The War of the Gilded Beasts

by Grady P. Brown

  As if on cue, a torch could be seen being waved over the city gate while the gate itself slowly opened.

  “That’s the signal! Full charge! Sack the city without mercy! Do not stop until Chrysos is completely subdued and broken!” Caelum ordered as he and Barma led the attack on Chrysos.

  Caelum could taste his vengeance as he got closer and closer to the exposed capital. He drew both his kodachi and seax with either hand and prepared to unleash his fury upon the denizens of Chrysos. Barma was equally thrilled at the chance of combat as she unleashed a trilling battle cry and held her naginata like a lance.

  Once the Darrman-Aemarran host surged through the city gates, they unleashed the wrath of the gods upon Chrysos. Buildings were set ablaze, guards and civilians alike were massacred, and businesses were looted. The city guards tried desperately to fend off the invaders, but they were caught off guard and outnumbered three to one. As Caelum rode down the streets, he stabbed and slashed at every living thing that crossed his path without discrimination. He attacked civilians more like a serial killer than a warrior, sacrificing skill and finesse for pure savagery. With each life he took, Caelum could see the face of Rhea staring back at him as though her spirit was begging him to stop, but his hatred towards her murderers overrode all sense of sentimentality. Caelum was out for blood and he was not going to stop until he had his fill. Barma was just as bloodthirsty as she leapt off her horse and started hacking and slashing one opponent after another with her naginata, laughing maniacally as she went.

  “Let Chrysos burn! Burn it all!” Caelum screamed in a voice that sounded more like that of a beast instead of a human.

  ______

  Inside the Temple of Valmorian, Empress Agatha sat cross-legged in front of the statue of the Light Goddess with her granddaughter Amber in her arms. She reached out to the Elemental Gods for some sign that Autem survived the Battle of Ragnarworth Field, but the gods remained silent. That silence made Agatha uneasy. If Autem died, she feared the Golden Age she foresaw would die with him and all of her efforts would be in vain.

  “Please, Gods. Give me a sign that our future is secure,” Agatha asked quietly.

  As if answering her prayer, four Imperial guards burst into the Temple and shouted, “Empress! The Darrmans are sacking the city! We have to get you and the High Princess to safety now!”

  Agatha inhaled sharply as her worst fears became reality.

  Struggling to maintain a calm voice, Agatha instructed, “Listen to me very carefully, gentlemen. Take my granddaughter out of the city. There is a secret passageway under the Temple that will lead out of the city. Guard my granddaughter with your lives. The future of House Sylva is in her hands now.”

  “What about you, Empress?”

  “I am going to buy you some time. Go now!”

  ______

  Caelum got off his horse and started stabbing people left and right with his blades. The world around him seemed to fall away from his sight. All that existed in his mind was revenge and murder. Still, as remorseless as Caelum was, he was desperately searching for the Empress, the witch who had created the monsters that killed his dragon. To make sure Empress Agatha did not escape, Caelum formed teams of handpicked soldiers to search for her in both the Imperial Palace and the Temple of Valmorian. Since their attack came without warning and Agatha was a high-profile target, Caelum was certain those would be the only likely areas she would be. Until then, Caelum continued to hack away through the crowd.

  At one point, Caelum came across a butcher who came at him with a meat cleaver, but Caelum stabbed the man’s wrist with his seax before slitting his throat with his kodachi. As he collapsed to the ground, the butcher looked at Caelum with a pleading expression. Under normal circumstances, Caelum would feel sympathy and regret for killing an innocent, but Caelum’s heart possessed a dark void that swallowed up whatever warmth and compassion he once had.

  Roaring with berserker rage, Caelum continued his onslaught until one of his men ran to him and called, “My prince!”

  Snapping out of his enraged trance, Caelum turned to his loyalist and asked, “Where are we in terms of sacking the city?”

  “So far, we have secured about two thirds of it within the past few hours. By dawn, we will have the Imperial Palace surrounded. You wanted us to tell you when we found the Empress. We have her cornered a few blocks away in the Temple of Valmorian.”

  Smiling with glee, Caelum ordered, “Don’t let her escape! No one kills her but me! Hold her until I get there!”

  Shrugging nervously, the man-at-arms replied, “Aye. That may be more difficult than we thought, my prince.”

  Scowling, Caelum demanded, “Why is that?”

  ______

  Agatha cast one bolt of lightning after another as the Darrman-Aemarran soldiers backed her into a corner. Despite frying a dozen at a time, many more took their place. The men-at-arms were so drunk on bloodlust and madness that they could not feel fear. Unfortunately, even though Agatha was the most powerful living Druid, she could feel her magic draining her energies with each attack she launched. She may have greater power than her attackers, but due to their sheer numbers they would inevitably wear her down. All of that did not matter to Agatha. As long as she kept the invaders focused on her, her granddaughter would have a chance to escape the massacre.

  Suddenly, a crossbow bolt struck Agatha’s left shoulder, forcing her to her knees. Bellowing with outrage, Agatha lashed out with her right hand and unleashed a gust of wind so powerful that all of the assailants slammed into the walls on the other side of the chamber, knocking them unconscious. Briefly alone, Agatha forced herself to her feet and screamed as she pulled the crossbow bolt out of her shoulder. Desperate to replenish her energies, Agatha reached out and drained the subdued soldiers of their life force. As Agatha did this, her shoulder wound healed within moments, but she was still woozy from the effort.

  To herself, Agatha muttered, “Just a little longer. Amber must live no matter what. Do it for her!”

  A hateful voice hollered, “Agatha!”

  Agatha looked up to find Caelum standing in front of her, flanked by twenty men. Caelum resembled a mad beast, drenched in the blood of his victims and his face displaying uncompromising wrath.

  Caelum’s men prepared to fire arrows at Agatha before Caelum ordered, “Stand down! All of you! No one kills the witch but me! You understand?”

  The soldiers lowered their bows and Caelum dropped his blades before advancing towards Agatha with purposeful steps. For several tense moments, the two Druids stared each other down with dark purpose.

  “You know who I am, witch?” Caelum asked.

  “You’re Caelum Magnus. I know why you’re here. The fact that your army is sacking the capital proves my suspicions. The fact that you are standing right there proves that you are here to kill me just as my husband will kill your brothers.”

  Caelum spat before countering, “Your husband is dead just like your sons. A scout reported back after the battle. House Sylva’s reign is over!”

  Shock and anger consumed Agatha as she fired a bolt of lightning at Caelum, screaming, “You lie!”

  With his own Druid magic, Caelum effortlessly swatted the Empress’s attack as though it were an annoying fly, causing to explode when it struck a wall.

  Smiling maniacally, Caelum sneered, “My brothers may be strong warriors and hunters, but I am the strongest Druid sorcerer among them. I see you are as intent to kill me as I am intent to kill you. We killed your sons and husband and you killed our dragons. Do you have any idea of what it is like to share your mind and soul with another being? To possess a bond so deep that you know one another better than you know yourselves? To . . . love someone more than you would a spouse? That is what your abominations and dark magic have taken from me!”

  Fireballs formed in Caelum’s palms before he launched a blast a golden flame at Agatha, but the Empress summoned a barrier made of wind, causing the inferno to wash past her like a stream
flowing around a rock. In an instant, Caelum switched his fire for lightning, searing through Agatha’s barrier. However, Agatha caught the bolt with her bare hands and started generating her own lightning to push Caelum’s strike back. Both Druids tried to overpower the other and their conflicting energies created sudden jolts that seared the walls and ceiling. On one occasion, a flash of mystical light burned a few of Caelum’s men, but Caelum was too focused to notice. Eventually, the clash of magic became too great and a powerful shockwave pushed both Caelum and Agatha away from each other. Caelum quickly rose back up, but noticed that Agatha was rising slower than him. It became clear that Agatha’s energy reserves were inferior to Caelum’s and it was only a matter of time before he defeated her.

  “This is the end for you, witch! You have to be aware of that! Why do you keep fighting? Even if you manage to kill me, my army and brothers will avenge me! No matter what happens, you have lost this war! Yield now and I will end your life quickly!”

  Panting, Agatha countered, “I have done things for this dynasty that the gods will damn me for, but I have no regrets. For years I thought Autem or one of our heirs was going to bring about the foretold Golden Age, an age brought upon by a golden beast. I realize now that my family was never the dynasty from the prophecy. It could be your family or another family that has not been founded yet. All I know is that the Golden Age is coming even if I will not be here to see it come to fruition. The only thing I can do is defy you until the bitter end so my granddaughter escapes your clutches!”

  Baffled, Caelum demanded, “Granddaughter? What are you talking about?”

  Instead of answering, Agatha prepared to launch a powerful gust of wind at Caelum, but Caelum shot a bolt of lightning at Agatha’s abdomen. Agatha was so stunned by the attack that she fell to her knees and could not get up again. Instead, she gasped for breath as she clutched the searing hole in her gut. Caelum recognized that Agatha was not going to recover this time. Telekinetically summoning his kodachi to his hand, Caelum approached Agatha with purposeful steps until he stood right in front of her. Agatha looked up at Caelum, sweating profusely and wheezing heavily. Caelum grabbed Agatha by her hair and held his blade to her throat.

  “Your granddaughter may have escaped us for now, but we will find her and kill her like we did the rest of your wretched dynasty! For Rhea!” Caelum venomously declared before cleanly severing Agatha’s head from her shoulders.

  Consumed by bloodlust and triumph, Caelum turned to his men, held up Agatha’s decapitated head, and roared. The men-at-arms bellowed with Caelum and started chanting, “Witch Slayer!” Caelum was pleased with his new title because he was now a slayer of monsters like his father before him. Relief washed over him as he felt to void in his soul finally filled.

  CHAPTER 28

  Inside the Imperial Palace, the Privy Council debated on what course of action to take. The atmosphere in the chamber was intense as one baron shouted after another. At the center of the chaos, Lord Chancellor Peter Muur struggled to maintain order.

  “My lords, we will have order!” Peter instructed, slamming his fist into the table.

  “Why should we? Chrysos has fallen and the Imperial Dynasty has been exterminated. I say we keep our gates closed and wait out the siege,” said one baron.

  “I concur! We have enough provisions to last us decades!” added another baron.

  Sighing, Peter finally said, “If we are going to hold out, I suggest we send messenger pigeons to any kings or barons who still support the Sylva cause. They will have to come to our aid after everything we did for them.”

  At first, the other council members murmured in agreement. However, the brief sense of relief was broken when Jacen Flynt, captain of the Imperial guard, barged into the chamber with dozens of his men escorting him. Like all members of the Imperial guard, Jacen and his cohorts were clad in gilded armor with crimson cloaks flowing from their shoulders. Once they reached the table, Jacen and his comrades drew their swords, alarming the entire council.

  “Captain Flynt! What is the meaning of this?” Peter demanded, his voice trembling.

  “The city is lost! My men and I are not willing to starve inside this mountain for a lost cause! We are taking you all to the rebels and maybe, just maybe, they will grant us mercy!” Jacen declared.

  ______

  Just as Caelum was promised, his army finished sacking Chrysos and surrounded the Imperial Palace by dawn. As the sun crept over the clouds, Caelum was enjoying a simple breakfast in the ruins of a tavern with Barma and Thanon. Agatha’s head was kept in a bag that was buckled to Caelum’s belt, blood seeping through the bottom. Resting next to Caelum’s chair was a stone that his soldiers chipped off of the city battlements, wrapped in a Sylva banner.

  Throughout the city, Caelum’s men struck down the Sylva banners and replaced them with the flags of Houses Magnus, Staan, and Ganjol. The corpses of the guards were drawn and quartered with their heads and quarters mounted on spikes along the walls and streets. Their hollowed-out organs were piled up in the city square and publicly put to the torch. Agatha’s headless body was crucified just outside of the drawbridge of the Imperial Palace. Caelum and his allies were sending a clear message to the surviving denizens of Chrysos: obey the new dynasty or suffer the consequences.

  Studying him, Thanon asked, “Why did you keep the Empress’s head? What’s with the stone and banner?”

  Chuckling as he sipped from his cup of mead, Caelum answered, “It is something my father did before I was born. When he consolidated his sovereignty over Umbran, the legendary Numen the Slayer gave his defeated enemies a choice to swear fealty to him or be destroyed. Those who defied him were cooked alive in their own castles as my father and his dragon incinerated them. In the aftermath, my father claimed their fallen banners, skulls, and a stone from each of their castles as trophies to immortalize his victories. I guarantee my brothers and sister are claiming trophies of their own out there. I would hate to disappoint them and survive the war empty-handed. Magnus Keep has a trophy room containing my family’s collection of items we salvaged from our defeated foes. Once we make the Imperial Palace our own, we will relocate the trophies here and add what we acquired from the war to our ever-growing collection. We shall continue this tradition until the end of time.”

  Barma snickered as she japed, “I had no idea you Magnuses were a bunch of savages. In Darrm, defeating your enemies is a civilized practice. You fight someone, kill him, done. In your case, you defeat your enemies and then smear their legacy through the mud. You were quite a barbarian out there, Magnus. Are you sure you ended this war the right way? Whatever would your brothers think when they see the mutilated corpses decorating the streets?”

  Caelum scoffed, “Judge me however you want. Normally, Chrysos is not only the largest city in Gradaia, but also the best defended. If we did not take the city the way we did, they would have held out for a siege that would literally last years, which would prolong this war even more and waste more lives and resources as the surviving loyalists try to thwart the siege. This way, we brought a swift end to the war and served the city to my brothers on a silver platter. We finished what we set out to do. We restored our family back to our rightful place in the world. We can finally establish a dynasty that will last a thousand years and there is no one left to stop us!”

  Raising an eyebrow, Thanon asked, “And you got your revenge for the deaths of your father and dragons.”

  “Aye. Revenge was an additional boon to our conquest and I am forever happy for it.”

  “So which of you is going to be the new Emperor? Since you are quadruplets, it looks like it is going to be difficult to decide,” Barma asked.

  “Kemrin will be Emperor. He is not only the firstborn, but he has the perfect balance of the qualities that make a good Emperor. He is skilled in both war and politics with a hunter’s cunning. My other brothers and I are only one of those qualities. To be Emperor, we cannot risk restricting ourselves to just one of those
fields. The best I can do is serve as the new Lord Magistrate. Due to his military expertise, Daegar would be an ideal Lord Marshal. As part of Kemrin’s pact with House Rosa, King Walter Rosa will serve as Lord Chancellor. The other members of the Privy Council will be chosen later.”

  “Sounds like you got it all planned out. I hope you uphold the other part of our bargain by adding me to the Privy Council,” Barma said.

  “Oh yes. You will get your prize as long as your father gives my brothers victory, Thanon his trade deal, and your brother makes my sister happy.”

  Suddenly, a soldier burst into the tavern and announced, “My Prince! The garrison of the Imperial Palace have struck down their banners and surrendered! They’re lowering the drawbridge now! Shall we execute them with the other guards?”

  “No. They surrendered peacefully and will be given quarter. Is there anything else?”

  “Aye. They are bringing the previous Privy Council members bound and gagged. What shall we do with them?”

  “Keep them as hostages to ensure the good behavior of their Houses.”

  “Yes, my prince.”

  Afterwards, the soldier departed, leaving Caelum, Thanon, and Barma with their comrades. Caelum held up his cup and announced, “Men! The day is ours! The war is over!”

  Every man-at-arms within earshot cheered with triumph.

  CHAPTER 29

  Three weeks later . . .

  Deep in the bowels of the Imperial Palace, Kemrin stood with two crowns in one hand and an intricately crafted cane in the other. The cane was made from black wood with a gold tip on one end and a gold handle sculpted into a phoenix head on the other. In his left hand were his Ferruman crown and Autem’s gilded crown, and he felt the snake-skin texture of the metal as he held them.

  In front of Kemrin was a team of blacksmiths preparing a forge. The coals were already red-hot, causing intense heat to fill the chamber. Smoke stung the nostrils of everyone present and tickled their lungs in a sickening way.