palace courtyard before I pulled my horse to a halt, and I handed off the reins to a servant who rushed forward to take them before I pulled the young girl from the saddle.
“Let’s get you inside with the others.” I grinned. “You’ll be safe there.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything, and the two of us traversed the winding corridors of the palace in silence. Eva and Caelia hurried toward me the second I entered the throne room, and they gave the young girl friendly smiles before we embraced.
“Who is this, Bash?” Caelia asked as she squatted down to get face to face with the child, and then she reached out her hand. “You look hungry.”
“My name is Revajila,” the little girl said in a confident voice, and she accepted the offered hand. “I’m very hungry.”
Eva and I chuckled as we watched the two move across the room to the food tables, but then I scanned the rest of the room to see how the people were faring. The atmosphere was calm, and everyone spoke in hushed voices, but the occasional cough pierced the air.
“It’s such a shame,” my wife observed with a sad shake of her head. “They feel like they’re doing the right thing by remaining nonviolent, but they end up getting walked on like an old rug.”
“Things are going to change around here,” I promised as I gritted my teeth in determination. “These people won’t suffer for long. You heard them down in the market square. There are some who are ready to take up arms to defend themselves, and soon they will convince the others.”
“But will it be soon enough to stand against the legions of pirates surely coming ashore as we speak?” Eva’s voice dripped with despair, so I squeezed an arm around her shoulders in a reassuring manner.
“Don’t worry, my love,” I said. “I’m going to fix it all.”
An even closer boom sounded as a battering ram was suddenly slammed into the door of the castle, and I realized the pirates had already breached the city and the walls surrounding the palace courtyard.
“Safeguard the door!” I commanded, and I saw Risthan nod curtly before running toward the entrance to the throne room. Then I turned back to Evangeline, and I gave her a grim smile. “I need to find the king.”
“Good luck, Bash,” my wife said as she pressed a kiss against my cheek. “I’ll keep these people safe.”
I ducked down the secret passageway to the king’s personal apartments, and I found him cowering in a closet of his bedroom. He stank of fear and dread, and I had to forcibly remove him from his shelter.
“You fool!” I growled. “The pirates are at your doors. Do you really think they’re going to honor your agreement now?”
“They are here for you!” the king gasped out.
“What?” I hissed.
“I summoned them to remove you from the palace,” the king confessed, and tears welled in his gray eyes.
“You can’t be serious.” I gripped his upper arm roughly as I hauled him toward the throne room. “You brought this on your own people just to get rid of me? When all I’ve done is offer to help you?”
“You would turn the people against me!” King Idinavisth whined. “I heard the tale of your performance in the market. You seek to supplant me.”
I dragged him along with me as I turned into the corridor leading into the throne room, and my blood thrummed angrily in my veins.
“You spineless, dickless, sorry excuse for a ruler,” I growled as I threw him bodily past the tapestry disguising the entrance to his personal chambers. “Explain yourself!”
The king landed on his hands and knees in front of all the people he’d placed in harm’s way, but their faces showed nothing but confusion. Loud gasps erupted from the Arajians sheltering in the throne room at the sight of their king, but the crashing sound of Risthan and a few other men piling furniture in front of the doors remained a constant backdrop.
Trumpets suddenly blasted from outside the windows, and I rushed over to the portals to gaze out into the courtyard. The gardens were illuminated in torchlight held by a horde of grizzly-looking men, and I cursed under my breath. At the center of the crowd of pirates stood a man in a long black trench coat and a humongous black hat, and it was this man who held the trumpet in his hand.
“Hand over Sebastian of Sorreyal, and we will leave the palace alone,” the man shouted up at the windows, and for a brief instant, we made eye contact through the glass. Then the man laughed and blasted a discordant note into his trumpet. “If not, we’ll come get him the hard way!”
“Bash…” Caelia’s worried tone cut into my heart.
“Relax,” I chuckled. “I think it’s time to reset. I’ve gotten the information I wanted.”
“Reset?” Eva frowned in confusion.
Chime.
My last save point was in the market square after I’d defeated the pirate behemoth, and I grinned as I stared down at his prone body. I’d blamed him for the pirates’ arrival at first, but it turned out to be the king of Arajah all along.
I’d been right not to trust him.
Now, I had plenty of time to prepare for the attack, and I was determined to ensure the safety of every last man, woman, and child on the island. The pirates were coming for me, and I’d be damned if that caused harm to anyone else.
Rage boiled in my veins as I thought about how the king had sold me out even though I’d come here to help his people, but I was going to make sure he regretted his decisions before my time in Arajah was through. I strode past the unconscious pirate laying in the dirt, but I couldn’t resist sending a kick to his already broken ribs.
Motherfucker had it coming.
I gathered my companions, and they instantly sensed the violent mood I was in. Sarosh noticed us hovering in a group, and she broke off her sermon to come investigate. Then, once we were all together, I gave my friends a grim smile.
“The king summoned the pirates to come get rid of me,” I explained. “There’s going to be an attack soon, and the king isn’t going to do anything to keep his people safe, so it will be up to us.”
“Idinavisth does not deserve to sit upon the holy throne of Arajah,” Risthan growled. “I will follow your command, Bash, even if it leads me to my death.”
“Aye,” Torin agreed with a little bit too much enthusiasm in his nod. “We have to save the villages. They have no walls to hide behind.”
“Let’s separate and get them to evacuate,” I commanded. “Don’t bother telling the king what we’re doing, and come to me if anyone gets in your way. I’ll take care of it.”
My companions nodded curtly, and we quickly made our way back to the palace to prepare for the pirate attack. The Arajians in the market square began to slowly disperse as we turned down a junction, but I overheard my name on several lips as we made our way through the city.
Once we were back at the palace, everyone geared up and went their separate ways. The Arajians in our party set off in each direction to urge the villagers to evacuate to Custanov, but my women and I planned to go to the city walls to see what we could do to bolster the defenses.
Caelia wore a patchwork of mismatched armor, but she carried her bow proudly. Evangeline looked fetching as ever in her leather raiment and pouches full of throwing stars, and she gave me a confident wink as she crossed the distance to me. I wore my usual fire-resistant gear, but my panabas were a comforting weight around my hips. Then we were off into the city once more, but we set a quick pace and reached the city walls a short while later.
I eyed the defenses with skepticism, but there wasn’t a whole lot we could do on short notice. The pirates had gotten to the palace entrance far easier than I liked to think about, but I wasn’t going to let them get that far this time. The only explanation was that the guards had let them in, so I didn’t entirely trust the men walking the walls. Caelia, Eva, and I worked tirelessly anyway, and we received several curious stares from the men supposedly defending Custanov, but no one said anything to us.
The guardsmen would probably report to the king, but I didn’t expect him to do much to get in my way. He was waiting for the pirates to do his dirty work for him.
We spent the rest of the day reinforcing the defenses of the city despite the guardsmen looking at us like we were crazy, but I still wasn’t pleased with it when we called it a night. I wasn’t ready to return to the palace, but I wanted to regroup with the others, so I sent Caelia to fetch them, and we all met up in the market square.
Kipper came to represent the crew of The Quest since the rest of the ship’s men were needed on board, but they wouldn’t need the navigator this close to shore. Risthan, Torin, and Alaster saluted crisply upon their arrival, and I inclined my head in response.
“The walls are as good as they’re going to get,” I reported. “How goes the evacuation process?”
“Without the use of the palace, we’ve had to shelter them among the residents of Custanov,” Risthan explained. “Most people were more than eager to open their doors to their kinsmen, but I still had to hide more than I would have liked with my father.”
“Will he report it to the king?” I asked as my brow furrowed in thought.
“I asked him not to.” Risthan shrugged. “But my father is his own man. At least he agreed to open his home to others.”
“Good enough for now.” I turned to the young navigator with a questioning look. “And The Quest?”
“Hidden in a cove near the harbor,” Kipper replied. “I have a horse saddled at the city gate, and I can relay messages from you to the captain when necessary.”
“This night could get bloody,” I warned in a grim tone. “Anyone not willing to give their all should seek shelter for the rest of the night. I won’t let the pirates inside the city walls.”
“You can count on us, Bash,” Eva promised.
“We will do everything we can,” Caelia said.
“Arajah is lucky to have you on her side,” Risthan added, and the rest of the Arajians nodded their heads in agreement.
In my peripheral vision, I saw a runner from the walls approach at a fast pace, and I turned to receive his report.
“Stop right there,” I commanded. “I’m the God of Time. What news do you bring?”
“I-I-It’s for the king’s ears, sir.” He was out of breath, and his face was flushed, so I gave him a few moments to recuperate before I pressed him further.
“The king doesn’t need to be disturbed over every single report,” I said. “You can tell me, and I will alert him if necessary.”
He scanned me up and down for a moment, but in the end, his urgency to deliver his message won out over his duty to take the news to the king.
“Pirate ships have been spotted,” the man gasped out as he pushed his silver locks away from his face.
“Excellent news.” I clapped him on the shoulder as I flashed the runner a wide grin. “Things are going exactly as they should.”
“You want them to come?” The runner blanched, and his eyes filled with fear.
“How else would I kill them all?” I asked as I arched one eyebrow.
My words didn’t seem to comfort the younger man, so I thanked him for his report and sent him on his way. Then my companions and I crossed the distance to the city gates where our horses waited, and I jerked my chin at the captain of the guard in greeting.
The Arajian man wore wooden armor, but his office granted him the ability to afford nicer gear than the rest of his men, so the torchlight shone against the wooden pieces like it was shining in a mirror. It would make him an easy target for the pirates, but I didn’t expect much from the Arajian guardsmen, anyway.
The pacifists weren’t good for much other than getting themselves killed, and I wanted to avoid that outcome at all costs.
Kipper leapt onto his horse with practiced ease, but he paused to flash me a quizzical look.
“Tell Captain Black-Eye to stay in the water out of range of their cannon fire for as long as possible,” I instructed the navigator. “But once they’ve emptied their crews onto the shore, then take their ships one by one from the rear.”
“Aye, aye, Red Hands,” Kipper said with a crisp salute and a smirk. “They’ll never see us coming, and you’ll have three new ships in your fleet by dawn.”
“Sounds good to me.” I grinned, but then I turned to the rest of my forces.
Besides Eva and Caelia, Risthan and Sarosh stood in front of Torin and Alaster, but the three women we’d freed from the pirate’s ship had stayed with the refugees hiding within the city. A handful of city guards in wooden armor shuffled their feet as nervous energy clung to them like a fog, but I was pleased to see them nonetheless. They gripped the shafts of spears we’d found in a museum like they were made of glass, but it was probably the first time any of them had ever held a weapon before.
“Alright, people,” I said in a loud voice. “The time is upon us. Custanov is a free city, and she will remain so from here on out. If you value your homes, your families, and your own lives, then you will fight with everything you have.”
My fighters nodded with an air of grim determination, but a sudden explosion from the direction of the coastline pulled my attention back to the walls.
“They’re coming on fast and hard,” Eva noted as she furrowed her eyebrows.
“They didn’t find anyone to fuck with in the outermost villages,” I pointed out. “There’s nothing standing between them and the city walls.”
“Thanks to you,” my wife said, and she gave me a sideways smile. “What’s our next move?”
“We hide in the forest outside the city walls,” I said, and I noticed the rest of my group were listening eagerly. “The guards stay inside to make it look like everything is normal. Hide your weapons.”
The relief on the faces of the Arajian guards was plain to see, but I ignored it as I turned back to my women and the three men volunteering to help.
“Once they come within view of the city walls,” I continued, “we’ll come at them from all sides and poke at them from the shadows to dwindle their numbers. I’ll make sure none of them retreat to their ships, and the crew of The Quest will take care of anyone left on the vessels.”
“You really think it will work?” Alaster’s voice dripped with doubt, but he lifted his chin with determination.
“I’ll make sure it does,” I promised.
The older Arajian took a deep breath and gave me a subtle nod, so I was confident I could count on him when the time came. The former slave probably had a vendetta against his captors, and I knew there was no love lost between him and the king who’d sacrificed him.
With the plan laid out for everyone to hear, my companions and I got into position outside the city walls, but the clang of the gate shutting had an ominous tone to it. While I knew we weren’t trapped outside for good, I also knew we wouldn’t receive much assistance from inside Custanov. The guards were mostly for a show of false numbers, but the pirates would quickly figure out they had us outnumbered.
What they didn’t realize was that they were standing against a god, but they’d learn before the sun rose in the sky.
I heard the pirates before I saw them, and they resembled a circus caravan with the noisy chatter they produced as they rushed toward Custanov. The smell of sweat permeated the air, and I grimaced in disgust.
“These little bitches don’t stand a chance.” A deep throaty laugh echoed the words.
“Think they’ll fight back at all?” another asked.
I spotted the flashes of their torches and bodies through the trees, and I gripped the handle of my panabas in white-knuckled fists. The flow of pirates stretched down the road and out of sight, but I wanted all their numbers trapped between me and the city gates, so I breathed patiently while I waited.
I tried to estimate their numbers as they passed by, but I lost track after fifty. There had to be over a hundred men against the seven of us, and four of my companions were raised as pacifists, so this would be their very first time in a battle.
“Kill them all!” several pirates cheered.
“Let’s fuck ‘em up!” another growled.
“Leave the pretty ones for later,” a deep baritone voice suggested.
A shudder ran down my spine as I remembered the devastation the pirates had caused during the previous run through, but I reminded myself that didn’t happen in this timeline, and I wasn’t going to let it. Anger boiled in my gut, and I channeled it into raw adrenaline as I prepared to close off the pirates’ escape.
After what felt like an eternity, the press of bodies through the forest tapered off and then came to a halt. The pirates in the lead were probably at the closed gates already, but they’d be denied entry.
How long until they made a battering ram?
I hadn’t seen anything of the sort being carried down the road, but I could have missed it in the dense press of bodies. Still, I’d left the guards with suggestions on how to deter the bastards from approaching the gate, so the only remaining question was if they would follow my orders.
I stepped out into the road behind the last of the pirate parade, and I twirled my panabas experimentally in my grip until they sat comfortably in my palms.
The motion and noise alerted the pirates in the tail of their formation, and I grinned as he nudged the fellow beside him.
“We got a live one!” the pirate who’d noticed me shouted.
Someone from the horde turned back, but he merely laughed and waved a dismissive hand.
“Just one guy?” someone snickered. “Piece of cake.”
My grin grew wider as the two pirates in the rear of the formation approached me, but I held myself completely still until they were well within range of my blades.
“Fancy yourself a warrior, kid?” the guy to my left asked.
“Or just ready to die?” the man to my right added.
I kept my gaze on the road at their feet until I saw them go for their weapons in my peripheral vision. Then I slid forward while simultaneously twirling my blades in a figure eight, and I didn’t stop moving. My body flowed on instinct, and it felt like dancing as I swept between them, but I delivered death in my wake.
Their shrieks of pain filled my ears like the sweetest music, and when I finally looked up, their slashed remains bled out onto the road behind me. The sound of their dying cries signaled to the rest of my companions, and there were echoing screams of agony from all around me.
“Get them!”
“Attackers in the trees!”
“The pussies are fighting back!”
“Run!”
It didn’t seem to take much to work a good portion of the pirate horde into a frenzy, and a large chunk of them broke away from the main group to dash straight toward me.
I met them with my panabas swinging, and I killed four pirates in rapid succession before a couple slipped past me. These I ran down like cattle to the slaughter, and I showed no mercy as I buried my blades into their fleeing backs.
“Bash!” Caelia’s voice cut through the din of the scattered battles, and my head snapped toward the direction of the sound.
The dark-skinned goddess was running toward me at full speed, and the terrified look on her face made my blood thrum in my ears. Three pirates chased after her, and the lustful gleam in their eyes caused me to see red. I blinked, and the next thing I knew, I was standing over the mangled bodies of the three men chasing after my beloved with Caelia cowering safely nearby.
“There’s too many of them,” the shopkeeper gasped out as she struggled to catch her breath.
“Stay close to me,” I said. “We’ll work as a team. You did good by leading them to me.”
This seemed to cheer her up a bit, and she took a deep, steadying breath before she gave me a firm nod.
Then I heard the sound of the city gate opening, and my blood turned cold.
Had the Arajians betrayed me?
Did the king command them to open the gates?
I had to find out, so I grabbed Caelia’s hand and tugged her along behind me as I darted into the shadows of the trees. We trotted around the perimeter of the pirate horde until the walls of Custanov came into view, but the sight before me was so unexpected, I had to take a moment to process it.
Arajian citizens and guardsmen with ancient spears, mattocks, axes, pitchforks, and even hammers were flooding from the city gates to slam into the pirates at their doorstep, and they roared with years of pent-up anger as they beat the pirates back away from the entrance.
The pacifists really were fighting back.
And now, the pirates were the ones outnumbered.