Maurader's Vengence

Official Degree of Lord Chancellor Vanchura

I Lord Chancellor Vanchura do give my full permission to remove all people from the area’s surrounding the Silver Mountains for the better good of the country.

Lord Chancellor Vanchura

All people must move from the Silver Mountains and from the foot hills surrounding the Silver Mountains in a circular distance of thirty miles in every direction by September 19^th year 27 of King Edwards reign. All those who do not obey such laws will be forcefully removed from their place or put to death.

OFFICIAL SEAL HERE.

This picture was taken by archer10(Denis) on flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/3995272564/


Chapter 1

I never should have left. I never should have gone to town. I never should have left my house. It was on fire when I returned. Or more appropriately it was burned to the ground and the ashes were on fire. I dropped my sack and heard the contents cracking and breaking behind me. I screamed and shouted but to be honest I didn’t understand what I said myself.

I came completely over the rise and saw about thirty men surrounding my house. I felt a sense of relief as I saw them. They’d come to help put it out, but as I came closer in a dead run towards my house I realized that ten or so of the men were holding torches. I felt myself stumble and dropped to the ground. I jumped back to my feet clumsily and dashed forward.

“What did you do?” I screamed at the men who were just standing there.

“It’s September thirtieth.” A small mousy man said. I recognized him instantly. I grabbed him by his fancy shirt collar and hoisted him into the air.

“What did you do?” I screamed into his face.

“The official Declaration said that if you didn’t move out you’d be killed.” He whimpered and looked beyond me. I dropped him and he stumbled away. I turned to see a large man behind me. I’m tall myself but he was a good seven inches taller.

He watched me like someone would watch a mildly disturbing fly. “You burned my house because of some declaration!” I screamed.

“Yes.” He said calmly.

I screeched and turned on my heels. I dove into the burning flames and began to search for my family. Tamara, Maria, Benjimin, Drena, and my beloved wife Tessa. The heat was intense but I barely felt it. My entire hand built house was gone. I could barely tell my way around the flames. And there was nothing to find but the orange flame eating away the wood from the trees I’d cut down.

It took me a long time to realize what had happened. They’d burned my house because of some hogwash decree and they’d burned it with my wife and three young children in it. And they were dead. Or perhaps not. I jumped from the flames and everyone gasped and backed away. I rushed to the cellar and jerked it open. To my dismay it did open. Tessa would have locked it. But I still went inside to look. There was nothing. Just broken bottles and torn food sakes.

So the men had been here too. I tore out of there and stood looking at the flames which were dying down. There was no wind and it was too far from the forest on either side to spread. I sank to my knees. They’d killed my wife and children. Burned them alive. I choked on my hatred and stood up so fast I became dizzy.

The men with torches watched warily. I growled deep in my throat and jumped at them. I’d never attacked anyone in my life. Not even when I’d been teased at school.

I didn’t know how to punch a person but I learned then and there. I tore at the man’s eyes with my fingers and clawed his face before throwing him into the man behind him. I got hit in the stomach and realized I was fighting like a girl. And I needed to fight like a man. I started to throw punches as well. Sometimes I even hit what I was trying to.

Somehow or another I managed to find a sword in my hand. I had never held a sword but I moved it around screaming the entire time. I realized it was in my hand only when the metal collided with someone else’s sword. And I also realized I had no idea how to use such a weapon and it would be only a matter of seconds before they’d prick me. I didn’t care if I died. But I did care if I took a couple people out with me as I went.

I whirled to face the man who’d watched me with such distain. He face was blank as he watched me run at him. I aimed the sword to run him through when the sword was suddenly flying to my lift and my wrist was aching.

I watched in slow motion as he pulled his sword back and ran me through my middle. I watched the sword go into me and then come back out with a faint fuzziness. I dropped backwards and felt my legs snap as I fell wrong.

The man filled my vision and I reached up to try and grab at him but his knocked my hand away with his bloody sword. He put the sword to my cheek and I felt my own blood on my face.

“It is a pity.” He said in a calm voice like this happened every day. “You could have been so useful to us but when people don’t obey official decrees well there must be a punishment.”

He dropped down next to me stepping on my hand and breathing into my face. “Because if you don’t draw the line somewhere everyone will walk all over you.”

He stood up and turned away. I tried to turn to crawl after him to hurt him just to take away the aching hurt I felt but I felt another sword in my back and it was too much. The world spun away from me and my eyes rolled back.

Chapter 2

I think I woke up because I was in more agony than normal. I’d tried to roll and twist myself and that sent a horrible pain through my midsection. More horrible then I was used to feeling. I screamed out loud and the sound was echoing in my own ears.

Slowly I stopped and opened my eyes. The wildest looking man I’d ever seen was above me. I started and tried to move away but I had nothing left in my body to do so.

The man snorted and turned away. I watched mildly interested as he walked to the center of this place to a fire and poured some brown liquid into a small cup. He returned and pressed it to my lips insistently. I finally gave in as the liquid seeped through my lips. It was bitter and moldy tasting. I coughed weakly but it hurt.

I watched the man move away and put the cup down. He sat on one leg and bent the other in front of him. He rested his head on the lifted knee and watched me with distain. “You’re not very bright for a scribe.” He said and his voice was scratchy and rough.

I stared at him. Then I closed my eyes and weakly turned my head away.

The man snorted. He continued to talk to me and I tried my best to not listen but no one else was trying to get my attention so it didn’t work so well. “In fact I’d say you are pretty stupid. You left your family alone then you come back and jump in the flames. Then out of all the stupid things in the world you start attacking Vanchura’s own men. You must be wrong in the head.”

“You don’t understand.” I snapped and found with shook that my own voice was thin and strung out from lack of use.

“Sure as heck I don’t understand.” The man snapped. “But you have to admit yourself that attacking those men was stupid.”

I didn’t say anything. I didn’t even think about what he was saying. It was too painful. The man snorted angrily and I heard him move away. But all too soon he was back and forcing another cup of the rottenness down my throat. I tried to lift my hand to push him away but I was too weak and he was too strong. He got most of it into my mouth and reluctantly I swallowed it just to get the taste out of my mouth.

He nodded grimly and turned away. I watched him with his back turned to me as he fiddled with the fire. “What are you going to do to me?” I asked him. My voice was still strung out.

He glanced over his shoulder once then shrugged. “Don’t know to be honest.”

“If you’re going to kill me do it.” I said. I nearly begged it. I was in enough pain.

He laughed and turned around. On a tray was a plate of meat and bread. “If I wanted you death I’d have left you next to your burnt house.” He snapped.

“Then why didn’t you?” I growled back.

“I don’t know but I’m tempted to put you back.” He hissed setting the tray down sharply next to me. I watched him for a second then turned my head away. “Fine.” He said. “Starve. See if I care.”

But he did care. And it bothered me. Ever couple hours he’d wake me up to feed me his nasty rotted water and force some meat and bread down my throat. Every once in a long while he’d force down water or some sort of soup. I never encouraged him.

I can’t say how long I was there in that unconscious half state of mind but one day I found that I had the strength to sit up. It hurt and felt like I was back in my burning house but I sat up any way. I realized I was in a cave. It wasn’t a large one, about as big as my living room but I was lying on the ground on a mat of blankets. There was a fire pit in the middle of the room and then there were shelves and shelves full of dead plants. I studied it but without interest. The man wasn’t here. I wondered briefly where he’d gone but didn’t worry about it too much. I didn’t care.

The sun was beginning to set when the man appeared in the mouth of the cave. I jumped a little because I wasn’t expecting that. His eyes opened wide as he stared at me then he snorted. “Well.” He said. “You’ve got the strength to sit up I suppose if I keep feeding you you’ll get even better and eventually just walk out of here by yourself and then I’ll be rid of you.”

“Don’t count on it.” I said darkly. “I may die before then.”

The man chuckled and shook his head. “You’re healing, slowly but surely. I made sure of that.” He moved to the fire and began to cut up some of his collection of dead plants. I watched him angrily. I wasn’t even sure why I was angry. Perhaps it was because he wouldn’t let me die.

I refused to drink what he offered me and he raised an eye brow. “Is that how you want it then?” He asked.

I shrugged and he glowered at me. Then he rolled up his sleeves and easily succeeded in wrestling me down to force me to drink the bitter concoction. Or at least he thought he had. I took it all into my mouth then spit it back into his face.

He threw the cup aside and stood wiping his mouth. He looked so angry that I was satisfied. He was biting the inside of his mouth so hard that when he bared his teeth I saw blood. “I don’t care if you live or die.” He said softly. “But you should really make up your mind and be done with it.” Then he turned grabbed a bag and left the cave.

I was sad for a moment that the only living thing I’d seen was gone but then I thought of the bitter liquid and I was happy.