by Kyle J Cisco
“Jack,” Virgil said, “Chaplain Rex needs you to ask the guard captain for volunteers to accompany us. We’ve got grave news. The village set ablaze last night was in fact attacked by some sort of shadow assassins. Sister Natasha, can you give us any insight on these creatures? Have you heard of them before in any of your ranger training?”
“No, we have not trained much in the business of shadow assassins. We are rangers, not killers.”
“I meant no offense. No need to get all sensitive on us.”
“Something wrong, Virgil?” Jack asked.
“I was thinking of a nightmare that has been plaguing my sleep for some time now. A nightmare of fire and shadows moving around in the fire committing unspeakable deeds. It is making me feel as though if I had listened more thoughtfully to the dream, I could have prevented the atrocities that befell that village last night.”
“No one could have known what was truly transpiring last night, Virgil. That was something beyond even the Order’s power.”
“Well, perhaps. How many guards did we manage to get from the captain?”
“Nine. Including the captain himself—that would make ten. Hopefully that number will be sufficient.”
“It will have to do.”
The men milled about restlessly, ready to depart. Rex emerged from the fortress dressed in the battle gear of a chaplain of the Order. His robes came down obscuring most of the man’s shanks, which were unarmored other than some leather shin pads. The steel chest plate he wore was emblazoned with the six-pointed star, and at the bottom he kept the Order’s Codex of Light chained to the belt he wore, standard gear for a battle chaplain. The last thing Rex brought with him was his mighty war hammer. One side of the weapon was as blunt as could be and the other ended in a point that could tear right through even the heaviest of plate armor. It was the first time Virgil had seen his mentor dressed in such a way, although he knew the outfit well from seeing other chaplains of the Order wear their gear while in the fortress. What made Rex stand out from the others was the number of sacred ribbons he wore to recognize the achievements he had earned in battle.
Rex was the most decorated of the battle chaplains. Otherwise he would not have made it to become a High Chaplain in the Order, the right hand to the Executor. The handle of his weapon had even been inlaid with gold, wrapping all the way up and around the head of the large hammer. This was another feature that was original to Rex’s hammer; the High Executor himself forged the gold around the hilt as a thanks to Rex for saving the Executor’s life in a battle against a roving clan of mercenaries while on tour around the lands of the Covenant of Man. Rex’s secondary weapon was a mace in the shape of the six-pointed star that he used to amplify his connection to the Light.
“Are we ready to set out, Brother Virgil?”
Virgil scanned the bustling courtyard. “Yes, we are prepared to leave. We have nineteen men in all including you, the captain of the guard, and his men.”
“Let’s move out, men, and make haste. We will camp tonight and approach the village first thing in the morning,” Rex said.
The company of warriors mounted up, and for the first time since they joined the Order, Jack, Natasha, and Virgil traveled beyond the walls of the Fortress of Light.
5
On the road, the company fell into formation with Rex and Virgil leading the way and Natasha and Jack riding behind them. Virgil still pondered his dream and what he possibly could have done to have prevented this horror, but no answers came to mind.
Virgil studied the lands that under the Covenant’s protection. Life went on as the sun continued to rise, the green fields were tended, and the crops were harvested.
“There was nothing you could have done, young Virgil. You cannot change the past. You can only learn from it for the future,” Rex said.
Virgil’s quiet contemplation broken, he turned to face his mentor. Rex’s gray beard flowed in the breeze that swept through the plains. Virgil glanced down, as if this motion would turn him away from the truth of what he felt at the moment.
“I know. But I feel responsible for what happened to those people.” Virgil glanced back to see if others could hear the conversation. “If I cannot protect those I am meant to serve, how can I protect those I care about?”
“All good questions, but for another time, perhaps. Because as of now, you have yet to let anyone down.”
Miles ahead of them, smoldering smoke stained the sky.
“Tell that to them.”
Rex rode for a while in silence. “What we need to figure out is what caused this attack, and if there is a larger threat at work here. We must tread carefully for I am feeling uneasy about this trip.”
For Chaplain Rex to be worried—a man of such incredible ability—that was not a good sign.
“Do you think that Chaplain Xavier is out there somewhere or was involved or . . . perhaps was behind the attack?”
“That is the question at hand. We will have to find out tomorrow.” Rex cracked open the Codex of Light and began reading, and Virgil took the hint that he was done with the conversation for now.
Virgil spurred his horse forward away from the group for a moment to collect his thoughts and try to strengthen his connection with the Light. Hooves approached close behind. Turning to see if Rex was coming up to continue the conversation, he was surprised to see that it was not him, but Natasha.
“You looked lonely all the way up here. Thought you could use some company,” Natasha said as she rode up next to Virgil.
“And here I thought you don’t associate with common folk like me,” Virgil said, but he slowed his horse to let her catch up to him.
“Our time in the Order will be long. We can at least learn to tolerate one another.”
“Have you noticed anything off about this mission, or the details surrounding it?” Virgil instantly regretted the question, not wanting to worry about her about the road ahead.
“Not so far as I have seen, but I have been looking at the road while we’ve been riding and there was something . . .”
“What is it, Natasha?”
She hesitated.
“Natasha? What did you see?”
“It’s probably nothing, but a while ago the trail of the survivor for the village vanished, just as if he didn’t start walking until being in sight of the fortress. I know it doesn’t make much sense, but I don’t know—something seems off about him.”
Something did seem off about the man, but what?
“He did say something odd to me when I first talked with him.”
The villager knew a surprising amount of information—even about Virgil, just like the Faceless One. “They will never stop hunting you.” It was as if he could hear the demon’s voice whispering in his mind.
“What?”
“He asked why I didn’t save him, and he called me ‘blood of the great one.’” Virgil spun around. “Captain!”
Rex rode up next to Virgil. “What is it, Virgil?
“We need to send the captain and his men back. We need to get word to the Executor. The man from the village—there’s something not right about him.”
“Virgil, slow down and tell me what is going on.”
“Rex, you need to trust me, something is amiss here. The survivor—his tracks appeared almost out of nowhere. Not only that, but he said the same words to me that I heard in my dream—as if he were the one who gave it to me in the first place. We must send someone to check this out. The safety of the Order is at stake.”
“I think we need the captain and his men here with us. We don’t know what we will find ahead.”
“It was my discovery that spurred this, Chaplain Rex. I suggest we send someone immediately to put that man under arrest until we can discern his true intentions,” Natasha said.
“All right, we will send the captain and his men back to make sure all is well. Along with an order from me to put the man under arrest.”
The captain approached from the rest of
the formation and slowed his mount to a walk alongside Virgil. “Yes, Brother Virgil? Is there something wrong?”
“I am going to need you to take your men back to the fortress and immediately put the man that survived from the village under arrest. He may be an agent of the enemy. When this is done, send a rider to give us word of his capture. Is that understood? You must make all haste.”
“Yes, sir. Men, fall out! We ride for the Fortress of Light!” Wheeling his horse around, he took off and separated from the group.
“This is grave indeed,” Rex said.
Virgil kicked his horse, increasing the pace they made toward where they would make camp for the night and await word from the captain’s men.
Hours passed as they rode to within a mile of the village and set up camp. Natasha had brought her sight glass to keep a close watch on any movements stirring within the village or nearby. Two other male rangers, Gregory Papovich and Miko Demeroff, likewise kept watch in shifts throughout the night.
“Jack, I need you to assemble the rest of the brothers and coordinate a watch schedule on the rest of the perimeter of the camp,” Rex said.
“Yes, chaplain.”
Then Virgil and Rex headed to the bedrolls. Virgil wanted to catch some sleep before it was time for his watch. On his way there, he passed some of the men sitting around a fire talking. Rex joined them.
Virgil slowed his pace to hear what story of Rex would tell the younger men. Rex began to talk of his experience where he saved the High Executor from the mercenary band; that was one Virgil had heard several times and figured he would take the time to get some sleep if he could manage it.
Lying on his back, Virgil gazed into the night sky at what could be seen of the stars through the smoke. The last thing Virgil remembered was the darkness between the stars before he was whisked away by sleep.
He awoke in a panic after being plagued once more by the dream of the figure cloaked in black. It took him a few minutes to slow his breathing. Virgil wandered toward the fire where Natasha sat staring into the flames.
“Summer nights are quite nice here,” said Virgil.
“Yes, they are much different from the ones we experience in the northern regions.” Natasha exhaled to show she could not see her breath so far south. “Sometimes I do miss the colder nights. Gives a good reason to get close with someone. This will have to do for now. I am not looking to go back north anytime soon.”
“Why is that? I have heard the mountains of the north were a sight of majesty and envy.”
“And sure, they are, but . . . let’s just say that it’s the only good thing there. Petty wars and assassination attempts on the ruling noble families make the beautiful scenery a mere backdrop for conflict and murder.”
Virgil watched as her foot traced a line in the sand as if to cut off any further questions about her home.
“Is that the reason you wanted to join the Order? To escape that life?”
“Perhaps that is a story for another time.”
So instead they sat talking about their days as initiates, when all the while the question Virgil wanted to ask the most was, What happened before you came to the Order that you guard so close to your chest?
After a while, Papovich came to tag her onto her shift to watch the village. Virgil decided he didn’t want to just sit in front of the fire all night, so he went to check on the perimeter guards and make sure they were all awake, and speak with Jack.
While Virgil made his way to the first guard point overlooking the village vantage, he began to mentally pat himself on the back for choosing the most defensible position for camp. It was a small thicket which was covered in high grass, bushes, and wide spreading trees; this gave them a considerable amount of cover.
Virgil could hear someone whistling a tune he remembered from his younger days in the Order. The song told of the triumphs of men over the forces of evil. He made his way through the tall grass to where the guard was sitting. He was surprised to see that the guard was Jack and even more surprised that Jack was whistling.
“So you are a bit cultured, I see,” Virgil said, slapping Jack’s armored shoulder.
“I am full of surprises as you will come to see, brother. I am known to have quite the singing voice.”
“Yeah, sure, after all of the ale has been drunk at some fancy noble’s feast, singing about your exploits of war and the glories of combat for your house.”
A smile crept across Jack’s face. “Is that a request, Brother Virgil? I know you don’t have much practice in battle but learning about it through song can be a challenge when one is uneducated.”
“You are an ass. If ever I take an arrow in my ass, I’ll be sure to name the scar after you, just to remind myself how much of a pain in my ass you truly are.”
“Well, now that would be prestigious—getting a wound named after me on the ass of an orphaned commoner. Quite the honor indeed. You flatter me, Virgil.”
“Kiss my ass, Jack, but be gentle. I wouldn’t want those noble lips to chap.”
Virgil continued along the perimeter. It was time to make ready for the journey to the village. He reached the area of the camp where Chaplain Rex had set up his bedroll was not too far from the fire. The man looked older than his years but was by no means an old man.
Virgil remembered the first time Rex had told him about his connection to the Light. Virgil was but a teenager in those days.
“Virgil, you must always remember that Light magic is a tool to be used in only the most dire of circumstances.”
“I don’t understand, chaplain. Why can we not use this gift from the Mother of Light?”
“All magic should be used sparingly, my boy. The cost of using it during combat can diminish the user. Light magic ages the user beyond his years, but dark magic consumes one’s soul, piece by piece. Take it from me, Virgil, I willingly paid the cost to save the High Executor and to fight against the darkness. But one must know the price before one pays.”
That memory never left Virgil. But after fighting off the Faceless One and seeing his hair grow gray, Virgil knew what his mentor meant.
Virgil gently tapped Rex awake. With a startle, the man snatched up a dagger from under his pillow and cut the air. Virgil caught the man’s hand before it could strike, but it was close.
“Chaplain, the time has come. We need to assemble the company.”
Rubbing his eyes, Rex sat there for a moment, shaking away the lingering sleep, and rose to his feet.
It was close to sunrise, and Virgil moved to prepare the men for the march into the village and whatever they would find there.
“Ready your gear. We leave at sunrise. Take only what is necessary for battle. We will leave behind one soldier to tend to the horses and gear.”
Within moments, the men stood by for the first light to peek out over the horizon as Virgil got ready for the mission to begin.
6
Once at his bedroll, he gathered up his battle-ax and sheathed the dagger stashed under his bedroll. Virgil clasped his hands together and said a quick prayer.
“Mother, please protect our party on this mission and give me the assistance I need to keep Rex out of harm’s way. May the Light be with us all today.”
With his gear gathered, Virgil set out to find his mentor. It took only a moment to realize that Rex had not moved from his bedroll since Virgil had come to wake him. There Rex sat in meditation. Virgil stepped back to not disturb him.
“Do not go. I am done. Now, what is it?”
“I was just coming to talk with you about the plans for the mission.”
“Yes, I overheard you tell the soldiers that we leave for the village at first light. There is something I must talk to you about as well. Virgil, you have great potential with the Light. I am going to need you to believe that you can do it.”
“I . . . am unsure if my connection is strong enou—”
“Doubts like that will hold you back. Overcome this self-doubt. You will take over the Or
der someday. Few of us chaplains left are strong enough in the Light.”
Dawn began to shine above the horizon.
“It is time. We ride to the village to seek answers,” Rex said.
Heading off to gather the party for the ride to the village, Virgil’s mind whirled with unanswered questions along with the realization that Chaplain Rex was now officially going to groom him as a chaplain. The pride would have been overwhelming had it not been for the sadness knowing that the Order had dwindled.
“Men, rally to me!” Rex shouted.
Assembled in the middle of the camp, they headed out toward the village on foot. The walk would be short since they were camped within a mile of the village entrance. Making a good pace, Rex sent Natasha and Popavich to scout the area ahead of the main group.
“Do you feel that, Rex?” Virgil’s voice crept up behind him in a low whisper.
“The slight chill to the summer air? Yes, I sense a great evil coming from this place,” Rex replied. “Cold is a sign of dark things ahead, Virgil.”
“Let us hope it is a lingering darkness and not a present one,” Jack said, his right hand already gripping his sword’s handle.
The closer they got to the burned-out ruins, the more the stench of blood and death that saturated the air around them. Natasha and Popavich waited at the edge of the village. They looked to be having a conversation as they waited for the rest of the group to arrive.
Upon the sight of Natasha, Virgil’s breath caught in his throat. She seemed so small and fragile next to the smoldering house frames and armored battle brothers about her. But Virgil knew better than to let his concern show.
Continuing on, they met up with the two rangers.
“What do you have to report?” Virgil said.
“Nothing was spotted on our first round of the village outskirts,” Natasha replied, “but there is still some smoldering going on near the village square. That must have been the epicenter of the inferno.”