A Skeleton's Duty (Death Knight Series Book 4)

by Michael Chatfield

  “Purple flames, like the ones in Ascen?” Fysher frowned, feeling as though the ground were shifting beneath his feet. “Just what happened in Ascen?”

  The messengers stood there, waiting.

  “Yes, though there are conflicting reports of a man appearing with a phoenix and using a hammer to summon a court. A metal man and beast kin appeared in the middle of criminal camps and used a hammer to call a court down on them. People with purple bindings are training to fight; others are heading out into the fields to raise crops. Nobles have been removed from power.”

  “Well, is there anything else about these flames, or the places they’re located?”

  “Some appeared last night, others this morning, randomly. A court appeared and started questioning people—charged some with crimes, others were let go. Some tried to destroy the flame, but they were apprehended. Also, there was some information on the shimmering lights that some of the camps are seeing. The flame turned into a human woman who started talking about a war in the past, that these doors are passageways to another planet. That a race called the Drafeng will invade through them. That we need to destroy them.” The messenger looked around and then passed a second message to Fysher.

  He read it, his eyes going wide.

  They say that they have reclaimed the Church of Light as their own Guardian’s Tower, that the flames are to protect the people and that the Church of Light was a group created by the Drafeng to weaken Dena. That the Drafeng have been working for centuries to weaken Dena and draw them into chaos.

  Fysher looked up at the messenger. “Have you said anything to anyone?”

  “No sir,” the messenger said.

  Fysher rolled up the piece of paper and put it away. Do I even need to destroy it? This information is being passed across Dena now. Is this some kind of ploy by the beast kin? The elves? The islands? Is it true?

  Fysher shook his head as his thoughts led somewhere dangerous.

  “Okay, we need to destroy these enchantments and regain control over these cities. Order the camps along the line to send out forces tonight to do just that,” Fysher said.

  “Understood.” The second messenger hurried back. Fysher waved to the first and they headed off.

  Fysher looked out of the window but didn’t look across the line.

  Where is the line now? What is happening in Ascen and across Radal?

  ***

  “Are the legions ready?” A large beast kin looked at the table in front of him. It was made of shifting sands that would move to form different groups across Dena.

  “Yes, my emperor!” Five high generals, each of them in command of two legions, saluted in a beast kin manner.

  The emperor was battle scarred. He looked to be a mix between a bear, badger, and lion. He was from the Boret clan, a race that was defined by their mixed bloodlines and their nightmarish eyes that seemed to see through people and could be used to control or distract others.

  They were some of the strongest warriors in the beast kin lands and had quickly risen into power, holding many positions based upon their fighting ability.

  Emperor Kalyn was the strongest of his bloodline and generation. His body glowed with a black and a red clan spirit, unheard of within the clans.

  “We are sure that the Army of Light are heading deeper into the human lands?” Kalyn asked, looking for a ploy within the shifting sands.

  “Yes, my emperor. It is said that Ascen has been lost. Though the army stands ready on the lines.”

  “If they retreated to Ascen, they know that we will follow them. They cannot leave. It doesn’t mean that their morale is high.” Kalyn looked to the letters and the images that had been drawn out in front of him. Of men and women who wore scraps of clothes, turned into skinny beasts that glowed from within.

  “We do not know what happened among the Army of Light. We cannot confirm what is happening in Ascen. Our information network is falling apart. There are shimmering items that appear within our borders every day. The islands are fighting a battle on their islands and the Deepwood is showing signs of fighting. A purple flame sits atop the Church of Light and purple flames have started to appear in our cities, with the ancestors appearing and putting people to trial. Yet there is no information on any of this? Just vague rumors?” Kalyn slammed his hand against the edge of the table, cracking the stone. Sand poured at his feet.

  The room was silent as the leadership of the military and the nation were quiet.

  “Shall we halt our attacks?” Kalyn’s subordinate and fellow Boret clan member Mortas asked.

  “No! We have been given an opportunity to charge the enemy’s camps and castles while they’re weakened. We continue with the plan, but we must gain a greater control over our land and find what is happening in the rest of Dena,” Kalyn hissed, looking around the room.

  His eyes landed on the legion’s high generals. “Carry out my orders.”

  “Yes, my emperor!” They headed out of the room.

  Kalyn turned and left the room. Mortas glowered at those in the room and followed after him. Guards snapped the doors open for them as they left the command hall, marching down the corridor with their boots hitting on the polished stone beneath their feet.

  “There was talk of another purple power,” Mortas said.

  “Where?”

  “Skalafell—that knight,” Mortas said.

  “Was it for good, or bad?” Kalyn muttered.

  “What was that, Emperor?” Mortas asked, unable to hear him.

  “Make sure that people entering and leaving cities are checked. These flames are clearly being brought in by someone. Also, I want reports from our people in the cities where these flames are. What do these flames do? Get a talking mirror to the lord of Skalafell, and find me that knight!”

  “Yes, my emperor.” Mortas saluted and Kalyn continued to march off, deeper into his residence, his sworn knights following after him.

  Chapter: Sneak Attack

  Anthony didn’t know how many cities and villages he had gone to in the last two days. He had just moved his way north, dropping into camps and fortresses along the way, disrupting the war. It wasn’t a permanent solution, but it would force the two groups to train together.

  They were still enemies but it was much harder to kill someone you had been forced to eat with and sit with, to sleep beside. It was a half measure and Anthony knew it. They would need commanders who didn’t care whether they were one species or another, who cared about winning against the enemy. Otherwise, the units and groups would start to fall apart.

  Solomon stirred on his shoulder.

  “The beast kin have launched an attack on Radal. Some of the camps were overthrown. Others were defended. They got past the line and are within Radal now, attacking anyone they can.”

  Anthony’s emotions twisted, followed by rage and despair. He let out a yell and stabbed out with his sword. A ripple of power shot out from his sword.

  He panted as his wings continued to carry him.

  How many died in their sneak attack? How many? What if I left the camps alone—would they have been able to stop the beast kin? Would there have been more dead?

  Anthony presented a carefree attitude, but now the fire in his eyes was cold and devastating, instead of filled with laughter and smiles.

  “Contact the others. We end this shit now. Penelope will take Bruce and Dave to the camp with the leader of the beast kin. Then head to Bracegar, the beast kin capital. They will clear out corruption there and command the clans. With their power and support, we can assimilate Selenus. Tommie, Dave, and I will head to the camp with this General Fysher.” Anthony said the last part to Dave as he altered his course and banked to the west.

  ***

  Su and Gus were on the wrong side of the line. They were part of the supply caravan passing out supplies to the legions that had attacked in the deep of night, taking two camps and pushing into Radal’s south.

  Rain came down on them all, making the road a
muddy and slow affair.

  Gus jumped up onto the caravan that Su was leading.

  “Little Tommie—he was from Laisa, right?” Gus asked.

  Su felt his stomach drop. “Did it—?”

  “I’m not sure. Sounds like there was a purple barrier around it, just like there was around some of the other large cities and villages,” Gus said.

  Su let out a grunt. He felt dirty. He felt that this was wrong. “Are they still attacking those barriers?”

  “Yeah, looks like they want to make an example of them. Higher-ups want to know just how powerful they are,” Gus said.

  Both of them were lulled into a sullen silence; they didn’t know what to say.

  “I used to think that defeating the humans was the only way we could win,” Su said.

  “I did, too. Just, now, I don’t think that they’re all bad, that there are people on their side, just like on our side, who are just trying to live their lives.”

  The two old warriors’ blood was cold in their veins as they sat there in the rain, the weather reflecting their disposition.

  Chapter: A Guardian’s Wrath

  Line General Gheta was from one of the side ram clans. She was smaller but there was a sturdiness to her. Her horns were covered in clan tattoos that ran down her back. Even with her diminutive stature compared to the rhino clans and the bear clans, none of them dared to look down on her.

  She stood at the shifting sand command table of Haerton Keep. It was one of the oldest and largest defensive fortresses that defended Selenus against the humans of Radal.

  Its five walls stabbed forward at Radal. Twenty-meter walls stood in defiance, scarred from previous battles and wars. Still, they stood as a testament to the tenacity of the defenders. It was said that the mortar was more blood than clay now. Countless men and women had died over the years defending this location. Through it one could pass through the low lands to Bracegar and into the heart of Selenus.

  “High General Turguit reports that they have advanced ten kilometers into Radal. They are sieging three different fortresses. He wants to know if he should keep sieging or push to attack the smaller villages,” a messenger asked.

  “Tell him to hold. He holds the right flank, High General Orsa will hold the left, and Zanali will push forward. Tell her to prioritize attacking the smaller locations. It seems that they do not have these new defenses of the humans.” Gheta’s voice rose in volume so all could hear her. “I want to know the capabilities of these barriers. I want reports on the forces that have left their fortresses. When will our policing forces reach them? My line has become a mess in two days. I want to know just what or who is causing this!”

  Her voice came out in a growl and she snorted in anger, tossing her horns.

  Suddenly it felt as if she had been punched in the gut as she felt a powerful bloodline resonance.

  Everyone in the room felt it as well. They looked out of the command tower’s small windows.

  A phoenix appeared in the sky.

  “That’s—!” someone hissed in surprise.

  The phoenix that has flown across the skies, dropping off a knight with his purple hammer.

  “Raise the defenses! Sound the alarm!” Gheta forced out.

  Two men fell from the heavens; one wielded a staff, the other a hammer that was as big as his giant frame.

  Arrows and javelins were hurled up into the air.

  “Seems like they look upon us kindly,” the armored one said.

  “Who is he?” Gheta hissed as she looked at the man—no, beast kin—beside him. He let out a snort and smoke appeared around his nose. His staff whirled around. The arrows and the javelins were knocked to the side as he descended, calmly, but there was a fire in his eyes. Gheta and the others with a higher evolved bloodline could feel the energy in those eyes—the boundless desire to fight, to prove his strength.

  The man with the hammer spun and he let out a snarl. His armor started to contort as if something were trying to get out.

  He swung his hammer, extending it with one hand. He smacked weapons away. A few arrows and bolts struck him, but he didn’t seem to care.

  The two landed in the middle courtyard.

  The beast kin clan spirit walked out of the dust. He held his pole in one hand as he smacked away the arrows and weapons before the beast kin realized that they were shooting at a clan spirit.

  They halted their fire, not sure what to do as a monstrosity came out beside the beast kin.

  “Werewolf,” one of the commanders said.

  The man’s armor had purple veining and his hammer now looked more regular sized in his hands. His body was covered in armor but the werewolf shape was easy to see. He stood nearly four meters tall. He put his hammer on his shoulder and reached out with his other.

  His voice was deep and powerful, rolling through everyone’s feet and stomach, making them grip their weapons tighter. “I, Damien All-Hammer, of the werewolf clan, ask the Guardians of Dena to judge those here.”

  People felt the hairs on their scalps rise.

  Wasn’t the werewolf clan wiped out as people didn’t know if they were on the sides of the humans or the beast kin? This clan spirit—it must be some kind of mistake!

  Purple threads of power wove together around his hand into the shape of a smaller hammer. He struck it on the air and behind him, a purple courtroom started to appear.

  I need to kill them before they kill my people! Gheta let out a yell as she used her own clan spirit to take over control over her body. She slammed through a wall, drawing her twin sabers as she dropped down in front of the clan spirit.

  “Remus.” The clan spirit spoke in a dark tone.

  Gheta felt as though her world were collapsing and her legs were weak as she charged forward.

  Others followed with her, charging the spirit.

  “That is enough!” He smacked the base of his staff into the ground. The noise seemed to resonate within the entire hold and everyone froze.

  Behind him, the courtroom resolved and chains shot out to those nearest.

  “Tell us, what crimes have you committed and what crimes do you think others have committed?” the beast kin, a werewolf clan spirit, said as he stood there.

  Gheta couldn’t move as the clan spirit walked closer.

  “Remus.” He said that name again and Gheta felt her clan spirit super-impose over her body.

  “Bruce, what do you mean by this?” Remus said, standing above Gheta.

  “You attack a Guardian doing their duty?” Bruce asked, his voice firm.

  “Guardians? I see a half…”

  Three different werewolves super-imposed over Damien—one green, one black, one red. They looked at Remus before they resolved into familiars that stepped around Damien, all of them five meters tall. Their colors traveled to their eyes.

  “Kin slayer,” the red-eyed werewolf said.

  “I wondered how the beast kin got dragged into this war. Why they were also evicting people who were not beast kin? After all, aren’t we a race of many? A group of all, yet we are banning people? I thought I had heard wrong when I awoke.”

  “To your humans’ slave master,” Remus growled, balling his fists as he glared at Bruce.

  “Though when the trial of the Drafeng in the Church of Light was going on, I found out that there was a secret deal. See, there are many different spirits within the beast kin. There are different kinds and factions. There are the factions that want to build, others that want to wage war, those that want to have peace and others that want to make sure we don’t forget the old ways. There were a great number of spirits that came from those that wanted to wage war. After the last war, they wanted to have peace. The leaders of the war faction didn’t like this, did you, Remus?”

  A chain wrapped around Gheta and super-imposed upon Remus as he was dragged forward in front of the courtroom.

  There were several judges talking already to others who they had picked up, making notes. A spell from the elf
quieted them and made it so that everyone could hear Remus and Bruce.

  “We didn’t,” Remus said.

  “What did the war faction do?”

  “We made a deal with some people. We didn’t know who they truly were or where they came from. War makes our race stronger. If we are not fighting, then we are growing weak. We could increase our strength and become the alphas of Dena. They had a way to limit the strength of the different clan spirits and divert their strength. We took their offerings as our own, reduced the power that they had so that they couldn’t leave their grounds to pick out new inheritors. At that time, the Church of Light was on unsteady footing so we started to attack them. They were saying that we were defilers. We crushed their forces and then they created their saints to counteract our champions. We did this for the people—the greater our strength, the greater our people’s abilities!” Remus’s eyes shone with a crazed light.

  A purple light shot through the chain. Gheta felt a pressure being removed from her mind as Remus screamed out. He turned black but there was a flickering of another power within him, hiding in his depths. The purple flames searched through him and burned it out.

  It went on for a few minutes.

  “You allowed corruption into the line of spirits!” Bruce yelled. Gheta dropped to all fours as Bruce’s anger washed over them.

  “Come!” he hissed as others with clan spirits dropped to the ground and their spirits came out. Chains wrapped around them and purple flames burned them from inside as they screamed out.

  The screams died down and they looked up weakly at Bruce.

  “You-you—” He shook with anger. “You attacked your kin! You attacked your people. You took offerings for others that were not your own. Did you not think to check those offerings! See that they were tainted with the power of chaos, you foolish children!”