by Nisa Ryan
I leaped to my feet at Noël’s words as a man, bloodied and battered, was dragged into the dining hall and thrown to the floor. A coarse burlap sack was tied over his head, and his voice was muffled by it. I crashed over the table, sending plates and food scattering everywhere, and nearly bowled Niam over as I jumped over the edge to my knees and began to pull the sack from Lucian's head. I could hear Noël grunt in disgust behind me, I ignored him.
“Father!” I cried, his face was bruised, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. His arms were tied tightly behind him and were covered in burn marks and bruises, he smelt of ash and ember.
I hugged him gently and began working to untie the ropes when I found several sword points aimed at my neck. Noël paced towards us and, with a wicked grin, pressed a booted heel upon Lucian's shoulder and pushed him down to the floor. I moved to stop him, but Niam came up behind me and wrapped me into a bear hug, pressing my arms uselessly against my sides and widening his stance so I couldn’t kick his knees as easily.
Noël stood over him, “Go on old man. Tell your precious daughter the truth. Tell her how you robbed her of her glorious past and then attempted to steal her future by handing her over to some farmers boy.”
I growled in frustration. Tears pushed their way past my guarded expression to trickle down my face as I kicked the air uselessly. I wanted to hear what my father had to say. I needed to listen to it. I had to know the truth no matter how painful it might be, but I wanted to learn about it on my own terms. Lucian sat up and looked at me, he smiled lightly though it obviously pained him to do so,
“Very well,” he said, lowering his head in defeat. Looking up at me with tears in his eyes, he whispered, “I’m sorry, Raina. I was only trying to protect you” and began to tell the tale.
♦♦♦
Lucian reigned in his horse at the top of the hill and looked down over the expanse of fields that surrounded him on three sides, behind him was the dark forests of the Eastern continents and hidden inside its shadows were the hundreds of men under his command. It was still early morning and a light mist that had fallen overnight leaving drops of dew on the long stems of wheat. The sun was just tilting its rays over the walls of the large city that was still sleeping but for the earliest of its workers. The farmers that risked leaving the safety of their walls to till the land for the benefit of its people.
With a hand raised, he flicked his fingers and the army behind him roared in response, rushing down the hill, flooding the fields with their flashing swords and echoing war cries. The few people that were working in the area tried to flee, dropping their tools as they were slaughtered mercilessly by his men. No survivors would be allowed to escape. His men couldn’t let anyone the chance to issue a warning. Not that it mattered, Lucian thought bitterly, they were making enough noise to rouse the dead on their own.
He frowned, adjusting his heavy armor and double-checking that the quiver for his bow was full of arrows before resting a hand on the hilt of his sword. Soon enough, he would join the fight as well.
The Great Eastern city, Rostria, was much different than his home had been. He lived in one of the smaller cities, a city called Nifelm far to the South. The Southern territories had recently seen a decline in trade and, because of this, developed a rise in growing hostilities towards the other powers. There own natural resources had long been depleted and their only source of necessities came from trade but, with dwindling resources came dwindling trade opportunities until soon they all began to suffer. War had broken out and though his people were few, they were strong and determined. Unstoppable in their desire for power, wealth, and land. Lucian didn’t like war. Back home his horses would be waiting for his return as they roamed the mountainside. With no one to care for them in his absence he had left the gates wide open. It was better they be free to roam than cooped to starve in case he didn’t return. The thoughts were somber and it made his chest ache. No, Lucian didn’t like war at all but it came out that he was pretty damn good at it.
He grimaced as a man on horseback sidled up beside him,
“Captain Morea, how goes?”
It was Aaron Heispel, one of the many lieutenants of Nifelm’s vast armies and his right-hand man. Their city was small but it had plenty of people to spare and Lucian glowered at the thought. He often wondered just how much of this war was a means to cull the herd.
He cast a glance over at Aaron, “It goes, it goes. I see that your wolves have made it to the party.” he said and nodded to the field below.
Lucian and Aaron looked down at the skirmish below, Greki and Freki, the twin brothers, tore through the battlefield as the first of Rostria’s armies ran out to greet them. Swords and spear heads flashed in the growing sunlight. Their wolf skin covered helmets were topped with the black wings of ravens which made them look both ethereal and ferocious. The two of them worked together as a team, moving together in a way that inspired Lucians men.
Aaron nodded, grinning to himself, “Yes, we had best join them or they will take all the fun for themselves.”
Lucian frowned, he didn’t enjoy his job but he would follow orders. Prodding his horse forward he made his way down to join the fray. The Eastern City had opened its vast gates and were sending out their armies to defend their citizens. Lucian watched as they did exactly as he had predicted and raised a crimson red flag that had been strapped to his side high into the air. From the fields below soldiers who had hidden in the rows of tall grasses burst forth and charged the gates with long spears, skewering those who tried to block their path. Blood soon stained the walls of the city and poisoned the fields around it. It wasn’t long before his armies over came the reinformed gate and filled into the city.
Despite their initial conquest, the city of Rostria had still not fallen. Days later and they were at a near stalemate. Rostria’s people were far more resilient than they had thought and their people fought fiercely. Even their women took up arms to defend their homes, refusing to shed tears even as the Southern men’s blades were thrust through their breasts. Lucian had to admit that he admired their strength and he had wished the people had accepted their Kings treaty but they had refused the demands and now this is what it had come down to. He rode silently through one of the empty streets that had already been cleared of bodies and refuse, crates of supplies were stacked high for the armies use. His eyes rose the tall towers of the royal fortress and knew that somewhere inside the royal family branch of this city was hidden but soon enough they would be flushed out and destroyed.
“Captain Morea!”
Lucian reigned in his horse as a foot soldier, his armor stained red and dented in places, came bounding up the empty street towards him. The man paused and leaned over to catch his breath. Lucian allowed him this moment before growing impatient,
“Well, what is it? I can’t sit here all day.”
“Sorry, I ran all the way sir!” the soldier stood up and saluted, suddenly remembering who he was speaking to as Lucian rolled his eyes, “We’ve broken into the fortress. They are requesting your assistance in routing out the royals! The city will fall!”
Lucian pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded curtly, dismissing the soldier and turning his attention to the grisly task to come. But a bellowing roar made the city fall silent.
Flames burst out overhead causing his mount to rear and whinny in fright, the horses eyes rolled with fear as it pinned its ears back. His mount was a well trained battle stallion, not even a cannon could make it titter in fear but whatever this was had done the job.
Lucian reigned in his horse, leaping off of it and climbing up onto the nearest roof to get a better view of the city. He heard screams and ducked his head as something flew over his head and bounced across the roof, landing up against the chimney. His face turned pale as he realized it was a dismembered leg. More screams followed as two men were tossed high up into the air and crashed down across from him, bloody and broken. Lucian leaped across to the next roof, examining the bodies but
couldn’t determine what kind of weapon could have possibly done this kind of damage. Movement to his left caught his eye and he turned towards it, and there, not three rooftops away, stood what he could only describe as a demon. Its face was like a cat’s but with flaming red hair and curling horns. It stood at least twenty feet tall and as it trained its glowing red eyes on Lucian it spat fire from between its ivory fangs.
Lucian vaulted to the next roof, dodging the flames that burst from its gullet. He realized with shock that this demon wasn’t alone. His ears rang with the rallying shouts from the soldiers in the streets beneath him, he counted three more of the great beasts. Where did the come from? They could not have come from outside the walls, he had already assigned men to take control of the wall stations and had guards posted all around in hundred-foot increments. One of them would have set off the alarm had a monster strayed closer than that to the tree line.
A hand with sharp claws flew over his head as he leaped to the next roof, rolled to a stop, and then jumped down to the street below. He raised an arm, waving to the men hidden behind crates and over turned carts, “To me, to me!”
The men rallied behind him and together they ran, the beast taking long strides behind them. It was in no hurry; it knew they had no where to run.
Lucian’s thoughts mulled over and over again in his head as he ran from the monster close behind, he remembered that he’d heard rumors that the royal families of the Eastern continents had strange abilities.
Legends said that some of the oldest and more powerful of the Rostrian royals could read minds or even take control of a man. Someone once told him that they were immortal and could only die by beheading. And of course, many more claimed that the Eastern royals themselves were demons. They were rumored to be capable of transforming into enormous dragon-like creatures. It was an absurd belief, of course...or that is what he had believed. The hideous monsters tearing his men apart made him rethink his ignorance. He waved for the men under his command to climb to the rooftops with him, “Your bows. Raise your bows!” he ordered, pulling his own from his back and notching an arrow, aiming it’s pointed tip at the beast as it charged towards them with a bellowing roar. Arrows and flames rained down.
The battle was swift but violent. Lucian’s men were able to take down the entire upper left quarter of the city on their own. After that the violence spread rapidly and the royal palace fell. Lucian himself headed the squadron that broke through the protective barriers of the royal chambers and let his soldiers have free reign in bringing them down. In the aftermath Lucian and a handful of men began a search of each room one by one to ensure that there were no survivors. The destruction was grim and final.
A small voice cried out from the wreckage. When Lucian entered the burning room, he found a woman dressed in flowing glittering robes seated on the floor amongst the burning remains of tapestries and furniture. The woman was beautiful, her pale skin and dark hair made her green eyes seem to glow in the firelight. Tears washed down her face as she held the child out towards him, “Please! Don’t let her die. She is the last of my family! I beg of you, spare her!”
The woman clutched her child against her chest as a blood stain slowly spread across her back where an arrow had pierced her heart. Lucian looked around the room, two other children lay dead. Their heads removed from their bodies by the soldiers who had already ransacked the room. They must have missed the infant as it slept peacefully in its dyeing mother’s arms despite the carnage around it. Lucian swallowed, his own wife had died in childbirth, taking the baby with her. It had been a boy and his heart had ached with the loss of a son to carry his name. A pang of sadness and guilt twisted his gut like a knife was in it.
Lucian nodded and reached his arms out to take the child, “I give you my oath Madame, that I will raise this child as if it were my own.”
The woman smiled, her eyes brimming over with tears and coughed out a small joyful laugh that sent tremors through her body. Blood trickled over her lower lip and down her chin, “Her name is Aurial Mahadou.”
Lucian looked down at the sleeping babe,
“I will call her Raina, after my wife.”
The woman nodded in approval and then lay down her head, never to get up again.
Lucian did not realize until much later, after he had secreted the child away that he had taken on the immense responsibility of raising the royal crown princess and sole heiress of Rostria City. On returning home he refused his commission and left the military. For several years he had been able to keep her existence a secret but when he learned that officials were looking for a missing child, he assumed the worse and pulled up his roots, cutting off all ties, and moved to Wisteria. He began working as a carpenter by hobby and a skilled mercenary by trade.
Though by this time Rostria had begun to rebuild only it was now under the control of his homeland and would never be the same again. If anyone was to find out who she was, if she ever returned there, death would open its arms to greet her.
Once Raina was old enough to learn he began teaching her self defense in case she ever was found. And, inspired by the twin brothers Greki and Freki, he taught her how to move through the motions with him and how to use the environment to her advantage, using the rooftops to get around quickly. Like those great warriors, they didn’t wear capped shoes and instead wore thin soles of leather and felt bound to their feet with thin thongs so they could move unheard and use their toes for extra grip.
By the time Raina had mastered the sword, Julian had also joined them on request of his ill parents and then, many years after, Niam.
Niam ground his jaw at the conclusion of Lucian’s tale,
“But her eyes, they are blue,” he said in disbelief, motioning to Raina. Everyone who was of royal blood in the Eastern cities had green eyes. It was what set them apart from everyone else. It was common knowledge as Nifelm spent many years routing out the people of the Eastern lands born with blue eyes to ensure that no random royal would attempt to usurp their power.
Noël nodded his head slowly and a wide grin spread across his face, “Of course they are brother, she isn’t pure blooded. It is part of why it took me so long to track her down dear Niam. She is a bastard. No one knew our dear cousin had taken a lover while her husband was away. Since he died in battle everyone assumed she had been impregnated before he left and simply accepted it. But still, as the only living heir she has rights to her heritage and anyone whom she marries would be crowned King of Rostria.”
Noël continued, “So you can see where the advantage in our union would be. I, as the eldest of the Zafram City and she as the sole heiress of our neighbor, the Rostria City, would finally join together in contract and so join our two city-states together into a large Kingdom.” he finished, clasping his hands together and looking over at Raina. Her face was slack and obviously she needed some time to think things over and to really let these revelations sink in.
Lucian growled, “The Rostria doesn’t exist anymore! They would never accept her or you as their ruler! They have long since forgotten you. They would kill you and kill her, before you could even -”
A fist slammed into Lucian’s jaw as Noël knelt down next to him and tilted his head the side. He grabbed a fist full of Lucian graying hair, jerking his head up to look into Noël’s menacing green eyes and the smile he wore made Lucian tremble,
“They will remember won’t they Lucian Morea? I know how to make them remember just like I made you remember the abilities of the true born of the Eastern cities.”
Lucian looked away, the Ifreet had left its mark on his body and he remembered. Raina jerked against Niam but most of the fight had left her.
“You brought those things into the city?” she asked incredulously.
Noël shook his head and pointed at her, moving forwards he suddenly plunged his fingers between her breasts and grinned as Raina’s eyes filled with rage. Lucian growled and Niam turned his head away.
Noël chuckled, “Please, I was
only looking for this,” he held up the teardrop shaped necklace and tore it away from her neck, “I’ve no interest in you at all outside of re-establishing my throne.”
Raina’s face turned red as she ground her teeth together as Noël’s eyes trailed over her body with a smirk.
“You brought them into the city my dear,” Noël waved the necklace in the air causing it to glitter in the lamp light,
“This necklace is the Demon Stone and it gives true heirs the ability to summon the Jiuwei, I guess your so-called father might call them Ifreet. The moment you put the necklace on they felt your existence and recognized your fear. They were trying at rescuing you but of course they did a marvelous job of destroying the city for me while they were at it. The more you ran, the more they kept up the pursuit. They turned the great Wisteria into a giant scratching post.” he chuckled and tossed the necklace into the air, catching it in one hand and then tying it back around his own neck.
“Did you like it? Sorry, I was just letting you borrow it.”
Niam thought back to the way the old woman had looked when Julian had purchased the necklace, of course it had been set up by Noël and he most likely had been in the city for quite some time before that. Watching their every move and plotting. Why hadn’t Niam realized it? More importantly, why hadn’t Noël contacted him before now? What was Noël hiding?
Noël rose to his feet, “We have two more days at sea, make him comfortable,” he said, gesturing to Lucian and left the room leaving Niam still clutching Raina against his chest. She had long since stopped fighting and Niam looked down at the old soldier trembling in front of him with a mix of sorrow and regret floating in his eyes. Lucian only nodded, a light smile playing on his bloodied face. He did not fight when the guards hauled him back up to his feet and dragged him away.