Pointing Gryphclaw at Barrow’s Marsh, Autem declared, “Let’s go avenge my family!”
After those words, Autem and his knights hastened their charge with great intensity. They screamed with bloodlust as they entered the town, where they found the denizens crying out in fear. It did not take long for Autem to encounter some of the so-called warriors he heard about. Running at him with pitch forks and agricultural and blacksmithing tools were a collection of a dozen peasants. Despite their bravery, Autem effortlessly cut them down with a few swings of Gryphclaw and Autem further advanced with his forces.
As Autem went deeper into Barrow’s Marsh, his knights used their torches to set every building on fire. Also, every man and woman Autem and his knights came across were cut down. However, Autem explicitly ordered his men to spare the children because he had special plans for them.
Finally, after many hours of pillaging and killing, Autem reached the center of Barrow’s Marsh, where the mayor of the town stood in the middle of town’s square. The mayor was another knight dressed in full plate armor, but his surcoat bore the sigil of a pair of antlers on an orange field. In the mayor’s hands was a battle axe and a circular shield. Autem and his men surrounded the mayor, cutting off any chance of escape.
Turning to his lieutenant, Autem ordered, “Bring the children. I want them to see this.”
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” the lieutenant said and rode to the other side of the square.
Within moments, some of Autem’s men parted to reveal all of the children of Barrow’s Marsh. They were all frightened, angry, and covered in soot. Some of them clung to each other for comfort.
Approaching the mayor, Autem announced, “Sir Randolf Morwen! You and your town are charged with crimes against the Empire! What do you have to say for yourself?”
Standing firm, Randolf defiantly countered, “I don’t know what nonsense you accuse us of, but we had nothing to do with it!”
“Are you ready to bet your life on your innocence?” Autem asked intently.
Strengthening his stance, Randolf affirmed, “I am! A knight always stands by his honor no matter what!”
After a moment’s pause, Autem offered, “Then let’s make a bargain, shall we? You and I will have ourselves a little duel. If you defeat me, we will leave you and the rest of your citizens in peace. However, if I win, your town will burn while you and the other survivors will stand trial for murder and high treason.”
Pondering on the offer for a bit, Randolf finally answered, “I accept your challenge!”
Autem then got off his horse and gripped his sword and shield tightly as he and Randolf began circled each other. His own breathing echoing through his helmet, Autem waited for Randolf to make the first move. Then Randolf charged at Autem with his axe raised and Autem countered by violently pushing with his shield, knocking Randolf off balance. Taking advantage of Randolf’s weakened state, Autem swiped with Gryphclaw at Randolf’s left thigh. The blow cut through Randolf’s armor and chainmail and a geyser of blood sprayed out.
Wounded, Randolf could no longer maintain an effective stance. Desperately, Randolf prepared to swing with his axe again, but Autem hacked with Gryphclaw to cut the axe in two at the handle. With Randolf disarmed, Autem slammed the side of the shield against Randolf’s chest with such force that Randolf was roughly flattened on his back.
Pointing Gryphclaw’s tip at Randolf’s groget, Autem ordered, “Yield!”
Grunting with discomfort and frustration, Randolf bitterly said, “I do.”
Autem then removed his sword from Randolf’s throat and two of his knights seized Randolf and dragged him away.
Sheathing Gryphclaw, Autem turned to the children of Barrow’s Marsh and announced, “Children, hear me! I am your Emperor, Autem the Third of House Sylva! You are probably wondering why I attacked your town and put it to the torch. The reason is because your elders have conspired to murder my brother and nephews. I responded in kind and delivered the punishment as an emperor should.
However, to demonstrate to you that I am firm but fair, I will not punish the children of Barrow’s Marsh for the crimes its elders. Therefore, I will grant you a choice. Don’t be afraid. There is no wrong answer and you have the right to change your mind at any time. You can either stay here at the place of your birth or you can come with me to the capital and live in comfort in the Imperial Palace. Each of you will have the opportunity to have a greater life than you ever had before. Some of you may become knights and squires in my army or handmaidens to the empress and princesses. Others may become cooks in my kitchens or cleaners in my stables. A few might even become advisors to the Imperial Crown when you are old enough and receive enough education. Regardless of where you end up, you will all live in comfort and never go hungry again. What say you?”
For a while, the children exchanged looks as though struggling to decide what to do. Finally, they all approached Autem and deeply kneeled before him, sniffling as they did so.
“Excellent. My knights will carry you to the Imperial Palace. Your old lives are over and your new lives are about to begin,” Autem declared, smiling smugly under his helmet.
__ __ __
After returning to the Imperial Palace, Autem went to the nursery to find Agatha with their infant triplet sons. The babies were sleeping in their gilded cradles while Agatha watched them while sitting in a chair next to them. Despite only giving birth a week ago, Agatha looked healthy and strong. However, Autem noticed a troubled expression etched onto Agatha’s face.
Concerned, Autem asked, “I quelled the rebellion, gave the populace the so-called justice they craved, and now they think I am firm but fair. Yet you are trouble, My Love. Why?”
Agatha hesitated before she explained, “I had Druid Vision and I sense terrible turmoil on the horizon. The landscape was ablaze and littered with untold thousands of corpses, dragons and other unholy monstrosities filled the sky, and two beasts of gold were battling one another to the death. It was a duel between a phoenix and a gryphon. The phoenix held a sword with a black blade in its talons while the gryphon held a Aetherian Steel sword in its talons, but I never could see which creature won. That was when my vision ended.”
Autem’s eyes widened as he listened to Agatha’s prophecy. After contemplating for a moment, Autem said, “Were they actual beasts fighting or was there symbolism?” When Agatha did not answer, Autem firmly continued, “If the gryphon symbolizes the sigil of our House, there must be a great rebellion over the horizon. When it comes, we will defeat it as we have since House Sylva ascended the Imperial Throne. Our sons will become Emperors. I swear by all the Gods.”
Smiling gently, Agatha whispered, “I hope you are right, Darling. I cannot bear the idea of living in a world without our precious boys.”
Gently placing a hand on Agatha’s shoulder, Autem said, “In the immortal words of House Sylva, ‘My Iron Wrath’. If anyone dares threaten our family’s future, they will face that iron wrath.”
__ __ __
As Autem slept, he found himself wandering in a strange dreamscape. He was walking through a nihilistic realm that was dark and misty. To make matters worse, Autem was without any armor or weapons to defend himself. If something unholy was lurking in the shadows, Autem was helpless against it.
Suddenly, the mist materialized into the forms of Autem’s nephews, brother, and father. Behind them were all the citizens of Barrow’s Marsh. They all glared at Autem with intense hatred and disdain.
Confused, Autem asked, “What sorcery is this?”
In unison, Autem’s nephews said, “We were dead before our time. We worshipped and loved you as our uncle.”
Then Autem’s brother said, “I always saw you as my strong right hand. We could have ruled Gradaia together side by side. Instead, you cast me aside along with my sons.”
Autem’s father grunted, “You think just because you are the smartest man in the room that makes you fit to be emperor? You married a witch who replays the vo
ices of demons in your ear. You even killed me like a coward by using a coward’s weapon.”
Finally, all of the citizens of Barrow’s Marsh said, “We lived in peace and tolerated your family’s rule. Now you killed us, destroyed our home, and enslaved our children to protect your lie.”
Afterwards, the specters declared, “Despair and die!”
Without warning, the ghosts merged together to form a fiery phoenix that turned him to ash. Autem screamed in indescribably agony as his flesh melted from his bones . . .
__ __ __
Autem awoke from his nightmare in a cold sweat. Agatha was still asleep beside him.
Placing his hands to his temples, Autem whispered, “Is that the manifestation of sins coming back to haunt me? Am I doomed to die at the hands of a phoenix? My family . . . Barrow’s Marsh . . . I cannot even pity myself for their deaths. If being a villain is what it takes to secure my family’s future, then it is a price I will play gladly.”
After those words, Autem struggled to return to sleep as he remained tormented by his ghastly vision . . .
CHAPTER 27
In the darkness of night, Foxden Castle descended further into chaos. The invaders cut down almost every tree around the castle and used them to build siege engines, leaving the landscape virtually barren. After the fire wall that reinforced the moat had died down, Robar’s army made full use of their siege weapons. After a few weeks, the castle’s walls and towers were heavily damaged from trebuchets and catapults.
Now the invaders were using turtles to fill the moat with soil, rocks, and lumber. As a result, the siege towers were finally entering the conflict. For the moment, three siege towers were deployed, each one housing hundreds of men. Desperate to disable to imposing machines, the Letum garrison tried to shoot the men pushing the towers with arrows and crossbow bolts. Sadly, it was not enough to stop the siege towers from connecting with the castle walls.
Once the towers opened, Richard and his children battled for their lives. Richard and Brom brandished claymores while Edward, Benjamin, and Lara wielded longswords. Standing beside the Letums were members of their garrison. The Baal soldiers poured out of the siege towers, screaming with bloodlust.
Swinging their blades left and right, the Letums cut down invaders while their archers and crossbowmen picked off more. However, on other sections of the walls the other siege towers were releasing their cargo. To make matters worse, the Baal army was also deploying the usage of ladders to climb over the walls.
Frantically slaying one invader after another, Richard loudly ordered, “Brom, take men to the west wall! Edward, take men to the east wall! Benjamin and Lara with me!”
Even though his two eldest children obeyed him, Richard was horrified with what the siege was doing to his younger children. Before the siege began, Benjamin and Lara were the pinnacle of innocence and idealism. When they killed their first opponents, they were so traumatized by the ordeal that they froze mid-battle, which forced Richard and Edward to save them. Now, Benjamin and Lara became more hardened and cynical with their innocence utterly obliterated by the horrors of war.
Although Richard was not pleased with how Benjamin and Lara turned out, he was pleased that they became more formidable warriors in exchange. This has helped them survive the siege as long as they have. Only time would tell if they would survive the battle.
As Richard continued to cut his way through enemy ranks, he contemplated on how the siege unfolded after the fire wall. After the inferno died down, Robar’s army finished constructing their catapults and trebuchets and launched a barrage of projectiles on Foxden Castle. The brutality and consistency of the bombardment resulted in the deaths of over three hundred of House Letum’s men. With the castle garrison in disarray from the barrage, the Baal army began using their ladders and siege towers. Now their numbers were dwindling with each day. If something was not done about the ladders and siege towers, Richard and his family would be overrun by nightfall.
Turning to a crowd of his men, Richard barked, “Dirk!”
Dirk emerged from the chaos and ran to Richard after decapitating an enemy soldier.
Upon reaching Richard, Dirk asked, “Yes, My Lord?”
“Take command here! I am going to lead a sortie to take out their siege weapons!”
Without waiting for Dirk’s reply, Richard ran down to the courtyard and began gathering a team. Frantically trying to take control of the situation, Dirk turned his attention to the mass of enemy soldiers pouring out of the siege tower.
__ __ __
In a secret passageway under Foxden Castle, Richard led three hundred men to a small gate. The passageway was dark and the gate was only large enough for one person to walk through at a time. To light the way, the soldiers carried torches and were armed to the teeth with swords, shields, and axes.
Standing before his soldiers, Richard announced, “If we do not bring those towers and ladders down, this castle will fall! They are invading our home! Let’s go kill them for trespassing!”
The men cheered as Richard turned to open the gate. When the gate swung open, there was no sign of any enemy movements. There were only the remnants of a dark forest that was as empty as the void. After ordering his men to be silent, Richard gripped his claymore and walked out. One after another, his soldiers followed him. They snuck along the castle wall, wary of being ambushed. Their hearts pounded in their chests and their breathing became ragged. All of them knew that not all of them were going to return alive from this ordeal.
As they came around a corner, they peeked to see the Baal army climbing up the siege towers and ladders in a frenzied mass. Upon locking his eyes on the enemy, Richard could feel his pulse quickening. After a deep breath, Richard and his men charged at the enemy forces, roaring with bloodlust as they ran.
Dozens of the invaders fell before they could react, but Richard and his men quickly found strong resistance. While Richard and two hundred of his soldiers fended off the other attackers, the other hundred members of the sortie got to work on the towers and ladders. One by one, they splashed oil on the wooden structure before using their torches to light them on fire. The soldiers in the towers and up the ladders screamed in agony as the inferno cooked them alive.
During all of this, Richard was displaying his technique with his claymore. The blade was so large and sharp that he sliced through three men with each swing. Some of the Baal men-at-arms trembled with fear at the sight of their comrades’ deaths. Still, despite the casualties Richard and his men were inflicting, they were taking losses of their own. They achieved their goal in sabotaging the siege engines, but their numbers were cut in half in the process.
Acknowledging the situation, Richard ordered, “Fall back!”
After those words, Richard and his soldiers retreated back to the sally port. Suddenly, as Richard turned his back, he felt something hit him from behind. The impact was so hard that it forced Richard to his knees. Curious about what was happening, Richard reached over his shoulder and felt a crossbow bolt protruding from the left side of his back; behind his heart. Shock and coldness washed over Richard as his vision blurred. The last thing Richard saw were his men fleeing for their lives. Finally, Richard’s world went black as he fell face forward . . .
__ __ __
Brom and his siblings cheered with the rest of the garrison as the ladder and siege towers were set on fire. With their only access into the castle destroyed, the Baal soldiers were cut down by the Letum siblings and their men. As they looked over the battlements, they could see the invaders retreating back to their camp.
“They’ve given up for now!” Benjamin boasted.
“The day is ours!” Lara added fiercely.
The cheering went on until the remainder of Richard’s sortie returned, bloodied and beaten. A sense of despair hung over them like a dark cloud. Almost immediately, the relief of the sortie’s survival was replaced by confusion then fear.
Bemused, Brom asked, “Where’s our father?”
>
When the soldiers did not answer, Edward repeated, “Where’s our father?”
The leader of the sortie looked up grimly and replied, “Baron Richard Letum . . . has fallen.”
The words struck the Letums with the weight of a mountain. Their emotions became so raw and unstable that they collapsed to their knees and wept. All around the Letums, the garrison removed their helmets and placed them over their chests as they mourned their lord.
Despite his grief, Brom tearfully declared, “We can mourn Father later! For now, we will avenge him! Who’s with me?”
As if on que, Brom’s siblings and soldiers roared in agreement, tears profusely pouring from their eyes. With their resolve hardened, the Letums prepared for the next attack . . .
CHAPTER 28
Bargate Castle was alive with activity as House Torren assembled it army. The growing host surrounded the shores of Bargate’s large moat. Their armor consisted of brigandine leather armor over scale mail with gorgets, mail coifs, and barbute helmets. Draping over their torsos were surcoats that bore the sigil of House Torren: a grey portcullis on a blue field. Braun Torren stood in the balcony at the top of the wooden keep as he oversaw the formation of his army. Beside Braun was Edgar, who seemed uncertain with the situation. Both men were fully dressed in their armor.
Finally, Braun broke the uncomfortable silence by asking, “How many men have we gathered?”
Swallowing hard, Edgar answered, “Over four thousand men, which consists of five hundred archers, five hundred cavalry, and three thousand infantry. It won’t make much of a difference, Father. According to our scouts, Robar has less than twenty thousand men at Foxden Castle. We cannot win against that!”
Numen the Slayer (Magnus Dynasty Saga Book 1) Page 11
