Writing

Thursday, April 12, 2018

The Books of Azric: War, Volume 3, Chapter 4

Warning, my writing contains things that may not sit well with others. Things like sex, the f bomb, and graphic violence. If you do not like reading any of these things, please do not continue on. If you do and you don't like any of those, well it's your own fault. You have been warned. If you enjoy those things well, you're welcome.

The following contains spoilers for the Books of Azric Series. This is Chapter 4 of Books of Azric: War, Volume 3. This is unedited and is the rough draft. Do not wine, complain, or comment on any errors in the writing. If you do, we will all know the kind of person you are and you will be judged. That is all. Enjoy the ride.


Lord Roderick and Blade ride their steam carriage over Branch Mountain Pass. Blade turns back again to see the smoke coming from Yungston. “Think they made it?”
“For Azric’s sake, I hope they did.” Lord Roderick turns around to see the smoke as well. “Right now, we do not have the luxury to worry about them. We need to hurry to my alchemists lab.” He turns his attention back to the road.
“Why the rush?”
“I tipped my hat to my Master that I may no longer be needed.” His gaze faces forward.
“What?” Blade spins back around to face him. His eyes fixed on the road. “How?”
“I believe he only kept me alive so long is he does not know where or what my alchemist was working on and now I fear Kenna’s life is in danger as well as my own.”
“If you’re no longer needed then I won’t be either?”
“I am afraid not my dear. You are only alive because of me. The Master never liked you, but for what it is worth, you have always kept my interest.” His eyes flash over to her as he attempts a smile. She looks at him briefly before returning her gaze to the front.
“So how does our Master know where, Kenna is it?” She waits for Lord Roderick to nod in agreement. “Where Kenna is?”
“I said that I had to go see her after I met with Colt…” He trails off.
“So?”
“He sent his necromancers to follow us to Yungston to kill Colt. Because of that, I knew that at least three that have been following since we left Yungston.”
“Then why are we going there?”
“Because I need what she has.” His hands jostle on the t-handle of the steam carriage as they drive through some slush. The wind picks up blowing their hoods off.
“And what’s that?” Blade yells to get her voice over the wind. She helps Lord Roderick pull his hood back on.
“I do not know but she said it would be worth anything.”
“Great, we’re walking into a trap.”
“Do not fret my dear.”
“Why not?”
“I never get trapped. I always set them.” He looks over at her with a smile.
“So explain them?” She points in front of them. He follows her finger and slams on damper down and pulls on the break. They grind to a halt.
“Nothing to worry about. This is not a trap.”
“Your men?”
“No, but a trap implies we do not have a way out.” He turns back with another smile on his face. “There is only four of them.”
“We kill them.” She smiles.
“Not before we find out what they want.” He reaches out and places his hand on the back of her head. He pulls her in close. Their lips meet softly at first but Blade lets him in. Their kiss changes to one of passion.
“Hey,” one of the men calls out. Three men and a dwarf stand in front of Roderick and Blade. “Are you going to get a room or surrender?”
“Surrender?” Lord Roderick breaks the kiss. “Is that what you want?”
“We want your head for what you did to Lord Fireston.” The dwarf says this time.
“Well,” Blade smiles. “We know what they want.” She hops to the ground as Lord Roderick climbs down from the steam carriage.
“I was hoping it would not come to this gentlemen, I really did, but you are leaving me no choice.” He holds a hand out for Blade. “After you my darling.”
“With pleasure.” Blade storms through the slushy mud over to them. Her cloak flaps in the breeze exposing her two blades attached to her hips. The three men draw their swords and the dwarf his axe. “I’m glad you decided to make this interesting, but I’ll make it fair and only kill you with your own weapons.” She unbuckles her belt and her knives fall in the mud.
Lord Roderick pulls a silk cloth from his pocket. He grabs the belt out of the filth and wipes them clean. He drapes them over his arm and fixes his attention at the fight about to break out in front of him.
“Should of kept them on honey, you might of stood a chance.” One of the men attacks her with an overhead strike. She catches his wrist and sword with both of her hands. She kicks him between the legs. His fingers fall limp. She pulls his sword free of his hand and slams the tip in the side of his head. The blade explodes out the other side. She lets him fall limp and steps over him.
The other three stand in front of her with the dwarf in the center. The dwarf charges her with his axe held high. She kicks him in the face with the heel of her boot. The dwarf falls into the mud. She ducks under a slashing blade from her left and plants her knee on the dwarf’s throat.
She catches a glimpse of a knife in the attacker’s boot. She pulls the blade from his boot. The other human stabs down at her. She blocks the attack as she stabs him in the leg with her newly procured knife. He drops his sword as he cries out in pain. She catches the falling sword. She pulls the knife from the human’s leg and slashes the other’s throat. Blood shoots from his throat while she stabs the man with his own sword. She pushes him over. Both fall dead. The dwarf reaches for his axe. Blade stabs down with the knife and catches the dwarf in the hand. She buries it deep in the ground. She reaches down and grabs his axe.
“Call your bitch off of me.” The dwarf cries out. He tries to pull the blade from his hand but she buried it to deep. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
“Blade?” Lord Roderick calmly asks.
“You said I got to kill all of them.” She stares down at the head of the axe.
“Well,” Lord Roderick leans down to meet the eyes of the dwarf. “I tried, but I did tell her she can kill all of you. Sorry.” He shrugs his shoulders.
“Wait-” he holds his hand up to block the axe but Blade swings it too hard. The edge smashes through his arm and severs his head. She lets go of the shaft. She looks up at Lord Roderick and spots her knives in his arms.
“You cleaned off my knives.” She steps over the dead bodies. “Thank you,” she kisses Lord Roderick’s cheek as she takes them from him. She lifts her cloak to buckle them back on.
“If only we had time.” Lord Roderick admires her body in the form fitting leather leggings and tunic.
“Maybe when we get to Kenna’s,” Blade bats her eyes at him.
“All the more reason to make haste,” He holds his arm out to escort her back to the steam carriage. He helps her back into her seat.
“I’m more than capable of getting in myself.” Blade accepts his help.
“It is not a matter of ability, it is a matter of respect and shall I say it.” He squeezes her hand as he smiles at her. “Love.”
“Love?” She blushes a little. “I thought this was just about fun.”
“What’s not fun about love?”

*
Kenna grabs a pot from the cupboard and returns to her table. She stands in the kitchen of her little cottage in Delville. A table stands in the center with multiple pots on it. The lids riddle the top of the tiny table. She takes the lid off the current one in her hand. She sits it on the table top and crosses to the pot in the fire pit.
She dips her hand in the bowl and pulls it out. She sprinkles a black powder into the cauldron cooking over the fire. She wipes her hand on her skirt and turns back to the table. She sits the pot on the table. She looks around the room and spots her backpack by the door. She smiles as she walks to the door. She grabs her bag and throws it over her shoulder as she steps outside.
Kenna shades her eyes with her hand. She smiles looking into the clear blue sky. Delville sits close enough to the Waters, a salty breeze fills the air. She takes a deep breath and heads north on the road that splits Delville.
The dust blows around when she gets out of town. Small hills surround Delville with flat lands all the way around the hills, with a few smaller hills scattered throughout the flat lands. Her travels take her to one of the smaller cluster of mountains.
She climbs to the top of the hill only to meet a sentry when she gets there. “Where are you going?” He holds out his spear off to his side, enough to block her path.
“Come on Chester. You know where I’m going.” She laughs.
“Not today,” he holds firm.
“Everyone knows I have free rein, no matter what.” A smile spreads across her face.
“I’m sorry Kenna, but the mayor is sick.” His hand trembles on the spear as he tries to hold his pose.
“So?”
“He doesn’t want to be disturbed while he’s sleeping.”
“So he put you in charge of informing him?” She pushes pass his spear. It smacks him softly in the face.
“But-”
“Are you going to stop me?” She walks off without waiting for a reply. She walks down the road to her favorite testing site. She walks pass several suitable spots to test her latest creation but only one will do for what she plans for the day.
She reaches her hill before the sun makes it to midday. She walks off the road and around the other side of the hill. Birds tweet in a few trees nearby. She smiles at them. “You should fly along my dears.” She calls out to the birds. She steps inside a small cave at the base of the hill.
It angles downward. She disappears in the darkness. Moments later she reappears without her backpack. She moves a little faster but not running. She walks under the tree with the birds and shakes the tree as she goes by. The birds fly off. “You’ll thank me later.” She keeps her pace. She hides behind a dip in the ground. She giggles as she raises her head so she can see.

*

“You’re telling me you’ve never met your alchemist?”
“That is exactly what I am telling you my dear.”
“Then how do you employ her?”
“We have a mutual acquaintance.”
“So how will we know where to find her?”
“I was assured I would be able to find her as soon as I got to Delville.” They come out of the trees and onto a grassy plain. “See that big cluster of hills over there?” He points into the distance. Blade follows with her eyes.
“Yes.”
“Inside them is Delville. They use the natural barrier of the hills as walls.”
“It doesn’t offer much from protection.”
“Not from an army but it works against bandit raids.”
The explosion erupts in front of them. Dirt and stones rain down. Lord Roderick slams the break handle forward. He throws himself over Blade and covers them with his cape. Rocks pummel his arm but he doesn’t wince in pain. “What the fuck was that?” Blade yells over the chaos around them.
“I think we found Kenna,” Lord Roderick laughs. He sits up and surveys the area around him. Only dust remains in the air. Lord Roderick sees someone dancing through the thick dust. His ears still ring but the laughter breaks through. He pulls on the hand break and eases the steam carriage forward. She twirls around with her arms spread wide while keeping her face from them.
“It didn’t take as much as I thought.” They hear the woman laugh. “How remarkable,” she turns at the sound of the approaching steam engine. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would be…” she trails off. “Oh, why hello there.” She smiles at the two new comers. “Haven’t seen you here before. I’m Kenna.” She waives at them.
“I am Lord Roderick and this lovely woman is Sheriff Blade.” Lord Roderick introduces them to his alchemist. He looks down at her from the driver’s seat. She stars back at him through thick goggles. Her eyes blink at him together, but separately. Her face plastered with dirt. Chunks of mud cling to the long strands of her hair. 
“Lord Roderick, you’re just in time to witness my creation.” Her smile grows larger.
“What creation?”
“What you saw. Wasn’t it amazing?” She turns to look again.
“Wasn’t there a-”
“Hill there?” She interrupts Blade. “Yes there ‘was’ a hill there.”
“What happened to it?” Lord Roderick keeps his eyes where the hill used to be, a deep crater now in its place.
“I blew it up.”
“You blew it up?” Lord Roderick gets down from the steam carriage. He wipes the dirt off his clothes but never takes his eyes off the crater. “With what?” He reaches his hand up to help Blade down but she jumps instead. Lord Roderick keeps his hand in the air not realizing she already got down on her own.
“My creation,” she smiles at him. “By the way, she’s standing next to you,” he looks at his hand in the air and shakes his head. He looks to his other side and finds Blade standing next to him.
“What is this creation?” He walks forward with his mouth wide open. Blade passes him and pushes his mouth shut.
“I’m sure she’ll tell us when she’s ready.” She kneels next to the crater. She puts her hand in dirt and mud.
“I will, but only back at my lab.”
“Of course,” Lord Roderick shakes his head as he climbs back on the steam carriage. “Would you like a ride?”
“How long?”
“It should only take a few minutes from here.”
“No, how long before they get here?”
“I do not know. They could already be here.”
“Then yes, I’ll have a ride.” She climbs up on the seat behind him. “Sheriff Blade. Are you coming?”
­­­­Blade stands up. She claps her hands together. Dirt and dust fly in the air. She turns and jogs back to the steam carriage. She jumps up on the seat next to Kenna. “Let’s go,” she looks at the pit one more time.
“Excuse me,” Lord Roderick reaches his hand between Kenna’s legs.
“Excuse you?” Kenna smacks him in the back of the head.
“The lever,” Lord Roderick holds both of his hands out.
“Oh,” Kenna turns her attention back to the road. “Well say that next time.” She puts her hands in her lap. She pulls up a little, exposing the lever under her dress.
“Yeah, say that next time or she’ll get you good again.” Blade laughs.
“I will,” he rolls his eyes. He grabs the lever and pushes it. The steam carriage rolls to life. He grabs the t-bar with both hands as the wheels bounce down the dirt road.
Within moments they reach the hill surrounding Delville. The road smoothes out as the steam carriage climbs. “Halt,” the guard holds out his hand palm out.
“It’s going to take a little longer than that.” Lord Roderick applies the brake. “The lever,” he nods to Kenna. She pulls on it and the steam carriage crawls to a halt. “What is the meaning of this?” Lord Roderick spins in his chair. “We have important business at hand.” His steely gaze fixes on the young guard.
“Well,” the guard looks away, his spear shaking in his hands.
“Come on, out with it.” Lord Roderick’s voice booms.
“The Mayor wants to see her.” He points a shaky finger at Kenna.
“Point that thing someplace else.” Kenna laughs. “Why does the old flea bag want to see me for?”
“You woke him up with that, that…that stunt.” He raises his voice.
“Watch what tone you take with me Chester, or I’ll knock you a good one.” She holds up her fist.
“I’m sorry,” he looks down at the ground, his toes digging into the dirt. “I’m just following orders.”
“Where is he?”
“He’s in his mansion.”
“Good. Lord Roderick will you take a left when you get into town?”
“But that takes you the long way around?” Chester shouts.
“And away from the Mayor’s mansion.” She reaches down between her legs and pushes the lever forward. “Lord Roderick, if you will,” she points at the brake.
“Of course,” Lord Roderick smiles. He releases the brake and the steam carriage races down the hill into town. The wheels bounce on the road. They gain more speed as the hill gets steeper.
“Roderick?” Blade yells. She looks over at Lord Roderick. He looks over at her and smiles. Her shoulders sag just a little and she turns back to face the road.
“Lever,” Lord Roderick reaches between Kenna’s legs again. He pulls it back some. The steam carriage slows just a little. Lord Roderick pushes a pedal with his left foot. Blade hears hinges release behind them. They lurch on impact.
“What the fuck was that?” Blade leans forward to look pass Kenna.
“My own,” he smiles at Kenna. “Creation,” he lets out a booming laugh as he turns the t-bar to the left. He looks back at the road and slams the brake lever forward. They slide to a halt. Lord Roderick holds out his arm. Kenna leans just a little but nothing else.
“No need for safety with me.” Kenna giggles.
“Get out of our way.” He calls down to the men standing in front of him.
“Bill.”
“Who’s Bill?” Blade looks at Kenna.
“The Mayor.”
“Mayor Doomazbul?” Lord Roderick questions.
“That’s the one, good old Mayor Dumbass Bill.”
“You know that’s not my name.” Lord Roderick watches a short little man come out of an ally way. His white hair cut short around his bald scalp.
“Well, you’re a dumbass so…” She mumbles to herself.
“What was that?” Mayor Doomazbul asks.
“You’re the Mayor.” She speaks up.
“That’s right,” he straightens his back a little. He wears faded red silk clothing and a black cloth cloak. “I’m the mayor and you tried to outsmart me and failed.” His pushes his wire glasses up his nose. His thin lip smile stretches across his face.
“Wrong,” his smile fades. “Move please,” Kenna looks over at Blade.
“Of course,” Blade stands up on her seat.
“Thank you,” Kenna hops down. The dust on the road puffs around her feet. She lifts her skirt out of the dusty road and storms over to the little mayor. “I went this way because I knew you’d be watching for me. I knew that you would have your guards posted any direction I tried to take to my home.” Her magnified eyes blink at him.
“Then why come this way?” He steps back. His lip quivers.
“It rained two days ago.” She looks down at his leather boots. Dried and not so dried mud sticks to his boots and leggings.
“Disgusting,” he lifts one of his feet. “I should have you-”
“Silence Bill,” Kenna pushes her finger in his face. She looks up in the air. A few birds fly overhead. She looks back at Blade and Lord Roderick. “They’ll be here in a few days.” She hustles back to the steam carriage. Blade helps her onto the seat next to her. “It’s time to leave now. Run them over if you have to.” She sits down and folds her dress into her lap.
“Very well,” Lord Roderick stretches his arm out for the accelerator lever.
“Not so fast,” Blade grabs his wrist. Lord Roderick looks at her. She reaches her hand between his legs. “I prefer to handle my own shafts. She squeezes him and pulls on the lever. They roll forward.
“What are you doing?” The mayor runs to catch up to them. His men jump out of the way.
“I have only a few days to get ready. Goodbye Bill.”
“It’s Doomazbull,” he yells into the dust as they speed off. Kenna lifts her arm in the air. Her middle finger extended.

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