An autumn chill lingered in the air as Sarah walked through the carnage that lay just outside the North Gate. Kurt and Hicham were leading the procession as they walked out to meet the general of the great army that had come to a halt well outside the city.
As they got closer, Sarah could make out the general. He was a tall man who stood out in his bronze armour. He was standing next to his warhorse holding a huge halberd.
“Prince Ferlding, I must thank you for arriving so quickly,” Kurt said deferentially as he bowed his head, “Any later and I would have feared the worst.”
The prince looked to be in his forties and the bottom of his craggy face ended in a pointed black goatee. It was clear from the look on his face and his demeanour that it was all he could do to hold his temper in check.
“Marquis Vinelder,” the prince replied with equal formality, “I hope you have a good reason to tell my men not to pursue the enemy and not to approach the city.”
“We fear that so many soldiers entering the city may be playing into our Enemy’s hands,” Kurt replied.
“And what are these plans, precisely?” Victor Ferlding asked. “We were assembled to drive away the orcs who had set up camp at your doorstep and arrived to find a devastated province and them laying siege to your city!”
“Yes, things escalated quickly,” Kurt admitted. “We suspect they were attempting…”
His voice trailed off and he shook his head before correcting himself, “They still are attempting to bring about Ratri’s Chosen.”
Victor scoffed. “Are they indeed? And are there still any of these heretics in your city?”
“I’m ashamed to admit it, but we suspect they may have taken the Citadel,” Kurt replied, “They are a devious bunch, and it appears that many of their number have infiltrated my City Guard.”
Shouts came up from the army behind the general and Sarah looked up to see another group of soldiers approach down the hill. Their White Cloaks and their white banners edged with gold depicting a dove and a cross identified them as the Treton Church’s army.
“That’s going to be trouble,” Udoriol breathed. “I do believe I spy Brother Silas’ colours among them.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll deal with them,” Cardinal Benedict whispered.
Victor eyed their approach for a moment before turning his attention back to the Marquis. “So, what do you intend to do next?”
“I was thinking we would evacuate the city and then send a small team into the Citadel to investigate,” Kurt replied.
“Don’t you think you’re being overly cautious?” Victor asked as he adjusted his grip on his halberd.
“Our Enemy has proven cunning and powerful,” Kurt pointed out, “I don’t think it is possible for us to be overly cautious here.”
“Who do you plan to send in to investigate?”
“I will be going in,” Hicham declared as he stepped forward.
Victor bowed his head deferentially. “I am glad to see you unharmed, Eminence. My men saw a man borne by radiant wings soaring over the battlefield. I assume that was you?”
Hicham beamed and nodded.
“Actually, I think that neither Hicham nor I should enter the Citadel,” Sarah said in a small voice.
“And who might you be, young lady?” Victor asked.
Sarah quailed under the intimidating man’s gaze and Kurt answered for her. “She is Agni’s Chosen, Highness.”
“And why should the two of you not enter the Citadel?”
Sarah summoned her courage, knowing she had to voice her concerns. “Because I believe Ratri’s Chosen wants to meet me… us… down there.”
“To what end?” Victor demanded. His tone told Sarah that the prince did not put much stock in this talk of the Night Goddess.
“I don’t know,” Sarah admitted, “But if that is what he wants, I think it is something that we should not do.”
“We do not know what horrors await us down there,” Kurt pointed out as he looked between Sarah and Hicham, “We may need your strength. Both of you.”
“All the more reason to send my men in,” Victor said gruffly.
“Perhaps,” Udoriol chimed in, “But first, a small team.”
“No, that won’t do, not after I’ve gone through the trouble of making all these preparations,” the high pitched voice whispered into Sarah’s ear. She looked at Hicham and knew from the look on his face that he heard it too.
“What in Treto’s name is that?” Victor breathed. Sarah turned around as a barrier shimmered into existence around the city.
“With this barrier, people may enter the city freely, but none may leave,” the voice whispered into Sarah’s ear. “Come to the Citadel for a chat, or Corrington will be turned into the new Findendor.”
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
“Ice Lance!” Lucy cried.
A shard of ice flew from her hand and passed through the barrier before crashing harmlessly into the wall.
“Strange,” the old halfling grunted.
“It’s a one way barrier,” Hicham said as he locked eyes with Sarah, “You heard the voice too, didn’t you?”
“What voice?” Victor demanded.
“The voice of our Enemy,” Sarah replied.
“It’s probably Ratri’s Chosen speaking to us,” Hicham mused.
A confused look crossed Sarah’s face as she remembered something important. “But the Night Goddess does not have Her Chosen yet…”
“How do you know this?” Hicham asked, looking surprised.
Sarah paused and bit her lip, feeling everyone’s eyes on her. John reached over and squeezed her hand, giving her courage. At length, she replied, “Agni, or at least I think it was Agni told me.”
“Your God, Agni, speaks to you?” Hicham was the first to react, “Directly?”
Sarah nodded. “Does Treto not speak to you?”
Hicham shook his head. “I wish. The wings that appear on my back when I summon His power, the amount I can wield, and the inability to call on any other was how the Church could tell I was Chosen.”
He paused and shook his head. “Speaking directly to the divine. I envy you.”
“Believe me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Sarah breathed.
“So, God Speaker, tell us, what does that barrier mean?” Victor asked evenly.
“It means that whoever’s in the Citadel is holding the people of Corrington hostage,” Sarah replied.
“And what are his demands?”
“He wants us to go inside.”
Victor raised an eyebrow. “Alone?”
Sarah and Hicham exchanged looks.
“You are welcome to bring as many friends with you as you wish,” the voice cackled, causing the hair on Sarah’s neck to stand on end, “but the two of you have to come… Or I will slaughter every living creature within the walls of Corrington.”
“How do we know you can do that?” Hicham demanded out loud, earning himself confused looks from those who had not heard the voice.
“I could prove it to you now,” the voice threatened, “or, you could ask your librarian what the Rend Soul spell does.”
“Lucy, what is the Rend Soul spell?” Sarah asked abruptly.
Lucy shot her a dirty look and glanced at Cardinal Benedict who was standing nearby, listening intently.
Sarah looked at her pointedly and at length, the old halfling sighed. “It’s a spell that forcibly tears a soul from the living and places it in a soul gem.”
Sarah was stunned. “So why haven’t they done that, then?”
“Because it’s supposed to be very inefficient. It takes a lot of energy to rip a soul out of a living person, so it only leaves you with roughly twenty per cent of the magical energy you get from a recently deceased person,” the Head Librarian replied.
“What foul magic are you speaking of?” Brother Nicholas demanded.
“Now isn’t the time for this,” Kurt interjected quickly and levelled his gaze on Sarah, “So, the people of Corrington are now hostages and the two Chosen must enter the Citadel if they are to be released. Is that a fair assessment of the situation?”
Sarah nodded.
“We don’t even know if this shield works,” Lucy grunted.
“I expect we’ll soon find out,” Victor warned as he looked toward the gatehouse.
The others turned to see a group of men at the gatehouse. One of them attempted to walk out and upon touching the barrier, became engulfed by a black cloud. The man soon slumped to the ground, and the cloud disappeared, leaving a withered husk behind.
“We must warn the city,” Kurt gasped, ashen faced.
“I will go back in,” Brother Nicholas offered and took off towards the city.
Kurt turned to Victor and shook his head. “Your Highness, I think you are far too important a person to be caught up in all this. I must ask that you and your army remain outside.”
Victor looked at the city and frowned. “Very well, we will withdraw up the hill for now, but do not hesitate to send for us if you need assistance.”
“I’m afraid you must not come to our aid under any circumstance,” Kurt warned, “At least not until we find a way to counter the spell.”
“I might be able to help there,” Lucy began but was silenced by Sarah’s upraised hand.
“Our Enemy appears to be listening in on our conversation,” Sarah said, “We must be careful with what we say out loud.”
“He can also possess people at will,” Cardinal Benedict added, “We have no counter for that yet, either. In fact, someone here may be possessed at this very moment.”
Sarah swallowed and looked around warily but could find no sign of anyone being possessed. Lucy shook her head. “I suppose I should go to the library to study the matter further.”
“I think it’s fair to say that our Enemy can’t possess the Chosen,” Hicham mused, “Or he wouldn’t have to strongarm us into going to the Citadel.”
Sarah looked at the Citadel and shuddered before turning her attention onto the others. “So, who wants to come with us?”
“Should you go at all?” Cardinal Benedict ventured.
Sarah frowned and looked at the older man. “What choice do we have? They’re holding everyone in the city hostage.”
“It is clear that the coming of Ratri’s Chosen will have dire consequences,” the cardinal pointed out as he rubbed his sweaty palms on his robe, “Perhaps it will be better for Sera Thun as a whole to sacrifice the city and let their plans die here.”
Sarah was too shocked by what he was proposing to respond.
“How will we end their plans if we can’t get into the city?” Victor asked. “They could kill the city and then move on, and we would be powerless to stop them.”
“Or, they could harvest the city and use that energy to bring their plans to fruition,” Lucy remarked.
“It stands to reason they would have already done that if they could,” Udoriol pointed out.
“I can’t believe you’re talking about sacrificing everyone in that city so callously!” Sarah cried.
“I quite agree,” Hicham chimed in.
“We are taking the greater good into account here, children,” Lucy sniffed, “what good is saving a few thousand for now when it could ultimately result in the death and suffering of millions?”
“No, I can save these people, now,” Sarah said as she stalked off towards the city.
She saw John follow close behind in the corner of her eye and felt grateful.
“Guards!” Kurt called.
A pair of blue cloaked City Guardsmen blocked her path. A shadow flew overhead, and they turned around to see Hicham land inside the gatehouse where he turned around and waved.
Kurt sighed. “I suppose our hand has been forced.”
He then turned to the prince. “Your Highness, you should get clear. The people of Corrington will handle things from here.”
Victor nodded. “Treto watch over you, Kurt.”
As the prince returned to his men, Kurt turned around to address his own men. “Men, you know what is at stake. I intend to return to the city and fight to the bitter end to free it from this evil. If you wish to join the general’s men, I will not think any less of you.”
When none moved, Nathan stepped forward. “Your Lordship, we all sworn oaths to defend the city and have family there. We are with you to the last.”
With two exceptions, a White Cloak and a librarian, everyone who had left the city to meet with the prince’s party opted to return.
“No objections?” Sarah asked John softly as they approached the barrier.
John shook his head. “The Smiths are probably still in the city, and Andrew, and the rest of the refugees.”
Sarah nodded. “I was about to resort to violence to return before Hicham did what he did… Will you go into the Citadel with us?”
“You couldn’t stop me,” John replied.