It was a scared crowd of people that arrived at the outskirts of the overgrown Srinaber ruins. The sky above was a deep russet as the evening approached, the sunset throwing long, twisting shadows along the ground, hinting at the monsters that would soon emerge.
The once-majestic city of Lilia’s youth was now fully taken over by nature, with trees growing up through the remains of manor houses and shops, and the remnants of paved roads buried under a layer of plants and small flowers.
Splitting away from the group, Lilia walked over to part of a crumbling wall. Pulling apart the vines that had engulfed the stone revealed faded paint beneath, lines of red and yellow and blue. She looked up the street, following the straight line of buildings that was just barely visible through the trees.
A flash of memory overcame her. A long straight road, running from the southern gate straight to the river dock, lined with shops all painted in vibrant colours. Crowds of people flocking the street, bustling from one building to another. The sounds of life, of civilization, filling the air with a comforting buzz.
Lilia shook her head, clearing the memory from her mind. Dwelling on things long gone would only bring her heartache.
Reud entered the ruins, but for the first time since they’d departed the village the crowd did not follow him. Instead, they stood at the threshold of the city, shifting nervously, no one wanting to be the first to step into its confines.
“Look, there’s nothing to be scared of.” Lilia said, walking back towards them. “We will be safer in here, than out there.” She pointed over their shoulders, back to the gloom of the forest.
Reud stepped up beside her. “We’re not far from our destination, a few minutes more at most. So please, follow me.”
For a moment, no one moved. Then, with a gruff grunt, a large bearded man pushed his way out of the crowd and stepped over the threshold.
And that seemed to be enough.
One by one, the rest of the crowd followed him, pressing themselves close together but once again following Reud. Together, they moved deeper into the city, each step making them more and more jittery as they threw fearful looks around at every slight sound that came from beyond the road's enclosing walls.
Eventually, Reud stopped before an overgrown side street, blocked by a tree. He waved to Tel, and the skeleton squeezed past the trunk and disappeared into the darkness beyond.
“This building should be good to wait out until morning. Tel is just checking it's safe.” Reud said, looking over the crowd. “During the night I will send out some of my skeletons to hunt us some food, and at daybreak we can fetch water from the river.”
Palpable relief ran through the crowd as Reud spoke, the fact that they’d finally arrived at their destination obviously banishing a great deal of their uncertainty and fear.
Lilia smiled to herself as she watched him speak, knowing how much addressing the crowd would be bothering him. Yet, still, he was doing it, and doing a great job at that. She wanted to run over and kiss him, to show him just how amazing she thought he was, but she restrained herself.
There would be more than enough time for that later.
Soon, Tel emerged from behind the tree again. Reud squeezed past the trunk, calling over his shoulder. “It’s safe. Come on, follow me in.”
One by one, the crowd pushed past the tree and slipped into the building behind. Lilia stood with Bo, bringing up the rear, keeping an eye on the forest as the light slowly slipped away. It wouldn’t be long before the chimeras are out hunting once again, and she had to be ready to fight when they did.
Even hidden here, these people were still a very tempting target.
Eventually it was her turn, and she pushed past the tree, shuffling awkwardly as her sword got caught between the trunk and wall. Beyond the tree was a small alley, shadowed by tall walls on each side. A doorway to the left led into a large building. The crowd slowly entered, jostling each other in their haste to get into shelter.
A large, semicircular room greeted them on the other side, tiered rows lined with the stumps of what were likely once benches leading down to a flat area beyond. Moss covered every surface, making the ground slick and treacherous. The ceiling had partially collapsed in the far corner, letting in a sliver of the dimming light.
“Is this…” Lilia said to Reud, looking around.
“Yep. The Paldinbar Theatre.” Reud responded. “What's left of it, anyway.”
“How is it still intact?”
Reud shrugged. “They sure threw enough money into its construction. I guess some of that paid off by giving us a damned sturdy structure.”
A sudden cracking sound from outside sent a wave of panic through the villagers, the scared crowd huddling together in fear. Then, with a thump, a branch was tossed into the alley behind Lilia.
“Don’t worry, it’s just Bo getting us some firewood.” Reud reassured the frightened crowd.
Another thump, and another branch joined the first. Soon a sizable pile of wood lay in the alley. Tel strode out, grabbed it all, and dragged it into the room to dump it in a pile beneath the collapsed hole in the ceiling. Standing back, he raised his skeletal arms and emitted a gout of flame. A minute later and a roaring fire burned in the corner of the theatre, just taking the edge off the evening chill.
Finally, people seemed to relax, settling themselves down on the tiered steps that led down to the stage, their faces stiff with exhaustion.
Reud walked over to Lilia, speaking in a low voice. “Could you look after these people for a while? I was going to head into the underground and awaken some more skeleton minions. Those should help us secure this place for the night.”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“I’ll come with you.” Lilia said.
Reud shook his head. “No, I’ll move better alone. I know these ruins like the back of my hand, so even in the dark I can be there and back before you know it.”
Reud glanced around at the people packing the large room, their faces filled with fear.
“Besides, someone needs to be on hand to ensure nothing happens here. These people are almost at breaking point. The smallest thing could set them off.” He smiled ruefully. “You’ve always been better with people than me. I’d probably just make things worse.”
Lilia let a small smile tug at her mouth. He was correct there. Reud had always been terrible with people. Gods, if he’d been born with any chance of inheriting, if he’d have had to move in noble circles with all the veiled words and constant politicking… Well, Rudase would likely have been at war long before Lightire invaded.
But now here he was, a leader, despite his best efforts to avoid that responsibility. How things had changed.
Reaching out, she pulled Reud into a kiss. “Be safe, and hurry back.”
“Yes, my love.”
With those final words, he turned and strode out into the blackness of the night, Tel following along behind him.
—
The sobs of a little girl came from the corner of the room, drawing Lilia’s attention away from staring out into the blackness, waiting for Reud to return. The little girl’s parents were trying to comfort her, but the girl was having none of it, their attentions just heightening her distress.
“I don’t want to be eaten! I don’t want a demon to eat me!”
Lilia walked over to the group. The parents noticed her as she approached, and bowed their heads. “I’m sorry, my lady. She is just a little emotional, she’ll calm down soon.”
“I want to go home. The demon will eat me!” The girl cried, fighting against her mother's arms.
Lilia squatted down beside her. “It’s okay, no demon will eat you. I’ll protect you.”
The girl looked at her, her eyes wide. “But mummy said the demon lives in Sinber, so I’m not allowed there. And it comes and eats children who are bad. And I took a roll from the oven when I wasn’t allowed to and when mummy asked I said a fairy ate it!”
The parents looked to one another. “We always used stories of the demon of Srinaber to encourage her to be good, we never thought we’d actually come here.”
“What are these stories?” Lilia asks.
“It’s said that centuries ago a great demon awoke here, more powerful and deadly than any chimera that has ever lived. It consumed everything alive in the province, and since has gone to sleep in the ruins of Srinaber, now just taking those who wander through the ancient city unawares. But that’s just a story, it’s not real… Right?”
Lilia looked over their faces, taking in the uncertainty. The fear. Though their words claimed they can no concerns, their faces spoke otherwise.
“Of course it’s a myth.” Lilia said with a smile. “Srinaber is safe, I promise you that.”
“Did you hear that? The lady says it’s safe.”
It did little to console the girl.
“But- but-” She managed between sobs.
Lilia sat down, leaning on the wall beside the family. “How about I tell you a different story? A happy, exciting story, of what this place used to be.”
She leaned over and ruffled the girl’s hair.
“Would you like to hear that story?”
The girl’s sobs decreased a little, and she nodded tentatively. Lilia looked over to the parents, who also give her little nods, their faces filled with equal curiosity.
Lilia smiled and called up images of the city before the war, mere years ago for her, but centuries ago for everyone else. “A long time ago, this city was the greatest in the world. That’s right, the greatest in the world. People would come from far and wide to visit, sailing down the river Seine in boats with brightly coloured sails. The markets were packed with exotic goods, food laden with mouthwatering spices, enchanted artefacts, potions, jewellery, the most spectacular fabrics. Anything you could imagine, you could find there. People would come to train at the Royal Academy of Magic, noble and common alike, each striving to learn the skills to be Adventurers. Each one a future hero in the making."
The little girl’s sobs had completely faded as she sat enthralled by the story. Beyond her, Lilia noticed that a crowd was starting to form, more and more of the people shuffling closer to listen to her tale. Lilia raised her voice a little, then continued.
“The festivals, now they were a sight to behold. Every wintersend, people would line the streets with hundreds upon hundreds of candles, driving back the darkness. Mages from the academy would compete to fill the sky with flashy displays of magic, flowers of fire blooming high in the air, twinkling ice, flashes of lightning. Music would ring out all night long as the parties raged until dawn.”
The entire room was fixated on her tale now, their fear replaced with wonder.
“Summersend would see the Great Exhibition each year, where the best and brightest artificers, engineers, and enchanters would display their latest creations. From perpetually sifting ornaments, to metal beasts-of-burden, there was always something novel, something spectacular to see then.”
Lilia smiled as she faded into a memory, of her and Reud competing in the grand melee at the Great Exhibition, fresh out of the Academy and eager to prove themselves. They’d walked away with second place, a huge bag of gold, and a lifetime supply of fried squid, courtesy of their sponsor. They’d always planned to go back and win it one year, but life had kept getting in the way. And then she’d died.
The world sure had a way of disrupting even the best laid plans.
Lilia continued. “During harvestend, people would dress as animals and parade through the streets. Just imagine, a thousand strong throng of people in animal masks, rabbits, deer, foxes, even fish. Then we would feast, until you’d eaten so much you wouldn’t want to move for a week!”
Lilia trailed off, losing herself in more old memories.
"What happened to it?" Asked a villager, his eyes glittering in the light of the fire.
Lilia scowled, her good mood quickly souring.
"Lightire happened. The Empire grew jealous of the prosperity of Rudase, and came to destroy all that was good about it, and enslave the rest. They brought their magic and their fire, and laid waste to this beautiful land.”