“Unfortunately, yes, I had no mercy over that bastard who we captured. I might have been too harsh but if it is about me or my family, I lose my temper quickly. All who plans an attack against us will end the same way.”
“This is what I have always liked about you, Telron. You place the family first. Of course I take it badly when you cheat but I understand that I am no longer that attractive and young babe as I once was.”
“Sometimes I cannot control my desires, Kirona, I am sorry about that. And you are still very pretty,” I complimented the baroness, knowing what a woman’s heart wanted to hear.
“Thank you, Telron, for these kind words. It feels like you are caressing my soul. Do you remember when we were young? Once, you even recited a love poem to me,” she looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“Surely I remember, Kirona, those were happy times for the both of us.”
“Will you wake me up when we arrive?” she asked, fatigue weighing down on her eyes as she leaned on my shoulder.
“Of course. Have a rest,” I said and kissed her cheek.
Deep down I was disgusted but I had to keep pretending to be a caring husband not to arouse suspicion. I had to think and carefully consider my options. I had barely two weeks before the harvest ball in the palace of Duke Orlond. All people that matter gather there to celebrate the end of summer. Perfect timing was crucial to accomplish our plan. If we fail to reach our goals, all the persistent work that we had invested so far will be futile. Moreover, there was the baron of the neighboring province that was not fond of Telron, to say the least. I was hopeful that the little time before the ball would go by smoothly. He would be a fool to attempt another attack against me in my own castle. I merely had a few unpleasant memories of him from Telron’s past, therefore, I couldn’t have known what he was capable of. How far would he go to reach his objectives? Soon, complete darkness descended, our escorts lit the torches as we proceeded upwards on the steep and winding mountain path, the only path that led to Rockclaw. The night hunters of the forest became alive and started their raid in search for some greasy bites to ease their insatiable hunger. They had the luxury to enjoy an abundance of prey among the crowns of the trees and the bushes. Within a couple of hours, I finally heard how the iron bars of the castle rose as we arrived. I gently shook the dozed baroness.
“We are at home, darling, wake up!”
“Have we arrived, finally? I can hardly believe it.” She stretched her arms to wake herself up.
The carriage stopped at the stable, One-Eyed opened the door and I helped the baroness to get out. The torch shed light on the emerging squab shape of Ferlor, his nose, as always, red from the wine he had gulped.
“Greetings to his lordship and her ladyship,” he bowed. “I trust you have had a pleasant journey.”
“It was quite a disturbed trip, Stablemaster. We are tired. Feed the horses and check if their hoofs had been damaged on the road.” I cut the conversation short.
“As you wish, my lord,” he kept bowing humbly.
We went up to our room with Kirona and took a hot bath. It was delightful to wash off the dirt from the road. I could relax my muscles in the tub of hot water, the servants washed me thoroughly. We went under the quilt refreshed.
“Isn’t it much better to be at home,” the baroness turned to me.
“It is indeed pleasant to sleep in our own bed again.”
“You know, I only realized after the attack how little time we have left. Why wouldn’t we spend it happily, Telron? Let’s forget about all our fights and enjoy one another.”
She came closer and slowly reaching towards my loins, she began stroking me. Her intentions came as a surprise but I had to behave like the Baron would have, even if I was repulsed by the thought of sleeping with a human again. But he wouldn’t have missed one opportunity.
“It has been a long time since we had made love, I might have even forgotten about it,” I responded to the lustful woman.
I turned towards her and pulled her closer. I kissed her neck and, getting rid of her clothes, I continued on her breasts. She gave a passionate moan, it had been half a year that she and the Baron had done it, and that is no brief time. I proceeded down on her belly, until I arrived between her thighs. Her lecherous body was begging me to play more with her, she was craving my touches and heated kisses. We were sensually pleasuring each other and spent the whole evening in impassioned hugs. I was hoping that this would satisfy her and she wouldn’t initiate again tomorrow night.
The next morning, I was getting ready to go out hunting when a sprinting horseman arrived to the castle. The aged man was wearing dirty woollen trousers and a cap, as well as a sheepskin cloak. He was being escorted to the stable by two spearmen when we were about to leave to our regular hunt with Hrindel and Darian.
“Sir, I apologize for disturbing you in the morning but this peasant has just arrived and is looking for you concerning a matter of utmost importance!” one of the soldiers called to me.
“If it is important, blurt it out, I don’t have much time!” I answered impatiently.
“Your lordship! My name is Ruan Vilon, prefect of the village of Kirklander,” he bowed. “I have brought grim news from the mine beside our village.”
The name of the village gave me the shivers. If this is again the making of the baron of the neighboring province… worrying thoughts chased each other in my head.
“Spit it out, peasant! What happened?” I snapped.
“Yesterday, at sunset, something horrific happened down at the mine. We heard screaming and mystical rattles. All the workers had vanished. We sent in a few lads to check it out but they disappeared too. We informed the soldiers designated for the protection of the mine but we saw them no more after they had entered. Please, sir, do something. The people are terrified! They don’t know what had happened to their beloved!” he folded his hands and begged.
Telron always took care of his own people, he would have never let them be hurt or abused without consequences, so I had no other choice but to do the same. Oh, all the things I do for these morons but I can’t act otherwise, I would risk being discovered if I were to behave differently. I turned to my people with a grim look.
“Darian, today’s hunt will be postponed. Hrindel, inform the captain that I am taking two dozen lads with me. Pick the best ones. We will meet here in an hour!”
“Yes, sir, I will act promptly,” he said and hurried towards the barracks.
“God bless you sir, thank you!” the prefect said.
“First, we have to find out what is going on in my mine, prefect. Soldiers, take this man to the kitchen, feed him and give him drink. We are leaving in an hour, be here at the stable!” I shouted to the peasant.
“Thank you for everything, sir. I will be here, awaiting your return,” he bobbed again.
Who else should I take with me? I was thinking hard then out of a sudden whim, I headed to the chapel. One could always use a priest if there was a beast to fight. Although I didn’t know yet what I was facing. Father Delgron was already up, indulged in his sacred book. He was eagerly studying the verses wearing reading spectacles. He carefully brushed his scarce, light brown hair into two. He made the impression as if a small nest were placed on the top of his head. His tin-grey frock stretched onto his pot belly as he was leaning above the psalms in the candlelight. His right hand was holding a thickly greased slice of bread which he was supping on delightfully.
“Greetings, Father! I apologize for disturbing you at such an early hour but I have come regarding an urgent matter.”
“Greetings, my Baron! How can the faithful servant of Ilthor be of your assistance?” his dewlapped chin trembled like a jelly as he spoke.
“Pick up your most important necessities. You must come with us to the village of Kirklander. Some kind of beast had attacked the villagers and we must protect them. We might need the power of a true faithful soul amidst us in the fight.”
“What kind of beast, my
lord?” he frowned his thick, dark eyebrows worriedly as he was chewing on the greasy bread.
“I don’t have the vaguest idea, Father. We must find out. We have to leave with no further delay, lives depend on it!”
“Alright then, I have never turned my back on those in need. I will promptly finish my errands and pack,” he said as he closed the thick book in front of him.
“Great, come to the stable and be prepared to leave in an hour.”
“I will be there, Baron Telron!” he nodded.
I turned around and rushed up to my room to arm myself with the weapon and armour of the baron. Bloodgusher slicked familiarly into my hands. I buckled the cuirass and the elements of the complementing arm armor. Kirona heard the clinking of the metal and entered the room in her gown.
“Where are you heading in armour, my husband, at such an early hour?” she asked.
“An unexpected event has happened, darling. Unfortunately, I must ride to the mine in Kirklander with our soldiers, a monster is decimating the people.”
“But this is horrible! The very mine that Yuraj had set his eyes on. First the murder attempt and now this? This cannot be coincidence!” she frowned, suspecting something.
“I agree with you, Kirona. I will find out what is going on there and I will end this story!”
“Watch out for yourself, please, and return to me in one piece!” She kissed me anxiously.
“That’s my intention, woman. But now, matters oblige me to leave,” I pulled the nearby knight’s helm onto my head.
I rushed down the stairs, fully armed and entirely covered by armor, speeding my steps in the direction of the stable. Hrindel and the soldiers were already waiting for me with saddled horses, together with the prefect of the village and Father Delgron.
“I have selected the people, sir! They are the best in the whole castle,” One Eyed pointed at them. At least two dozen experienced stalwarts looked at me.
“I trust your decision.” I put my hands on his shoulder. “Lads, we are about to start a dangerous journey. As you know, something or some things have attacked the mine of Kirklander and are most probably killing people. We cannot tolerate this! We must go there and finish them off, the sooner the better. Are you with me?”
“Til’ death, sir!” the men shouted.
“Then mount your horses! We cannot delay any longer. We must reach the village and the mine before sunset. Go!” I gave the order, spurred my horse, and together, with the soldiers riding in two columns, we left the iron gates of Rockclaw.
We quickly headed to the east, crossing through the valleys between the mountains. The village and the mine were located a half a day’s ride, at the edge of the province of the baron. The silver mine had been operating for more than a century and had produced vast quantities throughout that course of time, generating a considerable income for Telron and his family. We only stopped once on our way at a quietly wimpling brook to give water to our weary horses.
“Prefect Ruan! Has nobody seen what attacked the workers of the mine?” asked Delgron, scratching his double chin.
“No, Father, unfortunately those who had seen it, haven’t lived to tell their tales.”
“When did this happen exactly?”
“Yesterday after sunset, sir. People always work until late there. You know, we are hard working people who carry out their duties conscientiously. So, the men had just finished work for the day when we heard screaming and yelling from the mine. We rushed there to see but everything grew silent by the time we got there. Three people went inside to check what had happened but we have never seen them since. We notified the soldiers mandated to protect the mine, eight of them entered the mine, fully armed. Soon, we heard shouting and battle sounds then there was utter silence. This is when I got on my horse and I didn’t stop until I reached the castle of his lordship to ask for help.”
“What do you think, Father? What could have assailed the villagers and the soldiers?” I asked from the father who was frowning, worry straining heavy on his eyes.
“It might be some beast from the depths of the earth that was disturbed by the unsuspecting miners. Whatever it or they may be, they must still be in the mine. Only one day has passed. I sense evil forebodings. If eight armed soldiers proved to be too little, we might need more than mere physical prowess. Please tell the soldiers to come to me so that I can bless their weapons. We might need the force of Ilthor in this battle.”
“I believe you might be right, we better be careful. Hrindel, arrange that everyone gets their weapons blessed by the Father!” I said to One-Eyed who was listening silently by my side.
“Yes, sir!” He whistled to the soldiers and gave out the order.
Based on my experience, the most diverse species of beast can be wounded with blessed weapons. Although the priestly blessing was effective merely for a couple of days, it can be indispensable in the hours of danger. Everyone lined up before the Father and handed their weapons over to him. He offered a benediction to each and every weapon, sprinkling holy water on them from a tiny bottle.
“Ilthor, you see the fate of each, I ask you to give your blessing to these weapons to smite those who trespass against us,” he murmured, raising his hands to the sky. He came to me when he finished.
“I am done, my lord. All weapons are now carrying the blessings of the god of fate and fortune. We are prepared to fight whatever might be in those tunnels.”
“Great, then we can proceed, I want to reach the mines today to see with my own eyes what had happened down there.”
The sun was blazing high in the sky, its beams warmly caressed our back. When reaching the top of a hill, we glanced down at the small village below us, at the foot of a mountain. The tiny cottages were erected from thick oak and ash trees by the gifted hands of the residents. We descended the hill spurring our horses and rode to Kirklander that consisted of merely a couple of streets. Noticing us, the villagers came out of their houses and gathered on the streets; curious tots, youthful women, and wrinkled oldsters alike. Their worrisome looks reflected some delight when they lay their eyes on the soldiers of eagle-clawed shields.
“The prefect is here and he has brought the baron with his soldiers!” they whispered among each other.
We stopped at the village hall to tie our horses.
“Has anything happened since I left?” the prefect asked the crowd.
“Nothing happened, Ruan, we haven’t entered since you were gone,” an old peasant replied.
“We wouldn’t have dared, seeing none of the soldiers leaving the mine,” a young, hulking lad added.
“There is nothing to worry about. The Baron has arrived with his soldiers to look into the matter. Everything will be alright,” the prefect tried to comfort the shouting crowd.
“Citizens of Kirklander! You all know me, I am Baron Telron Muran, your lord and master. Everyone should return to their homes. We will go into the mine before sunset and find out what had happened.” I cried out, making use of my honorary respect.
I managed to reach my goal, the crowd slowly began to disperse and they disappeared in their cottages whispering to each other. They peeked out of their windows to see what our next steps would be. I left two soldiers behind to take care of the horses and we headed to the mine with the others. It wasn’t too far away, within the distance of a few arrow-shots. The prefect also joined us, not many knew the winding passages better than him. The entrance was supported by thick beams to fortify the security of the passage. Cold draught blew to our faces from inside, as if it was suggesting that we had better turn around. I had spent nearly half of my life hiding in darkness under the ground, to escape humans and other races, and now I was obliged to return again to this familiar dark world. I was not particularly pleased about the thought but I had no other choice. The oil lamps were still shedding some dim light in the passage even after not having been filled up for more than a day. At least we didn’t have to stumble ahead in complete darkness, although it wouldn�
�t have been a hindrance to me as my eye-sight allowed me to see perfectly within a distance of ten feet even in pitch darkness. Ruan went up front with Hrindel, followed by me and the Father, as well as the soldiers behind us. Only two people could walk beside each other in the narrow path. At times, we had to lower our heads to avoid hitting the low ceiling. The path was slightly descending and led us straight to the heart of the mountain. It forked into two directions.
“Whore’s be damned. Now what?” I asked, peering into the abyssal darkness that engulfed both directions.
“We should proceed on the passage to the right, sir,” the prefect suggested.
Before long, we stumbled upon the first corpse. He was sitting by the wall of the passage, his skull completely smashed. One Eyed leaned closer to examine him.
“He was killed with one powerful slash, with some kind of blunt weapon. I would say a mace, sir.”
“Is it not a beast but bandits that we are facing then?” I asked One-Eyed.
“This poor devil was murdered by a weapon, without a doubt.”
The prefect stepped closer and cast light on the man with the lamp.
“This is poor Telrenge, he was a hard-working man, an honourable citizen of the village. He left a wife and two children behind,” he lowered his head, saddened.
“I am sorry, Ruan, but we cannot do anything for him anymore. Let’s move forward, we might find someone alive in the deep,” I replied and signalled to the people to carry on.
Hrindel drew his greatsword from its scabbard that clinked with a metallic sound.
“I don’t want to give the slightest chance to the attackers. Based on what we have seen, a tough battle is ahead of us,” Hrindel said.
“Let’s not give them any chance, Hrindel!” I drew Bloodgusher. “Let’s find out what else these passages are hiding from us.”
We proceeded a bit more carefully. After a few turns, we found corpses of other villagers. They were seemingly killed by weapons too. They threw away their equipment and bags as they tried to escape but they could not reach the exit. Our group was becoming more and more anxious as we passed by the increasing number of corpses. We further descended on a thick ladder, through a mine-shaft. There were no more oil lamps on the walls, we provided light using our torches. We arrived to a smaller hall where the mined silver ore was stored in sacks. Many passages started from this hall that all lead to the belly of the mountain. We found the soldiers that used to guard the mine, they were lying in the corner, their corpses piled up beside their weapons, on the ground drenched in blood. Strangely though, the surface of their blades was dry like the desert of Al-Ramita. If they had fought a battle, they must have wounded their enemies. I saw how the sprout of fear crept into the eyes of the soldiers as they looked at the corpses of their fellow brethren. I wondered how much of chance we had of standing against them. Some examined the soldiers’ bodies thrown on each other. Their death was caused by heavy, powerful cuts and bruises, just like the ones we had seen before.
Faceless: The Takeover (The Shapeshifters Book 1) Page 13
