Here She Rules: The Chronicles of Erla: Book 1 (33 page)

Cassie whooped, and the women charged from the bushes, neatly surrounding the men as the Ambrians yanked on their reigns. Before they could even draw their weapons, thirty swords were leveled at their throats by Cassie’s warriors.

“Throw down your weapons now!” Cassie yelled.
 

The men hesitated, attempting to judge their opponents, and then made to throw down their swords. The leader pretended to throw his sword down, but then he swung it at Cassie’s head. Expecting something like that, she blocked the blow, and as he swung again, she buried her sword in his heart. Pulling her sword out of his chest, she looked at the rest, who immediately threw down their weapons.

“Kara, bind these men. We will take them with us to our camp,” Cassie said.
 

Kara gave the order, and the men were tightly bound and gagged. Warriors surrounded them, taking their reigns as they headed back to the encampment. Their dead leader was thrown over his saddle and brought along with them.

When they arrived back at the camp, Nera, accompanied by Nyles and Darien, came out of the tent to meet them. Nera’s brows rose when she saw the captives. The women roughly pulled them from their horses and shoved them to their knees in front of Nera.

“Lady Cassandra, have you brought me a gift?” Nera drawled, as her eyes narrowed.

“You bitches will pay when our King finds out about this!” a tall, brown-haired man spit out at Nera after the gags were removed from their mouths.
 

Cassie spun around and kicked him neatly on the side of the head, rendering him unconscious at Nera’s feet.

“You pigs will speak to Queen Nera with respect, or I will cut your balls off. Is that understood?” Cassie demanded coldly.
 

The Ambrian men stood stunned at the speed and ferociousness of Cassie’s attack while Darien and Nyles stared at her in admiration.

Cassie pulled a wicked looking dagger out of her belt and approached one of the captives. “You are going to tell me what your mission is, aren’t you?” she said, running the blade from his chin down to his Adam’s apple.
 

The man swallowed convulsively and shook his head.
 

“Good! I was looking forward to carving my name in your ass. Be so good as to turn around, would you?” The man gulped at the cold look in her eyes. Fear was settling in, and his bravery was waning.
 

The woman looked like she would enjoy emasculating him. He glanced at his compatriots, but they did not return his gaze. Cassie reached out, spun him around, and put her hand on the back of his pants.

“Hold! I will tell you!” he nearly squealed in fear. She turned him around and raised one eyebrow, waiting.

“We were returning to Ambria to collect you for Lord Sern. He wanted his whore with him in Erla.” Cassie spun him back around, and her fist smashed into his mouth sending blood and teeth flying as the man staggered back and fell.
 

She strode over and put her foot on his throat, then bent over to look into his eyes. Blood was running from his mouth, and he was trying not to choke on one of the teeth she had knocked out.
 

“You seem like an intelligent man,” she laughed. “Tell me something . . . Are all
raped
women
whores
in your eyes? I will be very interested in your opinion on that when we overrun your country and turn your women over to the Serlenn and Destian soldiers.” His eyes widened and he tried to swallow, but he couldn’t due to the pressure of her foot on his windpipe.

Cassie whipped around and headed back to Nera, who stood watching her with a closed expression. Cassie lifted her brows at Nera, relinquishing the questioning to her Queen.
 

Nera ordered the Ambrians to be taken and hogtied (much as Nera and Cassie had been). They were then questioned regarding what they knew about the force currently inhabiting Erla.

Back in the Command Tent, Cassie collapsed in a chair and poured herself a cup of Mull. Swallowing it down, she slammed the cup on the table.
 

The others came in and sat—looking at her. Kara’s eyes were tortured and she swallowed convulsively as the full realization of what had happened to her friend and to her monarch settled in.
 

They sat in silence for a few moments until Darien could stand it no longer.

“He raped you? Was it Ston? He will meet his end on my blade for this,” he snarled the words and then jumped to his feet to pace around the confines of the tent.

“You shall have to reach him before I do,” Nall said quietly. King Nyles looked outraged and offered his sword as well.
 

Cassie looked at Nera, who nodded her consent.

“We were forced to share the beds of Ston and Sern,” she said.
 

Kara jumped up and grabbed her sword making for the tent opening, but Cassie ran to her Second and pulled her back. Looking into Kara’s eyes, she stroked her friend’s cheek gently, asking her to sit back down.
 

Kara complied, but Cassie could see the sheen of angry tears which she fought to hide.

“I am afraid I am going to have to disappoint you all as I plan to kill them myself,” Cassie said to the men with deadly calm.
 

Kara slammed her fist on the table, stood, and then sat back down and asked when they would attack. The desire for revenge was plain on her face, and the men chimed in with the same question.

“I have a plan,” Cassie said. “I will slip into Erla ahead of our forces.” She held her hand up as they began to protest. “I will make my way to Sern, since he is already expecting his men to bring me to Erla. I will kill him, and then I will go after Ston.”

“It is ridiculous for you to think we will allow you to go into this alone and unarmed! Have you taken leave of your senses?” Nyles barked out.

“No. Listen to me, My Lord. I will take some of your men dressed in the Ambrian’s clothing, and they will escort me into the Palace. I will be armed with a concealed dagger, and we will time this so that our combined armies will be at my back within a quarter of an hour,” Cassie said, looking directly at Nera.
 

The group was silent for a moment, considering.

“It is a good plan, my friends. Without their leaders to direct them, they will be momentarily off-guard, and that will give us a better chance of ending this quickly,” Nera said thoughtfully. “However, I will accompany Cassandra under the pretext that Ston had called for me as well.”

“No! I will not have you placed in jeopardy again!” Cassie jumped up and shouted.

“Lower your voice, Lady. I am your sovereign, and you will do as ordered, or I will relieve you of your post!” Nera shot back.
 

She understood Cassie was concerned for her safety, but she was not going to allow her beloved friend to go into the proverbial lion’s den alone.

“Please, Nera. Please allow me to do what I must to defend your honor and your realm. You gave me the responsibility of your safety. Now, let me do what you asked me to do when we first met—defend Erla and safeguard its Queen.” Cassie’s voice was low and pleading. “Besides, you are needed with the Army to help coordinate the attack.”

“Cassandra, I . . .” Nera began, but was interrupted by Darien.

“Forgive me, Nera, but I have a solution. I will go with Cassandra as one of the guards,” he said.

“They would easily recognize you, Darien. I will go,” Nall said.

“They would know you as easily as they would me, Nall!” Darien returned.

“Hush, both of you!” Nera said. “Cassandra, Darien and Nyles will select their best men to accompany you, and I will remain with our armies.”

“What of me? I could go with Cassandra and aid her,” Kara suggested hopefully.

“No, my friend. You are needed here. You are my Second-in-Command, and you must stand in my stead.” Kara closed her mouth, grateful Cassie still had such faith in her abilities, but she was frustrated by her inability to help her friend see an end to the bastards who had held and so vilely mistreated them.
 

“Then it is settled. Gentlemen, if you will select Cassandra’s escort, then we will ready ourselves for battle. We will attack in three days, which should be sufficient time for Ston’s men to have returned with Cassandra from Ambria,” Nera said. The rest nodded in agreement. Having formed a plan, they rose and left, bowing to each other as they headed for their private tents. Kara led Cassie to the tent which had been erected for her.

“Cassandra,” Kara began, “I know you must be terribly disappointed in me, and I know there is nothing I can do to change what has happened. Please know I will fight to the death to return Erla to Nera’s hands, and it is my mission to rebuild the trust you have lost in me,” she said as she looked at Cassie with earnest eyes and exhaled slowly.

“Kara, this situation was the worst possible scenario, but I do not blame you for all that has happened. You acted out of love and friendship, and you were just trying to get us back. It was ill-advised to leave the city so unguarded, but as Nera said, even half of our forces would have been no match for them. In retrospect, it was probably for the best that it worked out as it did; our casualties are no doubt lower now than they would have been otherwise. Please do not think for one moment that my faith and trust in you have been compromised. I know what an excellent warrior you are, and you are an even better friend,” Cassie replied. She then paused and inhaled deeply.

“I love you, Kara.”
 

Cassie pulled her into a hug, and after what Cassie said fully sank in, Kara returned it with ferocity. A moment later, the women realized they had been standing outside of Cassie’s tent, and the spectacle they had made was now the subject of several interested gazes and murmurs. The women grinned at each and turned to go into her tent. They had not taken five steps before Kara turned and looked into Cassie’s eyes and said, “I love you, too, Cassie.” Afterwards, she turned and left.

Cassie entered the large tent which was to be her temporary home and discovered all of her men sitting on cushions which were strewn about the rug-covered ground. They had been busy turning the tent into a tiny oasis for her. They had even erected silk hangings to separate Cassie’s sleeping space from the main area to afford her a bit of privacy.
 

They had also set out a low table for eating and cushioned chairs for her comfort. Her bed was astonishingly comfortable; they had piled a mattress with a thick feather bed and covered it with pillows and soft cottony coverlets.

They leapt to their feet when she entered, eager to see to her immediate comfort.

“Oh, God! I have missed you all so much! I am never as comfortable as when you are caring for me. You made a frigid cave bearable, and now you have turned a tent into a luxurious accommodation. You all spoil me terribly.” They flushed under her praise, and then they pulled aside a curtain to reveal a small copper bathtub which was filled with blessedly hot water.
 

Cassie sighed in happiness and quickly stripped off her clothes and got in, groaning in bliss as her men moved about her, washing her hair and body and rubbing her shoulders tenderly. When she finally rose out of the water, they soothingly dried her skin with a soft towel.
 

Lovingly, they dressed her in a set of silky soft clothes in a lovely heathery hue, and when she turned to walk to the table, Garen caught her up in his arms with a smile and carried her to a fluffy cushion and sat her upon it.
 

Aidan immediately sat behind her and leaned her back against his chest as Kai and Arn each picked up a foot and massaged gently. Mika and Garen took her hands and rubbed them with softly scented oil while Taylyn supplied her with choice tidbits and spiced wine.
 

Cassie sighed and melted back against Aidan. These men were heavenly, and the hard knot of anger and fear within her eased.
 

When Aidan nuzzled her hair out of the way and planted soft kisses on her neck and shoulder, Cassie felt herself being swept away on a cloud of bliss. This was indeed an oasis of pleasure—a haven against the conflicts to come. When Cassie started to doze, they ceased their ministrations and Arn lifted her easily in his massive arms, carrying her to the bed and placing her gently upon it. The other men disposed of the used bath water and then settled in for a well-deserved rest close to their beloved Mistress.

XXI

When Cassie woke later, she found they had prepared a meal for her. They all reclined together, eating while talking and laughing about their individual exploits.
 

Cassie’s fingers caressed Garen’s face and the bruise he got in the fight. “When this is finished, you will take me to this village, and I will find the man who did this and castrate him for touching you,” Cassie said.
 

Garen flushed with pleasure at her words as they demonstrated how much she valued him. His hand reached up, caught hers, and brought it to his lips. As he did so, Cassie continued, “It has been much too long since I have touched you all. I have truly missed the comfort of your nearness.”

Their love shone from their eyes as they looked at her, and Cassie was overwhelmed by her love for them along with her strong need to touch them.
 

“Come with me . . . all of you.” She rose and went to her bed, removing her clothes as she went. At their questioning looks, she indicated they should also disrobe. She then took them all to her bed. She touched and kissed them while also letting them pleasure her with their skillful hands and mouths. This continued until much later when they all fell asleep together—sated and happy.