Even Gods Must Fall - Christian Warren Freed Page 0,37
yer belly before he arrives? I’ll send him up to the antechamber for you.”
“Antechamber?” Venten asked.
Elstep nodded. “Been using it as an administration center since the king left. The lads’ll be real glad to have you back. Not all of them are as bright as me, my lord. They need some help over there.”
Venten smiled at the chamberlain’s candor. “Thank you, Elstep.”
Red streaks ran horizontally through his eyes. The ride back from the army encampment at the base of the Murdes Mountains had been long, though not particularly grueling. Venten found the only harrowing part was from not knowing whether all of the Goblin threat in the lands between the castle and the mountains was cleared out. Fortune allowed him trouble-free passage and he was able to make the journey in three days. Limited food left him slightly famished, a condition he managed to remedy after meeting with Elstep. Stomach full, he only lacked sleep, but at his age he figured there’d be enough time for rest once he was put in the ground.
An unmerciful stack of unread reports and requisitions stared back at him from the corner of the small field desk. Normally he preferred something much bigger but all of the real furniture had either been cut up and used for firewood or had been desecrated by the Goblins. Coming from the field, Venten found little room for complaint, though not even a full belly was enough to prompt him to dig into the paperwork.
Clerks and random administrative personnel busied about their work, just as eager to finish their day as he was to avoid it. Venten had hoped to be done with public life. He wasn’t suited for menial tasks involved with the daily operation of a major city. Life demanded more than hiding behind reports or sitting in one meeting after the other. The open steppes often called to him during those brief moments of isolation when he was able focus on himself. Never one for love or material possessions, Venten tried his best to live a simple life. Devotion to Stelskor and the winter war prevented that from happening.
“Lord Venten, I have Major Brun here. He’s the Wolfsreik officer placed in charge of the security forces.”
Rubbing his tired eyes, Venten waved Elstep to continue. The chamberlain bowed and stepped aside so Brun could enter. The soldier of the Wolfsreik snapped a crisp salute, albeit an unnecessary one, and clasped his hands behind his back.
“Sir, welcome back to Rogscroft,” Brun said with pleasant tones.
Venten took in the young officer. Slender with just enough muscle concealed beneath his leather-plate armor, Brun had thick black hair and almost piercing blue eyes. He stood a hand taller than six feet and wore a broadsword strapped to his right hip.
“Major, salutes won’t be necessary. I am not royalty,” Venten said.
“Understood, but for the sake of appearances I believe it wise to maintain proper decorum, especially in front of the rank and file. With the war so far to the west it is easy for them to forget there is still a very real threat.”
“Of course. Very well, Major Brun, I agree,” Venten conceded. “I trust you have something good to report this early morning. Elstep is a cruel taskmaster. I only arrived at dawn and he’s yet to afford me the opportunity to sleep.”
He grinned at hearing Elstep cough in the background.
Brun offered a curt nod. “Sir, to date we have yet to encounter any remnants of the Goblin army or loyalists to Badron. Bandits are our major concern. We’ve doubled patrols after discovering a few recently burned farmsteads in efforts to counter the threat.”
No matter how dire times grew there were always others who preyed on those less fortunate, even amongst themselves. “Have there been any civilian-related casualties?”
“A handful, no more than fifteen,” Brun confirmed. “Thus far they’ve been confined to a pair of families trying to endure the hardships on their own. We’ve also captured or killed over a score of bandits.”
“I don’t foresee these raids lessening until the king returns,” Venten guessed. “Still, we must take a more active role in protecting the outlying properties, especially the farms. Too many fields will remain fallow come the spring.”
Brun appeared uncomfortable with the order but was professional enough to follow it without question. “Yes sir, I’ll order increased presence patrols. Might we also look into finding the source of these bandits and attempt to root them out?”
Venten gave the matter some consideration. He dreaded wasting resources on finding an