Shades Of Justice

by Justin Sloan

  This time the remnant’s ax connected, but it glanced off the king’s shoulder guard. He lunged into it, knowing the remnant would be off balance, and shoved the same shoulder guard into the bastard’s face. Teeth splintered and blood spewed and then the king rolled out of it, stabbing his sword backward and finding meaty resistance.

  He took a step away and drew the blade with him, and turned to see the remnant collapse to its knees.

  One quick swipe removed its head.

  A hand grabbed him and he started to attack, but then there were lips pressed against his. Rose’s face was right there, smiling as she pressed her forehead against his. Her wild eyes filled him with excitement.

  “This is the way to live,” she said, then turned back to attack some more remnant.

  Damn, he thought. If there was such thing as falling in love after only a short amount of time knowing someone, there was no doubt in his mind this was it. With a gleeful laugh followed by a crazed battle cry, he charged forward with her. He could only imagine the sight they must make, the two of them attacking and remnant blood spewing from their blades in all directions like a fountain of ecstasy.

  Was he a little crazy? No doubt, but he could see that the woman at his side was too, and in that way they were tied together like no others in this battle.

  And then he and Rose found themselves past the other soldiers and mages, moving into the depths of the horde of nasty creatures that resembled men but had red eyes and scarred skin that almost looked rotten in places.

  “Sire, you’re too exposed!” The shout reached him and the king turned to see Rune hacking his way toward him through the enemy.

  The king just smiled, trying to not let his mind go to the other meaning of that word as it related to himself and the woman at his side. Instead he fought on. A glance backward showed that the Ghostland clans had formed a line and were pushing through the remnant to his left, while the paladins held formation to his right. Where he fought, the remnant had begun to split like water crashing against a large rock.

  “There’s no reason to pull back just yet,” the king replied in the most composed manner possible at that moment. “We’ve got them on the run.”

  Rune shook his head in frustration, then motioned to someone. A moment later the rest of the king’s guard rushed forward to hold his position and join the fight as the king and Rose pushed forward. Several of the paladins came too, their swords gleaming with golden light. The stocky man called Stone was at the front, mumbling something about wanting a warm bed with his woman and cursing each of these remnant for keeping him from it.

  “Cheer up, man,” the king called over the clash of battle. “It’s not every day you get to do this!”

  “For me, lately,” the man replied, dodging a thrown ax, “it has been.”

  “Well, lucky you!” The king lunged forward, spilling the guts of the now ax-less remnant. “Let’s hurry this up then, and get you back to your woman.”

  “Tina,” Stone replied. “Her name is Tina.”

  “Let’s get you back to Tina,” the king replied, and saw Rose take a cut to the arm. That sent a new rage through him. Chest thudding, he threw himself at the three remnant trying to hurt his woman, but she was back at them before he could get there. The first two tasted her blades, one through the neck and the next tearing through the cheek before pulling free to find the attacker’s heart.

  Before she turned for the third, the king’s blade cleaved its head in two. He kicked the creature from his blade and turned to beam at Rose.

  She glared. “I had that.”

  “And I helped.”

  For a moment she looked annoyed, but then smiled widely. “Kind of like holding a door for me, I guess. I didn’t need you to take it down, but, perfect gentlemen that you are, you did it anyway.”

  He blinked, unsure how holding a door for her and taking down a would-be killer related, but okay—if she said so. On and on they pushed, though soon the smoke from the fire was eating into their lungs, burning with each breath. It was with great pleasure they realized only one enemy remained.

  With a great swing of the king’s sword, the final remnant fell. Rose leaped into his arms and planted another kiss on his lips, holding it there for a long moment before letting him go.

  “You two are…” Stone hesitated, glancing at Rune. “Am I allowed to say a king is bat-shite crazy?”

  Rune shook his head.

  “Ah, then I’ll just say you two are quite the odd ones.” Stone cleaned his sword on a fallen remnant, then went back to check on the paladins. The king held Rose’s hand at his side, standing tall to observe the destruction they had wrought. Bodies lay strewn across the battlefield, though the smoke made it hard to see the far side. The sky had darkened from the smoke, reflecting an eerie red glow from the flames that licked the trees.

  “They were running,” Rune stated, “away from the fire. As if someone had lit the fire for the express purpose of sending these bastards right at us.”

  The king nodded. “I wouldn’t put it past them. And the fire?”

  “Out of control,” Rune admitted. “But there’re the rocky cliffs, ground the fire can’t reach. If we move east and then north, we shouldn’t have a problem moving past it.”

  The king paused to wave at Volney, the mystic who had agreed to travel with his group. He jogged forward, having stayed out of most of the fight. His contribution had been to help keep the men fearless through his mental magic.

  “Do you sense other trouble this way? An ambush, perhaps?”

  Volney’s eyes went white and he turned in a full circle, searching with his mind. When his eyes returned to normal, he shook his head. “Nothing that I can sense.”

  “Make it so, then,” the king told Rune, “but let’s keep track of our journey so we know where to reconnect with Laird Summers. The plan must remain intact.”

  “Understood, my king,” Rune replied, then moved off to convey the order to the others of the royal guard.

  Rose led the unicorn over with the wounded man still on it.

  “I’ll let him ride,” she stated.

  “No need,” the king replied, then waved to his men. “Spread the word to gather all wounded here.”

  “Sire, we must move before the fire reaches us,” one of them protested.

  “No, we must heal everyone so that we can move faster. It won’t take long.”

  Rose gave him a nod of approval. While he didn’t need it, he smiled and nodded back, glad to know they were on the same page on this. Of course, there was also the desire to be back on the unicorn with her, but he was pretty sure he wasn’t letting that influence his decision. Well, maybe a little, but healing them all made sense too.

  When they finally were on the move again, his mind clearing from the haze and excitement of battle, he noticed Rose looking at him with a glint in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.

  “What?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Nothing.”

  “What is it?”

  “Just… I was impressed,” she admitted. “Many kings would have sat back and let their men do the killing and dying. Not you.”

  “What’s the fun of being king if I can’t lead my soldiers into battle?” he asked.

  “I couldn’t agree more.” She looked away, then back again with a wide smile.

  As he looked at that smile—the way her cheeks had a slight, barely noticeable dimple, and the cute way her hair was tucked behind her ears—he suddenly felt a pang of worry. Not for his or her safety, but for the fact that he knew without a doubt he was never going to be the same. The old man he had been growing into was gone. This fighting man, the one with Rose by his side—he was now one hundred percent that man.

  And despite the sense of worry with maybe even a hint of confusion and fright, he loved it.

  CHAPTER SIX

  At this point Rhona was glad to see that Kia and Lannis had learned to march without complaining, but they had been through so much t
hat it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise. They passed through a wood that had heavy wet moss clinging to the north sides of the trees and rocks, and witch’s hair, as she liked to call it, hanging from the branches.

  While the land hadn’t proven too uneven or difficult to manage yet, heavy smoke had begun to fill the air, making each succeeding breath less pleasant.

  “I just wish Rose and her unicorn were here,” Kia stated, glancing back the way they had come.

  “That’s the perk of being king,” Donnon stated, smiling at his daughter. “It means you get the woman and the unicorn.”

  “You want to switch, do you?” Rhona asked with a raised eyebrow.

  He laughed. “Not a chance. I’ve got myself a fighting woman who can manipulate shadows to kill all in her path. It’s like my worst nightmare and best wet dream in one.”

  “Best what?” Kia asked.

  He blushed as he said, “Er, nice dream… That’s what I said.”

  “Well you let me know when you decide I’m more nightmare than not,” Rhona replied. “Then we’ll see what can be arranged.”

  Donnon chuckled. “Never, dear. It’ll never happen. You’re perfect for me.”

  She rolled her eyes, but honestly appreciated hearing it.

  “Arse-licking jackhole,” Kia exclaimed.

  “What the hell did you say?” her dad turned on her, eyes wide.

  She was about to repeat herself when Lannis exclaimed, “Fire, there!”

  Everyone turned to see where he was pointing and, sure enough…flames were visible through a haze of smoke to their right.

  “Get the kids out of here,” Donnon said, taking a few steps forward before Rhona caught him and pulled him back around.

  “And you’ll what? Put out the flames?”

  He shook his head, looking past her. “At least try to see if we can spot who started this. Catch them and make them pay.”

  “You think it was meant for us?”

  “Us or someone we know, aye.” He pushed with his magic to clear a path in the flames, but it only remained open temporarily before the flames came back. Even with them clear, though, the smoke had been too heavy to make anything out.

  “We can all try,” Kia offered, weaseling her way around Estair, who was attempting to lead them away.

  Donnon shook his head, took Rhona by the hand, and wrapped an arm around his daughter as he headed away from the flames. “Rhona’s right. By the look of it, this is spreading over the whole forest. We wouldn’t be able to make much of a dent, and might actually end up worsening the fire.”

  Just then the flames flared, moving through more nearby trees. Kia tried to push them back anyway, but Rhona saw that Donnon was right—doing so just moved them elsewhere. Their magic couldn’t get rid of them. Perhaps some water mages with a huge body of water near them could make a difference, but even then she couldn’t be sure.

  “Keep moving!” she shouted, running with Donnon and being sure not to let go of his hand. The smoke was growing thick, and if they got separated it was entirely possible that they might lose track of each other.

  Estair coughed, throwing her hands back to give them all a bit of extra stamina and speed for the run, then did the same for herself.

  “Don’t exhaust yourself,” Alastar said, considering their options as he ran up to Estair. “If anyone gets hurt, we’ll need both of us for healing.”

  “Agreed,” Estair replied.

  They reached an incline that led them to a point the fire hadn’t burned yet, and it allowed them to see over some of the trees. Lannis pushed with his wind and cleared some of the smoke.

  The sight made Rhona catch her breath, a nervous ball forming in her chest and hurting like gas.

  As far as they could see, the fire was spreading to the southeast—all the way to the cliffs and the rock face beyond. If anyone was caught in the center of that, they would be in trouble. Even where they were, she wasn’t totally sure they were safe.

  “It’s not beyond my aunt, I suppose,” she said. “She killed my mom and abandoned us to some whacko. Now she’ll see the whole world burn.”

  “Not the whole world,” Alastar countered, nodding for them to keep moving. “Just Roneland.”

  “For now.”

  He nodded, seeing her point.

  The fire continued to follow them, but soon they reached a part of the woods near a river. This area had recently seen rain, it appeared, so the fire didn’t burn here. They were working their way across the shallow river when someone shouted, “Halt. Proclaim yourselves!”

  “Alastar, and this is my sister Rhona,” Alastar stated, after a moment’s hesitation. “We’re enemies of the invading sorcerers, and seek the Lady Mowain so that we may put an end to her.”

  Several women stepped out, hands at the ready, and the river rose around the group. It suddenly became clear to Rhona that the moisture here was not from a recent rain, but protection cast by these water mages.

  “What did you have to do with this fire?” a woman with long black hair to match her now-black eyes asked.

  “Nothing,” Rhona replied, “other than almost being trapped in it and barely escaping.”

  The women conversed, debating, and when the black-haired one finally nodded they all let the magic go, their eyes returning to normal. They still watched the group with caution, but waved them over. The leader said, “Name’s Walain. Follow us, and we’ll get you to safety. Hear your story too, if you’ll share. We’d like to do our part to pay back whoever is destroying our forest.”

  “Your forest?” Alastar asked.

  “Aye. Don’t you know?” She smiled, gesturing around. “You’re in my world now.”

  “And you are?”

  “Walain. I just said that.” The lady looked at them like they were idiots, then gestured for them to hurry as they all started moving. After a quick uneasy exchange of glances with her brother, Rhona shrugged and followed. With a fire like the one back there so close, she figured the safest place to be was around some water mages—even if their leader was a bitch.

  They ran through the woods, pausing as they passed a woman going in the other direction.

  “More water’s needed on the northeast edge,” Walain shouted at her, and received a salute before continuing forward.

  “What have we stumbled upon here?” Rhona asked.

  “This outpost doesn’t exist,” Walain replied. “What you’re seeing here is not real.”

  “And what you’re saying is nonsensical,” Donnon replied.

  She glared, then looked at his plaid with a scoff. “Fire mage, no doubt. You’re lucky we haven’t killed you already.”

  “Threaten him and see what happens,” Rhona snarled.

  The woman just shook her head. They moved into a decline, then went around a bend in a hill that led them toward a spot where the hill became a cliff. There, at the base of the cliff, were some well-camouflaged huts.

  Walain slowed to a walk here, and the others followed suit. She stopped and turned to Donnon and Rhona. “Right. Here’s where we cut all the shite. No more jokes. No more questions unless you’re asked if you have some.”

  Rhona frowned and didn’t say anything, then nudged Donnon when it was clear he was about to speak.

  “Good. I’m about to introduce you to our generals. We’re an outpost of Clans Forrestaire, Lockmire, and Greenwood. We were originally stationed in this area as a forward post against the paladins,” at this she gave Alastar a disapproving glance, “but things have changed. We’ve had our issues with the fire mages, but recently we’ve seen way too many remnant roaming these woods to make sense. And others, too. Men and women in dark robes of black and purple.”

  “The Dark Society,” Rhona offered.

  “You know of them?” Walain asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “We are on a quest to destroy them, as a matter of fact,” Alastar interjected. “Their leader killed our mother.”

  “I’m…sorry for your los
s.”

  “It was long ago, but thank you.” Rhona looked back at the huts. “I assume we’re all on the same side at this point, or you would’ve attacked us by now.”

  Walain nodded. “As far as I’m concerned, yes, but the generals have the final say. Lately they’ve been focused on these new enemies. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that, judging by the mixture of your group—fire mages, a paladin, and two children—you aren’t the enemy here.”

  “Thank you for your vote of confidence,” Donnon said, standing with his chest out, thumbs tucked into the waist of his pants. “You’d be right about that, so let’s get to it.”

  “Again…” She rubbed her temples in frustration. “While I don’t think you’re the enemy, my generals can be strict. I would encourage sticking to the rules I’ve laid out.”

  “You have my word,” Rhona offered, “and I’ll try to keep the rest of my friends in check.”

  “You have the same promise from all of us,” Alastar said. “If there’s trouble on our side, I’ll deal with it.”

  Donnon gave him an amused look, but stopped when he noticed Rhona staring.

  “Very well,” Walain said, then turned on her heel and started toward the center hut. “Follow closely.”

  Several men and women were moving about the outpost; preparing for battle, it appeared. They stopped to look at the newcomers, who were not smiling. They likely thought this was the group that had started the fires, Rhona realized, especially given that Donnon and Estair were wearing their clan colors—colors that clearly marked them as being either fire mages or associated with fire mages.

  They were approaching the main hut when the door opened and a tall man in brown leathers and a flowing blue cloak stepped out.

  “General Tarstan,” Walain said, bowing her head and placing her right hand on her chest.

  He returned the salute, then eyed the newcomers. “We’re taking prisoners now?”

  “We rescued these people as they ran from the flames. Despite their clothing, I do not believe they were responsible.”