THE CITADEL
They opened the door and shoved her inside as if she was some kind of prisoner. Furious, she shook their filthy hands from her body and looked around. The room was spacious, lavishly furnished, by human standards, anyway. A long, heavy wooden desk dominated the room; behind it, on an equally heavy wooden chair was a small man with short, dark hair and an unpleasantly wide, wet mouth.
"So, there you are," he said, and smiled at her.
She stared at him blankly. Was this 'lord Titus'? She could hardly believe it.
"Don't you think you should bow, my dear?" he asked, his voice still friendly.
"Why?" she asked. "You are just a man."
"And you're just a woman," he said, getting up out of his chair and walking around the table towards her. "One who finds herself in my domain, and, unless I'm mistaken, at my mercy."
She snorted. "I have spent five years inside the walls of Dumah's city," she said in a condescending tone. "Do you really think you can intimidate me?"
"Evidently not," Titus said, his smile fading into an unpleasant sneer. "I've heard all about your daring escape," he changed the subject, "a most impressive fable. Did you really escape all by yourself?"
"Me and another girl," she corrected him. "As I told these men, we climbed the wall when we were unwatched, during the day, and escaped over a mountain path the vampires aren't aware of. Well," she admitted, "it isn't much of a path. My friend fell and was wounded. I had to leave her behind, unfortunately." The regret did not show, either in the tone of her voice or the look on her face.
"And now you're here to tell me to march on the Dumahim city, is that correct?" he asked, sitting down behind his desk again and glancing at the papers in front of him as if she was of little interest to him.
"You could," she said reservedly. "With the men you have here, and the path I would show you, you could wipe them out. Open the gate from the inside and storm them. Free the slaves. End it all."
He looked up.
"I'm not telling you to do anything," she said cynically. "I'm just pointing out a strategic option."
"A strategic option," he said, amused, and looked at the two men that had brought her in. "Excellent. I will discuss it with my master strategist next time we meet. Could you perhaps go into a little more detail about your escape? At present I'm more inclined to believe they let you go, and you are here to lure us into a trap."
"Don't flatter yourself," she sneered. "They wouldn't consider you worthy of a second glance. They are far too preoccupied with their internal warfare. In two weeks' time, they have a celebration. A festival. They feed brandy to the slaves until they can barely stand, and feast on their blood. Then they spend the rest of the night insulting each other in creative ways. By the morning, half of them are wounded or too drunk to stand. The path through the mountains leads to the top of the north city wall. I can also show you the mechanism by which the gate is opened. It is hard to reach, but easy to defend. You could open the door from the inside, and storm the city." She smiled sweetly all of a sudden, although her eyes remained hard. "Or so I would think. But of course, a girl like me has little understanding of these things."
Titus looked at her. She was a shrew, that much was certain. She would have been beautiful, but five years in hell had destroyed her health and her looks. Her blond hair looked dirty and matted, and her dry skin was stretched tightly over her bones. It was hard to guess her age, but the lines in her face were those of an old woman. In spite of all this, her eyes burned with a fire entirely their own. Her insubordination was not directed against him he realised; she would not bow to anyone anymore. He guessed she was not too bothered about the remaining slaves, either. What she was after was revenge. Finally, he laughed. "All right, you have my attention. Joseph, get this woman a chair, we have much to discuss."
He talked to her until the evening fell, making her describe the city and its vampire inhabitants in as much detail as she could manage, probing her for holes in her story, but she seemed sincere. Blind luck had given her a chance to escape, an act of outrageous daring had made it happen. She and the other girl were part of the "entertainment" for the festival. He did not press her to explain what exactly that meant, but apparently it had warranted better quarters and less scrupulous supervision. One day, when most of the vampires were asleep, and their keeper had turned his back, they had simply made a run for it.
Her plan was sound, such as it was. He added detail in his mind as he discussed the city's layout with her. The battle would be decided inside the first courtyard: behind the main defences, and before the streets and corridors would force him to break up his troops. When the courtyard was theirs, they could simply sweep through the city, and free the slaves.
"They're weak," she said, "but give them a stick and they'll fight. They would not be rewarded if they were loyal, and they might gain their freedom if they are not. Their decision is simple."
Titus agreed. They, in themselves, would not win or lose him the city, but the mayhem caused by a city-wide rebellion might. As she told him more and more, he was amazed by her keen intellect and understanding of strategy. She had memorised just the right details, and knew the answer to almost all of his questions. That, in the end, was the only thing that still fuelled his suspicion.
"You do realise," he told her as they parted, "that if you are lying, you will be the downfall of your entire race?"
She stared at him, her face hard and humourless as a rock. "Good thing I'm not lying, then," she said, and left him without a greeting.
Author's Notes:
I'm not sure we don't 'clash'. Our styles I mean. I'm sure you can tell the difference. The next chapter will be Dave's again. He was very happy with his reviews, so, thank you all. Hope you're still enjoying this. Willie
They opened the door and shoved her inside as if she was some kind of prisoner. Furious, she shook their filthy hands from her body and looked around. The room was spacious, lavishly furnished, by human standards, anyway. A long, heavy wooden desk dominated the room; behind it, on an equally heavy wooden chair was a small man with short, dark hair and an unpleasantly wide, wet mouth.
"So, there you are," he said, and smiled at her.
She stared at him blankly. Was this 'lord Titus'? She could hardly believe it.
"Don't you think you should bow, my dear?" he asked, his voice still friendly.
"Why?" she asked. "You are just a man."
"And you're just a woman," he said, getting up out of his chair and walking around the table towards her. "One who finds herself in my domain, and, unless I'm mistaken, at my mercy."
She snorted. "I have spent five years inside the walls of Dumah's city," she said in a condescending tone. "Do you really think you can intimidate me?"
"Evidently not," Titus said, his smile fading into an unpleasant sneer. "I've heard all about your daring escape," he changed the subject, "a most impressive fable. Did you really escape all by yourself?"
"Me and another girl," she corrected him. "As I told these men, we climbed the wall when we were unwatched, during the day, and escaped over a mountain path the vampires aren't aware of. Well," she admitted, "it isn't much of a path. My friend fell and was wounded. I had to leave her behind, unfortunately." The regret did not show, either in the tone of her voice or the look on her face.
"And now you're here to tell me to march on the Dumahim city, is that correct?" he asked, sitting down behind his desk again and glancing at the papers in front of him as if she was of little interest to him.
"You could," she said reservedly. "With the men you have here, and the path I would show you, you could wipe them out. Open the gate from the inside and storm them. Free the slaves. End it all."
He looked up.
"I'm not telling you to do anything," she said cynically. "I'm just pointing out a strategic option."
"A strategic option," he said, amused, and looked at the two men that had brought her in. "Excellent. I will discuss it with my master strategist next time we meet. Could you perhaps go into a little more detail about your escape? At present I'm more inclined to believe they let you go, and you are here to lure us into a trap."
"Don't flatter yourself," she sneered. "They wouldn't consider you worthy of a second glance. They are far too preoccupied with their internal warfare. In two weeks' time, they have a celebration. A festival. They feed brandy to the slaves until they can barely stand, and feast on their blood. Then they spend the rest of the night insulting each other in creative ways. By the morning, half of them are wounded or too drunk to stand. The path through the mountains leads to the top of the north city wall. I can also show you the mechanism by which the gate is opened. It is hard to reach, but easy to defend. You could open the door from the inside, and storm the city." She smiled sweetly all of a sudden, although her eyes remained hard. "Or so I would think. But of course, a girl like me has little understanding of these things."
Titus looked at her. She was a shrew, that much was certain. She would have been beautiful, but five years in hell had destroyed her health and her looks. Her blond hair looked dirty and matted, and her dry skin was stretched tightly over her bones. It was hard to guess her age, but the lines in her face were those of an old woman. In spite of all this, her eyes burned with a fire entirely their own. Her insubordination was not directed against him he realised; she would not bow to anyone anymore. He guessed she was not too bothered about the remaining slaves, either. What she was after was revenge. Finally, he laughed. "All right, you have my attention. Joseph, get this woman a chair, we have much to discuss."
He talked to her until the evening fell, making her describe the city and its vampire inhabitants in as much detail as she could manage, probing her for holes in her story, but she seemed sincere. Blind luck had given her a chance to escape, an act of outrageous daring had made it happen. She and the other girl were part of the "entertainment" for the festival. He did not press her to explain what exactly that meant, but apparently it had warranted better quarters and less scrupulous supervision. One day, when most of the vampires were asleep, and their keeper had turned his back, they had simply made a run for it.
Her plan was sound, such as it was. He added detail in his mind as he discussed the city's layout with her. The battle would be decided inside the first courtyard: behind the main defences, and before the streets and corridors would force him to break up his troops. When the courtyard was theirs, they could simply sweep through the city, and free the slaves.
"They're weak," she said, "but give them a stick and they'll fight. They would not be rewarded if they were loyal, and they might gain their freedom if they are not. Their decision is simple."
Titus agreed. They, in themselves, would not win or lose him the city, but the mayhem caused by a city-wide rebellion might. As she told him more and more, he was amazed by her keen intellect and understanding of strategy. She had memorised just the right details, and knew the answer to almost all of his questions. That, in the end, was the only thing that still fuelled his suspicion.
"You do realise," he told her as they parted, "that if you are lying, you will be the downfall of your entire race?"
She stared at him, her face hard and humourless as a rock. "Good thing I'm not lying, then," she said, and left him without a greeting.
Author's Notes:
I'm not sure we don't 'clash'. Our styles I mean. I'm sure you can tell the difference. The next chapter will be Dave's again. He was very happy with his reviews, so, thank you all. Hope you're still enjoying this. Willie