Champions Vol. 01

"We were attacked tonight Priestess, I'm sure you heard the noises, and we are leaving the city for our own safety. It is likely that the group who attacked will try again, and it is common knowledge that we are staying here with you. I need you to pack a single bag for tonight and tomorrow, and allow us to escort you to Varus."

"Attacked? Wh- What? Where?" she stammered.

"Phoebe we don't have time to explain. Every moment we delay increases the chance we will be attacked here. Gather only what you need, change into something appropriate, and be ready to leave in ten minutes. Laurena, lock this door and help her. DO. NOT. LEAVE. THIS. ROOM. Sapphire and I will prepare the horses and come back to get you both. Do you understand?"

The acolyte paled at the force of his less than subtle mention of her failure to follow his instructions, but nodded in confirmation that she would do what he said. David stepped out of the room, waited to hear the lock clicking into place, and then moved to the stables, Sapphire trailing behind him.

Their mounts were less than thrilled to be awakened at this late of an hour, but they were able to prepare and saddle them with only a little fuss. Sapphire helped by pulling apples from her bag and placating the horses through bribery. They led the prepared mounts to the back door of the temple, and David left Sapphire to secure them while he gathered the two clergy members. He half expected them to resist his plan, or even be gone from the room when he arrived. Instead he found the door locked, and both of the women ready to follow him upon his return.

Phoebe shared Meadowgrass with Laurena as the troop made their way to Varus' home. He had a small but immaculately maintained house in one of the nicer neighborhoods of the city. During the ride Phoebe had insisted on hearing what had happened, and David had allowed Sapphire and Laurena to brief her. By the time they arrived, she was shocked by the severity of the attacks, as well as David's lethal response. They noticed candlelight in one of the lower rooms as they rode up. David had exchanged his boonie hat for his helmet back at the temple and affixed his NODs to the front. He used the night observation device to scan the area, and he saw no movement in the surrounding neighborhood. After he tied up his mount to the fence in front of the home he chose to remain outside while Laurena and Sapphire escorted Phoebe to her fiancé's door.

Varus was slow to answer, but shortly after their third knock he opened the front door and stood there shocked to see them. Phoebe rushed to hug him, while Sapphire and Laurena gave him an abbreviated version of the evening's events. He began to argue with them after a few moments, but just when David felt he may need to intervene he saw Phoebe do so instead. He couldn't tell what the young priestess was saying to her fiancé, but he could see that the man was calming quickly, and finally nodded in acquiescence to David's two companions. Phoebe separated from her love to hug Laurena, and then a surprised Sapphire, before returning to the doorway to wave goodbye to them as they returned to David and their horses. Mounting up, the trio rode away as the couple closed their front door on the encroaching night.

The trip out of the city was uneventful. The guard at the exit tried to halt them, but Laurena explained she was a member of the clergy - which was already fairly obvious from her white robes - and they had just left both Priestess Phoebe and Sheriff Varus who were well aware of their travel plans. The man looked as though he still wanted to stop them, but he was apparently too afraid of the barely restrained menace that David was projecting to risk trying. The trio traveled in silence, past the few farms that lay to the west of Exitibus along the Calavius road.

They rode slowly, having no desire to risk an injury to one of their mounts in the darkness. It was well past midnight before David felt they were far enough from the city to stop for the night, and he still led them nearly half a mile into the thinly wooded hills north of the road before they made camp. He doubted that the people who attacked them in town would allow them so easy an escape. He also knew that they had killed the last priest - and probably more than a few others - along this very road.

*** Chapter 32: Reflection ***

260243MAR13 DW

A Small Campsite North of the Calavius Road, Erosius

The women were exhausted when the trio finally stopped for the night. After they unsaddled and tended the horses Sapphire erected her tent, and David suggested they get some sleep while he kept watch. Sapphire countered by warning that he was going to sleep in the tent...with her...right now...or he was going to sleep outside for the next two weeks. When he counter-argued that someone needed to stand guard, especially after the attack, Laurena surprised them both by volunteering. She had never volunteered for guard duty before.

David took a close look at the acolyte; she was well illuminated now that both moons had taken their place in the night sky. She looked thoroughly worn out. The stress of the attacks and her obviously emotional reactions to them had taken most of her strength, and the ride had taken the rest. She was dead on her feet, but still determined to help them.

"Thank you Laurena. I truly appreciate the offer, but you are the most exhausted of all of us. You need to rest now, not stand guard," David told her gently, grateful for the offer but surprising himself at his concern for her wellbeing. When did he start caring about her?

"Please," she begged, near tears, "I was useless. If it were not for you both I would have died tonight. It is not much, but at least this is something I can do."

Moving to comfort Laurena, Sapphire spoke to her gently, "There was little you could do before. Even with all my power I was nearly useless. They were protected from magic. If it weren't for David's weapons, which he kept a secret, we would probably all be dead now. It was his quick thinking and skill that kept us safe. Don't be too hard on yourself. You followed instructions and stayed out of the fighting. You listened to us and trusted us to keep you safe. That was what you needed to do, and you did it well."

"But I am an acolyte of Eros," Laurena exclaimed distraught. "When I become a full priestess I am supposed to keep the peace and defend the helpless; except my magic is too weak to even defend myself. I am useless," she finished, beginning to sob.

Realizing that there was no easy solution to this situation, David decided to improvise. "Both of you go to bed. I will set up an early warning system and join you shortly."

Giving him a hard look, Sapphire prepared to argue, but noted his significant glance at the acolyte and finally nodded her head in acceptance. She guided Laurena into the tent and poked her head back out a moment later, whispering fiercely "If you aren't in here soon I'm coming out there to drag you in."

Sighing David simply nodded, and set about his task. He conjured nearly three hundred meters of string and set up two separate trip-lines at shin height around the circumference of the camp, the first at ten meters from the tent and the second at thirty meters. Then he conjured small bells and attached them to the strings. Testing them he made sure he could clearly hear the sound from the entrance of the tent and then he made sure to leave a gap in the tent opening to help the sound carry inside. It was an imperfect solution, but he really didn't need Sapphire mad at him.

***

"I'm sorry," Laurena began, as soon as Sapphire returned to the tent.

"For what?" Sapphire asked.

"For your penance...," the acolyte replied, stunning Sapphire, "...and David's."

"What do mean?"

"When Astinus decided that both of you had committed crimes against Eros, I did not understand. I asked him 'How was David wrong for defending himself?'" Laurena explained. "He told me that David defending himself was not wrong, but David should have incapacitated the men, not killed them. I agreed with him then, because I simply did not know any better. But tonight, I saw what he did. David saved us, and if he had tried to act in any other way, we would probably be dead now.

"Those men were trying to kill us. Not rob us, or hurt us, or...rape...us, kill us. And there are more of them. At first I thought he was just being brutal and sadistic when he started to...hurt...that man; but then I heard what he said. There are nearly a hundred of them. What if they had tried to attack us again? How could we possibly survive that many? David was right to do what he did, because he needed to know how to protect us. That was when I realized Astinus was wrong, I was wrong, and you and David have had to suffer through being punished for being 'right' this whole time." With these words she began crying again.

Sapphire was dumbstruck. This was the last thing she expected to hear from the acolyte. Sure, this night had been dangerous, but she didn't think it had been dangerous enough to cause a total conversion for Laurena...except apparently it had. Still confused, Sapphire moved forward and comforted the other woman. She also conjured a large sleeping mat similar to the cushions in the temple, as well as pillows and a large blanket for the three of them. She wasn't sure she completely trusted Laurena's new found conversion, but she was certain that the woman was in bad shape tonight. She shouldn't have to sleep alone, and Sapphire was damn sure not going to sleep away from David. She could share with the acolyte tonight, especially if it brought some measure of comfort to the distraught woman.

She kicked off her boots, helped Laurena with hers, and then got them both tucked in. Sapphire lay next to Laurena and whispered words of comfort as she stroked the young woman's hair, while her mind drifted back to the events of the previous night. She thought about how nervous and jealous she had been at the beginning, and then how much she had enjoyed watching David with Laurena once they had started. Perhaps they could eventually share more than comfort between the three of them, if this newfound humility and understanding of Laurena's lasted.

***

Entering the tent, David noticed Sapphire had placed a large sleeping mat on the floor. Sapphire was lying near the middle, and whispering soothing words to Laurena. David stripped his equipment off and removed his boots, keeping his pants and shirt on. He had worked up quite a sweat under his armor during the fighting and flight to safety, and he began shivering. The nights had started to develop a chilling bite, and even the days were cooler. He decided tomorrow he would start wearing more layers.

Casting a spell of cleansing, he made sure he was dry and clean before climbing under the blanket next to Sapphire. Rolling over, she climbed over his body and pushed him to the middle, so that she was on one side and Laurena was on the other. David was a bit surprised by this move, but he chose not to argue. Laurena was having a lot of trouble with everything that had happened, and he figured that she needed reassurance from him as well as Sapphire.

Sapphire cuddled up to his side and laid her head on the right side of his chest. Her breathing steadied and deepened as she drifted off to sleep, David's hand rubbing soothingly up and down her back. He was slightly surprised when Laurena tentatively inched closer to him, but after seeing the look of worry on her face he lifted his arm around her and drew her into his left side, allowing her to mirror Sapphire's position. She was initially surprised by his actions, but looked up at him gratefully before lowering her head to his chest and drifting off to sleep as well.

David lay back, staring at the top of the tent and listening to the sounds of the night. Both of the women in his arms had lived through traumatic experiences in their past (although Laurena's were a little more recent). He was also certain that tonight had probably been one of the scariest nights of their lives. Sapphire had suffered more in her past, and was stronger than the acolyte, but she was still unaccustomed to violence. She had also been forced to kill in her own defense tonight, and he imagined that it would affect her quite a bit differently than what she had done to Octavius in Wolfsvale. He just hoped that his presence and his comforting touch would be enough for them both.

***

Shadowmaster Whisper has failed, came the voice in Cassius' head. The Shadow Lord felt abject terror at these words. He knew that he had done everything asked of him by the Night Lord, but he also knew his leader cared about results not excuses.

"I apologize for this failure Night Lord, and beg your forgiveness," he whispered into the darkness of his home. He had been sleeping comfortably in his bed before the Night Lord's message had woken him. Now he rolled to look at his wife sleeping next to him, and wondered if this would be the last time he would see her.

The fault is not yours. It was Whisper's failure to plan accordingly, and he has paid for that mistake. Those three are now beyond our reach, but warn Shadowmaster Hood that they are traveling the western road. They are too powerful for him, and are to be avoided unless no other option is available to his people, the Night Lord replied.

The Shadow Lord breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he would live to see the morning. "Is there anything else I can do for you my Lord?" he inquired quietly.

I need a new Shadowmaster Whisper. The last fool cost us thirteen destroyers, so we will need to recruit more men to replace our losses as well. Start with one score, but prepare to increase our numbers by four score more if necessary.

Cassius was shocked at this request. Another one hundred men?! That would more than double the size of their current organization. But, considering their heavy losses and failure that night, he couldn't really argue with the Night Lord, even if he had had the courage to try.

"It will be done my Lord."

***

Laurena awoke with a start. She had been having a terrible nightmare, and feared the slinking horrors in her mind had followed her into the waking world. She gasped when she felt an arm tighten around her, but relaxed quickly when she realized it was David holding her. Tilting her head up, she looked into his eyes in the near darkness.

He was alert - apparently he had been awake - and was looking at her with a mixture of compassion and concern. The feel of his strong body pressed against hers and the gentle arm holding her close was comforting. For some reason she felt that the demons which had haunted her dreams would not dare to follow her into this world with him here to protect her. Looking to the side, she checked to see if her sudden movement had disturbed Sapphire. She noted that the Dracian was still asleep, and appeared to be in a battle against her own nightmare hordes. She considered waking Sapphire, certain that if the sorceress's dreams were as bad as hers, then the woman would appreciate the gesture. As she moved her hand to do so, David's whispered voice stopped her.

"Don't," he instructed. "I already woke her once, and it didn't help. Whatever battles she fights now will only wait for her return. Please just let her sleep. Maybe if she faces her fears now, they won't follow her later." He tried to project confidence about this idea, but he knew from personal experience that was not the case. Yet, he needed them both as rested as possible. Tomorrow would be a long day, and they needed to be alert if their enemies followed them.

Laurena was uncertain that his request was the best course of action, but she finally nodded in agreement. He loved Sapphire - which was pretty obvious - so the decision of how to support her was his to make. Relaxing, Laurena lay her head back down on his chest and thought about everything that had happened the last two days.

She had finally Blessed the Champion, and it was the absolute best sex she had ever had, better than she could have even imagined. Then she had seen him with Sapphire, and realized that what she had felt from him was only a shadow of his full potential. At first it left her wanting more, but after everything he had done to protect her that night, she wondered if she deserved that.

Over the last week she had paid close attention to him, and had come to understand why her earlier attempts to sway his feelings had failed. He did not think like any of the men she had ever known. He did have a very strict sense of right and wrong, but his moral code did not fit with Erosian society. He did not agree with sharing love between multiple partners. He seemed to wish for a single partner only, one that he could devote all his care and attention to. While that had initially seemed odd to the acolyte, her time during the service changed that opinion. She had only experienced a portion of his attentions, and after witnessing him with Sapphire she could hardly argue with the results.

She had been taught to love everyone, even someone who intended her harm. He did not think that way. He made a very clear distinction between those who were deserving of his protection, and the people whom they needed to be protected from. As soon as someone became a threat, they were rendered beyond his consideration and compassion. He had not hesitated to protect Sapphire and herself, because the only lives he valued in those fights were theirs. She had been taught that love was not finite, and that a person could love all others equally. David seemed to reserve his love for those he deemed worthy, and guarded that love fiercely. He was willing to sacrifice everything to protect those he cared about, while she had only ever cared about herself.

Astinus had been right about her, and that was why David barely tolerated her presence. Yet, even though the Champion disliked her, he still risked his own life to save her. That was what Astinus had been trying to explain to her in Wolfsvale. Love was not merely a carnal act to be shared and perfected; it was the belief that the lives of others were so important that you are willing to risk your own for them.

As David began to softly rub her back she looked upon the troubled face of Sapphire, and realized that she was no longer jealous of the Dracian. She was still envious of her relationship with David, but she also realized that the woman was more worthy of the Champion's affections than she was. Even after everything the woman had been through - not to mention all the machinations that Laurena had tried to drag her into - Sapphire had still guided and protected her that night, as well as comforted her after the traumatic events. The acolyte realized that her duty with them should never have been to make them more like every other Erosian. That was foolish and wrong. She should have been trying to learn how to be more like them.

*** Chapter 33: Training ***

261000MAR13 DW

A Small Campsite North of the Calavius Road, Erosius

David had spent the night on the cusp of sleep, fading in and out of true wakefulness but never relaxing enough to fully enter the land of dreams. Both Laurena and Sapphire had slept poorly, plagued by nightmares, and had awakened tired. While they broke their fast David explained his plan for the day.

"We won't be traveling the road today," he began, and then gave them both a moment to absorb that surprising announcement. "We will travel a few more miles north, away from the road, and I will teach you," he said, looking at Sapphire, "how to use some of my weapons. I have no idea if the group that attacked us in the city is still in pursuit, but if they are I want to be certain that we are better prepared if they try again."