The Violet Flamberge

Inferno Flamberge: Chapter 15

A/N: Want to help me out? I need reviews!! I now have 31 reviews for The Crimson Claymore on Amazon, that's great, but I need 50! When I get 50 reviews, I'm going to record a video of myself dancing to the "Dancing Queen" by ABBA and put it up on YouTube ... you don't want to miss it! So please leave me a review on Amazon. I also need reviews on The Chronicles of Starlyn, I only have 1 so far, so if you're read that, please leave a review for it as well. Same goes with Undiscovered Origins, as that book only has 1 review as well. Goodreads is also a great place to leave book reviews for authors. Thank you everyone for reading! I appreciate all of you!

Chapter 15

Searon brushed the hair from his eyes as he sat on a log by the smokeless fire. He sighed.

Sh'on sat next to him, patting him on the back. "I know it looks grim, Searon, but we can't give up hope."

"Hope?" Searon asked. "We've reached Kaelier, and it's been overrun. Even with the small force of women, or Ikchani, or whatever they want to be called, even with the few they left there to hold the city, we are still not strong enough to fight them."

"Perhaps your letters will reach our allies in time," Sh'on suggested.

"Allies?" Searon laughed. "The kheshlars will never help us. They have a city to rebuild. And my brother? He's so far south, he's near touching the Ocean. And he's so wrapped up in politics being a Duke, heck, he might even be king by now for all we know. There's no way he'll have the time to separate and come help us."

"He may send someone," Sh'on said.

"They will not reach us in time. Whoever comes ... it will be too late."

"You have to have faith, Searon."

"Faith? I continue to have faith, but the Creator continues to curse me. My wife and child are murdered, I finally fall for another, and she is kidnapped. Then a friend of mine, be it a sarcastic fool of a friend, is beheadded. Now, another friend is in danger, and I haven't a chance to save him in time. What faith is there? The Creator has a sick sense of humor to keep putting me through all of this."

"The road is not a straight path, Searon. Especially for those who choose to help others along the way."

"I think I liked it better before the old wizard ever found me. At least my life was simple."

"Simple? Yes. But it was not fulfilling."

"How much longer until we reach Guerettos?"

"Four days," Aliqua said. "We'll need to stay to the west of the cities to the light cover of trees. If they're taking over the north, there is no need for us to go to every city to see it taken over. We need to just run past them."

"Run." Searon laughed. "If we only had our horses we would have been there already."

"The Ikchani aren't fools."

"No they aren't. They chose to strike north because they knew it was weaker. Noraes has quite the army in the south. If they're trying to take over all of Calthoria, the north would be the easiest target to build numbers and territory."

Xython strode into the camp, hefting a large boar over his shoulder. He dropped the carcass by the fire with a grin. "Someone help me rope this beast above the fire."

Aliqua glanced away, her lip curling.

Searon smiled. "We are well out of kheshlarn territory, Aliqua."

"I know ... it still doesn't mean I approve."

Xython patted his roudn belly. "We've tried your way for many weeks, but I'm loosing much needed weight. Besides, I didn't attack this creature. It attacked me. I only defended myself."

Searon's eyebrows scrunched together. "Where is your mace?"

"I left it in camp. I had to releave myself. I didn't think I'd need my mace for that."

"You killed this boar with your bare hands?" Searon asked, impressed.

"It gave me little choice. Besides it's not that big."

Searon's eyebrows rasied. "It is quite a large boar."

Xython laughed. "I'm larger."

Searon and Benedict helped Xython tie up the boar over the fire while Aliqua strolled away to be by herself. Searon packed some tobacco in his pipe. His stomach growled. He coudln't remember the last time he ate boar.

After a large meal, they salted the rest of the pork and cooked it slowly over the fire so they could back it in thier packs for later. As Searon rested his head against a tree to get some sleep a cracked branch startled him. His eyes sprang open and he stood, drawing his claymore from its scabbard.

A man with pointed ears, and light blue in color, stood smiling at him. Searon recognized the man, but couldn't place his name.

"Searon," the man said.

Searon rasied an eyebrow.

"Vaelmirr."

"Ah yes, Vaelmirr. You're the leader of the kheshlars outside of Sudegam, aren't you?" Searon asked.

"Yes. Vil'ek recieved your message. He is too busy to come, but he asked for volunteers and asked if I would head up the expedition."

Searon's eyebrows rasied. "We thought we would be alone."

"Alone against an army? What chance did you think you had?"

"None," Searon admitted.

"Yet, you accepted that. You have great selflessness. A feature many kheshlars could learn from you."

"A friend is in danger. It is what should be done."

"Yes. But many others wouldn't see it like that."

"How many do you have?"

"Including myself? Two-hundred."

"Only two hundred?"

Vaelmirr tilted his head. "How many do we face?"

"I do not know. But from the sounds of it, it coudl be in the thousands."

"And your message said these are human women?"

"Yes ... does that present a problem?"

Vaelmirr's eyebrows twisted. "Problem? No. We are not as pecuilar as you humans. Women are openly accepted in our military ranks. Though, I do find it strange that so many human women want to fight. I know they are fragile creatures when compared with our own women. Human men are the ones with teh strength."

"That is true," Searon admitted. "Human men are gifted with strength. But human women are gifted with intelligence. They are not beating us with brute strength. They are beating us with cunning and intellect."

"Ah ... balance. There must always be balance. It sounds to me you could gain from having a few women as military leaders."

"Yes ... perhaps we could. That will be something to look into later."

Vaelmirr glanced at the meat slow roasting on the fire and scrunched his face. "We'll stay outside your camp, if you don't mind. In the morning we can coordinate our march north."

Searon nodded. "Very well. And thank you for coming."

Vaelmirr smiled.

Searon held out his hand. Vaelmirr raised an eyebrow before holding his hand out. Searon gripped it with a squeeze and shook it firmly while clasping his other hand on Vaelmirr's shoulder. "I really appreciate it.

A/N: Want to help me out? I need reviews!! I now have 31 reviews for The Crimson Claymore on Amazon, that's great, but I need 50! When I get 50 reviews, I'm going to record a video of myself dancing to the "Dancing Queen" by ABBA and put it up on YouTube ... you don't want to miss it! So please leave me a review on Amazon. I also need reviews on The Chronicles of Starlyn, I only have 1 so far, so if you're read that, please leave a review for it as well. Same goes with Undiscovered Origins, as that book only has 1 review as well. Goodreads is also a great place to leave book reviews for authors. Thank you everyone for reading! I appreciate all of you!