Drumwe Isles

chapter five

The platoon had gathered amidst the edge of one of the smaller territories in Dillac. There were anywhere from 26 to 30 of them, all gathered in tents and cots, with enough testosterone between them to drown a horse. There was a certain glory to being amongst them, a sort of buzz in the air. You could feel the collective bloodlust and companionship and flippancy towards life all about you. It was an acquired taste.

The messenger who'd found himself with the task of speaking to them found it very difficult not to tremble before the group. He'd fought wolves in his travels or dealt with the occasional sabercat or bear. He'd even managed to overcome the task of tending to his wife's childbirth when the midwife found herself terribly ill. Though this was another animal entirely, men were among the most dangerous of beasts.

When he came upon their camp it was difficult to tell left from right or up from down. Who was he supposed to hand the summons to exactly? He'd been bumped about by some men and blatantly ignored by most. When his angst started to turn to despair the messenger felt a firm hand clasp his shoulder.

He managed to keep himself from any embarrassing sounds as he turned his head in the direction. "You look lost sir, what are you looking for?" It was a particularly large one of the brutes. He had to be a clear six feet and five inches tall. The man gazed up at the giant before him half with wonderment and half with relief.

"I'm to give these summons to the commanding officer here." The warrior had a warm, silly sort of smile and golden locks to match. They laid about the top of his head and were hardly to his ears and a stubble coated his otherwise boyish face. For the first instance since arriving on the camp, the messenger wasn't intimidated.

Not to say the man before him couldn't kill him in an instant. Rather he was sure if the man fancied, he could rip the messenger's body clean in half. It was more in the way the man spoke to him. His voice was soft and his tone was low, as though intentionally not to startle the man.

"Oh, he should be in that tent over there." The warrior pointed to one which fell beneath an old, battered tree. "Thank you, thank you." The messenger said graciously before moving quickly as his legs would carry him to the tent.

As he neared the aforementioned spot, he stopped dead on his feet. There was the sound of heavy breathing amongst other obscenities. The messenger's cheeks flushed and he felt faint. The news he carried was a matter of urgency but he was of no mind to barge in on the sensual affairs of a warrior. So instead he planted himself in a sitting position just against the battered tree and waited.

It wasn't terribly long but still rather more than he would've liked, when a woman strode out of the tent, fully clothed and went to mind her own. When the messenger felt he'd given an appropriate span for the warrior to gather his bearings, he stepped inside of the tent and looked around.

A large, ugly man with cold eyes looked at him sternly. The man was clad in pants but not much else, exposing his muscular and bruised torso. "You have business here?" The man asked, shaking the messenger out of his observations. "Yes, sir."

The man strode over to a table laid with war plans on it and pulled two stools up.

"Please, sit." He'd said.

The messenger did as he was told and pulled the scrolls from his pouch. He handed the papers over to the man and waited patiently as the warrior's eyes danced around the page.

"It's a summons. For three of your warriors at the palace of Dillac."

The messenger felt the need to ward off the silence like a plague.

"What are they being summoned for, do you know?" The warrior's eyes were weary and he didn't seem to like what he'd read.

"A special mission from the king and queen, sir. That's all I was told."

The man nodded and set the papers atop his war diagrams.

"I'll give them the word. Your work is appreciated, you can help yourself to a warm meal with us and a coat before you journey back."

The hospitality of the warrior touched the man. It wasn't often that people offered any sort of compensation for his services. Sure, the royals paid him well and kept food in his belly, but it was still nice to feel appreciated.

"Thank you, sir. I'll see myself out."

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