“Tell me,” Kimura commanded. “Tell me how my husband died. Was it a good death?”
“They surprised him,” Zurek replied in a shaky tone. “Two soldiers in heavy armor and shields. They burst into the room and I heard the battle from outside. I wanted to help, but I couldn’t move.”
“They killed the most skilled assassin in this army. What could you have possibly done?” Kimura gripped Zurek’s collar. “You can’t even fight, can you?”
“Kimura, let him go.” Reagith reached over and gripped the Naga’s wrist.
She turned to Raegith with red eyes. “He can’t even fight and he went in after my daughter. Real warriors fell to these Sabans. Goji fell to them and he still went in after Makata.”
“It’s okay, Kimura,” Zurek said.
“It’s not okay!” She turned her gaze back to Zurek and her voice cracked with strain. “I knew you had fled; it’s the only thing that makes sense. I cursed you for a coward. I pleaded with Grass-Hair to execute you and all the others...”
Kimura fell to her knees in front of Zurek and hugged his waist as she wept aloud. “I can’t do this.”
“It’s okay.” Zurek held her head to his stomach and tried to comfort her, but all he could say was, “It’s okay.”
Chapter 27
Helfria struggled to believe the crowd High Paladin Andronicus drew when he spoke. Today’s congregation seemed even larger than last week’s. This time, it would be cut short. Helfria disliked the Paladin leader from the moment he his first senate meeting. When she challenged his attendance the High Paladin cited an ancient convention granting the religious leader a seat.
“My right to be at this table extends back to the founding of the nation, Princess,” he replied when she called him out on his unprecedented behavior. “I am here to deal with the most pressing issue at hand: the safety of our borders. Whatever business of yours these men are obliged to tolerate can wait.”
Today she would have her vengeance in the most satisfying way. A messenger from the front arrived with word of the defeat and subsequent burning of the Bard’s Bridge. Within in this disheartening report was a claim from General Cicero of the 4th Regiment that the Paladins refused to offer aid. As soon as Helfria confirmed the General’s seal, she acted. Going first to General Regulus, he gave her a detachment of the Royal Guard to accompany her outside the walls.
In the Parks Quarter, thousands of Sabans had assembled as well as a few brave Faeir. High up on a platform in the midst of the park, Andronicus stood, Paladins flanking him, to speak to the people as he did each week. Behind him, staring at the ground as they always did stood three Stone Seers who appeared miserable with discomfort.
The Paladins had abducted them from their homes under the pretense of freeing them, but kept them under guard, preventing any Sages from reclaiming them. Rellizbix law forbade slavery; however, the Faeir got around this by claiming their domination of the Stone Seers as a cultural and religious requirement. Throm Caelum had, by his own account, hesitantly passed this decree yet he did not address how to nor who would enforce it. The Paladins, therefore, were not technically breaking any laws unless the Stone Seers acknowledged that they were being held against their will. The Stone Seers would acknowledge nothing so the Royal Guard simply refrained from intervening despite protests from the Faeir Counsel.
“Slavery takes the life course out of the hands of the Fates and places it in the hands of the slave master. This is sacrilege for those of the faith. Even the Twileens, with their heathen worship of Nature, do not participate in such a thing.” Andronicus pointed at the Faeir gathered at the front of the platform, shouting their demands for the Stone Seers to be turned over. “Your audacity disgusts me. Good Sabans, the Faeir use us! They cower in their universities; they cower behind the front lines of battle; they cower behind their imagined intelligence. They are no smarter. Unlike them, we have the good sense not to anger the Almighty Fates.”
“High Paladin Andronicus,” Helfria shouted as she and her men took the stage. “A word away from this public gathering, if you please?”
The Paladins flanking Andronicus stared hard, their hands inching closer to the swords and hammers at their sides. The High Paladin raised his hands to calm them and smiled at Helfria. “Your loveliness, I am in the middle of a speech. If you would like a private audience, there are less embarrassing ways than charging up on stage with me...”
Helfria took immense pleasure in cutting him off with a firm, outward-facing palm. “High Paladin Thedas Andronicus, you are hereby under arrest for dereliction of duty and treason. Have your men stand down and come with us.”
Gasps and boos rang through the crowd. Helfria noticed plenty of rage-filled faces, but even more that were twisted up with confusion.
Andronicus chuckled and turned his back to her, facing the crowd. “Do you hear this, good Sabans? I stand accused of treason. What say all of you? Am I a traitor to Rellizbix? Or am I a patriot?”
Helfria waited until the ruckus died down enough for her to speak over the crowd. “You will answer to the Senate and the King of Rellizbix, High Paladin, not the public.”
Andronicus stepped closer and spoke too soft for the public to hear him. “This is a farce, Senator. You’re nothing more than a spoiled little girl begging daddy to give you your way.”
“Get your jabs in now, High Paladin,” Helfria replied with cold resolve. “Soon your only audience will be the four walls of your cell.”
Andronicus laughed and stepped in line as the Royal Guard escorted them back to Inner Thromdale. The crowd jeered and protested the High Paladin’s arrest, but Helfria did not bother with them. Clever words from charismatic speakers easily carried their favor, but her responsibility rose above public opinion. By failing to heed the 4th Regiment’s calls for aid Andronicus had directly caused the deaths of hundreds of Rellizbix soldiers and she would ensure that he paid for it.
An emergency meeting of the Senate and King Helfrick assembled within hours of the arrest. By nightfall, Andronicus stood before them all.
“Where were your Paladins when the Greimere attacked and routed our men at the Bard’s Bridge?” General Regulus began the interrogation without ceremony. “Two messengers were sent. The first witnessed your Paladins readying to join the fight. The second arrived to a vacant field. Explain yourself.”
Andronicus turned his eyes to King Helfrick and refused to answer the General. “Paladins are not soldiers. We are the Hammer of Light against the scourge of darkness. I apologize if I made it seem that my Paladins were there to defend some bridge...”
“Answer the fucking question, Thedas.” The King’s voice rumbled like distant thunder and he barely moved when he spoke. “This is not a crowd of peasants to be wooed. You are on trial for your continued existence.”
“I stand trial before the Fates and none lesser.” Andronicus straightened and refused to meet anyone’s gaze.
A knock at the door nearly sent the King into a rage. General Regulus strode to the door and opened it, ready to tear the head off whatever poor errand boy had the misfortune of being sent to disturb the assembly.
After a few moments and argument from outside, the General stepped aside and three Paladins entered. Helfria felt her heart drop as she recognized Nero among them. He paid her no mind as he and his fellow Paladins joined the side of Andronicus.
“What the hell is the meaning of this, Regulus?” Helfrick glared at Nero, who continued to stare forward dutifully.
“I believe my men have news that the Senate may want to hear before passing sentence on me, your Highness.” Andronicus turned to the oldest Paladin among the trio and nodded. “Judge.”
“Your Highness and fellow Senators, I apologize for my entrance, but this news could not wait.” The Paladin’s deep voice spoke with confidence and a hint of glee. “While the brave men of the 4th Regiment held Bard’s Bridge against the main force of the Greimere, my contingent of Paladins crossed the Pisces River and attacked
them at their heart.”
“You did what?” Senator Gaius asked. “Your orders were to reinforce the 4th. You took it upon your own to enter the Wilderness and strike a target… against those orders?”
“They were never ordered to reinforce the 4th, Senator,” Andronicus replied. “That was simply your impression. My Paladins are not back-up; they are war-enders. Thanks to Light-Hand Nero, we knew exactly where the Greimere were housed and acted upon a calculated risk that they would commit their entire force to the assault on the bridge. Judge, was that calculation correct?”
The elder Paladin addressed the Senate. “When my men arrived at Fort Augustus, we took advantage of an escape tunnel that the Greimere had not yet discovered. We emerged inside the walls of the fort, catching the smaller force by surprise and quickly overwhelming them.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” One of the Senators rocked back in his chair with disbelief. “Wha- what does that mean?”
The Paladin Judge continued. “With their measly defenses quashed, the rest within the fort stood no chance. Though a few managed to flee the fort before we could secure the front gates, every Greimere creature within the fort was put under the hammer. When the Greimere force at the bridge returns home, they will find it devoid of life… and the monument of our victory that we left behind just for them.”
“They wiped out an entire fort?” Counselor Herrod asked.
“That’s a victory,” a Saban Senator exclaimed. “Our first one since this last war began. Holy shit… this is a staggering victory. They might not recover.”
“Sir, our messenger reports the Greimere lost hundreds taking the bridge,” Regulus said to Helfrick, before turning to the Paladin Judge. “The food stores? Supplies?”
The Paladin Judge nodded. “We contaminated the stores of food. Even if they catch on, everything they have is a waste.”
“What manner of people did you find within the fort, Paladin?” Gaius asked. “You said that after the defenders were dead, you continued your assault. Who else was left after the defenders?”
“What does it matter?” Darius asked. “What are you getting at, Gaius?”
“He’s getting at genocide, Senator,” Helfria answered. “It sounds as if these Paladins slaughtered women and children,”
Andronicus rolled his eyes. “The Greimere put their women in combat, Senator. Of all people, I thought you would appreciate us treating their females equally to their males.”
“And defenseless children? Elderly? Pregnant? How far did you go, Paladin?” Helfria’s tone demanded straight answers.
“We found an entire civilization defiling the grounds of the fort,” the Paladin Judge replied coldly. “We left none alive.”
“Civilization? So children. Infants.” Helfria felt as if she might puke, but she had to keep her composure in front of her peers. “Grown men in armor caving in the skulls of children. How glorious.”
“If you suffer so much over this, Senator, why don’t you travel across the Pisces and extend the Greimere your condolences?” Andronicus asked. “See how they accept it. These are godless barbarians and the things they would do to you...”
“Enough,” Helfrick bellowed. “We’re still in the middle of a hearing.”
“What hearing?” Darius asked, standing along with the other Guild leaders. “We obviously did not have all the facts when we brought the High Paladin here. His plan may have ended the whole damn war; Fates condemn me if I’m going to prosecute him for that.”
Numerous other Senators nodded or voiced their agreement. Even the two Faeir Counselors conceded when Helfria looked to them.
“The High Paladin is an insufferable bigot and a religious zealot, but I would at least call for this matter to be adjourned until we can see the full aftermath of his actions.” Counselor Herrod tapped his long fingers together with contemplation. “I won’t have my people suffer the backlash of my passing sentence on this imbecile if he turns out to be the hero of our last war.”
“It appears that only Senators Gaius and Helfria question my dedication to winning this war,” Andronicus said, turning back to King Helfrick. “With your permission, your Highness, I would ask that my arrest be voided and my standing within this Senate be immediately reinstated.”
“No,” Helfrick replied, shocking the entire room. “Treason may be off the table, but you still deceived this Senate and you’ve deceived me. You acted of your own volition, causing the deaths of good Rellizbix soldiers and that is still a dereliction. You can house yourself within these walls until such time as we see what your actions will bring us. Until we know what you’ve done, you will not sit at this table.”
The smile faded from Andronicus’s face and for a full heartbeat he stood motionless, staring at the king without a word. For the first time, Helfria saw the visage of confidence drop and reveal a man with uncertainty. For a splinter of a second, Helfria felt as if Andronicus might lunge for her father’s throat. Then the look was gone and Andronicus smiled again.
“Of course, your Highness. You need time to see the fruit from my strategy ripen.” Andronicus turned with his Paladins and stepped toward the door. “Fortunate for all of you that I have stopped the Greimere and given you such ample time.”
Chapter 28
Raegith sat at the head of the table and stared at the center of it. He did not speak or even move and those around him fidgeted nervously.
“Do you understand what I’m saying to you, Grass-Hair?” Izanami pulled back her hood and looked right at him, trying to get his attention.
Raegith did not move his hands from his chin when he spoke, nor did his jaw open. The words fought their way through his teeth. “We cannot invade Rellizbix.”
Izanami looked around at the others in the council and shook her head with a sigh. “Forget invading Rellizbix, Grass-Hair. We don’t have the numbers to defend what we already have.
“Every non-combatant we had, save the handful that managed to escape, are dead. We have no provisions. No way to restock. Our entire empire is in mourning. No one has the morale to fight. If these ‘Hammer Soldiers’ were to return right now, they could easily finish us off.”
“I have scouts on the Pisces as we speak,” Raegith stated. “Fenra and Freya are in the woods to the south. We will know if they try this again.”
“And how long can they stay out there without relief?” Izanami asked. She turned back to Raegith. “Our warriors are pulling double duty, guarding the fort and taking on all the other tasks required to keep us alive. We are limping through the battlefield; this will not last.”
“What would you have me do? We’re already here.” Raegith rose from his chair and paced the room. He yearned for Beretta’s counsel, but the Infernal had not reappeared since she fled on burning wings four days ago. “All I hear is how fucked we are. I already know how fucked we are. What I need are options.”
“We load up what we can, cross the river, kill everything in our path and take what we need off the corpses.” Helkree drained the rest of her mug and slammed it on the table. “Better to die neck deep in our enemy’s guts than cowering here in a defeated fort.”
“To what end, Helkree?” Hitomi lounged in a chair, already drunk. “Maybe we carve a scar across Rellizbix. Maybe they write about us being the greatest threat they’ve ever faced. But in the end, they will beat us out in the open, in their lands. And the Greimere will never bolster again after us. We will die and all those who stayed behind will eventually die.”
“They made their choice not to follow Grass-Hair,” Helkree barked.
“The Rathgar will vanish from this world, Helkree. So will the Lokai and the Urufen.” Hitomi stared into her empty mug. “In a hundred years our kind will exist only as monsters in a fairy tale told by our enemy. In time even they will forget we existed.”
“So we go back.” Indie spoke up, reminding everyone that she was there. “Grass-Hair can rebuild the Citadel. We would change the way things were. They are already c
hanged. Life would be better than before.”
“That is a very real option.” Izanami backed away from the table and paced opposite Raegith. “It’s doubtful Rellizbix will try to invade us as before. With true leadership, the Greimere may yet rise above simple survival. It could be downright comfortable.”
“But our defeat here would define us.” Raegith sat back down at the table. “What would it take to stay? Forget the invasion; forget destroying Rellizbix. This land is fertile and practically untouched in most areas. If we could defend it; if we could make the cost to reclaim it too high for Rellizbix…”
“Breeding. That would be the cost.” The room fell deathly silent as Izanami stared through Raegith.
“What the fuck did you say?” Helkree narrowed her eyes at the witch.
Izanami regarded her out of the corner of her eye. “Just as in the old days of the Empire under Ventris of Talon. The difference is that back then the women had nothing better to do.”
“Grass-Hair, send this bitch home. She has no idea what she’s suggesting and I’m about to gut her,” Helkree said.
“I know exactly what I’m talking about,” Izanami replied. “It’s an old practice and through most of its history implemented by monarchs much less conscientious of the subjects than Grass-Hair.”
“I don’t give a shit how conscientious Grass-Hair would be. I’ve seen what happens on that road. You haven’t. The era of being at the mercy of men while we pop out offspring is over.” Helkree fingered the hilt of her tomahawk. “We are warriors; every bit as ferocious as the men.”
“And if the men could bear children I would have them do it.” Izanami turned to Raegith. “You can make this happen any way you want. But the only way we remain here is with a population explosion and that means a lot of newly-blooded female warriors setting down their spears to birth strong, healthy children.”
Raegith looked to Helkree. Helkree clenched her jaw and shook her head. “We fought too hard to get away from shit like this, Grass-Hair. The Helcats fought too hard. We won’t stand by this decision.”
Wrath of the Greimere Page 21