Gods Of Blood And Fire (Book 1)

by A. J. STRICKLER

  When the palace wall came into sight, they could see the gate was closed and the wall was manned by what was left of the city watch. The duke stood on the wall and called out to the crowd. It took several times until they would quiet down for him to speak. “Disperse or the watch will fire on you. I will give you thirty seconds.” He commanded.

  Some of people slowly walked away but most stayed, not believing their own watchmen would fire into the crowd, but they did. Maybe thirty people went down in the first volley. Crossbow bolts flew through the crowd indiscriminately. The first volley scattered over half the mob that had followed the Princess.

  Raygan screamed as her fellow Bandarans died right in front of her. Men, women, children—the aim of the city watchmen was callous.

  Rhys grabbed the reins of Raygan’s horse and quickly led her out of range of the crossbows. He knew he could do nothing to get them inside the palace, and K’xarr had charged him with keeping the Princess safe after the fighting started.

  “You will pay for that Blackthorn,” Ansellus cried. He looked as surprised as the Princess. He had not truly believed the duke would fire on his own people either.

  K’xarr had planned for it though. “Kian, get the gate open?”

  Endra’s head jerked around. “K’xarr, are you insane? You can’t send him in there alone.”

  It wasn’t hard to see a look of anger quickly spread across the Camiran’s face. “I have no choice. We don’t have enough men to breach the gate before they kill us all with those damn crossbows.”

  Endra flinched at K’xarr’s anger and she knew her protests would not be heeded.

  The wall around the palace was fifteen feet high, not the massive curtain wall that surrounded the city itself, but still well built and quite formidable.

  K’xarr watched as Kian ran towards it, dodging crossbow bolts as he approached the stone barrier. Then he simply leaped up and pulled himself top of it.

  They watched as he killed four of the crossbow men before jumping down on the other side out of sight.

  K’xarr smiled with satisfaction. The Half Elf was better than a battering ram.

  “Damn you, K’xarr,” Endra yelled. “You might have just killed him, we don’t even know how many men Blackthorn has on the other side of that wall.” She kicked her horse and headed toward the wall. What was left of the mob and her companions followed.

  The duke stood with his mouth open, he had never seen anyone move that fast. The thing had killed four men on the wall and now he watched as he slaughtered three more with no more effort than a man swatting a fly. The beast was headed toward the gate and no one was trying to stop him, the Royal Guard hesitated to advance on this … thing. None wanted to be the first to engage its whirling blade. The cagey old noble knew he had to do something, if the gate were to be opened he would lose his advantage. “Hightower, kill it before that thing opens the gate,” the duke bellowed.

  Captain Hightower didn’t know what is was, but he didn’t want to face the man that stood before him now. He had laughed at the watch telling everyone that a demon had attack them. Now he wasn’t so sure they had been wrong.

  He had no choice, Duke Blackthorn had given the order and he had seen what happened to those who failed the duke. He raised his sword and called to his men. The Bandaran Royal Guard charged. None of them knew what they were about to confront.

  The demon was pulling the huge iron bolt that bared the palace gate. As they got near, he spun around to face the guardsmen, sword in hand, fangs bared. Captain Hightower saw its eyes and the sword in its hand, and he was afraid.

  The demon stood inside the arch of the gateway, they could only come at him three or four at a time. The captain hoped it would be enough. The thing let out a fierce roar and stood its ground. Hightower himself and three of the Royal Guardsmen attacked. The rest of his men waited behind them, ready to take their place should one of them fall.

  The man to the captain’s left died quickly, a sword thrust through the heart, it had been almost too fast to see. The demon brought a backhanded cut at the captain’s abdomen, he jumped back stumbling as he dodged the attack.

  As he regained his balance, he watched the thing kill the other two men who had been on his right. Two others step in quickly to take their place, only to be cut down.

  Captain Overton Hightower raised his sword to rejoin the assault. He moved forward only to stumble again. He looked down to see what he kept tripping over. The captain found his feet were entangled in his own intestines. He hadn’t dodged the monster’s attack after all.

  Kian felt the animal urges inside him surge to life after the first blood was spilled. They were almost overwhelming, but there was something more, something dark and insidious driving him as well. His thoughts were beginning to drift away and blind animal instinct was taking over. The sword Malice sheared through armor and mail, as if they were made of cloth. The Royal Guard’s attacks were no more effective than if they had been made by men of straw.

  Instead of staying inside the gate’s archway where they could only come at him a few at a time, the beast inside Kian pressed the attack. He was among them leaping and whirling with almost every swing of his blade a man died, and he did not care, they were the enemy, they were his prey.

  William Blackthorn watched as Captain Hightower was gutted by the unnatural swordsman. The Royal Guards were being rapidly cut down with a ferocious precision the duke had not thought possible. Many had simply turned and fled from the deadly killer. The duke struggled to perceive what he was seeing. It was just one man? No, he thought, it isn’t a man, but it could still be killed, he just needed more men. He grabbed one of his aids by the arm. “Take a message to my army. Tell them to send a thousand men to the palace at once.”

  “Your Grace, the army is camped several miles from the city. I don’t think there is time,” the young officer pleaded.

  “Just do what I tell you. Now go.” The man saluted and left. The duke knew his aid was right, the army was too far out to help him now, but he could use them later to retake the palace if it was lost. Was he going to lose the palace? He couldn’t think, it was all happening to fast, all he could do was watching this blood-spattered creature massacre the men that were meant to protect him and his palace. He heard himself cry out, “Crossbows, use the crossbows.”

  Bishop Lyfair had run away as soon as the thing leaped to the top of the wall. Now he was hidden inside the entrance to the palace, but he had been watching the carnage. Death had come to Turill. God had turned his holy face away from Bandara and the Bishop knew why. It was his sins and the sins of his conspirators, and this demon had come to extract vengeance for their evil. He hoped God would have mercy on them all, because this unholy fiend would not.

  The Royal Guard or what was left of it had turned and ran for the safety of the palace. Two of them had tried to fire crossbows at the raging demon like the duke had suggested. The monster had ducked the first bolt and cut the second out of the air as it sped towards him. After their crossbows were empty, both men turned and ran as fast as they could only to be cut down from behind. What was left of the Royal Guard was in full retreat. The blood-stained demon watched them flee. For the time being, its appetite had been sated.

  Cromwell and Endra had cleared the wall and gazed on the cobble stone walk and courtyard that lead to the palace entrance.

  Cromwell smiled grimly. “I see why he didn’t get the gate open. He was far too busy.”

  Endra took in the scene. The once beautiful palace grounds now looked like a battlefield. Bodies lay everywhere. The cobble stone walk looked like the floor of a slaughter house. Over twenty of the Royal Guard lay dead, and scattered among them were the bodies of several watchmen.

  The watch must have broken and ran sooner than the King’s guard, not quite as many of them had been killed.

  Standing in the middle of the bloodbath was the man she had sworn to stand by, the man she had pledged herself to. He was covered in the blood of his enemi
es, no, Endra thought, not enemies, victims.

  Cromwell had opened the gate and the others rode through. They saw what carnage Kian had introduced to their beloved palace gardens. The citizens of Bandara looked with revulsion on the terrible scene, unaccustomed to such violence.

  Many of them wouldn’t even enter the courtyard, but the Princess did. She quickly turned her head, not wanting to look upon the dead.

  Rhys gently helped Raygan down from her horse. Endra headed towards the Princess. She walked past the people loitering around, taking in the gory affair. “Welcome home, Highness,” she said sarcastically. The Princess only whimpered.

  “Endra, please,” Rhys scolded.

  K’xarr and Cromwell stood side by side pointing and grinning, both very happy with the outcome of Kian’s assault.

  Endra marched over to where they stood. “I hope you’re happy with yourself, K’xarr, you sent him over the wall without a care if he lived or died. I hope you enjoy your victory.”

  K’xarr seemed not to take any interest in the woman’s displeasure. “There is no victory yet, Blackthorn and what’s left of his men are in the palace. I wish I had known how few men he had.” K’xarr looked to where Kian stood among the dead. “What the hell is he doing, Endra, just standing there like that?”

  She was angry; K’xarr had just dismissed what she said. She turned to look toward where Kian stood. “Why don’t you go ask him yourself?”

  K’xarr walked over to where the bloody warrior had stopped his attack, two dead men lay at his feet, still clutching their crossbows. “You took this courtyard single handedly, my friend.”

  The swordsman turned quickly, droplets of blood were cast off his gore-soaked hair as it snapped around his head. His face was completely covered in blood and his inhuman golden eyes gave his visage an eerie look.

  “Are you wounded?” K’xarr asked.

  Kian head cocked to one side, then back. K’xarr hated those damn eyes. “I need to try and think again, you should walk away from me now.” K’xarr and Cromwell did as the swordsman suggested.

  Endra had led Kian over to one of the many small man-made ponds that surrounded the palace and helped him wash the blood off his arms and out of his hair. K’xarr saw them talking quietly, well at least Endra was talking.

  The Dark One hadn’t changed how Kian felt about Endra, she was the only one he seemed at ease around.

  He had used Kian, that was true, he hadn’t even given it a second thought. He shouldn’t have done it, Endra was right. Kian could have been killed. The poor bastard was walking a thin line when it came to his sanity, and he knew and he had taken advantage of it. All he had been thinking about was how he could win. His thoughts always strayed to a way to achieve victory in everything he did; there was little else that interested him.

  “K’xarr, are you listening to me?” Ansellus asked. “Sorry, I was distracted what did you say?”

  Ansellus sighed. “What do you want to do now? I have the men that joined us from the watch keeping an eye on all the exits from the palace.”

  K’xarr looked at the palace. “Are you sure Blackthorn is in the palace? There could be exits you don’t know about.”

  “He’s in there, Blackthorn is trapped. I would say he can’t have more than thirty or forty men with him. If I know William Blackthorn, he has a trick or two left up his sleeve. Let’s just send Kian in there and let him finish what he started,” the general said laughing.

  “No,” K’xarr said a little harsher than he wanted to. “We’re not sending Kian in alone, if anyone goes we all go. He’s done his share, it’s time we did ours.”

  “It was just a jest, my friend, I wouldn’t even suggest sending him in alone. I was surprised you did it the first time. How did you know he had that kind of prowess? I would never have believed someone was capable of surviving that assault.”

  K’xarr said nothing, he looked away, he had no given no thought to Kian’s survival when he had ask him to open the palace gate. An unusual sliver of shame pierced his conscience. “You should see to Blackthorn’s army, Ansellus. You said they would listen to you.”

  “Of course, I’m sure that old bastard sent for them. I will leave at once.”

  “Meet us back here when you’re finished.”

  “I will be as quick as I can.” The former general mounted his horse and rode away.

  Cromwell walked up, two-handed sword slung over his shoulder. “Are we going to get on with this? I’m hungry.”

  “We will soon enough. Aren’t you going to tell me you’re mad at me too?” K’xarr asked

  Cromwell’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What would I be mad for?”

  “I sent Kian over the wall alone.”

  Cromwell smiled. “I should be mad that the little bastard got all the glory for himself. Those Bandarans who witnessed it will be talking about that for years.”

  “It’s not a joke,” K’xarr barked. “It was wrong and I shouldn’t have done it. I used him, Cromwell. Endra was right. I didn’t give a damn if he lived or died. I was only concerned with taking the palace.”

  Cromwell’s face grew serious. “Listen to me, K’xarr. Leaders use people, that’s what they do, you know that. You used the weapon you had. I didn’t hear Kian complain about it. You gave him an order and he followed it.”

  K’xarr shook his head. “He’s not just someone under my command, he’s a friend. You know that I don’t use that word often, my list of friends is very short.”

  The big man clapped K’xarr on the shoulder. “In battle we are not your friends, we are all your weapons, you must wield us as you see fit. You are our leader, K’xarr, and that is all there is.”

  K’xarr started for where the others were gathering. “Damn, but you Torans make things simple.”

  Cromwell shrugged. “Simple is best.”

  Endra and Kian walked back towards the others. He was as clean as he was going to get without stripping down and getting in. He seemed calm and relaxed, though he hadn’t spoken. She had talked to him in a soothing tone about the battle. He hadn’t responded. She tried to talk to him about how she couldn’t wait to be alone with him. That topic had gotten no response either. The truth was she was a little frightened at the thought of him bedding her now. A secret she would keep to herself. She was about to take him to Rhys to see if something was wrong when he finally spoke. “Let us finish this.”

  “Finish what?” she asked.

  He looked at the palace. “The killing.”

  ***

  “This is Cain’s fault, he shouldn’t have sent for the guard. I told him I needed them here. Now, look what he has caused.” The Duke of Braxton Bluff shook with fury.

  Bishop Lyfair wasn’t sure if the duke was talking to him or justifying this catastrophe to himself. He wasn’t a military man, but he could tell that the men that retreated into the palace were afraid. He could see the terror in their eyes. If that demon came again, he was sure they would run as would he.

  “Perhaps you should surrender, after all Princess Raygan is your daughter-in-law, she would not allow you to be harmed,” Lyfair said as calmly as he could. The demon had terrified him when he had seen it coming across the grounds. Now that he was behind the doors of the palace he had regained some of his composure.

  The duke looked at him eyes wide. “Are you mad? You think that little wench is in control of that thing out there? It’s going to come in here and kill us all. These so-called fighting men can’t stop it. Why didn’t you call for some Church knights? You knew how short on men we were. He couldn’t have gone through them like he did this rabble. You are as much at fault as Cain.”

  Bishop Lyfair began to worry, the duke was beginning to rave. He need the noble now, he had no idea how to direct the troops if Ansellus and his demon tried to get in. “If I had known this was going to happen I would have asked for aid from the Church, you said everything was under control. William, you must calm down, we need you to give the men their orders. C
an’t you see they’re afraid? You need to rally them if there is any hope of repelling another attack.”

  “Just shut up, Marin. I sent for reinforcements, if they get here in time everything will be fine.”

  “I don’t think we have any time left, William.”

  The duke thought for a moment then headed for the stairs. “I might just save us yet, stay here I will be back.”

  William closed the door to his private chambers and took out the amulet he had hidden in the chest at the foot of his bed. He still had his secret weapon, though he was very reluctant to use it. He moved his thumb over it in the pattern he had been taught.

  “Having problems Duke Blackthorn?” the Dark One asked.

  The duke jumped, surprised by the wizard’s sudden appearance. He wasn’t very knowledgeable about magic and had doubted if the amulet would work at all. The sorcerer had given it to him and had shown him how to use it when they had become coconspirators.

  “The Princess has summoned a demon. It as well as a group of renegade mercenaries has taken the palace grounds and they are preparing to finish us. I need your help.”

  “Really, and what would you have me do?” The duke looked at the wizard, dumbfounded.

  “Destroy it, of course, use your powers and I can take care of the rest.”