Kaiser and Faldo were stopped as they heard the words: “Fancy seeing you here,” echoing from the same alleyway the squad of soldiers just came from.
The two turned to the dingy alley. Full of trash and leading to the third row of dilapidated houses, a tall man dressed with a Glascanian general’s uniform leaned against the rickety alley house’s walls. He had short, unkempt black hair that was dry and oily as well as a face that was well-defined in all aspects save for his poofy cheeks and small lips. He had the skin of an older man but emanated the vitality of someone that could only be youthful. His dark green overcoat and tunic with its unbuttoned collar were almost messy. The only aspect of his outfit that made it remotely organized were his formerly white, now somewhat stained trousers neatly tucked into his knee-length black leather boots. At his hip was a holstered officer’s pistol and a sabre.
“What brings you to this glorious town?” The general asked, speaking in a condescending tone.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it glorious,” Kaiser spoke in an annoyed tone.
“Really now?”
Faldo began to back away from the conversation. “I’m heading to the church, sir,” he said as he began to walk off.
“Yeah. For all the talk I’ve heard of reconstruction, it’s a bit shabby.”
“Well, at least you're honest about such a small thing such as this. I agree. I may have been raised here since I was just a wee lad still too small to hold a pistol, but this place truly is the greatest piece of memorabilia produced by the war, wouldn’t you say?”
“I would, but you haven’t given me your name. I’m Kaiser.”
The general had a brief expression of surprise. He looked Kaiser up and down, sizing up all his physical traits. From his dry, straight hair that resembled straw to his almost beady brown eyes that were not quite and his pale complexion, he began to speak in a more polite manner.
“Why hello, Kaiser. Lieutenant general Eldwin Caedde at your service. Got somewhere you need to be?”
“Absolutely. It’d truly be a glorious moment to let me pass. I can’t just ignore you, especially now that I know you’re a high rank from Glascaign.”
“Oh! How sorry I am for that. Come, come. Let’s walk and talk. Talk and walk? Feh.”
Kaiser and Eldwin started off at a slow pace. Kaiser gradually upped the speed of his gait. With every increase in speed, Eldwin moved faster. Before either of them knew it, they had broken out into a race through the town. They passed by the decrepit buildings, the lines of old clothes, the abandoned barrels of rainwater, the wandering dogs, the patches of crops, and swiftly arrived at the road of paved stones at the back end of town. It was the road where all other roads converged and met into one large lane that fed right into Barbush’s chapel.
As Kaiser and Eldwin moved for the church, a man in a black suit and grey vest peered at them from one of the old dusted alleyways. He had smooth skin and a velvety peach complexion. His handsomeness was only accentuated by the fresh look of his suit. He was by far the most well-dressed gentleman in Barbush. He donned his dark tweed hat and walked at a brisk pace, following the Glascanians.
“So, what’s a lieutenant general doing out here? Don’t you have soldiers needing a reason to die?”
“Oh, not at all. I’m here on personal business. Times are changing, can’t you see, Kaiser?”
Kaiser had a puzzled look on his face now. “Are they?”
“Well, why are you here, Kaiser? I thought it was doubly wise for a man both Glascanian and of the clerical order to stay well away from the Draux. You know that’s true, especially after what they did to the order during the war. Flocks of priests, shepherded with guns pointed to their heads, forced to use their magics to oil the Drauxian war machine. Ah, but I forgot—You were but a lad during the war. Still too young to be a cleric just as your parents were.”
The words shocked Kaiser. He felt a strange sense of nostalgia from the man but still had no idea who he had. Now, Kaiser was certain he’d met the general before. He just had no idea when. It had to have been during the war, he thought. Just as he thought he might be onto something, Eldwin declared, “We’re here,” and the two stopped in front of the chapel.
It was as grandiose as a church founded in the squalid hamlet could be. There were no religious markings except for the few iron crosses that lay outside the holy box. Truly, the church was more like a box than a house. Its roof was flat. But, the building was constructed out of stone unlike the shoddy wood of the other houses. There were only open windows, no tinted or shaded glass to be seen. The paved road of stones led to the staircase which led to small wooden doors.
“Faldo must already be inside. But, that must mean the Drauxian squad is in there too. . .” Kaiser contemplated on what to do.
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re afraid of a few Drauxian pigs. They’re swine, all of them. They’ve fattened their guts with the food, money, and lands they took in the war. It’s nothing to worry about, really. Besides, I came to this place for the church. I’m not leaving without it. And, from the way you wanted to rush here, you also need to come here, right?”
Kaiser gave Eldwin a quick nod.
“Then let’s go.”
Up the stairs and at the door, Eldwin opened both of them at once, practically pushing Kaiser through them and into the church. Eldwin followed.
The inside of the church was a room big enough to fit fifty at most. There was a hard oak door in the back. The cobbled stone walls and the open-windowed construction of the place gave free reign to a constant breeze that caused the dim illumination of the church’s candles to fluctuate. The floor was barren, constructed of hardwood planks with a few holes here and there. There was a carpet of a man in a dark brown hood wielding a sword in each hand—One pointing up, one pointing down—the spitting image of the messiah of white.
What caught the mix of attention, horror, shock, and displeasure of Kaiser and Eldwin the most was the presence of the squad of Drauxian soldiers. They stood in the formation of a square. They’d been caught being given instructions by an imposing commander, one who dwarfed both the squad and Kaiser. The rest of the squad wore black masks that covered all parts of their faces except for their eyes.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Kaiser moved his hand to the handle of the door but Eldwin caught it. The soldiers turned, then their commander. He bore the traditional golden-cloth design of the Drauxian army complete with its signature brown suede boots and a silver bar tacked onto the left side of his chest—the insignia of a lieutenant. His scarred face struck an odd sense of familiarity and hesitation into Kaiser. Eldwin did not care. He whispered to Kaiser, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” and strolled right up to the lieutenant.
“State your business, Glascanian,” the large man said.
“I’m just taking a nice stroll through my wonderful hometown. What’s so wrong with that, lieutenant Branko?”
The large man had a perplexed look now. “How do you know my name?”
“Let’s take this outside. Bring your squad out as well. Who knows how untrustworthy a Glascanian dog like myself might be.”
“You do not give me orders,” Branko said as he looked over to Kaiser. “And who is your companion?”
Eldwin chuckled. “Just an acquaintance. We’ve known each other for quite some time. You and I go far back as well, Branko. Come come, let’s walk and talk. Talk and walk? Which phrase is better?”
Branko stood silent for a moment. Then, he let out a low hum of intrigue and finally responded: “Fine. Outside. Come,” he beckoned his squad, “Go find a place to rest at.” A few of the soldiers let out their protests but Branko quickly reassured them that he would be fine, that “A Glascanian dog cannot put down a bull,” and so they let Branko and Eldwin leave through the door.
Kaiser let the two pass. The squad followed swiftly to do as Branko instructed. One short soldier stopped, telling Kaiser that the priest of the church was already being spoken to by a purple-coated man before introducing himself as Caligura and leaving through the door, running to catch up to the squad.
“Must be Faldo. . .”
Kaiser knocked on the wooden door. It felt flimsy, just like the rest of the hamlet’s carpentry. He knocked again on its splintered wood. The door swung open with force, nearly striking Kaiser. A short man stood there and looked disgustedly at Kaiser. “Father Hektor is already speaking to someone in the confessional. Wait your turn,” the little man said as he shut the door.
Not ten seconds later, Faldo opened the door and walked out of the room. He waved at Kaiser, giving him a thumbs-up and telling him that Hektor was stable enough to talk today. Kaiser asked Faldo just what he meant by stable, but Faldo hurried, carrying something in his arms as he rushed out the church doors.
“Strange fella. But, I didn’t pay him to follow me everywhere. Just up until now,” Kaiser remarked to himself.
The same short man from before opened the door to the church’s inner room and gazed at Faldo with annoyance. “Father Hektor is ready to receive his next visitor,” they said before letting the door shut.
Kaiser opened the door and the little man was nowhere to be found. He looked around the inner room of the church. It was much like the one before except it had many more wax candles to illuminate it. It also had no roof, letting the smoke of the candles slowly rise and form into wisps that lost themselves in the wind. At the back of the small room were a few stools and barrels. In the middle of the clutter was a confessional booth with red curtains. It was covered in dust and it had lost the sheen of new wood long ago, but it had clearly been recently disturbed.
“Come.” A deep voice radiated from the booth. “I don’t have all day.” The voice belonged to an older man. It was coarse and carried a tone of superiority.
Kaiser slowly walked towards the booth. He slid open its right door and stepped inside the small wooden box. He slid the door shut and looked around. The entire thing was nearly pitch black. Only the faint candlelight from outside could illuminate enough of Kaiser’s surroundings to allow him to reposition himself after taking a seat on what he assumed was a leather cushion.
“You’re Kaiser, right?”
“That’s true. You’re Father Hektor?”
“Of course I’m Father Hektor. There’s only one priest in this town–er–two now counting you. Why come here to this accursed shitpit of Menzen?”
“Father. . . You promise not to leak anything I’m about to tell you, right?”
Hektor scoffed. “Of course! Do you take me for a fool? I swore an oath to The House of the Messiah of White. No conversation in this box will find its way to outside ears by me.”
“Draux has control of The House, right? Well, when Glascaign signed those peace agreements, they gave them Golodia, the original home of the religion.”
“Aye, that’s the capital of The House, Golodia. Still, I’ve no want to tell those Drauxian anything. Those pigs. . . those whores—they can rot in hell for what they did to my beautiful Barbush.”
“Then tell me father: Where is the new Drauxian headquarters? They moved it farther west, to some of that new land they got from the war. All I know is that its name is Strakhan and it’s near Golodia. The Bremen cliffside is between north and south, and Golodia is far north.”
“Why are you even asking me this, boy? You seem to know where this Strakhan base is just fine. Is your generation too lazy to have a little walkabout to find what they’re looking for?”
“I’ll tell you right now, Father Hektor. There’s a man, a Drauxian commandment. He’s a slick man, a sly man, and he’s everything you think the Drauxian are. He’s evil, Father Hektor, and I’m looking to put him in the ground.”
Father Hektor burst into a mild laugh, thoroughly amused by Kaiser. “So straightforward you are. I suppose that’s one thing your generation got right: They’ve got some steel-minded people among them. A Drauxian pig commandment with a sly face. . . Commandment Gaston?”
“Yes! That’s the one,” Kaiser said excitedly.
“Hush now, boy.”
“Of course, Father Hektor.”
Hektor changed his tone. He spoke more seriously. There was little pride in his voice now. “The crime for such treason would be death. Glascaign and Draux would both want you a dead man, but not before inflicting the worst pains imaginable onto your body. Boy, you would lose everything if you went after Gaston. Your mind, your body, your pride, your sense of self—consider them erased if you really want to do this. If not by human hands, fear will be your tormentor.”
“I’ve already lost everything. The war took my mother, my father, my home and village. The only thing I had left to turn to by the end of it all was the church. But. . . Draux had taken that too.”
“What do you mean?” Hektor’s voice was more grim now, almost somber, as if he were longing for something lost long ago.
“I heard the stories, the personal records and accounts. I know what the clerical order did during the war.”
“Terrible things. . .”
“Kill their neighbors. . .”
“Awful things. . .”
“Turn against their own country. . .”
“Atrocities—unspoken by most—but spoken by you. If this was your attempt to infuriate me, it worked. I’ll admit, you’re a slick one. I’ll tell you now that the news about Strakhan are a lie. There’s no Strakhan military base. But, they’ve certainly moved bases. Perhaps it’s closer than you think it is. Perhaps. . . Gaston really is in reach.”
Kaiser’s palms were soaked in the sweat of impatience. His hands twitched out of immovable desire. “You’d give me directions to him? To that pig?”
“No, boy. I don’t have such directions. If I did, I'd've had a full mind to kill Gaston myself. After what he did to my fellow brothers and sisters, to the clerical order, to me even, he deserves whatever’s coming to him. The only thing I can say is that you’ll find him in the old territory. In the land Draux annexed, there’s nothing much in the far north and south. But, near the middle? That’ll be your best bet at tracking that rat down in his cellar.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Hektor chuckled. “And would you like some absolution for the sin you’re about to commit?”
“No, Father Hektor. It is a sin for me and me alone. I’ll not deny my intentions. There’s no hero’s cape to wear in this.”
“Good. Now go. The sun’s already setting, but the local tavern should still be open. It’s the topmost building to the far left. They have two lamps and a wooden sign with a bunny engraved on it. You won’t miss it, not in this shantytown.”