by Casey Eanes
“They’re gone.” Grift stood wide-eyed as Rot sniffed the piles, his nose covered in white soot.
The Mastermonk walked through the camp and stared at the embers of the campfire. “We must move. Seam is not the only one who is protected by gods.”
Grift stood, lost in thought as he stared at the piles of ash scattered across the campsite. His mind was tossed in a torrent of thoughts. In one day, his understanding of Candor was shattered as the heavens made Candor their new battlefield.
Luken called, “Grift. We need to move!”
Grift nodded and walked away, unable to disengage with the feeling of the hot white fire threatening to crush him beneath its power and heat.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Willyn tried to catch her breath as she stepped over the ash-covered bodies that littered her once-proud capital square. Destruction spread across the grounds, with the remains of men, women, and even children scattered among the smoldering debris. No one was spared in the violence that had transpired. The city of Rhuddenhall had become a furnace of destruction, burning through all who stood in the way of Hosp’s domination.
“Where’s Hosp?” A flame of hatred spit through her veins like a raging fever as she mentioned the man’s name. If he was alive, she would see to it that he would be publically executed for his crimes. If he was dead, then Willyn would cut his body into quarters and send them to the far edges of Candor. Either way, she would have her revenge.
“We don’t know his location, my Sar. Red forces cleared the entire government complex, but the Surrogator was absent. Our last intel placed him on a convoy headed toward the Spire. However, during his last broadcast, Seam claimed Hosp was murdered by Reds, but we never had the pleasure of taking him out.” The young captain held a stern face as he addressed Willyn. He glanced down at a datalink and typed a few commands. “Do you wish for me to send out a recon unit?”
“No, I will do it myself.” Willyn turned her wrist up, ready to type the command on her datalink. She stared at it in disbelief. The device was dead, its screen a spider web of glass with the deep graze of a stray bullet roaring through it. She blinked, realizing how lucky she was to be alive.
“My Sar, I will get you a replacement datalink.” The young commander held out his hand as Willyn unlocked hers from her wrist and handed it to him.
“Thank you,” Willyn muttered as she stared out over the fiery square and took in a deep breath, rubbing her wrist. The smell of burned flesh stung her nostrils, incensing her taste for revenge. Look what he has done to us. Look what they have done to us. Never in her life had she seen her Realm in such turmoil. A sudden realization fell over her, causing her to gasp as her eyes stared absentmindedly at the charred, stiff bodies in the streets. “He killed him. Of course he did.” Willyn furrowed her brow as a scowl set on her face.
The captain fought to hide a puzzled look and typed at his datapad again. “Pardon, my Sar?”
Willyn stepped toward the Sar’s Hall and waved off the soldier. “That is all for now, captain. Please ready me with a new datalink feed, and for Aleph’s sake, get some men on clean-up out here. Honor the fallen, all of them. I will not have my brothers and sisters rotting in the streets.”
As Willyn paced up the high red stairs that led into the grand entrance of the Sar’s Hall, the captain jogged for Willyn and cleared his throat. “My Sar! What of them?”
Willyn turned and sighed, her eyes stinging in the smoky wind, exhaustion sweeping over her. “Who?” she asked, her voice weak.
“The baggers.” The captain pointed at the small group of baggers that had traveled with the remnant from Legion’s Teeth. “Should we put them to work?”
“No.” The words snapped from Willyn’s lips. “Give them refuge, food, and clothing. Make them welcome.”
Confusion twisted the officer's face. He swallowed and leaned in, his eyes trying to reason with her. “But they’re Baggers. Shouldn’t they assist?”
Willyn tore into him. “Did you not hear me, captain? I made myself clear. Take them in. They are not just Baggers. They are our guests. That is a direct order.” Willyn clenched her hands into fists until her knuckles were white as she thought back on Bri and his last moments, saving her life.
“Yes, ma’am. My apologies for my concern, but I admit I am hesitant to trust them since the army that attacked us in the Spine was mostly Baggers.”
The peculiar announcement snagged Willyn’s attention and rattled her core. “What did you say, captain?” Her tone dropped as she spoke.
“Um. Yes, ma’am. A few of the attackers were still onboard or stuck to the hoods of our transports. Once we were able to clear them off we successfully identified them. Baggers. All of them. Not sure where they got military training, but there’s no denying they are fighting for Seam.” He glanced back at the Baggers huddled at the edge of the square. “How can we know they aren’t trying to abuse our trust?”
Willyn looked back to the baggers and thought of Bri. She sighed, her eyes leveling on the captain. “You are right in part, but the army Seam wielded was not of this world, captain. We have no reason to fear the Baggers who fought with us.” She turned, her mind still heavy with the loss of Bri. “They are our guests. Make sure their every need is attended to.”
The captain’s head snapped back at full attention, and he flashed a hasty salute before skirting away. “Yes, my Sar.”
In the twilight of the day, the city swelled with activity as the Reds scrambled to clear out the streets, collecting and covering the deceased. The bodies would be off the streets and buried before morning. Willyn trekked through the scramble and slipped into the cement hallways of her family’s bunker-like hall, relieved. All the dead were laid to rest that night. At least they can be at peace. Her boots thumped down the empty gallery. Thick shadows of memory chased in her mind as she pressed toward the royal quarters. A thought crystallized in her mind as she unlatched the giant doors that led to the Sar’s chambers.
Where is he? The thought was not rational, but it refused to budge from her mind. The hair on her arms was electric with energy. She swore she could feel him, his presence. It was as if he was in that very space. Don’t be a fool. He is dead and gone.
Willyn threw open the doors as her brain contended with her emotions. Her lungs emptied as she crossed the threshold into the space that once hid her brother’s condition from the outside world.
Nothing had changed. The room sat in the same state she had left it, just moments before leaving the Groganlands to chase after Grift Shepherd. As she stepped forward, her boot rolled off something, filling the empty hall with a rattling sound. She looked down to see her long-discarded javes scattered across the floor, their tips blunted from their impact so many months ago. As her eyes fell over her weapons, her mind swelled with the memories of chasing Grift in her family’s hall. She had hated him then, wanting only to have him die for a crime he had never committed, playing the game that Hosp had arranged for her to play.
You were a fool, Willyn. She kicked the jave away and the memory with it, scanning the dark chambers. The empty bed that once held Hagan sat abandoned in the middle of the room. The linens were turned back and neatly folded. All the plastic lines and IVs still perched over the lush bedding, while the machines waited to be reattached, still blinking.
Where is he?! Again her mind screamed wanting to know the truth. “Where did they put you?” Willyn whispered as she ran her hands through her thick hair, biting back the scream that wanted to roar out of her, her mind full of pain. How can I know he is dead, if I don’t see him? I won’t believe it if I don’t see the body.
A footstep echoed behind her and Willyn reacted. In one swift motion, she spun on her heels, releasing her side arm from its holster, leveling it on the sound. The dark room did not reveal its secrets.
She screamed, her mouth turning back with a sinister snarl. “Show yourself!” She cocked her weapon, the click echoing over the hall of stone pillars. “By the gods...sh
ow yourself!”
The outline of a man stood in the darkness, facing her. Willyn could hear heavy breathing, and her heart hammered in her chest.
“Step out into the light! Now!”
The stranger took a step into the dim light that shone from the night sky overhead. He coughed, his chest rattling and wheezing.
“Is this any way to treat your elder brother, Lyn?”
The pistol tumbled from her hands, and Willyn crumpled to the floor, her mouth wide, her brain seized with a storm of indescribable emotions. A potent concoction of grief, rage, and relief washed over her in that instant, causing her to stammer, her body paralyzed with fear and disbelief.
She could only release a thin whisper from her lips, her eyes wide. “Hagan?” She crumbled to the ground, refusing to fully embrace the madness she was seeing.
The gruff voice of her brother echoed in the chamber as he stepped forward. His crisp blue eyes locked onto hers, mirror images of her own. “Yes, Lyn. It’s me, though I don’t blame you if you doubted it.” Willyn sobbed at the sound of hearing the diminutive name her brother had given her, that one that only he used.
Through the tears that streamed down her face, she stared at him, her eyes wide in the growing dark. His face was a collage of both the familiar and the uncanny. His whole composure was loose, aged, and obviously sickened. If it weren’t for his eyes and his voice, she would not have recognized him. He walked slowly toward her and Willyn gasped at the sight of him moving with a cane. He held out his right hand, a silent gesture to embrace, but still she remained cautious, despite her tears. Her heart longed for the reunion but doubts clouded her mind as she studied her brother as he approached.
She stood up, her voice a torrent of grief and rage. “They told me that you were dead. They told me…”
“They were wrong.” Hagan took a step forward and slowly leaned down to face her, his crisp blue eyes locking with hers. His ragged breathing stilled after a moment. “I am alive, though that is a miracle.”
Willyn shook her head and embraced him. His body was painfully thin, and Willyn recoiled at how she felt only bone behind the thin clothes her brother wore. “How?”
Hagan nodded and stifled a weak laugh. “I have to admit I am not one hundred percent certain of how it happened.”
“What do you mean? How is it even possible? Your condition...I mean you were in a coma!”
Hagan nodded and sighed. “I don’t remember much, so I don’t know what memories I can trust.” Hagan labored for a breath and continued. “The first thing I remember is being cared for by a few baggers.”
“Baggers?” Willyn craned her neck and inched closer to Hagan. “Why would baggers be caring for the Sar?”
“Ha. Well, that is the funny part. They said they pulled me from the trash heap. Apparently, I was thrown out to be eaten by the dogs. Left for dead, or believed to be dead. Some baggers were searching through the heaps when they found me. Luckily their gaze did not turn away and they took me in.”
“Unbelievable...” Willyn paced toward an open window and stood in the blue moonlight that poured through the dark room, trying to calm the rage that threatened to boil over. “That snake actually threw you into the dump. The Sar, thrown out and left to rot with the trash!”
Hagan broke into a violent coughing spell. The familiar gurgling cough that Willyn had been tortured by for so long. She quickly turned back to Hagan and rushed to his side.
“You may be alive, Hagan, but you still aren’t well.” She felt his forehead. His skin was clammy and a fever burned beneath his skin.
“That is why I have remained hidden, Lyn. I am too weak to fight. I have been very careful not to let too many know of my survival. This Realm...is too fragile now after what Hosp has done.” Hagan’s chest heaved as he spoke over deep breaths. “Can you imagine? If they knew right now?” His eyes leveled on her. “I need you, Willyn. The Groganlands need you.”
Hagan staggered to his feet and leaned on his cane. He took timid steps to an open window and stared out into the night. “Lyn. Tell me what you know of Seam Panderean. I never told you about our Order, but I fear what is happening. My key...the key I swore to protect is gone. Please tell me that Seam is rallying the others? Please tell me the other Keys are safe? Surely you know by now what I speak of.”
Willyn’s fist balled at the mention of the High King’s name. “That jackal is destroying Candor one Realm at a time. He has them all.” Willyn’s crisp blue eyes locked with her brother’s.
“Gods...” Hagan sat himself down, leaning over his cane.
Willyn’s eyes brimmed as she spoke. “He has all of the Keys of Candor, Hagan. Now he is gathering and unlocking the ancient mirrors.”
Hagan peered over his shoulder and furrowed his brow, his face full of worry. “Mirrors?”
“Yes.” Willyn continued. “He is releasing the five ancient Kings. The Serubs. They serve him, and are at his beck and call.” Her thoughts turned inward, her mind distant. “I’m lucky to even be here. I’ve never seen anything like the power they wield. It is unlike anything on Candor. Three of them attacked my army on the way to Rhuddenhall and nearly ripped it to shreds."
Hagan turned and faced Willyn, his thin, pale face twisted into an almost unrecognizable smile. His eyes sparkled with life as he spoke. “Then I think I know how to stop Seam. We need to get those Keys, Lyn.”
The sound of footsteps interrupted the discussion. Willyn picked her pistol up off the ground and motioned for Hagan to hide.
“Who’s there?” Willyn’s voiced bounced off the walls and echoed in the chamber. She cocked her pistol and shouted again. “Your Sar commands you to identify yourself.”
“My apologies, my Sar!” The captain who had consulted her on the Baggers earlier slipped into view as he crossed the chamber threshold. “I am coming to report your datalink is ready. We are ready to transmit.”
The young man’s eyes slipped past Willyn and his face dropped. Willyn flashed around but could find Hagan nowhere. She let out a sigh and turned back to the young officer. His eyes were locked onto the empty bed, and his face did little to hide his grief. “I am quite sorry, my Sar.”
“Now is no time for apologies.” Willyn stepped forward and put herself between the officer and Hagan’s room. “I will be at the square shortly to address our Realm. Now please leave me. I need just a few moments.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The captain saluted and jogged from the room.
Willyn shut the heavy door behind him and scanned the shadows of the room. “Hagan, where are you?”
Hagan limped from one of the darker corners of the room and chuckled. “A bit closer call than I had hoped for. Now, you need to go. Our Realm needs you.”
“I just don’t want to leave you. Not like this. Not in your... condition.” Willyn peered out the door and pulled herself back into the shadows of Hagan’s quarters. “I need to know you are safe.”
“Lyn. I survived this long on my own, but I am not alone anymore. There are others. Since Hosp’s coup, I’ve been assembling a remnant of forces to protect me and keep the true knowledge of my survival a secret. My shadow guard. Even now, they are watching us. I kept trying to reach you, sending members of the guard to you, but you never responded.” The authority in Hagan’s voice returned as he chided her.
Guilt washed over her as she thought back to the messenger she had fought and killed in the back alleys of Zenith. All the signs, all the attempts that Hagan had made, she had refused to believe them. You are so stupid, she scolded herself. You kept denying the truth while Hagan patiently waited for your return.
“Where are you staying? How will I find you?” Willyn straightened her back and took in a deep breath. “I won’t leave you. Not again.”
Hagan staggered toward the door and fidgeted with the cane in his hand. “I will not be far, Lyn, but I’m afraid that I’ll have to stay in hiding...even from you. You need to lead, and I will only be a distraction. Trust me when I say I wil
l be fine and I will not be far. But you must go. I will reach out to you again soon, my Sar.”
Willyn shook her head, her eyes wide with awe. “I am not the Sar, Hagan. Not with you here. You know that.”
He looked at her, his eyes full of wisdom. He spoke, his voice no longer frail, but triumphant and grand. “I know what our Realm needs, Willyn. They need you as their Sar, whether I am alive or not.” He clasped her hands with his, his bony palm encasing hers. “I give the Sardom to you, freely, dear sister. Take what is rightfully yours and soon the Groganlands will forget these painful memories of treachery and defeat. We are of one accord, you and I. We make our moves together. Our next move is coming soon, a checkmate against our true enemy. The Grogans’ revenge against Seam Panderean will be swift, and our armies will hammer through the High King until he breaks under them.” He stared into her eyes, full of the fire that always burned within him. “There will be no mercy for Camden’s son. We will claim his Keys for ourselves and secure our place once again within the land, Seam and his Serubs be damned for their deeds.”
Willyn nodded and reached out to hug her brother one more time, still shaking with the realization that he was alive. She could not believe all that had just happened and she refused to relinquish her grip over his brittle frame until she had convinced herself that this was, in fact, not a dream. She looked at him with tears streaming from her eyes.
“I will fight for our people. I will make you proud, Hagan.”
“You already have, Lyn. You already have.”
The silence of Willyn’s quarters wrapped around her as she fought to still her nerves. Emotions swirled in her like a tempest as she tried to allow her mind to come to grips with her new reality. Hagan is alive. Hagan. Is. Alive. The joy of Hagan’s return mixed with the sorrow of Bri sacrificing himself for her. If not for Bri, she would have died not knowing the truth.
The truth. Despite what she had experienced, discord roared within her. Everything was a brutal mixture of pain and confusion. Unrelenting loss and unexpected gain fought one another within Willyn’s mind. Since she had returned to the Groganlands, nothing had gone as she planned.