Servants of the Old Gods (Hartland Book 1)

by J. B. Jenn

  Mercea charged the man. He brought up his sword to block hers, not expecting her to dive forward. She slid along the snow and grabbed the dagger from his belt. The blade slipped in between his armor and drove upwards into his lung. He fell to his knees, gasping, wide-eyed.

  Gaining her feet, she started to run for cover again. Arrows flew from the depths of the forest, whizzing by her. Mercea dove behind a pine tree. Several arrows hit the trunk with ferocious thuds. It was at times like this, she wished the Gods had given her magic, but magic didn’t work that way. Magic wasn’t divine. Magic was derived from darkness.

  Mercea slowed her breathing, listening to her surroundings. As she stood there, pressed up against a tree, she peered around it. She flattened herself against it, narrowly avoiding the arrow meant for her head.

  Taking in a deep breath, she darted to the next tree. One of the arrows grazed her upper arm, making her grimace as she hid behind another large pine tree. Glancing through the needles, she darted to the next tree over. It was bent at an odd angle making her rush toward the next one. As she sped to the other tree, she took an arrow in the side. The hit made her knees buckle. She stumbled forward. Her hands landed in the snow.

  King Barend’s men hurried toward her. Several had arrows trained on her. She looked down at the snow beneath her. For a moment, she watched blood drip from her side. One of the men’s black boots came into her vision. She dove to the side.

  Crashing down the steep mountainside was more painful than she had imagined. Tree branches stabbed her. Loose rocks cut into her. Sliding along the snow didn’t do her any favors. She could barely control the direction she went.

  Pain erupted from her shoulder. The shot was a lucky one to have hit her as she plunged down the cliff side. The arrow through her shoulder made it more difficult to control her descent. She hit a tree and another and another, unable to slow herself.

  Mercea reached out, trying to grab a branch. Twigs snapped off. If not for her gloves, her entire palms would be bloodied and splintered. Even so, some of the wood was still getting through.

  The last tree she hit, she impacted it with her chest. It spun her about. Mercea blinked back tears. Her head smacked against a large tree trunk. It was the last thing she remembered.

  Scrunder

  The next in command of King Barend’s men watched the Servant slide down the hill. Arrows soared past her, thudding into trees, making their limbs shudder from the impacts. He stared down the hillside, watching the trees sway. They couldn’t follow her. They’d have to find another way down. The slope was just steep enough to cause trouble.

  “Do you see her?” he asked one of the archers who was attempting to track her.

  The man’s left eye was closed and his bow moved along the path, searching. Scrunder already knew the man wasn’t going to see her. There were too many trees, she was moving too fast, and the snow swirled heavily around them. They had lost their chance.

  Scrunder looked about, searching for Queen De’Nae. For now, she seemed nowhere in sight. He hoped it meant they could fix their blunder before she discovered it had ever happened.

  “Sorry, sir.” The man shook his head. “I shot her once. I thought I could track her by the trees she hit, but I just couldn’t see her again.” The man lowered his bow. “I don’t think she could have survived that though.”

  Scrunder gave a derisive laugh. She was a Servant. She survived. The storm had caught them by surprise, even her. It was the only reason they had gotten so close to killing her.

  He looked toward the archer again. He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. They couldn’t fail again. Not with Queen De’Nae out there somewhere. Watching. Waiting. Even if he was acting paranoid, he couldn’t take the chance.

  “She survived,” he stated.

  These men were present when King Barend had addressed them about the dangers of the Old Gods and Their Servants. Queen De’Nae had told them not to worry about her, that she’d handle the Servant herself. He felt foolish for believing her. He should’ve prepared for her to just vanish when they needed her. He should have thought it as a possibility. Then again, he never thought he’d have to lead these men.

  “We won’t get a better chance to capture her than the one we had.” His gaze rested on the steep cliff again. He had never expected her to dive down it. He had thought they had her, so did the commander. He looked at the dead man, shaking his head. “Spread out. Find a way down there.”

  Delane

  Every inch of his body throbbed with pain. As he attempted to open his eyes, he realized one was bandaged shut. The vision from the other was blurry. He took in several deep breaths. There was a hazy figure to his left. A cool cloth came to rest on his forehead.

  Everything seemed so quiet. As he lay there, he couldn’t recall what had happened or why he could barely move. Hours seemed to pass as he drifted in and out of consciousness. With each time he woke, more and more of what had happened came to him. He had unknowingly ordered his sons to their deaths. So many had died. Kenokel lay in ruins.

  He remembered everything. The screams of the dying came back to him and haunted him. As everything rushed at him, tormenting him, there was a light in the horror. Janessa. She was the only one of his four children who lived. He attempted to sit up, but gentle hands kept him in place.

  “Your Majesty, it’s best you don’t move. You’ve…” Silence ensued. Delane wished he could see his friend, Osrin. “You’ve been through a lot, old friend.”

  “Is Janessa here?” Delane whispered. Just turning his head had made him feel weak and dizzy. Vomit rose in the back of his throat. There was a taste of blood to it.

  “Not yet. She’s due to show by tomorrow afternoon. If she doesn’t, we must get you to the North Gardens Palace. It isn’t safe here and…” Osrin sighed. Silence settled between them for what felt like an eternity before he continued. “You’re not in good condition, Delane. You must see a Mender. Even then, I don’t know if there’s anything they can do. I should have made you leave sooner.”

  Delane didn’t respond. He knew he was in bad shape. Closing his eyes again, he had to believe Janessa was alive. There was no other choice but to believe. He couldn’t die knowing all his children were dead.

  “What happened?” he asked, fighting to stay conscious. “I remember the tower. I remember we were abandoning the city. The rest is… vague.”

  “It isn’t surprising. The tower was hit by the monster. The wytches’ magic couldn’t stop it. There was nothing any of us could do. At first, we thought you were dead. Your breathing was so shallow.” Osrin fell silent again.

  “Promise me we’ll stay here for my daughter.”

  “Our progress is slow, Delane. We should have already left. We can’t delay any longer.”

  “We will wait here for my daughter. I won’t abandon her.”

  Osrin sighed and squeezed his hand. “I think she was already here and waited for you. She then made the decision to proceed to the Desert palace to seek help from King Maik. Galtrand would have seen to it. Besides, she’s a smart woman. You raised her well.”

  Delane snorted. Janessa would be an entirely different woman had she ever listened to him. If she was anyone else, she would have married already. She’d have given him grandchildren and she would be somewhere safe.

  Delane felt himself drifting toward the black again. He fought it off. He needed to know more.

  “How many escaped?”

  “Too few.”

  Delane knew if he could see his friend’s face, it’d look tortured as he remembered everything. They had both sent so many people to their deaths.

  “There was nothing any of us could do. Our soldiers tried,” Osrin stated. “We have only about thirty people with us at the moment. I’m sorry.”

  “What about Makira? Did she?”

  “She didn’t make it. Her bakery was in the area first to fall. Only one of the forty men sent to ensure her safety returned. He was killed on the way out
of the city, shielding you from a blast which would have killed you. He was a good man.”

  Delane closed his eyes. “The man shouldn’t have bothered. He should have saved himself.” Tears streamed down his face. He had planned to marry the woman. If he had known how things would have ended, he would have done so. If he had, Makira might be with him now.

  “There’s more to report.”

  “Later.”

  “Of course. I’ll leave you to rest.”

  Janessa

  The dead men lying on the ground had delayed them. Janessa scowled, kicking the nearest one. He gave a small groan. She hadn’t thought he still lived. Kneeling, she grabbed him by his cloak and pulled him up.

  “Why did you attack us?” she growled through clenched teeth. The man didn’t answer. She shook him. “Why did you attack us?”

  “The Stones are meant to die. We were hired to do a job just in case any of you survived.”

  “Who hired you?” The man laughed. She shook him again. “Answer me! Who hired you? Why want the Stones dead?”

  Janessa stared at him, grinding her teeth. She barely caught the movement in time. His dagger was aimed for her heart, but her arm deflected it. A red line appeared on her cloak. She punched him and took the dagger from him. It’d was painful to do so given the wound in her shoulder she’d received during the initial attack. Briefly, she thought of turning the dagger against him.

  “Let me deal with this, my lady,” Galtrand said from behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

  “I can handle it.” Janessa’s eyes never left the man. “I asked you…”

  The man’s laugh interrupted her. Before she had time to do anything else, he went into convulsions so strong she had to release him and take a step back. She watched him, wide-eyed, hand over her mouth, until he stopped thrashing. Janessa knelt, checking for a pulse.

  “He’s dead.” She leaned back, studying him. “Why would he kill himself?”

  “I don’t know, my lady.” He looked to the others. “Search him and the others and then burn them.” He turned back to her. Janessa met his pale blue eyes. His eyes were always so kind. She looked away, knowing why. “Come, let me tend to your wounds.” She furrowed her brow. “Don’t worry. I’ve been mending my own soldiers for some time now.”

  “How’s that? Father always has someone sent with each group to see to those needs.”

  A deep sadness came to him. “Our healer died in one of my first missions, four years ago. I know your father would like everyone to believe Cascade has seen peace for over a century. It isn’t true. Any soldier who has to scout the kingdom knows this. Golden Valley has been sending scouts in for the last five years, maybe longer. We don’t know what they’re planning, if anything at all. They might even be behind the attack. We’ve also seen men from Carthoda.”

  Silence pursued as he cleaned her wound. Every once in a while she’d cringe.

  “How did it happen? How’d you lose your Mender?”

  “We were sent to Loekedd. It’s a small town bordering Cascade and Golden Valley.”

  “I know where it is,” Janessa answered harshly. “I’ve been there.”

  Galtrand gave a small smile. “We were sent there due to complaints of soldiers taking their women and food. When we arrived, we discovered the town had formed their own militia. They had tired of waiting for the kingdom to do anything about what was happening. They mistook us for the soldiers from Golden Valley as they were dressing in similar clothing to ours. I lost two other men trying to convince them we were Cascadians, just like them.”

  Galtrand sighed heavily. For a few moments, he continued to work on her shoulder. The needle was barely noticeable as it weaved in and out of her skin.

  “Ever since, I’ve had to learn to mend people through practice. King Delane didn’t want to give me another Mender, just so I could get him or her killed. He acted as if I had purposefully gotten Ward killed.”

  Janessa cringed from the bitterness in his voice. She wanted to say something, but didn’t think anything she could say would help. Her father was a hard man at times. She knew it only too well. So, she sat there in silence as he finished stitching her shoulder. He moved to her forearm on the other side, just below her elbow.

  “Do you think I could have made a difference had I been there to help?” Galtrand looked to her. “Do you think if more people, even women, had been trained how to fight, Kenokel wouldn’t have been destroyed?”

  “It’s doubtful.” His voice was soft.

  “Why?”

  “Even if there were others who knew how to fight, no one could get close to that thing. Those who did, died, unable to hurt it. Arrows bounced off of it. Magic didn’t even work. So, no, those people, including yourself, would’ve died.” He shook his head. “Just like your brothers.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked them back. “There were smaller creatures within the city which could have been killed. I heard you say so to some of the soldiers. It could have saved lives if others knew how to fight.”

  “That part is true, I suppose.” He looked into her eyes. “I’m relieved you weren’t there. What if you’d been killed? What then?”

  She lowered her gaze. Even so, she wished she’d been there. She knew she couldn’t have changed what happened, but she still wished she’d been there. Kenokel was her home and she hadn’t defended it.

  Galtrand placed a hand on her good shoulder. “We shouldn’t stay here. We’ll bury our dead, but we need to make it to the rendezvous. We’re already behind schedule.”

  Janessa nodded.

  Querra

  The Relentless had retreated from Kenokel. The destroyed buildings and fires were behind them by a few days. Over those days, they had struggled to reach the place they had. Several small horned and winged creatures had attacked them along the way. They had lost more of their men.

  Querra looked toward her tattered soldiers, feeling defeated. She had failed to protect the city from those monsters, and she had failed to protect her men when they had fled.

  It was sheer chance she and most of the Relentless had been near the city. They were investigating a murder rampage a few days away from Kenokel when it had happened. Ten people were killed. With what had happened at the capital city, the investigation had ceased. They still had no answers as to what had happened to all those people. In light of everything, her guess was these monsters were responsible.

  She looked to everyone they had managed to save. They were all worn and grieving. Even so, a few of them wore thin smiles, despite the losses they had suffered, relieved they had somehow survived. Her heart ached for them. She wanted to do more for them.

  As they settled down, planning to stay a few days, Querra walked away from the camp. The sounds of coughing and low conversations grew distant. She couldn’t stand to see all the wounded, knowing they had abandoned others back in the city. As they had fled, she had heard their terrified screams and whimpers. She’d never forget.

  There was little she could have done with the large monster there, tearing through her men. Although it hadn’t taken a complete interest in them, it had still caused so much death. So much destruction.

  She clenched her fists at her sides. This was so unfair. People had died and for what? At the moment, there were no answers. It was what bothered her the most. Cascade was in trouble. It was the only certainty in this mess.

  “You shouldn’t leave like that,” her second in command, Eiden, chastised. Querra allowed her shoulders to drop. “The others look up to you. When you leave like this, you look weak.”

  “Even leaders need time for weak moments, Eiden.” She gave a distant smile. “A lot has happened. I needed time to think, away from…” She closed her eyes. “From everything.”

  Eiden didn’t leave her side. Instead, he remained where he was, staring at her. “What do you plan to do? You can’t ask us to return to Kenokel. It’s asking us to die.”

  Querra met him with anger. “If we d
on’t go back, we’re asking for anyone trapped there to die! How can you only think of yourself at a time like this?” Eiden didn’t answer. He only stared. “Would you just leave me for a moment?” When she was alone, she could think better. She needed to figure out what to do next.

  She knew returning to the capital was suicidal. The others who were in camp were the lucky survivors. The problem was she didn’t like knowing there were people trapped, dying slow deaths when there was something she could do about it.

  Querra sat down, bringing her knees up to rest her head on. As she sat there, she thought back to everything she had witnessed. All the horrors. All the death. The blood. She knew she wouldn’t sleep for a few nights, at least not without night terrors. She was certain others would experience the same. They had all lived through it. Yet, it seemed so distant, as if it was only a fleeting nightmare.

  “Right now, Eiden, the only thing I know for a certainty is we’re staying in Cascade. This kingdom is my home. I won’t let it get overrun by those monsters. We can at least kill the little ones. We can save some people.”

  “Take a look at your weapon.”

  “I know.” She pulled it from its sheath. She stared at the blade with holes in it and jagged pieces. Most of the soldiers’ swords looked similar.

  “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to need a lot of spare weapons.”

  “We’ll figure something out. Maybe a blacksmith in one of the smaller towns can help us. It’s the best we have and we’re going to have to make due.”

  “One blacksmith isn’t going to cut it, Querra.”

  She met Eiden’s eyes. “I know.”

  Ogden

  They had discovered charred bodies around Lake Jejdin a few days ago. The trail had led his unit into the Spindle Mountains where a blizzard had overcome the area. Wind swirled snow all around them. It made tracking the men who they believed responsible for the deaths at the lake near to impossible.