Benjamin Ashwood

by AC Cobble

  “I, um, I got the mushrooms and the girls can find their own way back. They’re fine,” he hurriedly added. He could feel the heat rising in his face and hoped Saala didn’t ask him any more about it.

  “No, I meant your sword. I’m sure the girls can walk through the woods without you watching them. Didn’t you have your sword when you left?”

  That evening Ben was uncomfortably huddled by the fire trying to ignore baleful glares from Meghan. It seemed she wasn’t going to quickly forget. He kept glancing at Amelie to see what her reaction was but she ignored him and seemed unaffected. She was deep in conversation with Lady Towaal and Saala and he didn’t catch her looking his way. Meghan’s expression kept growing darker though.

  “What did you do to her?” whispered Renfro.

  “I didn’t do anything. What are you talking about?” Ben hissed back.

  “Meghan. She’s mad at you Ben. Can’t you see the way she’s looking at you?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing. Just brother sister stuff. No big deal.”

  “Are you sure? Every time she sees you look at Amelie she just gets madder. She may be your sister, but she’s Amelie’s friend. You don’t want to come between girlfriends, believe me. Whatever you did to Amelie, you better make right or Meghan’s going to make you pay for it.”

  “I…” he didn’t know what to say. “I need to take a walk.”

  Ben was pacing up and down the road in the low moonlight when he felt a presence approaching from the camp. As it got closer, he saw it was Meredith carefully picking her way through the grass.

  “Hi Meredith. I was just trying to get some fresh air away from the fire.”

  “Oh, me too. The fire is nice, but it’s good to get some mountain air after being in the city. Don’t you agree?”

  “Yeah, um, it is nice.”

  She placed her hand on his arm, “I want to thank you Ben. I know Meghan is mad, but I thought it was very brave that you came running when you thought we were in trouble.”

  “Oh, it was nothing. I mean, I didn’t know what was happening and I was worried.”

  “I know, that’s why I appreciate it. Being Amelie’s handmaiden, I am part of the background sometimes. I haven’t had a lot of people try to come save me.”

  “I don’t know if I could really save you from anything.” He shrugged uncomfortably. “It was just instinct.”

  “I heard you were a good fighter.” She moved closer and looped her arm around his. “Let’s keep walking.”

  “Ok, sure.” Ben breathed a sigh of relief. If at least one of the girls wasn’t mad, then there was hope for the other two.

  Meredith walked close beside him in the cool spring air. The new moon lit the roadway enough to see where they were walking but the low light made the evening seem close and intimate.

  “Some of the Citadel guardsmen came calling for me when we were in Whitehall,” Meredith continued. “Not that I would ever pay a guardsman any real attention of course, but I didn’t want to be rude. They spoke about you. They said you had impressed the Master of Arms and that he was interested in you joining the guard. After seeing how brave you were today, maybe I could be interested in you too?”

  Ben looked down at Meredith and could see in the moonlight that she was gazing up at him. He didn’t know what to say to that.

  “I know you like her, but Amelie isn’t right for you,” she said. “She’s high born and these things are business for her, it’s all arranged. Not like us,” she purred and drew his arm around her shoulders, “we can do whatever we want.”

  Inside, Ben groaned. Despite his best intentions, life was just getting more complex.

  The next morning they started at the first sign of daylight. As Rhys and Towaal had predicted, it was going to be a hard three days travel to Snowmar Station. Snowmar Station was Whitehall’s guard barracks and rest stop atop the Snowmar Pass.

  The road itself was broad and well maintained. It was steep though and the terrain around it got more rugged as they ascended. They passed a few empty carts that were slowly heading up to the pass and eventually the Sineook Valley. Many of the large merchant trains must have still been in the city. The merchants made their money bringing agricultural goods to Whitehall from the Valley. The more successful ones tried to find a cargo to haul back as well. The cargo might be people mused Ben since many would be pouring out of the city now that the Conclave was over. Hitching a ride in the back of a wagon didn’t sound too bad after a long day of hiking.

  The climb wasn’t any more strenuous than what Ben was used to back home, but the pace Towaal kept was punishing. She rarely allowed stops for breaks and didn’t look back to check if anyone was falling behind. There were a couple of moments when Ben thought he’d have to carry poor Renfro the rest of the way.

  When they finally stopped for the evening it was in one of the few flat parts off the road that wasn’t already occupied by farmers or merchants. Rhys explained that in the busy seasons many of the merchant trains just pulled to the side and slept right on the road. The party ate a quick dinner and everyone pulled out their bedrolls, exhausted by the brisk pace and long day.

  As Ben was arranging his area, Meredith slid in between him and Renfro. She gave a shy smile and asked, “mind if I sleep here? I promise I don’t snore.”

  Renfro grinned back at her, “me neither.” She only had eyes for Ben though and ignored Renfro’s comment.

  “Of course you can,” sighed Ben.

  The next two nights were like that. Right before everyone turned in, Meredith would casually roll out her pack next to Ben. He saw Amelie was pretending she didn’t notice and Meghan’s gaze got even frostier. Rhys gave an encouraging nod but given his predilections, Ben wasn’t sure how to take it. By the third night, even Renfro realized what was happening and shifted his bedroll away to give them more room.

  In the mornings, Ben would wake up to find Meredith scooted up almost onto his bedroll. Neither the men or women chose to say anything, but it was clear that she was marking her territory. Ben was embarrassed by the situation and belatedly realized, maybe he shouldn’t have kissed her that night.

  By the final afternoon before Snowmar they were all ready to be done with the rocky mountain road. There were only a few leagues left and everyone, even Renfro, was skipping breaks and struggling to finish this leg of the journey quickly.

  With the top of the pass peeking in to sight, they passed a tight bend in the road and could see a tower jutting from an outcropping high above them. Lady Towaal covered her eyes and stared up at it, “it’s the guard tower. They have one on each side of the Pass. Snowmar Station sits in the middle where it’s flat. They use the towers to keep an eye on who is approaching and light signal fires for emergencies. There’s a tower down in Whitehall with a looking glass that can see all the way up here for when the signal fire is lit.”

  Rhys was also staring intently up at the tower. He looked at Saala, grunted and adjusted his pack to free space around the hilt of his long sword.

  Saala nodded and did the same.

  “What do you see?” asked Towaal. “I see the flag is still flying Argren’s sigil. Is something wrong?”

  Rhys rumbled, “it’s not what we see. It’s what we don’t see. Where’s the guard? Could be he’s sleeping or day dreaming about some woman back in Whitehall but listen. It’s just the sound of the wind. There’s a hundred men supposed to be barracked up there and I don’t hear a damn thing.”

  Towaal looked between Rhys and Saala and noted both men’s nervousness. “Ok everyone, be prepared.”

  Renfro looked to Ben, “be prepared for what?”

  As they drew closer the silence grew more eerie. Ben had not noticed it until Rhys mentioned it, but the only sounds came from the wind and their own footfalls. The group stopped talking entirely and Renfro had gone as far to pull two of his knives out. Ben saw Rhys and Saala still had their weapons in the sheath so he kept his there as well.

  After several switchbac
ks they passed the guard tower before entering the Pass. The tower was indeed empty with the heavy door left ajar. Rhys silently drew his two long knives, the first time Ben had seen him pull his own steel, and ducked into the narrow open doorway. Heartbeats later he reappeared and quietly reported, “nothing. No people, no signs of violence. Looks like breakfast was left on the table untouched.”

  A grim faced Saala drew his curved falchion with a hiss. “There should be someone here. Even if bandits or someone overran Snowmar they would have left a lookout on the Whitehall road.”

  “There’s no wealth here for bandits,” frowned Rhys. “It’s provisions for the men and a way station for travelers. Most of the merchant trains are foodstuffs and not worth stealing.”

  Ben shared a worried look with Renfro and drew his sword. It was a plain weapon, but the weight of it felt good now. If Rhys and Saala were worried, he was downright terrified.

  They moved past the guard tower and the group’s unease grew. In the distance, they could see the walls of Snowmar Station spreading across the width of the Pass. The road ran right through the center and out the other side. The Station was designed to be a defense point for Whitehall and it would be nearly impossible for an attacking force to move up the narrow roadway and have an effective assault on the towering stone walls.

  Halfway to the walls, Ben’s breath caught. Rhys had already seen it and was jogging ahead of the group. On the side of the road were two dark shapes lying on the ground. Rhys had sheathed his knives after exiting the guard tower but now he drew his longsword. When they got closer to Rhys and the shapes, Ben saw they had found the missing tower guards. They were both lying face down in a pool of blood and gore.

  “Damn,” muttered Saala. He looked to Towaal, “do we turn around?”

  She was scanning the walls of Snowmar. After a quick glance she had ignored the bodies. “This is the only pass anywhere near here. It will cost us a month to turn now.

  Rhys nudged a body with his foot, “Karina, this wasn’t done by men.”

  Ben started, he hadn’t heard anyone use Lady Towaal’s first name since Murdoch’s when she introduced herself.

  “We press on,” she said grimly. “Whatever did this doesn’t appear to be here now and I need to see what happened. Saala and Rhys out front,” she barked, “and I will take the rear. Girls and boys, stay tight and shout if you see anything move.”

  Ben shuddered. He saw the spray of gore surrounding the two dead men and didn’t think he wanted to see any more. But he couldn’t abandon his companions though.

  The gates of Snowmar were open just like it was a normal day. Through those gates, Ben saw more corpses. Snowmar Station was one big open square surrounded by walls and mountains. The barracks and guest quarters were built into the back of the walls around the square. There was plenty of space for merchant trains to tie up for the night and for the guards to drill in the middle. Now it was littered with dead bodies.

  They passed through the gate into the thick walls before coming into the open square. It was a charnel house. “I count at least 50 of them” muttered Rhys. “Look, even the horses.”

  Meredith fell in beside Ben and gripped his arm whimpering. Rhys was right, a corral for horses at the far end of the square was filled with red and pink chucks of flesh. Ben nearly lost his lunch when he saw it and Renfro did lose his when they had to step around an eviscerated guardsman lying in the center of the path.

  Meghan caught Ben’s glance and for the first time in days he saw only concern in her gaze instead of anger. Everything that happened down at the campsite was long forgotten.

  Rhys gestured across the square to the other gate. It was also open. “Shall we?”

  “No,” answered Towaal, “we must find out what did this. You’re right, this was not done by men.”

  “If we must.” Rhys sighed and looked around the group. “Ok, everyone to the center of the square, stand back to back and face out where you have visibility. Saala, will you check the buildings?”

  “I’m staying with Amelie,” replied Saala. “Sorry, but I am here for her safety.”

  “Alright then.” Rhys slung his pack down on the ground and adjusted his weapons harness until he was satisfied his long knives were easily accessible. He held his long sword out and started towards what looked like the barracks. For the first time, Ben really saw his weapon. It was a twilight grey and appeared to have faint silver etching all along the length of the blade. The steel was darker than any Ben had seen before. The silver etching seemed to fade into the blade the longer he looked at it. It wasn’t a Blademaster’s sigil, but Ben couldn’t tell what it was. He didn’t have time either. Rhys moved quickly towards the barracks and they huddled into a circle and kept an eye out for any movement.

  Nervous minutes passed after Rhys disappeared. Nothing moved but they strained their ears trying to hear anything. Finally, he reappeared and trotted over to them shaking his head.

  “Just more dead. And this.” He tossed a torn piece of cloth onto the ground. It looked like a piece of tunic from one of Argren’s guardsmen but there was a dark purple stain on one corner.

  “Damn,” whispered Saala.

  Lady Towaal glared at the stain then commanded, “we need to check the pigeon coop. The signal fire wasn’t lit, but maybe they got off some messenger birds to warn others.”

  “Karina, there were a hundred trained guardsmen up here and who knows how many merchant guards. We need to leave. Now.”

  “I understand Rhys, but we have to know if they sent a warning.”

  “Hold on. What is the significance of that stain? We have a right to know what is going on,” demanded Amelie.

  Saala answered slowly, “it’s demon blood. If there was a large enough pack to take out this entire garrison then I’m not sure we’ll be sufficient. Lady Towaal, I agree with Rhys, we must leave now. Regardless of whether any pigeons got out, we can warn others in the Sineook Valley and they can get word to Whitehall. Others will see what happened with the dead guards on the road and turn around before they get here. The only thing we can do staying here is risk ourselves and I cannot let Amelie take a risk like this.”

  Lady Towaal grimaced. “We cannot go until we check on something. The Captain of the Station had an artifact. One that I must recover.”

  “Bloody Sanctuary politics,” snarled Rhys. “You could get us all killed.”

  Lady Towaal regained her calm and stated, “I insist.”

  None of them were happy about it, but none wanted to openly defy Lady Towaal either.

  “We stay together then,” muttered Rhys.

  Rhys again took the lead as they moved towards the north end of the square to the officer’s quarters and hopefully the artifact they needed to find. They moved quickly and quietly. Now that they knew what they faced, the fear was still there, but it was manageable.

  The officer’s quarters proved to be nearly empty. The men who stayed here must have been somewhere else or must have rushed outside when the attack started. The one body they did find was a half dressed man lying prone in his doorway. His head had been torn off and tossed into the room across the hall. The scene was surreal. If it wasn’t for the destruction outside Ben would have thought it make believe at first. He made eye contact with Meghan as they passed and saw the sentiment mirrored in her eyes.

  Finally, they found what had to be the Captain’s room. It was the only one in the building that had a seating area and it had a large map of the pass and surrounding territory on one wall. Lady Towaal pushed past everyone into the man’s bed chamber while the rest of the group waited. Saala stepped back into the hallway and stood guard.

  While they were waiting for Towaal to search the man’s room, Rhys began examining the map and called Ben over. “See these pins? These tags on them are dates. It looks like they started up in the mountains here,” he pointed to a peak about 15 leagues from Snowmar Station, “and they slowly moved towards the Pass.”

  Ben nodded, “ye
s, but what does it mean?”

  Rhys shrugged, “I don’t know. Demon sightings maybe? That doesn’t make sense though, they had men to hunt down a lone demon that was loose in the hills, and would have sent for help if it was something they couldn’t handle. From these dates, there would have been plenty of time to make Whitehall and back.”

  They were still examining the map when Lady Towaal returned. “It’s not here and neither is the Captain. We must find his body. He might have kept it on him.”

  Rhys rolled his eyes at her back and led the way past Saala into the hall and out towards the square.

  By the time they entered the mess hall they had already searched most of the buildings at the Station and had come up empty handed. They were all in similar states as the officer’s quarters and the square. In some, it was obvious that the occupants had warning and had attempted to defend themselves. In others, they had simply died.

  The mess hall was the first sign of real coordinated resistance. There was a barricade of flipped over tables and benches that had been shoved aside. Ben cringed when he thought about the strength it would have taken to move the pile.

  They also found the first dead demons. Six of the creatures lay between the barricade and the back of the hall. The demons were covered in arrows and some had long spears sticking out of them. There were numerous wounds from edged weapons that had come from the piles of dead men scattered around the floor.

  Ben stared at the dark shapes. They matched what he remembered from the attack in Farview. They were barrel chested and had thick overlong arms with stubby legs. Despite the appearance, he knew they could move quickly. The largest one of these would have come up to his chest but likely weighed twice what he did.

  Small wings and horns on the larger ones drew the eye but the real danger was the curved claws at the end of each heavily muscled arm and mouthfuls of sharply pointed teeth that sprouted out of powerful jaws. Ben shuddered when he remembered how easily those claws had torn into William Longaxe’s stomach.