by J. B. Jenn
He still didn’t understand how Hartland could have gone from peace to this so quickly. What else was out there they didn’t know about? It made him ashamed of how he had treated Ogden and Casman, always wanting more. He wondered if this was how it had all happened. A person wanting more.
There seemed to be no answers. They had so many questions and no answers. They only had the reality of what was happening, and none of it made sense. He wondered if King Zavad and Queen Balla could find their answers. Yul was an educated kingdom, more so than all the others. Surely, there was some ancient piece of writing explaining what they were going through. Even as he thought it, he didn’t quite believe it. How could an entire population forget such foul, loathsome creatures could roam the land?
There was one thing he was certain of. They wouldn’t forget again. He was certain King Zavad and Queen Balla wouldn’t allow it to happen.
Ogden
He had become impatient with the inhospitality of Golden Valley and its king. Ogden paced the simple room. His boots clicked on the wooden surface. It only added to his irritation. He wondered if King Sabin even knew he was here. It seemed as if Queen Talatha might not tell her husband he was here until he gave her what she wanted. How the hell was he supposed to solve her issue with infertility?
Ogden sighed again, wondering if this was what it was like to be a Servant. Even if there was no solution, they were handed impossible situations.
Servants were not evil. They were only doing a job no one else would or could do. He understood more now than he had ever before. It made him regret some of his earlier perceptions about Mercea. She had been doing this for centuries now. He was certain it grew old fast. All he hoped was he could maintain the person he was and not allow such things to embitter him toward the world.
He went to open the door, but found himself backpedaling as the door swung open. The overweight woman with black hair and freckles across her face appeared. Ogden nodded respectfully toward her.
“King Sabin will see you now,” she said sourly. Her eyes narrowed as she realized how close to the door he had been. “Were you planning to go find him yourself?” she asked, shrilly.
Ogden stared at her, uncertain how to respond. She was unlike anyone he had ever met before. She slammed the door shut, placing her hands on her hips, glaring at him.
“How could you do this to me? First, you refuse to help me, and then you try to go behind my back and see my husband after I told you I would talk to him? What’s the matter with you?”
“What did you expect? It’s been four days. In what world does it take four days to speak to someone? I was patient. Too patient. I am no longer patient about any of this. People are dying!”
As he said it, he knew he’d been a fool for waiting this long before trying to speak to the king himself. He could hardly believe he’d been so selfish. While sitting here in safety, people were dying out there. They were fighting things they should never have to face. He was failing as a Servant.
“Actually,” an old voice said from the doorway, “she told me the first day you arrived.”
Ogden watched as a man in his mid-sixties stepped into the room. His long gray hair was pulled behind his gaunt, pock marked face. He knew he should bow, at least out of respect for the man’s title, but he was having a difficult time in doing so. Ogden remained where he was, staring at the man. When the king waved him off as if he didn’t matter, Ogden snorted.
He watched the older man sit down in one of the several chairs facing a fire place. Talatha gave Ogden one last withering look before disappearing. The king waved him to a seat. Ogden sat down, curious what the man had to say.
“Talatha tells me you’re a Servant.” Ogden nodded and started to respond, but Sabin held up his hand for him to remain silent. “She has some crazy ideas floating around inside that head of hers, but I wonder…” Sabin shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I know what the problem is. I am an old man and she’s fat.”
“Your Majesty,” Ogden said, “did she at least tell you the real reason I’m here?”
“Yes and no. I didn’t understand all of it. She was rather hysterical you couldn’t help her with our problem. She believes the Servants should help all individuals in need. I mean every single individual. I don’t think she understands the Servants are here to protect Hartland from great evil. Maybe when the Servants first came about, they could do that sort of thing. There were more of them, fewer of us. Maybe it’s because more people believed in the Old Gods. I don’t know the answers. I don’t pretend to. All that matters is you’re here.” Sabin released a long, slow sigh.
“So, you do believe in the Servants and the Old Gods then?” Ogden asked, surprised, remembering his conversation with Mercea. She and the people of the Desert had believed Sabin was a believer of the new God.
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I? As a younger man I spent a good deal of time exploring the mountains of the Wilds. I saw some… Well, I saw some rather interesting things in those mountains. I so desperately wanted to reach the middle of them and discover what’s there. I still do, but those are dreams for a much younger man. Besides, I believe They only allowed me to see what They wanted me to see. Others have ventured into those mountains and have never returned. I was fortunate.”
“King Maik and another Servant were under the impression you follow other beliefs. Were they wrong?” Ogden watched him, unable to shake the uneasy feeling he’d had the entire time he’d been here.
Sabin laughed deeply. Halfway through he went into a coughing fit, suggesting his health wasn’t as it seemed. As Ogden studied him, he could see the man’s health was failing and it became clear why Talatha wanted a child. The child was more for herself than the king. She wanted a piece of the man before he passed onto the afterlife. He wished he could help her.
“My father and brothers believed in this new God. Most of the people of Golden Valley follow this new God, too. If they’d seen some of the things I’ve seen, witnessed some of the miracles I have, there would be no doubt about the Gods and Their power. There would also be no doubt in their mind there is still great evil in this world. Their new God did not vanquish it. Just because we haven’t seen anything like this in a few centuries, doesn’t mean it no longer exists.”
Ogden nodded. “Did your wife tell you about the demons in Carthoda?”
“Yes. I know about them.”
“We need to form an army to get to King Barend and end this. The Desert soldiers have taken great losses. We have soldiers training in Yul. Cascade lies in ruins. We need help. We can’t fight this army on our own. We have no idea just how large it is, but we have a vague idea. King Barend is turning his own people into demons. Without help, Hartland is at the risk for the same thing. I don’t want to see any more people become those monsters.”
Sabin was silent for a long time. Ogden started to speak again when the old man finally responded. “I’ll send troops to the Desert. As I understand from my scouts, the Desert has already fought a particularly ugly and large monster?”
“Yes. His name was Urian.”
Sabin studied him for a while, making Ogden shift uncomfortably. “There’s something you’re not saying. Spill it.”
“It’s nothing to concern you, your Majesty. It’s more of a feeling than anything else. It could be nothing.”
Sabin studied him at great length. Ogden remained where he was, meeting the old man’s eyes.
“Fair enough.”
“Thank you, your Majesty. I’ll be taking my leave of your hospitality today.”
“Nonsense!” Ogden looked to him. “You’ll be leading my soldiers. Once they discover who and what you are, they’ll follow you blindly. They know of the Servants and the Gods through me. Most of them believe. There are a few who might give you problems. Just ignore them.
Ogden nodded. “Thank you, your Majesty.”
Mercea
She walked through the long throne room, past white columns holding the vaulted ceiling. Her
eyes focused on the simple, wooden throne, polished and stained a dark brown. A permanent frown had settled on her lips. As she walked toward the king, the throne room was bare of decoration, befitting the simple design of the building.
King Flynn sat rigidly on the dark throne. He took in a deep breath the moment she gave him a stiff bow. She scanned the room, looking for anything out of place. Although she couldn’t see anything, she felt it.
“Your Majesty,” she said in her abrupt tone.
“Is that any way to talk to someone who you’ll be asking for help from?”
Mercea hesitated. Even his voice seemed odd, as if he was afraid. She scanned the room again, feeling another presence there. It was a familiar presence. She took a step back, placing her hand on the hilt of her purple sword.
“I have yet to tell you why I’ve come. What’s going on?”
When she looked to King Flynn, she expected his eyes to be filled with amusement. Instead, they looked toward the door as if trying to tell her to leave. She knew why he wanted her to, but she would face the woman here and now.
“Why else would you have come here? Is it not to ask for help in some way or another?”
“Where is she?” Mercea scanned the room again.
King Flynn sighed and looked to his left. A beautiful woman with long black hair, olive skin, and intelligent, gray eyes walked in from one of the side doors. Mercea met the woman’s cold eyes. The woman circled her a few times with a smirk parting her lips.
“Queen De’Nae,” Mercea said, eyes narrowing.
“So, you do recognize me.”
“No. I felt you. I recognize the magic about you. You felt as Rosha felt to me.” Mercea looked to King Flynn. “It is a pity you have decided to side with a murderer.”
De’Nae laughed. “Call me what you will, but sometimes killing people is the only way to accomplish things. The people of Hartland must be united.”
Mercea turned her attention to the king. “You don’t have to do this, your Majesty. You don’t have to side with her. It isn’t too late.”
She saw absolute fear in King Flynn’s eyes. “I’m sorry, but… but I cannot help you.” He diverted his eyes. “You should have left when you had the chance.”
Mercea drew her sword and turned toward the woman. “Before I kill you for everything you’ve done and all the lives you have ended, I want to know how you could do such things? How can you watch your people go through that process of turning into a demon without feeling remorse? The process is most unpleasant.”
“Foolish Servant,” De’Nae purred, shaking her head. “Remember when we first met and I told you that your destiny is already locked in place? And that there was nothing you or the Old Gods could do? I wasn’t lying. This is beyond you. Beyond your limited comprehension. Your purpose in this is far greater than you can know. Your Gods have betrayed you.”
Mercea studied the woman. As she stared at her, a horde of demons appeared around the Queen of Carthoda. King Flynn gasped and rose from his throne. De’Nae ignored him.
“You’ll be coming with me, Mercea.”
“I don’t think so.”
Mercea swung her sword at the demons moving toward her. The blade sliced through several of them. Four of them disappeared into black, acrid smoke. De’Nae and the other demons hadn’t moved. De’Nae stood there, waiting.
The demons started to swarm her. She cut down more and more, but they kept appearing. As soon as one disappeared, another took its place. As she cut down another one, something wrapped itself around her legs. She fell forward. Mercea struggled against the binding.
When she managed to twist herself around, more black, wispy wire wrapped itself around her wrists. Mercea fought to keep her wrists from touching, but the magical wire pulling them together was too strong.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw De’Nae’s raised hand. Her index finger twisted in circles as the binding circled around Mercea. Almost every part of her body was now wrapped in the magic binding.
Mercea lay there. Demons surrounded her. She wondered how the woman had become so strong. Normally, magic had little effect on her. Lately, the protection seemed to have waivered. Arem had gotten through her defenses as well. What was happening to her?
De’Nae leaned next to her. Their faces were nearly touching.
“You should ask yourself why this was so easy,” she whispered.
Maik
Heltarn burned in the distance. The sword sitting in Maik’s hand felt heavy. He feared what he might find within those walls. His soldiers surrounded him as they raced through the desert. Up ahead, the screams of people, no doubt dying, ripped at his heart.
Upon entering, there were two women dead on their right. There was no immediate sign as to what was attacking the city and killing his people. Despite this, he knew it was demons. King Barend had sent them directly to the town outside of his palace as a warning to stay out of the way. If anything, it had only made him want to fight the man more.
Maik raced through the streets toward a group of high pitched screams. He wasn’t certain if his soldiers were following him, but he didn’t dare look behind him. Just another section of street ahead, he saw them. Horned people, more human than demon, surrounded a group of men.
He rushed at them. As his sword struck one of them, the human-like demon screamed. Red blood gushed forth. He hesitated for a moment before continuing.
When his people were free, they picked up anything they could use as a weapon and followed them through the rest of the city. As Maik cut down the odd looking humans, he steeled his heart against killing people they might be able to save. Their blood was human. It didn’t burn.
The sun finally broke free of the horizon. It was a welcome sight. Maik was exhausted, but the town seemed safe for the moment despite some fighting still going on. He looked back toward the palace, now hating the fact it sat outside of the city. He was going to have to post more soldiers in the town. Heltarn was vulnerable. Every king in Hartland knew it.
Behind him, he heard the murmurs of a small gathering. He turned toward his people with a heavy heart. Too many had died tonight and it was his fault. He should have provided them better protection.
“What were those…” a woman asked, hesitating. “People?”
Maik looked to the dead. None of their bodies had disappeared. When he looked back toward the older woman, he noticed more had gathered.
“I don’t know what they are,” he said. Everyone looked to him, uneasily. “I will do everything in my power to figure this out. I am stationing more soldiers here and ordering those… those bodies burned. We can’t risk having them spread infection or rising from the dead. At this point, anything is possible.”
“Rising from the dead?” a young man asked. “How would that even be possible?”
Maik ran his hand through his thick, black hair. “I have no idea. I don’t know what’s possible or what’s not possible anymore. You look at them and tell me you know exactly what to expect.””
“You don’t seem very informed about what’s happening, your Majesty,” one of them sneered.
Maik looked to the crowd. “We should all be more informed,” he stated. “We’re in a war. Death happens. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you the way I always envisioned I could. This is something I never dreamed of happening. Forgive me for my failings.”
He turned away from them, having more than half of the soldiers who had come with him remain behind. As he walked away from the town, he could hear the crowd muttering amongst each other.
Things were only going to get worse.
Trester
There were eyes on him. People were watching him, waiting to see who he was. He was suspicious none of them had shown themselves yet. Part of him feared they would recognize him and wish only death upon him.
Finding out what he had about those said gifts, he was no longer certain they were gifts. It seemed, somewhere in their past, wytches had been created on purpose. They were
supposed to work alongside the Servants. He couldn’t blame the Servants for their mistrust in them. Wytches had the blood of demons running through their veins. There was evil in them. Trester shuddered. He would have never imagined it was where his power had come from.
“Your Majesty,” Henter said at his side. “Perhaps you should fall back until we’re certain it’s safe.”
Trester started to deny him. A familiar voice sounded from somewhere within the ruins, interrupting him.
“It took you long enough, your Majesty.”
Trester met Galtrand’s eyes. “It took as long as it needed to take. I came back to bring Cascade together. Just because Kenokel fell doesn’t mean we can’t join the war. It doesn’t mean we can’t fight King Barend before more damage is done.”
“No. You can’t do this,” a woman said. Her voice was bitter. “Who the hell do you think you are?” She pushed through the crowd. “After everything we have lost, you plan to make us lose more? You are no king of mine if you ask us to die.”
The corners of his mouth twitched as he stared at the redheaded woman. “I am a man who has lost his entire family to this. I am a man who never had the chance to tell the people he loved goodbye. I have lost just as much as any of you. I ask nothing of you I don’t ask of myself.”
Silence met him. Trester stood there, waiting. There were people watching him from what was left of the forest. He looked to those who had gathered.
“I know Kenokel is in ruins. It hurts me as well. This was my childhood home. This was the place I longed to return to after my father banished me. I will never get the chance again. Right now, Hartland need us more than we need our capital or more cities will lie in ruins like Kenokel. More people will be lost. We are a strong people. Let’s prove to Hartland once again what the people of Cascade can endure.”
Silence met him again. Trester stared past Galtrand where he had come out of the trees, wondering how many more were hiding. He wondered how many of them agreed with him or thought he was forsaking their homes. He knew he was asking a lot from them, but he had to.
