Training had been tough for Hope and the soldiers. They were used to marching, not running. Nor were they accustomed to much of anything related to exercise. It seemed all they did was march, shoot their muskets, and swing weapons around. At first, there had been a lot of snide comments directed at Hope, but soon they were so miserable that it was all they could focus on.

What really stopped the comments was collective punishment. Hope included. I had never been in the military, but I had heard that making everyone pay for one person’s mistake was a good way to teach them to shut up. No one wanted to do an extra fifty push-ups just because someone could not keep their mouth shut.

The bath had been exquisite, though I was still missing some real soap. Nina had been able to scrounge something up, but it was coarse even slightly caustic, so I was not a fan of it. My two elven herbomancers had promised me they could make something better if they got the plants I had asked for. That was Linus’ job.

When I exited the bath with the four ladies I found Ethan waiting for me. I gave him a smile and a nod. “Ethan, how are you today?”

“Very well, thank you for asking, Milord,” he replied and tried to hide a frown. Two of the women with me were obvious what the locals referred to as tainted. “I very much want to apologize for our difference in opinions yesterday. I’ll strive to serve you the best I can, according to your wishes, if you so permit, Milord.”

“Good,” I said and grabbed him around the shoulder. We started to head back to my chambers. “Are we leaving today?”

“Yes, Milord. After the midday meal,” Ethan provided.

“Good, now that I got a couple of healers in my staff, do you want them to regrow that missing finger?” I asked and pointed to his missing little finger.

“Thanks for offering Milord, but alas it cannot be done. It was severed with a heretic blade.”

“Heretic blade?”

“A magic item, which prevents any wounds from being healed by magic. It’s usually used to punish those who fail the Thirteen.”

“You failed them somehow?”

“No Milord. We offer up a part of ourselves when we become priests of Chostus. By voluntarily and permanently sacrificing a part of ourselves, we show our devotion and find wisdom in the pain and loss.”

‘Crazy religious cultists,’ I thought wryly. I chose not to insult the man further, because it would be counterproductive. Down the hall, I could see Anders coming towards me. He had three people with him that looked like his advisors.

“Can I get my hands on a heretical blade?” I asked.

“No Milord, only the Cardinals and above are allowed to carry one.”

“But someone must make them? Surely there’s some available on the black market or something like that?” I said a little distracted. Anders had gotten closer and he looked pissed.

“Milord, I thought Linus had informed you, but only priests are able to create permanent enhancement with the help of the Gods, which is necessary to make magic items,” Ethan explained.

“Huh, so every collar is made by a priest?” I asked and pointed to one of the serf collars.

“Yes, it’s a very intricate process—” Ethan started to explain, but I tuned him out as Anders was storming up to me.

“Hey And—” I started to greet him when he hauled back and sent a punch straight at my face. I reacted instinctively, slipped to the left of the punch, brought my right hand up to grab his wrist while my left hand went to his shoulder. I pulled him off balance and then swung him around, using his wrist and shoulder as leverage. He slammed face first into the wall, and I kept him pinned there by putting pressure on his shoulder and pulling his arm backwards.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I snarled in English. I heard the woosh of multiple flames being ignited behind me, and someone drawing a blade. Looking back over my shoulder I saw Hope had balls of fire hovering above her hands, while one of Anders’ men had the same. One of the others had drawn a short sword.

“Put away that blade and magic, or I’m going to snap this shithead’s neck. Then I’m going to take that toy away from you. Then I’m going to shove your head so far up Bed Wetter’s arse there that five generations from now, all your family will be able to taste is shit. Drop it!” I growled at him. They looked a bit uncertain, so I applied some more torque on Anders’ arm, making him scream out in pain.

“Stand down,” he managed to gasp. The two of them reluctantly followed his order. Hope looked at me questioningly and I gave her a small nod, which made her extinguish her flames as well.

Still keeping him pressed against the wall, I switched back to English. “What the fuck did you do that for?”

“You’re a sick bastard Karth!” he snapped.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You slimy cocksucker, you bought slaves. I thought you were with me on this. Turns out you’re just as bad as everyone here. I guess once a scumbag, always a scumbag!” he ended his tirade with a scream when I wrenched his arm a bit more. I did not appreciate being talked to like that.

“Listen here goatfucker, and listen closely. I’m only going to warn you once. Talking about freeing their slaves will get you killed. Ask your Unifier officer over there what the last time the Unifiers saw combat was about,” I spoke lowly, even though I was speaking English. If they could provide us with universal translators, who was to say that they could not provide that to their priests as well.

“That doesn’t give you the right to buy them and rape them. Fucking rapist!” he shouted. He pissed me off. My left hand let go off his shoulder and grabbed the back of his head. I slammed his face into the wall again, this time with considerable force. The crunch and blood told me his nose was broken.

“I’ve not touched any of them. I don’t rape. Say that again and I’ll kill you. I bought them because their life is shitty. I might not be able to free them, but I can give them a better life. If you were smart you’ll do the same, instead of getting yourself killed. I’m trying to find out how far I can push the envelope, without getting killed. Now get the fuck away from me,” I explained with a hiss, before yanking him away from the wall and sent him tumbling to the floor at the feet of his men.

“Think before you act, fed.” I spat at his feet and sauntered off. I noticed Hope was keeping an eye on the other group as we walked past them. A shiver went down my spine when a cold nose nuzzled into my neck, and the cat began purring while moving around a bit before settling down. I had forgotten all about it hitching a hike. I was just glad it had not made a fuss during the tousle, because that would have been distracting.

When we were out of earshot, Ethan said, “That might not have been the smartest move.”

“He started it,” I said with a shrug. “Fucker accused me of raping the girls.”

“You cannot rape a serf, the Go—” Ethan started, but probably felt me getting pissed, or remembered my threat. “My apologies Milord. By custom, a serf cannot be raped.”

“When I become lord of my lands, who will decide the laws there?” I asked.

“Unless it contradicts a law edict from a higher authority or the Church, you can make your own law. You’ll be dispensing Low Justice, while the High Justice is adjudicated by a higher authority,” Ethan explained as we arrived at my chambers.

“I want to hear more about that later,” I said. Ethan looked uncomfortable at me having my servants staying in the chamber. Even more so when I sat down with the elves to start teaching them some of the human language.

Later in the day me and my advisors, as well as Nina as my page, had been ushered into a carriage, slightly larger than the first. Meanwhile, the serfs were being herded into what was essentially a wagon with a very large cage in the back. The serfs did not include Milly and her mentor, Linus had not procured them as asked. Neither his failure or the treatment of my serfs were something I was happy about.

All around me the other summoned was also put in carriages. I was not the only one who had bought serfs from what I could see. However, my serfs were the only ones not huddling under thin blankets.

“So, how long is the travel from Central City to Alfred’s capital?” I asked.

“King Alfred,” Linus corrected. “And not long at all. We’re travelling by gate.”

“Which means?”

“Milord, the gates are magic structures granted to us by the Gods,” Ethan explained. “They can with great mana consumption open a portal between two gates.”

“How great?”

Linus held out the manacrystal he had created the day before. “If of this size, at least a hundred thousand.”

“As I said Milord, great consumption. It’s very expensive, which is why the Kings only meet once a year. In the month of Gryzbohr, which denotes the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new,” Ethan added.

Hrothgar then said, “We’ll have to travel to the gate which will take around a half-glass and then wait for the gate to be opened. The travel is instantaneous. We’ll be in the capital within the hour. From there we’ll use a smaller gate to travel to Wilbur’s High Hold. Depending on the order we’re sent through, we can be at our destination from anywhere between two to ten glasses.”

“And with Wilbur on the shitlist, we’re most likely last,” I said with a frown.

“Indeed, Milord,” Linus said with a grin.

“Well fuck it, might as well spend that time for something useful,” I grumbled. “Linus, what did you find out about the holds in Wilbur’s domain?”

“It’s the high hold placed farthest to the North, some of it covering the mountain of Thagh Darom and—”

“Excuse me, Thagh what?” I interrupted him.

“Thagh Darom is one of the nine dwarven kingdoms, deep beneath the mountains. The dwarves are—”

“I think I know what dwarves are,” I said. “Go on.”

“Of course, Milord,” he said. “As said the domain covers some of the mountains that Thagh Darom lies beneath. There’s some trade with the dwarves, but not a lot. From what I could gather, there are two holds without a male in the primary family line. I expect it’ll be one of those two you will receive. Though there are two others with ageing Lords and no direct male heirs, but close male relatives.”

“Okay, so tell me about the two.”

“Certainly. The one I think you’re less likely to receive is the northernmost hold. It only has one family member left, a young comely female. The once-thriving village around the hold is now a ghost town. There’s little farmable land since most of it is mountainous forests. There’s a new road that’s easier to traverse to trade with the dwarves, which lies outside the hold. It’s heavily in debt to the Church, failure to pay tithe, horrible harvests and so on. The rumour is almost fifty thousand marks.”

“Sounds like something Wilbur would stick me with,” I said with a frown. “I was used to embarrassing him, why would he not stick me there?”

“Because the Cardinal’s son is the one managing the holding since there are no living male relatives.”

“So? Sounds to me like he’s doing a piss poor job.”

Linus smiled, “The Cardinal is trying to leverage his son into a lordship. Soon she’ll have no choice but to marry him since the period for new suitors is ending soon. The large debt has scared everyone else who could be interested away.”

“Okay, and Wilbur is going along with this?” I asked.

“Sure, Wilbur does whatever the Cardinal says,” Linus said with a snort.

“Like any good servant of—” Ethan started to say, but remembered his place.

Shooting him a glare for his slip up, I then said, “Tell me about the other hold then.”

“The other hold is on the southern part, most of its’ domain is a large lake with plenty of fish in it. Pretty profitable hold to all accounts. The old Lord died only a moon ago, so his seven daughters are just ending their mourning period. The youngest is nine and the eldest is twenty or twenty-one cycles old,” Linus replied. “Not a lot of juicy rumours, it’s a well-run hold. Though one salacious rumour is that the third cousin removed who’s managing the hold is sleeping with one of the daughters. Depending on the source, it could be any of them.”

“You think that’ll be where I’m going?”

“I would bet on it,” Linus said with a smirk.

“Well, would mean I would be winning my own coin back. How much do I pay the three of you, by the way?”

“Milord, we’re part of your household, we require no pay but a roof over our head and food in our bellies,” Ethan said piously. Earning a contemptuous stare from Hrothgar, who did not say anything though.

Linus added, “Whilst true, a small stipend would be appropriate.”

“Serving the Gods—I mean his lordship should be reward enough,” Ethan said almost tripping up.

“We’ll figure something out,” I said and then scooted down a bit to better rest my head at the backrest. Which earned me a swipe from a set of claws. I had forgotten the stupid cat in my hood again.

The cat crawled out and gave me an indignant hiss, before jumping over to Nina who looked positively scared. It turned in a circle a few times in her lap, before laying down. Nina stared helplessly at me. With a shrug I offered, “Scratch it behind its’ ears.”

She did that, and soon all that could be heard in the carriage was the loud purring of the cat.

The trip through the portals had been, well underwhelming, at the same time breathtaking. The gates were large round circles, and when they powered up a ripple of energy could be seen, before the portals opened. On the other side, you could see what was there. Going through them was like going through a door though. Felt like nothing. The only difference was a drop in temperature. Like going from a warm room to a colder room.

I had been right in my assessment that Alfred let Wilbur through the portal as the last lord, meaning we arrived in his High Hold after dark. We had been driven to a large walled estate if the light from the windows were any indication. However, I could not see a lot of it because of the darkness.

When we got there, I was ensconced in a small chamber, about a third of the size in Alfred’s castle. I was so tired that after a single pass through the tai chi movements, I headed to bed, with the cat lying on my chest. Matching its purring to my breathing.

In the morning, I found out I was confined to quarters. Gently informed by the five guards outside of my door. I was pissed and ready to hurt them, but they also informed me there would be a feast in the evening. They did acquiesce to my request to have a tub and some of my serfs brought up though, and I was also fed throughout the day. Still reminded me too much of a prison cell.

Most of the day I spent manipulating the flight pattern of marks I was tossing at the door and making them stick. At first, the guards stuck their head in every time a mark thumped against the door, but after a while, they stopped. Though I could hear them grumbling on the other side of the door about it. So naturally, I kept doing it.

When I reckoned it was about dinner time, Hope and Saori came in with a new set of clothes for me. I also took the chance to wash up quickly. The guards tried to prevent my two servants from accompanying me to the dining hall, or where the fuck we were going.

“Either they go with me, or I start working out the aggression that has built up over the entire day. I might not be able to take all of you down, but I reckon at least three of you will die if it comes to a fight,” I said and my hand shot out grabbing the dagger from the nearest guard’s belt.

The guards half drew their weapons, but a command from their leader stopped them. He looked concerned from me to the dagger, before finally saying, “Fine, they can come.”

“Good,” I said while handing the dagger back to its owner.

Without further incidents, they led me to the hall where I was the last to arrive. More than a few people frowned at me, but the frowns spread like a disease when they saw the two “tainted” serfs following me.

There was a high table as expected, and then a long row of tables was running parallel with the high table. Then came a lot of rows of tables with benches going the other direction, side by side.

At the high table was the good High Lord Wilbur of course. To his right sat a younger version of him, by a cycle or two. My guess would be his brother. On his left sat a fat bald priest. Reminded me of a fat pig the way he sat there. Then there were a lot of other men sitting at the table. A couple of women were sitting at the fringes.

The tables below the high tables had 15 seats. 11 of them were high back chairs, filled with men of course. Then came another two seats facing the high table, but they were not as ornate as the others. They were filled with two more men, but across from them on a stool sat two females with their backs to the high table. The rest of the tables were filled with an assortment of well-dressed men and women, though it would seem the women normally got the worst seats.

Of the two women at the table with the lords, one was prettier than the other. Though from what I could see around the room, I would probably be outnumbered in thinking the tall one was the prettiest. Not that the short one was ugly, not at all. In fact, she was as pretty as the other one, but she was so short that I considered whether she was a dwarf, and I just had a thing for tall women. A person suffering from dwarfism, not a fantasy dwarf, even if that were a thing. The taller one was only a head shorter than me.

“And here we have the man of the hour, the newly minted Lord Karth,” Wilbur said with a sneer, which was followed by half-hearted applause from the collected people. “You won’t need those two animals, send them back to the pen.”

I bristled at that and thought about throttling the upstart. Teach him some manners. Instead, I said, “Sure thing, High Lord Wilbur, will happen as soon as I get an apology for being imprisoned the entire day. Until then, I’m not going anywhere without my bodyguard.”

“I don’t see any bodyguards. I just see someone whose ancestors lay with sandeaters and tuskers. Perhaps that’s acceptable where you’re from, it’s not here,” Wilbur said with a frown. “Men, remove them.”

“Hope, go ahead,” I said in a loud voice. Immediately a cone of flames roared towards the trooper who had taken a step forward. “She stays.”

The fat priest leaned in to whisper something. Wilbur nodded once, before loudly proclaiming, “The animals can stay. Maybe they can provide some entertainment.”

There was a burst of forced laughter throughout the room. I could not help myself, “They already are, the pig’s hand up the toad’s arse makes it speak.”

That silenced the room and everyone was staring at me. The priest looked mightily pissed, while Wilbur’s eyes went wide and his face crimson. I might have overdone it a bit, but I decided to roll with it, still pissed about being locked up for a day.

“You’ll not speak to me like that, you will speak to me with respect!” the Good Lord Wilbur threw a tantrum.

“If you want respect, you shouldn’t have kept me locked in a room for a day,” I growled loudly. Only after a few seconds, and with as much scorn as possible I added, “Milord.”

There were actually some frowns between the other lords in front of the high table. At least I assumed they represented the thirteen lordships. Wilbur just seemed to get more pissed, but again the priest leaned over and whispered something.

Wilbur finally said, “Given the circumstances of your arrival, and the overzealousness of some of my men who kept you under guard, despite no orders to do so, I will forgive you your crassness. You’re new on Camcesa and don't know our way. Kneel and your transgressions are forgiven.”

I considered telling him to bugger off but reckoned I might be better off not doing so. I had also spotted my three advisors sitting down by the throng of “ordinary” people, and all three looked worried.

In the end, I took a quick knee and said, “My lord, your benevolence knows no bounds, it’s a shining example to all of us.”

Wilbur seemed to be lapping up the praise, but the smile turned into a frown when he heard the continuation. “I just hope I can strive to be as benevolent when I find out who had me locked up for the day. Your example of forgiveness is great, but I just feel like breaking every bone in the pigfucker’s body, and don’t think I can forgive him.”

I stared him straight in the eye as I made my threat, making him aware that I knew it was his doing, not one of his men. He had to take a moment to visibly collect himself before he said, “Yes, well, forgiveness is one of the things the Gods wants us to strive towards. And we’re here to celebrate your marriage after all.”

With a smirk at having won this round, I stood up and walked behind the two with females across from them. I put a hand on each of their shoulders and gave them a good squeeze. “Which of these two fine gentlemen gets the boot?”

The one on my left, the one across from the shorter lady, violently shrugged off my hand and gave me a scowl. The other leisurely feigned a yawn and since he looked like a younger leaner version of the priest, I thought, ‘Okay, so the one on my right is Cardinal Piggy’s son, meaning I’m probably marrying the short one. Oh well, she’s nice to look at.’

“You’re an uncouth man, and need to learn to mind your manners before the next gathering,” Wilbur threatened from his throne-like chair.

“We all have our faults to bear,” I said with a shrug. Purposely I waited a second before adding, “Milord.”

He glowered a moment before saying, “Two of your advisors have already signed the marriage agreement since you technically weren’t a citizen of the thirteen kingdoms, and therefore could not sign a binding agreement.”

I shot a look at my advisors and saw Hrothgar and Linus looking away. Seems only one of them had learned a lesson. I listened to Wilbur continuing, “We’ve with the Cardinal’s blessing agreed to wed you with the heiress of the Wolf Ridge Estate.”

That sounded suspiciously like something in the mountains, which got confirmed when the guy I thought was the Cardinal’s son, shot to his feet. “Milord! You can’t do that. That estate was mine, next Gyzday. Father do something!”

“Sit down Vernon and mind your manners. You’re not a barbarian like Lord Karth,” the fat priest, also known as a Cardinal, thundered.

“Sorry your Excellency,” Vernon quickly said with a bow. “I must protest. I’ve been taking care of the estate for nigh on two cycles now. It was promised to me.”

“No, it was not. However, the agreement states you can continue as steward,” Wilbur said.

Vernon looked mightily pissed. Nevertheless, he bowed and said, “As my Lord commands.”

“I’m not so sure I agree to that,” I said loudly. “From what I heard he has more or less run the estate to the ground. If that’s the case, he has no place on my estate. Milord.”

“Doesn’t matter, an agreement has been signed, which includes that you join our expeditionary force in two moons time. With a levy of the size of a squadron. If you fail to provide a levy of that size, you’ll be stripped of your rank and made a serf,” Wilbur said with a smirk. I glared once more at my advisors. They would definitely need a lesson. Only Ethan met my look.

“If you say that, I guess I’ll have to find a way to make it work,” I said. ‘Might just kill the bastard and be done with it. Might need to kill two advisors too.’

Though I saw a quick way of getting rid of him. I grabbed Vernon’s collar and dragged him away from his spot under many protests. “You’re in my seat. And since you work for me now, go wash some dishes or muck the stables.”

All the time, I had been staring the Cardinal right in the eye. He looked livid. Vernon said, “I will not! That’s a serf’s job.”

“Until you prove yourself that’s all you’re good for.”

“You can’t make me!” he screamed.

“That’s great, you’re fired then,” I said. “Banished from my estate, should you return you shall be put to death.”

“Enough!” the Cardinal shouted. “You’ll pay for your insolence, and you can’t treat freemen like that.”

“Exactly,” Wilbur quickly said, “Only I have the authority to judge freemen to death, it’s in the purview of High Justice.”

“Fine, we’ll just chop off a hand then,” I said.

“Enough of your theatrics, Karth, I think it’s time that you and your new wife retire to your room and consummate the marriage,” Wilbur said and stood up.

“I haven’t eaten yet,” I said and demonstratively sat down in Vernon’s chair.

“Food will be brought to your chamber,” the Cardinal said in a tired voice.

I looked him square in the eye, before saying loudly to Vernon. “Steward, you’ll make sure that we’re given the same as these fine Lords are eating. If it has been tampered with in any way, you’ll not like the consequences.”

“You can’t threaten me, I’m—” he started.

“Vernon, shut your mouth,” the Cardinal interrupted.

A couple of guards stepped forward as if to escort me, and I shrugged. To be as annoying as possible I made sure the chair scraped across the floor as I stood up. I walked around to, well I guess, my new wife and offered her a hand. She looked shocked at first, but then took it and rose slowly. I had been right about her height. Reached just a smidgen below my chin.

We walked down the corridors towards my chamber, escorted by two guards. Halfway there, I stopped.

“Move it,” one of the guards said. I just shot him a withering glare. The other guard had been there earlier, whispered a warning to his companion and they moved a respectful distance away from us.

My new wife was still looking down, never meeting my eyes. I took her chin softly and raised her face so I could look at her. I already knew she was tall, slender, well-proportioned, and had long black hair. I had not really seen her face before. She had high cheekbones, a set of clear green eyes, with a thin but slightly pointy nose.

“Hey, my name is Karth, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said with a smile.

“My name is Lily,” she said in a whisper, before looking down again. I let her.

“Listen Lily, I’ll not expect anything from you, except that you don’t embarrass me. We were both forced into this, but I’ll not play their games. We’ll make this work somehow, okay?”

She just nodded her head. She was as cowed as some of the serfs. I wondered what indignities had been heaped on her. We continued to my chamber, where I found an old crone sitting in one of the chairs.

“Who the fuck are you?” I asked.

“Priestess of Adea, I’m here to ensure that your wedding night results in a child, and hopefully it’s an heir,” the crone said with a large smile.

“The fuck you are, get the fuck out,” I growled.

“The Cardinal thought that might be your response, if that’s the case, all your serfs will be killed, your new wife will be given to a whorehouse, your title stripped and handed to another, and you’ll end up a serf yourself,” the crone explained in a tone like she was explaining something to a child. “So, what choice do you make?”

“It’s okay, it’s my duty,” whispered Lily next to me. I looked helplessly at her, they had outplayed me. I had pushed too far.

‘You royally fucked up,’ I thought to myself.

I sat in just my trousers in the chair. The food in front of me was untouched. I had no appetite after what I had just done. In the end I had given into the ridiculous demands of the old crone, and through her the church and Lord Wilbur, I was now responsible for other people’s life, not just my own. The fact that she had to stay had put an even larger damper on me. I had not been able to perform, and probably would not have even if she had not been there. She had touched my elbow lightly, and my body had been flooded with excitement and lust. The entire time, she had been touching Lily’s hand. Her own had glowed like the healer’s hand.

Lily might have said it was okay, but to me, the whole thing stank of rape. We were both forced into it, but it did not make me feel better. If I ever saw that crone again, I would fucking kill her, and I would kill the Cardinal and Wilbur as well. Somehow, I would make them pay.

A small whimper made me turn around. Lily was lying beneath the covers, fretfully sleeping. Whimpering softly from time to time. The cat lay protectively on top of her, and almost as if it felt me looking, it opened its eyes and hissed at me.

“I hate myself too,” I whispered, before turning around to staring into the cold fireplace. Not only had I been forced into a marriage, forced to have sex with my new wife, I had also been informed that a child had been conceived, thanks to the blessing of Adea.

Life was fucked up.