“Of course,” said Nikali. He brushed off the dust on some of his books. He hadn’t looked at them in years. He had almost forgotten he owned them.
“You were being stupid out there,” said Cassandra when she returned to the main room. She had two cups of Tamor Blood in her hands. One was passed to Nikali.
“I doubt that,” Nikali said. “Who was out there?”
“I don’t know who they are,” said Cassandra. “Not many people do. I’ve been avoiding most of the Talons for the past several months. I’ve been keeping to the palace or the refugee camps if necessary.”
Nikali took a sip of his drink. His lips curled from the taste.
Cassandra continued, “Many mornings, body parts are being found on the streets. They’ve been drained of blood. Night time is no longer safe.”
Nikali chugged his drink. He swished it around in his mouth before finally swallowing it.
“Interesting,” said Nikali. He began licking the inside of his cup.
“There are stories,” said Cassandra. “It’s a gang led by three women. They strike fear into the hearts of men and devour the lives of all who cross their paths.”
“Do you believe them?” Nikali asked. He was wiping his finger across the bottom of his cup. He wanted every last drop of his drink.
“Yes,” said Cassandra, “Many of the girls I work with will not come down to the Talons at all. They’ve heard the stories from the men around town and the soldiers stationed at the refugee camps.”
Nikali finished licking his finger. He said, “Somebody has taken advantage of all the chaos the past year. The Talons are often overlooked at the palace.”
“There is something else I need to tell you,” said Cassandra. She got in close as if letting out the secret had repercussions. “I do not know whether it is the truth or not, but there is another story. These women have a trophy case of sorts. Some of the body parts do not always go to the streets. They keep them. People who have seen them and lived tell of a pair of eyes in a jar. Orange eyes.”
Nikali stopped what he was doing. He looked straight at Cassandra. His face turned red with anger. He did not need to say a word.
“I know you had a friend in the palace,” said Cassandra.
“Is it her?” Nikali asked.
“I do not know, but I have not seen the Prial girl at the palace in over a year.”
“She was in the care of Heric and Marina. She was the Empress’ confidant,” said Nikali.
“I have been to the parties at the palace. I have not seen her in their company.”
“Wolves save their children. Kill the forest,” mumbled Nikali. He reached for the door. Then he stopped.
“What are you going to do?” Cassandra asked.
Nikali let go of the door handle. He stepped back and faced Cassandra. “Abigail was my friend. I will see to it that she is found or avenged.”
“How?”
“Heric will have some answers,” fumed Nikali.
Chapter 16
Out beyond the Capitol walls, Empress Marina and her two guards sat quietly in a carriage. Against the rules of the Emperor the three Lousons made an escape from their banishment in the royal palace. Their trip was hastily made. Kastor was able to commandeer one of the carriages meant for the royal class. The three of them were dressed down as to not reveal their true identities. Very little luggage was stored on top of the carriage. One big trunk was secured to the bottom. It banged and rattled as the carriage moved along the countryside.
They were accompanied by an Eluan guide, Amur. Amur spent his entire life on the road. As a boy he traveled with his family as artisans. They traveled city to city entertaining the locals and then moving on when the money dried out. As a teenager his family ran into troubles. His parents died of sickness. The rest of his family split up. Amur joined the Eluan army. He continued to travel across the empire. Eluan’s reign of the entire known world made it easy for him. His only true battle experience had been at Myrus. It was an event he would not like to repeat. After the war, he was dismissed from the army. After that, he took up a job as a guide and protector of travelers across the country.
“How long have you all been in the Capitol?” asked Amur. “I hear the city has grown tremendously in the past year. I have had little chance to really see the entire city. I have been on the road so much.”
The Empress and her guards continued to ignore the man.
“Is there any news from the area?” Amur asked. “I do not want to miss out on anything. Has there been further word on the avadons? Not that I am too concerned about them. I will protect you all. It is just good to have all the knowledge that you can.”
“No,” said Kastor. He turned back to the window on their carriage.
Amur continued his rambling for another few miles. None of his fellow passengers told him to stop. Then the carriage pulled to a halt. Guards blocked the roadway. The soldiers were heavily armed.
“We suggest you turn around,” said one of the guards blocking the road to the driver of the carriage.
Amur stepped outside. He wanted to deal with the situation himself. He wasn’t going to let a driver handle the serious business.
“What is the matter?” Amur asked the guard.
“Roads to the east are being heavily watched. We recommend you cease your travels for the time being or head back the way you came.”
“I have travelers in my carriage, wealthy ones. They will not be returning the way they came. We are headed east.”
“Then you have all the more reason to turn back, sir,” said the guard. “It is dangerous on the roads. A sickness is spreading through the coast. Aldrin the Ageless is near Selour. Many of his men could be wandering the Eluan roads as we speak. I suggest you turn around.”
“We will be having none of that. My passengers see fit to head east. That is where we will be going. Thank you for the warning. I will handle any situation that comes our way. Please continue to your good work.”
Amur saluted then turned back to the carriage. The guards got off the road and out of the way of the carriage. It was their death wish.
Amur sat back in his seat next to Tyeche. His smile showed all the pride in the world. He would not be stopped.
“Sorry about that,” said Amur.
“What is going on?” asked Marina.
“Just a warning,” said Amur. “Aldrin the Ageless has touched the mainland again. It is a dark situation, but nothing we should be concerned about.”
“Where is he?” Marina asked.
“Somewhere east, probably heading back to the End Sea. His men are at Selour. Do not worry. We will not be heading out that far. We will be going north in a few days. It will take us far away from the shore.”
Marina gestured at Tyeche. In one swift move, Tyeche released his dagger and stabbed Amur in the heart several times. Amur had no defense. He quietly died in his seat.
“Kastor,” said Marina. “Tell the driver to take us to Selour. We have some people to catch up to.”
Chapter 17
Heric stood quietly in his war room. A map of the entire Eluan Empire hung across the back wall. It was an older map, made just before Eluan had taken complete control over two decades ago. Towns were listed on the map that no longer existed. As a way to compensate, Quaet had crossed off the destroyed towns over the years. Prial was especially marked. A skull was drawn near the city. The land was poison.
Heric looked over to his left. Next to the map of Eluan was another map, just as tall, but snuck into the corner. It was a rudimentary map drawn by Alexus himself. He wanted to portray their eventual journey into Louson territory. Heric’s eyes were fixated on the Louson Kingdom. He thought back about those events. They reminded him of Marina, and how she had recently gone missing.
His eyes danced around the painting. In the woods was a creature. Heric shook his head. He immediately recognized it as the fury arck. Those creatures nearly killed him and the group he was traveling with. Ab
igail was amongst them. He would have done anything to protect her. And now she was gone, vanished in his own city. He had failed her.
His eyes drifted toward the right. Heric followed the trail of destroyed cities from Prial to the shore of the End Sea. New towns were scratched off by Quaet this past year. The avadons had left their own path of destruction on their way to Myrus and the Capitol. Myrus still remained unmarked. Heric was reluctant to mark the city destroyed. It was being rebuilt over the ashes. Myrus would not die under his watch. Then Heric looked over at Selour. Early reports had already come in.
Tcher was offering aid to Selour. People there were dying, and Heric could do little about it. Aldrin had threatened he would take away his citizens by letting them come to him. Heric wondered if this was the start. Could Aldrin destroy Eluan by the act of good deeds? He did not believe the man-child was capable of such generosity. The two people Aldrin had acting like dogs made him furious. Aldrin hid behind the rules of the Treaty of Prial in order to continue taunting his arrogance. Heric remembered the greedy smile he saw on Aldrin’s face. Every bone showed through the old man’s droopy skin. Aldrin was not helping, Heric believed.
Then rage erupted into Heric. His hands balled up into a fist. Heric was ready to punch anything that moved. He was a fighter. He couldn’t just stand and wait for news. He wanted to fix every situation. But he was the leader. He had to wait.
Instead, Heric reached out at the map of Louson. The paper crumbled in his grip. He ripped it off the hinges on the wall. It cascaded down to the ground. Heric did not stop. He ripped the map as far as he could reach. Then he let it fall to the ground.
Louson was no longer his problem. The crossing may never get finished. Marina had vanished. He had other matters to worry about. There were issues in the east that had to be solved.
Forman arrived shortly after. Heric managed to calm down from his moment of rage. He had been waiting patiently for his confidant.
“What news do you have?” Heric asked.
Forman only hesitated a moment. He noticed the fallen map then turned back to Heric. Even Forman thought Louson was the least of their problems.
“There has been no sign of Aldrin. It is believed he returned to his ship. There are still a few soldiers at Selour,” said Forman.
“We need to get them out of there, send our own people in,” said Heric.
“He is testing you. Your father gave in to Aldrin’s demands almost overnight. He wants to see you do the same.”
“My father thought it was best for the people. Aldrin was not going to stop killing if we had done nothing. How many more would have died had Eluan not joined forces with Aldrin?”
“Cyrus saved his people. I understand that,” said Forman. “But it cost the lives of nearly every citizen of Prial. Was that a fair trade? They were not soldiers. They were women and children hiding for their lives.”
“I’ve read the reports. My father led that attack. A war against Aldrin would have left Eluan weakened,” said Heric.
“It would have left the Tcher Islands weakened as well. Prial could have finished them off.”
“And then Prial could have finished us off. They would not have stopped with just Tcher.”
“You do not know that,” said Forman.
“I believe it,” said Heric.
“Are you going to give in to Aldrin?” asked Forman.
“No,” said Heric. “Not this time. Aldrin’s target is the Eluan Empire. He expects me to roll over and give him what he wants because I am too afraid to go to battle against him.”
“He thought your father was. Are you?” asked Forman.
Heric took a deep breath. He let the insult to his father slide. “My father was not afraid. He was smart. You are right. Going to war cost the lives of everybody in Prial, but it saved Eluan. Today, Aldrin is insane for trying to go to war with us. Eluan has grown stronger than ever before. We have command of every army on the main land. My father gave us that. Tcher cannot stand against a unified front.”
“They are a warworld,” said Forman. “Every citizen is a trained soldier. Aldrin will send every man, woman, and child against us. We do not know their numbers. Our last reports were in the tens of thousands cramped on that island.”
“I have other plans as well,” said Heric.
“Your team is not ready,” said Forman. “They are not developing as we had hoped. You cannot rely on that option. To defeat Aldrin, you’ll need wave after wave of our men to fight his. Only numbers are going to win us the victory this time.”
“Then gather my men,” said Heric. “I want an army at the shore. We will find Aldrin. This country will no longer live in fear.”
Chapter 18
The scene was visible from either end of the horizon. Down the shore, ships from the Tcher Islands drifted in the water. Each ship appeared lifeless. There was no sign of anybody on board but one.
One ship was anchored closer to the shore than the others. Its flags were raised high. People on the deck crammed themselves below, most of them citizens of Eluan.
A trail of planks led from the ship all the way to dry land. It sunk inches into the ocean’s surface as the people walked across it. The line of people did not end there. The shores were packed with hundreds of refugees. They had flocked to the beaches.
Selour was not recovering despite the aid from the Tcher Islands. More people started to die. The sickness changed to rashes that peeled away at the skin. Many died trying to scratch away the itch. Others suffocated when their airways inflamed and blocked up. It was not long before word got out of the events in town.
The news of Selour came attached with more. The Tcher Islands were opening their doors once again to people in need. All the people remembered the stories about sanctuary and freedom on the islands at the end of the world. The avadons were in the west, and a new sickness was emerging. They would be safe across the ocean and on the other side of the world.
On board, Aldrin the Ageless watched as his Eluan neighbors forced their way closer to the waters. His royal guard surrounded him. They did not speak while they were around Aldrin. They were on duty. No one outside their circle could be trusted. Any man on his ship would take the opportunity to kill Aldrin. It was in their training.
Only one thing drove mankind: desire. To gain control, Aldrin withheld that. He promised his people their wildest dreams if they fought for him. So they did. They went mad with blood. He twisted the Islands of Tcher into one giant battleground. Every child began training as soon as they could walk. There were no exceptions. The farther they advanced the more they would be rewarded. Aldrin left it up to the people. At any time they could abandon their training without consequence. But they would be held at the class status they left on. The younger they were the poorer they remained.
Only a handful made it to the Elite Guard, and their ranks were limited. Aldrin treated these men and women as his own children. They were spoiled, and given whatever they desired. It was enough to keep them from trying to take the life of Aldrin the Ageless, and protect him instead.
Aldrin built up a superior fighting force than the world had ever seen. Every citizen was trained for battle. His main forces could challenge an Eluan army three to one. His royal guard could fight five to one. The world belonged to Aldrin. It just didn’t know it yet.
The people out on the planks walked onto the boat. They were accepting the truth. Aldrin smiled. He was satisfied at the turnout. The rumors of Eluan were true. The empire was crumbling. And all the pieces were falling into the ocean.
Aldrin turned around with a smirk across his face. He stood up straight to address his men. His small frame stood prouder than the men around him.
“Begin the training tonight,” Aldrin ordered. “They will be men of Tcher by sundown. Strip them down. They will begin as babes of the land. They can earn back their status soon enough.”
Then Aldrin returned to the hull of the ship. He had more pressing matters to attend to.
Chapter 19
The palace halls shuffled along like any other day. Servants went on with their normal tasks. The guards stood their posts. Many of the members of the royal class leisured away the day in the baths or one of the studies. And along with all of the usual hustle Eluan citizens were lined up to see the Emperor.
It was the duty of the Emperor to listen to his subjects. The entire day was dedicated to just that. The people lined up around the palace to speak their grievances to their leader himself. Emperor Heric Caning would then give his ruling in trying to help the person.
It was a duty that Heric believed in. He knew the only way to solve problems would be to hear it from the source. He couldn’t be everywhere all the time. His people were his eyes and ears. No matter the issue he would listen to it.
Regardless of his beliefs, Heric sat restless on his throne. The grand hall was decorated for the display of presentations. His attention was often drifting to the banners that hung on the wall. They showed the signs of Eluan, Tcher, and Louson: a Tamor bird with wings spread out, jaws of a leviathan breaking the ocean’s surface, and a fury arck surrounding its kingdom; the three nations of the new world. Heric could not focus on the people presenting. Often times it were people complaining against neighbors and business partners that they felt wronged them. It was something Heric took seriously. Until today.
Every minute he sat there grew longer. He did not care for the people’s petty problems at the moment. He had an enemy stationed outside his shores. Those were the problems he was concerned about. He wanted to race out to battle with the army he had sent. On the front lines, he could put a stop to Aldrin and his greed for more power if it came to that. Instead he was sitting at the Capitol listening to a man argue for the right to have his lamb back; a lamb that was slaughtered two days ago.
“Were you paid for the lamb?” Heric asked.
“Yes, but that lamb could have gotten me twice what I asked at the market the next day. A senator from Luus was paying top dollar at the time.”
Eluan Falls: The Tides of Utter Undoing Page 6
