An Elegy of Heroes

by K. S. Villoso

  “Unpredictable, as I’ve said,” Sapphire said. “Making the idea of defending against him almost impossible. Events at Lon Basden prove that.”

  “And Fort Oras,” Solat mumbled. “Two losses in a row. The soldiers question our judgment, think that we should concede to them.”

  “If it was up to them, they’d just throw every able body at the creature, further strengthening it,” Bannal said.

  “Will it not become sated, eventually?” Solat asked.

  “Not from what we’ve seen.”

  There was a quiet murmuring around the table. Sapphire placed her hands over her head. “This is pointless,” she said. “The rest of you continue to argue if you want. I’ll be in the library if anyone needs me.” She glanced at Enosh. “I could use your help too, unless you want to stay here.”

  Enosh got up, smiled, and bowed to everyone. He gestured to Sapphire, and they both walked out of the room. After a moment, Sume followed them.

  “We spend more time talking about what we don’t want to do instead of actually doing something,” Sapphire grumbled as soon as they reached the main hall, well out of earshot. A single, wooden fan was churning overhead, casting long shadows from its blades.

  “That’s the problem when you get politics involved,” Enosh said. “Raggnar rog-Bannal probably enjoyed being in Lake Enji, and far away from all of it.”

  “We still had to send Eheldeth reports, once in a while,” Sapphire replied. “Though you do have it right. Enji is nothing like it here. This is just—sheep, bleating to each other about the wolf at their door.” She glanced at Sume. “How was your little detour?”

  “He’s well,” Sume said, trying to avoid Sapphire’s eyes.

  “I’ll join you in the library later,” Enosh said. “I know you could use my help in translating some of those difficult tomes. My lady?” He offered Sume his arm.

  Sapphire made a sound in the back of her throat and left them alone.

  Sume glanced at his arm, taking it after a moment’s hesitation. “I still can’t get over how magnificent Dageis is,” Enosh muttered, pointing at the chandeliers and paintings along the walls. “Makes you wonder what Yn Garr’s thinking. Vengeance, on the other hand.” He shook his head. “I never considered it. I thought he had something a lot more substantial than that. I could’ve sworn my life on it. He talked about manipulating trade, creating opportunities for us and the Kag by waging war on Dageis.”

  “You’ve always known he wanted Lon Basden, didn’t you?”

  Enosh smirked. “Invading it had been my plan, in fact. With the proper fortifications, it would be easy enough to defend it against the rest of Dageis. The rest of this…” His face tightened.

  “Enosh,” she said, pulling away from him. They had reached the end of the hall. It led to a quiet balcony. There were alone, overlooking the inlet below them. Two of Drusgaya’s bridges were also visible in the distance. “We need to talk.”

  “Let me speak first,” Enosh said, holding his hand up. “I had a dream while we were apart.”

  “That’s a first,” Sume said. “You used to say you slept too deeply for dreams.”

  Enosh smiled. “You were in Shirrokaru. Somehow—I’m not sure why—I had decided that I wanted you back and led an attack against it. We streamed through the city gates, using the volatile black liquid harvested from the creature as a weapon against the city guard.”

  “That sounds dangerous,” Sume said. “I remember you said you tried doing that, but the black liquid ate through glass.”

  Enosh nodded. “The creature’s sludge contained enough of its power to throw confusion at people, but the reaction is inconsistent. Some people resist it—some resist it well, like your Prince Rysaran—and some fall to it almost immediately. As a weapon, it is nothing more than an extravagance, something to maybe turn the odds in your favour. But in my dream, I was relying on it like nothing else. Somehow, I needed to save you from Shirrokaru.”

  “Was I being held prisoner?”

  “I don’t think so,” Enosh said. “I think I just wanted to get you out.”

  “Did you succeed?”

  “No. I failed, badly. I found myself in Shirrokaru’s dungeons. They spoke about my execution. I didn’t care—I only wanted to see you, and never even got the chance. Only…then you came. You came with a key, you opened the door, and you let me walk out of there unharmed.”

  “I can see why you don’t dream very often,” Sume said.

  Enosh looked away. “After you got me out, I asked—begged you—to come with me. But you said you wanted to stay. You told me you loved Kefier.”

  Sume felt her ears burn. “That’s…”

  “I know.”

  She cleared her throat. “Does your dream end there?”

  “Surprisingly enough, no. After that, Yn Garr set Naijwa’s beast on Shirrokaru. Only—they were executing you right there on the battlements, in place of me, when it happened. Kefier and I got to Shirrokaru but it was too late to save you.”

  He took a deep breath, his eyes dancing over her. She felt her heart drop. “Enosh—”

  “A question, Sume. Answer truthfully.”

  She gazed back at him and nodded after a moment.

  “Would it have changed anything if I was that sort of man? The kind who would rush brazen into a city, unshaven, wanting you, only you?”

  “You said in your dream that I didn’t come with you, despite that.”

  He laughed. “So you didn’t, my lady. So you didn’t.” His eyes were far away.

  Sume took his hand, flipping his palm upside-down. She pressed the ring into it with her other hand. He didn’t move.

  “This is…” Enosh started. He took a deep breath. “I am not a fool, Sume. The look in your eyes when you said you would stay behind for him. Reassure me. Tell me…”

  “I can’t. I don’t know what to say,” she whispered over his ear. “We said our goodbyes. We had no intention of making this any more complicated than it’s already been.”

  “So you say. Yet there is a trace of truth over my dream, isn’t there?”

  She swallowed. Heart and soul. “I’m sorry.”

  “Ah,” Enosh said. His face twitched. “So this is what it feels like. Sapphire will have a field day—I’m human, after all.”

  She avoided his eyes. “I just couldn’t—I couldn’t face you again, lying to both you and me.” The words rang hollow in her ears.

  “So I get that, at least,” he murmured. “You always did have an issue with the lies. It just takes practice, Sume. I’ll teach you one of these days.” He forced a smile. “I’ll be honest, I actually feel some relief. This gives me a fighting chance against you the first time I bring a mistress home. Are you crying?”

  “No,” she murmured, wiping her eyes. “Are you angry with me?”

  His face hardened, but he closed her fingers around the ring. “We will give this another try. I hope you got that out of your system, my lady. I will pretend you did not err, or that you have made it a lot harder to be in the same room as my brother. I’m not even sure how I’m supposed to deal with him now.” Despite the easygoing tone of his voice, she caught a note of grief. It stung that she had caused it.

  She pulled away from his embrace. A shadow in the sky had caught her attention. It took her a moment to recognize the shape of Naijwa’s beast in the clouds.

  “Damn it to hell,” she heard Enosh utter behind her. “What’s it doing here?”

  “I think—”

  There was a screech. They saw the beast land on the leftmost bridge.

  Enosh began to run down the hall.

  The sky was blanketed with grey smoke by the time Enosh arrived at the bridge with Sapphire. The creature was gone, but so was the bridge. A soldier, face covered in soot, came running up to them. Panting, she pointed at the fires across the inlet. “They’ve got raiders on the north side of the residences. They’re killing everyone.”

  “Hasn’t the palace guard respon
ded?” Enosh asked.

  The woman shook her head. “Reports say they’ve holed up inside to protect the Emperor.”

  “A sensible choice,” Sapphire said. “It’s not like they can do much good out there.”

  The soldier’s face flickered. “Ma’am, the raiders are killing people…”

  “Then maybe you should work at getting your soldiers to reinforce them across the bridge. You think leaving the Emperor undefended is a valid strategy? We know that he’s Yn Garr’s likely target.”

  “Was that what you came up with after the meeting?” Enosh asked.

  Sapphire snorted as the soldier saluted and left them. “One of the many. I just wanted to give her a reason to leave us alone.” She walked to the edge of the dike.

  Enosh caught a dark movement below her and grabbed her before she could take another step. A man heaved himself onto the street. Enosh slashed at him, a blow that the man quickly deflected with a shield.

  He drew back, flinging a shield-spell as the man came barreling towards him. He didn’t reach him. His clothes caught on fire two paces away and he turned, his scream rising to join the others in that night. Enosh dropped the shield-spell and struck the man with his sword several times. The burning body slumped to the ground in a pool of blood.

  Enosh turned to Sapphire, who was now facing two other figures. They were hesitating, their eyes on the tongue of fire dancing along her hands. He took advantage of the moment of surprise and flung himself at the closest one. It was a bold move, one he normally wouldn’t have engaged in, but there was a hot vein of anger running through him from that night and this man was paying for it.

  He pulled his sword away from the broken body in time to see the other one running towards the shore. The smell of burning meat wafted through the air. Sapphire made a sound in the back of her throat. A soldier came running towards them, screaming something incomprehensible. The soldier pointed in the distance. Enosh followed his finger and saw the next bridge collapsing into the water.

  Naijwa’s beast lifted into the air, its tail whipping over a falling column on the way. Enosh caught sight of a smaller winged figure zooming around the beast’s head. “Arn’s there,” he mumbled.

  “I’m surprised he’s not coming straight for us,” Sapphire said.

  “Big boy responsibilities,” Enosh said in a low voice. “He must be headed for the third bridge.”

  “Where’s Prefect As’ondaro?” Sapphire asked the soldier.

  “I think he was on his way to the third bridge himself,” the soldier replied. His eyes widened. Enosh followed his look and saw five other raiders heading towards them.

  A revolver shot rang through the air, and then the sound of battle drowned everything else. Other soldiers came to assist them this time. The ebb and flow of Enosh’s anger became his source of strength. He killed Kefier another four times that night before the exhaustion crept up on him.

  Between the scent of sweat and blood, he heard Sapphire calling for him. “All six bridges are down,” she said.

  “Daro failed?” Enosh asked, wiping his brow. He felt slick blood on his forehead and noticed that his arm was bleeding from a gash above his elbow. He couldn’t remember where or when he got it.

  “The beast didn’t stay to engage in combat,” a mage nearby was saying. He was holding an agan-mirror. “They’re saying that collapsing the bridges seem to be the main goal.”

  “To stop reinforcements from getting there,” Enosh said.

  “For now,” Sapphire said. “It’s only a matter of time before…”

  The mage with the agan-mirror looked up. “They’re attacking the palace,” he said. “They’re barricading themselves in.”

  “Can they overwhelm it?” Enosh asked.

  As if to answer his question, he saw the beast on the horizon. It shrieked before wrapping itself around one of the four towers. The tower crumbled.

  More fire and smoke, and panic. Of all those things, it was the panic that was prevalent in the air. Yn Garr seemed to be everywhere and yet nowhere at once. He had spread his forces thin, making it impossible to know where he was concentrating his attacks. The only sure thing was that a large contingent was marching for the palace—the only place they couldn’t reach.

  Enosh was still by the first bridge when Bannal arrived, heading straight for him. His first sarcastic comment died in his throat when Bannal grabbed him by the collar. “Take this man under custody,” he said, pointing at the soldiers. Four stepped forward, swords drawn.

  “I wish I could say I’m surprised,” Enosh said as the soldiers pulled him up to his feet. “What the hell do you want now, Bannal?”

  “This man was important to Gorrhen yn Garr,” he said, speaking to the crowd.

  “Was, being the key word,” Enosh said.

  “You’d make a valuable hostage,” Bannal said.

  “No I won’t. He knows you’ve had me these past few years. He didn’t care.”

  “He thought you were safe and fed,” Bannal replied. He drew out a dagger. “That could change if he hears you’re suffering and in pain.”

  “Stop this, Bearer Kastor,” Sapphire called out. “Release him!” She turned to the soldiers.

  The soldiers stared at each other. Their grips slackened, though they didn’t let go.

  “The last time I checked, you didn’t outrank me, Adherent Sapphire,” Bannal hissed. “Do you see what’s happening out there?”

  “I see a failure of the Dageian military to respond appropriately to this situation,” Sapphire said. “When did this become our responsibility? The Enji-ar’s problem begins and ends with Naijwa’s beast. Or have you forgotten your duties in the face of a shiny opportunity to show yourself capable in Keeper Solat’s eyes?”

  “To think I have ulterior motives at a time like this…” Bannal began.

  “He does not have the power for these orders,” Sapphire told the soldiers.

  “In the face of a threat, I may call on the help of the Dageian military,” Bannal said. “Something you yourself have done several times over.” He turned to the soldiers. “Break his knees. We’ll send parts of him to Yn Garr, piece by piece, and see if that doesn’t bend him.”

  “No!” Sapphire cried.

  Enosh steeled himself, but the first blow didn’t come. He heard a commotion at the end of the street. A group of mercenaries were walking towards them. A lone figure, at the head of the group, had his arms stretched out.

  “What’s this?” Bannal asked.

  The man in charge of the mercenaries smiled. “I’m Commander Caiso apn Willen. The Boarshind is here to ahh—offer help, in however way we can. We figured you guys have a better shot of walking away alive.”

  Bannal looked at him, a look of disbelief on his face. “You’re defecting?”

  “Everyone’s been expecting us to do it at some point. We may as well stop disappointing them.” Caiso’s face grew serious. “They asked us to slaughter everyone. The Baidhan mercenaries didn’t care, but we—we’re tired. We’ve been used as dog food this entire fucking campaign and I draw the line at killing children to save my moth-ridden father.”

  “Doesn’t look like there’s many of you left,” Bannal said. “You won’t do much good and we won’t just let you walk out of here because you decided to give up.”

  Caiso gave a thin-lipped smile. “We didn’t think you would. We have three hundred here at your disposal. They don’t know we’ve changed our minds. The beauty of being small fry in a sea of serpents.” He pointed at the inlet. “They know you will try to cross the sea once the bridges are down. There’s orders to shoot down any of your ships that come within sight of Drusgaya. They sent us here to sabotage your ships. I can do the opposite—we can slip back and disable the archers, giving you time to get here. All you have to do is give your word that we can walk out of here safely once all of this is over.”

  “He doesn’t have that authority,” a voice called out from behind the crowd.

  The
soldiers parted. Enosh blinked and saw Ceres stepping towards them. She was wearing a thick red cloak, which matched her thick, red locks. She turned towards Enosh. “I am Firekeeper Ceres of Eheldeth. Release that man.”

  The soldiers pushed him forward. Enosh flexed his wrists. “Just at the nick of time, Keeper Ceres.”

  She smiled. “I was observing from the distance for a while. This is an interesting turn of events.” She stepped towards Bannal.

  “He’ll be a lot more useful as a hostage,” Bannal said. “The military’s in disarray. They’re working to secure Halfmoon Bay instead of trying to take the palace back. I heard talks of waiting until High General Pollus gets here. He’s in Vel Rossar, which is not on the airship route. It will take days for him to arrive with his contingent.”

  “We must defer to the judgment of the good men and women whose job it is to do these things,” Ceres calmly replied. “In the meantime, these gentlemen have offered an advantage we didn’t have before. It is in our best interests to show them how Dageis treats its friends.”

  “Enosh Tar’elian is…”

  “A friend,” Ceres repeated. “And a man who once worked for their side. Is this not true, Commander Caiso?”

  “They knew him as Ylir yn Garr,” Caiso said.

  Ceres bowed. “Eheldeth appreciates and accepts your offer of friendship. I will speak to General Takas, if he is still around. He is, I assume, still in charge?”

  Bannal swallowed. “Let’s hope you don’t regret this, Ceres. You’ve allowed your fancies to overtake your common sense.”

  “Let someone nominate you for Firekeeper the next time,” she said. She gestured at Sapphire and Enosh. “Both of you walk with me back to Fort Bastras before Bearer Kastor changes his mind. Bearer Kastor, please introduce Commander Caiso to Prefect As’ondaro. I will not ask nicely again.”

  “Was it wise to antagonize him?” Enosh asked as they left the crowd.

  “You’re asking her that?” Sapphire snorted. “It seems like it’s all you do when you’re around him.”