The Darkness of Dawn

by Braden Michael

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Well, I never heard proof of anything, but the soldiers seemed to emphasize how it was Yamamoto that would be the one to triumph. They never mentioned Yamamoto and Howell.”

  “It certainly isn’t proof, but it’s impressive that you picked up on that.”

  “Oh, you think so?” She leaned forward and pressed her breasts on his back and scrubbed just above his crotch.

  Black Eyes let out a soft moan then cleared his throat. “Uh—well most people wouldn’t pick up on a detail like that.”

  “Most people aren’t renowned brothel keepers that sell information to dangerous men,” she replied.

  “Fair point.”

  “I have a question for you.” Her scrubbing became increasingly gentle and sensual as her hands reached his cock. “My sources told me that Prince Hideki took a young man named Black Eyes prisoner and carted him off to Kaiyotan. Yet I find you here, sitting in my bath with a hard cock?” Her hand wrapped around his shaft as she began to stroke, leaning her head right beside his ear.

  Black Eyes’ face began to twitch slightly and he continued to softly moan. “I don’t think you’ll find my story believable.”

  “Try me.”

  “The Prince did leave the Furakuhold with me, but everyone was wrong about which of us was which.”

  “You’re telling me that you pretended to be Prince Hideki and they let you leave?” Her chin rested on his shoulder as her soft voice echoed in his ear.

  “Yes,” he said, wrought with ecstasy.

  She took her hands away from his cock and turned the crank to stop the flow of water from the faucet. The bath was now filled up to Black Eyes’ waist.

  “I wouldn’t have believed that story from anyone else’s lips, but the fact you are here proves it true.” She dunked her sponge in the water and continued to gently scrub over his body.

  Black Eyes exhaled as if he were relieved to have not yet reached his climax. “I want only one more piece of information.”

  “And that is?”

  “What’s become of the Emberland fleet at Kaiyotan?”

  As soon as the words escaped his lips, the Madam’s pattern of scrubbing halted, the sponge slipped from her fingers, and she gently placed her hands on his shoulders. “Almost entirely destroyed.” Her tone starkly contrasted against the sensuality she spoke with prior.

  Black Eyes stared at the wall in front of him. His heart raced furiously, and his entire body went soft. I fucking knew that fleet was in danger! Father told that fucking Captain to leave if necessary, and now it’s gone! He wanted to scream, but he completely lacked the energy.

  “Are you okay, Black Eyes?”

  “Duncan.” His response was instant. “You can call me Duncan.”

  “Uh—of course, Duncan,” she spoke sympathetically.

  The Madam turned the drain switch and the water level began to descend. She placed a towel on the faucet then walked over to the bed. Black Eyes carefully stood up, water dripping from his body. He dried himself off with the towel as the bath water finished draining. He then stepped out of the bath and tossed the towel aside. When he looked at the Madam and admired how the silk dress highlighted the grace of her figure, he felt life returning to his member.

  “It sounds like you’ve had quite the stressful journey.” She slipped both the straps of her dress off her shoulders. “Let me help you relax.” The dress fell to her feet and revealed her naked body, making Black Eyes fully engorged.

  The pair walked up to each other and met with a sensual embrace. Their flesh pressed together, and they absorbed the warmth of each other, kissing with otherworldly passion, and collapsing onto the bed. As she took him inside her, the two lovers became one, and they experienced a level of pleasure neither of them ever had. They reached a mutual climax, then rolled away from one another, escaping the hypnotic intoxication of their embrace. Shortly afterwards, as he drifted in and out of sleep, Black Eyes began to lose his perception of time.

  The room’s candles had gone almost completely dim. How much time has passed? Black Eyes began to return to reality and it strongly disappointed him.

  “How long were we…” Black Eyes trailed off.

  “Judging by the candles, we’ve been here three hours.”

  “Three!?” Black Eyes sat up and quickly went to pick up his clothing.

  The Madam rolled onto her stomach and watched him fumble for his clothes. “It’s a shame to see you leave so soon.”

  “I wish I could stay here for the next decade, but there are things I have to take care of.” Black Eyes struggled into his pants.

  “That was… truly incredible.” The Madam’s voice was thick with post-sex ecstasy.

  “I completely agree.” Black Eyes slipped his shirt on. “I don’t want to leave, but I really need to.” He rushed over the Madam, leaned down, and kissed her. “Thanks, for everything.”

  “Stay safe, Duncan,” she told him.

  Black Eyes slipped both his shoes and jacket on, giving the Madam one last look before pulling his hood up and walking out the door. He ran through the hallway and bolted a right turn. Before he reentered the lobby room, he froze in place when he heard shouts.

  “Tell me who your employer is, mercenary!”

  Black Eyes quickly slowed his steps and crept towards the noise, taking great caution to remain both unheard and unseen.

  “My employer? Your fucking grandma, of course.” The voice was faint, but unmistakably belonged to Korgo.

  “Do not try to piss me off!”

  “Apparently he doesn’t need to try at all.” Fable’s voice was hostile yet oddly calm.

  “If you don’t watch that tongue, I’ll have it out!”

  Black Eyes crept past the corner and peered into the lobby. There were five Headland soldiers. The one who shouted appeared to be no lower-ranked than a Captain, and he held Black Eyes’ curved blade in his hand. Surely enough, when Black Eyes looked over by the desk, his weapons could not be found.

  In front of the Headland soldiers, Korgo, Jax, and Fable sat comfortably in three different recliners, fully armored. They did not appear to feel threatened by the presence of the confronting Headlanders, as the Bargemen wielded flagons of ale instead of steel.

  “If you take my tongue, then who’ll lick your sister’s asshole?” Fable joked.

  The Headland leader threw the curved blade aside and drew his own sword. The curved blade landed relatively close to Black Eyes but was out of reach and within sight of the entire room.

  Korgo chuckled coldly and tossed his flagon aside, slowly stood to his feet, and sauntered towards the leader. The Headlander responded by pressing the point of his sword into Korgo’s breastplate and backing up slightly as he gained ground. The other soldiers moved forward to encircle them.

  Now’s my chance, Black Eyes decided. He darted into the lobby and drew his curved blade from the sheath, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. With his hood covering his face, he held the blade out on his right side and offered the Headland soldiers a devilish grin.

  “You wanted to speak to their employer?” Black Eyes asked.

  The Headland leader walked towards Black Eyes, sword at the ready. “Where’d you find that blade!?”

  Black Eyes took a quick moment to look at his sword, which had a distinctive shape and gilded handle. He knows the sword’s original owner, he realized. “I found it in an alehouse on the road to Kaiyotan.”

  “There’s only one sword like that in all of the Dawnlands!”

  “Is that why you’re getting your silk undergarments all tangled?”

  The Headlander took a few aggressive steps towards Black Eyes but stopped when he held his blade out at him. The other soldiers moved over to him in response.

  “What have you done with our Prince!?” The Headlander’s voice turned increasingly furious and panicked. The other soldiers grew restless.

  “What the fuck are you talking about!?” Black Eyes s
poke defensively.

  “You know damn well what I’m talking about!”

  Black Eyes froze and did not say a word. What the hell do I say to him? When no valid words came to his mind, he quickly scanned each of the soldiers as carefully as he could, taking note of their weapons, age, and manners of expression. The Bargemen carefully placed their hands on the handles of their weapons and stood guard with extreme focus and patience.

  “Take. Off. Your. Hood.” The leader seethed.

  “Fine.” Keeping his blade pointed at the leader, Black Eyes slowly reached his left hand up to his hood and slowly unfurled it. The leader immediately recognized him, expressing utter disbelief, then rage.

  “You!?”

  “Me?” Black Eyes mocked.

  “How the—” the leader stammered, then looked straight at Black Eyes with homicidal intent. “Men!”

  Just as the soldiers crept forward, the building began to shake, and the sounds of screams, masses of footsteps, and countless horses whinnying faintly echoed through the brothel walls. Everyone in the room went from agitated to curious. The sounds continued and grew louder with each passing moment.

  “What the hell?” someone muttered.

  “WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!” A desperate shout blasted through the brothel’s front door to the lobby.

  “Fuck! C’mon men, outside!” The leader desperately ran towards the exit, leaving only Black Eyes and the Bargemen in the lobby.

  “Double time it to the carriage! Now!” Black Eyes commanded.

  The remaining men bolted towards the exit. As they passed into the beginning hallway, the sounds of chaos were massively loud and getting closer by the second. Once outside, Black Eyes saw nothing but chaos. Hordes of civilians densely packed into the street tried desperately to flee but were stuck on one another. Headland soldiers either ran into action or were frozen solid by hesitation. The dark night sky highlighted orange glowing fires from various spots all over the town. The sound of steel clashing with steel was pronounced and accompanied by screams of death and agony. The air smelt of smoke, ash, and terror.

  “This way!” Korgo grabbed Black Eyes’ shoulder and led him away.

  The Bargeman took him down the brothel steps and towards a side alley that cut right beside the establishment. Beside various collections of trash and waste, small children hid in terror, shrieking at the sight of the black-clad Bargemen.

  “Where the fuck’s the carriage!” Black Eyes shouted.

  “Just after the alley ends!” Jax replied.

  Surely enough, once the group bolted past the alleyway, the Bargemen’s carriage was on the other side of the dirt street, guarded by a terribly confused William. Between them were dozens of fleeing civilians.

  “STEP ASIDE!” Korgo bellowed at the townspeople, but to no effect.

  The civilians continued to crowd the street and leave no apparent window for Black Eyes or the Bargemen to reach the carriage. The group looked in front of themselves with frustration, desperately trying to find an opening.

  “THEY’RE COMING!” a voice screamed with abject terror, far off from the right. “GET TO THE—”

  A horse whinnied ferociously in place of the panicked voice. Black Eyes turned his head over and spotted a man on horseback holding a torch that blocked sight of him. Four other horsemen caught up to the torch bearer, and they began galloping through the street towards Black Eyes. Screams and shouts continued to dominate the air as the horsemen herded civilians away and killed any who dared to fight them.

  “Ready your weapons!” Black Eyes shouted, his blade still in his hand.

  Korgo and Fable drew their swords, and Jax drew his spear. The four men stood ready as the incoming horsemen bore down in their direction.

  “WAIT FOR IT...” Black Eyes bellowed.

  The horsemen were still blocked by the glowing light of their torches. They were slowed down by the sea of townspeople that blocked them, or the sparsely located Headland soldiers foolish enough to contest them.

  “WAIT FOR IT…” Black Eyes repeated.

  The Bargemen stood firm. Their weapons remained level and their hands were unshaken. The horsemen were even closer now, and the crowd of civilians grew thinner as they dispersed.

  “ALMOST…”

  The horsemen were just within range. The torch bearer threw his torch aside into a merchant stand to reveal the color of his armor.

  Emberlanders!? Black Eyes kept his weapon ready but looked on at the encroaching squad of Emberland horsemen with dismay. The torchbearer drew a lance out and pointed it directly at Black Eyes.

  “They got weapons! Take ‘em out!” an Emberland horseman shouted.

  Instinctively, Black Eyes ducked, and the attacker’s lance rushed over his head. He stuck the edge of his curved sword out in front of the horse’s legs, maiming it and causing the attacker to fall to the ground. One of the other horsemen instinctively tugged on the reins and attempted to bring his horse to a grinding halt, but when the beast whinnied and stood up on its hind legs, Jax’s spear found itself in the man’s neck.

  “They got our guys!” one of the horsemen screamed as he rode past. He desperately tried to turn his horse around, but the other two horsemen collided into one another, causing all of them to be thrown to the ground.

  “Now’s our chance! Kill them all!” Korgo enthusiastically shouted.

  Korgo, Jax, and Fable proceeded towards the ground attackers. The men lay on the ground beside their horses, appearing to be in great pain as they tried to struggle away from the men who approached them.

  “No!” Black Eyes shouted at the Bargemen but was drowned out by the thunderous chaos around him.

  Unable to stop them, Black Eyes looked on angrily as the Bargemen slaughtered the grounded Emberlanders like wounded pigs. I don’t know why they’re here, but these are my people for fuck’s sake!

  “Hey! Our path is cleared! C’mon!” Korgo shouted, pulling his blood-red blade out of the corpse, proceeding to beeline his way towards the carriage.

  Jax and Fable quickly followed, and so did Black Eyes. A thick cloud of smoke began to rise from the merchant stand the torch bearer had thrown his torch into.

  “What the fuck is happening!?” Korgo shouted at William.

  “We’re under attack!” William cried.

  “No shit, dumbass!” Korgo shouted. He turned back to Black Eyes. “Why are Emberlanders here!?”

  “How the fuck should I know?”

  “Gee, I don’t know! Could it be that you are an Emberlander!?”

  “Are you fucking mad? You know how long it’s been since I’ve been in contact with any of them?”

  Korgo glared at him silently.

  “William! Is the prisoner still in there?” Black Eyes interrogated.

  “He’s still there!” William yelled.

  The chaotic sounds that surrounded them began to die down, and the screams and horse whinnies occurred less and less often with each passing moment. Black Eyes looked around cautiously, and the street was now sparsely occupied by people altogether, only a few children and old people who remained frozen in fear.

  “It’s almost over. The Emberlanders will be done soon,” said Jax.

  “And you think that’s a good thing?” Korgo asked sarcastically. He grabbed Black Eyes’ shoulder. “You got a plan?”

  Black Eyes could not think of a proper response. He continued to listen carefully, analyzing the pattern of the sounds that filled the air. When there were no more screams, only the sounds of celebratory shouts and horse galloping could be heard.

  “Hey, freak! What the fuck do we do now?”

  Freak. Black Eyes turned around to look at Korgo, dagger in hand. He was driven by raw impulse to stab him right then and there but was interrupted.

  “WE GOT LIVE ONES! OVER HERE, YOUR MAJESTY!”

  Majesty? It can’t be… Not him… Not here… Black Eyes began to tremble as his heart beat violently.

  Several Emberland horsemen galloped tow
ards the Bargemen in tightly knit packs. Several of them looked down at the dead Emberlanders in the street with anguish.

  “Did you kill those men?” an Emberlander questioned.

  “Only so they wouldn’t kill me,” Korgo boasted.

  “Then we’ll do what they couldn’t,” the soldier said.

  “Stop this instant!” a familiar voice roared from behind the encircling horsemen.

  Asher… Black Eyes did not know how to feel. He was simultaneously happy, furious, calm, and panicked.

  Surely enough, the new Emberland Emperor came into sight, presenting himself before the Bargemen. Alongside him was Damon, and another soldier Black Eyes did not recognize: one who looked much younger.

  “Deadland Bargemen? And some guy in a hood? They killed our men?” Asher questioned.

  “Some guy in a hood?” Black Eyes scoffed. Asher looked down at him as he unfurled his hood and revealed his unmistakable face.

  The Emberlanders gasped or stared in disbelief at Black Eyes. Asher looked at him with a cocktail of quizzical rage. “What the—how are you—”

  “Alive? It’s a funny story, actually.”

  Asher dismounted from his horse and carefully approached Black Eyes with concern and uncertainty. “If you made it, where’s my father?” His voice subtly accused Black Eyes of guilt.

  “Our father is dead.” Black Eyes noticed fury and anger build up in Asher’s eyes. “Don’t you wanna meet the man that killed him?”

  CH 32 – Asher IX

  Our father? Who the fuck does he think he is? Asher felt a disturbing range of emotions he could hardly process.

  “What man are you talking about?” Asher’s voice was heavy with fury and grief.

  “William, bring my prisoner before his Imperial Majesty, would you please?” said Black Eyes.

  The generic-looking Bargeman nodded and climbed into the large carriage behind him. He opened the door and sifted inside for a few moments before dragging a bound and bag-headed man out to the street.

  “Asher Miller, Governor of the Steeltower and Emperor of the Emberlands, I present to you the man that killed your predecessor!” Black Eyes chanted facetiously, then tore the bag off the man’s head to reveal a grotesquely maimed and blank-faced Headlander.