The Darkness of Dawn

by Braden Michael

  “If I answer your questions, will you answer mine?” said Alexey.

  “If you answer mine,” Natalie fired back.

  Alexey nodded. He went to the bar table and began examining the selection. “I’m careless with my coins because it doesn’t even touch what I’m set to make.”

  “Make on what?” Natalie asked.

  Alexey reached into his pocket and pulled out the Artifact. Natalie’s inquisitive glare turned into a fearful and disbelieving gaze.

  “I found this a while back. I’ve seen the things it can do, and I want no part of it. The Naturalists will pay me extravagantly for it,” Alexey explained. He poured himself a glass of liquor, Artifact still in his hand.

  “An Artifact…” Natalie muttered.

  “Don’t be too curious. I’ve seen it do things I can’t even explain… It could probably wipe out the city for all I know. From what I understand, the Naturalists can properly store it, and they’ll reward me handsomely.”

  “I…” Natalie stammered, looking at the Artifact nervously.

  “My turn,” said Alexey, taking a sip from his glass then wincing from the taste. “Why did you help me, let alone consider it? You barely know me, you could have run away yourself, but here we are?”

  Still looking at the Artifact in Alexey’s hand, Natalie gulped nervously. “My father called you a deserter. But deserters are cowards…”

  “Your point?”

  “A coward wouldn’t have confronted my father like that unless he had to, and you didn’t have to…”

  “What makes you so certain of that?” Alexey questioned, sipping then wincing.

  “Because no one ever has…” Natalie said somberly, looking away.

  Alexey felt an even greater sympathy for Natalie as he looked at her face. “Your father… What did he do to you?”

  “He—” Natalie stammered fearfully, hesitating, “h—he sold me to anyone that would pay…”

  “I’m sorry that I, uh, assumed that you were, uh…”

  “No, no, it’s all right. I was being a little, well, easy to misinterpret, so to speak,” said Natalie.

  “Why though? I mean, I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but why were you so kind to me if you had no intentions of—”

  “Because my father makes me be that way to all his customers. I guess I just got kinda fed up with it. That’s why I snapped at you,” Natalie clarified.

  “I shouldn’t have assumed. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I, uh, hadn’t really talked to a woman in many months, and you looked so good in your dress and I just got a little excited and I, uh—”

  Natalie pressed her index finger over Alexey’s mouth, hushing him. She smiled sweetly at him. “It was all just a simple misunderstanding. There’s no need to overthink it.” She pulled her finger away then stepped up to the bar table, selecting a bottle of wine.

  “I’m, uh, glad we could clear that up…” said Alexey.

  Natalie opened the bottle and grabbed two glasses, filling them both with wine. She grabbed Alexey’s half-drunken glass of liquor and set it aside, handing him the newly filled wine glass.

  “You need to learn what’s appropriate to drink. Straight liquor? C’mon Alexey,” Natalie teased.

  “What’s wrong with liquor?” Alexey questioned.

  “Contrary to what many men believe, straight liquor is not very classy. Not like wine,” said Natalie.

  “I did drink wine during my Rite. Anton stole it from Captain Petrenko.” Alexey smiled as he reminisced, but he quickly became upset.

  “You seem sad by the name Anton.”

  “Anton died.” It still doesn’t feel true, he reflected. “He was one of the few friends I had in the Guard.”

  “I’m sorry. How… How did he die?”

  “He was killed by Winterguardsmen after we refused to brutalize and steal from a farming family.” He began to feel some relief from talking aloud.

  “The Winterguard does not appreciate insubordination.”

  “That’s undeniably true. It was a bloodbath when the Guardsmen fought us. Only I got out of there alive,” Alexey said, almost having trouble believing his own words.

  “How did you get out?” Natalie asked.

  Still clutching the Artifact, Alexey held up his hand. Natalie looked down at it, fear returning to her face.

  “I’ve read about these things.” Natalie cleared her throat. “But I don’t know much…”

  “Count yourself lucky then,” said Alexey.

  Natalie looked up at him, fearful yet intrigued. “What did you see this thing do?”

  “That’s one question I can’t answer,” said Alexey. He stuffed the Artifact back into his pocket and downed the remainder of his glass.

  Natalie finished her glass and went to fill up both hers and Alexey’s. She set the bottle down, held the glass up, and looked him in the eye. “After you receive your pay from the Naturalists, what do you plan to do then?”

  “I’m not sure. Do you know what you are going to do?” Alexey asked.

  “Of course, I don’t want to stay here,” said Natalie.

  “Do you know where you’ll go?”

  “I don’t know. The North is dangerous...”

  As Alexey continued to drink, he started feeling the effects. “If there was anything useful I learned from my time with the Winterguard, as limited as it was, it’s that we are weakest when we’re alone. Dangerous situations are less dangerous when you have more than yourself to count on.”

  Natalie perked up an eyebrow, both surprised and intrigued. “What do you propose?”

  “Well, since neither of us can stay here, it’s in our interest to leave together. It doesn’t matter what part of the North we go to, the Headland Kingdom, Emberlands, or whatever. We can depend on each other, count on each other, and be with each other.”

  Natalie seemed impressed by Alexey’s proposal, or his willingness to propose it, at least. She continuously nodded. “Do you want us to retire to some stronghold and have a bunch of children together?” she asked somewhat jokingly.

  “Wow, that’s… that’s a little forward, don’t you think?” Alexey joked.

  “As forward as inviting me to a bath after we’ve just met? There isn’t a whole lotta in-between from bath invitations to children, Alexey.”

  Natalie and Alexey laughed, continuing to drink.

  Alexey set his now-empty glass down and looked at Natalie with a modest-yet-serious face. “It’s definitely too soon to start talking about babies, but we should at least stick together until we grow sick of one another. There’ll be plenty of time on the road for that to happen, so we can make our decision then. Whadya say?”

  Natalie smiled, charmed. “It’s a good plan. I’m in.”

  “Great! I’m, uh, I’m glad to hear that.”

  “First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll show you to the Naturalists’ Guild. Then, I’ll go and wait by the Northern Gate, just down the boulevard. You can finish the sale and meet up with me there, and we can depart.”

  “That should work,” said Alexey.

  “It will work,” Natalie reassured. She leaned forward and gave Alexey a peck on the cheek, then began walking towards the bed. “Well, we have a long journey ahead of us. We should rest.”

  Alexey’s heart began to race, and his cheeks became flushed with red. For the first time in a while, Alexey felt secure. He felt invincible: nothing would get in his way of finding the happiness that he desired.

  CH 54 – Viktor VI

  The plan was better than what Viktor had expected this Helena to come up with. Go to the surface, arm the Exiles, lure out the Archon’s soldiers, storm his palace, then capture him. A step-by-step guide with a clear beginning, middle, and end: much less ambiguous than anything he had come to expect from the Winterguard. Griffin took Viktor and Black Eyes back to the staging area where they had treated Black Eyes’ wound.

  “Griffin, what can you can tell us about the armor? It automatically attaches to our
body? Like, what the fuck?” Viktor questioned.

  “Well I’m not sure how to explain it…” Griffin stammered.

  “Can you at least talk about its capabilities?” Viktor asked.

  “It’ll synchronize with your nervous system, increasing the speed in which your peripheral synapses—”

  “Speak dumber. I’m dumb, remember?” Viktor patronized.

  Griffin sighed. “You’ll move quicker, react quicker, you’ll be quicker. Also, the armor plating is pretty much impervious to the types of weapons the Bargemen carry, so you’ll only be vulnerable between the plates.”

  “I also feel strangely, uh, connected to the spear I grabbed. Did it also sinkornize with my snapses?”

  “You should feel connected to any weapon you wield. If it’s not a part of who you are, then it’ll betray you,” said Black Eyes.

  “Oh. Okay…” said Viktor, somewhat sarcastically.

  “You three need to stop chatting and focus!” Helena’s voice ripped through their earpieces.

  “I’m just killing time. You did tell us to wait here while you monitor the surface…” Viktor retorted.

  “I’d rather you kill Bargemen, not time!” Helena fired back.

  “Don’t worry, I haven’t had much trouble so far,” said Viktor.

  “If you don’t take the threat seriously then you’ll most certainly die. Now, if you truly want to be a part of this operation, you need to do exactly as I tell you. Understand?” Helena snapped.

  “I understand,” said Viktor. All I wanted to do was get Duncan out of that cell, and I somehow ended up here, fighting a fucking war, he reflected.

  “Listen up! The rioting in the streets is picking up. The Exiles are being armed by our people, and the Archon’s soldiers are leaving the palace. Time to begin!” Helena exclaimed.

  “Understood.” Griffin moved towards the exit. “Let’s move. Stick to the plan, and we’ll have the Archon in our custody within an hour.”

  “Sure. Sure…” Black Eyes said half-heartedly.

  Black Eyes was about to catch up to Griffin, but Viktor grabbed his shoulder and pulled him aside. “Are you okay? You seem, uh, less talkative than usual,” he said concernedly.

  “I’m fine. Unlike you, I actually understand the benefits of keeping my lips sealed on a mission,” said Black Eyes. He jerked his shoulder out of Viktor’s grasp and caught up to Griffin.

  “C’mon, we need to move quickly,” Griffin reiterated, opening the door and rushing down the rocky hallway.

  With no time to hesitate, Viktor jogged along, following through the hallway, up the ladder, and into the shack. The sound of rioting immediately echoed through the walls from all directions. Human agony, steel crashing on steel, and steel carving flesh instantly sent Viktor into readiness.

  Griffin approached the door and pressed his face into it to look through the cracks. “Helena, what can you tell us about our path to the palace? Is it clear?”

  “I’m afraid there’s nothing completely clear. The streets leading up to the palace are filled with corpses and rioters, but once you get up the hill, you’ll only encounter a handful of Bargemen that formed a perimeter. They shouldn’t be much of a problem for you,” Helena informed.

  “We’ll see about that.” Griffin walked to Viktor and Black Eyes. “All right, listen closely ‘cause is this is the last chance I got to clarify. I’ll take point in the streets and up the hill towards the palace, since I know the terrain better. At the palace, you’ll take point. I’ve never been inside, and I’d imagine it’s only conducive to close-range fighting.”

  “Why are we still standing around?” Duncan said impatiently.

  “I need to know you can follow along,” said Griffin.

  “Get on with it already!” Duncan yelled.

  “All right, all right.” Griffin gave Viktor a look, who half-heartedly shrugged.

  Griffin proceeded to open the door and bolt outside, Black Eyes and Viktor just behind him. Immediately outside, countless bodies were sprawled across the ground in puddles of blood. There were more dead Exiles than Bargemen, but not by much.

  “By the Stars…” Viktor muttered.

  “This way!” Griffin shouted.

  Viktor followed Griffin and Black Eyes, who were just a few steps ahead. As he ran, Viktor began to feel an increased sense of focus. He noticed many more details in his surroundings, and he could pinpoint the exact locations different sounds echoed from despite the chaos. The strange qualities of the armor did not lie just in the aesthetics. Not only did it seem to improve the capabilities of both his mind and body, it was far more comfortable than anything he had ever worn. The undersuit fit his body perfectly, and the armor pieces were lighter than wood yet tougher than steel, if Griffin was to be believed.

  Griffin passed the corner of the end building, drawing an arrow. “Enemy front!” He loosed an arrow, which could be heard piercing both steel and flesh just around the corner.

  Viktor and Black Eyes turned the corner to see a handful of shield-wielding Bargemen fending off a mob of Exiles. A few of them turned around in terror as they gaped at Viktor and Duncan. Viktor charged with his spear held out while Black Eyes readied his two swords. The Bargemen were now encircled, a mob of Exiles on one side and Viktor and Black Eyes on the other. Viktor quickly thrust his spear into and pulled it out of all the Bargemen in front of him while Black Eyes carved up those on his side. Viktor was stunned by how quickly he attacked: he could thrust his spear with twice the normal speed and force, due to the spear’s reduction in weight and the armor’s enhancements.

  Once the Bargemen were dead, Viktor and Black Eyes stared down the mob of Exiles, who looked at them with fear and uncertainty. They were covered in blood and dirt, wielding impromptu weapons.

  “Move aside! Move aside!” Griffin rushed past, pushing everyone aside.

  “What do we do!?” an Exile desperately questioned.

  “You keep fighting, unless you want to keep being the Archon’s property!” Griffin yelled out.

  Viktor noticed Black Eyes continuing to stare with an unsettling deadness in his eyes. He wasn’t even that intense before they castrated him...

  Black Eyes rushed through the gap and Viktor followed. He gave the Exiles sympathetic looks but continued following Griffin and Black Eyes, instead of stopping to assist.

  More fierce fighting broke out a few blocks away, but Griffin steered clear of it. “The way to the palace isn’t far!” He continued sprinting down the street, navigating the many bodies that decorated it.

  I have been sprinting for so long. How am I not tired? Viktor asked himself. Not only were his steps more frequent and the distance they covered greater, they did not tire him out to any noticeable degree. Despite all the chaos and his lightning-fast movement, Viktor felt calmer and more focused than ever.

  They ran out an alleyway and onto a main boulevard, where pockets of fighting could be seen among even more dead and flailing wounded.

  “That way!” Griffin pointed towards the steep hill of the street they were on. “The palace is that way! Helena, give us an update, how’s the traffic up there?”

  “One moment.” Helena paused. “There’s at least twenty Bargemen coming down the hill, and ten more posted outside the palace, I don’t know if—”

  “I’ll fucking kill them!” Black Eyes roared, sprinting up the hill without warning.

  “Black Eyes!” Griffin called out.

  Black Eyes sprinted up the hill, ignoring much of the fighting, but occasionally carving any Bargemen who stood in his way.

  “Fuck! After him!” Griffin shouted.

  Without argument, Viktor sprinted up the hill, easily surpassing Griffin. Ahead of him, a half-dozen Bargemen had ended their fights and turned their attention to Viktor. A high-pitched whish zoomed past Viktor’s ear as an arrow flew past him and into the neck of one of the Bargemen. When the remaining five charged him, his spear deflected their attacks with astounding ease, sending them stu
mbling back into each other. Viktor promptly thrust his spear into each attacker with lightning speed and perfect accuracy, adding them to the corpses that already littered the streets.

  Viktor continued up the hill. He heard men screaming in agony farther ahead. “Duncan! What are you doing!?”

  “He’s killing everything in his way!” Helena’s voice came in through the earpiece.

  “Why’s he going on his own?” Griffin interrogated, grabbing Viktor’s shoulder.

  Viktor stopped in his tracks, looking at the dying or dead soldiers who had undoubtedly been in Black Eyes’ way. Twenty armored and shield-wielding men had been decimated by one man: super-armor or not, Viktor was both impressed and intimidated.

  “He wants to kill the Archon,” Viktor surmised.

  “What? No! We need him alive!” Griffin pleaded.

  “Black Eyes! Listen to me!” Helena pleaded through the earpiece. “You can’t kill the Archon! We can’t kill him! Don’t do it, no matter how much you want to!”

  Black Eyes offered no reply, and the earpiece remained frighteningly silent.

  “Come on! We have to get up there and stop him!” Griffin cried.

  They sprinted up the hill, passing even more dead Bargemen. The nearby buildings seemed to get smaller and darker, as the street seemed to narrow in on itself as they reached the top. A flat stone courtyard sat before them, and the palace was unmistakable, more massive than Viktor would have anticipated. Ten more Bargemen corpses were sprawled across the steps leading to the main door.

  “Helena! I need an update on Black Eyes’ position!” Griffin demanded, beginning to sprint towards the palace entrance.

  “If he’s in the palace, I won’t be able to get a fix on him, you know that!” Helena contested.

  “Shit! Viktor, we need to get in there now!” Griffin yelled.

  “Gee, I wasn’t aware how severe the situation was!” Viktor fired back.

  They quickly shot up the steps, passing the fire pits on either side, storming directly through the main door.