Beyond the Hell Cliffs

by Case C. Capehart

  “The Faeir do not enjoy being ruled and the Twileens hate paying taxes to fund the military. Both races would abandon the kingdom if they believed it was no longer necessary and the king would have to let them or force them under his control.”

  “So the king dominates the other two races and maintains rule. It is not so hard. We have managed here.”

  “Have you, Gamalka?” One of the Lokai, a silent, robed man with white eyebrows spoke up for the first time. “Is that so true, or maybe you are completely ignorant of the Junrei’Sha converting and stealing away every Lokai in your dominion? Even those of my kind who do not join the Path still flee to the Citadel, getting swallowed up by the darkness trying to get away from the iron boot-heel of the Rathgar.”

  “The darkness is not feared in the north, Gamalka of Thorn,” Raegith said. “The people do not need the protection of the Sabans against it. Rathgar men are the only warriors; the only ones with real weapons and armor, anyway. It makes everyone else rely on you, but it hinders your fighting power so much.

  “The Lokai can fight… I know the Urufen are vicious combatants from my time in the Pit; your women have no skill but have been whipped and beaten into living iron with souls made of Hellfire. Why do they not fight?”

  “We would never allow such a thing!” Gamalka exclaimed.

  “Because they won’t allow you to!” Raegith roared, slamming his fist on the table. “You’re all so deceived that you think you’re the ones who created these rules, but they were all created by the men of Rellizbix… to handicap you!

  “Before the treaty, back when the Greimere Empire threatened to burn the entire world to ash just for the thrill of it, your armies were a mass of races. In the days of Garathar of Madness and Ferangeth the Executioner, the hordes beheld Lokai assassins dressed in all black, flinging blades in all directions. Urufen warriors shed their clothes in the middle of battle and erupted into giant beasts that hunted and tore the throats of their prey and pissed on their corpses. Rathgar females, bare-breasted and screaming like ghouls, cleaved the heads off of men and threw them over the walls of the Faeir campuses. And at the front lines of every skirmish, Rathgar berserkers, each one with the might of an Agillean, tearing down gates with their teeth and spitting the splinters like arrows!”

  “Yes!” Sethora bellowed, slamming the table with excitement. “Tell us more! And then what happened?”

  “And then you lost,” Raegith said, sapping all of the excitement out of the eyes of the nobles. “Time and time again, the desperation of three scared races defending themselves against savage monsters prevailed, each victory giving them more confidence until the spite and fury of the Greimere hordes cooled and you gave up on conquering the north. It was a harsh lesson for your warlords and they handled defeat poorly, as Rathgar tend to do.

  “With no victories in the north, the Rathgar warlords turned their brutality on those that shared their own lands. Their bloodlust led them to turn on their allies and subjugate them. The Rathgar defeated all of the other races and forged the Empire from the blood of in-fighting, but once the races were under their rule, they were once again without purpose. Then the ambassadors from the north came and offered the Treaty, along with cart-loads of fine linens, precious foodstuffs and incredible steel. It was everything the Rathgar needed to keep their Empire alive and it gave them a chance to feed their need for combat, if only in a controlled way.

  “But with the Treaty came terms. First it was directing the course of the invasion to better predict. Then it was limiting who could participate in the horde; starting with the females, who Sabans had trouble engaging in battle. Then the terrifying Urufen were banned and even the Lokai, as they looked like evil Twileens.”

  One of the Lokai laughed uneasily and looked over at the Urufen Chief. Raegith continued.

  “It barely took a century to transform you into the perfect, civilized, custom-made enemy of Rellizbix; fearsome enough to invade the kingdom and kill off its most expendable inhabitants and inspire fear in the tax-payers, but not so terrible that you couldn’t be routed and sent back across the Hell Cliffs with a few months of warring.”

  “You miserable wretches!” the younger Urufen shouted, pointing his fist at Sethora and Gamalka. “The Urufen scratch out an existence in the mountains and the Rathgar did this to us for trinkets from our enemy!”

  “The Lokai have all but forgotten the deadly arts,” the Lokai to Raegith’s right added furiously. “Our assassins and witches have been replaced by slaves and prostitutes!”

  “I don’t see your feeble kind dying in foreign lands, flesh-dancer!” Gamalka growled.

  “Sethora of Spine, Kensei the Naga, I believe we’re letting younger, dumber heads lead this discussion away from where it needs to go.” Chief Freydif said.

  “I agree. Stand down!” The booming voice of the older Rathgar was more imposing than his lean body and stopped the bickering. He pointed at Gamalka. “Sit!”

  “Well, Raegith the Grass-Haired, you have succeeded in exposing our humiliating history to all of us, shocking our ignorant youth, but not us.” The older Lokai, called Kensei, spoke directly to Raegith as the younger men settled back into their seats. “You’ve done what any of us might have considered impossible: you’ve garnered the attention of the entire leadership of the Greimere Empire… as an infidel. I hope you have more for us than just a history lesson.”

  “I appreciate your attention, but I am more a motivator and story-teller than a leader,” Raegith said. He turned back to the Empress. “Empress Kalystra is the leader. She has the education of an Empress, the loyalty of a Rathgar to her people and the fierceness of a female trying to govern the rowdy likes of you all. I forfeit any respect I may have earned here to her. It is she who carries the burden of this Empire and it is she who is brave enough to lead us all out of this Fate-forsaken darkness; out of these fluffy, civilized shackles that our enemy has placed about our wrists.”

  Raegith stretched his hand out to the Empress, pulling her up from her chair when she took it. Her face was equal parts fear and determination and fascination with the feat he had just pulled off for her.

  “We, your men, are all listening, Empress,” Sethora boomed. All of the eyes in the room were on her now and none were disparaging her. “What are your wishes for this empire?”

  Chapter 29

  Three hours later, the last of the nobles left the conference room, filled with pride and pledging their support to the Empress. Taking the lead provided to her by Raegith’s fiery words, the Empress had laid out her plans to the men and through her commitment and courage, they were all motivated. Eagerness took them as they dreamed of an independent empire; of taking the piss out of their enemies the best way they could at the moment. They laughed, imagining the rage the men and women of Rellizbix would be filled with when their wars no longer came. The men openly embraced a coalition of races that would give rise to an Empire with power that rivaled the ancients.

  They left with a purpose, speeding off to their dominions to prepare their people for the difficult times ahead, with faith in their Empress and hope for a renewed future.

  Kalystra was so jittery and overwhelmed that she fell into a chair outside of the conference room and struggled to catch her breath. Beretta left to fetch servants for her and in a few minutes they had carried her up the spiral stairs and to her room. When they moved to leave her, she called for Raegith to stay behind for a moment.

  “I cannot believe I just did all of that.” The Empress was shivering with nerves.

  “You were quite amazing in there. The first female Emperor since the Treaty and you may go down in history as the savior of your people for what you started tonight. Those men were moved by you, Kalystra. They will follow you with more vigor than you could ever get from the point of a spear.”

  “I could never have done it without you, I think. You saw them at first. I was on my way out the door.”

  “I helped, just like I said I would, but thi
s victory lies with you. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit, Kalystra. I’m proud to serve you.” Raegith reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

  Her smile faded and her face was suddenly full of need. Her body trembled even more and for a second Raegith wondered if he had crossed a line with her in his anxiousness to congratulate her.

  Her eyes were wide and alert when she spoke. “Raegith, I’m glad you decided to stay, but… could you stay just a bit longer, with me.”

  Raegith leaned close and kissed her on the mouth. Her trembling body was on top of his in an instant.

  “Stay with me, Raegith. Stay with me all night.” Her voice was quick in between aggressive kisses.

  “Okay,” is all he could manage in the onslaught.

  “Stay with me always, Raegith.”

  “You’ve only seen one other Infernal like you?” Raegith asked the Empress’s retainer. “So what was it like with another Infernal? I’m guessing they can withstand your internal temperature?”

  “It was in my first century of life, Raegith,” Beretta replied. “I was not even in my adolescence at that point. Besides, I was in the service of the Rathgar Emperor, Boonfel. He was Mistress Kalystra’s great-great-grandfather. I have served each heir since then.”

  The two of them were on their way to the Pit. The carriage they rode in was open, as most of the citizens of the Citadel knew of the grass-haired foreigner within their city. Kalystra had given him full-citizenship with the promise of lordship later on. She was not in a hurry to let him go off on his own. Since their first night together, Kalystra had spent every night with him. They shared stories from their past, spoke of plans for the future and made love constantly.

  The Empress interested him more than any of the other girls he had taken to his bed since his exile to the Greimere. She was both a pampered teenager and a mature ruler at different times and her rabid curiosity about the north amused him. Like him, she had been shut away from the world as a child, inside the palace. Her entire youth had been spent forging her into a suitable ruler and her only friends were Beretta and her servants. She was used to getting her way with everything that was inconsequential and having no say at all on the important choices.

  The spoiled noble came out often in her, but he could also see her trying to stifle that side of herself in front of him. He had turned her down before, even when she threatened him with death. He was not her slave and she knew as much. He was an actual relationship, the first for both of them.

  As Raegith rode along the streets of the Citadel, chatting with Beretta, he thought of what could come of the Empress and him, if anything. He doubted they could marry and they certainly could not have children. At most Raegith could be a trusted lover, but at some point she would need to marry; to carry on the line. What then?

  “And you don’t wish for freedom?” Raegith asked, trying to keep his mind off of the Empress. “You could track down another Infernal. You could run off and do… whatever Infernals do.”

  “It is not something I desire,” she said with a smile. “Besides, the Mistress is so much more interesting than her predecessors. I would not miss this generation for anything. So much change… and the promise of even more on the wind, with your arrival.”

  The carriage finally drew to a stop before the entrance of the Pit and Beretta exited, flexing her cramped muscles beside the beasts that pulled the vehicle. Her wings expanded and flexed, dropping liquid flames that crackled and sizzled against the dirt. “I believe your female companion is doing fine, along with her gang.”

  “The others have been freed?” Raegith asked, jumping to his feet. “When? Are they waiting for us?”

  “Lord Kensei has agreed to assemble and train the first, all-female brigade of warriors in his dominion to the west. The eligible females from the Pit are being conscripted and sent to him. Helkree of Edge, if she can behave herself, is to be the first female officer of this brigade.”

  “You’re shitting me!” Raegith exclaimed, looking around.

  “Disgusting! I am doing no such thing. Why would you make such a statement?”

  “It’s a figure of speech, dipshit.” The familiar, vulgar tone of Helkree came from inside the entrance to the Pit.

  Helkree, Noriko and the Helcats came up into the light from below. Her hair had changed, cut and braided into tight rows along her scalp, but she looked healthy and unharmed, for the most part. Fenra peeked out behind one of the Rathgar and eyed him hungrily. Raegith let the memories of her naked body eagerly bouncing atop his dance through his head for a moment before turning his attention to his friend.

  Raegith laughed and stepped in to hug Helkree. She let him for a second, then groaned and pushed him away, wrinkling her nose.

  “Ugh, you smell like a whore’s crotch… the fancy kind of whore that puts powder and spices on it, like a damn roast or something! What have they done to you?”

  “They’re trying to civilize me, Hel,” Raegith laughed. “What happened to your hair?”

  “I lost a bet to Kimura and had to let her do this. She’s such a prissy little bitch.”

  “She looks prettier this way; everyone says so,” the Lokai fighter said. “What do you think, Raegith? Or maybe you like mine better?”

  “Shut the hell up, Kimura.” Helkree turned back to Raegith. “They say they’re shipping us out to the west, to serve some asshole noble instead of rotting in here. You know anything about this?”

  “I might have had something to do with it.”

  “Well then you’re more of a dumbass than I thought you were!” Helkree was instantly in his face and Beretta stepped forward defensively. “I fought for you; defended you from death or worse in here and you’re tossing me away? Tell that matchstick bitch to back off before I put her out!”

  “Beretta ease back, please.” Raegith held up his hands before Helkree, but stood his ground. “I’m not getting rid of you, Hel. I’m giving you a chance at what you want… what you’ve always wanted. You’re going to be a warrior, Hel.”

  “I already am a warrior! I don’t need the Empress or some snooty Lokai lord to tell me that. The point is that I don’t leave you, Raegith. I may be in the Pit but at least I’m in the same city as you and I’ve been training these airheads the whole time you’ve been playing house with the Empress. I’ve been training them so that they fight alongside you; to keep you safe.”

  “The Empress keeps him safe, prisoner,” Beretta said. “The Empire can protect him better than your prison gang, I should think.”

  “Maybe it’s the Empire he needs protected from. Raegith, let’s just go. Let’s leave this hell-hole behind. You, me, the Helcats and even the Junie… we can go carve out a home somewhere and watch this outhouse fall in on itself.”

  “The Empire is not going to fall, Hel,” Raegith said, gripping her shoulders. “I’ve not just convinced the Empress, but even the lords of the other lands. We’re reshaping the Empire, breaking the Treaty and ridding ourselves of the chains Rellizbix has placed on us. We’re going to have women warriors and Lokai assassins and we’ll ride giant Urufen-beasts into battle like in the old days.”

  “Giant whats?” Fenra asked.

  “Fenra, your kind used to be able to transform.” Raegith went up to Fenra, making her blush a bit at the sudden attention. “It’s lost to most of you, but I think there are still some who know how to do it; one of the wild tribes, maybe. The Urufen used to shift into giant beasts and I think we can get you back to that point.”

  “Okay, enough with the myths and fairy tales.” Helkree was back at him again. “Raegith, I don’t know what that bitch has been telling you; maybe you did convince her of something, I don’t know. It’s not going to work, whatever you’re thinking. The Rathgar are too set in their ways, especially the generals and the ones with power. They aren’t going to just stand by while everything they know is changed, on the word of a foreigner, no less.”

  “They will when things start getting better.
”

  “This place will turn in on itself, Raegith, you don’t know how our kind are. I could give a fuck if civil war tears this bitch down, but I don’t want to be here when that happens.”

  Helkree put her hands on his shoulders this time. “Please, Raegith… let’s just get out of here, while we can.”

  “Hel, I won’t abandon you. When everything here in the Citadel is settled, I’ll come for you, I promise. I will join you in Shimada Village.”

  “You think the Empress will let you go after all of this? You’re too special, Raegith. She’ll keep you until you’re both old and feeble.”

  “When I get back to you, I’m buying the drinks, all night long.” Raegith gave her a reassuring smile. “Hel, please, lead them out of here and keep them in line. You’re going to be shaping the new direction of this military. The Helcats are the future of the Empire’s might!”

  Helkree dropped her head and sighed. “Just don’t take too fucking long. You know I’ll just break my way back into here to get you out if you do.”

  “I’m counting on it, Helkree.”

  Raegith hugged each of the Helcats as they grabbed duffels with their belongings in them and fell in line behind the Lokai escort that had just shown up to lead them out of the Citadel. Fenra let her hug linger a bit longer than the others and slapped him on the ass as he moved on. Then he stood before Noriko, who was also going with the others to join the female brigade. Her eyes were full of curiosity and worry.

  “I guess this means we will not be continuing with our studies, then?” she asked.

  “Just a break, for now.” Raegith hugged the petite Lokai girl. “Do you even know what’s going on? I doubt Helkree has learned your language.”

  “I assume we’re being transported somewhere… safe. The others would be freaking out more if we were en route to our demise, I think. It matters not, though.”