Chapter 5:

…

Ghor

…

Verdant forests filled with life.

Fields lush with wheat and corn.

Boats filled with harvests from the sea.

Herds of cattle, sheep, and horses tended to by farmhands.

All these things were a faraway past that my grandfather shared with me long ago.

And ,now, I stood on the precipice of a renewed dream after years of sacrifice, pain, and violence.

But I could not yet rest.

There was a knock on my door, and I willed the tower to grant entry to the Riegert on the other side. I dwelled in the base of the tower, many lengths beneath the soil, and where my key bid me to stay and ensure my safety.

In the underground castle within a castle, I was safe and secure, but I could not rule from here.

So, I made use of the scrapper that we stumbled across and who led us here in good fortune.

I entrusted him to Riegert to be molded as a figurehead after I feigned my death a month ago.

As always, Riegert entered my sanctum proud and with his head held high, though his eyes wandered to the ancient golems, sleek and deadly constructs composed of the same material as the tower, that watched him as he entered.

"Lord Ghor, I'm here to make my report." The times when we met changed. Most of the time, we spoke through the Citadel's secret methods to ensure secrecy. However, whenever we could ensure that no schedule could be discerned from his movements, we met face-to-face. We owed that much to one another. "Everything is going as expected on my end. Well, except for the boy, naturally."

"I see. Your intuition about him is proving to be a far greater boon. He's so perfect for his role that it worries me." I mused. The scrapper, Jack, fell into my hands be chance. Since then, he led to my discovery of the Citadel, and then turned himself into a perfect figurehead with his keen gaze. "Has he begun trying to escape?"

"I have my daughter watching him, so he can't run far, but I have a few men keeping an eye on him too. He doesn't trust anyone enough to, and he knows that you've weeded out all the traitors, so he's getting keen on the new recruits." Riegert drifted toward me and crossed his arms, as he looked at the masterpiece constructed by the ancients at the center of the room. In the white, living stone of the Citadel, the whole region was outlined in differing shades of white. Like a deity, I looked upon all my lands from above. With a thought, I brought Jack forth, and the materials became his room at the top of the tower he stayed. He was, once again, poring over the texts and books that he was provided. "The kid's bright, and all he wants is to be safe, and we can work with that."

"Indeed, we can, unless the winds your daughter listens to bid her to do as he commands."

"If it comes to that, I can bring her down without killing her, and maybe convince her to stop. Maybe. It'll be a problem in a few more years, though. She has talent and strength in spades, and she'll grow into it quick." Riegert shared his thoughts with me without hesitation. His gaze traced over the boy we decided to compose a legend around, so that I could stay safe and coordinate from the shadows. "We could let the leash loose a little, grant him some power and influence, and maybe a promise to retire… but he might take what we offer and run. He's clever, but he might be wise enough to know that he should stick around to take advantage of us, even while he's at risk."

"Then, it's about instinct and handling people. I'll leave it to you, Riegert." I knew where my skills lay. It was in command, in bribery, and in blackmail. I curled my iron fist around many and forced them to march with me. They tried to take my Citadel in the end, but I thankfully knew when to be humble, when to bow my head, and trust when I needed to trust. More importantly, I knew that I couldn't achieve my dream alone, and found people who believed in the same. "Raise him well. See that he can survive what comes against us. I will stay in the shadows, fight the battles on this front, and force those who come to swear service to him to kneel and know their place."

"Hah, so it'll be just like always." Riegert bowed his head at my words and gave a small laugh. He turned to leave for a moment, before turning over to me. "The message should've arrived by now. What should I tell her?"

A faint ache resonated in my heart, but I knew better than to let my emotions get the better of me.

"She's better suited for a life on the isle." When my wife perished, I secreted my daughter away and gave her a life off the continent. A coastal town where she ruled as the wife of a lesser lord. She had grandchildren now and they lived peacefully, away from all the violence. Perhaps, my grandchildren will come to this land when it is peaceful and kind, but not my daughter. There is too much work to be done. "Tell her that I died, send her the inheritance, and tell her that a stipend will come. I will arrange for it and tell her that in my dying breath I appointed you to help Jack rule over this land and bring my dream to reality."

I am a poor father.

I abandoned my child the moment my wife died and pursued a dream of forcing peace across Celsia as both repentance and vengeance.

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Perhaps, if I abandoned my path, I could live my last years peacefully… but I couldn't stray from my path.

Not after all the blood I spilled.

Blood from both good men and bad.

Riegert stopped at my words, before turning, facing me, and bowing deeply from his waist and rising again.

"Your will shall be done, Lord Ghor of House Khanrow."

I bid him farewell with a nod and he left.

Then, I turned to the boy studying beneath magical lights.

Smart, cunning, clever, and unwilling to be distracted by luxury… preferring a life of peace over fame and fortune both.

Perhaps, if he lived, Riegert's overt dramatics could be waylaid, and I would not be the last of House Khanrow.

But that was a thought for another day.

For now, I had to continue to rebuild my network, after so thoroughly using my last to secure my position.

…

Riegert

…

I've met many geniuses in my lifetime.

Most perished after riding out to meet me in combat, or rode out with me, even those who attended the Academy.

Those blessed with the bloodline of the ancients are more than most expect. In fact, with enough training and experience, most can awaken some fraction of a fraction of the ancient blood in their veins. Longevity, greater strength, speed, and reflexes, were within the grasp of most.

If they survived battle after battle.

If they trained themselves hard every day.

If they subjected themselves to rigors in mind, body, and spirit.

Then, a mere mortal man can be shaped into what he should've been, if the Ancients did not fall and we were all born into a time of plenty and power.

Survival, above all else, matters the most. It gives the body time to change, to adapt, and to awaken what vestigial power and ability they received from the forebearers. Those who ride out into battle without an army at their back, without covering themselves in armor, and anticipating every move of the enemy were fools, no matter how much they were lauded.

True strength came from carefully raising those under your command into a mighty army from within and without.

Many of my fellows say that my path has led me astray, that we should devote ourselves to finding more ancient ruins and returning to the Academy, so that all their magics can be widespread again.

Yet, most of them were now dead, and those who survived followed in my footsteps, and I was sure that they would soon lead their own lords to their own Citadels.

But, while they do that, I will continue on my path.

I will raise up the people who have entrusted me with their lives into what they're supposed to be.

This land, the suffusion of magic, told me that I no longer needed to be content with shadows.

I can grow stronger, and so can my soldiers, and we will become what we should've been.

A people that made the world entire their own and ruled over it for millennia,

A people that could leash the monsters of the world and fight against the terrors it held.

But that was all in the future.

For now, I had a young man to raise.

"Jack." I entered the topmost room of the tower and the boy did his utmost to smile at me and feign ignorance. However, I already saw the scratches on the wall, the odd wrinkles on the sheets on his bed, and the wrinkles in his clothes. He was a bright and capable kid, but more than that, he knew to do his best to hide it. "It's time for you to train. Come with me."

"Y-yes, Sir Riegert!" That hesitation and fear in his voice was real, but he used both to try and conceal the truth. He embraced both, so that he wouldn't show his frustration and spite towards me and the whole affair. I'm sure that he'll have the guards fooled within a few weeks. It's good that I had the foresight to set them all on rotation. "Lead the way!"

"Heh, I see that you've finally warmed up to the idea. Good." I played along, hiding my own intent, and pretending to lack perception. My height, size, and strength led most to believe that I was just an ox that barely left the Academy with my head held high. It was a useful belief for others to have of me. "Come on then. Ilych is waiting."

For a brief moment, Jack couldn't hide his fear of Ilych, and for a moment I felt a flash of anger at him.

The first other being that my daughter cared for, in her own way, and he feared her completely and utterly.

Thankfully, I was able to ignore it and set my emotions aside.

"A-ah, okay. I'll do my best today, too!" Jack feigned his cheer with years of practice and experience. I was almost fooled. He looked good for a scrapper, lacking in any of the scars and wounds and even had pearly-white teeth. Lord Khanrow chose a good face. In a few years, he'll have a chance at binding somebody significant to our ranks. "Lead on, Sir Riegert."

"Hah! Good, come along, kid!"

I smiled at him and he smiled back, both of us lying to one another, so that we could achieve our own ends.

Lord Khanrow chose well.

This young man will go far on his own, and we could use that potential to our advantage.