Blood and Shadows (The Saga of the Seven Stars)

by Dayne Edmondson

  After several minutes of waiting in line, they came to the gates, where the guard asked them a series of questions regarding where they were going, who they were going to see and what they were bringing into the city. Dawyn and the two women answered with as much truth as possible. They did not mention the fact they were here to kill or capture Lord Garik. The story they told, which they had rehearsed several times since the city came into sight, was that they were here to take a boat to Valnos. They said they were from Selma and wouldn’t be staying long in the town. They explained their weapons by complaining about how dangerous the times were.

  The guard eyed Anwyn and Alivia, his hungry eyes drinking in their beauty. For a moment, Dawyn thought the guard was going to try and snatch one of the women as his fellow guard had snatched the apple earlier. The guard settled for just a leer and shameless grin before waving them through. As Alivia passed, the guard slapped her buttocks, which caused her to spin around in indignation. She stared at the man, obviously trying to imagine doing awful things to him, but stopped when Anwyn put a hand on her arm. She looked toward Anwyn and saw her shaking her head, as if saying “it’s not worth it”. Alivia took one last look at the guard, sniffed and continued leading her horse through the gates of the city.

  Chapter 15: A Plan

  The first thing the companions did upon entering Henry’s Crossing was to find the manor of the Lord Tomas and Lady Igraine. Mounting their horses, the three rode toward the center of the town, where they could see a building poking up that was larger than the buildings surrounding it.

  They found the manor in the exact center of the town, built on a raised earthwork known as a motte. The manor of the lord and lady on the rise allowed them a commanding view of all areas of their small city. A stone wall ran around the manor grounds, and guards stood at the gates.

  It was then time to make further plans. Favio was going to do his part to gather intelligence, but what were Dawyn and the two women with him going to do? Dawyn couldn’t justify just sitting around as innocent people were killed by Lord Garik’s men while the lord and lady sat by.

  “Perhaps I could go into the manor in my official capacity,” Dawyn said. “They wouldn’t dare threaten the life of a Shadow Watch Guard.”

  Alivia looked doubtful. “If the lord and lady are in bed with Lord Garik, then they will not hesitate to silence a lone Guard such as you. Their hesitation will be even less if you let on that you have no reinforcements at your back and that no one knows you are here.”

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Dawyn admitted. “Let’s go find that inn, the Angry Bull, where Favio told us to meet him.”

  The women gave their approval and the small group left in search of the inn.

  They located the Angry Bull quickly; it was an inn on the west side of town near the docks. Despite the run-down appearance of the buildings in its vicinity, the inn itself looked rather well-kept. They decided that, since they couldn’t go strolling into the manor, they may as well get a feel for the atmosphere. They approached the inn and found it odd that no bouncer was at the door. Did the inn have no need for a bouncer?

  Entering the inn, they found that it was not lack of violence that eliminated the need for a bouncer – it was lack of patrons. All of the tables were empty. No aromas of cooking food wafted out from the dark kitchen. Despite the lack of people, Dawyn had the distinct feeling that the inn was still populated by its owners.

  “Hello,” Dawyn called, raising his voice. “Horace? Are you here? We’re friends of Favio.”

  For a few long moments there was nothing but silence in the inn, holding sway on the room like a blanket. Then, Dawyn heard the creak of floorboards up the stairs and a man appeared at the top of them.

  The man was, unlike many innkeepers the companions had met so far, thin. He had a gaunt, haunted face and wore baggy trousers and tunic. Dawyn could tell he had seen better days for certain.

  “How do you know that name?” the man named Horace demanded. “Did Lord Garik send you to trick knowledge of my friends out of me?” He reached the bottom of the stairs and spat on the floor before taking a knife out of his belt. “Well, you’ll get nothing from me, scoundrels.”

  “Truly, we mean you no harm,” Dawyn said, raising his hands as he had toward the farmers on their way to the town.

  Under her breath, Alivia whispered, “Maybe that’s why he has no patrons - he threatens them all with knives.” Horace didn’t hear what she said, though he glared at her as if he had.

  “How do I know that you know Favio? And don’t you dare lie to me.” He waved his dagger around, pointing it at each of them in turn.

  “He told us that you each had saved each other’s lives countless times but that you owed him twice as much. He said you were a good man who had traveled with him for many years. He also said you are a survivor and you would do what you had to in order to keep yourself and your family safe. Lastly, he told us we could trust you. Was he wrong?”

  The man lowered his dagger, looking rather sheepish. “Nay, he wasn’t wrong, lad. It does seem that you know the man, for only Favio would have the audacity to say I owe him twice as much. The man has rocks for brains if he remembers himself saving me more than I saved his ass.” He chuckled. “This one time, when we were in Tera’Leon, there was this woman. Let’s just say Favio got in a little too deep and ended up running from her husband, who just so happened to be the ruler of that city. I’m the man,” Horace said, poking himself in the chest with his thumb, “who hauled his ass out of the fire or he’d have been thrown in prison for a long time.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Dawyn said. “Embellishing the truth has always given him the greatest pleasure. This has been true for all the time I’ve known him.”

  “Aye, he does at that. But you can’t fault the man’s heart. He’s about as noble as any knight in the king’s Guard, perhaps more.” Horace shook his head. “Enough about the past, who are you and why did Favio send you here?”

  “Forgive us for not introducing ourselves,” Dawyn replied. ”My name is Dawyn Darklance and these are my traveling companions, Alivia and Anwyn. We are looking for Lord Garik, in case you hadn’t already gathered that.” Dawyn bowed, while the two women curtsied to the man as best they could in trousers.

  Horace returned the bow and swept his eyes across all three companions to make it clear the bow included all present. “Well, you’ll not find Lord Garik here now. A few months back, yes, but now he’s moved on to Founders know where.”

  “Oh, and yet it still seems as though he holds sway over the city.”

  “Aye, his cronies have an iron fist on the city. Lord Garik remained long enough to gain the support of the lord and lady and then moved on. Now the lord and lady control the operations here. No one likes it, but most people have learned to shut their mouth before its shut for them.”

  “Where is your wife?” Alivia said.

  A pained look flashed across Horace’s face. “Well, she was taken away from me during the days following the ‘occupation’ of the city. I broke my number one rule: always keep low and make few waves. But that wasn’t Eugenie’s way. She was a spitfire and very outspoken about the things that were happening all around us. One night, at her urging, I made the mistake of going to a meeting of concerned citizens who were going to petition the lord and lady to hire more guards and crack down on security. The meeting was interrupted by several assassins led by Lord Garik himself. They killed a few people but let the rest of us go, expecting it to incite terror in the population. I’m sad to say it worked.

  They put a brand above my inn’s door and spread the word that anyone seen in my establishment would be considered a traitor and executed or imprisoned. But all of that paled in comparison to them taking my Eugenie from me. They came in the night and stole her from me. I have reason to believe she is still alive, held in the cells beneath the manor, but I have no way to reach her. The manor is crawling with armed men and going there to petition for
her release would be signing my own death certificate. No, they have eliminated me as surely as if they had killed me.”

  “Ah, but if they had killed you then you couldn’t get revenge, or your wife back,” Dawyn said, coming to a decision. “We are going to free your wife and try to take back this city from the grip of the underworld.”

  Horace looked at him for a moment as if he had grown a second head. “Just how do you expect to accomplish all of that? You’re three people, four if you count Favio. What can such a small group do to stop what’s going on all around us?”

  “We can bring hope back to the city. I saw it when we first arrived and I recognized it as we entered your inn. Hope has left the city. The people have no hope, no faith in their king or the bonds of fellowship that tie us all together in this life. It’s time we ignited the flame of freedom in this city, spread light to the people and showed Lord Garik that Henry’s Crossing is not going to roll over for them.”

  “A noble cause, to be sure,” Horace said. “The Founders know that I would give just about anything to get my wife back. And maybe you can do it. But there is still the matter of the beast.”

  “An innkeeper we met in the town of Selma was telling us rumors of a creature that roams the forests. Do you have any further details regarding the identity of the beast?”

  Horace shook his head. “All I heard comes from rumor, though what I’ve heard has given me night terrors. It is said the creature strikes the heads off its victims and the corpses are found like dried husks of corn in its wake. Strange sounds can be heard coming from the Harren Woods to the east of here at night. Even by day, travelers go around the woods in an effort to avoid being near them at night. I have yet to see the beast, but I do believe it to be real. The bulk of the lord and lady’s guards were dispatched to hunt the beast, but none returned. Now, I think some could have been killed by Lord Garik but I also believe some of the wounds inflicted are beyond the work of assassins.”

  Dawyn pondered the facts for a few moments longer. On one hand, there was the lord and lady of the manor and their betrayal that was costing some human lives while, on the other hand, a strange creature was slaughtering dozens and possibly hundreds of victims. If such a creature existed, Dawyn had an obligation to the kingdom to investigate. At last, he came to a decision. Better slay the beast first so that it couldn’t strike them from behind and then address the betrayal of the lord and lady.

  “All right, here’s the plan. First, we will enter the Harren Woods and slay the creature, and then we will go and expose the betrayal of the lord and lady while rescuing your wife, Horace.”

  “That sounds good,” Horace said. “I forgot to ask where Favio is. Did he not come with you?”

  “Favio is working undercover within Lord Garik’s organization in the city to discover the whereabouts of Garik. The plan was to meet him at your inn once we received a signal that we would recognize.”

  “Ah, I see. Well, let’s get going then. We’ve got monsters to slay.”

  “I think it would be best to wait until nightfall,” Dawyn said as he began outlining the plan. “Then, we…”

  Chapter 16: The Darkness Waits

  The companions, now four strong once again, trudged eastward through the dark Harren Woods in search of the creature. They had set out from the inn before dusk and arrived at the edge of the woods when full night had fallen. The woods were cut back a few miles from the city walls, so anyone approaching the city could be seen from a distance.

  After several minutes of walking through the woods, they reached a clearing. Dawyn set down his pack and the others followed suit. He opened his pack and took out a horn. As he drew it to his lips, Alivia interrupted him.

  “Wait, why are you blowing the horn? Do you want everyone within a few miles to know we are here?”

  “That’s the idea,” Dawyn said. “We are trying to draw the creature out, after all. I don’t expect anyone other than the creature to be out in the woods this night.”

  Alivia rolled her eyes and whispered something Dawyn couldn’t hear, but nodded for Dawyn to precede.

  Continuing, Dawyn drew in a breath and blew. Aooooohhhh. Dawyn blew the horn twice more and then replaced it in his pack. He looked up at the others and smiled. “Now, my friends, we wait.”

  “We just wait here?” Horace said. “Like sitting ducks waiting to be slaughtered?”

  “We are the bait,” Dawyn said. “But unlike a duck or a deer against a hunter, we are far from defenseless. I would suggest getting rest while we all can, it may be a long night. Let’s make a fire so we can keep warm as well.”

  Together, they gathered wood for a fire and Alivia lit the pile on fire. They all settled down on the ground, but no one slept. Anxiety hung in the air as the group watched the shadows and kept their ears open for any movement.

  There, movement by one of the trees! Alivia threw a fireball at the object in motion and a squirrel dropped charred to the ground. “Oops,” Alivia said, abashed. I thought it was….”

  “A ravenous killer squirrel?” Dawyn asked, trying to contain a laugh.

  “Oh shut up, you,” Alivia replied. “You’re the one who dragged us out here.”

  Dawyn was about to retort, but stopped as he heard the sound of underbrush cracking in the distance. He held up his hand for silence and listened.

  Coming from the north was the sound of brush something very large. The amount of brush being displaced seemed to be more than even a boar could move. Dawyn had never liked boar hunting much, though the king went on special occasions. Dawyn had always tried to find some excuse to remain behind while the king and his court went out.

  No, the sound was too loud to be a boar. It had to be the creature.

  The others heard the sound as well and were sitting still as statues. Dawyn motioned them to prepare their weapons and spread out. They stood, arranged like a four-pointed star, with Dawyn closest to the sound. A moment later, the creature appeared.

  It was tall, dwarfing Dawyn by about a meter. It stood on four crab-like legs that bent at the knee. Barbs were located all along the legs. It had a torso that almost looked human, though its face was distinctly insectoid. Two thick arms that ended in hand-like appendages featuring an opposable thumb and three fingers were attached to the torso. At the end of each finger was a long knife-like nail. On its face was a set of large pincers that curved inward and a large mouth filled with teeth. It had two sets of eyes, one on top of the other, and wore a type of natural carapace armor on its torso, arms and back. The back armor stretched over its head and down to just above its eyes, making it appear that it was wearing a helmet of some sort. In all, this thing could tear apart anything that came at it and looked well-defended.

  As Dawyn watched the monster, studying it, the creature seemed to be looking back at him with one set of eyes, while the second set studied his companions. An interesting advantage, Dawyn thought. Being able to watch an opponent with one set of eyes, while keeping an eye on the peripherals or a second opponent, would be a valuable advantage for any predator. From the way it was studying Dawyn, he had no doubt it knew what it was doing.

  With a fluid motion Dawyn drew both blades from the scabbards at his waist. These blades had been forged for him many years earlier, and felt as though they were an extension of his body and will.

  Alivia let out a gasp as she saw the creature, Anwyn gripped her quarterstaff tighter and Horace drew his daggers. Dawyn assumed Alivia was surprised by its ugliness and size of the creature.

  “Krai’kesh,” Alivia said in a whisper.

  “What did you say?” Dawyn asked, surprised, turning his head toward her while still keeping an eye on the creature.

  “The ancient texts speak of these creatures,” Alivia replied. “The Founders wrote about them, though by all accounts the creatures were not from our world. The Founders describe them in great detail and told of how they had fought these creatures among the stars in mighty steel ships. These creatures were descri
bed as the greatest enemies of humankind and the Founders warned they would soon come to our world. Many prophecies were written about the Time of the Saviors, as it was called. The Founders did not know when the Krai’kesh would come to our world, but they foresaw heroes that would be known as the Saviors coming from beyond our world to save it. Prophecy says…”

  “We’ll have time to talk more about prophecy after we kill this Krai’kesh,” Dawyn interrupted, his voice sharp. “For now, can you think of anything in the ancient writings that spoke of how to kill it?”

  Alivia looked thoughtful. “Yes, I do recall one passage that said how their armor was so thick that they had to be ‘shot’ in the head region above the neck or near their legs. Anywhere else and it would take a greater amount of time to kill the creatures than most men could stand.”

  “All right, let’s move.”

  The Krai’kesh had been standing still during the exchange, as if studying its prey. When the companions turned to face the creature, instead of running, it let out a high-pitched yell and clacked its mandibles together. It had expected the companions to flee at the sight of it, not fight.

  Dawyn studied their area. He had chosen an open clearing for the express purpose of fighting within it. The Krai'kesh stood at the outer edge of the trees. Somehow they had to draw the creature into the center of the clearing so they could surround it. He stepped forward, roaring a wordless challenge in response to the creature. “I want each of you to go near the edges of the clearing,” Dawyn said, not taking his eyes off the creature. “You’ll surround the creature while I draw its attention and try to kill it.”