“Arise, my Lord,” a sweet melodious voice whispered and as Arakiel drowsily opened his eyes, his senses were met by a whole range of pleasantries.
Soft vanilla for his nose, a gentle voice for his ears and the light touch for his skin. His eyes could feast on a pair of golden eyes and a loosely tied braid of lustrous golden hair that playfully ended in between a pair of soft milky breasts that were playfully veiled but outlined by white gossamer, the faintest trace of rose shining through.
Despite this truly excellent first impression, his muscles and the rest of his body weren’t in such a joyous state. Everything felt stiff as a board and it ached quite terribly, as though he had exercised for far too long while neglecting just about any safety measures – and now he was paying the price for his foolishness.
That, and the pain of far too many injuries that he must’ve gotten over the course of the night.
Still, he managed to rise with the support of his lovely aurea who seemed utterly unaffected by the strain of tonight, at least he hoped it was still the next day.
People would’ve most likely laughed at him had they witnessed the way he moved out of his tent and to the back, where a wooden bathtub had already been prepared.
Nyanna stood in attendance, but she kept her eyes closed and her posture subdued as was expected.
He once again confirmed for himself that her curvature was truly excellent, just the right amount of peak and valley. Any further growth and it’d spoil the composition.
As Aurora helped him getting rid of his clothes, she addressed the maidservant-in-training, saying. “Nyanna, bring us some light food, fruits and the like. And take your time,”
“As you wish, Lady Aurea.”
She made a small bow and turned around, but not without stealing a glance at Arakiel’s progressively nude but also bloodied, wound-ridden body – far more than Aurora had anticipated given her worried gasp.
He looked down and noticed that there were even more cuts and bruises than he had expected in addition to the two injuries that looked truly rather gruesome, sizable hematomata having formed around the deeper of the icicle wounds in addition to the place where the guy had stabbed him in the side.
Just when he wanted to step inside the bathtub, Aurora suddenly reached for the stabbing wound in the side, softly letting her finger run over it.
He flinched and drew in a sharp breath but just as he was about to complain, he saw her hand gleaming golden and then warm, gentle light began to suffuse his body.
“Shh, it’s fine, my Lord,” his seraphim whispered as she healed him with her astral energies, her golden light.
The fact that she shortened his body’s lifespan with such an action didn’t even cross her mind, he was sure. She was an immortal, untouched by time.
Nonetheless, he couldn’t deny that right now, he preferred this getting into that bathtub with these injuries. Besides, watching one’s body return to a flawless state despite having suffered such heavy damage… it was a sight in and of itself.
He marveled as the blue receded while flesh knit and the flawless white returned.
“There, all better,” Aurora said and then lightly shoved him towards the bathtub, chuckling. “Let’s remove the last traces of tonight, shall we?”
While she helped him bathe in the admittedly too cold water, his aurea relayed two messages.
The first came from Basam ibun Zaki who reported that two ships had tried to leave. The first one had been a decoy, but the second ship much later had been intercepted and its occupants taken into custody. Under questioning, they turned out to be servants and their families who had offered some insight, but they had clearly been sent as a test to see if the waterways were being guarded. Duke Irial, his family and several high-ranking individuals were still inside the keep, hatching some sort of plan that the servants weren’t privy to. According to these people, the duke was quite livid, however.
The second message had been ordered by Akili, who reported that the occupation of Irialswell was progressing steadily, but it’d be unfeasible to call it safe and secured until the duke and his men were dealt with. He further reported that first forays into the noble’s quarter had been successful in drawing out hiding rats with the help of several Astral Thaumaturges, most notably Shahar.
Some rats did get away however and alerted the others, which led to a brief window in which the keep’s entrance was opened to call back their agents. As it currently stood, the last remnants of resistance were inside the duke’s keep, which was well fortified, sadly.
The last remark stated that construction of siege engines were planned, but it’d take far too long all things considered.
Arakiel took note of both reports, but first he spent some time refreshing his body and mind.
Nyanna returned with grapes, slices of apples and pears which she handed over towards his aurea before taking a step back again. While in attendance, she made sheep’s eyes at him, but he paid her little mind, instead focusing on the lovely winged seraphim that took great joy and pride in feeding him personally, just as he took great satisfaction from being fed.
Sometime later, he got out and dressed in a new set of clothes, but the admittedly slightly damaged armor remained the same.
Some of the mail in the side had been widened from the dagger’s stab, but it wasn’t a big deal, really.
He returned towards his tent, where he found a rather well-spirited Ezekiel in full armor holding an iron chain that had been attached to Selene’s silver collar, from where it wandered underneath the multi-layered luxurious scarlet dress that she had been gifted in the Djinum Palace.
He presumed it ended behind her back, as her arms seemed to be tightened there, yet the argent didn’t seem distressed in the slightest. If anything, she seemed prouder while the way she behaved towards Ezekiel seemed more like in the beginning, when he had just coerced her into coming along.
Selene had been happier then, although that might change soon given the way she positively glowed.
Arakiel raised an eyebrow at the other man who, upon noticing him, grabbed the leash exceptionally close and walked over towards him, forcing his argent-turned-captive in lockstep. The chain rustled notably.
“You had a fallout or something?” Arakiel asked somewhat lightheartedly, given that it was kind of unusual and Selene didn’t seem overly bothered. If anything, her wings fluttered with light excitement as Aurora’s usually did when she was happy about something.
Speaking of which, Aurora’s wings were doing that right now, which he found rather cute to behold.
“I’d call it a realignment of perspective,” Ezekiel replied in an emphasized casual manner, but the slight smirk on his lips hinted at something deeper.
“Well, I won’t pry since she seems rather happy with that ‘realignment’,” Arakiel replied and then hit lightly hit his party member on the lamellar-plated chest. “I hope you’ve pulled that stick out your butt because I need you.”
“I heard you got your butt trashed quite nicely,” Ezekiel answered a bit too lightheartedly. “Maybe a stick would’ve helped?”
“Many people died because you’re still moping about these duels,” Arakiel pointed out somewhat sourly. “I can’t afford to lose my soldiers this early – or in general.”
“Oh come now, as if my presence would’ve magically changed everything.” Ezekiel deflected, but his light attitude had taken a crack.
Good. Arakiel was rather upset with him.
“It might just have,” he mused and then said. “Listen, Ezekiel. If there’s issues that need addressing, talk to me. But don’t mope about like some child.”
His opposite’s expression soured as well. “If you and your immortal stop pestering me about my supposed issues, I might just do that.”
Aurora chimed in right away, saying in a slightly self-sufficient tone. “You may thank me for nudging you and Selene in the correct direction, Lord Ezekiel – you know that, do you?”
Selene didn’t speak up, but the glance she threw Aurora indicated genuine appreciation which was wild to Arakiel.
What exactly had happened in these few hours that he had been out cold?
Ezekiel looked over towards her, his eyes briefly narrowing. “That is precisely what I am afraid of, immortal. It is how your kind came back to power after being cast down, so no – I won’t thank you for influencing me.”
“Why are you upset if she helped you?” Arakiel found himself asking with genuine curiosity. Ezekiel’s expression darkened right away and he made a step towards Arakiel, whispering in a low voice.
“That golden girl is dangerous, Arakiel. You’re giving her too much freedom.”
“I can hear you,” Aurora noted with some amusement. “I would suggest you ask my Lord to dismiss me if you wish to speak in private.”
“Be careful, Arakiel.” Ezekiel warned once again. “The only way to keep an immortal close and out of your mind is to show her without fault that you’re holding her reins!”
“You want me to keep out of Selene’s and your business? Then stay out of Aurora’s and mine!” Arakiel returned somewhat irritated, not wanting to have that conversation again.
And then, he added in a low tone. “Just remember where you get your power from.”
“I will surpass you before this planeswalk is over, Arakiel – mark my words.” Ezekiel boasted while pulling Selene a little closer. “I’ll show you how to properly make use of this chance we’ve been given. I’m taking this immortal’s power not because of some covenant, but because she is my property and I have seized it for myself. The only thing she can do is roll over and accept it.”
Arakiel would’ve corrected that she seemed to like it, but he wouldn’t give the man that satisfaction. Instead, he held out his hand, saying. “Let’s have a duel then and see who’s right.”
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
“With pleasure. Maybe I can still save you.” Ezekiel returned and they shook hands after which Arakiel spoke up once again, saying. “Alright, and now help me come up with a plan to break into the damned duke’s keep. They’re holed up in there.”
A hush of a smile crossed the other Mortal Ascendant’s lips. “Let’s get there first and then we’ll see how I can apply that stick I pulled out of my backside, eh?”
“Deal,” Arakiel affirmed.
To the side, he heard Aurora chuckle while Selene smiled just a little.
From the other side, he heard his little sister shouting that he better not forget her.
Nyanna and her siblings had to remain behind, however – the town was not yet safe for the army’s retinue.
The town of Irialswell was a little different by daylight, and not only because there weren’t any citizens walking around in the streets due to the curfew in place, but because the gatehouse and the main streets were surprisingly free of corpses since they had been dumped in some place out of sight.
At least the Smokeless Host hadn’t made a pyramid out of their heads or strung headless bodies on lampposts like the Shamshierum would’ve done in their madness. In this regard, his soldiers were much more disciplined.
The buildings close to the streets where lots of fighting had taken place were still in rough shape, be it by blood or damage through evocations, projectiles and the like – but overall, the damage seemed fixable in time, which was good.
He hadn’t intended to burn these towns down since they needed to keep functioning after their occupation.
Soldiers of the Smokeless Host were patrolling the streets, saluting him as their Lord Executor and his retinue passed by on horseback. The soldiers operated in pairs of two and were looking for people who might try to break the curfew to plan some kind of resistance. So far, few issues seemed to have arisen.
Overall, the town appeared more or less silent, with no sounds of battle anywhere.
Arakiel occasionally saw a head peek out from behind a curtain, only to quickly vanish as soon as the person realized that they had been spotted.
On the first central square, he noticed a larger building resembling a temple of some kind, but it wasn’t dedicated to the Transcended. It had, however, been converted into a medical facility while another house nearby served as a sort of temporary forward headquarters.
Over there, the planeswalkers found Akili. Basam and Shahar in a living chamber that had been repurposed into a small room. The three men looked as though they hadn’t slept enough, which was probably exactly what had happened.
While their gazes might hint at fatigue, their demeanor and words did not.
The men greeted their Lord Executor and then briefly outlined most of what he had heard already. The only additional piece of news concerned the current numbers of casualties, which were a little higher than he would’ve liked.
21 dead and over 75 injured was quite a sizable amount considering their overall strength, but many of those that had been wounded were beginners or rookies and they’d grow from their injuries.
Arakiel accepted the report and then brought up the only big issue left: the duke’s keep.
Basam ibun Zaki immediately bade everyone to follow him over towards the noble’s district.
On the way, the middle-aged warrior explained that there were only two ways to draw the duke out. Either they provoked him, or they smoked them out.
They had no siege engines and the Evokers wouldn’t make a notable dent in the keep’s heavy stonework no matter how long or often they tried to cast their spells. As such, he suggested a show of force through a mass execution on the walls that separated the noble district from the rest of the town.
There were three platforms that could undoubtedly be seen quite well from the much taller stone keep and he was certain that the duke and his men kept a close look on what went down in the occupied town.
Arakiel wasn’t exactly on board with that decision right away, but he still ended up asking who exactly they would be executing.
Basam reported that they had captured over 30 soldiers in a more or less unharmed condition while about double that number had been taken after they had been disabled, sometimes close to lethal. Furthermore, there were also about two dozen servants from that boat who were technically counted to the nobles since they were living in their households for the most part.
In short, they weren’t lacking for potential heads to chop off, but Arakiel still wasn’t quite sold on the idea.
It might draw the duke out, or it might just kill people for no reason.
Granted, Basam’s other option wasn’t really feasible for he had no idea how they’d start a fire inside the keep, at least one that wasn’t immediately put out by the water mages that he knew were inside.
Several groups of soldiers saluted their Lord Executor and the other commanding officers as they passed by them.
Arakiel could only internally repeat his pride at the men’s discipline. So far, not a single assault had been reported or discovered. The town hadn’t yet been taken and thus, it wasn’t yet time to loot and he was already thinking about not raising tribute just yet.
They needed Irialswell to remain relatively quiet while they took Scitathswood, but he noticed that he was already jumping a few too many steps ahead.
For now, they needed to conquer Irialswell and more precisely, somehow get the duke and his men to come out.
They arrived at the location where they had been ambushed in the night and right now, there was barely any trace of it besides a few singed trees, some burn marks on the stone and some light damage on the surrounding buildings.
Well, that and quite a bit of blood that had run down the walls from those that died on the little oriels or the balconies.
The buildings and especially the interior were more or less untouched though – they’d make good living space for the soldiers.
Again, he was several steps too far.
The duke’s keep’s masonry looked to be fairly sturdy to say the least. Large blocks of grey stone in a staggered bond and no obvious points of attack due to protrusions or the like. Small, slit windows that’d make it easy for mages to cast in relative safety and a water-filled moat, a drawbridge and undoubtedly an outer ward.
He prodded Ezekiel who observed the building for a while and occasionally, Arakiel thought that he had seen a man or woman watching them from behind one of the windows or perhaps calling them openings would be more accurate as there was no glass.
A little later, his party member shrugged, saying that they’d need powerful earth evocations or some siege engines. Otherwise, there was no way to storm this place with a bunch of mages waiting to unleash hell inside.
He agreed with Basam’s take, although he suggested to execute the people that were the most dangerous alongside those who were already with one foot in the grave.
Arakiel didn’t like it one bit, but it was certainly justified under the sultan’s decrees and it might actually be enough to rile up the duke.
He called for Basam to arrange it, but on a few conditions. Those whose will was broken were to be spared as they could be used in other matters. Those who would fetch a decent prize on the auction house should also be exempted if anyhow possible. Lastly, young women were to be exempt as well.
Basam did not object right although, yet he did note that roughly three-quarters of the captives were females and that the Lord Executor’s limitations might be a bit too harsh and leave them with too few people to execute.
Arakiel felt a gut-wrenching feeling arise because he kind of didn’t like what he was about to order. He couldn’t even say why, it just felt wrong to kill a woman while he had little reservations when it came to ending men’s lives.
He put the question out front, asking those around him how they saw this matter – if it was a matter at all for them.
The cavalry commander gave a surprising answer, saying that any woman who took up arms to take a life forsook any kind of special treatment just because of her gender. Women were meant to create and give life and those who defied their very nature could only be treated like everyone else.
Arakiel kind of handed that statement over to Akili, who affirmed that Aisha had willingly took up arms after learning that she was barren. He, too, saw no problem in executing female combatants, especially if it served their cause.
It seemed kind of superficial to Arakiel, as there was no way to tell whether someone had ever taken up arms or not, but he wouldn’t start a debate right here, right now.
Ezekiel noted that he certainly wasn’t going to celebrate it and suggested they start with the older, uglier and maimed ones if they wanted to go down this route.
On this, the others agreed, but Ezekiel immediately went for a counter proposal.
If the intent was to draw the enemy out, then a mixture of mundane and sexual torture was a much safer bet.
Arakiel felt reminded of Boundary and looked at Ezekiel with disbelief, asking him in the lingua kalans whether he wanted them to repeat the atrocities they had witnessed there.
Ezekiel tried to argue differently, but Arakiel shut the conversation down with his authority as ‘Executor Djinni’, stating that his army would not devolve into a band of rapists.
His party member shrugged, merely noting that this would be a surefire way to get the duke and his people riled up. This kind of torture was by far the most effective in garnering responses.
Arakiel ‘thanked’ him for his input, but forbade any further exploration on this topic.
Instead, he ordered to torture all male prisoners close to death and if that didn’t work, then they would begin to execute them first and only then would they repeat the process with female prisoners.
His advisors were a little disgruntled, but he didn’t care. As long as he was in charge, he would not just order the execution of females unless there was truly no other way.
Ezekiel told him to get rid of that antic quick – it had no place among the planes when he was in charge of people, but Arakiel didn’t care.
When he later asked Aurora about her opinion, she asked him why he insisted on such special treatment. After all, it’d surely only hamper him in the future.
He specifically questioned her about why she had intervened for Nyanna if she didn’t seem to care, to which she replied that he had obviously fancied her and in that case, he’d only regret it later on.
Arakiel explained that he’d regret such an order as well, especially if it ended up being in vain.
This, his aurea accepted.
Although the other commanders weren’t exactly thrilled with his orders, they nonetheless followed them to the latter.
Three makeshift torture chambers were established onto the walls that separated the noble district from the rest of town, right after which a sizable number of prisoners were brought over. Their hands were bound, their mouths gagged and the Smokeless Host had only left them their unmentionables or a shirt in some cases.
Arakiel briefly considered whether he should oversee the proceedings since he had ordered them, but Ezekiel reminded him to not be an idiot and instead prepare to order the other elite combatants in case the duke and his people reacted.
In addition, he didn’t want Aurora or Mellia to be there once the captives realized what was about to happen to them – it wouldn’t be a pretty sight and he was already a bit dismayed that his little sister had witnessed that exchange at all.
On the other hand, this was a planeswalk and such things were par for the course.
Instead, he agreed with Ezekiel’s assessment and sought out several small groups that would try to infiltrate the keep after the first wave of enemies had left – if it left.
Their task was to keep the entrance open for the rest of the forces, which had all been put on high alert. Most would guard the event, but a sizable portion was to provide immediate support for the chosen agents.
In the beginning, Arakiel had tried to protest, saying that he needed to join the vanguard at which point Ezekiel reminded him that he was in no fighting shape, with no shards or soul to his name.
Now it was his turn to be disgruntled, but as much as he disliked to admit it, the man was correct. Arakiel was in no fighting shape, having burned all of his resources during the night. Partially, due to Ezekiel not being there, which he promptly rubbed in, not that his party member seemed to care.
Instead, he suggested that Arakiel join the closest group in order to personally give the command as an extra boost of morale and esprit.
The upcoming mission was not only highly dangerous, but also exceptionally important.
Everything ended up being in place roughly two hours after Arakiel had given the order, with the little planeswalker group waiting alongside a force of a dozen elite troops, led by Basam himself, with six different Enchanters at the ready.
Up on the wall in the distance, the first Middle men began to scream.