A Grand Design 5.

Mid Autumn. Somewhere In Western Girdane.

Kess doesn't know how long she's exactly been here. But she figures it's been at least a week, maybe a bit longer.
She sits in a wooden cage, next to other wooden cages, and opposite even more wooden cages. Within a long trench that's been dug into the ground.
And just like her, and the cage she's in, there's children and youngsters in the other cages.
Kess just seven years old, from a small village in the duchy of Girnath in western Girdane.
Was taken, along with other children from her village. By what she thought was the duke's soldiers one morning.
But she soon learnt that they weren't the duke's soldiers at all. When the adults in her village, including her father. Tried to fight against the forced removal of their children.
And as Kess was tied up and bundled into the back of a wagon. She heard fighting between the soldiers and the adults in her village. Fighting that only lasted briefly. As the villagers were no match for the trained troops.
The wagon journey here, where ever here is. Took all day, and into the night, then into the next morning.
And when Kess, tired and hungry after the journey here. She felt herself being lifted up out of the back of the wagon.
And from the brief look she got around, she saw trees to either side of a clearing. A clearing that had the long trench dug into the ground.
Which she was carried down into, and put into one of the cages. Many of which already housed a child or youngster.
With her hands unbound, Kess tried to undo the gate at the front of the cage, but to no avail.
She only gave up when the little boy in the cage to the right, who was from the duchy of Dalmar of all places. Told her to give up, as the gate could only be opened from the outside, and that was only after it was unlocked.
Kess, who found that the wooden floor of her cage was covered in straw. Huddled beneath the blanket that was given to her.
And drank from the flagon of water that was passed to her through the open gate at the front of the cage by one of the soldiers, who she now knows are her guards.
She dozed throughout much of that first day here, as the boy to her right, wasn't that talkative. And the cage on her left was empty.
Though she woke up in the early evening when one of the guards slid a piece of flat bread through the slots in the front gate.
It wasn't long afterwards, that a couple of guards came and took the boy in the cage to her right from the duchy of Dalmar away.
Shortly after that, Kess heard them for the first time. She doesn't know what they are. But they make growling, slavering sounds that make her skin crawl.
Though not as much as the screaming she then heard. Screams from a child, who she instinctively knew was the boy in the cage to her right. The boy whose name she never even learned.
So it's gone on every day and every night that Kess has been here in this cage.
Children and youngsters, are taken from cages, more often at night than during the day time. Either singly or in pairs each time. Never to return.
The cages are never empty for long, there's always a steady stream of other children and youngsters taken from villages to take their place.
Villages that Kess has learnt, that are all in the duchies of Girnath, Falosen and Dalmar. The three western most duchies in the kingdom.
On the third day Kess learnt who her captors were. When an older boy, a teenager really. Was placed into the cage opposite her.
And told her, and anyone else who could hear him in the hundred or so cages in the long trench dug into the ground.
That their guards have an eagle blazon on their uniforms beneath their cloaks.
Kess might not know a lot about her kingdom. But she does know the sigil of duke Korros and the duchy of Girnath.
As she's seen that on the uniforms of the duke's troops when they've come through her village.
And she also knows who the eagle blazon belongs to as well. The king of Girdane.
One of the other children in a cage further along the row from Kess to her right mentions that.
And the teenager in the cage opposite the one Kess is in, looked at that boy in disgust.
And tells him, and everyone else, that it's not the gold eagle blazon of the king he saw. But the silver one, which belongs to the regent of Oaklynn, the capital city of the kingdom.
Kess thought about that for much of the rest of the day. And after they were fed in the early evening. With a piece of flat bread once again.
She wanted to talk to the teenager in the cage opposite her. But unfortunately, he and another boy, one from the same village as Kess.
Were taken out of their cages, and carried away by their guards.
They were the first two that evening, and they weren't the last. Kess covered her ears with her hands as she huddled under her blanket when she heard the slavering, growling sounds followed by the screaming.
From what Kess has seen in her time here, she has been in the trench longer than anyone else.
For those who were here when she first arrived, have all gone. And those who were brought here from her village, which were ten others, are all gone too.
All to be replaced by other children and youngsters who have been taken by force from their homes in various villages and farmsteads across the duchies of Dalmar, Falosen and Girnath in the very west of the kingdom of Girdane.
Though Kess has learnt not a single one has been taken from the larger towns in the three most western duchies in the kingdom. She wonders why that is. And she wonders if she'll ever find out.
Kess who is still short enough to stand and stretch in her cage, unlike the older children and teenagers.
Does so every morning, and every evening. To keep warm as much to stop from cramping up in the confinement of the cage.
For the days are cool, and the nights are cold. Even with the blanket she was given.
Though she suspects it's even colder above ground, as the trench the two rows of cages are in. Holds a surprising amount of residual heat.
As each night, their guards light a steel barrel at either end of the trench. Barrels full of firewood that they probably collect from the trees that Kess caught of glimpse of when she first came here, well over a week ago now.
It's on the ninth night that's she been held captive. After another wagon load of children are brought below ground into the trench and placed into some of the empty cages.
That the guards finally come for Kess. Who has been held captive longer than anyone else in the cages by more than two days.
They take just Kess this time. With one soldier opening the gate with it's open slats at the front of the wooden cage.
While a second reaches in, and grabs the seven year old girl who scuttles to the rear of the cage.
And though Kess kicks out and tries to fight as so many other children have done.
The soldier quickly grabs her, and drags her out of the cage that's held her for the last nine days.
She's tossed up onto his right shoulder, and followed by the other soldier. They head along to the end of the trench between the two rows of cages.
To the wooden steps that have been built into the ground. They go by one of the barrels of burning firewood.
And Kess briefly enjoys the heat from the flames as they pass it, before heading up the steps, to above ground.
She turns her head to try and get a good look around, the young girl from the duchy of Girnath can't see much as just one of the moons is up in the night sky at the moment.
But she spots a tree stump near by, that the two soldiers take her to. Kess looks closely, and sees a chain on the ground next to it.
The other soldier picks up one end of the chain, that has an iron fetter on it. He grunts as he adjusts it after looking at Kess, then he puts the iron fetter around her right ankle, then locks it.
The soldier carrying her, takes her off his shoulder, and sits her on the tree stump, which has the other end of the chain tied around it.
"Stay seated child" says the soldier who just put her down onto the tree stump, he continues with "And maybe it won't go bad for you".
Then he and his companion walk away, towards the trees to the left. Kess looks that way, and spots someone holding a burning torch walking through those trees in this direction.
Then as she peers in that direction trying to see who it is, Kess hears movement behind her. Then she hears what she's heard every night since being brought here. She hears growling, slavering sound.
Kess gulps in fear, and though she doesn't want to. She turns to have a look at what's behind her as her father always told her to face her fears. And when Kess faces her fears and sees what it is, she screams.
Captain Kilmane holds the burning torch up as he makes his way from one clearing to the next, heading through the trees to get to it.
He keeps the torch high and steady. After all it's best to be recognised in this area. Because if you're not, it could very well mean your death.
The captain in the regent's guards spots the keeper at the edge of the trees, and sees two of his men making their way quickly from the clearing.
A clearing that has one of the two trenches in the woods where they hold the children and teens the regent of Oaklynn's men have taken here in the west of the kingdom, in the duchies of Girnath, Falosen and Dalmar.
Kilmane who is born and bred Oaklynner, sees out in the clearing that another child has been chained to the stump.
And as his two men stand beside the keeper, and the captain in the regent's guards walk up behind them.
He looks across to the otherside of the clearing where he sees one of them come stalking out of the trees over there.
And as usual when he sees one, he can't help but wince at the sight of it. And though there's only one moon up in the night sky at the moment.
Captain Kilmane has seen one of them up close and in the daylight before. And just the memory of that is enough to make him wince.
Then the child, a small girl, no older than seven is the captain's best guess. Screams after she turns around and sees what's behind her.
And as Kilmane stands beside the keeper, he quietly hears the rather unkempt looking fellow quietly says "Don't run child" then the keeper sighs as that's exactly what the young girl does.
Even with the heavy iron chain tied to her ankle, the small child runs, getting as far as the length of the chain, before she hits the ground, face first as she can no longer go any further.
That's all it takes, and the waagen leaps into action. Bounding over the tree stump, and landing beside the child on the ground.
It bends down and it's canine like jaws clamps onto the neck of the girl on the ground and bites. As it does those standing at the edge of the trees wait in anticipation. Even when they see blood spray between the jaws of the waagen.
Then the captain, and the two soldiers grimace while the keeper sighs as the beast moves it's jaws and clamps down on the child's head, and bites. Shattering her skull apart, and killing her.
The waagen stands up to it's full height of nearly seven feet, and looks in their direction, and in a guttural voice it says "No good".
Then it turns around, and walks away. Disappearing amongst the trees on the otherside of the clearing.
"I thought she would stay put" says the keeper as he turns to the captain in the regent's army "She'd been down in the cages for nine days, and i thought she had it in her to face it" continues the keeper, who then adds in a mutter "They hate it when they try to flee".
Then the keeper, looks at the two soldiers, and nods for them to take away the dead body, and dump it in the pit where they've dumped all the other dead children and teenagers that the waagen have killed.
"How many have we actually turned?" quietly asks captain Kilmane as he watches two of his men carry away the headless body of the young girl.
"Thirty" is the reply of the keeper, who is actually the keeper of the children in the two trenches in the clearings that are near one another in the forest. Not the keeper of the waagen.
"One in ten?" asks the captain from the capital city "Not quite, more like one in twelve" says the keeper, who after a slight pause adds "Which is pretty good actually".
"It is?" says the captain in the regent's army, who follows that with "I thought there would be more by now".
The keeper, a fellow by the name of Sarmac, whose hair is disheveled and who wears leathers like a game keeper or forester.
Sourly smiles, then tells the officer in the regent's army "They're waagen, not werebeasts or werewolves" he continues with "If you want everyone bitten turned, then get yourself a werebeast" Sarmac then dryly adds "Good luck with that".
Now it's captain Kilmane's turn to sourly smile. As he knows that werebeasts, have no control over themselves and their actions when they change into their beast form.
Making them highly unpredictable, and not suitable for what the regent of Oaklynn has in mind.
While the captain in the regent's army knows that waagen, who essentially look like a werebeast, most often like a werewolf. Though they're more muscular looking, and have a more solid human shape to them.
Are just as intelligent as they are in their beast form, as they are in their human form. And the fact they tend to always stay in their beast form, hardly ever reverting back to their human shape.
And though werebeasts have many advantages over other creatures. They don't have one advantage that the waagen have. And that's an immunity to magic.
"If your men get more children, we'll have more waagen" says the keeper, as they've decided to turn children and teenagers, as they're easier to teach and train than grown adults.
"More are coming in as we speak" says captain Kilmane, who continues with "Just keep feeding, sorry poor choice of words, keep giving them to the waagen and hopefully more will be turned".
The captain from the capital city of Oaklynn, then says "Remember regent Sammis wants at least a company of them" he briefly pauses before continuing with "A company of waagen in our army will be devastating with what he's got planned". The keeper nods his head in agreement with the captain.
Then when the two soldiers return from dumping the body of the dead child, a girl by the name of Kess from the duchy of Girnath.
Sarmac the keeper points to the nearby trench and tells them "Get the next one" . . . . . .