Rise (War Witch Book 1)

by Cain S. Latrani

  Regardless, he was up on the castle wall, doing nothing. It was annoying, really. Sudden orders from the King, moving him from what he felt was much more important work, to stand around. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd made someone mad.

  It was a pity, too. He'd managed to pick up the new cards for Rick and Izra last night on his way home. He was hoping to get them signed today. They would look great in his collection. He sighed a bit, thinking of his cards, resting on the special shelf he'd built, just for them, back in his room.

  Sure, his mom didn't like that he'd put holes in the wall nailing the shelf up, but it was okay. One of these days, he was going to move out, get his own place, and maybe a girlfriend. She'd have to like his card collection, of course. Then again what woman worth her salt wouldn't?

  He frowned as he realized he had no idea what that meant. What did salt have to do with a person’s worth anyway? It was weird, now that he considered it. Like that one saying, about pigs in pokes. He wasn't sure what a poke was, but it didn't really sound like something a pig would greatly enjoy.

  "Um, Sir?"

  Shaking himself, he realized he'd been drifting. Jerking up from where he'd been leaning on the wall, he looked over at the Private who'd addressed him. Wallace? Willis? Warner? He couldn't remember. He was sure it started with a W. Or maybe an R.

  "Yes, soldier," he said, trying to sound authoritative. It came out a bit nasally. He hated when that happened.

  "Well, Sir, me and the guys, we're just wondering if you know why we're up here today," the Private replied with a glance back at the squad. "I mean, normally I'm stationed down on Daymar Street. I've never even been assigned to castle duty before."

  Rills thought about that for a minute, glancing over at the other soldiers. He really wasn't sure himself what was going on. Deciding to take charge, he waved the others over, making them line up.

  "Okay, so, have any of you ever been assigned to work in the same squad?" he asked.

  They glanced at each other, then shook their heads. He nodded slowly. That was very weird.

  "Give me your names, ranks, and usual assignments," he ordered, for no reason other than to get familiar with them. He liked to think he was the kind of officer who inspired trust in those under his command. Not that he usually had anyone under his command. Mostly, he just manned one of the arbalests, or took desk complaints. He'd never really had to give a single order.

  "Layton Wells, Private, Daymar Street patrol officer," said the soldier who'd first spoke to him.

  Wells! he thought. It had been a W.

  "Leslie Rakin," said the woman next to him. "Lance Corporal. City perimeter security."

  "Garret Toms," offered the next, a slightly overweight fellow. "Sergeant. Desk duty at the Clayton Street patrol office."

  "Lucy Vernit, Corporal, dock security," saluted the woman next in line. Rills took note, thinking her rather cute. Plus, she'd saluted. That was always nice.

  "Oh, uh, Tim Fallows," the fifth in line nodded, half-saluting nervously. "Private. I don't have an assignment yet. Actually, I haven't finished training."

  "John Castel," nodded the last. "Private, Lewis Bridge patrol officer."

  Rills nodded his head slowly, pacing in front of them, hands folded behind his back. Okay, he thought, this is more than weird. Pulling people from that far and wide across the city made no logical sense at all, much less adding in someone who hadn't even finished their training yet.

  "Soldiers," he said slowly. "Now and then, you will find yourself called upon to act outside your typical chain of command. Through some disaster, or event of unexpected origin, you will have to band together in a unit comprised of people you don't know well, and still be able to act as effective squad. I want you to think about that, okay?"

  Giving each other uncertain looks, they muttered their understanding. Rills nodded, trying to appear sure of himself, even though he'd literally made that whole thing up off the top of his head. There was no reason for the men, and women, he supposed, or maybe it was people, under his command to feel as if their superior officer didn't know what was going on.

  Which he didn't. He had no idea.

  "Return to your duty stations and await further orders," he commanded.

  Shrugging, the soldiers did as he said, muttering to each other about how it was all still damned strange. He wished he could assure them it wasn't, but it really was. Everything about this was damn strange.

  While it was normal for him to rotate around his position, it was because he was an officer. He needed to be familiar with multiple aspects of city defense. For the enlisted, however, they were usually given an assignment, and stayed there, sometimes for years. The Castle Guard, especially.

  Looking around, he realized he really had no idea who most of the people manning positions on the wall even were. Some few, he'd seen around, but didn't know their names. No more than he'd ever seen any of them assigned to the castle before.

  Rills got his first inkling that something wasn't right here. He just didn't know what to do with it. Orders were orders, and soldiers followed orders. Even when they didn't understand them. This was different, though. This was wrong. He just couldn't put his finger on what it was that was bothering him about it.

  Turning to look out over the city again, he drummed his fingers on the battlement, considering the various pieces of the puzzle. It wasn't enough to form a full picture, but he could make a rational guess with what he had. Nothing wrong with that. Wasn't like he was questioning orders.

  A squad composed of people who weren't suited to the positions they currently occupied. Strange faces he hadn't seen before assigned to posts of considerable importance. The usual castle guards nowhere to be seen, but presumably, moved to occupy the roles the people present had been forced to vacate.

  His fingers fell still as Rills held those various pieces of the situation in his mind, asking himself, if he was the one giving those orders, what would he be trying to achieve? The simple answer, obviously, was to weaken the city defense, especially at the single most strategically important place, the castle. Which is what an invader would do prior to launching their attack.

  "Naw, couldn't be," he muttered to himself.

  Looking over at his squad, he thought about them for a moment, then noticed their position. Halfway between the parapets. Taking a moment, he sized that up, realizing that his squad had no room to retreat, or even really fight, as they were perfectly poised to be attacked from both sides.

  "That's not possible, though," he mused quietly. "Right?"

  Stepping back, he turned and crossed to look down into the courtyard. The gates were closed. The gates were never closed. He couldn't remember a single time he'd ever seen the gates closed.

  Or an entire platoon gathered in the courtyard.

  "Um, guys," he called. "I think, maybe, we should form up here."

  "Say what?" Wells called back.

  Backing into the center of the wall, Rills looked left nervously, then right. "Form up. Right now. On the double."

  "Sir?" Rakin asked, hustling to join him, the others lagging behind as they looked to each other, shaking their heads in confusion.

  "Just, do what I say, okay?" he said to her. "I'm not sure, but I think we're about to be in a fight."

  "Wait, what?" Fallows yelped. "I've not even been given a real sword until today! I've only used the wooden practice weapons!"

  "Yeah, I'm hoping I'm wrong here, but I'm getting this really bad feeling, so here's what I want you guys to do," Rills said quickly. "Stay here, in the center of the wall, three facing left, three to the right. Backs together. Now."

  Hesitant, they moved around a bit.

  "Now!" Rills shouted, making them jump as they quickly moved to obey his orders.

  "Hey, Lawrence, what's going on over here?" Billy called as he left his post to move towards him.

  Rills gave him a nervous smile. "Just some battle training. Nothing to worry about. Figure as long as we're up her
e, we might as well get these guys use to combat maneuvers in tight spaces. You know?"

  "Yeah, sounds good," Billy nodded. "But, say, you really shouldn't be pulling them from their posts right now. We've got an emissary on the way."

  Rills froze. Billy cursed softly.

  "How would you know that?" the Lieutenant asked, resting his hand on his sword.

  Billy shook his head, smiling. "Damn. Never thought I'd be that guy who goes and puts his foot in his mouth. Shit. I'm gonna catch Hells over that for sure."

  "Billy," Rills said slowly. "What's going on?"

  His old friend shrugged, and pulled his sword. "Sorry, buddy. Now I have to kill you. Don't take it personally, though. It was going to happen in a few minutes anyway."

  Rills sword was in his hand before he even knew he was pulling it. Behind Billy, he saw a significant number of other guards pull their weapons and start towards them.

  "Lieutenant," Rakin shouted. "What's going on?"

  "Do you have friendlies coming at you, weapons drawn?" Rills asked.

  "Yes, Sir, we do," she replied, her voice shaking slightly.

  "Yeah, me too, so I really don't know," he admitted.

  Billy gave him a mirthful smile. "I really am sorry about this, old buddy. It's just business."

  "What do we do?" Castel begged.

  Rills steadied himself. "Well, I think we fight, probably for our lives."

  Farther down the wall, Untar appeared as something moved on the horizon.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  CHARA GAVE THE DOORKNOB a test turn, finding it locked. With a slight frown, she waved Esteban forward to deal with it. Uncertain, he gripped it, giving it hard turn that snapped the lock easily, before stepping back.

  "Have you ever considered a life as a thief?" Leena asked.

  "Not for a moment," he replied.

  "I was talking to her," the aide said.

  "The assassin wants to know if I've thought of being a criminal," Chara sighed. "And that's still somehow the least strange thing that's happened today."

  Pushing the door open, she slipped into Untar's private rooms, Esteban on her heels, Leena behind him. The assassin glanced out at the hall one last time before easing the door shut. Silence greeted them, the room dim, morning light filtering in from two large windows across from them, heavy drapes blocking much of it.

  Between the windows was a wide bed, big enough to accommodate at least four people, the sheets rumpled and pillows askew. Soft carpet muffled their footsteps as they moved into the middle of the room, wide doors on either side sitting closed, feeling menacing. Two armoires huddled near them, the only other furnishings being a comfortable-looking chair in front of a small fireplace on the same wall as the entry doors.

  "You know," Leena said as she moved to the right, studying the doors there. "The Silken Sisters often recruit from the least likely elements. Orphans, criminals facing the gallows, and prostitutes are all acceptable."

  "Good to know," Chara commented as she moved to look at the bed, Esteban poking about the armoire on the left.

  "Clever farm girls, as well," the other woman said as she swung the doors open, revealing the King’s study. Dust floated in the half-light coming from the windows, but nothing moved amidst the loveseats and bookshelves.

  Chara tugged at the sheets, making sure there wasn't a body underneath their piles. "Yeah, I doubt I'm assassin material."

  "I wouldn't be so sure," Leena replied, stepping into the study and taking in everything with cool regard. "You don’t see yourself, or your potential, the way others do."

  Chara frowned slightly as she moved to the other set of doors in the room. "The rumors say that Silken Sisters have to abstain from sex, and I kind of have a boyfriend, so that's a no."

  "We only abstain from sex with men for pleasure," Leena replied, tossing Esteban a smirk. "And he could be dealt with easily enough."

  "Hey now," Esteban growled.

  "I'm kidding," Leena told him, wandering back into the bedroom. "Mostly."

  "You're a funny lady," Chara said as she pulled the bathroom doors open.

  The sight she beheld was one she knew would haunt her nightmares till she went to her grave.

  The woman lying on the floor had been beautiful beyond words. Tall, lithe, and exotic with orange hair that was now fanned out from her head, soaking up her own blood. Her chest ripped open, she lay in a wide pool of crimson, purple eyes seeing nothing. It was her tail, however, that made Chara gag. Her long, orange and black-stripped tail.

  An Ascended was dead.

  Across from her, Untar lay, bound and gagged, still in his nightclothes, sobbing uncontrollably. Chara could only stand, hand over her mouth, as she tried to make sense of it. Horrified beyond words, she sagged, Leena catching her, turning her from the sight.

  Invisible to them, Rakiss staggered back, shocked. He hadn't foreseen this, any of this. Everything that was happening, it wasn't anywhere in what he'd plotted, the entire thing a surprise even to him. This, however, this was beyond anything he could fathom.

  Riari was dead. She was actually dead. It was impossible. Grabbing a bed post, he tried to still himself. How could this have happened? It was all too much, too soon. Chara wasn't ready yet, not for this! Not for someone capable of slaying an Ascended, and six Blessed of the High Gods.

  Should he reveal himself to her? What if it ruined everything? Should he wait, and see how she handled it? He didn't know. Everything was out of his control now. None of this was supposed to happen!

  "Leena," Esteban murmured as he knelt, using his claws to gently free the King of Lansing.

  Nodding, she yanked a sheet free, tugging it across the floor to cover Riari as best she could. The big Cat could see from the expression that flickered over her face that she was as shocked as he and Chara. Not for the first time, he felt they were well and truly out of their depth.

  As he tried to help Untar up, the King pushed him away and crawled across the bathroom floor, reaching for the Ascended. Leena rested a hand on his shoulder, stopping him, but it only made him collapse into tears again.

  The bond between Blessed and Ascended was a thing that was hard to describe. Rakiss knew that better than anyone. Not just an advisor, guide, and moral support, the Ascended served as the conduit of Divine power between mortal and God. He knew well what the King was feeling, that sense of having a piece of oneself ripped away.

  Steadying himself, he decided to see how this played out, and how Chara handled herself. He could mourn his fallen sister later. For now, there were more important things to do.

  "Your majesty," Esteban said quietly. "What happened here?"

  "Renfro," Untar gasped out. "His name is Renfro, a Dark Blessed of Derril."

  "We know of him, yes," Leena nodded.

  "I don't know how he got in here," the King said slowly as Esteban helped him to his knees. "He was just here, waiting for me when I woke this morning. I didn't even have time to fight back. He used sorcery to paralyze me, then when Riari appeared, he... Gods..."

  "He has taken your form, Sire," Leena said. "I believe an attack on the city is underway. We need you."

  Stilling himself, Untar wiped his eyes. "The people need me. You're right, as always, Leena. We need to find the other Blessed."

  "They're dead," Chara whimpered.

  Untar jerked back at that. "No, it can't be. All of them?"

  "We aren't certain," Leena replied, leaving Untar to the Werecat as she stood, going to check on Chara. "Leto and Ramora may yet remain. Beyond that, we have little information we can verify as fact."

  Nodding, Untar took a long breath, giving the covered body of his best friend in the world a last look, and gripped Esteban's shoulder. The big Cat eased him to his feet, getting a nod of thanks from the Blessed of Grannax.

  "We have little time, if any, to act then," he said. "As long as he's impersonating me, Renfro has the entire city under his control."

  "He has Doppelgangers as well
," Leena said, resting a hand on Chara's shoulder. "We don't know how much of the city guard is compromised."

  "This just keeps getting worse," he sighed, leaving the bathroom, pausing only to close the doors. "We need to find and rally whoever we can and try to retake the castle."

  "As of this moment, we're all there is," Esteban told him.

  "Then I guess we should get to work," Untar nodded, opening an armoire and grabbing out some clothes. "Give me a moment."

  Leena nodded as she guided Chara across the room, Esteban falling in on her other side, looking for something he could say or do that would comfort her. The young woman simply stared, wide-eyed, at the floor, overwhelmed by what she'd seen.

  "Perhaps it would be best if Untar and I proceeded alone," Leena suggested.

  "No," Chara said suddenly. "No way. After that, not a chance in all the Hells of that."

  "Beloved, perhaps we should do as she says," Esteban offered. "We aren't fighters. We have no place in the middle of a war."

  Chara's lip curled into an angry smile. "No place in the middle of a war? Esteban, you saw what I did. We are in the middle of a war. We always have been. Since we drew our first breath, we have been."

  Esteban's face darkened. "It need not be our war."

  "That was an Ascended!" Chara bellowed at him, face twisting from shock to outrage. "A servant of Heaven! One of Grannax's! If she can be brought down, then what of us? Where do we go that we are safe? How do we avoid it all? Tell me that, Esteban! How are we not part of it already?"

  "She's right," Untar said from across the room. "This war, we're all soldiers in it, no matter how we live our lives, or where we go. There's no escaping it, not for any of us."

  "Then why do you Blessed even exist?" Esteban snapped. "If we're going to be caught up in this madness no matter our choices, then what purpose do you even serve?"

  Untar closed the armoire, saying, "To give hope, my friend. To be the light that guides others. We exist so you can all see the way. That's our purpose."