by Ben Hale
Chapter 15: Herosian
After the disturbing encounter with the villagers of Lorendale and the events at the Empire outpost, Raiden kept a wary eye on other villagers they encountered, but none showed any hostility. Instead Raiden and his companions were greeted with joy and excitement, with many asking the same question.
“Is Alydian coming?”
Raiden’s answer was always the same. “The rebellion continues to grow. Will you join our ranks?”
Most were already gathering weapons and gear and packing supplies, getting ready for the rumored invasion. As they departed another village, Jester smiled and waved to the crowd standing at the limits of the settlement, but spoke out of the corner of his mouth so they wouldn’t hear.
“I should be relieved that the Empire soldiers have withdrawn,” Jester said, “but I find it disturbing.”
“I as well,” Red said, turning forward. “We defeated the Empire army at Skykeep, but they were three times our size and better armed. We would have been slaughtered if Alydian had not arrived.”
Raiden frowned. Along with tales of the Empire’s apparent withdrawal to Herosian, there were countless rumors regarding Alydian and Dawnskeep. The tales of destruction were tinged with awe and fear, and Raiden wished she’d shared the details of her escape.
He recalled the moment Alydian had arrived in Skykeep astride a dragon of light. The people had seen her as a herald of victory. But to Raiden her appearance had been haunting. Her features had been gaunt and hollow, her eyes tinged with darkness.
What had happened to her?
As much as he wanted an answer, a different question dominated his thoughts. Marrow had spoken of a plague in Lorendale. Although Raiden had asked after their departure, Marrow said she didn’t remember.
“We should arrive in Herosian soon,” Jester said. “Then hopefully we’ll have some answers.”
“Do you think the Empire’s army will be there?” Red asked.
“The maps at the outpost were clear,” Jester said with a smile. “The army left Skykeep and came to Herosian.”
“But why not Terros?” Raiden asked. “They practically built an entire district. Why not return to it?”
“Nothing makes sense,” Red said. “They are withdrawing their forces and going to a tiny village? Why?”
“Teriah is an oracle,” Marrow said, her attention on the hummingbirds flitting about her head. “She may be vile but she certainly plans ahead.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jester asked, but the girl had launched into a conversation with one of the birds.
Raiden frowned. “I think it means she prepared for a loss at Skykeep.”
“Why prepare to lose?” Red asked. “She had the overwhelming force and all signs indicated a victory.”
“Yet she lost,” Jester said. “And oracles do see the future.”
“You think she foresaw defeat?” Red asked, incredulous. “Why didn’t she ensure her victory?”
“Oracles don’t see the future,” Raiden said. “They see possibilities. Teriah must have prepared for the possibility of a loss.”
“Gathering the whole of her force to Herosian is risky,” Jester said. “The people already want to resist, and without Empire soldiers on their doorstep, they will.”
“They lost a great deal at Skykeep,” Red mused aloud, “But they still have plenty of Verinai. Perhaps they are gathering to Herosian?”
“Why would they do so?” Jester asked.
“I don’t know,” Raiden said, scratching the stubble on his chin. “There’s something we’re not seeing.”
“The worst foe is the one within,” Marrow said with a nod. Red questioned her on her meaning but the girl merely shrugged. “That’s all she’ll say.”
Without any answers, the group continued to speculate as they worked their way out of the plains. The road wound through stands of trees, the occasional stream, and endless tracts of farmland. The region was the most fertile in Lumineia, with much of the food for the kingdoms produced in the soil.
The farms were scattered across the region, but as they approached the place marked on the map the farms grew less dense. Raiden directed them off the road but his caution proved unnecessary, as they encountered no soldiers.
Two days after entering the farmland they topped a rise and crept onto an overlook of stone as the sun set. Raiden had passed through the village once before and it had been just a collection of warehouses for foodstuffs. Now the village was gone, swallowed up by an enormous city.
Great walls were well on their way to completion. When finished, the barrier would hold a city of a hundred thousand. Buildings were under construction by thousands of Verinai. At the heart of the new Herosian rose a mighty castle.
“That wasn’t there a month ago,” Jester exclaimed.
Red jerked a thumb behind them. “It has to be recent, because rumors would have spread quickly.”
Raiden peered at the foundation of the castle. “The fortress is the size of Dawnskeep.”
“Teriah is expecting an invasion,” Jester said. “And since Alydian destroyed the oracle’s tower, they are building a replacement.”
“We found our missing army,” Red said, stabbing a finger at the laboring soldiers.
“We need to get a closer look,” Raiden said, peering down at the men and women crawling over the defenses. “Red, you and Marrow scout the south side. I’ll take Jester to scout the north. Meet back here tomorrow night.”
“As you order,” Red said.
“And don’t get caught,” Jester said, his eyes flicking to Marrow, indicating she was his concern.
“We won’t,” Red replied.
Abruptly, Red leaned up and kissed Jester, drawing a surprised look from Raiden and a whistle from Marrow. The kiss was tender and brief, the contact reflecting a deeper affection. Then Red caught a giggling Marrow and dragged her away.
When they were gone Raiden raised an eyebrow. “It appears that you and Red are . . .”
“Yep,” Jester said with a grin.
“And when did that happen?”
“Before the battle at Skykeep,” Jester said. “It seems she’s favored me for some time.”
“How did I not notice it?” Raiden asked, turning down the road.
Jester shrugged. “We haven’t been obvious about our affections. And you’ve been really distracted.”
Raiden laughed in chagrin, realizing that once again his focus had robbed him of perspective. As they descended towards Herosian he thought back to the last weeks since departing the ship and realized just how much had been apparent. The sly looks they reserved for each other, the offers to cook their evening meal together.
“I really am oblivious, aren’t I.”
Jester laughed at his sour tone. “At least you can admit your faults.”
“Are you happy?” Raiden asked.
“Very,” Jester said.
Attempting to make up for his earlier lack of attention, Raiden bombarded him with questions as they worked their way closer to the city. Again he expected guards, and again there were none. It wasn’t until they reached the fortress wall that they met their first Empire soldiers.
Raiden tensed, but the soldiers didn’t seem to care. Hundreds of curious travelers were permitted to walk up to the growing castle and see the stone mages raising the walls from the earth.
Evidently chosen for the reservoir of rock, the castle was being drawn from the hill on which it sat, the stone gradually flowing into walls, turrets, and battlements. Empire soldiers were relaxed at their posts, making no effort to stop the curious from observing the construction, although they did not permit anyone to enter.
Raiden kept his distance in case they were recognized. Circling the growing castle, he made his way north. The city was being built on the southern side of the great road, its bulk stretching a mile across.
Hiking to a nearby hill allowed them to see the army arrayed within the castle walls. The banners reveale
d they were the same forces that had fought at Skykeep. Twenty thousand Verinai were camped around the main keep, many employed as builders. In addition to the Verinai, forty thousand human and elven contingents labored on the enormous courtyard, raising buildings, streams, and streets . . .
“Why would they be building a city?” Raiden asked. “As an army they are mobile and can march into Seascape. What they have here is enough to crush Alydian even with Princess Ora’s forces, so why settle down and build walls?”
“Nothing about this makes any sense,” Jester said, rubbing his goatee. “They were building an army of guardians, supreme soldiers capable of subduing a city. Now they’ve given up on an army and instead wait to be destroyed? Their tactics are just . . . wrong.”
“I agree,” Raiden said. “Teriah must know something we do not.”
“You think Alydian has a traitor in Seascape?” Jester asked, shooting him a look.
“Perhaps,” Raiden said doubtfully, “but one traitor couldn’t stop Alydian. Besides, she’d probably just see it coming.”
“Then what?” Jester asked. “Because nothing about this rings true.”
Raiden had no response and continued to watch the Verinai build their city. For the rest of the day they remained on the hilltop, watching until the light mages cast sun charms to illuminate the construction during the night.
They took turns on watch but the Empire merely patrolled the exterior of Herosian. No scouting parties were sent out, the behavior more like a time of peace than of war. The next morning Raiden ate dried fruit and nuts while watching the fortress.
It quickly became clear that the fortress would rival Dawnskeep when complete. When finished, the castle would be two hundred feet tall and twice that at its base. Teriah was building the new seat of the Mage Empire, the new home for the Oracle Empresses.
They were building a capitol.
Villagers from neighboring settlements flocked to the city to gawk at the Empire building their city, but the Empire soldiers paid them no mind other than to bar entry. Throughout the day Raiden’s suspicion continued, and as sunset approached he released an explosive breath.
“Perhaps the girls discovered something.”
They returned to their previous meeting place, arriving just before Red stepped through the trees. A quick exchange proved that they had observed the same thing—with one exception. Red pointed south as she finished her tale.
“There’s a corner of the fortress that is guarded more than the rest of the city,” Red said. “I suspect we’ll find answers in there.”
“How do we get in?” Jester scoffed. “There’s an entire army down there. We’d never infiltrate their ranks.”
“She’s excited to sneak,” Marrow said with a smile. “Can we use shadow cloaks? I find them rather dashing.” Shadows cascaded off her shoulder and she spun, admiring the cape of darkness.
Raiden looked to the city and castle in the distance. With the sun charm illuminating the breadth of the army, it seemed to cast the city in a sinister light. He scowled at the prospect, but recognized it as their best chance of discovering the Empire’s aims.
“We go in,” he said, interrupting the others as he swung back to face them. “But we’re going to have to tread carefully . . .”
Chapter 16: Pet
Raiden and his companions spent the next few days scouting the castle and new city. By then the walls of the castle were twice the height of a man and just as thick, increasing the risk of capture if they delayed any further.
With so many Verinai working on the castle, Raiden would have expected Guildmaster Elsin to be in attendance, but the project had a different head, Overseer Othan. Raiden recognized him as a former commander in the Runeguard, guardian of the Eldress Council and Devkin’s former commander.
On the third night after reaching the city Raiden led his companions to the southern arc of the city wall, to a section where the wall was parted by a gulley. The gap in the wall would not last long, with mages already filling the gulley to support the wall.
“No corpses,” Raiden murmured. “If they find one, we’ll never escape.”
They all nodded and Raiden turned to Marrow, who bore the excitement of a child being allowed to remain awake after her bedtime. She bounced on her feet so much the ground seemed to shudder. Noticing the doubt in Raiden’s expression, she raised a hand.
“We swear we will not kill a soul on this secret mission in the dead of night against an enemy fifty thousand strong with—”
“I think she understands,” Red said with a smile.
“I won’t kill,” Marrow said with a giggle. “Mad girl’s honor.”
Still doubtful, Raiden’s eyes flicked to Red and she gave a slight nod, indicating she would keep an eye on Marrow. Realizing there really wasn’t anything he could do, he stepped to the ravine and dropped into the darkness. Then he eased through scrub brush and small trees towards the city wall.
Guards patrolled the interior of walls but, due to the stacks of stones, piles of earth, and racks of tools, it was impossible to patrol the perimeter effectively. The mages had brought a series of sentients to prowl the barrier. More complex than the entity spell, the sentients were wolves of light and fire and granted a single purpose—protect the wall from intruders.
Raiden reached the partially filled gulley and began to climb. Cautious of every rock, every stone, he scaled the embankment to reach the floor of the city. Then he darted to the shadows between two piles of stones. One by one the others followed, Marrow arriving just as a trio of the wolves came into view.
The beasts prowled the wall, the alpha in the lead. Flames curled in their bellies and trickled from their jaws as they hunted. Raiden glanced about but realized there was no place sufficient to hide, and if the beasts were enchanted to catch a scent—which they probably were—they would warn the entire army.
“Jester?” Raiden murmured.
“I would guess a ten-year cast,” Jester murmured. “Obviously fire breath, and expect them to be much faster than a normal entity. Strong enough to withstand blows from our anti-magic blades.”
“Can you silence them?” Raiden asked Marrow.
The girl grinned. “She says yes.”
Raiden waited but he didn’t hear anything, so he turned and spoke to Red. No words came out. He tried again and felt his mouth moving, his lips forming the words, but no sound escaped his throat. He rounded on Marrow and she shrugged sheepishly. When her own voice didn’t work she fell to arguing silently with herself.
Raiden issued an inaudible groan and drew his anti-magic sword. Then he used hand gestures to direct Jester and Red to the flanks. The ambush set, he prepared to strike one of the betas. The alpha was larger and stronger than the others, so Raiden positioned Jester to intercept. The assassin would have the best chance against the beast.
The absolute lack of sound was disconcerting and he rubbed his ears in a futile effort to bring back his hearing. He peeked around the corner to see the wolves had slowed, causing him to release a silent curse and look to Red, pointing to his ears and gesturing to the creatures. Red scowled as she understood.
The wolves have sound magic as well, and heard the silence.
Raiden realized they were facing beasts empowered with strength, agility, fire, sound, and scent. He’d fought countless entities and mages in his war against the Verinai, but these sentients were a magnitude more deadly. The Empire was confident enough in them that they’d let the creatures prowl unattended.
His hand tightening on his sword, Raiden shifted his feet, tensing to lunge. The first strike would be crucial, because he needed to injure the creature enough to give himself a chance. Counting the seconds, he prepared himself—and then burst from the shadows.
The wolf was not there.
Raiden spun, searching for the giant beast as Jester and Red did the same. Then a flicker of light drew his gaze and he whirled, his eyes lifting to find the wolf on top of the pile of stones. Its lips curled
backward and Raiden felt a chill, not needing sound to hear the snarl.
He retreated until he backed into Jester and Red, realizing that the wolves had sensed the impending ambush and set their own. The alpha stood on a different pile, as did the other beta. Raiden and his friends were surrounded and couldn’t even communicate a defense.
Red swished her sword, her growl unvoiced. The wolves dropped to the earth and crept forward, their sinewy forms crouching low, their caution holding them in check. Smart enough to realize it could not sound an alarm, the alpha looked between them until ultimately settling on Raiden. Their eyes met, and Raiden realized the creature had marked him as the alpha. Its lips curled again, this time in triumph.
The beast lunged and Raiden dived forward, rolling under the creature’s attack, but the wolf twisted midair, its claws raking Raiden’s back. He clenched his jaw against the sting and came to his feet, rotating to point his sword at the alpha.
Abruptly Marrow stepped between them, her hand raised to the wolf. Raiden scowled and leapt to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and trying to drag her away, but he might as well have been trying to uproot a tree.
She stood with an expression of disapproval, like a mother about to scold an errant puppy, one large enough to devour her. The wolf advanced and opened its jaws wide enough to bite her head from her shoulders.
Instead its tongue lolled out and it flopped onto its side, allowing her to rub its enormous belly. The betas shoved their way in, seeking the same attention, acting all the while like three enormous puppies seeking the approval of their master.
“By Skorn,” Jester breathed, indicating the muffling charm had expired.
“It takes years for mages to cast a sentient and give them a purpose,” Red said. “Yet she changes their purpose on a whim.”
