by Adam Watson
A short time later, Bucos reached the cemetery. After seeing how much of the city had been ravaged on his way here, he had half expected to see it in a state of complete devastation, but it had been left virtually untouched.
The cemetery was surprisingly peaceful and serene, this is where the elite of the city had been laid to rest for centuries. Highly ornate mausoleums filled the area, gravestones lined the avenues. The grass was green, and even the flowers grew in abundance.
Yes, it was peaceful now, but Bucos had no intention of being here when the sun went down. No, that would not be a good idea at all. This place might seem serene and peaceful now, but when the darkness comes so too will the madness. This place of peace will turn into a frothing cauldron where screams fill the night and nightmares come to life - it had been that way ever since the invasion.
Gutner's tomb wasn't the largest mausoleum in the cemetery nor was it the most decorative, but it was listed in the directions, and so Bucos breathed a little easier once he stood outside of it. From the west side, walk out to the stream, follow it down until a wall is reached, he read.
Bucos walked to the west side of the tomb. He looked around, double checking and triple checking his bearings, he did not want to make this trip a fifth time. He looked up to the sky, and could see that the sun was starting to descend. Bucos took a deep breath, he had to focus, he had to get it right this time, if he messed this up again it could mean his life.
He kept following the trail, finding all the landmarks in the directions just as he had the other three times. His eyes scanned everything he passed, maybe he just missed something small, maybe it was obvious. Then again, the shrine could be hidden in a place not so obvious at all; he couldn't risk missing anything this time, so he scoured the entire trail thoroughly.
Another hour passed as the sun slowly descended, he had left the cemetery and returned back to the city beyond. He followed further, past the red fountain, past the statue of Euritah, back into the alley and straight back to the dead end he had encountered previously.
Bucos was sweaty, fear started to creep inside of him - the fear of failure. It was such a simple task, yet if he could not even find the shrine, how could he possibly complete it? Bucos looked to the sky, the sun was even lower, he was running out of time, soon he would have to complete his task in the dark. Nowhere was safe in the city once the sun had gone down - night time had turned into a nightmare.
He rushed to the end of the alleyway, it stopped at a stone wall. There was no way up or over and no way down or around. Bucos read the directions again. Yes, yes, yes ... this has to be the place. All descriptions led to this spot. But what if whoever wrote the description had made a mistake? His blood boiled at the thought.
Had he been walking around for hours on a wild goose chase? Soon it would be dark and the creatures of the night would start swarming. Soon he would have to fight his way back, confronting whatever fiends he encountered along the way, and after all that, if he even made it back to the General alive, he’d probably be executed on the spot for failing his mission, and why? Because some idiot fucked up the directions! Bucos couldn't believe it. I bet it was that fucking Jaceenta. She had wanted him dead for a long time, and the thought made Bucos livid.
Jaceenta, that scheming whore, that back stabbing bitch; she had probably been planning this for months. 'Yes, let's get Bucos to do the delivery.’ It was probably her idea, she was the one that gave him the directions. She probably wrote them herself … FUCKING BITCH! But what if he was in the right place? What if it was here somewhere? What if he just wasn’t looking hard enough? No, he couldn’t relax and just assume he had been set up, he needed to search the entire area.
And so, the search began, but it was a search against the clock. He couldn’t return without delivering what he had come to deliver, and he wouldn’t survive long when the sun went down. When he imagined what the creatures of the night could do to him, death at the hands of the General was starting to look appealing.
It’s these bricks, he thought. It has to be something to do with these bricks. He examined the stone wall, there was something strange about the way the alleyway was walled off at this point. He moved closer to examine it more thoroughly. Yes, there was something definitely odd about it. The stone looked ancient, really ancient, much older than the walls that joined onto it. It looked like it could be older than the city itself, but what it all meant, Bucos was unsure.
He began pressing the stones, believing that one of them could be a button that opened up a secret door. He pressed and pressed, but to no avail, in his peripheral vision he could see the sun descending lower and lower. The sky was aglow with an orange sunset - an orange that was slowly getting darker and darker.
Bucos began working at a furious pace, pressing this and pressing that. He had to find an opening, he had to find a lever, a button - anything. Curse that whore, curse you Jaceenta. What have you gotten me into? If I get out of this alive, I’m going to kill you, you bitch! Pressing, pressing and still nothing was happening. Darker and darker the sky became. He was frantic, his hands bled staining the walls as his flesh tore across the jagged surface. He didn’t stop, he pressed and pressed, he didn’t care how much it hurt, he didn’t care how much pain he felt - he had to find the opening.
Tears began to stream down his face, he sobbed, never stopping. The darkening sky was akin to his heart, despair filled him. It was unless, hopeless; he was getting nowhere. Jaceenta you whore, what have you done?
Time passed, he didn’t know how long. The sun was gone, buildings silhouetted the night. The lunar sky dominated, bathing the city in its eerie glow, and creatures had begun to rise.
Bucos could hear them, scratching and scurrying; some near, some far. Was he becoming one of them? Was madness coming as desperation set in? To give up now meant death, to leave this spot meant death. There was only one way, and that was forward - he clawed and scratched at the stone.
Bigger creatures were coming, their sounds echoing in the night. Howling, roaring, snarling; the beating of wings. The wind was becoming a tempest, the cities cold and bitter mistress.
Bucos held his head in his hands, blood was smeared across his face. Despair filled him, he had failed … but then … even in the darkest night, even in the howling wind, even though he was covered in blood and surrounded by death; a small glimmer of hope set in – a glimmer of hope that was fuelled by revenge. You think this is the end of me Jaceenta? You think that this is where I’m going to die? Mauled to death in a stinking alleyway?
No, this was the spot, it had to be. Jaceenta would like to get rid of him yes, but she wouldn’t dare do something so bold and so blatant. The General would know, he would surely find out. No, she had led him to the right spot but left out just enough detail for him to mess it up. He took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes, he had to focus now, he had to regroup, he was sure the answer was right in front of him.
Then a light came down from the sky; an eerie light, a lunar light. It shone down from the heavens and onto the wall, and when it did, the wall began to shimmer. Bucos couldn’t believe his eyes, he had never seen anything like it - somehow the wall was reacting to the moonlight.
He watched on, and the more the moonlight shone onto the wall, the more detail he began to see. An archway was forming in the middle, and the wall itself seemed to be disappearing, Bucos stared in awe. It’s an entrance! This had to be it. It was an entrance or a gateway to another place, he smiled.
There it is. Beyond the archway, a vision began to appear, and Bucos peered into the depths. Yes! Yes! He had found the secret entrance. What was once solid rock had now disappeared, revealing the shrine within. Bucos reached out hesitantly - this was the same stone on which he had torn his hands.
His hand glowed in the moonlight and filled him with serenity, dissipating the despair which had filled him so. Tears still streamed down his face, but not tears of sadness, rather tears of joy. He had found the shrine, he would
complete his task, he would live beyond today - he had never been so happy. He walked through the archway and into the realm beyond.
Beyond the doorway was a grotto, it seemed a magical place and gave Bucos a feeling of power. Around the outer edges was a garden. It was beautiful, a pleasure to the eyes and even though there was nobody around, the garden looked as well tended today as it did the day it was created.
Bucos walked further in, taking in the beauty of his surroundings. The peace and serenity was as magical as the moonlight which had revealed the entrance, small streams ran through the garden giving life to the plants within.
In the centre was a large stone structure, this is what he had been searching for - the Shrine of Solace. The stone was ancient and intricately carved. The platform rose up, and upon a pedestal of stone-carved wolves, stood a statue dedicated to the goddess Solace: the almighty Huntress, Queen of the Great Hunt. Upon her head was a hooded veil, with the most beautiful eyes Bucos had ever seen. Ornate armour and a great fur-lined cloak; she was beautiful and powerful. Bucos dropped to his knees and crawled forward.
“I-I have a message for you great Goddess.” He managed to get the words out, but he was so nervous he stuttered. He rose his head just enough to take a quick peak. The statue did not answer him, but its eyes seemed to penetrate his soul. Bucos quickly cast his eyes back to the floor, afraid that he could invoke wrath. He reached back behind him and pulled the carry bag around from his back to in front of him. Quickly scrummaging through the bag, he pulled out a sealed letter and held it in front of him.
“I-I’m supposed to deliver this to you great Goddess. It’s from General Vuko Vlad.” His voice cracked halfway through, but he managed to get the words out; again the statue remained silent. He peeked up just long enough to see that the piercing gaze was still on him. Bucos was about to speak again when something lit up in front of him.
It was a stone box, the lid was open, it was big enough to fit a chest in, and now the inside glowed with an eerie iridescent light.
“Y-you want me to put it in there?” Bucos smiled, had the great Goddess actually had a direct interaction with him? He crawled forward, up the steps, and hesitantly placed the letter in the glowing box, by the time he had crawled back down, the lid was shut - there was no doubt in his mind that he was witnessing the divine.
“Thank you, great Mistress,” he said. It was such a simple task, but he had never felt so privileged in his life. “You honour me, great Mistress. You honour me!” He peaked up again and gasped. The harsh gaze of the statue was gone, and even though her mouth was covered, she now looked like she was smiling at him. Oh, what a great day this has been. How privileged I am, how fortunate, how blessed.
Bucos made his way back through the archway and back into the alleyway. It was day, the creatures of the night were gone. Bucos smiled, he laughed, he felt like he had been blessed. Jaceenta you have failed. You wanted to kill me, but instead, you have blessed me. He laughed out loud and danced for joy on the cobblestones – he was that happy to be alive. Now he could go back to the General and report his success. And as for Jaceenta, he thought. Oh, won’t she be surprised?
16. FOUR PRISONERS: RAYNE
Rayne had been a soldier in the Royal Army for as long as she could remember. Whilst growing up as an urchin on the streets, she was confronted by a press-gang and offered a better life in the army. They had made it seem like she had a choice and she had accepted graciously, being tired of the cold, wet streets of Candelier City.
Grown up and thinking about it now, she was sure the army would have taken her in - whether she had accepted or not; it was the cities way to get rid of its undesirables.
She couldn't complain though, the army had been a better life than the one she had been living before. Yes, the training was hard, but she had found discipline. She had shelter and warmth when she was off duty, and there was always plenty of food to go around.
The other thing she liked about the army was, that despite the way she had been recruited, they had always paid her. The army was more than just fighting for someone else's cause - it was her job, her livelihood, and it had been her livelihood for more than twenty years.
Thinking back she smiled, they were good memories. At first, she had a bad attitude and a loud mouth ... but they had soon beaten that out of her. The army had no tolerance for upstarts, as many a cadet found out. She lived in fear of her superiors for the next five years, and mouthed off no longer.
After the initial years in the cadets, the real training began. Long days of hard work, miles of walking and running, climbing, sleep deprivation and training under stress – at the end she was in peak physical condition.
She learnt how to use different kinds of weapons in different kinds of situations; some were fast, some were slow, but all were deadly. After that it was the drills, working as a team, working for the unit, working as one. They were hard times, but that hardship is what made her the warrior she was today. She had to work through her own pain many times during the training, but she still had fond memories.
After a few campaigns and many battles, she was promoted and began her new career as a Drill Sergeant training new recruits. Rayne smiled at that, she had been a hard bitch to those green recruits, but there was nothing more satisfying than taking a weak recruit, making them fight through their pain and fatigue, showing them how strong they really were, and pushing them beyond limits they never thought were possible.
She had trained hundreds if not thousands of new recruits during the last fifteen years. She didn’t remember all their faces, but she did remember some - the ones that were exceptional, the ones that showed talent and ability far beyond their fellow recruits.
A long time ago she had trained one such as this. She had trained him often, and over the years he had become her favourite – he was a veteran soldier now, but this one had shown promise from day one.
He was naturally talented at warfare, offence and defence, but that wasn’t what made him stand out. This one possessed a quality that the others didn’t possess to anywhere near the same degree - an unrelenting will.
She had tested him, along with her other ‘special’ recruits. She had pushed them far beyond the endurance of average men and women. She had pushed them to breaking point; these ones were the strong ones - much stronger in body and mind than her regular recruits. In the end, they all broke, they all gave in drained, either mentally or physically - expect for one.
One man managed to push himself past all expectation. Even when fatigue had him in its grip, even when the mental stress threatened to overwhelm him, even when all else had fallen … he had pushed on … he had just kept pushing on. Rayne had never witnessed anything like it before or since.
Rayne looked over to the corner of the mess hall. She was no longer a Drill Sergeant in the Royal Army; the conquest of the city had changed all that. Now, she was just another soldier stuck in the confines of the city walls - but that wasn’t the worst of it.
The commander of the city garrison had changed. He was a good man once, well known throughout the city and army alike, charismatic and beloved by all. Rayne wasn’t the type of girl to go prying, nor was she the type of girl to trust anyone on face value, but ever since she had arrived here, she had begun to notice things - strange things.
Some things here didn’t add up, some things didn’t make any sense. She scooped up a spoonful of beans into her mouth and chewed. She looked around the room trying to act as normal as possible; she looked back to the corner, to the man lying on the cot. Hmmm. Yes, there were possibilities there.
The other soldiers here didn’t know who he was. Oh, they may have heard of him, they may have heard his name mentioned as a cadet who excelled just as they had heard the names of many cadets who excelled. Every year someone’s name would be mentioned, but they didn’t know who he was, she also doubted that anyone here would recognise him by sight, and so she smiled … ever so slightly, because that was good - she hoped to keep it th
at way.
No, they didn’t know who he was. They didn’t know what he was capable of, but she knew. He had come in with three others, she would have to find out what had become of them. Plans were beginning to brew in her mind, for the first time since she had been trapped inside these accursed walls she felt something - hope. She scooped the last spoonful of beans into her mouth and swallowed. She stood up and proceeded to leave the room, it was her turn for guard duty in the west tower, and once again it would be a long, cold night, but she smiled anyway - there was hope.
***
When Goran woke up he could hardly move, he had been beaten and bashed to a pulp. At first, he didn't know where he was, but then he remembered what had happened and realised he was on the cold stone floor of his new cell. He groaned as he tried to roll onto his stomach.
Goran closed his eyes. Pain ... so much pain. Had they broken his ribs? It was hard to tell, there was so much pain. His ribs hurt badly and so did his arms, his shoulders, his neck and back ... and pretty much every other part of his body. BUT WHAT A SHOW!!
He smiled, even that hurt, but he smiled anyway. How many guards had he taken on? Ten? Twenty? It seemed like a hundred at the time. He could see his ancestors now, up in the great hall, looking down, watching, laughing and hollering, perhaps they were even cheering him on - imagine that.
For a long time, Goran lay on the ground, unable to move, laughing quietly to himself on the floor of the cell. What a show, he thought. What a show - he wished he could have seen it.
***
Aseeka sat with her back against the hard stone wall. It was cold, but she had her blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The blanket was rough and dirty, but it was warmer than no blanket at all. Kayla was asleep on the floor next to her and was using her lap as a pillow. Aseeka didn’t mind, it was warmer when they were together. The one luxury they had in the cell was that the floor had straw on it. It was old, dirty and it stank, but it kept them off of the cold, stone floor.
