Chapter I

In this chapter we meet The Mercenary.

The small caravan made its way west out of the Great Desert. Six camels were loaded down with packs and each lead by a slave. From the looks of the bulging packs, the merchant to whom the caravan belonged to had done well with the trading. An extra large elephant followed, piloted by a driver and behind him a howdah, curtained to hide the passengers inside from the heat. Behind the elephant was a contingent of horse riders to offer protection to the whole. They were making all possible speed to the Kelialar River and from there to Teledisar, the jewel in the middle of the plains. Near the river was a small copse of trees and foliage growing in a dip in the sand dunes. Many such oases could be found on the fringe of the desert and along the river. The rest of the river found its way through the sand and rocks and often changed its course through the years because of the wind.

Two dark slaves, armed and trusted because of the years of service they had offered, were sent out ahead to scout the area for other caravans or other unpleasant company including animals. After a quick search they returned to the caravan and gave the order to continue. Once inside the copse the drivers of the camels made their animals lie down and then relieved them of their packs. The horse riders, definitely a group of trained cavalry that many merchants used for protection, dismounted and set up a small camp not far from the main one but definitely separated from them. The slave driver, in control of ten chained slaves, began to bark orders at them, brandishing a whip, as the slaves began to set up a tent for the merchant. The elephant was lead to lay down on its knees, the driver leading it expertly so as not to disrupt the persons inside. As soon as the elephant was down, two slaves jumped towards the curtains and drew them back, bowing down low as they did so. 

The man that stepped out was large. Not large as in muscled men but fat large. His face was round and pudgy and a small beard hid the several folds of his neck and his triple chin but his eyes were hard and cruel. His massive stomach was hid by the folds of a very expensively made robe; made by hand out of the finest materials. He stepped out and surveyed the area, taking in everything. He was like most every merchant that roamed the fringes of the desert and traded in Teledisar. He had started out a boy in the city stealing small petty things and selling them for high prices to nobles and the like, making a large profit. He had been caught by a merchant finally after a few years but instead of turning him in, the merchant had seen much promise in how the boy sold his items and so took him in as an assistant. For several years he had worked under the merchant, receiving some of the profit from the sales and learning all he could of the trading world; where to sell, where to buy, and which routes to travel to get there. Finally he had seized an opportunity and killed the merchant and taken over as leader and owner of the caravan. Now he was living a rich and prosperous life with others to do the actual work for him. Such was the way of the merchants of the Great Desert.

Behind him, in the howdah, lounged two robed female concubines, veiled so that only their eyes were visible. Two special eunuchs reached their hands up to help them out as soon as the merchant had stepped down. 

For now the front of the tent had been pulled up so that the merchant could lounge in luxury among his pillows and cushions while watching the meal prepared and while eating. A fire had been started and slaves began to prepare the meal, the whole while receiving orders from the merchant. The sun had gone down in the east, back wards to our world, and so the only light came from the roaring fire. Sentries had been posted away from the fire, to keep their eyes good from the glare of the fire in the dark, to warn of intruders in the night. Even though the camp was placed back from the river, the growls of large animals could be heard several times during the meal as they went to the ford for a drink.

After the meal the slaves began to clean up the mess while the merchant retired to the tent with his concubines. Soon their giggling could be heard, lightly floating on the night air.

A dark, silent, robed and hooded figure watched all this from the branches of a nearby tree. He had stayed, unmoving and undetected throughout the entire time they had been at the ford. Soon the camp grew silent except for the occasional squeal or breathless moan escaping from the three in the tent.

The figure dropped to the ground; a drop of fifty feet. The only sound was a nearly indistinguishable thud of the sand under his boots as he landed in a crouch. He remained in the crouch for a second and then moved quietly towards the first sentry. He was facing outwards from the camp, turned away from the fire, rubbing his hands together for warmth from the desert evening chill. His weapon, a large spear/axe, was leaning up against his body in the crook of his arm to free his hands. He heard and felt nothing except for a slight pain as the figure’s knife flew from the shadows in a fast tumble and landed, hilt deep, into his neck. He died in a gurgle of frothy blood.

The figure bent down beside the soldier, expertly running his hands through the pockets to relieve him of any coin, and then withdrew the knife, wiping it quickly on the tunic of the corpse. The faint flickering of the campfire through the trees revealed a wicked smile as he heard the giggles and moans from those in the tent: Any sound made by his victims would be masked by those sounds. He quickly shifted his weight from his knee to his other foot and moved silently back to the deeper shadows to stalk the next victim.

This one was dropped from behind by two thin knifes across his throat. The figure caught the corpse and gently lowered it to the ground to stop the thud of it hitting the sand. These thin knives were also wiped on the victim’s tunic and then disappeared beneath his cloak.

The remaining two were dispatched easily. They also were trying to warn themselves from the chill and expected no real threat at this place. 

In front of the tent, laid out in rows were the ten slaves, along with the slave driver, chained together in front of the door. As the figure passed each he calmly bent down and stabbed each through the heart with a blade; quietly so that none others woke up. As he approached the fire it could be seen, as his cloak flapped with the light breeze, that he was hung with several weapons. Even with the wind blowing his cloak and all the weapons hung about his body, no sound could be heard at all. The only part of his features that could be seen was the glow of his electric blue eyes beneath the dark shadow of his hood.

The last in the line, the slave driver, had a spear laying beside him for protection in case the slaves tried to revolt. After the figure stabbed him he picked up the spear and plunged into the tent.

The inside was dimly lit with two candles, showing the terrified looks on the faces of the three frozen with fright as the figure burst through. All three were in various states of undress. The merchant had one hand on one concubine’s bared breast and his mouth on the other’s. Both the concubines were kissing him but stopped as he burst through.

The figure tilted his head slightly and then threw back his hood to reveal his face. The face the candle light showed was a hard one. Absolutely nothing marred the perfect lines of his face. No worry lines or laughter lines could be seen. His mouth was one that only smiled wickedly and even then not very often.

“Having fun, are we?” His voice was rich and deep and had the faintest accent of some exotic place. “For shame! A man of your stature should worry more about how much protection his guards can give him than the pleasure he can receive from his harem. Save your carnal lustings for times when you are allowed to relax.” 

Suddenly changing his voice to a more wicked, dangerous, and demanding tone, he spat out, “You have something I want. Where is it?”

The fat merchant, propped up on one elbow on his pillows, began to sputter and waive his arms about, trying to deny the accusation and also to protest at the rude and unsuspected entrance of the visitor. Calmly, without any pretense, the intruder turned and shoved the tip of the spear straight down into the ground, in the process stabbing the merchant through the stomach effortlessly and pinning him to the ground. One of the two concubines screamed and then fainted while the other sat frozen in a state of utter shock and repulsion at the figure.

“Will you be more cooperative now?” the figure asked cruelly.

The merchant continued to moan and hold the shaft protruding from his chest. Seeing that the merchant was in no condition to answer, the figure calmly began to rummage through his pockets. A few coins and a brush for the merchant’s beard were all that the search revealed. Pocketing the coins the figure took a quick survey of the room and then grabbed the two concubines, throwing the one that had fainted over his shoulder. On the way out of the tent he grabbed two of the saddlebags and dragged the girl to one of the nearby camels. Moving with incredible speed and dexterity, the figure had the camel saddled and had tied both of the concubines onto the back of it along with the saddlebags. Then taking the lead rope, he began to jog lightly away from the camp, leading the loaded camel, leaving the merchant, now bellowing and screaming for his life, spitted through the stomach with the spear.

They travelled like this through the night and on into the next morning. With the rays of the sun, the city of Teledisar came into view in the west. Teledisar was a massive and impressive city. The walls completely surrounded the city and stood more than three stories high. Near the gates, the walls were decorated with pictures of the city’s great history. The army of Teledisar, made famous because of their great chariot legions, patrolled the top of the wall and at the gate. From behind the walls they could see the city rising up with the domes and spires of the palace spiraling upwards in the center. Also there were the towers of some religious house of worship nearby. By mid morning they were approaching the gates of the city. From out of the gates flowed a long line of merchants with their caravans and elephants and the local farmers with their carts all bringing their wares to the market that made up a large part of the area right inside the gate. Before coming into view of the guards, the figure stopped and changed into robes that he had taken from the merchant’s supply. Then continuing on he slid into a space of the long flow and began to inch their way forward to the main gate. At the gate he was able to weave his way through the crowd of merchants that were also trying to gain access to the city and so was able to slip through without being stopped by the guards. 

After he moved a little distance from the gate he stopped and turned to the girls. “If anyone stops me and asks questions you will not speak or you will die. I only took you for my pleasure so your lives matter nothing to me.”

The more timid one nodded consent but the other just glared at him. “Try me!” he dared, “You will see that I do not jest.” He spoke quietly but with incredible power and threat in his voice.

“We are not some piece of merchandise that you can throw out when you tire of us,” she challenged. “We are people who have worth.”

“Ah, so she has a voice,” he taunted her. “But that does not matter. You are a slave and your opinions mean nothing in the world. I will most likely sell you when I tire of you but who knows, I may enjoy breaking you until you are submissive. I would receive a very handsome price for you then.”

“And where do you propose to keep us until then?”

“What are you that you dare question me?” he spat at her. “But no matter, I have rooms here in the city for when I pass through as a travelling merchant.”

“Any can see you are no ordinary merchant. Who are you and what do you do?”

He turned once more towards her, this time with anger clouding his face. “This last question I will answer but only because you should know. I am Illudinevar, The Mercenary. I deal in money, trinkets, and lives. My only loyalty is to he that pays me the most.”

At this answer the slave sat back with surprise and remained silent for the remainder of the trip through the city.

The rooms that The Mercenary stopped in front of were like any other in Teledisar. It was made of baked mud and had a tile roof. Several rooms were stacked up on each other with various patios making up the roof of the house below. At the front of the rooms a boy ran out of the stable to take the camels that the merchant lead.

Talking in a haughty voice, The Mercenary turned to the boy, “Make sure that my camels get nice stalls and plenty of feed. They deserve the best.”

He turned and dropped two coins into the lad’s hand. From behind him, as the boy lead the camels off he heard, “So you take care of your animals?”

He turned sharply, paused on the second step of the stone stairway and pointed an icy glare at the slave girl. “And what would it matter to you?”

Not abashed at all by his gaze, the slave defiantly glared back at him. “I’ve heard that those merchants that take care of their animals also take care of their slaves. Is it true of you?”

His blue eyes grew even brighter in his anger, “Do not tempt me, slave,” he spat out. “No one would even stop walking if they noticed the body of a slave lying on these stairs. They would merely step over the corpse while lifting up their robes so as not to dirty them with the blood.”

He once again turned and walked up the steps. Choosing this time, the slave turned and tried to bolt away. Faster than any human could ever move, The Mercenary had turned, jumped and caught the girl by the wrist. As she moved and writhed trying to free herself he raised his hand and smacked her hard across the face. “Let that teach you to try to run away!”

With that he dropped the girl on her face and turned back to the stairs. Now reduced to a humiliated, sobbing state, the slave girl did nothing but follow while the other tagged along hesitantly.

The rooms that The Mercenary kept while in Teledisar were incredible. The whole of it cost more than most people earned in a lifetime. Priceless figurines and artwork adorned the shelves and tables that could be seen in the sitting area. Rich tapestries hung on the walls and glass was in the windows, an unheard of luxury in Teledisar. The timid slave stopped in the doorway, surprised at so much luxury, while the other merely paused and raised her eyebrows.

Once inside The Mercenary took off the robes of the merchant and put back on his cloak, in the process showing the two slaves the assortment of weapons he had on his person. One sword hung from his belt, graceful in design but extremely sharp. On crossed straps he had hung several knives and throwing stars and also attached to his belt was a small crossbow with bolts. He said nothing at their stares but instead sat down on the cushions in the living area.

“You!” he pointed to the taller, more defiant slave girl. “You will cook me my meal!”

“You trust me that much that you would put me around your food?” she asked calmly. “I might poison it.”

“My kitchen is stocked with articles that only I have put there. I know every bottle, every spice that stays there. The herbs that you may use as poison I have grown immunity to. And,” he paused with a grin on his face, “I don’t think you can hide anything in your garments.”

The garments in question were typical for a harem slave girl. Sandals with a small heel adorned her feet. The pants were loose and baggy but made of a see-through material and the top was small and tight fitting, barely covering her breasts. Now that she was inside her wrap around her face was off revealing a thin but beautiful face. Her brown hair was long and wispy and hung down her shoulders to her waist. Her eyes were a striking green and were hidden under extremely long lashes. Her figure was perfect with not a flaw to mar it; athletic but still beautiful. Her ears, curiously enough, were slightly pointed, suggesting that at one time her ancestors mated with an elf.

“You would not bait me if you knew my lineage.” She turned to look at him as she cooked. He was busy with the other slave.

“Oh?” he asked as he pushed the other slave away for a minute. “You interest me. Do tell me more.”

“I am the princess of the Brown Elves of Narfel. My brother will be here shortly to come rescue me so you had best run. When he returns, I will have enough support to make you pay.”

The Mercenary burst out laughing. “You; the princess of the Narfelians? Your mother probably told you that because your ears are slightly pointed. If you were an elf, would you allow yourself to be caught like this?”

“How do you know I allowed myself?” she shot back at him. “I may have wanted something from the merchant just like you did.”

“That merchant you were with was not one that you would go to willingly. Besides, now you put yourself in the same realm as me. That is laughable. That does not mean anything to me. You are not an elf and definitely not a princess. That explanation might have worked before but not now. I have studied people all my life and do not see any of that in you”

He turned back to the naked slave girl to continue his pleasure while the girl continued to prepare the meal. After the meal he used both the girls. When finally finished with them he pointed to a pile of cushions in the corner where they could sleep. As they lay down, he leaned up against the wall and then slid down until he was sitting, watching the two girls as they fell asleep. Once again his hood was pulled over his face, hiding it from the shadows, but every so often one could see the bright blue eyes blink open to check on the girls.

Several hours later he was awakened from his rest by a disturbance. Without a sound he got up and moved to the window and from there to his patio. Staying within the shadows so as not to be detected, he glanced down the road towards the gates. Marching towards him in perfect formation was an element of elves in full battle gear, a magician in their midst to put off any magical attacks that might come. Even though wearing full metal battle gear, the elves made very little sound at their passing, most likely through the use of magic. Not a dog barked as they passed. Quickly, knowing that he could not fight against so many, or at least having no desire to, The Mercenary jumped from the roof to a small niche across the way and watched as they approached his rooms.

Using the magic that he had within him, he looked inside his room and watched as the elves came up the stairs. As they burst in the door both girls awoke, the defiant one standing up and greeting the leader while the other screamed and then fainted.

“No, I do not know where the coward disappeared to, brother,” the slave spoke to the captain. “He was here a second ago.”

“Then we don’t need to worry about him, yet. What should we do with that cowering lump?” he sneeringly asked his sister.

“Leave her!” she commanded. “She is no better than street scum and would only slow us down. Shall we be going?”

The captain nodded and handed her a set of armor as intricately designed as his own. Very soon she was dressed in it and together they went back down the stairs to the street where they made their way back to the gates of the city.

Fool, thought The Mercenary as he watched them go. I am so conceited that I don’t even realize the truth. But it doesn’t make sense. Why would she be with him?

Without bothering about her any more he jumped from his hiding place to make his way back to the rooms. As he came in the slave woke up and sat looking around shakily. He tried to speak to her in several languages but to none did she reply. Finally, in desperation he tried a remote dialect, spoken by the small tribes that lived on the edge of the Great Desert. To this she replied at once.

“Where did you come from?” he asked her, surprisingly fluent at this obscure dialect.

She looked hesitantly up at him and then answered shyly. “My father was the leader of the largest tribe in the desert. We were of the Wadasi tribe.”

“That b*****d,” he spoke angrily. “Even I won’t sell my own daughter. I, who have no morals at all.”

“No, you don’t understand. He didn’t sell me. My entire family was killed in a raid by the Twalegs and I was taken captive. After my captive was finished with me he sold me to another,” she hurried to explain to him. “That was how you found me.”

Watching her while thinking he sat and then finally spoke more softly to her now. “Well I cannot keep you. I will give you to some friends of mine, not as a slave, and you can be taught to be a great lady. I will make sure you have everything that you wish. Does this please you?”

She looked up at him, her big green eyes fringed with long lashes. “You would do this for me? I am nothing, a slave for your pleasures.”

“Yes, I would do this for you. I had barely a better start. In some I had a worse start. So will you take my offer?”

“I would like to but I would rather stay with you. I have a fear of being left behind. Please take me with you. You will not regret it.”

“I cannot. I have urgent business to attend to which a lady should not see. I shall return, I promise it.” He drew out a necklace from under his cloak and handed it to her. “Do you see this?” He held up a small silver dragon clutching a ruby. “This is a protector. He will do anything for you. Here, take it.”

She took it in her hand and held it there, looking at it. Suddenly it moved! It grew slightly and then shook his wings and his scales and then looked up at her.

What do you wish? He calmly asked in her mind.

The servant girl looked up at The Mercenary in surprise. “It lives!”

Smiling he started to answer until the dragon cut him off.  Yes, I do live. I am yours and I will protect you until I am given away. If you have need of anything call on me with your thought or your words, it does not matter when or how.

The dragon was silver, almost white, with his spines along his back and the webbing in his wings bright red. His eyes also were red and if you looked into them one could see the power that emitted from him even though he was so small. With a slight bow to her he once again turned into the metal charm.

The girl turned to The Mercenary. “You seem to have great power over the spirits. How is this?”

“I am Illudinevar. Do not worry; I am not an ordinary magician. I found this dragon on one of my quests and so now he belongs to me. I freed him from a bond that he had. What is your name?”

“My father and mother called me Vashti. I was only called slave or girl by my owners. Call me whatever pleases you,” she faithfully answered, hanging her head in shame.

“Vashti, that is a pretty name. You look tired and exhausted. Please lie down again and get some more rest. I shall return shortly. You won’t even know that I have gone.”

She obediently crawled over to the pillows and laid her head down on them where she was soon sleeping peacefully, the dragon charm around her neck. He sat for some time on the ledge of a large window and watched her sleep. After a while, the dragon came and curled up on his shoulder.

“Why, Ikendenkara? Why do I have to be drawn to her?” he asked softly as he sat on the windowsill.

The dragon looked up at him. Why indeed? Why do any creatures get attached to each other and have feelings for each other. I had thought, though, that you no longer were capable of harboring such feelings. Why, I ask you, do you now change your mind for so young a girl?

I do not know, he answered the dragon also in his mind. Something draws me to her; something so powerful that I am amazed at it. I looked at her and heard her have such confidence in me that something snapped and I am captivated. I have to leave her here or she will kill both of us. But I feel that if I leave her here I will be so much more distracted and will not be able to focus on my job. I need direction now.

I will find out what she wants through her dreams. Then I can tell you and you can make your plans through those observations .Who knows, it may be best to step back and see that she may be useful to your business. She could go where no man ever is able to.  You should find a way to hide the ring though.

Illudinevar pulled out the ring from his pocket and looked at it thoughtfully. He had successfully taken it from the merchant without letting the slaves know. He then slipped it back into his pocket and then slipped off the windowsill. I shall return shortly. If she wakes, please let her know I will return.

The dragon disappeared and Illudinevar sank against the wall and finally closed his eyes

Author's Note

The first chapter of many. I will be sending more.

Reviews

[Aianarie (INACTIVE)]

Oh, goodness, I remember when you showed me this story in it's earliest form! You've come quite a long way!

This was incredible. I loved it. First off, your grammar and spelling are both exemplary, I applaud you for that. I found no glaring mistakes. Secondly, you did a fantastic job with the details. I can clearly see these scenes in my head like a great movie!

The character development is spot-on as well. Illudinevar is introduced slowly but steadily. What an interesting character! I'm so used to main characters that are goody two shoes, but this guy is an intriguing mixture of good and evil.

I look forward to seeing how the mercenary and Vashti's relationship progresses. Guys often have trouble with writing good romance scenes. :P If you need any help therein, do let me know. I'm...experienced...with writing that...stuff. Ha ha ha.

Wow. This was such an entertaining read. I can't wait to read the next chapters. 100% rating from me!

[Crimson Bayonet]

Awesome story. And great details! 100/100! :D

[zachf]

I thought I did. Thanks.

[Aianarie (INACTIVE)]

Ah yes, I forgot to mention. At the end, when Illudinevar is talking to Ikendenkara, trying italicizing what is being said so that the reader can immediately recognize it as dialogue. Otherwise, inexperienced readers might get confused.

Post chapter two soon! :-)