by Thomas Green
A knight in red-gold armor stepped over her and planted a massive pavise into the ground. The demon hit the shield with its beak and a deafening boom echoed through the cave. The knight and the shield held, not moving an inch.
Through her bloodied gaze, Luna saw the knight towering her, dressed in full plates covered by spikes and wore a helmet with the symbol of Palai at the forehead. The knight let go of the shield, keeping it in place with his shoulder while he drew a massive maul from his back. The weapon was but a round, black rock attached to a metal handle.
While the demon whirled and slashed with its tail, the knight swung left to intercept the tail’s barb, swatting it off, making it crash into the wall. The creature roared and pushed forward against the shield, flinging it up. As the demon’s beak sprung upward, the knight stepped in to swing the maul, hitting the beak of the monster. Sounds of breaking bones echoed through the air as the strike dug a hole into the beak.
The impact made the monster's head jerk up. Multiple large arrows hit the creature into its exposed chest. The demon shrieked, and the soldier smashed its chest. Blood sprayed over the surroundings while the strike threw the creature backward. Other soldiers dressed in gold-red armor swarmed around them.
The spike-armored knight shouted at the others in a commanding, female voice. “Wrap her up!”
The soldiers wreathed Luna in drenched cloth. Its icy touch soothed her body and soul.
The knight stepped above her. “Is Lucas with you? Blink once if yes, twice if no!”
Luna focused and blinked twice.
“Move her through the gate!” the knight ordered.
The soldiers picked up Luna and carried her through the eastern tunnel. Luna pivoted her eyes and saw the tall knight walk toward the creature. The demon lunged with its beak. She slid past the thrust and slammed her maul into its head. It flew sideways while its torso followed.
The knight hit the demon once more and then grabbed a long black spear, Lucas’ spear, from its body to pull it out.
The knight smacked the demon again, forcing it to withdraw. The knight lowered her gaze to the spear, let her hand go slack by her body and turned. A fire sparked from her fist and flames enveloped the spear. Her armor caught on fire and the air itself filled with flames.
Whale oil. That what had been pouring into the cavern. Luna realized with horror as the fire spread. Her mission was not a little sabotage, but the critical step to drenching the entire city, including Addie, in whale oil so Lucas’ men could burn them all alive.
“For Palai!” The knight made a few quick steps and threw the burning spear forward. It flew high into the air. Small drops of oil sprinkling through the place caught ablaze as the spear passed them, turning the entire cavern into an inferno. The blazing monster screeched and attacked the knight. Luna's view got blocked by the soldiers who were carrying her away.
The air filled with shouts, screams of fear and shrieks of pain. Thousands of people were burning alive in the cavern. Soldiers, slavers, scientists, demons, priests, mages, innocent prisoners, Addie… all were burning alive. For what felt like an eternity, only the shrieking echoed through Luna. She saw the knight exiting the inferno with her maul over the shoulder, her armor still wreathed in flames. The soldiers did not bother to throw water at her as she passed to the front, the fire fading from around her. The knight said something to the men.
Luna couldn't hear her words. All she heard was the cacophony of terror and pain coming from the cavern. The image of Yala burning alive in the forge kept replaying itself in her mind, knowing Addie now suffered the same, horrible death. Thanks to her. The thought filled her body and soul, drowning her in horror. What have I done?
The soldiers closed the gate and retreated toward the surface, carrying Luna with them. Through the long tunnel, she could hear nothing else than the shrieks of despair of the people who were burning alive.
The men stopped at what looked and smelled like the city sewers. There was a blockade in the corridor at a side, and more soldiers were gathering here. An older man with kind eyes approached Luna and tried to tell her something. Luna ignored him, for her gaze was fixed upon the tall knight.
She towered above Luna and put down her helmet, revealing a pretty face, and auburn hair. She threw Luna an inquisitive look. “I suppose you are the new kid Lucas has recruited.”
Luna stared at her awkwardly. Recruited? She tried to speak but couldn’t.
“Still can’t talk?” The knight sighed. “Alright, name’s Merewen, and my men will now take you to the barracks where our healers will put you together.”
Luna blinked once as that was her only way to answer. Her lungs had already regenerated, but she felt weak, so, so weak. I'm sorry, Addie… I failed… again. Cold crept through her body until its icy grip took away her consciousness.
17
Lucas
Lucas sat atop the clock tower of Grimdawn, leaning on the effigy the shape of the sun erected at its apex. The clock tower was one of the last of its kind in the world, for the knowledge of the clock mechanism was lost with the end of the Old Kingdom. From this highest point of the city, he watched the burning mansion of Mr. Woonard, the Slaver Union’s representative of Grimdawn. The blazing flame shone brightly within the moonless night.
He toyed with a rosary he held in his hand, one with the pendant of a simple cross, a hundred of black beads split apart by six colored ones, each of them a different, gold, black, violet, gray, green and red. He reached into his soul chamber to withdraw a cigar. The promise of the delicious smoke mixed with the memory of all the times he promised to stop smoking.
“You smell like a roasted chicken,” a sharp female voice remarked in a greeting.
Lucas threw the cigar back into the soul chamber. “Merewen is never late to start a fire… and neither are you, Miranda.”
“What? The mansion was so flammable I couldn’t help myself but set it ablaze.” She dragged four tied up bodies across the roof, leaving them by the side, and walked to him. Her crimson hair weaved in the wind while her emerald eyes shone as if with an inner light. “I hope you have something more fun coming up because this was boring.”
Lucas smiled. “There was a demonic champion in the cavern city, so there should be enough entertainment in the future.”
Miranda sat down next to him. “I suppose he didn’t survive meeting Merewen.”
“Of course not.”
She sighed. “Shame.”
Lucas made a jar of booze appear in his hand, took a few gulps and handed it to Miranda.
She drank from it. “This is weird. I would expect you to be thrilled about our intelligence being right on a demon prince ruling the Slaver Union, but you seem to be rather sad.”
He chose silence. Instead, another jug appeared next to him, from which he drank generously.
She narrowed her eyes, inspecting him to notice any slips in behavior, any hints of the truth she apparently sought. “What aren’t you telling us? Hmm?”
“Nothing important.”
“Is that what you give me after thirty years of service in the Order? Well?”
He sighed. “What do you want, Miranda?”
“Since you are pretty much my only direct boss, I figured having a talk wouldn’t be bad. You know, once upon a time. This is the first opportunity I got.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Are you having doubts?”
She smiled. “Oh, not at all. I am curious… how old are you? Hmm?”
“It’s written in my file, which you should have access to.”
“Have you ever seen its contents? Well?”
Lucas kept the neutral face. “Perhaps.”
“It says on your recruitment day, you descended from the heavens on a pink unicorn and that if you ever read the text and remember who you tasked with writing it, he would give you a bottle of the best bourbon he can get.”
He grinned. “I wonder when did the archivists figure out I wasn’t reading what I made them write.�
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“About two days after they handed over the first thing they wrote for you. Is there anything real in any of your records or is it all fiction you tasked a chronicler to make up? So?”
He smiled. “I can’t tell you my age.”
“That much, hmm? I have been wondering why the archbishop refuses to speak about it whenever I poke him with the question.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What are you after?”
She stretched her neck, her gaze inquisitive, evaluative. “I want to find out who you are. The only personal item you got is that rosary. I see you play with it around the times we do something ugly. What does it mean? What’s its story? Well?”
Lucas gazed at the rosary before throwing it into his soul chamber. “You are good at asking questions I won’t answer.”
“Come the fuck on! Are you seriously not going to tell me a single personal thing? Nothing? Look, I’m not even prying into how come our aether manifestations are so similar, what is your real name, who you are or what’s with you recruiting the monster girl as an internal agent. Give me something!”
He laughed. “I was wondering how long it will take you to drop the fake sweetness and go back to normal.”
Her expression sharpened. If a gaze could stab someone, this one would have done it. “It got me nowhere, didn’t it?”
“It’s fine. I will trade you the answers, one for one. My name is Lucas. It’s the only one I have ever had.”
“No surname, no middle name, nothing else? Who gave that to you?”
He sighed. “Lucas d’Un Sha’LL’Ch.”
Her expression didn’t change, ensuring him this was an interrogation more than anything else. “That sounds seriously demonic. What language is it from? What does it mean? Hmm?”
He drank from the jug, taking a pause. He understood her. General Miranda Darkscream, the Order’s fifth in command, the Head of the Special Forces, and one of the world’s most infamous assassins was used to knowing everything about everyone. For a spymaster like her, that was natural. Yet she knew nearly nothing about him, and he wondered how much he wanted to keep things that way. He scanned her with his eyes. “That would cost you another question. Now it’s my turn to ask. Do you have someone? And I’m talking about a serious romantic relationship, not one-night stands or you having fun with your lieutenants, which I know you do.”
Miranda’s mouth gaped. “What?”
He stifled a chuckle, keeping his face cold and impassive. “You heard me.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s… what type of question is that? Well?”
“It’s the question to which I will get the answer. I’m listening.”
She turned her gaze down, her voice a mere whisper. “No.”
“When’s the last time you had someone?”
She raised her chin. “That’s another question!”
“I also answered follow-ups… so?”
“I had one semi-serious relationship since I have joined the Order.” Miranda recomposed herself. “What’s your business with this, anyway?”
He scoffed. “That’s not the answer to my question. When was the last time?”
“Before I entered the service… Elaine was her name.”
That was over thirty years ago. What are you doing, Miranda? Lucas frowned. “I suppose that’s the story of the amulet you wear. Not the Palai one, the other one… because if we are talking about personal items, that, your weapon, and the three boxes under your bed are the only things you have.”
Miranda clicked her tongue. “That’s enough from this question. I want more of the bigger picture. I had heard the story we are on the campaign to abolish slavery and all that other religious hubris, but what are we truly after? Hmm?”
And so she pivots the topic away. Lucas sighed. “To kill the eight demon princes invading this world. The one behind the Slaver Union will be the first to go, but the other seven shall follow.”
Miranda’s eyes narrowed. “Why do I have the feeling that I’m the last person from the Order’s top five to be told this small, insignificant, detail? Hmm?”
Because he didn’t want her to know so she wouldn’t do something stupid like trying to assassinate the Union’s leadership. He met her gaze, remaining calm and unyielding. “You are, but that’s all I’m willing to say on that topic. My turn to ask a question, how are you planning to find someone when all you do is work?”
She gaped for a moment. “What’s your business with my private life? Seriously, where does all this come from?”
He laughed. “Everything about your career is written in reports you have been writing for me, so I am familiar with that part. But your personal life is a topic fit for the booze and burning bodies.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m working on it!”
“Are you? My Xona office features a view of the entrance to Hungry Daisy. I don’t sit there too often, but it is still enough to notice you frequent the store. From how it looks, you are rather busy building up your toy collection rather than actual partners.”
Miranda’s face turned bright red before he finished the sentence. “A… a… a… I give up. I don’t want to play this game anymore.”
He offered her a peaceful smile. “I know what it’s like to spend all your time on the job. I do. Do not let it consume you. This is why I’m pushing you with this topic because you must not lose your humanity. Not since you are the Order’s fifth in command.”
Miranda stretched her neck, her face turning severe and cold. “How did we get to abolishing slavery, anyway? I mean, we lie a lot when we sell our wars to our followers, but that’s a promise too big not to deliver on it.”
Lucas shrugged. “The archbishop liked the idea.”
“And so you used it to sell him this campaign to obtain the support of the church. For a few moments, I almost believed we had noble intentions.” She smiled, satisfied with the truth she found. “But, as usual, the good we create is a byproduct of whatever your goal is.”
Indeed. The political part was to be done by the archbishop, his priests and the politicians who owed Lucas favors, like count Salazar. The army’s job was to destroy the Slaver Union while killing its leaders so they couldn’t form an opposition at the political level. Plus, being public about the Union’s annihilation was sure to work wonders on swaying the local political representatives. Once death became a real option, losing gold and comfort was not so much trouble. The Slaver Union was the largest corporation in the world, so if it couldn’t protect the lives of its top leadership, who could say they could? For a while, they sat on the roof in silence, watching the burning mansion.
Miranda appeared calm, apparently deep in thoughts. Her mouth suddenly twisted into a vicious smile when she pierced him with her emerald eyes. “You didn’t tell the demon prince part to the others, did you?”
Lucas smirked. “No.”
“Why now?”
He stared at the horizon with glazed eyes. “At a point in the past, I made a promise to the archbishop I would restrain myself for a time. Yet that era has passed and so, with my collar gone, we go to war.”
Miranda laughed. “The thing with you and the demon princes is personal, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“I promise I won’t laugh at the reason if you tell me what it is.”
Lucas sighed. “I have a wife, but she is imprisoned, and I cannot break her out until all demon princes die.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why would you share this with me? You are the most evasive lying bastard I have ever met, but this sounded like truth.”
Because she had the right to know. Lucas smiled. “You were correct. We should get to know each other more since we will be co-working more closely in the upcoming future.”
Her face twisted into a daring smile. “Hug me.”
He arched an eyebrow.
“I want to test something. Come on, I won’t bite, this time.”
He finished the contents of the jug in his hand and w
ithdrew another one from his soul chamber. “It’s a trap, isn’t it?”
“How could a hug be a snare? Hmm?”
Lucas rubbed his chin with his palm. He could sense the trick in the air, but he couldn’t see what it was made of. “No.”
Miranda’s look turned provocative. “Like this, you will never know what the trap was. Are you sure you would be okay with that?”
He sighed. “Fine, but don’t try anything weird.”
They got up and hugged, wreathed in awkwardness.
“Interesting.” Miranda smiled. “I expected you to be cold and mechanical, but you aren’t. Instead, you have a volcano of emotions burning inside, so the wife thing wasn’t a lie.”
He returned to his jug. “How the hell would you get that from a hug?”
She laughed haughtily. “I understand the very concept of empathy is so foreign to you it appears as I was using an undetectable aether manifestation, but it’s all I needed for this. Anyway, have fun with the rest.” Miranda turned around to leave. “And by the way, you should cut your hair. You look like a girl from the behind.”
Lucas gave himself a few minutes to finish the jar before he went to inspect the bodies. Francis Woonard, the local leader of the Slaver Union, and his family lay motionless, all dead or unconscious. He pulled the prepared rope and oil from out of the Limbo.
Miranda did her mission perfectly as always. He needed to find a way to help her become someone else, someone other than the next him. He attached the ropes to the effigy on top of the clock tower, tied the bodies to its other end and drenched them with the whale oil.
Lucas took his dagger and made a slight cut across the belly of each body. Out of his soul chamber, he pulled a steel contraption, one which produced flames upon being struck by a finger. A spark later, he set the corpses ablaze and kicked them off the ledge. He looked below to confirm they hung as he wanted them to, down above the main square with their intestines spilling all the way to the ground. Lucas threw the steel contraption back outside the reality and headed toward the Palai barracks. The missions were done, for the time being, so he went to return back to the now-burnt cavern to search for his spear. He hoped Luna was alive because the mere idea of her dying even though he threw away his spear to save her did not please him.
