The King's Gamma (#Wattys2024)

Eighty-Six

This plan has to work. I thought to myself once more as I skulked quietly along with the men to the largest encampment the enemy had. This was a good two-hour ride away from where my father was, but this was our best shot.

The guards around the encampment were far from lax, taking almost constant rounds to check around the camp. I took in their appearances once more and moved quickly, sticking to the shadows as far as I could. 

I reached my destination not too long after, seeing the men either not too far off or stationed in their destinations. I gave a quick nod and used a firestarter on the stockpile of food they had set together in a temporary warehouse they had constructed. The men followed suit, ensuring that they lit their targets on fire as well. We fled into the woods quickly, taking off to our meeting point as quickly as we could. 

We followed the same pattern, but with encampments of random choice so as to throw the enemy off. We succeeded with three of the seven, two of the largest ones were brought down to ashes.

The fourth encampment proved my thoughts right. They had tightened security further around the camps, ensuring that men were stationed near the food and ammunition warehouses they had. I smiled, eyeing a large cage. The next target would be to release these beasts to cause havoc amongst their men. 

I thanked whatever god cared to listen that the cages they had were made of wood and not steel and were slammed into the ground as temporary cages. I looked at the beasts who were prowling long before I got close and smiled as I eyed them. I waited and waited, seeking the perfect chance to do what I planned to do. 

I was about to move when I saw several men being dragged into the camp, some I recognized as young men I had personally sent off to war only a few months prior. Others I recognized from portraits of my father and his vassals. I stepped back again, eyeing the scene before me with frustration as I realized one of these men was my father. I didn't quite recognize the man, as his portraits were from twenty years ago while my mother was still pregnant. He had some greying in his once vivid head of red, and age and struggle had caused hard lines to appear on his face. Some scarring was seen as well, however, healing spells had helped lessen the sight it would have been.

"We finally caught the Great Duke Havenhell." a man snorted as he approached my father. "I have to commend you for the hell you have been putting our camps through the past few days." 

My father frowned as he looked at the large man in front of him. 

"A fruitless effort, however. I've been told your Emperor already ordered your daughter to give herself to us as compensation. Perhaps our King would be generous enough to share her with his men?"

My father got himself to his feet and tried to storm at the man, only to be ruthlessly swept from his feet. He fell face first, unable to keep himself upright as his arms were tightly bound behind his back.

I quickly hid when I noticed a guard nearing me. I could almost swear he noticed me, but his actions showed otherwise as he leaned against a tree near the cage and spectated the scene. 

I looked around, taking in the sights of the area as I made sure to step back further into obscurity. The man who had been standing against the tree seemed to flick something from his arm as he looked down, but I could swear his eyes landed on me for a moment. Was I imagining things?

"We have been stuck in our camp for weeks. You should know this better than others." my father grumbled at the large man before him.

"Oh? Are you saying you didn't set our provisions aflame?" the man sneered. "Don't lie to me, Havenhell. We have been at war for the better part of two decades. You know as well as I do that your Empire has forsaken you and that you are on your own. Who else would do this?"

My father frowned, the words sinking in as he stared in front of him.

"You have caused heavy losses on our men and camps. For this, we will gladly execute you right here."

The man waved another closer, and I watched as a bulk of a man stepped forward with a large broadsword while two others pushed my father over, revealing his neck completely for the large man. If I didn't act now...

The broadsword was raised high, a gleam bouncing off it in the late afternoon light. I moved before I could stop myself, crashing my body into that of the large man. I grabbed his large sword and swung as hard as my limbs allowed me to, lodging the sword halfway into the large man's side, and catching everyone around us off guard. I grabbed my own sword, quickly stabbing into the closest man holding my father down before tearing it out and turning to meet the second man. Sparks brightened a small area around them as blade met blade. My strength was nothing compared to theirs, but this was the last thing on my mind as I planted my feet more firmly and struck again. 

My surprise attack played in my favour, as the second man was still getting himself righted when the sword was struck from his grip. 

The men that I had brought with me acted quickly, taking down whoever they could.  I took this moment to launch my body into the now unarmed man. However, this worked against me, as the moment I smacked into him his large arms enclosed around me. 

The men around stopped, their eyes on me as they watched.

"Did he just..." Dennis asked with a baffled expression. "You'd best release your arms."

The man holding onto me smiled brightly as he held on and went to pull the hood from my head. 

"You should really not open that hood..."

The hood released the thick braid on my head, showing the red hair that I had kept hidden. 

"Red hair?" asked the man who had originally dragged my father here. "Did the little duchess decide to give herself to us willingly?" 

I felt him take the mask from my face, his other hand taking my chin to lift my head to stare at him. 

"I assume these black eyes are from her mother?" He smiled as his comrade held me.

"You'd best cast a protection spell, my lord," Dennis said as they all quickly did the same. 

"Dennis?"

Fenrir, instead, quickly moved to the men of our territory and cast a spell as wide as he could.

The flames suddenly licked from my skin, tasting whatever touched it that was not deemed my belonging, and devouring it whole. The men touching me were the first to go. I took my mask back and placed it back after watching the men melt from their own bones. I eyed the remaining men who quickly dropped their weapons and either fled or surrendered.

The men that had come with me quickly untied our soldiers and my father and I stood aside, going through the maps and records kept in the Commander's tent. There was no sign or record of the man that had stood against the tree earlier, and he was no longer in the area.

"Duchess, we've round up everyone here. Your father is ready to move out to their camp." Dennis said with a smile, behind him I could see the curious soldiers trying to peek in.