* * *
Kaidia and Echo made their way downstairs, Echo still yawning and stretching, her tail and ears twitching. Rykar and Malcade were waiting on them by the front desk. Rykar waved the two women over and smiled.
“Apparently, they serve breakfast here,” Rykar informed them.
“So we're eating here?” Echo asked.
“Figured so. The food in a place like this can't be too bad,” Rykar reasoned.
“Lead on, oh King of Haelstross,” Kai said with a yawn.
“Human king... there are three eleven kings of Haelstross, a dwarven king, and an orc king, oddly enough. We're all supposed to work together for the good of Haelstross from what I gather. Why we can't each rule our own separate countries inside the continent, I don't know,” Rykar said.
“Because that causes wars. I mean, you do rule the human lands of Haelstross, but keeping everyone working together tends to head off armed conflicts before they can really start,” Kaidia explained.
“It's why we aren't always at war with the elves, or the orcs, or the kyrians. We keep in contact. After all, we haven't had actual borders in ages so if a war were to break out now, it'd be damned confusing,” Malcade added.
“We are at war,” Rykar replied, a brow raising.
“Yes, but not with any particular race on Haelstross. It's a rogue army made up of all races,” Echo chimed in with a slight smile.
“I know. I just think Haelstross is... vague, in some areas. I mean, I'm the king of the human lands... but so many places now are populated by every race... aren't I more just... king of the humans?” Rykar asked.
“Yes, pretty much... but the term “king of the human lands” is just tradition. Besides, the human lands are viewed as the cities that were built by humans. Elven lands are elven cities, dwarven lands are dwarven cities, and so on. There are still the traditional home lands of each race. The dwarves love the mountains, foothills, and rocky areas. The elves love the coasts and the forests. The kyrians love the forests. The orcs tend to stay in the plains. Humans tend to populate the center of Haelstross, regardless of the landscape,” Kaidia answered with a shrug.
“See? It's all a giant, convoluted pain in the ass. I can't believe you thought I was the best choice for the job,” Rykar grumbled, fixing Kaidia with a mild glare.
“You still are. Now, can we eat?” Kaidia retorted.
“Yeah, sure,” Rykar muttered, obviously pondering as he walked off toward the back of the inn to a large dining room that was populated by only a few people. The four warriors chose a table in an isolated corner and sat down.
* * *
A little over an hour later, the group of four emerged from the inn's front door and started to make their way to the city's main gate. Most people gave them a wide berth. They had all left their armor back in their rooms, though they all carried their swords. Despite the lack of armor, it was obvious to the citizens of the city that they were someone important. Most knew who Kaidia was and more were learning who Rykar was, the news of his predecessor's death having started to reach even the far corners of the land.
As they walked through the streets, admiring the sights, and conversing sporadically, they were given a moment of pause as a young woman walked up and stopped just in front of Kaidia, forcing the god to stop or knock the woman over. Kaidia arched a brow, more wary than anything. The woman was from the poorer neighborhood, which, in Silver Lake, meant her clothes weren't made of silk and velvet. She was dressed in fine linens and boots. A belt around her waist held a dagger. She looked up to Kaidia, then leaned up and put her mouth to the god's ear, whispering. Rykar raised a brow as he looked on. Malcade and Echo watched with curiosity.
The girl had to be up on her tip toes to whisper in Kai's ear, given the warrior's height. After several moments, the girl settled back on her feet and held her hand out to Kaidia, who put her hand under the girl's. A silver ring dropped into Kai's palm. Kaidia eyed the ring and slipped it onto her right hand index finger, then leaned down and kissed the girl's forehead. The girl blushed, grinned, then bounded off. Kaidia eyed the ring. It was similar to Rykar's ring and her own family crest ring on the opposite hand. Instead of the royal symbol or coat of arms, it bore a dragon, wings spread out.
“Well, that's nice,” Echo said, peering over at it.
“A perk of being someone's god, apparently,” Kaidia replied.
“What did she whisper?” Malcade asked.
“It was private,” Kai answered.
“That's no fun,” Rykar muttered, his tone lighthearted.
The four continued on toward the gate, Kai flexing her fingers, getting used to her new ring. The guards at the gate waved them through with only a glance. The moment they were through the gate, Kaidia and Echo were set upon by their massive panthers, both beasts apparently overjoyed to see the women to whom they'd grown attached. Kai winced as a cold nose nuzzled at her cheek and reached up to scratch behind the big cat's ear. Echo found herself momentarily picked up in the teeth of her panther by the back of her tunic.
“Alright, you big beast... let me down,” she said, chuckling.
“Makes you want a big cat of your own,” Malcade joked.
“Remember the last time you encountered a normal house cat?” Rykar asked.
“Oh... right. Nevermind,” Malcade said, eyes looking as if he were slipping back into some horrid memory for a few moments. Kaidia arched a brow.
“What's his problem?” she asked.
“A story for another time... when ale is involved,” Rykar answered.
“Ah. That bad, eh?” Kaidia asked.
“That bad,” Rykar confirmed. Kaidia grunted lightly in response, then turned to the rather large panther that was rubbing the top of its head on her shoulder.
“And where were you all night?” she asked as she pet the large cat.
“I had them help patrol the kyrian camp,” Echo answered for the feline.
“Nothing will freak you out in the dark like a giant cat, I suppose,” Kai said with a chuckle.
“Freak someone out? They'd never see the beast coming,” Echo corrected.
“Better yet, no screaming,” Kaidia said.
“Not usually, anyway,” Echo responded. Rykar chuckled at that.
“I don't mean to interrupt the conversation that's probably freaking out the guardsmen,” Malcade said, pointing to the guards directly behind them on either side of the main gate, definitely within earshot and giving one another strange looks, “but here comes Zathias and his army,” the red-haired man finished, pointing to the hill in the distance that the four warriors had ridden over the day before. The first ranks of soldiers, led by Zathias himself, crested the top, and marched in formation to an empty part of the field near the human mercenary camp and immediately started setting up their own tents.
Rykar and Kaidia walked side by side, with Malcade and Echo behind them, toward the growing camp. Zathias was easy to spot, given his size, and Rykar headed toward him.
“King Zathias! Did you have a good journey?” he asked. Zathias turned and grinned through his beard.
“Aye! Aside from having to change course when one of your messengers caught up with us,” Zathias answered.
“Yes, well, we didn't know where they were headed until after everyone had already begun marching,” Rykar replied.
“It happens. Such is the way of war. Oh, before I forget, I brought you a surprise,” Zathias said with a wink.
“A surprise?” Rykar asked, confused.
“Aye. Should be here about any moment,” the large man answered, glancing around.
“Rykar!” a voice carried over the sound of tent stakes being driven into the ground and equipment being unloaded. Rykar arched a brow and stepped around Zathias just in time to be pounced upon by a blue-haired, silver-eyed young woman. She wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. His hands instinctively slipped under her rear to support her weight.
“Well, hi there, Sage. Di
dn't expect to see you here,” he said with a genuinely happy smile.
“Zathias needed some metalsmiths to repair things after the battle, assuming you guys win. Most of the smiths were not too inclined to come. But I wanted to. So here I am,” Sage explained.
“Well, if we lose, everyone is likely going to die. Not coming was probably the intelligent decision,” Rykar reasoned.
“Hmm, well, I suppose that says something about you, since you're the reason I was stupid enough to come,” Sage said, a smirk curving her lips.
“Aw, now that's cute,” Echo commented.
Sage glanced the kyrian's way, and then looked around to see Zathias, Kaidia, and Malcade watching the whole situation with amused looks.Her cheeks colored slightly. She squirmed in Rykar's hold and the king let her down on her feet with a chuckle.
Zathias smirked then fixed his gaze on Rykar.
“So, why did you come all the way out here to meet me when I arrived?” he asked.
“Just to tell you that there's a strategy meeting, tonight, between the highest ranking leaders from all the races present,” Rykar answered, gesturing around.
“Ah, so, generals, kings, commanders, and all that,” Zathias said.
“Correct. Bring your best. I assume one will be Dosfar,” Rykar replied.
“Indeed,” Zathias confirmed.
“How far behind you were the orcs and the Esmera?” Rykar asked.
“Not far. I know the last of our men could see the Esmera in the distance. Orcs shouldn't be far behind them. I know the orcs were all going to meet at one spot so they could put on a show of force when they all march in together,” Zathias answered with a chuckle.
“I see. Well, I'll meet with their commanding officers when they arrive, as well,” Rykar said, more to himself than anyone in particular.
“I will set up in the city, then come find you,” Sage said, giving Rykar a kiss on the cheek before walking off. Rykar watched her go.
“Malcade,” he said.
“Yes, Rykar?” Malcade asked.
“You're sleeping in another room in the inn for the remainder of our stay,” Rykar answered.
“I figured as much,” Malcade said with a roll of his eyes.
Kaidia grabbed Rykar's shoulder, causing the king to turn and give her a questioning look.
“I'm going to let you and Mal greet all the new arrivals. I'm going to go make an appearance at my temple in town before we get down to war talk tonight,” she said.
“Probably a good idea,” Rykar replied with a nod.
“See you at the meeting,” Kai said before turning and starting to walk back toward the city.
“It's at Lord Wythnold's manor,” Rykar said to Kai's back. She waved over her shoulder to show that she'd heard. Echo walked alongside Kaidia and their two panthers followed behind them.
“Wanting to tag along, hmm?” Kai asked the kyrian.
“Yes. I'm curious to see how people act toward a living, breathing god,” Echo answered.
“You realize gods aren't real, right?” Kaidia asked with a raised brow.
“Of course, but you're the closest I'm going to see to one,” Echo responded.
“Fair enough,” Kaidia agreed.
The two walked along in silence for some time, entering the city and winding their way through it and the people populating its streets. Kaidia turned down a smaller side street that appeared to be deserted. Echo took the chance that the relative privacy afforded her and asked a question that had been at the back of her mind ever since Kaidia had become a widely known figure.
“Kai?”
“Yeah?”
“Tell me if I'm broaching a sensitive subject... but I was wondering about the story behind one of your monikers.”
“Which one?”
“Reaper of Kulvost.”
Kaidia looked to Echo for a moment and could see that the woman understood that she might be asking about something that could be off limits. However, she could see the desire to know in the kyrian's eyes.
“Why do you ask?”
“I want to know what happened. There are so many rumors, stories, and legends about the Battle of Kulvost that I can't tell what is what and since you are the central figure in it all, I figured you were the best person to ask,” Echo explained, eyes watching Kaidia carefully. She didn't want to push it if Kaidia didn't want to talk about it.
“Well, it's a bit of a story,” Kaidia said, stopping in the quiet street, turning to look to Echo, who stopped just beside her.
“I figured it would be.”
“The short version is fairly simplistic. They call me that because I killed practically everyone in Kulvost.”
“Everyone?”
“Yes. It was the last bastion of Adathir's army. It was where they intended to make their final stand. They knew they were going to lose and, at the behest of several of my commanders, Rykar excluded, we made a plan to sneak into the city at night, kill their highest ranking officer, and demoralize them to the point where they would surrender. That officer was the only one left in their ranks with any significant charisma or power. I wasn't thrilled with the idea but they managed to convince me of its validity. I hand-picked the best of my men, Rykar included, and we managed to slip in one of the cracks in the city's wall.”
“Cracks? Did your mercenaries travel with siege engines?”
“No. Kulvost was an old city from a time long forgotten. The breaches in the walls were ancient. It was one of the oldest cities on Haelstross. What's left of it still is, technically. It was abandoned long ago and then became a haven for undesirables. It became a city where the ugliest dregs of every race were welcome and safe. It was a natural destination for the remnants of Adathir's legions.”
“Ah. I haven't ever seen it and what little I can find of it in history texts is from before it was abandoned.”
“The history of a place stops being recorded when those that live there don't care to do so. A city of criminals isn't likely to care for telling people their history.”
“Yes, I suppose you're correct. Anyway, I didn't mean to interrupt.”
“I don't mind questions. However, as I was saying, we got into the city easily enough. We only wore light armor because sneaking around in full plate is impossible as I'm sure you're aware. We made it to where we were fairly certain the officer was living. We were correct. What we weren't expecting was that we'd been followed and slowly surrounded the whole way there. We were attacked the moment we reached the front door. Adathir's faithful all fought... men and women I'm used to... but not children. Children armed with daggers and short swords... throwing themselves into the fight.”
“That's horrid. Dishonorable.”
“Disgusting. I lost half my men to the initial surprise of the attack, others to the shock of fighting armed children. Many couldn't bring themselves to kill the children, even if it meant their own lives were threatened. Rykar and I were the only survivors of it. We fought. Rykar, while a good man, isn't exactly... entirely sane. Killing the children seemed to be just like killing the adults to him. And I have to admit, it was the same with me. It didn't bother me until days later. It might have bothered him later on, as well. We've never talked about it.”
“Who would?”
“You would be surprised. We were going to be overwhelmed. We resorted to magic, which is dangerous in close quarters, but we had little choice. It worked... we wiped out several buildings and the population of the city with fire and lightning. We just unleashed all we could, all at once. If there were any survivors, I didn't see them.”
“Well, the moniker is not without merit, I suppose. You rid the land of what we thought were the last of Adathir's army and took out a lot of criminals as well.”
“Yes. Oddly enough, most people don't even know Rykar was there with me. The story only mentions me.”
“Funny how that works, sometimes.”
“I'm not sure if that is the word I would use... but you're correct.”
They kept to side streets to avoid the main thoroughfare, which was crowded with people as it went straight through the heart of the marketplace and its stores. Beyond that, walking with a pair of massive panthers behind you would freak some people out and Kaidia didn't want to cause a panic. The pair met only a few people, a couple of whom recognized Kaidia and greeted her with the utmost respect. Kaidia graciously returned their greetings and kept walking.
“Nice of that girl to give you that ring earlier,” Echo spoke up, tired of the silence.
“Yes. Apparently people give gifts to gods when said gods aren't figments of imagination,” Kaidia returned, glancing down to the silver ring on her right forefinger.
“Makes sense. I mean, actually being able to hand a token of your admiration or esteem directly to your god has got to mean a lot more than just dropping it at the base of some altar,” Echo reasoned.
“One would think,” Kaidia replied.
“Since we're going to your temple, I would say you should prepare yourself for more,” Echo speculated.
“You're probably right. Lots of flattery and the like too,” Kai added.
“I'll be your bodyguard,” Echo chuckled.
“And here I thought that was why you came in the first place,” Kaidia teased.
“Hell no, I wanted to witness a god meeting her people,” Echo retorted.
“I figured. It should be... entertaining, at least,” Kaidia said as they exited the street into a large stone pathway that circled the lake in the center of the city. Naturally, the people who had originally constructed Silver Lake had left plenty of room between the water's edge and the edge of the walkway, giving grass plenty of room to grow. A beach of white sand ringed half the lake, eventually giving way to grass closer to the stone walkway. The walkway was busy with people, but Kaidia, Echo, and the two panthers were given a wide berth. Kai assumed it was more due to the panthers than anyone recognizing her.
Realms of Valen - Blasphemous Crusade (War of the Gods Book 2) Page 13
