Send Me to Hell

Chapter Fifteen

   A loud obnoxious banging woke him from his slumber. He groaned, rolled over and peered one eyed at his alarm clock. Who in the hell would be pounding at this ridiculous time? He sat up, swinging his legs out from under the blanket and onto the floor. Nila sat up beside him, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she peered at him in question. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before urging her back against her pillow before getting up to make his way towards the source of the banging. He felt the anger bubbling up at the disturbance and prayed they had a good reason for waking his house up at such a terrible time. He reached the door, wretching it open to peer at the men standing pale on his door step.
"What?"
"Sir we have a situation that requires immediate attention or we wouldn't have bothered you at such a time."
"Well spill it then. What is so important?"
"We found a traitor among us sir. He failed to report for duty, so we went to find him. He was found conversing with someone about infiltrating the house. We apprehended him but the other one escaped. We brought him here for you to decide what to do with him."
"Take him to the office."
   He followed the men up to his office, briefly thinking on getting Nila before crossing that idea from his head. She deserved to sleep. He waited as they sat the pale man down in a chair, handcuffing him to it before stepping back to await instruction. He waved them out as he sat down across from the man, eyeing him up and down. He did not appear to be the type to betray anyone, however he knew better than anyone looks could be deceiving. He sat as the man began to squirm under his gaze, waiting for the man to crack under his gaze.
"So, you thought you could get away with betraying your fellow soldiers as well as your king?"
"No sir, that is not what was happening!"
"Then please feel free to explain yourself. As it stands right now, you appear to be a traitor."
"I was speaking with someone about the plans to the house yes but it isn't what they think or I would have tried to get away. You can even ask them, I did not run away. I have been having bad feelings and could not ascertain where it was coming from so I sought someone out who could add protective charms to the house for added protection. They wished to remain anonymous so I was meeting them in secret. I wouldn't have done it if my sister did not trust them explicitly."
"So... Let me get this straight. You have been having bad feelings and sought out someone to put protective charms on the house without my knowledge or permission with said person who did not want their identity known solely based off your sister's trust of this person? Do I have that correct?"
"Well when you say it that way it sounds worse than intended."
"Is that correct?"
"Yes sir."
"You're aware they did not even have to bring you here yeah? Once they saw you in what they believed to be a compromising position, they could have wiped you from this earth without a second thought. You are extremely lucky to be sitting here chained to a chair instead. What is your name son?"
"Damian sir."
"How long have you been in my army?"
"Just a little over a year. I joined the training program as soon as I was old enough and was inducted in once it was completed."
"You are aware of how stupid you were yes?"
"Yes sir."
"All is well then. My gut tells me that you truly had no ill intent which is why you are still seated in that chair. However, this can not go unpunished as it would set a bad example for the other new recruits. What you did was dangerous and could have led to serious consequences for anyone who resides in this house. Although your motives were pure of heart, you will need to serve penance for this. What I am about to ask you remains between us and depending on how you answer will depend on how severe your punishment is, do you understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Good, now tell me who it was you met with."
"I promised to keep their identity a secret though."
"Only chance son."
"Her name is Lennon. I swore I wouldn't reveal her name. She is going to hate me for telling you what is was."
"Are you sure that is her name?"
"Yes sir. Why?"
"Do you know what her last name was?"
"Um.. Byrne I believe sir. Why do you ask?"
"It appears the dead has risen. No more stunts like this. Your penance will be a probation period where you will have to have someone with you at all times. You will eat, sleep, shower, work and the like with someone with you at all times. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. I will meet with you at the end of your penance. You will not know when the end is near. Toe the line son."
   He called the men in and explained what was to happen. He texted his second in command to come to his home office as he patiently waited for the men to stop asking questions. As they left with the young man in tow, his second walked in, peering at the group leaving with a question in his eyes. He waited for the door to be shut and his second to sit down before he began to speak.
"Do you recall a witch by the name of Lennon Byrne?"
"Yes? Fought on our side in the last known war to date and it is said she perished during the battle while fighting off the army who wanted to take the throne for themselves. Why?"
"It appears she has risen from the dead."
"What in the hell does that mean?"
"That young man that was escorted out of here was brought here with treason charges hanging over his head. He was caught meeting with someone and discussing the house plans and was apprehended. He was meeting with someone to have safety charms placed on the house. When I asked him for the name of the person he was meeting with he said none other than Lennon Byrne. So either she never perished in that battle or she has risen from the dead. Either way, we are going to have to track her down and find out what is happening."
"I agree but we will have to be tactful about this. She is not going to be found willingly. She may strike out if she does not want to be found."
"I fear you are correct. She has remained in the shadows for this long so I doubt she will want to be yanked out of them. We will have to find a way to do this without making her feel as if she needs to defend herself. I am putting you in charge of this. I am sorry to end your vacation early but this is a time sensitive issue."
"You're doing me a favor, trust me. I will report in tonight. For now, you should go get some sleep with your new wife. There is nothing to be done until later anyway, at least where you are concerned."
"Gee thanks a bunch smart ass. Get going then. You let yourself in so you can let yourself out."
   They shared short good byes before he headed back towards his room. Thoughts ran through his head at an alarming rate as he climbed back into bed to lay with Nila. He pulled her against him as he smelled her sweet scent. He heard her murmur softly as she snuggled up against him as he wondered what would happen with the turn of events. He remembered the night he had buried the dead from that battle. It had been nearly a century since then, a painful blot in his history at the loss that had been suffered. He did not recall ever finding her body among the dead, just the heavy scent of her blood pooled on the ground. He had assumed her body had been taken, now wondering if she did not run away after the fighting had ceased to start her life over. Why would she have done that? He felt himself slipping back into slumber with his thoughts echoing the night the battle had finally ended.