Soldiers of Ruin

by Stephen L. Nowland

  Nothing had changed from their last visit down here weeks ago, except the tunnels they walked appeared to be even older than the rest. Something unusual did catch Ronan’s eye however, and Aiden winced as the sailor pointed out a decomposing body slumped against the wall of the sewers, half submerged in the water. What was more surprising was the body was wearing the torn garments of a member of the clergy.

  “This man was brutally beaten before he was killed,” Nellise remarked after a cursory examination. “To top it all off, he was an inquisitor. How he came to this end I do not know.”

  “Someone must have dropped him down a sewer grate after he lost the fight,” Ronan added. “Hell of a way to go.”

  “Maybe he was investigating something connected to this thing with the castle, and he got in over his head?” Pacian suggested, nauseated at the stench around them. “Seems like a bit of a coincidence to come across him down here at this time.”

  “Maybe,” Aiden hedged, having nothing better to add. “We’ll find our answers further along.” Sparky nodded and kept them moving, though Pacian did linger with the body for a moment longer. By the time he caught up, Sparky was pointing out that the River Aine flowed in from the eastern side of the city, so the waters near the castle were far cleaner than those on the western side of the city. These comments led Aiden to the inescapable conclusion they were about to take a swim.

  “It’s cold, but you’ll live,” Sparky remarked as the group stared down at the turbulent waters below. “It’s also the only way into the castle aside from the main entrance. Just swim down a bit, then along under this wall and you’ll pop out the other side, no problem.”

  “It looks pretty dark down there,” Ronan pointed out. “I assume it’s going to be pitch black on the other side.”

  “Probably,” Sparky shrugged. Nellise took a coin out of her pouch and held in clasped between her hands. Within moments, the coin began to glow as her prayer of light took hold. She then flipped the coin into the water, where it rapidly sank to the bottom, shedding light on the surroundings.

  “Nice,” Pacian remarked, giving Nellise a squeeze on the backside that made her jump in surprise. Sparky didn’t hesitate further, leaping into the water and swimming down through the tunnel underneath.

  “She had better be right about this,” Aiden groaned as he took off his breastplate. Taking their cue from him, the others also began removing their armour before taking the plunge.

  “Wrap your armour up good, and I’ll send back a rope to pull it through,” Ronan suggested as Aiden inhaled a deep breath and jumped in. The water wasn’t far above freezing and it was like being hit in the face with a cold brick. Struggling against the current, Aiden swam as hard as he could through the underground tunnel, which turned out to be a little longer than Sparky had mentioned.

  Aiden burst out of the water and gasped for breath, barely able to see in the intense gloom. He reached for the side of the river and pulled himself onto the ancient stone floor, shivering from the cold. He managed to focus enough to enact his spell of light on his belt, which showed Sparky wringing out her clothes nearby. Ronan popped out of the water a moment later, and with Aiden’s light showing him the way, quickly swam to safety.

  Instead of dealing with his wet clothing, the sailor took out a length of rope and found a sturdy stone support to tie it around, and then dropped the other end into the river, letting the current take it back to the others.

  The chamber they shivered in was dank, with mould-encrusted brick walls dripping with moisture. The faint outline of a large, filth-covered door nearby indicated the way into the bowels of the castle. Aiden might have found that turn of phrase to be amusing if he wasn’t so cold.

  One by one, the rest of his companions swam through the bitter waters and hauled themselves onto the narrow path beside the river, sopping wet and thoroughly miserable.

  “I am utterly sick of being cold,” Pacian sputtered. “When this is over, I’m parking myself in front of a fireplace for the rest of winter and I don’t care if the bloody world is coming to an end.”

  “I’m right there with you, mate,” Aiden agreed, checking the oil sack in which he carried all of his prized papers. Valennia was the last to come through and if anything, she seemed to enjoy the freezing-cold water.

  “That was invigorating,” she remarked as she emerged from the river like an ancient water goddess, tossing her black mane about. “It reminds me of home.”

  “I find I am becoming less enthused at visiting my homeland, for some reason,” Sayana muttered through chattering teeth, her palms held open in front of her with a large flame dancing upon them. Valennia gave her a rare smile and began hauling on the rope.

  “Let me help out, there,” Aiden offered, activating his gauntlet. On a hunch, he grabbed part of the rope that was still beneath the water, allowing the troublesome device to keep cool as the two of them pulled through the heavy package of armour that was tied to the other end.

  While they put their armour back on, Sparky went to work on the large door that barred their way onward. By the time Valennia was fully encased in steel once more, the raelani thief had pried the obstinate door open and beckoned them on.

  Aiden led the way, his light illuminating the dank passageway which seemed to be some sort of service tunnel that had long since fallen into disuse. They wended their way through a series of connecting tunnels before arriving at a small ladder descending from the ceiling. Sparky scrambled up the rusty ladder and opened a small hatch which let out a horrid squealing noise echoing through the tunnels.

  Hoping that hadn’t given them away, Aiden and the rest followed Sparky up and found themselves within the castle itself. The stone here was whiter and the bricks cut larger, even if they were still in a lower part of the massive edifice. A musty smell permeated the air and there was no sign anyone had been down here in a while.

  “Sparky, did you or any of the other thieves ever let on about this entrance to the assassins?” Aiden whispered to her.

  “Of course not,” she scoffed. “Most of the guild doesn’t know either. This is a little secret between me and a couple of other good mates, all of who are in here, somewhere.”

  They didn’t have to travel far before the distinct sounds of sobbing could be heard from up ahead, as well as some hushed conversation. Instantly on alert, Aiden signalled for the others to keep quiet and gestured for Pacian to go and take a look.

  “It’s the castle holding cells, or ‘dungeons’ if you prefer their classic term,” he whispered after he returned shortly thereafter. “Only four guards there, but there has to be a few dozen people in those cells. Smells pretty bad too.”

  “I hate the idea of killing Kingdom guardsmen,” Aiden remarked quietly.

  “Well that’s just it, I don’t think they are,” Pacian continued. “They’re all armed with versions of Val’s scythe, and some of their armour doesn’t quite fit.”

  “Those cultists again?” Nellise exclaimed. “I thought we would have thinned their ranks in the battle at the Senate.”

  “Thinned, but not eliminated, apparently,” Ronan muttered. “I’m okay with killing these guys, in case you were wondering. We should probably do this real quiet-like, in case there are more nearby. You up for some cloak and dagger, Pace?”

  “Yeah… we don’t have much choice, do we,” he replied, surprising Aiden with his reluctance.

  “Don’t sound too excited,” Ronan observed dryly. “Sparky, give us a hand would you?”

  “Right behind you, ‘Hawk,” she said eagerly, drawing out a pair of knives. The three of them disappeared around the corner, forcing Aiden and the ladies to wait and wonder if everything was going to plan. The brief sounds of a scuffle could be heard a minute or so later, accompanied by gasps from the people in the cells. Fearing the worst, Aiden led the rest of his companions forward, giving up the pretence of stealth as the armoured group charged in.

  The passage ended at a barred portcullis that Pacian
and the two thieves had gone through. When Aiden burst onto the scene in the large chamber beyond, he saw the bodies of four guards on the floor and Sparky ominously wiping blood from her daggers on one of their torn tunics. Pacian was retching into a corner nearby, although Aiden was surprised that he had anything left to get rid of after their trip on the sea.

  Across the room were the cells that held dozens of people, crowded behind the bars to watch with rekindled hope at the demise of their captors. Most of them were women, and more than a few of the men were wearing the fine clothing of court functionaries. Many of them sported black eyes and other injuries, but in the cells at the far end, a foul and familiar stench was permeating the room, and Aiden recoiled at the pile of bodies lumped unceremoniously into the cell.

  “What in God’s name happened here?” he exclaimed, covering his mouth at the foul stench of dozens of dead bodies.

  “Get us out of this place!” one of the men cried. “The castle has been taken over by those people!”

  “Calm down, we’re here to help,” Nellise assured them as Sparky darted over and unlocked the doors with a key she’d found on a guardsman.

  “How could you betray us like this?” a dark-haired woman with fiery eyes hissed at Ronan. “These people are monsters, and you just handed us over without a care!”

  “I didn’t have anything to do with this!” Ronan shot back. “But I swear to you Liz, I’ll find the bastard who did and make him pay. Where’s Vaughn?”

  “He was the first one they took upstairs,” the woman named Liz replied, only slightly mollified at Ronan’s assurances. “They took a lot of the men with them and never came back.” The sailor cursed under his breath and stalked back and forth across the floor in anger.

  “How many more of them are there?” Nellise asked the middle-aged, balding man who had spoken earlier.

  “Two dozen or so,” he replied, causing Aiden and the others to stare at him in disbelief. “At least, that’s how many there were to begin with. I think there are more of them now, but it’s been hard to tell from down here. They all sort of look the same.” the court functionary added.

  “They’d come down here now and then and take people at random,” Liz added, distress replacing her anger. “It’s not enough that they’re killing us off, they have to go and torture us as well? Why are they doing this?” she moaned, breaking down uncontrollably.

  “I will cut off their hands and carve my name into their chests before I gift them with death,” Valennia spat with growing fury.

  “I told Perry he shouldn’t have made a deal with the assassins,” Ronan said under his breath. “The ones we didn’t kill are obviously out for revenge against the Guild.” The beleaguered prisoners filed out of the cells, holding on to each other for reassurance and support as Sparky opened the doors, one by one. They had been through a lot in the past two days, and didn’t appear to be in any condition to swim back through the entrance Aiden and the rest had come through.

  “Alright, we’re going upstairs,” he instructed carefully. “Sparky, hang back and keep an eye on them, but don’t start following us up unless the way is clear.”

  “What’s the plan?” Ronan asked Aiden with a determined voice.

  “We have to assume they’re holding the front gate,” Aiden began. “We’re going to break through to the royal court and pull as many of these bastards as we can away from that area. Hopefully, Sparky can then get to the drawbridge controls and open the place so Sir Denholm can bring in the City Watch.”

  “You should understand that a lot of those men are wearing the plate armour of our own Royal Guard,” the functionary explained. “They may look like ours, but every one of them is an imposter.”

  “This isn’t going to be easy,” Sayana whispered to Aiden. “We didn’t come here expecting to face such a force.” He nodded, glancing around at his tired and worn companions who had yet to recover from the physical and emotional scars they had gained in their battle against Aeldrith.

  “Can you use that thing?” Aiden suggested, gesturing at the staff she held, receiving a slight nod in reply. With grim purpose, he pulled the oil sack off his shoulder and fetched out the pile of scrolls he’d taken from the Isle.

  “I didn’t think I’d be making use of these quite so soon,” he remarked as he started reading them out, one after the other.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Aiden had never experienced anything quite like this before, even when he fought the akoran savages in their cave weeks ago. The strength he’d gained from the ancient scrolls he’d procured from Ferrumgaard paled in comparison with the power surging through him now.

  He could practically feel the roughness of the stone walls just by looking at them. The beating of his companion’s hearts was audible to his enhanced hearing, and with every step he had to resist the urge to laugh and take off down the corridor with immense speed, such was the power he felt in his body.

  A spark of electricity popped off his breastplate, startling those around him in the otherwise quiet corridor.

  “Is that supposed to happen?” Pacian wondered aloud, gripping the repeating crossbow tightly as he looked at Aiden.

  “I doubt it,” Sayana murmured in reply. “Aiden, you don’t have the experience to control so much power at once. You shouldn’t have used so many scrolls.”

  “It’s a bit late to worry about that now,” Aiden replied casually, unperturbed by their concerns. “Wait… do you smell that?” he added, pausing to try and pinpoint the location of the odour. It was both familiar and twisted somehow, and creeping forward, he spotted an antechamber off from the main hallway that seemed to be the source of the stench. Inside was like a charnel house, with blood on the walls and floor and strange symbols etched into the stone.

  “Something awful happened here,” Aiden remarked grimly, glancing at Nellise, who peered into the room with one hand over her mouth.

  “The room is tainted with unclean energies,” she said. “A dark ritual was held here, the nature of which I cannot explain.”

  “I think it’s safe to say that we know what happened to the people who were taken away,” Ronan added. “These bastards are into some pretty dark stuff.”

  “We keep moving,” Valennia growled from behind her visor. “The faster we kill these men, the better for everyone.”

  They continued onwards, passing by several other hastily abandoned rooms. It seemed the death cult and the assassins had swept through the castle, rounding up everyone they could find and depositing them into the dungeons below. Aiden was somewhat relieved by this, for at least it meant not everyone had been killed and there would be no civilians to get in the way when the fighting started.

  Presently, they ascended a staircase to what Aiden assumed was the ground floor. A large door blocked the way, yet it wasn’t locked. Upon opening it Ronan saw something that made him close it part-way once more, leaving only a crack for him to peek through.

  “Contact,” he whispered, sending a ripple of tension through the group as they prepared themselves for what was to come. “I see six men, dressed like Royal Guard but carrying those damn scythes. They’re keeping watch on the doors on the other side of the room.”

  “I’d prefer to make our presence known only when we get to the main gate,” Aiden whispered back.

  “There’s too many to take silently with the three of us doing the dirty work,” Pacian said in hushed tones, gesturing to Ronan and Sparky, who had just joined them. Far behind them were the beleaguered members of the thieves’ guild and the court, timidly creeping along behind.

  “Then we do it the other way,” Valennia barked, pulling Ronan out of the way and kicking the door open. Aiden groaned inwardly and followed her through with the intention of aiding her attack, yet he wasn’t fully prepared for what happened.

  After activating his gauntlet, Aiden dashed past Valennia like she was standing still and found himself before three of the cultists by himself. He brought his sword down in a stri
ke lacking any kind of finesse, its blade shimmering with augmented power and cleaving right through the plate armour protecting the warrior beneath. Blood burst out, seeming to gush from the body with incredible slowness as Aiden whirled and drove his weapon across the throat of the next surprised opponent, taking his head cleanly from his body.

  When the opportunity presented itself, he plunged his sword into the chest of the closest warrior then brought his foot up to kick the body off the blade with a screech of metal from the perforated breastplate, the instantly lifeless body being throw back against the wall several yards away.

  Valennia finally caught up with him, too late to provide assistance. There was nothing else for it now, for as the last of the warriors fell, the sounds of shouting and heavily armoured men moving about could be heard echoing through the castle’s halls.

  “Which way is the main gate from here?” Valennia asked, Nellise being the one to point the way. They burst through the next door, discarding subtlety in favour of speed and came across a magnificently appointed dining room, with tapestries and fine curtains on the walls. It also featured at least a dozen heavily armed cultists rushing in their direction, but it was Sayana’s turn to even the odds. Lifting the staff taken from the ancient Aeldrith, she unleashed a storm of fire that bathed the entire room in green flame.

  The cultists could be heard screaming as they burned in the conflagration. Aiden looked at Sayana with astonishment, and she returned his gaze with a calm nod, gripping the powerful staff of Aeldrith in both hands. Aiden led his companions across the smoking, charred room and followed Nellise’s directions to an ornate door. Beyond it lay the main gate to the castle, and Aiden suspected the room would be heavily defended.

  It was locked, so Pacian stepped up and went to work, and when he was done, attempted to peer through the keyhole. His whispered curses were very informative to Aiden, confirming that the enemy presence was substantial.

  “I don’t know where they all came from, but there has to be fifty of these bastards in there,” he breathed. “They look like they’ve all set up to defend that gate.”