MAN OF WAR

19

“You want to go where?” Titus almost fell over at the request he had just received. He was only hours from marching out with the others when there was a knock on his door. He had known instantly there would be trouble when he answered the door to two cloaked figures. He had invited them in, immediately recognizing Gaia’s face under her hood. The other was her mother. Royalty was at his door and doing their utmost to go unnoticed.

            He had quickly shut the door behind them and closed the shutters to prevent anyone from seeing his guests. Titus did not know why they were at his humble door, but he understood they did not wish the world to know they were there. It was not until Gaia had explained that she wished to prevent the upcoming bloodshed by travelling to the rebel camp, and trying to negotiate a peace treaty with the rebel leaders, that he realized she had completely flipped her top. “You are mad,” he said. “And I mean that in the most respectful way possible. That man has spent years killing us. He is not going to negotiate peace with you. He will take you hostage and use you against your husband,” Titus stressed.

            “I do not believe that. Please, Titus, I am going with or without you. I would feel better if you would escort my mother and me. You once said your sword was mine,” Gaia pleaded. Titus groaned. Why was she doing this to him? Why had his life become so very complicated? He would have given anything for those clear-cut days when things made sense. “Will you take us?”

            “Of course, I will take you,” he growled with aggravation. “But I do not approve of this at all. This is dangerous and foolish, and we are all likely to end up captive,” Titus snarled. He moved around his house, readying himself. He donned his leathered armour over his chainmail and sword. He pulled his helmet down over his head and pointed at the two women. “You two stay here.”

            “Where are you going?” Her mother asked.

            “To gather my men. If we are going behind enemy lines, we are not going alone. My men can be trusted. I will be back, and when I am, be ready to ride,” he said, exiting the house. Titus headed for the stable and retrieving his horse. He rode out to the main gate and out through the growing camp outside. Many of the troops were already moving toward the forest. It would take days for the entire camp to move and settle into a new camp on the other side of Danagate Forest.

            The actual battle would not take place for a few more days. If they left right away, they might be able to get in and out before any of the violence started. He would prefer not to have the Empress and her mother in the forest when the fighting began. He could not, at that point, guarantee they would not be harmed.

            Titus rode down to the section of the camp that had been set aside for the sailors coming in. He dismounted and went into the tent he knew to be Gulliver’s. He kicked his first mate’s side lightly to wake him. “Ready yourself, we leave now,” he ordered as Gulliver opened his eyes.

            Gulliver jumped up as ordered and quickly donned his armour and sheathed his sword. “Has the order been given?”

            “We have new orders,” Titus told him. “Help me ready the crew and tell no one else.”

            “Aye,” Gulliver went to work, waking half the tents while Titus woke the others.

            In minutes they had his whole crew awake and armed. The men gathered around closely, and Titus crouched low in the center, so to be heard by no other than his own men. He looked around at all the attentive faces awaiting what he had to say.

“We have been through many battles together. We have survived many storms. We have all fought and bled together. There is not a man here that I do not trust with my life. What I put before you this night, you must decide for yourselves. For it is too great, too important, for me to decide for you. In about five minutes, I am escorting the Empress and her mother beyond enemy lines. The Empress believes that she can negotiate peace between us and the rebels,” he sighed, showing that he himself believed this to be an utter waste of time. “Regardless of how I feel on the matter, I have agreed to escort her for her protection. I ask you to ride with me. What we do may be considered treason in some eyes. So, I will not order anyone to come with me, but you must decide now,” Titus said, looking at all his men. “Who will ride with me?”

            “I am with you,” Gulliver said.

            “Aye, me too.”

            “Me too.”

            “Aye.”

            Every man stood by him as he was sure they would. “Alright,” Titus said. “Get your horses and meet me by the north wall. We will take the long way and avoid the army. I will meet you there in ten minutes. I am sure I do not have to stress how important it is that we are not seen or followed,” he stood up, and the men scattered to do as ordered. Titus stopped Gulliver. “Make sure every man is armed to the teeth. I do not trust the rebels. I want to be prepared for anything.”

            “Aye, Sir.”

            Titus mounted his horse once more and rode back to the soldiers’ quarters. He headed into the stables and ordered the stable boy to ready two more horses immediately. To speed things up, he grabbed a saddle himself and prepared the other horse while the boy readied the first. “Make sure the saddle is secure. I do not want it falling off,” he ordered — double-checking everything himself. If a member of the royal family were to ride these beasts, he wanted them to be safe.

            Satisfied with the animals, Titus took the reins and led them out behind his house and tied them up in the shadows. He quickly walked around to the front and slipped inside. He found the Empress pacing impatiently. “The men will meet us outside the north wall. We must go quickly and keep to the shadows,” he said.

            He watched as the ladies pulled their hoods back up to hide their faces. He ushered them outside and to the back where he had left the horses. Titus first helped Gaia up into the saddle. Once she was safely seated, he then assisted her mother up onto the other horse. Once they were both settled, he mounted his own. “You follow me, and we stay to the shadows. There is only going to be one pace, fast, we will ride hard to make good time. I want to get you in and out before the troop's attack. I may have agreed to escort you ladies, but I will not risk your lives anymore so than I must,” he said, nudging his horse forward. “This way, ladies.”

            Titus led the women through the backstreets of the city, trying not to be seen. They slipped out the gate, and Titus led them down along the wall. The men were so busy he was sure no one had noticed them as they vanished into the darkness. He nudged his horse faster, and the ladies followed suit, keeping pace. As ordered, Titus found his men waiting on the north wall.

            He ordered the men to flank the women keeping them surrounded at all times. He would not allow them to be exposed in the chance of an ambush. They rode hard towards the west. It would take them a few hours to reach the forest. A few more after that, to navigate it. God, he was a fool for doing this.                

***

            They rode hard all night until Titus was sure the sun was rising. He could not see, but a bit of light filtered through the leaves of the canopy up above them. The forest was dense, and it forced them to slow. The women were not used to riding so hard, and Titus decided it was time to let them rest a moment. He dismounted and walked over to Gaia’s horse and helped her down. “We will rest here for a moment. Stretch your legs,” he said, placing her on the ground. He then reached up and helped her mother to the ground.

            Gulliver brought the women a leather sack of water to quench their thirst. Titus led his horse to the creek to drink. He rubbed it down so it would stay loose while it rested as the men watered the horses and let them graze. He was very tired. He had not been sleeping well, and the ride did not help his weariness in the least.

            He could really use a bed. Titus had been planning on getting some sleep when Gaia had shown up on his door and ruined his plans. Perhaps they should just make camp here. They would be of no use if they were dead tired.

            “I have changed my mind. We will camp here for an hour. Everyone will get some sleep before we move on,” he said, tying his horse to a tree as he walked over to the women. “We cannot fight if we are all dead on our feet,” he explained. “A quick nap before we move on.”

            “Wonderful,” Gaia said, sitting down on the ground. “I am positively bushed.”

            “We are not staying long. One hour,” he informed her, “and then we are on the move once more. We must find the rebels soon.”

            “Consider yourselves found,” a voice startled Titus from above. All the men drew their swords and looked up. Gaia jumped to her feet, and Titus positioned the women behind him protectively. The entire group looked up into the trees. Up high, perched on a thick branch, crouched that blasted shifter that Titus hated so very much. He must have been patrolling the woods and spotted them. Sneaky bastard, flying in like a bird undetected and scaring the hell out of everyone. Miya smiled smugly down at them all. “Are you lost Fleet Admiral? Should I point you back to your ship?”

            “We are seeking the rebel leader Sakwa,” Titus yelled up.

            “You and the rest of the Imperial Army.”

            “We are in a hurry. We do not have time to waste playing games with you.”

            Miya grinned down at Titus smugly. “But I do ever so enjoy playing them.”

            Gaia stepped around Titus. He tried to stop her, but she pushed his hand away and pulled her hood down, revealing her identity to the enemy. She looked up at him and smiled. “Hello, Miya.”

            The shifter stood up straight and stared down at her from the branches. His smile faded as he recognized her. “Why are you here?” He demanded.

            “My man has already told you. I have come to talk about peace with Sakwa. Can you take me to him?” Gaia asked. His eyes raked over the armed men that were escorting her. “You asked me once for help, and I gave it,” she said, taking another step toward the tree he was in. Titus could not believe what he was hearing. She had helped him? Gaia had been the one to release him? All this time, they had been looking for a spy, and it had been the Empress. “Now I ask you for yours. Help me bring peace to my lands, so no more people need to die,” she looked at Titus. “Order your men to put away their weapons.”

            “Your Majesty…” Titus protested.

            “There will be no fighting here today. Put them away,” Titus nodded, and his men did as she bid. Gaia looked back up into the tree. “Come down. No one will harm you.”

            Miya’s eyes moved over them. “They fear I will harm them.”

            “I know you will not. You are not a monster,” Gaia said.

            Her words softened his expression, and Miya jumped down, landing on his feet before her. “I do not think your men would agree,” he looked around at the men once more and then at Gaia. “Peace? Do you swear? This is not trickery?”

            “Do you not trust me?” She asked, wounded.

            “I trust you,” he smiled and then glared at Titus. “It is them I do not trust.”

            Titus felt the urge to crack the man’s skull with the hilt of his sword. “It is you who is untrustworthy,” Titus growled. “You bed down with one woman and steal another.”

            “I stole no one,” Miya snarled, standing toe to toe with Titus.

            “You stole Jade from me,” Titus yelled, losing his temper and shoving Miya.

            “She was never yours to have,” Miya growled, a deep primal sound low in his throat, his eyes beginning to glow. He was going to change. Titus reached for his sword to defend himself.

            Gaia placed herself in the middle and pushed the two men apart. “Will you stop it?” She snapped. “There will be no fighting this day. Fleet Admiral, you will stand down,” she ordered. Grudgingly Titus obeyed.

            Miya laughed. “The great Fleet Admiral silenced by a woman.”

            Gaia looked at Miya with annoyance. “I would ask you kindly to remember who I am and pay me the respect I am owed.”

            He lowered his eyes. “My apologies,” he said. Titus smiled, amused to see the shifter silenced as well. “I will take you to Sakwa,” he promised, locking eyes with Gaia. “Follow me.”