36
It was not long after that that it happened. Orion had never seen
a Wermier in real life, he only knew
that they were big, smelly reptiles, smelly enough so that not even
the dogs would go near one if it had any sense of smell at all. He
also knew that they were mean, had sharp teeth and long claws.
But he met one three miles south of the town where he'd gone to festival.
Orion had only just sat down to a newly cooked meal, puling his cloak
about him against the cold wind,
when he heard what almost sounded like a snort, like the wild pig creatures
he often saw running around on
the farms and ranches. But it sounded bigger. And what
in the hell was that smell?
Orion scowled and stood up, his eyes scanning the trees, when a gust
of wind sent a stench wafting
towards him big enough for his eyes to water. He had to fight
to keep his lunch down. "Disgusting...what the
hell is that?" The young man picked up his pack, and had begun
to move out of the way of the offending wind
so that he could track down whatever it was...when he saw it.
It was half his height easily at the shoulders, a
dark, mottled green, like bread that's been set out to mold.
It glistened faintly with sweat, and its yellow eyes
had no pupils. Orion's lip curled in disgust. He knew what
they were, but he'd never thought they were so vile
looking...not to mention vile smelling!
He also knew of their reputation for savagery. He had left his
kill on the fire, and now carefully
kicked the fire out, keeping his eye on the growling beast. His
kill...now that he figured he could easily replace.
He threw it off to one side, while inching the other way. he intended
to run once the beast was occupied.
But Orion had not anticipated the creature's speed. The Wermier
darted after the animal, but before
Orion could even move, he'd downed it in one gulp. When Orion
took off, he sprinted after the cat, intending
to have a yet larger meal than he'd been given. Orion cried out
when he turned and saw the beast, and tried
desperately to grab his dagger form its hilt. But he was too
slow.
The Wermier dove at him knocking him down and taking his breath.
But it did not give Orion time to
recover, only went for his throat.
By a survival instinct that was stronger now than ever, Orion managed
to get his arm up to ward off the
fatal bow, and cried out again as needle teeth sank into his flesh.
He tried to jerk away, only to scream in agony
as the beast shook its head, rending skin from his arm.
Orion, feeling intense pain for the first time now in years, fought
violently with the creature, kicking at
it with clawed feet, using his other hand to jab again and again at
its eyes. His dagger had skittered beyond his
reach, and the spear he'd been using was where he'd dropped his pack.
He fought bravely, but it was a losing battle. Wermieren were
strong, among the strongest of
Plundaarian animals, and they did not stop until they either were done
or dead. Orion fought until he felt hs
strength being sapped until he could no longer endure the claws and
teeth of the animal. Having lost a lot of
blood, the young man finally passed out, scared that this would be
the final resting place of his body.
It would have been, too, except for a stroke of luck. Minutes
after Orion blocked out, the Wermier
paused in his attack, letting go finally of Orion's arm and looked
up to sniff the wind. Sensing there were others
around, more than he cared to deal with at the moment, the reptile
bolted.
"Now what the hell is this?" muttered a voice, of an accent from a more
cultured part of Plundaar. Two
brightly colored avians in the uniform of the royal guard came into
the clearing, not noticing at first that there
was an injured man in the brush.
"I don't know...I was sure I heard a Wermier over here though."
"Yes...I think you're right, here's some tracks. But we weren't
on guard to look for animals, you
know."
"I know! but I also thought I heard a cry, from a Mutant."
The first Avian sighed. "Well we will look a little bit more,
but then we have to return to out post before
King...oh jeez."
The second avian, having split from his partner to investigate what
looked like a bloody leaf, stood up.
"What? What did you find?" he parted the tall bush to look
down at what his partner had found...the body of
what looked for all the world to be a Thunderian. "Is he even
alive?"
"Yes, he is breathing. But a Thunderian! What in the name
of all the lords is a Thunderian doing this
close to the King's Fortress?"
"Or on the planet for that matter. I've never seen one that wasn't a slave, and this one wears no collar."
The other shook his head. "We must bring him back, and get him
tended. Then we'll ask King Scile
what to do with him."
"Are you sure he'll want a...feline in his infirmary?"
"We can use the ones for the servants. We can't leave him out
here to die, even if he is a cat. He's
still a living being." he looked up as the other two members
of their guard group approached and frowned at the
scene. "Slithaan, search the area, will you? Se if this
one was alone or not. We're taking him to the servants'
infirmary.
The reptile nodded, and he and the other went off to search.
The two avians grabbed Orion's feet and legs, and began to carry him back to the Fortress gates.
When Orion awoke, the first thing he was aware of was pain. Lots
of it. He groaned, and stayed still for
a moment as he tried to force his eyes to let him see where he was.
His brain was groggy, and he couldn't
remember what had happened - the Wermier! He had been fighting
the wermier; but why wasn't he dead?
Wermieren didn't abandon their kills unless there was a reason.
The next thing Orion was aware of was that he was not lying on the ground.
He was in a bed. Oh no.
someone had found him...but who? Was it someone that would turn
him in? Was there even a bounty on him
anymore? Was it someone that would enslave him again?
As his mind became more aware, he could see that while he was still
a title bloody, that his wounds had
been stitched up neatly, and that they had been cleansed. he
was not restrained, which was a good thing,
although he could see that the latch on the door was not open.
He was locked in, and that made him nervous.
Where am I?" he murmured.
As he tried to rise, and found he did not have the strength, Orion did
not hear or see the lone guard that
had been standing watch over him for the past three days. He
did not see him look in, then leave, to tell his superior that the cat
was awake.
Orion stared at the ceiling, trying to get up the will to stand, but
the pain... He looked down to the arm
that had been bitten, and saw that a sanitary metal splint had been
secured to it. Broken, then. He'd had broken
bones in the past before, not that they were even given this much attention...but
the pain still took his breath
away. he'd taken a good deal of abuse form the creature, and
he knew he was lucky to be alive. but that still
raised the question: where was he?
His thoughts were answered a moment later when three Mutants walked
into the room. The first was
the guard, and the second a young woman that was one of the healers.
And the third was someone that Orion
recognized immediately. They had met only once, when Orion was
six, but it was not a figure one easily
forgot. Orion couldn't help but stare. Was he in the King's
Fortress then Had he been that close? he knew he
was in the area, but so close...
The king looked at him for a moment, then chuckled. "It is very
ironic seeing you here," he said to
Orion. He looked down at Orion's hand and nodded. "Yes,
I saw the brand on the palm of your hand, Orion.
And I remember you."
Orion's face paled as he too, looked involuntarily down at the brand
on his palm that he would never be
rid of. The king had called him by name...did Blackmoor already
know about him? Was he waiting, with his
whip in hand, to strike him down? And in his condition, Orion
would be helpless to fight him...
His mind distracted by these sudden strong fears, he did not realize
that the king was speaking to him.
"Are you listening to me, Thunderian?"
Orion snapped his head around, making a flash of pain explode, and he
groaned. "I-I...I don't
know...what to..." He was completely stumped as to what he could
possibly say. Suddenly, he felt like he could
not hold himself up any longer, and collapsed back into the bed, trying
to stay conscious.
The king nodded to the woman, and she began looking Orion over, as she'd
been the one checking on
him. "He is stable, sire," she said to the king. "But I
think that he is still in shock somewhat. You might want
to wait a title while before talking to him I think."
King Scile nodded once, and told his guard to watch over Orion once
more. "I will come back in the
morning, then, thank you." He smiled at the young medic before
leaving her again to her work.
The medic, a simian woman named Tesaki, went about her ministrations,
changing a few bandages, and
making sure that none were bleeding too badly. Orion had not
even noticed that he was nude, and he didn't notice now, as he slipped
back into unconsciousness.
Several hours later, Orion woke once more to find that he did not hurt
as much as he did. The medic
had given him a painkiller that night, now that he'd awakened already.
Only the guard was outside the door, as
before.
But the guard had seen him awaken, and came in. Orion watched
him warily. "I'm not sure just where
you came from, cat," he said, amiably enough, "But the king wants to
talk to you. But he'll wait until you're
well enough."
As the guard looked to him for a reaction, Orion tried to find something
to say...anything that would get
him out of this situation. "I-I..." he stammered. "I...don't
know how i got here..." he said. he was feeling trapped, something
he'd not felt for a very long time. He was feeling an old, familiar
emotion of fear and desperation welling up inside him. "D-d-does...does
Blackmoor know?"
"Blackmoor?" The guard frowned, and then an expression of recognition
lit his face. "Ohhh, now I
know where I have seen that brand. No...I don't think that King
Scile had told anyone about you yet. only myself, the king, and the
healer's been in here. Them and the guards that found you are the
only ones who know you're here."
Orion looked confused. "Th-they...they saved my life then..."
The guard nodded. "Yep."
"Why?"
Now it was the guard's turn to be a little surprised. "Well...I
don't suppose that it would be too great a
thing to leave you to bleed to death."
"But...I'm Thunderian. Since when did a Mutant even care of a cat died?"
The guard did not look offended, and only nodded. "Many don't.
But most of the people around here
are pretty decent. They don't believe in cruelty unless absolutely
necessary."
Right...that's why the king let things like Blackmoor's complex exsist...but
of course Orion did not say
this. "Th-then...what am I doing here?"
"Well I don't know yet...you well enough to talk to the king?"
"I-I guess so..."
"All right, then wait here. I am going to lock the door...orders."
the guard left, leaving Orion alone
once more.
What's the difference, he thought bitterly. I can't get up.
Feeling completely helpless, Orion closed his
eyes.
Not long afterwards, the door opened once more, and the king came in
again. "Are you able to talk,
Thunderian?" he said.
"I...I think s-so..." Orion, with some difficulty, rolled onto
his side to look at the king. Dressed as
simply, but elegantly as he had been when he and Orion first met, the
colorful reptile gazed mildly down on
the feline in the bed.
"Good. My gurads found you in the woods, torn up...a Wermier attack?"
Orion nodded his head, still looking a little dazed. His eye happened
upon his unopened pack in the
corner of the room, and was amazed that it was there...although his
spear and dagger were missing.
"Please remember how you are to address a king," Scile said simply.
Orion felt a flush of
embarrassment as the reminder, so like Blackmoor's "reminders' to call
him master... "Do you know why you
were brought here?"
"N-No...Your Majesty..." Orion knew he should not feel ashamed,
it was only a title of respect.
Everyone called the king your Majesty. but old feelings were
hard to shake.
"Well you are here because my guards did not want to leave you to die.
And so they brought you in and
tended. I was informed, but you were unconscious for a long time,
and even my healer wasn't sure if you'd survive. many of your size
already would have been dead."
Orion did not answer, letting it all sink in. had he been injured so badly?
"And so," the king went on, "I think that a debt is owed here."
Orion cringed inwardly... "I do not intend
to turn you over to your old master...although he had had a bounty
on you ever since you apparently escaped."
So, the bastard did have a price on his head still!
"I do not agree with his methods...but I have spent some cost and time
on you here, and i think that
you might have to be here for a good deal longer. I would like
to make a deal with you. I am somewhat
short of servants here in the palace, as a plague recently took many
of the avians..." the king looked mournful
as he spoke it, and it was genuine. "It was a great loss.
but it also leaves me short of service. You stay on here
once you're able to work, and help my servants until I can get others
hired. I would think that by the time
you're well enough to be on your own, your debt will have been repaid,
and I will have gotten more servants. Is
it agreed?"
Orion looked at the king for a long moment, and bit his lip. "What...what
if I don't?" he said, pleased
he hadn't stammered, even if it hadn't been as straightforward answer.
He still felt a jolt of uneasiness saying
so to the king.
The king raised a brow at the question, but did not look particularly
angry. "I don't believe there is
much of a choice, young Thunderian."
Orion blinked. he ahd expected anger, maybe, but not the matter of fact statement that he'd just gotten.
"I have paid for the services of a few slaves to help with the burden
for now of course," the king went
on, "But I am still not full staffed even with them. So will
I have an answer now?"
Orion sighed and lay back in the bed once more. he looked to the
floor and nodded; Scile was right, he
had no choice. It was either that, be turned out into the street,
or be indebted to the King of Plundaar. none
were desirable. And the least desirable possibility of all...the
king would report him to Blackmoor.
Looking pleased, the king nodded. "Good. The medic will
let me know when you re able to safely
work. until then, you may stay in here, but I will have to lock
the door. it is for your safety as well as anyone
else's." And with no more than that, King Scile left the room.
The guard shrugged, and followed after him, locking the door as he went.
Well now what had he gotten himself into? He hated feeling trapped. Hated it.
Orion did recuperate under the expert care of the servants' medic, and
was put to work helping in the
kitchen. It was a big area, and didn't make Orion feel uncomfortable.
Those there were nice enough, assuming
that he was one of the slaves the king had hired form their masters.
Most paid him no mind, only told him what
he was to do, and a few talked a little with him. But mostly,
Orion stayed to himself.
Over the next few days, Orion worked in the palace for his room and
board,. When he was well enough,
he'd been shown a small but comfortable room to stay in the servants'
wing, where his belongings had been
brought. Still he saw neither of his weapons, but he intended
to ask once he was released form his work, if
the king kept his bargain. And if not, he had been thinking of
ways to leave.
But he need not have worried. king Scile was ruthless, violent at times, and as arrogant as any monarch, but he was a basically honest man.
As Orion prepared to get up for the morning's chores, there was a knock
at the door. Curious, he
opened it, and was surprised to see the king standing there.
"Orion. You have upheld your part of the
bargain," said the king, as he held out a small cloth bag. "This
is your dagger and your spear." he handed
Orion the longer item. "My advisors agreed to your staying only
if we kept these until then. You are free to
go but I advise you, don't come near again. one time I can explain
you being here, but the next, you will be
turned over to the jackal." This was not a threat, only fair
warning.
Orion was surprised, to say the least. He took the two weapons
slowly, looking down at them, then
smiled a little bit. After a moment, he knelt on one knee, and
for once did not feel shame at it. he was only
showing a monarch respect...as did the warriors, and even the lords
of the castle when speaking with the king.
And he respected him. "Thank you," he said.
The king smiled. "You are welcome. Good luck. You
may leave from the back, the servants' exit. It
leads ot into the jungle beyond. No one should see you there."
Orion nodded and watched the reptile leave, then stood up. He
laughed a little bit as he gathered his
things up, putting his dagger to his belt and attaching his spear to
the back of his pack. There was a nagging
fear that someone would shoot him on his way out, or capture him in
a net or something...a leftover from his
childhood where he could not trust anything anyone said to him...but
neither of those things happened. He
walked into the trees without an incident. he had a vague feeling
of being watched, but correctly surmised it
was only the roving patrol.
Orion felt pretty good, he decided. He'd gained a couple more
scars from the damned Wermier's attack,
and it was for damn sure that when he ever smelled that again, he was
running as fast as he could no matter
what he was doing. Smells did not leave the memory when their
bearer nearly kills you. And besides, scars, he
could handle. Not like he didn't have enough.
And so he was on his way once more.
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