by J. B. Jenn
You’ll find a way. We’ll show you.
Hethera smiled at the reassuring voices she had heard most of her life. Only her husband knew of how long she’d heard Them. Even he had been skeptical until she had started telling him parts of his future. She couldn’t see everything, but lately, it seemed as if her gift had improved. Frightening visions came to her day and night. Visions of what could happen and what had already happened. She knew Ogden would do everything in his power to make a better future for Hartland. Still, part of her worried what she saw would come to pass. It was why she was traveling toward Fairvale. Some things were meant to happen.
They were only days away from Lake Drak where they would turn east. Fairvale sat near the ocean and served as a port. Drakal stayed out of wars across Hartland. Their last war had been with Yul almost five hundred years ago. Little was known about the kingdom due to the peace treaty. No one from Drakal ventured into Yul and the same was true for Yul. Hethera sighed. She wished she knew more about their lifestyle. If she did, she would be more effective.
Looking about the green land, she had never imagined she would be here. Her and Ogden had talked about moving to the kingdom, but had never ventured into it. She had thought her first time in Drakal would be with her husband and Acen. She wondered if they’d have succeeded here.
“We’ll stop here for the night,” she heard one of the guards say.
Hethera looked toward him. She knew they wouldn’t reach Fairvale for another three days. At least, it would give her more time to calm herself and prepare for anything that could happen.
She gave a small prayer to the Gods to see her through this. She was frightened she might fail. She was frightened at what could happen should she fail.
Maik
Bells tolling in the distance woke him with a start. The sound was coming from Heltarn. King Maik rushed out to the balcony, heart pounding. A fire burned in the distance. Fear gripped him.
The Desert had already suffered great losses. He couldn’t help but wonder what else was in store for them. Turning away from the balcony, he wondered if it was the demons the young man had told him about. He prayed to the Old Gods it wasn’t, but somehow, he knew it was them. They were in his city, turning his people into demons.
The guard outside of his room looked to him, waiting for orders. “Gather the soldiers,” he instructed as he darted down the hall.
The moment he stepped into the courtyard, he noted most of the soldiers had already gathered. They all knew the bells meant an attack.
His servants helped him put on his black armor with gold accents and a golden sun on the chest plate. He placed his sword in the scabbard on his left hip. They had already fought one battle and had lost too many people. It felt surreal to fight another so soon. The first battle had taken the woman he loved from him. He wondered what this one would take from him.
“Isol,” Maik called out, knowing his cousin was among them. The man came to him, armored as well. “You have to stay here, cousin.” Isol looked to him questioningly. “If something were to happen to me, you have to lead the Desert. You’re the only heir to the throne. These people will need guidance. That will fall on you in case the worst should happen.”
Isol wanted to argue. Maik could see it, but the man knew the truth of the matter. He bowed his head. His cousin pulled him into a tight embrace.
“Be careful, cousin. The people need you.”
Maik turned toward his soldiers. If not for these men, Hartland might fall to King Barend and his demon army. They couldn’t allow it. They needed to find a way to end this. He didn’t know how yet. They had taken such heavy losses, he didn’t think they could engage King Barend and his army. It might come down to that anyway. The Desert wouldn’t just simply give up and let demons swarm them.
“Open the gates!” he yelled.
Behind him, he heard the soldiers give a yell. Maik walked through the gates with a heavy heart. This wasn’t what he had expected. At least, not so soon. He had hoped they would give him more time to grieve and prepare. He needed more time. They all needed more time.
Arem
Fighting demon after demon had left him exhausted. They still frightened him, even after fighting so many. He didn’t think he would never not be afraid. Every single man out here was frightened. No matter how many times they faced those monsters, fear drove them. Fear of death. Fear of pain. Fear of failing.
“That… That was insane,” Relyck said, breathing heavily beside him. He clutched his side where a demon had raked him.
Arem glanced at him before his gaze landed on the demon bodies, slowly vanishing. Relyck was right. This was insane. It seemed as if they were on the side of a slow, losing battle. All one had to do was look at Relyck and know. His face was scarred and there were scars all along his body. This latest injury only added to them.
“I wonder if King Maik received the message about needing reinforcements and weapons,” Arem stated.
“I’m certain they’re on their way,” Relyck said. He sat heavily in the sand as one of his men came to tend his wound. “At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. It’s what I choose to believe. It’s what I have to believe. Besides, we’ve changed positions enough times, it might be impossible to find us now. But, I’m certain they’re out there, somewhere, fighting these demons, too.”
Arem stared at the man. He knew where such foolish thoughts could lead. He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t blame the man for choosing to believe in the possibility of surviving. It was what had led him to do what he’d done to Mercea and risk everything. He knew Mercea would never forgive him. He had probably cemented a wytch’s untrustworthiness to her in the process, too.
“There are more on the horizon!” came the dreadful call.
“Already?” Relyck asked.
Arem raced up the sand dune. The moment he crested it, he saw the monsters drawing near. He looked to the soldiers who had followed him. They were all exhausted. They needed just as much of a break as he did.
Gathering in all his strength, he formed a large fireball in his hands. He released it at the approaching mass. As the fire engulfed them, they could hear their dreadful screams. More shrieks filled the air as arrows thudded into them, killing those the fire had only weakened. Those who were immune to the fire were easy to identify. They emerged from the flames unscathed. However, arrows soon protruded from most of their bodies. At least, these ones hadn’t gotten close.
Arem sunk into the sand and buried his head into his hands for a moment. He was so tired. Relyck’s rough hand patted his shoulder.
For several moments, the wytch sat there, staring at where the demons had been. King Barend had thousands more. He had seen his vast armies, and there were still more humans in Carthoda he could turn into those monsters. The thought sickened him.
“When will this end?” he whispered. “When will all the death end?”
Relyck looked toward him. Silence passed between them as the wind blew the sand about. “I don’t know. All I know is it will end. Somehow, some way, this nightmare will end.”
Arem looked to the man, realizing he had meant every word. “I hope you’re right.”
Galtrand
Rebuilding Kenokel was slow work. They had gotten one more house built since he had come home. Shortly after arriving, Galtrand had discovered parts of the city had running water. He was grateful to bathe after a long, grueling day of clearing away rubble.
Over the days as he had stayed here, he had learned the redheaded woman’s name was Latasha. Once cleaned up, she was beautiful. It was her temper which concerned him. More than once, he had found himself on the other side of her hand when he would say something she didn’t like.
Although the woman had a temper, Galtrand found a realness to her he hadn’t expected. Latasha stated her feelings and acted on them. Watching her, made him grieve for Janessa more. She had been raised to do what the people expected of her. As such, she had never gotten the chance to live the li
fe she had wanted. Instead, she had fought for this woman’s way of life. She had fought her father to show him women were capable of great things. Tears welled in his eyes at the strength Janessa had shown. It made him wonder if he was wrong for thinking she couldn’t run a kingdom.
“What are you crying about now?” Latasha asked as she sat down across from him at the table.
Galtrand glanced at her before returning his gaze to the wood grain. His thoughts moved to how King Trester had become king. It should have never happened. Janessa should still be queen. He wondered if she’d have arrived in Kenokel by now. She was always concerned about them. More than once, she had wanted to return.
“Hello?” she said, knocking on the table. When he met her green eyes again, he could see her annoyance with him. It wasn’t anything new. He swore she’d been annoyed with him since the day they had met.
“I have a lot on my mind right now. It’s nothing to concern yourself with.” His voice was rough. As he stared at her, he hoped she would leave.
“Such as?” Galtrand snorted at her and shook his head. “It won’t do any good to keep it to yourself. I’ve said so many times now.”
He knew she was right. “I think it’s time I tell you the reason I’m here. I’m not just a soldier who returned to see if his family survived.” He hesitated as he gained his composure again. Images of his family strewn about the house flooded back to him. Dead. Decaying. The smell. “King Trester sent me here to gather people and train them. When I came here, I was surprised to see there was a force already rebuilding a part of the city.”
Latasha furrowed her brow for several moments before laughing. Galtrand met her green eyes with surprise. She reached across the table and squeezed his hand.
“This only proves people of noble birth don’t care about others. They only care about themselves. It’s how they were raised. It isn’t all that surprising we haven’t seen this King Trester. Why would he want to come back to a ruined city and live in filth with the rest of us? As to why you didn’t feel you could be honest about who you are, it’s beyond me. Most of us had you figured for a royal guard. There’s a certain amount of arrogance about you marking you as one.”
“You’re wrong. Kings and queens weren’t raised like that. I’ve been in their lessons. Do you not remember anything Princess Janessa went through for all of you? She was always compassionate about helping the people. Apparently, it was for nothing. You’re all ungrateful.”
Latasha said nothing for a moment. When she did speak, her voice was surprisingly gentle. “I have something to ask you.” Galtrand nodded. “Where is this king then? Why isn’t he here helping us rebuild, or seeing to our training personally?”
“I don’t know.”
Latasha nodded and sat back. A thoughtful look captured her eyes for a moment. She leaned across the table and took hold of his hand again.
“Don’t worry about your king. He’ll come when it’s convenient for him to do so. We’ll all beg him to rule over us again. That’s the way it is with common people. We all think we need someone to rule over us. We’re all too stupid to realize we can make it on our own by working together and respecting one another.”
Galtrand stared at her, uncertain how to respond. He didn’t want to think she was right, but he couldn’t help but wonder if she was.
He rose, shaking his head and started toward the door. There was plenty of work to do still. They were close to having an entire block cleared away, so they could build more houses for the people here. Eventually, Kenokel would be a glorious city again. He was thankful for everyone who had survived. More than anything, it was the people who made the kingdom what it was.
He started clearing away a section of building when a shout came from within the forest. From the area they were in, it allowed them to view the workers and anyone arriving. When he had first met Latasha, he’d had no idea he was being watched with arrows trained on him. Now, he was one of them and had helped train them, making them more deadly.
“Who is it?” Latasha asked at his side.
The man within the forest answered. “I have no idea. He looks to be related to the Stones, but it isn’t Jakom or Kalom. He looks just like King Delane, only smaller!”
“That would be Trester, your new King,” Galtrand said.
“Hmmm,” he heard Latasha say next to him.
Querra
Hearing Galtrand say it was a relief. She had known the man was working for the new ruler of Cascade, but she hadn’t expected it to be Trester. She knew Trester led Cascade because he was the only Stone left. His claim to the throne was weak at best. After all, his father had banished him from the kingdom. Querra wondered if she’d have to fight him for the kingdom, or if he could be reasoned with.
She had hoped and prayed Janessa would lead Cascade into the future. Janessa would have saw to it that women had equal rights; that women could do almost anything a man could.
Trester was an unknown. No one knew a thing about him, other than he was a wytch and had killed an entire family, including small children. There were rumors other people had died by his hands as well.
She had thought about confronting Galtrand today, demanding answers. She wanted to know why he was here. She was glad she hadn’t. Now, she had to wait for Trester to settle before she presented herself. Even though the man had no idea who she was or what the Relentless stood for, he would still hear her. There was no way around it. She would be so persistent he would have to allow her an audience with him. Galtrand would have no choice in the matter.
Querra turned her back on the workers who were gathering to meet their new king. In their distraction, she stepped out of hiding and signaled one of the Relentless over.
“What are you doing here? I…”
“It doesn’t concern you why I’m here,” Querra interrupted sharply. “I need you to head to Gorga and inform Eiden, the Relentless are needed in Kenokel.”
The man frowned at her. “I don’t understand, Querra. Aren’t they out fighting demons and protecting the small towns?”
She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close. “I didn’t ask for your understanding. I gave you orders and expect you to carry them through.” She shoved him away. “Do we have an understanding or will I have to beat it into you?”
She watched the man scurry away, shaking her head. It was a constant struggle for her with some men. There were men out there who didn’t think she should lead simply because she was a woman. It was something she knew Janessa would have understood.
Querra turned her gaze back to Trester. He had a small frame, black hair, and brilliant blue eyes. He looked almost exactly like his father, only he was shorter and his frame was narrower. Despite this, she could see muscle. Obviously, he’d had a difficult life. She wondered how it would affect his way of thinking. There was only one way to find out, but she wasn’t ready for it yet.
Gray
Despite the timely arrival of the wytches and reinforcements, he didn’t feel any safer. None of his men did. None of them knew what to expect, except for death. They had seen men fall to these monsters. They were the most horrible of deaths.
There were times he considered leaving. The only reason he didn’t was his duty to his kingdom, to the women he loved, and the children who bore his resemblance. He remained there to protect them.
Gray turned his gaze to the north. He wondered when more of those foul creatures were going to show themselves. He wasn’t looking forward to it, but he knew they were coming. They would keep coming and would kill more of his men. The next time, it might even be him. It was what most of the soldiers here were thinking. It could be them next time, leaving behind loved ones in these dark days.
Demons were invading Yul because they were no longer weaklings. Gray was convinced this was the reason. They posed a threat to King Barend. Because of this, they could not turn back. Yul had learned how to fight. Not well. At least they had learned. They would not allow Carthoda to overtake them and t
urn their people into demons.
Although he hadn’t seen it, he could imagine the empty towns in Carthoda. Devoid of life. Trace amount of anything having happened. Over the years, the towns’ buildings would crumble and people would wonder what had happened. He shuddered and sent out a prayer to all the people who had died.
“Sir,” an older man said from behind him. Gray turned and nodded for the man to continue, trying to hide the way he was feeling. He wasn’t certain he had succeeded as the man gulped. “We need a break. We’re so tired. We’re going to make mistakes. Fatal mistakes.”
Gray sighed. He knew the feeling only too well. He wanted a break, too. When he thought of the possibility of demons escaping them and creating more of themselves, it drove him forward.
As Gray scanned everyone, he could see how exhausted they were. He looked back in the direction of Lovic with regret. If they didn’t rest, there would be no one defending anyone. If they rested, there would be more chance of demons escaping them. He ran a hand through his thinning blonde hair, wishing there was another option.
“I’ll take first watch.” As he said it, it felt like a horrible mistake.
He watched as the men lay in the grass. Several of them fell asleep immediately. Gray sighed, loosened his sword, and circled the area. As long as he continued moving, he knew he wouldn’t fall asleep. Admittedly, it was temping to lay down and rest as well. His body needed it. He could feel it wasn’t as responsive as it was just a few days ago.
Gray forced himself to walk a perimeter around the men, praying nothing would fall upon them. He wasn’t entirely certain these men could rise fast enough to defeat demons. He had pushed them too hard.
