Authors: Laszlo,Jeremy
Ashton watched her eyes blink several times as her breasts rose and fell with her exaggerated movements. Having just returned to Valdadore, he’d rather be spending his time trying to get her upon her knees or back, but just the same he had an oath to uphold and a duty to perform. Such pleasures would have to wait until later.
“Let us begin then, and see if we are worthy of the king’s faith in us,” he said slyly, letting her know in no uncertain terms that they would disappoint the king if unsuccessful.
Watching the girl pray, he leaned forward to watch as she began chanting and a white glow emanated from her fingertips and palms. Placing her hands upon the babe lying between her knees, she released the power into the squirming creature as it became enveloped in the same light she produced. At first it appeared that nothing happened, but then, slowly, Ashton began to see the changes.
First the child’s limbs became more full as its facial features grew more angular. As its hair filled in and ears lengthened, its limbs stretched slowly, its feet and hands growing in both size and thickness. Finding himself holding his breath, Ashton watched on as the infant became a toddler in mere minutes. Though Balantine began to tremble slightly, she continued on and poured her gift into the beast as it continued to grow further still. Erased were the underlying layers of fat given to children to make them soft and round as its limbs grew longer, its torso stronger, and its shoulders broader. A thick mane spread down the creature’s back and chest as its fingers became more hooked and devilish. Where had been its doglike nose and humanoid mouth a short snout and maw developed, jutting from the face slightly as its jawline became more defined and powerful.
It had taken less than half an hour, but reaching this point Balantine fell back, her body shaking almost to the point of convulsions, having pushed her limitations. Weakened, he could likely coax her into his bed for comforting, but still it would have to wait. There on the floor, still squirming and making fiendish sounds was a horrifying display of wicked creation. Near equal in size to a child the age of ten, the thing thrashed about, unable to use its limbs properly. It was odd in its proportions with a thick powerful chest and long gangly limbs, and a head that seemed to sit directly atop its torso with almost no neck to speak of. Covered in patchy fur of varying tones and hues, it looked very much a child’s nightmare brought to life. To Ashton, it had been a success. This monster would help him to grow nearer the king and gain his acceptance and his ear. This horrid beast and its kin would be the catalyst to his destiny. Smiling, he placed his hand on the trembling Balantine’s shoulder, reassuring her that she had done well. Girls liked that sort of thing here.
Rising, he plucked the writhing mass of flesh and fur from the floor and tossed it over his shoulder. Next he had to make the creature strong and coordinated. He needed it on its feet, able to fight. He had an idea that might work in speeding that process as well, and headed for the door.
“I’ll be back soon,” Ashton said as he swung the door open. “Get yourself something to eat and meet me in my chamber so we can talk about what you have accomplished here today.”
Without awaiting a reply he let the door swing closed behind him and headed down the corridor towards the main exit. Stepping outside he noted the position of the sun and was disappointed to find that most of the day was gone. With such a short supply of time, he turned from the castle gate and instead headed towards the stables. He needed to reach the outer wall of the city before nightfall. If he arrived too late, all the blacksmiths there would be retired for the night.
Entering the stable, Ashton grabbed a length of cord suspended from a peg on the wall, and dropping the beast he carried upon the straw covered floor of the stable, he quickly bound the creature. Selecting a horse, he again hefted the monstrosity’s dead weight and tossed it onto the back of the Valdadorian steed before climbing into the saddle himself. Testing that the creature was not at risk of falling, he put heels to flanks and charged out from the stable and across the cobblestones towards the gate.
It was under an hour later when Ashton slowed the giant beast of burden and trotted towards the row of blacksmiths whose shops lined the outer wall of the city. Here the heat was immense and reminded him of home, with the scents of ash and sweat and blood. Sliding out from the saddle he dropped to the ground before yanking the creature down to fall roughly over his shoulder once more. Seeing that several smiths were still at work at the forges, he grinned, knowing he would put them all to work.
Approaching the first of the shops, he presented himself as an emissary of the king and told the smith’s apprentice to gather all the other blacksmiths. Tonight they would be working around the clock. It took less than half an hour to have more than a dozen smiths collected and together with their expertise, Ashton explained to them the contraption the king wanted created. It was a similar design to one Ashton had once seen adorning a giant topped in a crown, with shackles wrapped about the wrists, upper arms, thighs, calves, ankles, waist, neck and head. From the shackles pulleys and cables were attached and bundled through rings to a series of weights that would hang from the beast’s back. With every tiny movement, the beast would be forced to heft the weights, building muscle and coordination. If that were not enough, they sketched out the design for a rack that the beast would be suspended from, allowing it enough slack to work its legs and lift its own weight. It looked like a device of torture in the drawings and sketches selected from those the smiths designed, but Ashton knew it would speed the process of strengthening the creatures and coordinating their movements by incorporating years of hard labor into every day’s movement. Finally, when the design for the contraption was near complete, Ashton added one more element to encourage the beasts to move. Like the gears and wheels designed for a mill house, the smiths brought his idea to life on the paper, creating a pendulum-like addition that lowered through a specific series of movements. Every time the creature would perform this series of movements the pendulum would descend a fraction of an inch. After several hours the pendulum’s arm would be at mouth level of the beasts. All Ashton would have to do is attach food to the pendulum and the creatures would learn to complete the movements, forcing them to work and build muscle and coordination in order to receive their food. It was genius. Ashton had taken an idea from his past and adapted it to train horrific soldiers for Valdadore. Grinning a wicked grin, he set the blacksmiths to their tasks, promising to return by morning for both his contraption and the beast he was now leaving in their care.
Climbing back atop his mount, he turned towards the castle once more where hopefully awaited the day’s reward upon his bed. Racing through the streets of the city, he was anxious for the discovery, both excited and impatient to know if she would be open to his desires this night.
It was early morning the following day when a knock disturbed both Seth and Sara from the bed they had finally settled upon. Neither of them slept, no longer requiring it, but they lay in each other’s arms just relishing in their togetherness without an army at their gates hell bent on their destruction. Seth knew before he had even reached the door that Borrik was going room to room in search of him, but not wanting to spoil the intimate time with Sara he simply let his second in command wander from one room to the next until they were finally found. Unable to ignore his newfound duties any longer, he rose from the bed in little more than black linen trousers and flexing his wings, went to answer the door.
“Forgive me, master, but there is a matter requiring your attention.”
“It is good that you came to retrieve me then,” Seth said with a knowing grin.
“A difficult task considering both of your scents mask nearly every room on three floors. Was it that difficult to choose one?” Borrik asked, a toothy grin of his own.
“Oh, no. It wasn’t difficult. We simply ran out of time to use the rest of them,” Sara replied from the bed, the covers pulled to her neck and a sly grin on her face.
“What is it, Borrik?” Seth said, redirecting the conversation.
“Captain Xander has returned. He has brought his crippled son to visit you.”
“Good. Have him meet me in the lowest courtyard. Throw wide the gates and invite those who wish to meet their new ruler to come and witness the kind of man I am.”
“Wise decision. Our guard had a difficult time last night. There were many disputes, some outright fights, and some bloodletting. Captain Jonas, along with Xander, thinks that those with wealth are already seeking to unseat you.”
“Good. Be sure they are invited and given the ability to get up close and personal,” Seth replied.
“Do you think that wise, my king? What if they move to assassinate you?” Borrik questioned, his voice becoming one of concern.
“Then you, my good friend, will be there to protect me.”
“Very well. I will see it done.”
“Also, Borrik, send Jonas up to detail to me the events of last night.”
Seth watched his massive companion go silent a second as his eyes unfocused an instant before he blinked and nodded.
“It is done. He is on his way.”
“Good, then I suggest we start this day off with a bang. Let me know when arrangements have been made.”
Without a word, the wolfman turned and strode back down the hall the way he had come. Seth knew it would be some time before they were ready for him, and hoped to use that time to debrief Jonas and get a feel for the city’s issues. He hoped to do just as he had told Xander, to rebuild the city and make it a place of happiness and have all of its inhabitants work together to make it a safe and good place to live. Not only that, but he also needed to be able to defend it. Sending emissaries out to call to him the leaders of neighboring realms was a risk. It could bring an invasion. He hoped to create peace without a war, but first needed to gauge those who were likely his enemies.
Watching Jonas approach through the walls of the keep, he spoke a split second before the man entered the doorway.
“Jonas. It seems we had some problems last night?” Seth asked.
“There were a few. We had some injuries, but no deaths to my knowledge.”
“And what was the problem?”
“Mostly integration. Many fear us. Not only those of us you have altered, but even the common people. They fear we are demons and will taint them or cause them foul luck.”
“So they opposed having new neighbors?”
“Mostly, yes.”
“I think much of that will be settled today. Anything else of interest?”
“Yes, my king,” the beast man growled. “There are little provisions, supplies, food, or any other resources in the city for that matter. Sigrant took the bulk of everything with him on his campaign and from what I gather, nearly all of the supplies now lie at the bottom of the newly formed lake.”
“That could be a problem. I have seen in Valdadore, homes with plants growing within the windows during the winter. Would it be possible to do something similar but on a larger scale here? Could we not build a large structure of windows and grow crops within? Tending them and building the actual building will employ many people.”
“I’ll seek out an engineer and see if we can find a suitable location, my lord.”
“It sounds to me like the people here are hungry, without hope, and without work to keep their idle minds busy. Let’s begin recreating their city. Use whatever resources you have at your disposal to get the people working on community projects. These indoor crop houses should be the pride of communities. We need a proper city wall with defenses. Old and dilapidated buildings need to be demolished, and new homes and structures rebuilt. Send men to the forest we used as cover just yesterday and begin cutting and drying lumber. This keep is carved of stone, and I would bet there is more beneath our feet if we look for it. Begin a quarry. Put these people to work and get them fed and we’ll solve most of our problems. Create a council or committee if you need to, I do not want to oversee all this work. I have other duties to focus upon.”
“I can handle the defenses,” Sara stated from behind him.
“Good. See. We are already making progress,” Seth grinned.
“It is a tall order,” Jonas admitted, “but I will do what I can to find the right people to get the jobs done.”
“That’s all I ask, Jonas. I don’t expect we will be staying here long enough to see it complete, but at least we can create a better life for those who will remain behind.”
“As you wish,” Jonas said, bowing low.
Seth watched the mottled-colored werewolf turn as he traversed the narrow corridor back in the direction he had come. So large were his wolf troops that their shoulders barely fit between the walls of the corridors this high up in the keep. As such, Seth barely stifled a laugh, watching the man retreat with his head hunkered down and arms pulled in tight to his sides.
* * * * *
Although she would like nothing better than to spend the day, week, or month simply lounging around in bed with her husband, Sara joined him as they dressed in preparation for the day’s events. She knew Seth had something planned aside from attempting to fix the boy, but as of yet he hadn’t said what it was. There was a lot going on inside that mind of his of late, and with recent revelations she could only imagine what it was that he pondered in those moments when all emotion was absent from his eyes. Sometimes, it was as if he were in two places at once, but gone was the defeat from his features. That was sign enough for Sara that all was as it should be with her husband.
Prepared to meet their audience, Sara took her husband’s offered arm and together they walked down the corridor to the steep spiraling stairs that would take them all the way down to the ground floor. Entering the back of the throne room, they crossed its expanse, collecting Borrik, Jonas, and a handful of Seth’s other altered troops in the process before reaching the entry doors to the keep. Sara watched as the great wolven troops heaved the doors open wide to a combined gasp of surprise shared by more than a thousand people who had come to witness the demons for themselves.
With both Borrik and Jonas taking the lead, more than a dozen rat troops followed, creating a living wall that climbed down the dozen steps to the courtyard sprawled out before them. Stepping out to the top step with her husband, she felt more than saw as he extended his wings up and to the sides of them, casting them in the shadows of his creation. There, upon the top step, she looked out upon a sea of opened mouths, catching a glint of light out of the corner of her eye. Reaching out, almost by instinct, she caught the bolt before the twang of the bowstring even met her ears. Snapping it in her hand she bore witness as Borrik leapt into the crowd, sending bystanders sprawling out from beneath him as he ripped the would-be assassin from the shadows, hefting him overhead for all to see.
“There is no need for alarm, good people,” Seth said calmly, his voice carrying over the commotion unnaturally. “I do not wish you any harm. I must warn you, however, those who are closest to me are not fond of such attempts to end my life.”
Returning to his master’s side, Borrik tossed the man to the ground, resting one immense foot upon his chest, pinning him securely. Sara fought the grin seeking to escape her lips, but it won the battle so she smiled out over the crowd in an attempt to show them her humanity.
“I know your previous ruler left you ill prepared to defend yourselves, let alone survive the winter. I intend to remedy that problem, with your help, if you would be so kind. Those who work will be rewarded, and those who work the hardest will find themselves in a much better place.”
“His words are like poison. He tricks us to feed upon us as we sleep. They are demons, just look at them!” a voice shouted from the crowd.
“Do not be fooled by our appearances. Yes, we are no longer like you, but we have the same needs, wants, and desires,” Seth defended against the accusations. “How many of you know Captain Xander?”
Sara watched as hundreds of heads nodded about the crowd. Some people even spoke of their connection to the man who had been sworn to their defense and upholding the law for years. She knew already that if Seth was successful, he would sway the opinion of many.
“Then many of you know of his son. You know he was born without the ability to properly use one of his legs. He was born a creation of the gods you have worshipped and led to believe were all powerful, but I tell you that all you have been taught is a lie. The gods you know are not perfect. They do not want what is best for you. They do not hold limitless power, as this boy’s crippling infliction shows,” Seth said, pointing to Captain Xander at the front of the crowd, holding his crippled son in his arms.
Sara looked first to the father and then to the boy. She could see the effect of Seth’s words on the people and it wasn’t good. It was blasphemy to all they knew. Only a demon would talk ill of all the gods. Her husband needed to act before the people’s anger grew larger than their curiosity.
“Come, Captain Xander. Bring me your boy and I will show everyone here, that it is not the power of the gods that is absolute.”
Xander took a tentative step forward as the rat men and women blocking his way created a path. With both fear and hope in his eyes, he climbed the steps slowly, almost cautiously, before coming to kneel before Seth, holding his son up to his new king like an offering to the gods.
“How old is your son?” Seth asked.
“Nine, my king.”
“And he was born this way?”
“Yes.”
“And you have sought the help of healers. What did they tell you?”
“That only the gods could save my son.”
“Did you pray to the gods?” Seth questioned.
“Yes, my king. Especially to Gorandor, the god I serve.”
“And what was their reply, those gods you begged to make your son whole?”
“There was no reply.”
“So they ignored your pleas?”
“I… I guess it was not their will to help him, or perhaps not his destiny to walk.”
“You’re right,” Seth said as the crowd exhaled loudly in disappointment. “He was not intended by your gods to walk. They are mean and merciless gods who wish us all dead. That is why they create champions of men to wreak mass destruction. Your son was not meant to walk by the gods you worship, but I tell you, he was meant for more. I do not wish to see him walk either,” Seth admitted to the crowd. “I wish to see him run!”
Without warning Seth was engulfed in a cloak of flame as the very light illuminating the courtyard seemed to rush inwards towards him. Sara knew it was all for show, but by the expressions on the faces of those watching, it was having its intended effect. Within seconds, the boy in Xander’s arms screamed out in pleasure, not pain, giggling and laughing as his gnarled and crooked appendage began to recede within his body. A moment later, his ill-fitting britches fell slack where once was a wasted appendage of skin and bone. Without delay, a new bulge protruded from the boy’s clothing and growing and stretching, bone became visible beneath the flesh before it began to inflate as if muscle, blood, and sinew were being pumped into it from within. Longer and longer the small leg grew, sprouting thin transparent hairs, before a kneecap became defined at the joint. At the end of the leg five nubs began to extend as a foot grew where a second before there had been none. Over the span of perhaps two minutes, a newly formed, fully functioning leg replaced what was once a misshapen lump. Grinning and smiling to his father who held the tears in his eyes from falling, the boy tested his leg, wiggling his toes and even attempting to stand on his own.
Sara watched as the captain sworn to defend their new keep pulled his boy into his arms for the first real hug they had ever shared while standing. The moment was one of compassion and love, and one she would never forget. Though his appearance was frightening to some, her husband was a kind soul with a love for people unheard of in these times. He understood better what it was to be human than most and now he was trying to show them, trying to teach them what it was that he had learned.
Looking out upon the faces of those in the courtyard, it was apparent that they were a mixed lot. Some appeared skeptical and others cried openly. Others wore masks of fear, and yet some just stood open-mouthed, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. Murmurs swept through the people as they spoke in hushed tones before finally one of them shouted again.