by T. Sae-Low
The interior architecture of Sargatum was a baffling maze. The scout led Aric and company up and down stairs, through hallways that headed in the opposite direction that logic dictated. Undoubtedly, without a guide they would’ve been lost. Part of Sargatum’s impenetrable defense was not just its geographic location.
Yes, it was nigh impossible to penetrate from the outside. Rows of windows lined the outer walls in a semi-circle. Archers positioned in every arrowslit had an unobstructed view of the western, eastern and southern sections of the Issus Valley. The only other accessible path was through the northern route that Aric had come up, but the thousands of Vicedonian guards protecting it easily deterred any would-be intruders.
If someone managed to bypass the outer defenses, though, they would find themselves in a bewildering set of stairwells and tunnels. None of it could be made sense of at a glance. It was rumored that a quarter of the fortress was still a mystery. The Ancients built the castle long ago, assumedly; the Draco Guardians etched into the outer wall were the only indication of their presence here. Their architects were either clever to construct such a place—or mad. Aric couldn’t help but think it was the latter as he walked down the hallways.
“Here you are, my lord, please wait a moment as I announce your arrival to Major Kymon.”
Aric simply nodded as Titan and his entourage stared in awe at the cobwebs of stairs they had just come up. The door opened suddenly, startling the group.
“Prince Aric, the little lad with the big mouth, welcome to Sargatum! Come in, come in.” Major Kymon wrapped his tree trunk of an arm around Aric, escorting him inside his chambers.
“He’s not as acidic as Prince Xander said he’d be. He’s actually kind of friendly,” a flat-faced guard with red hair whispered to Titan.
Major Kymon grabbed the guard by his throat, thrusting him violently against the wall. “Shut your mouth and speak only when spoken to, trash! Do I make myself clear, boy?”
The breath rushed out of the guard’s lungs as he nodded emphatically in agreement. Before he slid to the floor, Major Kymon had already made his way down the hallway, reuniting with Prince Aric.
They entered a spacious room with five large windows revealing an amazing view of the Issus Valley and Alesiuss. Major Kymon made his way into a large, comfortable chair covered in bearskin. “So what has brought the young prince all the way out to the middle of the Disputed Lands?”
Aric cleared his throat. “Before I begin, may I say how good it is to see you again, Major Kymon. You are missed back at Mount Syphax.”
Major Kymon snorted so loudly snot dribbled over his upper lip. He wiped it away with his hand, laughing at Aric’s suggestion.
“Do not fool yourself. They do not miss me, young prince. That much I know for a fact. They requested my presence and input on their snotty war council only for me to be mocked and cast off like a beaten dog. They sent me here to Sargatum because they wanted me chained to a pole, to be kept out of trouble.” Major Kymon leaned back in his chair, wiping his snot-covered hand across the bearskin. “But that’s been fine by me. This castle has been a blessing in disguise really. It is easily defended and my men are healthy and happy. The colony below provides us with more food than we need. There is plenty of entertainment in the villages. The Renzai army avoids this area at all cost to mask their movements. My situation here is quite good.”
“I’m glad you are enjoying your post. But my presence today comes at a high price for you.”
The comment made Major Kymon pause halfway through a gulp of wine. His eyebrows rose at first, and then burrowed deep into his thick forehead.
“What is it you ask?” Major Kymon stared at Aric inquisitively.
Aric took a deep breath before beginning.
“Prince Xander… and myself… request eight thousand of your troops to fortify Lake Raphia. Sargatum does not require so many troops to defend it.” The confidence grew as the words flowed out of him with less hesitation. “The castle itself is nearly impenetrable. We are vastly low on troops, and we need them quickly before the Renzai return for a counterattack.”
Major Kymon bristled at the request.
“You expect me to send eight thousand of my men to help pompous Prince Xander with his mission? I think not, young prince. I may be fond of you, but your family is a different matter. Your father has always treated me with disdain; even after my many victories for the kingdom, he was reluctant to add me to his precious war council. And as for Prince Xander, he is just like his father, a boy in love with his own mind. His plans were always right, where I was always wrong. No, Prince Aric, I will not help your family with their needs. I have been essentially banished to this maze of a castle. They want me to keep my distance? I shall oblige them in that endeavor.”
Aric’s army was slipping away. He needed to do something quickly before Major Kymon sent him back empty handed. He was about to speak up when Major Kymon interrupted.
“Prince Aric, if you would.” Major Kymon walked over to the large windows on the other side of the room, beckoning to Aric. “You see out there. That is the colony I protect. Look down by the foot of the castle, now what do you see?”
Aric leaned out the window a bit, unsure of what he was looking for. His eyes scanned back and forth before finally, he noticed the human bodies piled up below.
“Those are what we do to traitors and criminals here. We take them to the top of the mountain, and give them a slight push. They fall to their deaths below, screaming and pleading for mercy. It isn’t battle, but it sure is entertaining. My men will not leave this place. And I have no reason to make them do so otherwise.”
“But, Major Kymon, if not for my family, then for my sake. I have always been fond of you and your ideals. How many times have I sided with you within the halls of the war council?”
Major Kymon sat back down in his chair. “Yes, Prince Aric. If this request were for you, I would perhaps consider it. You have always supported me when nobody else would. But knowing that this request comes from Prince Xander and not you, my decision is final.”
Aric’s anger was beginning to rise. He had tried to be patient and diplomatic in his approach, carefully choosing his words so as not to offend Major Kymon. But the strategy had gotten him nowhere. He needed his soldiers, and he resolved to get them by doing things the only way he knew how.
“Major Kymon, it’s a shame you are no longer on my father’s war council. They’ve missed you terribly.”
“They don—”
“Yes,” Aric interrupted. “They do, Major Kymon. They miss your distinct odor. How did my father put it? Like a dead boar, doused in filth, and left out in the sun.”
“Watch your words, Prince Aric!”
“Yes, a shame you’re no longer there. It’s an interesting story I hear about how you were appointed to the war council in the first place.”
“What are you talking about?” Major Kymon rose from his chair.
“Rumors of bribery are what I heard, certain officials being paid off for their support. But then again, those are just rumors.” Aric watched Major Kymon’s response carefully.
“You have no proof, boy. Nobody had any proof to those rumors.”
“I’m a Prince of Vicedonia. I know more information than you think.”
“You hold yourself too high, Prince Aric. You are in the Disputed Lands now, you should remember that.”
“I’m your prince, Kymon! I demand my troops!”
“You li—”
Before Major Kymon could finish his sentence, an explosion of fire blasted off in the distance. They looked out the window and could see the far end of the colony covered in black smoke.
“What the hell is going on?”
A soldier burst through the door panting heavily. “Captain, the colony is under attack.”
“I can see that you idiot, by whom and why did we not notice anything?”
“Villagers are beginning to flood in, they claim it’s the Renzai army.
And…”
“And what, moron? Say it.”
“And they say they have… a dragon with them.”
Everyone in the room looked at each other in disbelief, unsure what to make of the soldier’s words.
“What kind of nons—” Another explosion cut off Major Kymon’s words. The fire below was burning its way through the entire colony now. The black billowing smoke made it difficult to see anything. If there was an army below, they could not locate it.
A commotion had begun by the piles of dead bodies. Villagers were running away from the fire, streaming out of the thick smoke and crowding below. They cried and pleaded for assistance.
“Please help us! The Renzai are here! They’re destroying everything! Everything is on fire!”
Before Major Kymon could do anything, the villagers began to climb atop the piles of dead bodies, trying to make their way into the first floor windows. The windows were still well out of reach, twenty feet above the ground, but the villagers were desperate. They began to throw ropes with makeshift hooks attached. One of the villagers’ hooks stuck, and she began to climb. Archers in the windows readied their arrows, but were unsure of what to do. They awaited their orders nervously.
“Major Kymon, what do we do, sir?” The messenger soldier begged for orders.
Major Kymon thought for a moment before issuing his command. “Shoot them down! Nobody enters the castle!”
Aric watched below as the villagers continued their ascent. The twangs of quivers and bows were soon heard. Arrows impaled the villagers below, sending them crashing into the pile of bodies. Villagers continued to climb where others had failed, desperate to escape the blazing smoke and fires behind them.
“They won’t stop, sir! There’s nowhere for them to go but into the castle.”
Major Kymon knew he could not care for thousands of stranded villagers. The food he had in storage was plentiful for his troops, but not enough for the villagers. And now that the fields had been scorched, food was at a premium.
“Continue firing! Do not let them in!”
The archers loosed arrow after arrow, adding to the pile of bodies below. They fired away until a thick smoke began to obstruct their vision. The smoke made its way through the castle windows, permeating the inside. Soldiers choked, struggling to breathe in the limited oxygen available. Everyone in the room fell to their knees, overcome by the smothering intensity of the inferno.
The sound of explosions, together with the rattling of heavy impact, shook the room. That’s when the ground began to shake. Aric thought it was an effect of the explosions, but began to notice the shaking occurring at steady intervals. The soft rumbling slowly turned into a thunderous drumbeat. Aric felt he was trapped in a horrible nightmare, unable to breath, and a victim of this symphony of destruction. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold on. Major Kymon, Titan, and everyone else were suffering the same fate. It was only a matter of time before the smoke suffocated them to death.
Aric rolled onto his back. Covering his mouth provided no relief. His eyes watered from the smoke, his limited vision only offered him shades of grey, his hearing was bombarded by deafening explosions, and the taste of ash coated his throat. The world began to slip away as his breathing slowed to a whisper. Every breath out was countered by inhaling more noxious fumes. Aric closed his eyes; at least that would reduce the stinging sensation. The world began to slip away; it’s almost too peaceful, he thought to himself. But that’s when the rhythmic beating stopped. Everything stopped. It was eerily quiet when the smoke began to dissipate. Slowly, Aric realized he could see his comrades littered across the floor of the room. They took in deep breathes of precious air as the smoke vanished. Life had returned to Aric, wiping his watery eyes dry; he made his way to his feet and stumbled slightly before regaining his footing. From behind him he heard Major Kymon’s voice.
“Dragon.” He spoke in an uncharacteristically low tone.
Aric turned around to see Major Kymon staring out the window. He, Titan, and the rest of the soldiers made their way over to the balcony. The smoke had cleared, and they could see the ruins of the colonies below. The entire Issus Valley had been torn asunder. At the foot of the base were the bodies of the villagers. Suffocated by the smoke, none of them had survived. The pile now reached the first floor windows. And in between the villagers and the remains of the Vicedonian colony of Alesiuss stood twenty thousand Renzai soldiers. At the helm, stood a young man whose entire body was lit afire.
Chapter 48
