The Crimson War: A Space Opera: Book Three of The Shadow Order

by Michael Robertson

  Different from the sound made by the monsters, the high-pitched yell had a tongue-rolling ring to it. It also had the collective force of being loosed from tens, if not hundreds, of diaphragms.

  Seb spun around to look at the monster behind him—the one farthest away from the sewer’s exit. It also turned to look behind it and he caught a glimpse of a tribe of sewer dwellers.

  More than he’d thought existed down in the dark labyrinth, they moved as a swarm, rushing forward en masse.

  The small ratty one Seb had originally thought to be the leader led the charge. It already had its curved silver sword drawn and it headed straight at the large beast, leading with the point of its weapon. It jumped impossibly high for something so small and landed on the face of the creature, a squelch responding to the blade burying into its huge eye.

  The small sewer dweller hung onto the handle with both hands, its slight body swaying with the distressed monster’s thrashing movements.

  The walls shook and the water bubbled from the monster screaming. But before it had time to react any more than that, several more sewer dwellers followed the action of the first.

  Suicidal in their conviction, they all landed on one of its two large eyes and several more squelches rang through the tunnel.

  A couple fell away instantly into the churning mess of water beneath it, but for the most part, they hung from its now shredded eyes.

  Seb looked at the other creature near the exit and saw it didn’t move as it watched the struggle. It seemed almost reluctant to get involved.

  When the large monster under attack spun around, Seb saw thick, tarry blood oozing from its eyes and running in streaks down its black skin.

  The large creature continued to spin and scream. It lashed out with one of its tentacles and clattered into the wall.

  More chips of stone and brick fell from the ceiling above.

  The beast had clearly been rendered blind because it flailed wildly, missing all of the other dwellers and smashing the walls again and again.

  A rush of sewer dwellers slipped past the monster as it thrashed about to stand between it and Seb.

  Like the first lot, the dwellers launched themselves at the monster. Each one had a weapon of some sort. Swords, daggers, spears—each one embedded something in the brute’s domed head, and most of the attackers managed to hold on.

  The large squid-like monster set the air alight with its fury and blindly lashed out. Massive in the cramped space, it couldn’t move without clattering into one of the walls.

  Every attempted swing ended with a ground-shaking crash. The lack of space that had been its advantage only moments earlier when it trapped Seb, now served as its prison, restricting its defence.

  Every time the monster twisted, the sewer dwellers hung on, but their bodies swung away from the beast. More black blood ran from its eyes and it screamed again and again and again, only pausing to draw breath before it released another expression of its fury.

  The one by the entrance still hadn’t moved, so Seb looked back at the monster under attack. The shredded flaps of skin in front of its mouth blew out with every call, and the smell of its metallic breath overpowered the reek of shit in the air.

  In one final attempt to get away from the attack, the creature pulled beneath the water, dragging the dwellers down with it.

  The fury vanished as quickly as it had exploded to life. The only evidence of the scuffle showed as a foam on top of the river.

  It all happened so quickly, the other monster still hadn’t moved. It’s large black eyes stared at the space where its mate had been as if it felt uncertain of what to do next.

  The crowd of dwellers who hadn’t been dragged under with the first beast rushed the second one. They ran down the paths on both sides of the river, screaming like they had when they’d attacked only moments before.

  Seb watched the monster twist from side to side as if to take in the two pathways full of sewer dwellers.

  Before any of the dwellers could get to it, the monster pulled into the river and Seb listened to the rushing water of its retreat.

  Plenty of the sewer dwellers threw spears after the creature as it passed, but its hide would undoubtably be too thick for their weapons to have an impact. The resistance of the water would also have slowed down the projectiles too. A gesture at best, it showed the creature they would fight if they needed to.

  As quickly as they’d appeared, the dwellers disappeared as if folding back into the darkness. Only one of their pack remained.

  The off-kilter, twisting and swaying man smiled at Seb. His shock white maw bore the signs of having eaten fresh shit. He pressed his muddy hands together and nodded. “Safe passage, Chosen One.”

  For a moment, Seb simply stared at the leader of the dwellers. They knew more about the prophecy than they let on, they must do. But they wouldn’t tell him.

  The thought of another creature appearing spurred Seb on to let his curiosity hang. He’d already ridden his luck in the horrible place.

  Seb nodded at the crazy man and then spun on his heel before running out of the sewers.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Barely able to walk in a straight line because of exhaustion, Seb ventured out into the relative light of the slums. The moon hung in the clear sky. Full but not bright compared to a sun, it certainly cast more light than he’d seen in the sewers the entire time he’d been down there. Enough for him to have to blink against the slight glare from it.

  Legs of jelly, frayed nerves, and sore all over, now he’d walked free of the slums, Seb thought about what he’d just encountered down there. Were it not for the sewer dwellers, he’d be dead by now.

  And how many had died for his cause? No way would they have survived being dragged into the river. Only the large, squid-like creatures knew how deep the water in the sewers went, but it ran deep enough to conceal a fully grown one of them—the creatures made a whale look like whitebait.

  The weight of responsibility pressed down on Seb. They might have only been sewer dwellers, but many lives had already been lost for his cause. They’d believed in him enough to sacrifice themselves. But what did he do now? ‘The chosen one’—what did that even mean?

  Regardless of what he didn’t know, Seb knew one thing: lives had been lost in his name and he had to make sure it counted for something. Revolution seemed like the best avenue to focus his energy on.

  Now a good fifty metres from the sewers, Seb’s surroundings grew even lighter as he stepped from the dark shadow cast by the elevated city. He looked around. Huts and rickety roofs everywhere as always. Busy as always with beings going about their business. Although, now more than ever, the slum dwellers stared at him. Sure, he had the flight suit on still and no doubt looked like crap, but there seemed to be something more. Whenever he got near enough, every one of the beings in close proximity stopped what they were doing and stared at him.

  A commotion in the distance pulled Seb’s attention across the slum. Were it not for the sounds, he wouldn’t have seen them coming. Fortunately, the Crimson foot soldiers moved through the place like a stampede, destroying every hut they got close to and laughing so loud he’d have to be deaf not to hear them.

  “Damn it,” he muttered.

  It took Seb a few seconds of looking around him to make the choice. He then ducked into the nearest hut.

  Inside, he found a family of what looked like a mum, dad, and a small child. Seb raised his hands at them and said, “Please, I don’t want to run into the soldiers.”

  One of the adults pulled the child close and the other one stared as Seb as if it would fight him should it need to.

  “Please,” Seb said again. “I don’t mean you any harm.”

  It seemed to be enough to calm the tension in the cramped space.

  Green skin, blue eyes, and wide, slim mouths, the three creatures looked like frogs. Only now, upon seeing they accepted him in their space, did Seb see the young one’s stomach. A bright red sore sat in
the centre of it and the poor creature winced as if in constant pain. A small stove burned in the corner, lighting the space up enough to show Seb the white film of pus forming on the wound. It also showed the shimmer on the creature’s forehead from it sweating with a fever.

  A slight tingle ran pins and needles through Seb’s hands like it had done several times previously. But he ignored it as he looked at what seemed to be the most hostile of the three creatures. “Have you heard there’s going to be a revolution?”

  The creature didn’t respond.

  “Well, there is. I’m going to lead it and we’re going to take this planet back from the Countess’ control. Is your child a boy or a girl?”

  The blue eyes observed Seb and it still didn’t reply. The other one spoke instead, her voice soft. “A boy.”

  The answer dropped a sinking feeling through Seb’s chest and into his stomach. “I want to see families have boys without living in fear.”

  The poor kid twisted where it sat as if it could wriggle free from its infection.

  Before Seb could say anything else, the crack and crash of a hut collapsed just outside.

  “If they take down this hut, I’ll make them pay; I promise,” Seb said. “But if I can hide away from them now, I’d rather do that. If we can take the fight to them on our terms, we can get this city back.”

  Again, the family didn’t speak.

  The tingling buzzing through Seb’s hands increased and he looked down at them. He almost expected them to sing like a tuning fork.

  Seb finally gave into his desire and reached across to put a hand on the child’s stomach. The parents tensed at him touching their boy, but they didn’t stop him. The already frantic throb buzzed harder than ever and he looked into the little kid’s eyes. Almost instantly he saw the change in the small creature. The pain of only seconds ago seemed to ease a little and it relaxed.

  As the buzz grew more frenetic, heat spread through Seb’s hands. They grew so warm it felt like he’d held them over a fire.

  A deeper green ran through the small boy’s cheeks. It took for Seb to see the kid’s true colour to realise just how pale he’d been.

  When Seb pulled his hands away, the sore had vanished. He looked at the boy and then the parents.

  The dad’s jaw hung loose. “How did you do that?”

  Seb stared down at his hands. The strange sensation had gone. “I … I don’t know. I just got an urge to touch his sore. I don’t know what I did.”

  Tears ran down the mum’s face. “Thank you. You’ve just saved our little boy’s life. We were sure he’d die from the infection.”

  Seb needed to get out of there. He couldn’t explain what had just happened and he didn’t want to know either.

  When he got to the door and peeked outside, he said, “The soldiers have gone. Thank you for your help.”

  “Wait,” the mum said. “There must be something we can do for you?”

  “Just be ready,” Seb said.

  “For what?”

  “For the revolution.”

  Before they could say anything else to him, he slipped out of the hut into the busy slum. All the beings looked at him like they had done before he hid away. Even the ones whose hut lay on the ground in pieces looked up, Seb more interesting to them than the devastation of their home.

  But Seb didn’t react. With his head dipped into the cold wind, he walked and looked at his hands. What had just happened in the hut? Something had made him want to do it—and not for the first time. But what?

  Exhaustion made Seb clumsy on his tired legs. He shook his head as if the action would throw off his lethargy. He needed to get ready for a war and he needed to find a way to get the entire slum on side. He might have just persuaded a family of three, but an army of four wouldn’t do much to overthrow a regime.

  Despite the stares his flight suit elicited, Seb needed to keep it on. If he looked different to all the other beings, it would give the dwellers a figure to follow into battle. Who’d listen to him if he looked just like they did?

  A deep breath of the frigid air and Seb pulled his shoulders back. If he walked with his head high, maybe they wouldn’t look at him. If he didn’t look back at them, maybe they’d get bored. Although if his peripheral vision told him anything, it told him they still watched him as much, if not more, for his arrogant gait.

  Close to Phulp’s old hut, Seb picked up his pace. A look over the roofs of the slum and he saw the large cylindrical fighting pit on the horizon. A rickety, yet mammoth structure, it dominated the slum’s skyline.

  At the door to Phulp’s hut, Seb slid the pallet aside and called for Bruke as he stepped into the cramped space.

  The second he saw his friend, Janina, and the kids, Seb’s tired legs gave way beneath him and he fell forward onto the cold and hard ground.

  Chapter Thirty

  Seb opened his eyes to find Bruke’s green and scaly face so close to his he could feel his warm breath on his cheek. He scrambled away from the creature and sat up straight, his sore body screaming in agony at the quick movement. “What are you doing?”

  Bruke stayed put, but the kids, Jawty, Phulp, and Jince followed Seb across the small hut. All three of them stared up at him through their red albino eyes as if they’d never seen him before.

  “Do you think he’s okay?” Jince said.

  “Dunno.” Phulp prodded Seb. “He looks a bit weird.”

  “I am here, you know!” Seb said.

  Before Jawty could say anything, Seb heard Janina shout, “Kids! Get away from him. Give him some space, yeah?”

  “But you said he’d probably die,” Jawty said.

  Seb looked across at Janina. “You said that?”

  A shrug of her small shoulders and she half smiled. “You didn’t look so good.”

  “So you’re alive?” Jince asked.

  “Would I be sitting up and talking to you if I wasn’t?”

  Despite Seb’s brusque response, Bruke squealed and clapped his hands. “My goodness,” he said as he leapt on Seb and flattened him, crushing the air from his lungs. “We thought you were a goner for sure.”

  Jawty cried as she held one of Seb’s hands in both of hers and stroked him. “We were so worried.”

  “What happened out there?” Phulp asked, pushing his face close to Seb’s.

  “You looked terrible,” Jince added.

  “Tell us what went on,” Bruke cut in.

  “Enough!” Janina shouted and the four stopped. “Give him some space, yeah? He’s only just come round, so let him get his head together.”

  All four of them moved away from him and Seb sat up for a second time. “If you flatten me like that again, Bruke, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

  The green creature stared at the ground. “Sorry.”

  In the now silence of the hut, Seb stretched his arms in the air, his muscles aching in protest of his movements. The others looked at him, but he said nothing. Let them wait.

  When Seb had finished stretching, Janina handed him something hot in a mug. It smelled good, like gravy. A sip of the scalding liquid and he tasted meat juices and salt. “Mmmm, I needed this!”

  Janina nodded, smiled, and then walked away.

  “Did you see any dragons?” Phulp asked. The few seconds of silence had clearly been too much for him to cope with.

  Seb laughed and shook his head. “Dragons would have been easy to deal with compared to what I had to face.”

  “What happened to your wrists?” Jawty said.

  Before Seb could reply, Janina walked over and pulled on his hand without the hot mug in it.

  Seb snapped it away and held it to his chest. “It’s fine. It’s nothing to worry about, honestly.” They didn’t need to know about what he’d been through since he’d left them. Too many beings had died because of a bogus prophecy; he didn’t want to share that with them.

  “Now tell me,” Seb said. “Have you talked to the slum dwellers about the revolution?”r />
  Seb caught the look between Janina and Bruke. “What? What’s happened?”

  When Bruke winced, Seb snapped, “Just spit it out.”

  “We’ve told people,” Bruke said while wringing his large hands, “but they don’t want to listen.”

  Seb stood up as much as he could in the hut. Still hunched over because of the low ceiling, his head spun from the sudden movement.

  “What are you doing?” Janina asked.

  A shake of his head and Seb shrugged. “We can’t sit around waiting for this revolution to happen. We need to keep pushing this agenda regardless of the scepticism from others. If we take action, we’ll get the slum dwellers behind us. It’s the only way.”

  And with that, Seb left the hut.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The second Seb emerged into the streets, the collective attention seemed to turn on him. It felt as if the entire slum watched his every move. The first creature he walked up to stood head and shoulders taller than him. “This is going to come to an end, you know,” Seb said.

  “What are you talking about?” the large blue brute said, its voice surprisingly high in pitch for its size.

  “This way of life,” Seb said. “Together we can rise up and overthrow the bitch up there in her palace.” He pointed up at the huge elevation of land.

  A slow and laborious shake of its head and the creature shrugged. “You’re crazy.”

  “I’m not. This will end.”

  When the large being walked away—long strides and slow movement—Seb walked up to a family of purple creatures who stood about a foot shorter than him. They were covered in spikes like hedgehogs. “There will be a revolution.”

  The parents pulled their children into them, stared at Seb like he’d lost his mind, and walked off.

  He came to two turquoise-skinned, bat-looking creatures next. “You need to be ready to join the cause.”

  They didn’t reply.