image [https://i.imgur.com/yFu9mOD.png]

VII

A Dark Road

The taste of victory was bitter.

When you stalked through a combat area, your mind blocked things in the same manner it did during a chase or ambush. But the combat was over.

Upper bodies hung from balcony windows, hands stuck in the animation of trying to reach salvation before their owners got cleaved at the middle, and I had to guide my horse around dismembered body parts. The stench was one thing. The screams another. Some had escaped the orcs yet any exit and entrance to their homes were blocked so badly no one could get out or in—not even my undead, who could boldly charge through the flames.

I stopped in front of one such home, where a group of people had just given up on pouring buckets into the sea of flames.

A woman’s shrill cry roiled above the fires. The wail of a baby drowned in the scorching sea.

Beside me, Levi looked at the floor. I closed my eyes, listened, and felt my entire body convulse. Something deep within me yelled in defiance. A vestige of Sepharin, I realised—the former one. She cursed the heavens for what was happening to her people. The feeling was so strong it was as if I was feeling it myself.

And why shouldn’t I? Though these were not my people, I was still their Warden. Now—

An impact on my cheek snapped my face to the side, blasting me out of my introspection. I looked down to the sight of a stone diving underneath the melting layers of snow. I rubbed a hand over my cheek

and touched blood.

‘Seph…’ Levi said aghast.

My head turned in the direction of the throw to find a girl screaming her lungs out.

‘You’re frostguards, aren’t you! That’s my mother and baby brother in there! Why aren’t you doing anything to help her!’

‘Emma, stop this!’ An older man rushed to her side, clutching her like she was his last precious diamond, and placed his hand over her mouth. She savagely bit into his palm so he let go with a yelp.

The girl swung her hands in the air like she was punching me. ‘What do we even pay tribute for?! Aren’t you supposed to protect us?!’

Her screams were so raw. Everyone looked away.

I paused and breathed in deep. ‘How could I have know there’d be orcs who could use portals, or that I’d be Warden so soon? Why assault only me when my brother stands right beside me?’

…

These were but a few things I could say to excuse myself. Instead of speaking up, I dismounted my horse and strode towards the girl.

‘Sepharin—’ Levi reached out, but he was too late to stop me.

Wide eyes overtook the audience of townsfolk. The elder man came to stand in front of his, presumably, daughter. ‘Warden, please, she’s distraught, she doesn’t know what she’s saying!’

The title sent gasps down the gathering. While most of his neighbours stepped away in fright, others closed ranks around him, supporting the father. They couldn’t stop me due to my size.

‘Emma, was it?’ My voice was an undercurrent to the screams still coming from inside the house.

Emma glared up at me. The area around her eyes was red like blood. Some of it really was blood, most likely a result from a falling piece of debris. She no longer had to look up when I took a knee.

Everyone went silent.

I lowered my head. ‘I have no excuse for what I allowed to happen to your family, and any apology would be empty to you.’ My cheek hurt from the stone’s throw, but the agony inside me was deeper than a well. When I looked up, that stabbing pain reached my eyes. ‘But know this: I will bring to justice every orc that took part in this assault. Their leaders’s spiked heads I will hang on the Wall, so any enemy foolish enough to attack us can look upon them and know what will happen. That’s the sole solace I can offer you.’

The girl and I locked gazes for what seemed an eternal moment. A pressure built on my shoulders. Like a higher force stood behind me, acting as a witness to this promise.

Emma nodded once, and words sped past my vision.

Quest created: The Warden’s Promise.

Then the pressure was gone.

Silence continued for a moment.

‘Warden,’ someone called softly.

I stood, snow falling from my trousers. My guard captain and the frostguard who’d hailed us were here, standing a respectful distance behind me.

‘We brought the captured orc to the manor house like you ordered, Warden,’ the frostguard said. He let his voice carry so everyone could hear.

That was on purpose.

‘Good,’ I said, striding back.

I mounted my horse and found Levi’s wide eyes staring at me. I waited to give him the opportunity to speak but he remained silent. My neck craned for a final glance. The girl and her father were watching the burning wreckage, crying in each other’s arms.

‘It’s time for answers,’ I said, spurring my horse into motion.

image [https://i.imgur.com/z6G5s0x.png]

The frostguards had bound the unconscious black orc to a chair in the living room (he’d provided too much resistance awake). For good measure, I made Caster freeze his hands and feet.

My guard captain stoked the fireplace. A warm hue suffused the room and fell on the orc corpses stacked in a corner. They were a strange sight in this ordinary common room with nothing but a few tables, a sectioned off space for a kitchen, and a staircase to the second floor.

‘What now, Warden?’ Jaeger asked.

He was the one who’d retrieved me together with my guard captain. Funny that I learned his name before I learned that of my own servant—but then everyone always called him “Captain”.

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‘Fetch a glass of cold water,’ I said.

Jaeger sent Drake, making the Ice Ward pout. He splashed the orc’s face after he returned.

The orc jerked awake. His gag swallowed his panicked grunts as wide eyes darted across the room. He settled quickly after seeing all of us.

‘Good,’ I said. ‘There’s no reason to panic, black orc. You’re not getting out of this room. One of my men is going to remove your gag.’ I signalled Drake, who begrudgingly strode forwards and cut the binding keeping the gag in place.

‘Ow shit!’ Drake yelped and jumped back when the orc tried biting away at his neck.

The dodge was for nothing since the orc lacked the mobility. But based on the orc’s smile, it hadn’t been a serious try either.

Jaeger pulled Drake towards a chair before he could further embarrass his delegation.

I caught the orc’s gaze. ‘Do you have a name?’

‘Durak,’ he said, voice as gruff as the first time I’d heard it.

‘Durak. Do you know why you’re here?’

The orc stared at me for a moment. Then, a deep and sharp rumble crawled over the room.

The sound of a glass falling cut through the noise. ‘Fack!’ Drake jumped out of his chair, wiping at his trousers.

Jaeger shook his head. I almost did the same but refrained.

Durak’s laugh gained in volume. ‘Wimp.’

I waited until the orc’s mirth died. ‘Ice Ward Drake,’ I said. ‘Go dry yourself upstairs.’

‘Yes, Warden!’ He saluted. The gesture lost its esteem coming from him. ‘…fockin’ witch…’ he whispered as he stalked upstairs, loud enough for everyone else to hear.

Jaeger stood. ‘Warden, please continue without me. I’ll make sure to discipline him thoroughly.’

‘I leave it to you.’

Jaeger went up and took the scabbard of his blade in hand.

The orc chuckled as he watched them go. ‘You army. Unprofessional. Weaklings.’

I sighed. ‘You orcs are the opposite. I admire your ferocity. Quick to jump into battle. Slow to fall.’

Durak chuckled again. ‘You strong. Shame you human. Would make good orc. Nice bitch.’ He showed his fangs.

I snorted. ‘I’m a noble in our society. A grunt soldier like you wouldn’t have a chance. I need someone more…influential.’

‘Warchief,’ the orc nodded understandingly. ‘He like good genes. Strong sons.’

My legs crossed as I shifted in my chair. ‘Warchief,’ I repeated. ‘Does he have a name?’

‘Grimhand,’ Durak said.

I could taste the reverence on his tongue. The name echoed like my own. Was Grimhand a title that held power?

‘Durak,’ Levi said icily, sitting in a chair behind me. ‘My butler. Where is he?’

The orc tilted his head. ‘Butler?’

‘An old man with a balding head,’ Levi clarified. ‘He should’ve been in this manor house.’

‘Ah. Old man,’ Durak said. He licked his teeth. ‘Old bones soft. Good meal.’

‘Don’t lie,’ Levi said, unperturbed. ‘There’s no blood or remains anywhere.’

Durak released a puff of air I took to be a huff. He didn’t say anything else.

‘There are more people missing,’ I said.

After making sure the town was clear of orcs, we’d recalled the inhabitants. Most were busy salvaging what they could of their homes. We’d done a headcount as they scrambled. 450. That was twenty less than our lowest estimate of the town’s population. The number of corpses didn’t complete the equation either.

Durak eyed me. ‘Maybe they run. They wimp like him.’ He nodded to Drake, who was sombrely descending the staircase while rubbing his hands.

‘Maybe.’ I reached for a table at my side and held up Durak’s pouch. ‘Or maybe you took them into that portal. Which one do you think is more likely?’

Durak revealed his teeth again (I was beginning to think that was the orc way of smiling), but said nothing.

I placed the pouch back. ‘You need to work with us here, Durak. Tell us where you took our people, and we’ll let you go. Simple.’

My answer was silence. From the set of his shoulders I could see there would be no give.

Unless I resorted to more drastic measures than questions.

I solemnly shook my head. ‘You leave me no choice. Caster.’ I motioned forward with a finger.

Durak’s eyes closely followed my undead as he strode to my side.

‘Khagar…’ Durak snarled. ‘What you do?’

‘I raised him from the dead,’ I said, tapping Khagar on the shoulder. ‘Now, he’s my undying servant. Forever.’

Durak went silent. This time, the silence wasn’t a confident or smug one, but one filled with fear, a fear known to the shadows in the manor home, which filled with nightmares at night.

Smiling, I pointed to the stack of bodies in the corner. ‘These strong, professional men of yours that fought to the death, they will be the next ones to join my ranks.’

I let that sink in before speaking.

‘Durak,’ I whispered. The light from the fireplace fell on my face at an angle, leaving half of it in shadow. ‘I will bring you back from the dead. And for as long as you are in my service, your soul will find no peace. You’ll be a mindless slave, turned on his own brothers-in-arms.’ I leaned forward and linked my hands. ‘But you can save yourself. And your subordinates. So. I need you to think hard when you answer this next question: Where did you take the townspeople?’

Frozen bonds creaked in the quiet. Wood snapped in the fireplace. Anxious breaths inhaled the rotting smell of dead animals.

I knew what Durak’s answer would be when the creases on his forehead vanished one-by-one.

‘This why puny humans weak.’

‘Oh?’ I said.

He smiled. ‘You think orc fear service? Orc fight since birth. Orc fight after death.’ His laughter was dry and rasping. ‘Durak fight for any God. Even God of Death.’

My party took in a shuddering breath. Finally, they understood how unlike ourselves these creatures were. That even though they could speak our tongue, they were alien.

Now it was clear: no amount of persuasion or pain would make him betray his kin.

‘I see,’ I said. ‘That’s a shame. Caster, choke him.’

The big shaman moved behind his former captain and put him in a chokehold. The entire room watched mutely as the black orc’s life left him.

“Blood. For. Vorlok,” were Durak’s final words, and we were silent as his voice faded.

‘I’m going to raise all of the orc corpses,’ I said. I turned to Jaeger. ‘It will take a while, so it’s better if you return to Castle Frost. Tell Lord Blackwater I will meet with him shortly and expect a report of everything he knows.’

‘Warden!’ Jaeger saluted. He led his men out of the manor house.

That left me, Levi, Caster, the guard captain, and the corpses. Levi's fists clenched, his knuckles pale in the firelight.

‘Captain,’ I said. ‘Give me and my brother a moment.’

‘Warden,’ he said softly, eyeing my brother as he escaped the room.

And then the door closed.

image [https://i.imgur.com/z6G5s0x.png]

‘This is wrong,’ Levi said.

‘What is?’

‘You know what I’m speaking of, Sepharin!’ He glared at me, the edges of his eyes wholly red.

He must’ve really loved his butler, I thought.

I turned to look outside. At the destruction a single squad of orcs had sowed without trying. And then I thought of how late the frostguards had arrived.

‘Levi,’ I said, voice soft and matter-of-fact. ‘Snowspire would have died today if it wasn’t for my necromancy.’

‘I know,’ he said through his teeth. ‘And that’s why it’s wrong. The worst evils are those which have a justification, Seph.’

I took a deep breath. ‘Don’t misunderstand me, brother.’ There was a snap as an anchor fell inside me, a commitment rooting itself in place. ‘I don’t require a justification for my power. My goal and duty are to defend the Duchy. If this power helps me achieve that, I’ll use it.’

Levi jumped out of his chair. ‘Father would never allow such a thing!’

‘Yes. And Father isn’t here.’

I could see the blood curl in his veins as he swiped his hands at the air. ‘No, he isn’t! But it’s up to us to uphold his legacy, Sepharin. The Duchy is the last bastion of Good in the North, and your actions will tarnish that reputation forever!’

The way he said Good was capitalised, I sensed. What did he mean with us being the last bastion?

Levi’s shouting made way for laboured breathing. I saw the lines on his face. He was tired. Terribly so.

‘Sepharin,’ he wheezed, and his tone was pleading. ‘Father may not survive the year, and Darius was forced to join the foulbloods in Kreed. It’s just us two. And though I had my doubts before, you are not evil; no evil can kneel to a weeping girl who struck them. So don’t do this. Or they’ll look upon the Vrost family and see nothing but a shadow, a dark entity that’s going to send this Duchy down a path it cannot recover from. And you will be the sole person to blame for it.’

The mention of Darius called memories of an older brother to the forefront that I suppressed in the moment. I closed my eyes and thought of Sepharin—the former one. She had known her brother’s opinion beforehand. Yet she’d requested the bodies of the fallen frostguard. Not because she was evil or petty, but because she thought it was necessary. My head turned towards Emma’s home. My thoughts went to the promise I had made under a rising pale moon, with the screams of a dying infant and his mother as a haunting background lullaby. I could hear them clearly even now.

Wheeling around, I looked Levi in the eye. ‘I’ll shoulder that blame if I have to.’

Now it was Levi’s turn to breathe deep and find his poise. Though he opened his mouth multiple times, he said nothing in the end. He dragged himself out of the room, shoulders slumped.

The quiet that followed devoured me. I rubbed my chest. How long had I yearned for real, familial bonds again? And now I’d splintered one within a day. But then what was I supposed to do? Allow my subjects to suffer? I couldn’t. Not because the previous Sepharin didn’t allow me to, but because…

‘You’re an Empress, Sephie.’ A memory of Lucian came to me. ‘To the bone. That’s what I hate and love about you.’

And it’s why I had ultimately lost everything but my empire.

My chin tipped to the ceiling. ‘Why give me a second chance only to lead me down the same path?’

No one answered.

I turned to the dead orcs and went to work.