“It isn’t what I want,” said Laurel, for at least the fifth or sixth time. “And it isn’t necessary. I’m okay, and we have Fool’s Valley back. We can head home and relax in peace.”
Hal smiled. Laurel was wearing a loose evening robe, and Karnas was sitting on her lap, curled up like a pet cat. The three of them would head home, and it made him feel strange to consider how much he was looking forward to it.
“I can’t wait,” said Hal. “I’ll finally have a chance to get some decent sleep.”
Laurel smiled at him, but her expression faded after a moment.
“Listen,” she said. “About what Teymus said…”
“Don’t worry,” said Hal. “We’ll find your brother. We can talk to Zoria the next time we see her and figure out if those elves were people she knows.”
“I’d like that,” said Laurel. “I meant… about the other thing. About what he said about you.”
Hal nodded slowly, feeling his face flush slightly.
About how she’s fascinated by me, and how I don’t pay her enough attention?
“Laurel…” said Hal. “If that’s really how you feel, I-”
“He took my words out of context!” she said, quickly. “Yes! I mean, I was just venting. It wasn’t like… I didn’t mean for it to sound how it did. And I was also drunk, too. And if you remember, he did his best to take advantage of me that night.”
“I should have at least stabbed him,” said Hal. “Filthy lecher…”
Laurel let out a tiny giggle, and Karnas stirred in her lap, opening his mouth to let out a huge yawn before collapsing down again.
“Anyway, we’ll check in with Maxim Cedric tomorrow, and then be on our way,” said Laurel. “I hope Vrodas hasn’t had too hard a time keeping up with the chores.”
“Knowing him, I sincerely doubt it,” said Hal. “He’s a hard worker. We might want to consider taking him on in a more direct role, once we get back.”
Hal retired to bed early that night, feeling massively fatigued by the events of the previous few days. He thought of Cadrian, and the mystery surrounding her and her relationship with the Temple of Lyris. He thought of Zoria, and wondered where she’d headed off to after leaving the city.
He was on the verge of slipping into sleep when a rough knock came at the door. Hal was tempted to let Yua handle it, until the noise came again, followed by the sound of a window shattering.
He wore only his pants he stumbled out into the sitting room. One husk was already inside, and another was following through the broken glass in its wake. Hal charged, kicking the closest one hard in the head and then punching his fist into the face of the one in the window.
“Laurel!” he shouted. “Stay in your room!”
The husk he’d kicked recovered faster than he’d been expecting, flipping up to its feet and launching itself at him with gnashing teeth. Hal didn’t want to risk using fire spells within the guest lodge, not that it would have been easy without his pistol or sword.
He caught the husk by the shoulders as it crashed into him, falling back onto the floor. Hal was shocked by the monster’s strength, and let out a shout of terror as it slowly moved its putrid, snapping jaws into biting range. He’d misjudged the situation, and was about to pay for it with his life.
Laurel appeared in the corner of his vision, wielding a heavy candlestick. She slammed it into the husk’s head, the impact making a solid, thunking noise. It wasn’t enough to knock the monster unconscious, if such a thing were even possible, but it distracted it for long enough for Hal to push it back and roll to the side.
His fingers found a pane of broken glass as he rose to his feet, and he wasted no time in slamming it through the husk’s eye. Its body went instantly slack. Hal seized it by the shoulders and pushed it out the window. He could see the shapes of other husks moving through the darkness, and he could hear people screaming and animals panicking in the distance.
“The table!” shouted Hal. “Put it up against the window!”
Yua hurried to clear objects off, and Hal and Laurel lifted the table and set it up as a barrier in front of the broken window. Hal returned to his room to grab a shirt and his sword belt, drawing his pistol from it as he buckled it on.
“Stay inside,” he said. “If any of them make it past to me, start yelling.”
“Hal!” Laurel grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back from the door. Karnas swooped into the air and nipped Hal on the shoulder.
“I’ll be okay,” said Hal. “I have to help. And we risk being overrun if the monsters gather outside.”
Laurel stared at him, her eyes full of fear and worry. She pulled him into a tight hug, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek as she finally let go.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” she whispered.
Hal nodded. Another husk had begun banging on the door. Hal threw it open and fired a Flame Shot into its face, entering a Ruby Trance as he cast the spell. The husk flew back, smoldering and missing a large chunk of its face. Hal stepped forward into the chaos of the castle courtyard.
It was too dark to easily tell husks apart from people, at least at a distance. The castle lawn was strewn with corpses, and the guards were nowhere in sight. A small group of soldiers were surrounded by a mob of husks. Hal could hear their screams, and knew that even if he left the lodge undefended and rushed over, he’d never make it through the husks in time to save anyone.
Something leaped toward him out of the darkness. Hal whirled and fired a Flame Shot into the chest of the attacking husk. It came out weaker than the one before it had, singeing the husk without stopping its momentum. The monster collided into Hal, reaching for his neck with long, spindly fingers.
Hal unsheathed his short sword and attacked in a single, fluid motion, decapitating the monster. It fell to the ground with a sickening gargle. He forced himself to breathe, scanning the nearby courtyard for the next threat.
He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and brought his sword up to guard. It took a second to notice that the figure approaching him was wielding a weapon, or actually, multiple weapons in its four, separate arms.
“We’re friendly,” came a familiar voice. “Please! We were caught outside when it started!”
Hal lowered his word, recognizing the voice of Precia and the outline of her maug bodyguard, Broga.
“Quickly,” said Hal. “Over here.”
He knocked on the door, and Laurel opened it a moment later. She pulled her friend into a tight hug, and Precia let out several terrified sobs. Broga stayed outside with Hal, and he was more than a little relieved to have the backup.
“You guys have good timing,” said Hal. “I think the mob over there is getting a little restless.”
Broga signed something back to him with her hands, but it was too dark for Hal to make out the movements. She gestured toward the guest lodge and turned so her back was facing it and Hal, and he finally understood.
We keep our backs to the wall, and cover each other’s flanks. It should let us hold out a little more easily.
The husks came in groups of three or four at a time. Hal had to trust Broga’s ability to fight, as his focus was completely on defending himself and keeping the monsters from the door. His heartgem was low on ruby essence, so he fought with his sword, but kept himself in a Ruby Trance for the effect it had on his vision and confidence.
Some of the husks would make attempts to force their way into the castle itself, but the guards inside rained arrows down on them through window slits and murder holes. Hal saw a figure in the dark, a person, from the shape of their outline, sprinting toward the castle gates only to suffer the same, unfortunate fate.
The battle went on, with the flow of husks never slowing enough to let Hal and Broga take a break. Occasionally, he would catch a glimpse of a larger, more patient husk in the darkness beyond the courtyard, and knew it was the Alpha Husk that Zoria had pointed out to him several nights earlier.
The husk corpses began piling
up around the door to the guest lodge, and eventually, less of the monsters pressed in on the attack. Hal wondered where they were all coming from, and more importantly, if there was a purpose behind the attack. It seemed too deliberate to be an accident, and he found himself curious as to what Maxim Cedric knew of the situation that he hadn’t made public.
Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is keeping Laurel safe.
The last hour that Hal and Broga spent outside was quiet, with the husks having abandoned their attack. They finally retired to the inside of the lodge in the dark of the early morning. Hal used one of the wooden chairs to bar the door, and then fell asleep on the floor of the sitting room next to Laurel, twitching awake every time he heard the sound of movement.
CHAPTER 39
“What’s happening?” asked Laurel.
The two of them were awake as the sun rose, watching the desecrated castle courtyard. There was no sign of movement, but there were plenty of bodies and an ample amount of spilled blood.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I doubt that last night was the end of it. Meldence isn’t a safe city, not when these attacks are a regular thing.”
“Truer words have never been spoken.” Precia sat on the other side of the room, with Broga huddled next to her. “My attendant and I will be leaving the city as soon as we can reach our horses and gather the necessary supplies. Laurel, I would highly recommend that you do the same.”
Laurel looked at her friend, and then at Hal. Her expression mirrored his own feelings.
Leaving now might be more dangerous than staying, at least until we know more about the threat.
“Precia, we don’t even know if Maxim Cedric is…” Laurel trailed off, shaking her head. “We don’t know enough yet. It might not be a good idea to attempt to flee.”
“And it might be suicide to think that you can safely stay,” said Precia. “I’d advise you to consider your decision carefully.”
Hal was about to add his own thoughts to the conversation when he saw a group of guards emerge from one of the castle’s side walls. They moved around the perimeter of the courtyard with military efficiency, checking the bodies of both husks and humans to confirm deaths.
“Let’s see what the guards have to say,” suggested Hal.
Even with the sun out and the main threat repelled, opening the door sent a stab of vulnerability into Hal’s heart. He was as worried for Laurel and the others as he was for himself. The only one who seemed to be faring well against their fears was Karnas, and Hal doubted the young dragon understood much of what was going on.
“Excuse me,” said Hal, calling to the nearest guard. “What’s the situation?”
The guard looked up at him. His body language was downcast, bordering on defeated.
“We barely held the castle through the night,” said the guard. “Husks breached the castle. We lost dozens of good people. Barely protected the Maxim until sunrise.”
“Does anyone know if this was the full force of these monsters?” asked Hal.
The guard shook his head.
“One of the gate guards reported the husks as coming from the cemetery outside of town,” said the guard. “The Maxim’s advisors suspect that some type of necromancer has taken control of the catacombs.”
Hal nodded slowly. If that were the case, and the magic used to create the husks was something that required a body to execute, then the necromancer would have a massive influx of resources after the previous night’s attack.
“He’s asking that all capable warriors gather in the castle great hall.” The guard’s expression was solemn, and after a moment, he turned back to his duty without another word.
Laurel had followed Hal outside and listened over his shoulder. He turned around to face her, unsure of what to say.
“I know what it means when the Maxim is gathering warriors,” whispered Laurel. “Please, Hal. Be careful.”
“When have you ever known me not to me?” Hal grinned at her, and she managed a worried smile back. He pulled her into a hug and briefly cradled her head against his shoulder. “I’ll be back by nightfall, regardless of whether the fight is over or not. I won’t leave you to fend for yourself.”
“Thank you,” said Laurel. “I can’t wait until we’re back at the homestead.”
Hal left to make his way into the castle, walking alongside a steady stream of warriors who’d also come to answer the Maxim’s summons. The inside of the castle looked like something out of a horror illustration, with obvious bloodstains across the stone walls and floor, and the occasional pile of bodies that had yet to be removed.
The great hall was a large enough chamber to hold a thousand men, which made the assembled group seem small, even as warriors continued to file in. Hal recognized a few faces in the crowd, and was a little surprised to see that his arena opponents, Hogblade and Maniac, had both answered the call to action.
The conversation amongst the men was basic, limited to short questions and monosyllabic answers. Most had brought their weapons and armor, and those he didn’t wore gemstone jewelry openly. There were no questions about what the Maxim would need them for.
Something banged into the back of Hal’s shoulder a little too hard to be accidental. He turned and saw a short man, still young, but balding prematurely. The man was glaring at him, and his fingers tapped on the hilt of a dagger at his waist.
“Plenty of warriors here, aye?” asked the man. His tone made the question sound like a challenge, rather than a question.
“Sure,” said Hal. “A decent turnout.”
“We’d have one more if it weren’t for you,” said the man. “Thanks for that. Gent was a good man, and a good friend. Better than the death you gave him, you ruby pisshole.”
Hal’s breath caught as he realized what the man was talking about.
“Gent?” he asked. “That was his name? The man in the Golden Helm?”
“Yeah,” said the balding man. “The man you killed.”
Hal narrowed his eyes into a glare.
“How well did you know your friend?” he asked. “That man, wearing that same evil helm, killed my entire family. He deserved far worse than what I gave him.”
The balding man laughed. “Did he, now? I suppose the fact that he only bought that helm a few weeks ago doesn’t factor much into your thinking, does it?”
The blood running through Hal’s veins felt snap frozen, cold and evil. His stomach tensed, threatening to turn.
“…What?” he asked. “He bought that helm? From who? And how long ago?”
“I’d say you should ask Gent, but oh, wait, you can’t,” said the man. “Thanks for that.”
“Tell me what you know,” said Hal.
The man shook his head.
“I got no idea who he bought it from,” said the man. “Just that he hasn’t had it for longer than a month. The tournament was the first time I’ve even seen him wear it.”
Hal brought a hand to his head and exhaled slowly. The balding man watched him for a couple of seconds, apparently not getting what he wanted from his reaction, before disappearing back into the crowd.
I killed the wrong man.
CHAPTER 40
What Hal wanted, more than anything, was spend the rest of the day at a bar, drinking until he was past the point of thinking. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an option. The Maxim had already appeared at the head of the great hall, flanked by his elite guards. He lifted his hands into the air, calling for silence.
“My thanks to all of you for heeding the call to action,” said Maxim Cedric. “I will not waste time on empty words. The situation is dire, and the threat is not just to Meldence, but all of Krestia’s Cradle.”
The Maxim took a couple of seconds to scan his gaze across the faces in the crowd. His eyes briefly met Hal’s, and Hal saw a glimmer of something akin to approval in the old man’s expression.
“The threat is coming from the west,” said Maxim Cedric. “From the old catacomb
s underneath the cemetery. My scouts have already confirmed the presence of undead in that region. The Harvest Tournament will be put on hold for now, and instead, we shall have a raid!”
The crowd of warriors let out a roar in response to the suggestion. Hal felt his own fighting instincts surge, even as he continued to grapple with the new knowledge of the man he’d killed.
“We don’t have time to study our enemy, or even to come up with a plan of action,” said Maxim Cedric. “I’ve assigned half of the city guard to surround the cemetery. I am asking any warrior interested in earning honor, glory, and a small stipend of gold to join together and execute a purge of this threat to our homes. What say you?”
Dozens of different battle cries echoed through the great hall. Hal unsheathed his sword along with most of the rest of the gathered warriors and shouted out. Maxim Cedric kept his expression stoic at the front of the room, and held up his hand for silence after a minute.
“Those interested should leave immediately,” he said. “Assemble outside the city gates and my guard captain will organize you into raiding squads. Thank you for your service.”
The Maxim left the great hall, and Hal followed along with the rest of the warriors as they made their way into the city. Meldence had faired about as he’d expected. Houses and buildings had been ransacked seemingly at random, with blood stains marking the husk’s entrance points at broken windows and shattered door frames. Townsfolk moved about with empty expressions, dragging corpses to burn piles and clearing rubble.
What surprised Hal was the difference between how the poor and noble districts had faired. Many of the poor and common people had lacked strong shelters to endure the wave of husks, but they’d made up for it by grouping together. Many of the nobles had trusted their mansions and fences to hold back the tide of undead, a fatal underestimation of the threat the monsters posed.
A few men and women joined up with them as they passed, wielding fire pokers, wood axes, and whatever other weapons they could find. Many of the new recruits were already covered in blood, though Hal could only guess at whether it came from the husks, or from their dying loved ones.
Harvest Tournament (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 2) Page 22
