The hunger continued to haunt Serafin as she made her way through the street at first light. They had been decorated, with hung bodies of her soldiery. Many fresh faces of the 38th passed her, and she saw the first smiles in days.
"Morale is restored, commander." They called to her as they passed, and for a short moment she no longer felt the biting cold.
Once more battle had begun, with fires, shots and cries echoing through the city, though much less intense than before as her forces converged on the central road, a difficult manoeuvre to hide. In slow, stumbling streams did her soldiers return, many more than Serafin had hoped, though the fewest would look at her, and those that did, glared back in barely restrained anger.
At the head of the last column marched Geyen, who quickly marched to her side, completely out of breath. "Commander, I know, I know our attack is due, but sentries have reported that a last contingent of our soldiers is on their way, and should arrive here soon."
"All the better." Serafin rested a hand on her blade. "Form ranks and attack, make sure these mutineers are in front. These stragglers can give us the final push to achieve our goal." She drew the blade and pointed it up to the palace, towering over the rest of the city.
"As, as you wish, commander." With a last, lingering look Geyen left her side, while Serafin made her way into one of the buildings on the side of the street. From it´s roof she watched the mutineers be brought in front, some at gunpoint, with Tatanya´s specialists making up the second column.
The enemy was not blind to this, and had been forming up as well. This time however, they deployed much further back, while stacking the roof with archers, sporting much greater bows than the day before.
Their volleys were targeted at Serafin´s specialist, and a few were pierced by the great arrows, thinning their ranks. The reluctant march turned into a wild charge, as soldiers of the 49th diverted from the main road to reach the roofs.
They did reach the shield wall, which melted under Tatanya´s scarlet fire. The archers on the roof were likewise slaughtered, and a sudden calm laid over the city. A deathly silence.
Serafin walked down the street, over bodies of friend and foe alike. While the fighting had been swift, it had been no less brutal, making it impossible to take a step on the ground itself. The great palace now stood before her, it´s steps, each perfectly spaced for a human, beckoned.
From the south another horn sounded, as a great column of her own marched through the gate.
Yet the men and women that approached Serafin looked less like soldiers, from Mhall or Zana. Most of them were hardly more than farmers, too busy gazing at the ruined city around them, or behind at the actual soldiery at their back. At most they were armed with spears, weaponry taken from the enemy, their armour consisting at best of a helmet and warm winter clothing.
Tatanya was leading the rabble, bearing the standard of victory in one hand, and a parchment in the other. "Congratulations upon your great victory, commander. This, I fear, is the last of our own."
Serafin shook her head. "These would not be called soldiers if all legions had perished, what is the meaning of this?"
"It would be proper for a greater person to explain, commander." Tatanya handed Serafin the parchment. Her eyes widened at the signature, the seal of Legate Menthiades.
"I hope this letter finds you well, and that these new recruits and supplies will be a boon in your campaign. They are men and women from Atal, her glorious majesty Aeterna has decreed the province pay for the treachery of their viceroy. May they serve our Imperator better on the field of battle than scheming at home.
I must also inform you that the nature of your campaign has changed, upon orders of her radiant majesty herself. The savages are in possession of an artifact of great power, they are calling it the second eye of the sky. Her immaculate majesty orders you seize it at any cost, by any means necessary. Upon attaining it, you are to return it to the capitaline fleet, in person, and you are only to hand it to one of the three divine blades, and nobody else.
Her imperial majesty has made it clear that this is your new objective, and that any other operations not in service of attaining the second eye are to be ceased immediately.
Go in the light of Aeterna, commander."
"Supplies?" Serafin bit her lip, the word had slipped her lips, and echoed across her army louder than any cannon fire. All eyes were now upon her.
"Well, yes." Tatanya had to lean on the banner for balance. "They had to leave much of it behind, but we managed to salvage a few wagons." Here she rose her voice. "Everyone will be eating well today!"
The cheering was deafening.
While the soldiery, under Geyen, began to split and share the supplies, Serafin walked up the stairs followed by Tatanya. The gate in front was wide open, beckoning them forward. "It must be in here." Serafin clenched her hand around the hilt of her blade.
"Is it wise to march in there alone, however?" Tatanya gave her a short look.
"It will be impossible to stop our own from eating now, we do not need more casualties. And I have Zana´s greatest mage at my side, don't I?" Serafin gazed at Tatanya, who let out a short, barking laugh.
Together they walked inside, through great white halls, a maze of rooms, each decorated more lavishly than the last. Nowhere did they meet resistance, or any sign of life, all had been left as it was, even many precious jewels still laid in open view. Only the food was gone.
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Finally, the two reached the throne room. Here, in this room so eerily similar to Lady Marion´s, high atop, sat one of the hillspeople. Unlike many of his kin, he was very short, dressed in a human fashion, though this only drew more attention to his bark-like skin.
"I have waited long for you to come here, child of the usurper." His voice was soft, yet it filled the air of the large hall. "I am Jultun, king of the people of the high hills. I am ready to accept your surrender."
Serafin let out a laugh, her meek body trembling. "You stand here alone, your palace is surrounded, and think we will give up? It is you who should be begging for a swift release." She made her way towards the throne.
"Are you so blind to the world around you? Your forces have dwindled, you pressed on, all avenues of retreat are blocked, and my kin are amassing at the gates as we speak. Yes, you have come far, further than I had wanted. But your journey ends here, one way or another. Would you not surrender, and spare your soldiers a painful, brutal death?"
"Better death in service of Aeterna than shamefully at your choosing." Serafin stopped at the steps leading to the throne. "I will spare my soldiers the shame of being slaughtered in your cells."
Jultun shook his head. "We seek justice, not vengeance. Those who followed you do so out of obligation, and threat. I was informed of the slaughter of last night. The ones who surrendered to us are safe and sound, brought away from the city. You may visit them and see for yourself that they are unharmed. They shall be judged fairly, that the scar your tore into our home may one day heal."
"The only remedy against your people is oblivion, savage." Serafin hissed through her teeth. "I came here to take vengeance for the empire against your demon-pacting kin, and to cleanse these lands of your filth." She struggled at the high steps, blade in hand. "But you and your miserable kin are in luck." She placed the tip at his neck. "My orders have changed. Where is the second eye of the sky. Bring it to me and I may spare your life."
He closed his eyes. "So that is what she is after. I know where it is. But I will not let you have it."
He did not flinch as Serafin´s blade drew a drop of blood.
"It is in this palace, is it not? I will find it, one way or another."
"You will. And I will bring you to it." Jultun let out a short breath as the blade was pulled back. "And then you will understand why you must disobey your orders, for the good of all."
He lead Serafin through a small door at the back of the throne room, down a long flight of stairs while Tatanya stood guard.
"You continue to be misguided." Jultun spoke, in spite of the cold steel at his neck. "Aeterna is leading your people to ruin, she is too blinded by her own light-"
"Spare me the lies, savage." Serafin barked, though any other words were stuck in her throat as they reached the bottom of the stairs. The room before them was basked in a golden glow, it´s walls, ceiling and floor covered in intricate golden lines, spiraling into countless shapes. And all originated from a pedestal in it´s centre, upon which rested a great, golden orb made of crystal. Her eyes teared up at the sheer beauty of it.
"This is the second eye, child." Jultun stopped in front of it, turned and spread his arms. "And the only reason along with our grand father why the world is not yet overrun by the selfsame demons you despise."
Serafin shook her head. "Elthaine and his ilk are banished to the ends of the earth, they cannot march past unless invited in, and it has been so since time immemorial."
"It was two of the princes and our grand father who banished him, and entrusted our grand father and us, his people, with maintaining the ward keeping his bloodlust at bay." Jultun was shaking, anger flaring in his words. "It is why our people live here, at the near end of the world, to maintain watch over the plains of ash, that he may never return."
"More and more lies." Serafin stepped forward. "It is your people who pacted with the idol, who burned down our cities and incited his minions to attack our empire, savage."
"I am made king by my people, I did not enslave them like your Imperator." Jultun stared Serafin down. "They follow me of their own choosing. Some did fall, yes. Because they saw your empire, your way of extermination, your blatant breaking of any vow and treaty as a greater threat to the world than even Elthaine."
"So you confess." A wicked smile formed on Serafin´s face. "Your people cannot be trusted to live, and if you cannot be trusted, then your words mean nothing. Step aside, or I will cut you down."
"Even should you nont believe my words, I will not move." Jultun continued looking Serafin in the eyes. "You will not leave this place alive, your defeat is assured. I know of your bloodlust, of what you have done to my people. Regardless I have stayed, to urge you to leave the eye here. I am willing to die for this, is that not proof of me speaking the truth? Would I put my life on the line for just a lie?"
For a moment, Serafin lowered her blade. El Cynthia flared up before her eyes, the records of the scouring. "It is your word against the orders of Aeterna. I will not, I cannot go against them."
"If you remove the eye, you will invite a darkness upon the world that you cannot possibly imagine, child of man." Jultun´s voice was little more than a whisper. "Your Imperator is mad, but not a fool. She knows, she has stood in this very room with me. And there already did I see the greed in her eyes. If you love your people, your kin, then you must disobey."
The blade was shaking in Serafin´s hands. "The good of Aeterna is the good of my kin." She closed her eyes. "To walk within her light is to know salvation, to serve the empire is to walk the blessed road of man."
Jultun spoke, but the words fell on deaf ears as Serafin raised her voice. "I will not stop or falter even in the darkest of night, for I walk in the steps laid out by Aeterna, our beloved, our blessed lady of light!"
The blade cut through Jultun, his body fell to the ground. Serafin walked over him, staring into the golden glow of the eye. Her heart was beating fast, she reached out and grasped it.
She struggled to breathe. From her hand flowed a feeling of sheer power, electrifying every fibre of her being. She laid her other hand on the eye and held it close to her chest, tears streaming down her face.
"Commander?"
Tatanya´s voice pulled Serafin back. She wrapped the crystal in her coat, making the feeling recede and leaving her cold, incomplete. "Yes? Is something the matter?"
"You were down here for almost an hour, I was worried for your safety." Tatanya stared her. "Is this what the letter spoke of?"
Serafin nodded and got back on her feet. "Yes. Prepare the soldiers for retreat, we can finally leave this place."
Yet she stopped in her tracks as Tatanya was not moving to make way.
"I fear we cannot, commander. We are completely surrounded. The savages are breaking through the gates as we speak."