Dark Wolf's Awakening

by Ryan Evans

  I briefly debated calling my soldiers into a single formation as the mounted patrol approached to make it easier for them to surround us. There was no longer any cover to inspect or watch out for, and we were close enough to be protected by the troops in the fort. My two shadowing patrols offered no added advantage whatsoever.

  Despite all of this information, I decided not to call the soldiers into a solid formation until I saw what the mounted forces would do. As we got closer to the mounted patrol, I could make out the details of the leading officer. He was riding an impressive battle charger, and it looked as if he thought the entire world was beneath him. He also wore the rank of captain complete with knight insignia exactly like Lady Kyla’s.

  A part of me thought on the possible reasons to have multiple knights on the same backwater campaign. The other part focused on his haughty expression as he led his well-polished soldiers towards us. It didn’t appear that the two of us would be getting along with one another.

  “Please have your soldiers and the refugees stop,” Lady Kyla said in a quiet tone only those closest to her could hear. I was so surprised at the politeness of her request I obliged her without hesitation. I signaled for the men to stop, and the militia followed suit. It wasn’t a popular decision as, so close to safety, many of the refugees couldn’t understand why we would stop for any reason. The irritation was plain to read on their faces. I felt for them and understood their frustration, but it didn’t change my mind.

  The captain and her small contingent of lieutenants, along with a handful of guards, walked forward to meet the mounted knight. Instead of having his men ride around the entire refugee formation, the officer had his soldiers stop behind him in formation to wait. It wasn’t lost on me how far the mounted troops stopped from us, and Lady Kyla had to walk for several minutes to get there.

  Anyone observing the exchange couldn’t miss the insult. They were of the same rank, yet he treated her with disdain. The faces of many around me reflected the irritation I felt at such petty actions.

  The passive aggressiveness of the mounted leader aside, Lady Kyla’s composure impressed me. I couldn’t see what they said once she arrived within speaking range, but it clearly disturbed him. Their exchange lasted for several minutes before he turned his mount sharply and rode back towards the gates with his unit scrambling to keep up.

  Lady Kyla looked weary after the exchange but signaled for us to continue moving. At my command the ponderously slow gaggle of refugees began moving again. Now that the knight and his soldiers had ridden off, I gave the order for the Silvanti troops to fall in behind the refugees.

  It was just me, along with Tristan and Selene as my bodyguards, at the front of the refugees when we reached Lady Kyla’s location. Her two lieutenants looked angry, but she’d re-established the neutral mask I expected from her.

  “Is everything alright?” I asked cautiously once we were in easy speaking range. The town representatives had moved in closer to us from the middle of the group so they could hear what we said. I had to commend them. For being civilian commoners, they were extremely brave in trying to stay involved with the nobles. I hoped that impulse wouldn’t get them into trouble now that we would be near so many other houses.

  “Everything is fine. My fellow knight was simply expressing everyone’s displeasure at my delay in returning. They also relayed my orders from Princess Emilia,” she said in that same neutral tone she adopted anytime she spoke of duties or unpleasantness.

  Her words stopped me in my tracks. “There is a member of the imperial line here at Fort Granas?” I asked incredulously. Meeting one of the Cruento line had been risky enough. I didn’t even want to think about what one of the royal family would say at hearing my bloodline. When I’d first seen Lady Kyla with her knighthood insignia, I’d written off the possibility of her being assigned to the imperial family. I just thought they assigned her to some official with connections.

  “Yes, Emilia Saeva is the sixth daughter of Emperor Rhydian the eighth. Her mother is the emperor’s fourth concubine, so while she has her father’s name, she’s far removed from the line of succession. Her father gifted her the Governorship of Tor’s Rest, and she’s leading this year’s campaign on the eastern front,” Lady Kyla said as if it was common information.

  “Based on some of my reading, a member of the imperial line of her rank would have four knights escorting them,” I said as much to myself as asked the knight before me. How one of her personal knights got so far away from the fort was a mystery I chose to ignore.

  A nod from her confirmed the information to be true. After a few moments of thinking, I decided on a course of action I thought would be best for everyone. “Very well. Lady Kyla, I appreciate your willingness to share such information with me. I also appreciate what you and your people have done for these townspeople. Should you ever need anything of me, do not hesitate to find me,” I said and bowed.

  The gesture caught her off guard, and she bowed in acknowledgement of the respect I’d given her. For beast-kind, honor and strength came before all. My offer of help was a very real thing. If she ever called on me, I’d be honor bound to come to her aid.

  “I can see why the imperial line would fear your blood. Even as a mere lieutenant of a mediocre house, you still offer thanks and support as if you were a force to be reckoned with,” she said grinning. I would have normally been offended, but I could sense she wasn’t making fun of me.

  “Regardless of your rank or station, I believe they may be right to be cautious. In just a handful of days, you’ve led your men against our enemy and organized a militia of several hundred townspeople. I thank you for your support and offer the same of myself. Also, when not in an official capacity, I’d like for you to just call me Kyla,” she said sincerely. Touched by the partial thawing of her professional exterior, I requested she drop my titles as well when not in formal environments.

  Our exchange complete, I shared my idea for our marching order from here on out. All the imperial soldiers would march in a solid formation in front. The refugees and wounded from all parties would follow after them. I, along with the able-bodied Silvanti army, would bring up the rear.

  The divide would allow for the imperials to march in a place of honor while separating our two groups as much as possible. Hopefully, the separation would allow Silvanti House to enter without too much notice. My entire army had done an amazing job, but being noticed by more powerful houses or the imperial family could cause a lot of problems for us.

  She only hesitated for a moment as she thought about my plan. “Very well, Valian, I agree to your plan. Though, I would like to point out that you have several hundred refugees wearing your symbol on their clothing. Many of them are also carrying swords and shields. You may escape notice this instant, but I doubt you’ll stay hidden for long,” she said in an amused voice.

  “Thank you, Kyla,” I said before smiling and executing a bow. She bowed in return and, just like that, we separated from one another for the remaining trek. As we formed up and walked towards the giant defensive structure before us, I found myself wondering what the future would hold.

  Chapter 17

  Despite its remote location, passing through the entryway of Fort Granas was an awe-inspiring experience. Being the last group to enter gave me and my soldiers plenty of time to appreciate the sheer size of the fort’s walls and gates. When we did finally enter, we couldn’t help but be impressed with how long it took to reach the other side.

  The passage through the stone portal was elaborate and had been well thought out. As we marched through the nearly twenty feet of wall, no one could miss the murder holes all around and above us. If anyone ever breached the gates, the defenders would harass them with arrows and spears while pouring boiling oil on them from above. Another set of iron gates sat at the end of the devastating tunnel. I couldn’t imagine trying to force the internal gates open with such defenses in place. As long as the fort wasn’t completely overwhelmed with number
s, I didn’t see a realistic way for it to fall to an attacker. Its outer defenses were too thick, and its access points were too easily defended.

  As we stepped back out into the light, there was a flurry of activity going on all around us. The refugees were being led deeper into the fort. The wounded were being assisted and taken in a different direction. Soldiers from different houses were moving in various directions. I assumed that they were going on guard detail or being relieved from their shift. Everything was like a well-oiled machine crossed with a beehive. Everyone was getting something done, but in the whole, it was chaos.

  “State your name, the number of troops you’re leading, and your house affiliation,” a bored sounding fox-kind said as I led my soldiers past the guards posted on either side of the fort’s entrance. I pulled my attention from the surrounding activity so I could focus on the officer who’d just addressed me. He was a younger lieutenant like myself, but had all the military bearing of a green recruit.

  There were primarily two classes of nobles that served as imperial officers. The first were the elites, such as Kyla Cruento, whose bloodline was so old and connected to the empire so strongly that it guaranteed her a place of prominence among the imperial army. Many of these old lines sent their youngest offspring to serve the empire. Though I hadn’t asked her, I was willing to bet Kyla had older siblings that ran the Cruento House affairs separate from the empire’s interests.

  The second class consisted of nobles who weren’t exactly the cream of the crop. These officers haled from defunct houses that owed a debt to the empire or nobles who were just above commoners in terms of their bloodline’s strength. Those with debts were obligated to serve the imperial army for almost no money, and those from weaker bloodlines had little hope of rising in the ranks. With an army of hundreds of thousands, the empire just needed bodies sometimes.

  The lieutenant before me was of the weaker variety. It was clear by his wrinkled tabard, unkempt facial hair and dirty armor that he was resigned to his lot in life. I was acutely aware of the fact that, had I been a bastard from a different noble house, this could have easily been my fate. The thought disturbed me. I shook it off as soon as it surfaced, deciding that even then, I would have tried to better my position somehow.

  As my focus turned to the slovenly dressed lieutenant, I could see him struggling under the pressure of my aura. I had forgotten that it was still radiating out at full strength as I hadn’t had to restrict it these last several days. Paying closer attention to the imperial and other house troops around me, I realized it was time to reign in my presence.

  With my aura brought back under control, the soldiers surrounding us outside of my command visibly relaxed, though the fox-kind lieutenant still looked nervous. I answered his question and added that my senior command should have already arrived. He hurriedly flipped through his log book, in what I assumed was a search for the entry containing the other Silvanti House troops in the fort. When he didn’t find it in his book, he had to go into the guardhouse and get another log to look through. We repeated this process three times.

  After over an hour, he found what he was looking for and added several lines to the original entry. His log updated, he called one of his soldiers forward to lead us to where the other Silvanti House troops had been quartered. I’d been trying my best to hold back my growing irritation with minimal success. It was clear by his nervous glances in my direction that he was ready for me to be away from his station.

  In moments, we were walking deeper into the fort’s buildings in the direction the refugees had been going earlier. As big as Fort Granas was, while a campaign was using it, it was essentially a town. As we walked, I noticed several shops on either side of the road. The further we went, the more services I saw available. There were tanners, weapon smiths, armor smiths, jewelry shops, taverns, brothels, various trinket vendors, food vendors, and even an area set up as a slave market. Anything you could want could be found for sale within the fort.

  I remembered Fort Granas’ layout from one of the books that Karsam had stored in the (now burned) wagon. Main thoroughfares passed through the center of the fort running north, south, east and west. They all led from gates like we’d just entered towards the central keep, which was protected by a secondary wall taller than the first. The princess and senior imperial leadership along with their forces would all be garrisoned within the central structure.

  House troops and the camp followers used the space between the perimeter defenses and the inner wall. The camp followers hoped to make money off the concentration of soldiers. The soldiers appreciated the goods and services provided to them by the merchants. The atmosphere was closer to that of a festival than a military fort. I would have enjoyed it had our situation not been so dire. These people didn’t even know they were in danger yet.

  There were smaller roads branching off in every direction that led to various open squares and housing areas. Each housing area comprised four barracks buildings that butted up against one another, leaving only a narrow entrance into a central courtyard and drill space. Each of the barracks buildings were three stories tall and could hold up to five hundred soldiers a piece. It wasn’t spacious, but it beat sleeping outside. You could tell if noble houses were staying in the barracks buildings and which one by the banners that hung at the entrances.

  It was to just such a place our escort led us. The entrance had the Silvanti House crest along with another that I didn’t recognize hanging before it. Besides the two noble house pennants, there was one other that was a surprise to see. It was a plain white cloth that looked more like a bed sheet hanging next to the two crests. Surprisingly, the sheet sported the same drawn symbol of a crescent moon with five slash marks that my troops and the militia sported on their shields and clothes.

  Looking at the faces of the surrounding sergeants, I wasn’t the only one surprised by this development. Our imperial guide gave a bow and quickly excused himself, I could smell the subtle hint of fear coming from him.

  “Any thoughts?” I asked Sergeant Iglias as I walked into the housing area. We were about to come face to face with those that had abandoned their army, and I had no idea how it would go.

  “Sir, the army is harboring a lot of anger. I suggest you keep everyone on a tight leash for the time being, at least until you’ve squared things away with the other officers. I’m including myself in that,” Sergeant Iglias said in a low tone so that only I, Tristan, Selene and the sergeants nearby could hear him.

  Surprised, I turned to look at Sergeant Iglias. He didn’t look away from my piercing gaze, and in his eyes, I could see the intense anger at the army’s abandonment. Looking at the surrounding soldiers, I saw more of the same.

  “Very well,” I whispered to myself before turning back and striding into the courtyard of the housing area. “All right soldiers; form up facing Silvanti’s building,” I ordered loudly as we entered the courtyard. The commotion alerted those in the surrounding buildings to our presence, and I saw a flurry of activity around us.

  As the soldiers arranged themselves in the center of the courtyard, I looked around and got my bearings. The building to the far left of the courtyard and the one who’s back closed in the housing area had my symbol on a white sheet hanging next to their doors. My symbol could only mean the refugees from Vega Point were using the buildings. The Silvanti symbol hung in front of the building across from where we entered. The unknown symbol stood before the building to our right.

  I noticed that two of the militia were posted as guards at each of the refugee areas. While their discipline impressed me, I couldn’t break my focus on the entrance to Silvanti’s space right then. The next few moments were too important to get distracted.

  A single soldier stood guard at the entrance of the Silvanti building looking uncomfortable. I had seen his counterpart duck into the doorway to alert the leadership as we’d entered the courtyard. I also noticed the unknown house’s guards watching on high alert. Two of their officers
were standing just inside their doorway monitoring the situation.

  It didn’t take long for Colonel Karsam along with Aaryn, Roland Vinea and a limping and bandaged Maxon Vinea to step out of the dark entryway assigned to Silvanti House. Stephan was mysteriously absent. Letting my aura radiate from me, I looked each of them in the eye. Karsam, who was shadowed by Lathian, had a weary look on his face, while the Vineas and Aaryn were openly hostile.

  I didn’t want to speak in the open. There were too many eyes on the situation for it to end in anything good. Recognizing the same thing, Colonel Karsam spoke from his place in front of the doors. “Valian, please step inside so we can discuss the way forward. I swear upon my honor that no harm will befall you during our meeting.” His words seemed to placate the soldiers at my back.

  “Sergeant Iglias, I place you in charge of the soldiers until my return. Keep most of them in formation until all of this is resolved, but dispatch a detail to aid and check on the needs of the refugees. Also coordinate training time this evening for the militia. We still have a lot of work to do before we meet the enemy again,” I said as I stepped forward to follow Colonel Karsam.

  At a nod, Tristan and Selene both stepped in behind me while Sergeant Iglias gave orders to the soldiers. I glanced back at my two shadows. I could have used my aura to make them return to the formation, but it would have only caused more problems. Their faces were grim and determined, and I wouldn’t be the one to deny them the right to carry out their duties as my bodyguards. “This is going to go so well,” I muttered to myself as we entered the building. The snort from Tristan told me he’d heard my sarcasm.

  I followed the remaining Silvanti nobles up to the second floor, then down the hall. We entered a conference room large enough to seat twenty people in basic chairs around a large table of unfinished wood. Two large windows in the upper portion of the room’s outer wall provided light for the entire space. There were also several large lanterns on the wall for overcast days or nighttime meetings. I liked the room as soon as I entered; it was functional with none of the extravagance that the nobility seemed to love.