Age of Souls

by Garrett Stevens

  “Mortan, they need that shipment up at the palace.” A male voice called through the shop opening.

  Mortan placed his hammer on the anvil and walked over to a nearby shelf to grab a small crate filled with four of the same clay jars that he used on his own work. Turning back to Breen who had her eyes fixated on the glowing weapon he coughed to get her attention.

  “Breen honey, could you take this crate up to the palace for me? The general will be expecting it.” Mortan took a couple steps to his daughter and knelt to get face to face with her.

  “Alright father.” Breen grabbed the small crate by the small handles on the sides and turned to leave the small smithy shop.

  The city was a lot busier this morning, more than she was used to since the battle. Having to dodge around people buying their morning food or others just standing around enjoying the morning sunshine. The odd civilian would see her coming and move out of the way after noticing she was carrying something; she would nod and smile to them when they did. With how busy the city was, she made her way to the palace entry stair with a good pace. The guards at the bottom of the stair saw her coming and one stepped towards her.

  “Good morning little one. Here to drop off the oil for the General?”

  Breen nodded in response.

  “Head on up, they should be expecting you.” He pointed up to the palace while keeping his eyes on her.

  Breen smiled and started up the steps. The growing palace towered over her as she got closer and closer. Something inside her shook with the awe and majesty the palace gave off. It had been a while since she came this way to the palace which made her head keep on a swivel to look at the sparkling green stone twinkling in the sun.

  Soldiers scattered the steps all the way up, standing at their posts, watching as she went by. Breen got to the large entry door and was greeted again by another soldier who ushered her in. With a follow up smile and nod, she stepped into the bright vestibule of the Uridine palace.

  Inside was just like it was before; clean, bright, and warming to look at. The main tall corridor into the palace had fewer guards than she thought there would be, only two heavily armoured men standing at a far door were in her line of sight. Once they noticed that she was carrying something, they started walking towards her. Breen recognized the two from the battle, the General had called them Rocksell and Trimble. She knew that Trimble wouldn’t say much, or anything at all, but both smiled at her.

  “Hey there little Breen, that the shipment for the General?” Closing in on each other, Rocksell smiled as he spoke.

  “Four jars for the trade with the Gnomes. Should be enough to get him a new sword.” Breen lifted the small crate up and with one hand on the bottom Trimble lifted it from her hands.

  “Thanks little miss.” Rocksell smiled at her again.

  Breen turned to leave and stopped when another familiar voice echoed through the corridor.

  “Rocksell, Trimble. Is that crate here yet?” General Cotie walked up behind them not noticing Breen or the crate Trimble had in hand.

  “Just arrived.” Rocksell answered with an upbeat raise of his voice.

  Trimble lifted it up to face height.

  “The blacksmiths daughter brought it in for him.” As Rocksell turned to point at Breen, their attention was filled with an empty space. “Guess she left already.”

  “Let’s get our stuff and head down to Gurglin then. Lord Tuff will need these before he can make a new sword. You two will come with me, Turi will be able to hold things together here while we are gone.” Cotie looked down at the crate and then up at his lieutenants with a nod.

  Trimble shook where he stood like he needed to pee and had a childlike giddy smile stretched across his face.

  “Yes, we can stop at Kanlii’s Cove on the way.” Cotie rolled his eyes.

  Rocksell just gave him a side glance from over his scruffy beard and shook his head.

  • • •

  Breen ran through the hallways, ducking into small corners as guards made their patrol route; her silent footsteps never catching their attention. The purpose she ran with, sped her through the palace until finally coming to a stop outside a wider door that looked to lead somewhere important with the sigil of fire in the middle of it. Looking over her shoulder, she listened for any footsteps or voices on either side of it before reaching up to the handle.

  With a slowly pull on the ring, the door silently rotated towards her and exposed another corridor on the other side. The new stretch of running room was filled with much more expensive décor. From the carpet lining the middle of the hallway to the candelabra design; this was one of the royal wings of the palace.

  “What are you doing here child?” The Queens voice echoed down the corridor, surprising Breen from her distraction.

  “I was just dropping off the crate of Harmin for the General and asked if I could go exploring.” Breen put on an innocent look across her face as the Queen approached her.

  “You’re the blacksmiths daughter that was here with Mya.” She paused in thought. “Breen, was it?”

  Breen nodded. “Yes. That was me your majesty.”

  The Queen stopped in front of her and kneeled to get closer to her face. Breen could see the remnant of tears on her cheeks. A smile filled the Queen’s face as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Breen for a gentle embrace. To Breen’s surprise, the Queen’s breathing could be felt as more tears were trying to be held back.

  “It will be ok your majesty.” Breen rest her chin on her elders’ shoulder, closed her eyes and returned the embrace.

  Rosenn’s body shocked backwards in a blinding pain. Pushing Breen back slightly, a small dagger hilt sticking from her stomach was exposed. Looking down at the blade in her gut, her tears kept falling from her face when she shifted to Breen. Her killer slowly opened her eyes to reveal a solid blood red eye from lid to lid, no iris or other colouring could be seen. The sinister look on the child’s was of pure evil as if she were possessed.

  “So easily taken, yet solace comes with the final breath. Lie still maiden of fire, others will join you in the revelry of the cessation of life. The Children will soon be among us and perform the tribunal for souls.” Breen’s voice was deeper and much more direct.

  The Queen fell back to the floor, still sitting upright, and gripped around the hilt of the blade in her stomach. Blood soaked across her dress and down her abdomen as she sat in horror with a white face getting whiter with every beat of her heart.

  Breen leaned in and grabbed the knife, pulling it from its fleshy scabbard. Rosenn lurched forward with the knife, coughing up a mouthful of blood into her lap. The wound in her mid-section oozed out, drawing what final colour she had in her face.

  “There is no pain your majesty, no voice and no aid; the blade is coated with a special kind of magic, death is inevitable. Your precious daughter will not be able to help this time, for I, Thorn, have been awoken.” Thorn grabbed a tuff of the Queen’s dress to clean the blood from the knife.

  The child circled around the dying woman and with a flick of her wrist, make the dagger disappear. In a swaggered walk down the rest of the hallway Breen’s form swayed with each graceful step as she held her form tall. Silence filled the elegant corridor again as more and more distance separated the two. Before she reached the end of the hallway, Thorn heard the collapse of the Queen to the floor and a smile creased her face with a glaring satisfaction.

  A quick blink, her eyes cleansed of red and glistened back to normal the normal blue and purple they use to be. Looking over her shoulder at the corpse with a smile, the candles lighting her from across the corridor flickered her shadow against the wall in the form of a hulking form, a horned demon like beast much larger than the body standing between.

  • • •

  “That can’t be right. Where did the rest of them go?” King Uridine slammed his fist down on the scroll covered table.

  The soldiers and dignitaries around him jumped in surprise and loo
ked back down at the rolled-out map of Tulcarna. Everyone in the dim lit circular room had a look of caution and concern on their faces.

  “They escaped up north, back into the marshes. We can pursue if needed, but it is likely the Darke won’t make another stunt attack, even with your daughter gone again.” A dignitary across from the table drew an invisible line across the map up into the Darke lands with his index finger.

  “Mya’s spell would be enough to scare them forever coming back. She eradicate their pointless attempt at our crown.” The king’s frustration was solid in his voice.

  “Seems some were either far enough away or their hearts had other motives. Perhaps some we can persuade to be an inside eye against Baldur?” Another high-ranking soldier added.

  “No. Let them go, we have enough in the city already and need to focus on rebuilding before he gets his Council together to form another strike at us. Baldur Darke is not a fool to be trifled with.” The King eyeballed the officer from across the table. “Is the General off to Gurglin?” The king seeming to calm down, looked up and over to a short scribe sitting against the far wall with a single candle beside him.

  “Yes, sir. He left with his lieutenants an hour ago.” The small scribe stopped writing to talk directly to him.

  “I thought one of them was supposed to remain here?” King Uridine asked, again frustration filled his voice.

  “General Cotie left orders with Rossel and Trina, they are outside Tharissa’s room now. General Ran’tjo will be in command while they are gone.” The scribe answered flatly.

  “Never liked those three.” The king paused to look at the map and then returned to the scribe. “Don’t write that down.”

  “What are you wanting to do then, your majesty?” The first dignitary asked.

  “Let’s move Khomas’ garrison over to the Fire Gate and bolster the defense there.” King Uridine pointed across the map to the gate leading into the eastern lands. “Roonin, take two cohorts past and up into Darke lands for scouting purposes and set up a forward camp along the Spirit Ridge. Keep communications open, send a messenger at least every three days. Once Cotie returns from Gurglin, he will bring the rest of the army up, hopefully the weather hasn’t changed by then.” King Uridine rapped his knuckle against the table twice making everyone stand tall. “We will push on them this time, Baldur Darke will lose his crown before the next cycle.”

  Each saluting with a ninety-degree left arm to support their right elbow which angled up to their left breast in salute. A quick nod and they turned on heel to leave the room. The scribe quickly finished what he was writing and blew on the fresh ink before rolling up his scroll. Saluting as well with the same position, he left the room leaving the King by himself in the low light.

  Starring down at the map in front of him, he would tighten his lips and jaw while shaking his head with each back and forth thought. The light in the room made it easy to see what was on the table, but the fringes of the room were dim and quite shadowed in comparison. All the tightly packed shelves of scrolls and books looked almost painted with how the light cast against them. Few smaller tables with larger half drafted maps could barely be seen.

  “I know you are there, step out of the shadow.” King Uridine did not move his eyes from the map on the table as he spoke.

  In the deep shadows behind him, a subtle movement of a hulking demon beast shuffled. It shuffled slightly to the side a final time and Breen stepped into the low light fringe around the table. A blink of her eyes and their colouring shifted to the solid blood red.

  “The time has finally come then, have the five been released?” His tone was calm.

  Thorn stood still, looking at him with the fire reflecting in her eyes.

  “He will be happy to finish this once and for all. It has been a long-time child, but you can tell your master the war is not finished, there are more than just the wards.” King Uridine turned and rest against the table, sitting on his hands.

  Taking a step forward, the small dagger flickered into Breen’s hand and a sinister smile came across her face.

  • • •

  Tharissa felt a jolt through her body that shocked her from her lean against the wall. A shadow was lurking in the back of her mind that something had happened, something evil. Looking down at the open book in her lap, she closed her eyes to take long deep breath. The void circled in again around her to show Eirolin before her.

  “I felt it too.” Eirolin’s voice filled the black. “It is time.”

  Tharissa blinked awake from the void and slammed the tome closed, locking the metal clasp into itself. Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she quickly made her way across her room, pulling off her loose sleeping gown in one motion as she went.

  Rummaging around in a pile of clothes in the side alcove, she pulled out a small blue shirt and a pair of soft looking leather pants. Pulling the tight shirt over her head, she knocked herself in the face with her hand as she pulled down on the front making her squish her nose up like she was about to sneeze.

  The leather pants were easier to pull on being made from a weaved leather like fabric that seemed to be more of braided cotton or strapping and stretched slightly as she yanked on them. A tall pair of black boots with a single buckle at the top and a heavy black cloak finished her outfit from a top shelf.

  Hearing voices from the other side of the door, her attention was only held for a second before rushing back to her bed to grab the book. Another shout from the other side of her bedroom door held her attention for a brief second before she shook free of it and ran over a portion of wall next to a small table next to a bookcase. Two small upright books and a misty glass ball were on the table with an oval piece of fabric circling below them that dangled off the edge.

  Another look at the door from over her shoulder, Tharissa reached out and grabbed the misty glass ball, spinning it in its gold claw support. A subtle click was heard and a portion of the wall beside the table slivered open behind the bookcase, barely wide enough for her to slip through. With a quick side step through the opening, she flicked a small lever on the other side with a single finger to close the wall just as fast and quiet as it opened.

  She waited on the other side in the dark cramped passage briefly before turning to a set of stairs spiraling down. The sound of her bedroom door slamming against the inside wall resounded from beyond the stone door. Smashing of objects around her room and then the slamming of the door again. Someone was not happy she was not there.

  Tharissa headed down the thin passage stair, all the while bracing herself again the outside wall as she descended. The next level came fast, and she stopped next to another small lever to listen to the other side before reaching up to it. She had to be quick.

  Pulling down on the lever, the same thin opening shifted in the wall, barely allowing her to squeeze into Mya’s room. Everything was neatly set in their place, it looked like palace staff had cleaned things up a couple times after her leaving but kept the fire burning.

  Looking to the alcove where Mya kept all her clothes, Tharissa ran over and grabbed one of the emergency packs leaning against the inside wall without looking inside. Flinging it around behind her, she strapped it to her back and ran over to the far side of the room where a small tapestry hung. Reaching in behind, she grabbed hold of something and shifted it to let a click loose into the air. Another passage opened close by to another set of stairs leading down.

  Rushing through the opening, again pulling on the lever just inside to make the entry close. Tharissa pushed herself to keep her speed up while trying not to trip on the stairs with how limited the torches were spaced. Sounds of guards yelling throughout the palace sounded as she passed by level hallway in her decent. She could hear the charges of troops searching for someone and finally heard that a body was found. An uneasy feeling in her gut made her slow slightly in her footing.

  “Go, we must hurry.” Eirolin’s voice sounded in the back of her mind like she was standing behind her whispe
ring in her ear.

  The set of stairs was a lot longer than her passage was to Mya’s room, but it was her only escape out of the palace. Each level seemed to go on forever but she finally she came to a basic wooden door with a single ring handle. Reaching out to grab the ring, the door suddenly swung open before she could grab the ring and a little girl stood on the other side with a sinister look on her face.

  “About time you got here.” Thorn spoke in her deep voice.

  “You’re that little blacksmith kid.” Tharissa cocked her head to the side in question.

  “If you don’t mind, please call me Thorn. And, you are supposed to be an invalid, useless in bed.” Thorn blinked slowly, keeping Tharissa’s reflection cascading across her blood red vision.

  “I don’t care what your name is or how you got down here, just get out of my way.” Tharissa formed a small seal with her right hand and rolled her wrist to fill it with a deep purple flame in her palm.

  “No need to respond with aggression, this was going to happen whether you were to contest the pursuit or not.” The child flicked her wrist and a small dagger appeared in her hand.

  Before Thorn could make another move, Tharissa launched her small fireball towards her. In a flash, without even seeming to move, the child blinked to the side, dodging the purple flame and sprang into the offensive. Thorn charged towards her, blade at the ready.

  Tharissa’s was ready and her speed was a lot faster than Thorn expected, sending the dagger wide. She grabbed the child’s wrist and spun the strike past her, along with the attacker, into the stairs. Now with the door between them, Tharrissa slammed it close and pushed on the bottom with her foot and leaned in to hold it. A solid push came from the other side, she knew that her strength was far greater than the child’s, but there was a hidden strength spurring the kid on.

  The screaming of frustration from Thorn made Tharissa smile to herself. Closing her fingers against her palm, she opened them back up to expose a white light emanating from the center of her palm and reached up to the gap between wood and stone. As the light toughed the breach, it glowed brighter and began to fuse the two together, welding the temporary defense into something a lot more permanent. Tharissa moved her hand down the joint, exposing the melding of the two materials in a bind no meager pushing could break.