Iron Blooded

Forty Nine: Dark Roots

I found Draxus at the base of the Tower, giving orders to the men to clear the wall of corpses. The Bodies of dead Orks were lifted and heaved over the walls, tumbling fifty feet to the ground below.

It was hard work, but it was necessary. Looking down, I saw the glassy eyes of more men than beasts along the wall, and the embers of anger that had been burning in me flared once again.

I knelt on the stone, drawing my hunting knife from my boot and gripping an Ork corpse by the horns. I set my jaw and began to saw. Eric paled a bit and looked away, but Draxus watched with a cold detachment.

Finally, I wiped the blood from my hands and stood.

“Give me a spear,” I said. Hade cast hastily around on the ground until he found the crude iron spear on Ork. He handed it over, his face wary. I took the rough wooden shaft in my hand then, gritting my teeth, I slammed the horned head of the Ork onto the blade. Old Blood dribbled down the wood, thick and slow.

Eric made a retching sound, and even Jorgen looked a bit taken aback. I handed the spear to Draxus.

“Mount them along the walls,” I said. “I want to send a message to the second wave of what awaits them when they climb the city walls.”

“You have become more ruthless, I see.”

The voice behind me made me turn. Lord Dacon mounted the steps with his household guard in tow. His Knights led a contingent of men that bore the obvious signs of battle.

“My Lord,” I said, bowing to The Count’s Son. The young lord looked amused. “When are you going to start calling me Dacon?”

The Lord swept a hand through his fair hair and though his eyes were playful, I could see a caution to them.

“You’ve done well here,” he said. “Though I am not surprised. Ser Connel and his men hold the Eastern gate but I fear I have grim news.”

Lord Dacon paused, allowing several crossbowmen in his household livery to march swiftly past, before closing the distance between us. His eyes flickered over Hade and Draxus and he took my shoulder guiding me away.

“How much do you trust the company you keep, Blackbriar?” he asked me as he drew me to an alcove along the wall. His household guard loitered nearby but kept a respectful distance.

My brows furrowed as I considered his words.

“My men?” I asked. “Most, I trust with my life. But I can only speak for the soldiers I’ve fought alongside in battle.”

I hesitated.

“My Lord, It was hinted to be by Lord Blackthorne that we may have a mole in our midst. I understand how - certainly intelligence of the Army’s movements could be gathered and passed on to the enemy. It’s the why that I can’t fathom. What motive would a human have to betray their own kind to these… these beasts.”

“I fear the reality of our situation is much worse.”

Lord Dacon’s smile had faded, and for the first time, I noticed the deep dark circles under his eyes.

“The the past year there have been strange happenings in these lands. Even my father has noticed the sudden disquiet. Monsters behaving erratically, men going mad, and the awakening old beasts…..”

He trailed off, eyes distant and serious.

“These are all signs, William. Signs that the nobility know to recognize.”

I swallowed, dragging a tongue across my dry lips. There was part of me that already knew the answer, but I needed to hear it from him.

“The signs,” I said, meeting his gaze. “What do they represent.”

Dacon’s face grew hard, the lines etched in shadow making him appear suddenly older. He glanced out along the walls, at the distance host beyond the wall. They would come again soon, of that I had no doubt. The first wave had only been the beginning.

“The return of Demon Kind,” said Dacon at last. “The evil that the God King defeated all those years ago - it has begun to rise again. You must understand, what I speak here is blasphemy. And the Inquisition would have us both beheaded come morning if they knew. But I know the old signs. There are three you must look out for.”

His grip on my shoulder tightened until I nodded my head. There was a feverishness about the young Lord that I had never seen before. Torchlight flickered off the whites of his eyes, giving him an ominous cast.

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“First comes the restlessness of beasts and monsters. We’ve begun to see that over the past six months. Strange unexplainable circumstances. The Goblins venturing this far from their nests. Monsters behaving unlike they have before. If the old texts are anything to go by it’s only the start.”

A prickle of cold unease wound its way down my spine.

“And the other signs, My Lord?”

Dacon nodded, closing his eyes briefly.

“The second sign is the madness in the hearts of men. There are signs - jealousy, greed, and hubris among them. Men will betray men, and those whole rules will fall to corruption. And that will herald the third sign.”

I could hear the rasp of my own breath in the cage of my helmet. Loud and metallic.

Lord Dacon brought his gaze back to mine.

“The Red Moon will rise again.”

Goosebumps erupted down my back and arms and I gave in involuntary jerk that Dacon didn’t seem to notice.

The Red Moon.. It was the same thing the God of the Autumn Winds had told me. One of the two pieces of information he claimed that I would want to know.

If it hadn’t been for the empty slot in my inventory where the Book had been, and my new God-granted boon, I might have dismissed the whole experience as a fever dream.

But now, I didn’t dare. It was all flowing together now, a river punching through the wall of a dam.

“What role does the Inquisition play in all this?” I asked. “I can’t imagine that Xandria is here by chance. She’s been hunting something... something demonic.”

Lord Dacon’s expression shifted and he nodded thoughtfully.

“My only guess is that she was sent by the Archon. The Inquisition always knows more than it lets on.”

He hesitated then said.

“I don’t have to tell you not to trust Xandria. But believe me when I say that her kind is the least dangerous when it comes to the Sanctum itself. There are many types of Inquisitors, and I would counsel you to be wary of the ones who mean to call themselves your friend.”

He gave me a significant look and I furrowed my brow.

“What-“ I started, but was interrupted by a boom and a flash of orange light. It was followed moments later by a blue shockwave.

Lord Dacon’s head jerked around and he swore.

“The Magus of the city has met resistance,” he said. “I did not expect the Orks to have a magic wielder of their own.”

I blanched.

“There was a Fire Magus,” I said. “An Outrider in black armor.”

Dacon’s face paled.

“Urksol, the Firebrand,” he said, his voice hard. “If he has joined forces with the Warlord then this city is in greater danger than I thought. Ser William, I need you to find Lord Blackthorne and the Lord Governor. Pass a message along from me personally. Tell them,”

He leaned close and whispered in my ear. When he drew back, I saw the desperation in his face, and that alone filled me with dread.

“Promise me this, Blackbriar.”

“I can’t.” My voice cracked, and I was already shaking my head.

Lord Dacon’s eyes softened for only a moment before he drew himself up.

“I am your Lord and your superior. You will obey my Orders, Ser William, or you will find yourself stripped of your rank.”

“My Lord there has to be….”

“There is not. Find Blackthorne. Deliver my message to him and give him my warning. I can trust only you with this, William. Don’t fail me.”

I clenched my teeth, caught between what I wanted to do, and what I now knew I had to do. This was the life of a soldier - the life I had chosen. And yet, I couldn’t help but feel like the tide of events was sweeping me in a direction I didn’t want to go.

At last, I nodded and turned to walk away.

“Will,” Draxus tried to catch my shoulder but I shrugged him off.

“We won’t be staying for long,” I told him. “Gather the others, the original squad. I’m going to need them if we’re to make this work.”

Draxus dark eyes searched mine.

“What happened?” he asked. “What did Lord Dacon tell you?”

I shook my head, suddenly feeling the pull of exhaustion.

“That there is evil in the Kingdom,” I said. “And that its roots run deep.”

"Well," said a voice from behind me. I turned to see Kato leaning against a nearby wall, naked sword held loosely in his hand. He had a bandage wrapped around one side of his head.

"It sounds like shit just got a whole lot more complicated."

***

We crept along the empty alleyways to the city, keeping to the shadows and moving low and fast. There were seventeen of us all told - 15 men, myself and Eric trailing along behind.

"I feel much like a bandit in the night," whispered Jorgen to my left.

"Bandits wouldn't be nearly so noisy," said Draxus.

"Well it isn't our usual gig," said Kato, sticking his head out to peer around the corner of a building.

"What we need is focus. Mother always said to keep your eye on the-"

"If I have to hear one more fucking one-eye joke," growled Draxus. "I'm inclined to pitch you off the wall into the oncoming Host and be done with it."

Kato grinned and promptly hiccuped. I narrowed my eyes.

"Are you drunk?"

"Not at all Ser Knight," he said hastily. "Just a bit of eh, hair of the dog. Helps with the pain."

I snorted.

"The blast of magic came in that direction," I gestured past the row of houses along the second wall.

"If that's the case, we might be walking into a breach in Ceris's defenses."

Hade grimaced.

"And you want us to join that battle Ser William? And fight a... a magus?"

"No."

Most of the men looked relieved but Draxus narrowed his eyes slightly, dark gaze tracking me as I turned my head away.

"No, we have one objective. We find Lord Blackthorne and we deliver the message. Anything else can wait."

"Are we just meant to ignore the citizen's cries for help if the city is overrun? Just stroll on by and leave them to be raped, pillaged, and slaughtered in the streets."

There was a steel to Draxus voice that made me grimace.

"No," I said firmly. "But our objective remains the same. We deliver our message and, if we encounter enemies along the way, we put them down."

A slow smile spread across Draxus's face and he nodded, leaning back into the shadows.

"That I can get behind," he said.

"Cutting a path to the Spear of the King?" said Kato, gnawing on his lip.

"Sounds badass."

"And dangerous," muttered Hade.

Another burst of firelight lit the air, this one close enough to illuminate us where we hid in the shadows. I blinked the flare from my eyes and sniffed the air.

"Smoke," I said.

Kato rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, there's a Fire Magus running around the city."

"No."

My eyes were drawn above his head to the distant line of buildings and houses on the horizon. I lifted a gauntlet and pointed and the men followed my gaze.

"Fire."

And even as I watched, Ceris began to burn.