Wrath of the Greimere (Hell Cliffs Book 2)

by Case C. Capehart

  “The Paladins will continue hunting for me. They are already turning the population to their side and will rule this nation soon. There will be no refuge for me anywhere here.” Helfria cast a glance toward the room with Gaius. “My father said that Raegith hated him and our entire family, but he put his dying hope in your son granting me clemency. When Gaius is well enough to travel, we will be leaving here and find a way into the Wilderness. I will throw myself at the mercy of my half-brother and hope for sanctuary among his new people.”

  Helfria approached Nuallan and put her hands on the woman’s shoulders. “Come with us, Nuallan. See your son again.”

  Chapter 40

  A tear ran down Hitomi’s scarred face as she brushed her fingers along the black arrow etched into the stone marker. At the top the paw symbol of the Helcats adorned the memorial along with a forge for Magda. Below those symbols, a dagger and fist represented Makata and Enga, her two Helcat sisters who never made it out of the Citadel and never saw how far the Helcats had come.

  “My strength is returning. I can fight longer and longer every time I train.” Hitomi sniffed and gave a long, weary exhale. “I miss you so much. We came here for a new home. We came to take the freedom we deserve and to have our own lives. You were supposed to be part of this, Naoko. All the things you survived… you were supposed to be here, with me.”

  Hitomi gripped the top of the marker and dropped her head. The drums and singing drowned out her sobs to the others around her who danced and drank. Earlier, Raegith gave a speech to commemorate the markers for those who fell during their quest to create a new home. He spoke of Naoko and Magda’s courage in rising from imprisonment in Shimada village, from a time that felt ages ago to Hitomi. She cried, as did everyone around her. The wounds Ft. Augustus inflicted on the survivors still bled.

  In the shadow of their new home, Talongrad, Raegith revealed the project his Stone Seers had been working on in secret for weeks: a handful of stones with the names of all the fallen. The stones separated Greimere by their roles, not by their races. Beretta had enlisted Hitomi for one of the markers, the one dedicated to all those lost in the battle to claim the Citadel. The Infernal wanted the names of Hitomi’s militia on there.

  The Greimere rejoiced and mourned as they laid tokens at the feet of the stones. So many of the women bore bulging, pregnant stomachs. The Greimere needed a population surge and that surge required caveats Hitomi would have never considered before losing all of their non-combatants. Nearly 200 Saban midwives and Twileen nurses lived inside the walls of Talongrad ensuring healthy births. Ariadne worked long hours directing nurses and instructing the bugai’sha about Greimere customs and physiology. The Mage had cast aside the deteriorating robes of her former life and now looked nearly unrecognizable in black and purple. Though she kept the top of her hair wavy somehow, she trimmed the sides nearly to the skin, adopting more of a Rathgar style.

  Ariadne kept her people indoors during the festival. The Mage had earned her place and the respect of the Greimere long ago, but she felt the presence of the bugai’sha would be inappropriate.

  Hitomi had visited her in between Raegith’s speech and the festival. “You saved my life, Ariadne. If anyone says anything to you, I’ll rip their tongue out.”

  Ariadne had smiled and waved her off as she continued writing in a thick tome. “It has nothing to do with my place in the Greimere, Hitomi. It’s okay for some things to be strictly for those who journeyed across the Hell Cliffs… and those who could not.”

  “He put plenty of room at the bottom of our stone.”

  Hitomi raised her head and turned to see Helkree. The Helcat leader lifted her mug and drained it in three gulps. “Plenty of space for the rest of us. A spear for you. A big-ass axe for Indie. Some claws for Fenra.”

  “A pair of tomahawks for you?” Hitomi asked as Helkree drew near.

  Helkree looked up and to the side with a smile. “Oh… I was thinking he’d probably carve a softer, rounder kind of pair for me, but your idea seems more appropriate.”

  “How many of those have you had?” Hitomi asked, pulling the mug close and sniffing the top. “That’s fucking grog. Most sane people have started drinking the shit the bugai’sha brew. It’s less… lethal.”

  “Yeah, but tonight calls for something lethal, right?” Helkree ran her finger down the paw mark of the Helcat stone. “Just a pack of mean bitches in the Pit; that’s all I thought this was at the time. Now here we are in a new home, free and reveling. Well, half of us are, anyway. The other half of us are just fucking marks on a rock.”

  “Naoko and Magda will be remembered. They will have meant something, instead of being a nameless corpse in a pile.” Hitomi gripped Helkree’s shoulder. “We rebelled against everything and everyone until we stood atop the fucking Spire. You lead us there.”

  “I’m not leading you much these days,” Helkree replied. “You’ve been commanding the respect of legions since Gimlet City. Grass-Hair needs you now, Hitomi.”

  “I will always give Grass-Hair my counsel, even if I’m no longer giving him my body. He understands-“

  Helkree cut her off with a wave of her hand. “I’m not talking about that. You’re being sent west, Hitomi. Grass-Hair is securing the mountains for the Greimere and he wants you to lead the campaign. He’s waiting for you in the Spire.”

  …

  The cleric stood behind the elegant podium, both shining in white with brilliant gold accents ready to lead the congregation in praising the Fates and beseeching their wisdom and guidance. Thousands of Sabans and Twileens crowded the open-air auditorium inside the walls of Thromdale. For most of them, these weekly services were their only glimpse inside the capitol. Before the Paladin’s ascension, in the time of Caelum kings, only Citizens and Nobles were allowed within the walls.

  The Fates and their disciples welcomed all.

  Nero stood at ease among his squad. The metal plating of his shoulder armor gleamed in the open sun. He and his fellow Paladins had remained awake long into the early morning scrubbing their leathers and picking the flecks of grime from the stitching. Returning from the field a day before a service proved inconvenient, but it was no excuse for attending with grime on his armor.

  “We have grown sedentary. Our Saban muscles grow weak. Our Twileen gardens wither. We have allowed blasphemous elemental magic to do the hard work for us.” The cleric’s sleeves billowed in the breeze as he lifted his arms skyward. “But what is a flame or a sudden gust compared to the boundless kingdom of Fate? The Elements bestow actions, but the Fates weave a grand plan for every creature in this world; everything your eyes behold is by Their design.”

  The crowd cheered, their voices rocking the walls of the nearby buildings and sending vibrations through Nero’s boots. He stared forward, unmoved. The congregation cheered over what they saw as a simple power struggle between deities, but they held only a neophyte’s understanding of the Fates. Nero knew more; he knew how devotion to the Fates could transform a coward into a Paladin. He knew how the loss of Their blessing could strip away a thousand-year reign.

  Nero glanced skyward to where the tall tower of the Caelum home loomed in the distance. The speed in which Andronicus occupied the castle made Nero uneasy. A part of him mourned the man he called King for so long.

  And then there was Helfria. She escaped Thromdale and so far evaded capture, likely thanks to Caelum Loyalists. Nero could not force away the feeling of relief he felt when he learned of her escape. Since the events in Thromdale, Nero’s sleep was fitful. Though he was not present, he pictured the queen and all her children piled up at the bottom of the castle. Some of the girls were not even women yet. Not even the youngest child, Kranston, had survived the coup. Helfrick Caelum, who had been a Paladin himself, died in battle and High Paladin Andronicus had him cremated in cloth wrappings instead of buried in armor.

  Despite the prayers he offered and attending the service, he felt unsure of himself. The feeling of something wrong nag
ged at his soul and filled his mind with wandering thoughts.

  “How are things along the Pisces, Light Hand?”

  Nero turned sharply and snapped to attention at the sound of Judge Leyhea’s voice. “Quiet, Judge. The enemy does not reveal itself often. We go weeks with little more than a glimpse of the wolf creatures prowling inside the wood line. They have not tried to engage at all.”

  As the service ended, Judge Leyhea dismissed Nero’s squad as he continued to address the young Paladin. “Your vigilance is a great service to the Fates, Light Hand, but do not forget the importance of devotion. It’s good to rotate back to the rear on occasion and focus on the soul.”

  “Understood. My squad will be reporting immediately for community duty-“ Nero began.

  Leyhea cut him off with a raise of his hand. “That’s not what I meant, Light Hand. Let the men rest… reflect on the peace they’re helping build. They’ve earned it. You however, will have to postpone rest like a true leader. The High Paladin requests your presence at the castle. I’ll take you.”

  “Have my reports arrived timely?” Nero asked as they walked deeper into the capital through the exiting congregation.

  The large Paladin laughed and shook his head. “Relax, Nero. You’re not giving a report. The High Paladin wants a conversation with his lunch. No one from your unit needs to know of this, do you understand?”

  “Of course.” Nero continued, wondering why the High Paladin still held an abnormal interest in him years after his recruitment.

  The inside of the castle looked much different from the only other time he had seen inside it. Andronicus ushered out all the Caelum furnishings and transported décor from the Temple of Fate to convert the home of a king into a parsonage.

  “Light Hand Octavius Nero, how glad I am you’re here.” High Paladin Andronicus stood in the kitchen, the sleeves of his robe pulled up and tied off at his elbows, as he cut into a small loaf of dark bread. “You may leave us, Judge. Nero, pull up a stool. We’re eating here in the kitchen, if you don’t mind.”

  Nero slid a stool up to the bar across from the High Paladin and looked around for any signs of others.

  “I’ve sent the royal assistants out to attend to the congregation,” Andronicus said. “I think I can make my own lunch. Apparently, the last residents here could not.”

  Nero felt a twinge of disgust, a kick in the abdomen upon hearing this slight jab against King Helfrick and his family. Andronicus must have caught his sudden change in mood.

  “Ah, gloating… we all have our vices and they are all equally despicable.” The High Paladin sighed and pushed a plate with bread, meat and fruits across the bar to Nero. “Especially when the target of my chiding held a special place in your past.”

  “I honor the Fates and my command above all others, High Paladin.” Nero tensed on his seat and felt foolish in his weakness.

  “That’s well and good Nero, but you still held feelings for your king and his eldest daughter.” The High Paladin’s gaze cut right through Nero. Nero could not move to eat or even break eye contact. This was a test.

  “This isn’t a test, Nero,” the High Paladin chuckled before taking a bite. “I already know how your mind is working out what’s going on here but I promise you, your head is doing far too much work. I’m not looking for the right answer; I’m interested in knowing your feelings. Be honest with me, Nero. How are you adjusting to… all of this?”

  “I don’t understand why they all had to die.” Nero took a deep breath and stared forward as if awaiting punishment. “King Helfrick betrayed us all, as did all the kings before him, but the Queen…”

  Nero dropped his gaze to the table. “She watched her children die. It doesn’t seem like the sort of thing we should have done to our own kind. It seems cruel.”

  “You’re absolutely right, Nero,” Andronicus replied, causing Nero to lift his head. The High Paladin shrugged his shoulders. “As much as I wish it were so, the fact is not all of my Paladins have your fortitude. It should have been handled differently.”

  Andronicus leaned forward and popped a grape into his mouth. As he chewed, the tip of the bread knife in his hand dipped in Nero’s direction. “But unlike you, I’m not plagued by guilt and confusion and it has nothing to do with sentiment. I knew Helfrick better than you. He was a Paladin.”

  Andronicus waited until he locked eyes with Nero before continuing. “But the Caelums attempted to steal the power of the Fates. They forged their own wars, molded this nation with their trickery and held us all hostage without our knowledge. It should be no surprise to any faithful servant that the Fates would withdraw their blessing.”

  Andronicus paused and stared hard at Nero. “This is what can be expected when the Fates side against you, Nero. Mountains and castles rise and fall by Their will.”

  Nero broke eye contact and looked to the side as he thought. The High Paladin’s words made complete sense to him, but something still felt wrong.

  “Eat up, Nero. Come on now.” Andronicus pointed at the food before him with his knife. “Don’t hold back; there’s plenty. And while you eat, allow me to explain the mission I need you for.”

  …

  “You’re sending me away?” Hitomi glared at Raegith as he sat at the other end of the war table. Hitomi expected the Greimere Warlord to be celebrating with everyone else, but against character he sat alone in the war room, only Helkree and Izanami flanking him.

  “You are my best general, respected by all in the empire, and you speak the Rellizbix tongue. To whom else could I entrust this mission?” Raegith intertwined his fingers and rested his lips against his thumbs, continuing to stare at the table instead of meet Hitomi’s gaze. “I can’t placate Torin and the other tribal leaders any longer; they long for the mountains and I need to secure the east. The Elathan Twileens surfaced and pledged to fight for us, leaving me with no excuse.”

  “So, get Fenra to go. She’s Urufen,” Hitomi replied.

  “Little Red can’t lead an army,” Izanami scoffed. “She’s an attack dog and Grass-Hair’s steed. She barely talks. You are the Spear of Greimere and practically a scholar of Rellizbix culture.”

  “I study our enemy to defeat them, not to grow close to them.” Hitomi stood, scooting her chair backward with a screech. “If I’m so important, why am I not needed here? Do you not need your greatest general planning the next assault across the river?”

  “We’re not going beyond the river, Hitomi. Not any time soon.” Raegith finally met her eyes and Hitomi saw the weariness in them. Raegith had not slept in some time.

  The warlord sighed, long and deep. “Leading an army felt challenging at the time, but it is nothing compared to managing a growing empire. Nearly half my Greimere warriors are preparing for or recovering from child birth. We’re integrating the bugai’sha into our empire, but cultures are clashing. I’m settling disputes day in and day out, making decisions that will spread, good or bad, through the empire and mold it. Keeping everything organized is taking all the effort I can give.”

  “These are the growing pains of a new nation,” Izanami said, taking over for Raegith. “You warned us long ago, Hitomi, that a nation like Rellizbix would eventually evolve their tactics on us. We learned the hard way a year ago that day had come.”

  The Witch circled the table to close in on Hitomi. “The surprise has worn off. Rellizbix has proven itself desperate to keep us on this side of the river. Our raid strategies will no longer suffice. To conquer them, we need an army and for an army, we have to cultivate an empire.”

  “You weren’t there to see it, but our Wolf Riders worked magnificently against the Saban formations.” Raegith gave her a wry smile. “But Gimlets aren’t reliable in battle. Kyudoka loosing from atop Turned Urufen could decimate an entire battalion. Twileens have archery in their blood; the Elathans will figure out how to rain arrows from atop a speeding wolf and teach it to the others. In a few years, we could have a thousand Wolf Riders who won’t flee from th
e first blast of fire or whistling arrow to come near them.”

  “Yumiko’s Reapers could come in behind them… sweep through the scattered ranks and dismount deep inside the formations.” Hitomi’s brain began working through the possibilities. Raegith knew her too well.

  “I need you in the east, Hitomi.” Raegith stood and approached her as Izanami stepped to the side. He gripped her by the shoulders. “Leading the regulars through their drills is getting boring for you. Yumiko can handle that. You are the only one who can develop this new weapon for us, Hitomi.”

  Raegith motioned toward the map of the Wilderness spread atop the war table. “Take the Urufen Tribes into the World Edge Mountains. Meet with the Elathans and expand our influence to the other tribes out there. You know how to do it. Then, once your outpost is up and running, get to work on my Wolf Riders.”

  “I want to say goodbye to my sisters and leave instructions for the newer generation of Helcats,” Hitomi replied.

  “No need to say goodbye to the originals,” Helkree said. “Well, just me and Fenra, I guess. Indie and Kimura are going with you.”

  “They have good reason to stay, though,” Hitomi protested.

  “We volunteered.”

  Hitomi turned to see Indie and Kimura coming through the doors.

  “I’ll miss Zurek a lot, but you’ll need my strength more than he will,” Indie bellowed.

  “But what of you, Kimura? What of your daughter?”

  Kimura regarded her with a nod and then turned toward Raegith. “Makata is coming with me. She is strong enough to make the trip. But I’m not going to provide support; you know this, Grass-Hair.”

  Hitomi looked back at Raegith, confused.

  Raegith glanced at her. “Apparently Kimura no longer recognizes my command and is her own army now.”

  “I will find these Paladins, wherever they are, and kill them.” The air around Kimura felt ten times heavier than anywhere else in the room. “That is my only concern.”