Authors: Ralph Smith
“You can take that trail up to the top of the ridge
, and wait for the signal. Stay inside the tree line until it is time. There is a path that winds its way down to the southern part of the city where the garrison is. Remember it is crucial that you do not come down until the signal is given, not one minute sooner.”
William said firmly “we won’t.”
“Good. We’ll see you all inside the city.” David said. Then he turned to Eustus “Don’t look anyone in the eye when we arrive. I’ll talk to anyone we encounter. I don’t want you taking any risks.”
“
I will do as you say.”
“
Then I guess we’re ready.”
David
and Aurora climbed inside the carriage, and Eustus got into the driver’s seat. As soon as they were settled, he set off. The moon was in the sky, and as they made their way around a bend the city came into view. The sun was setting behind the trees to the west where they had been yesterday casting an orange glow on the valley. The once grand city had an unkempt dirty look, surrounded by grounds trampled by men and horses with little regard for it. They passed the makeshift garrison, outside the main city gate. The smell of men, sweat, rotten food, and poor sanitary conditions was like a slap in the face, only adding to the feeling of despair the city emanated. In front of the main gate was a shack of sorts for the city guards. Compared to the city architecture, it was like a trash can at the street.
They approached the guard post
, and two guards stepped out blocking their path. They appeared well fed, but looked as disheveled as the shack they came out of. Their hair and clothes were matted and splattered with dried mud and dust. The only items of note were the weapons at their sides. The one had a large battle-axe, and the other a sword. They were meant to intimidate anyone approaching. The moment Eustus pulled the carriage to a stop David jumped out.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The first guard asked in a gruff annoyed voice.
“My wife and I are emissaries from Southaven, and we need to see your commander immediately.” David said with an air of authority, to show they did not intimidate him.
“Really, you want to see the commander?” The man said with mock concern
, “well he’s a very busy man.”
“I’m sure he is
, but we have urgent business. We are on our way to Tartaros to negotiate a treaty and cannot be delayed.”
At the mention of Tartaros
the man’s bluster evaporated. “The commander doesn’t like unexpected visitors.”
“Since this is a secret mission we couldn’t very well send messengers ahead to alert him to our visit now could we?”
“I suppose not. I guess you can go see him at your own peril.” The man answered looking them over. He walked over to the carriage to be sure it was just the three of them, “I’ll warn you, he isn’t as friendly as I am, and General Grog isn’t known for his patience.” He added with a smirk.
“I’m sure he’ll want to hear w
hat we have to say.”
“All right be on your way. He’s in the council building at the north end of the city.” The man said then turned back to his post.
David quickly got back into the coach, and Eustus started off immediately. They rode down the main road through the center of the city, and it was just a filthy. They passed one building after another with dimly lit windows. The glass only slightly muffled the sounds of the raucous eating and drinking of the men inside. Thankfully the smell wasn’t as strong but not by a lot. As they continued to the council building, they saw an occasional man staggering from one building to another, apparently having had too much to drink. They all had the same barbaric appearance as the guards at the gate, and all carried weapons.
Once they made it to the town square they could see the council building. The square itself appeared to be the victim of a wild party of drunken men. Planters
and statues had been lying on the ground for so long weeds grew up around them. The council building looked to be untouched by the madness that surrounded it. Only two of the windows had any light showing through them, one on the first floor and one on the second. Eustus drove the carriage around the square and pulled up in front of the main entrance to the building. David quickly got out of the carriage, and made his way around to face the door. He wanted to be ready in case they weren’t welcome.
The square was quiet.
There weren’t any soldiers on guard, which struck him as odd. This general didn’t feel the need for any protection, which meant he was either foolish or extremely dangerous. Aurora joined David, and Eustus climbed down from the driver seat.
David’s senses on high alert, he turned to Aurora
and Eustus, and said, “Be very careful and stay close to me.” Aurora gave him her warrior face, and Eustus looked terrified indicating there was no way he was going anywhere without them. “Remember Eustus don’t make eye contact with anyone.” Eustus nodded unable to speak.
David turned took a step towards the door
, and in mid stride it began to open. Appearing in the doorway was a small thin man whose stance gave him a rodent-like look. He was not as disheveled-looking as the troops but still had an unclean appearance.
He stepped out into the open
and in a raspy voice asked, “Who are you?”
David took another step forward
, and said in a clear voice; “We are emissaries from Southaven on our way to Tartaros to negotiate a treaty with your master. We need to see the General.”
The man
hissed, “I see, then come this way.”
David followed the man with Aurora
and Eustus close behind him. The inside of the building was dimly lit, and they were barely able to make out where they were headed. They could see an occasional side table or wall hanging, but the details were obscured by the darkness. They did notice that this building had not been ransacked like the rest of the town. They proceeded to a large staircase and climbed up to the second floor. They turned to their right, and made their way towards the room they had seen lit from the outside.
The little man opened the door
and said, “This way.” They stepped inside the room. It was hot, and the thick air had a foul stench to it. The little man followed them in and shut the door behind him.
At the opposite side of the room sat a giant of a man. In the low light
, it was hard to make out exactly what was strange about him, but it was clear he was not a normal man. His bald head had scars on either side, and his face was rugged with the bones of his cheeks and chin much larger than they should have been. He stood up as they approached he was at least a foot taller than David and almost twice as broad. His meaty hands pushing him up from the desk were the size of David’s head. As the man moved around from behind the desk, Eustus let out a slight gasp as the light washed over him. His skin was stretched taught and had a burned blackened appearance without a trace of hair on his head.
“Good evening General Grog, my wife
and I are emissaries from Southaven on our way to Tartaros to negotiate a treaty. We apologize for disturbing you so late in the evening, but we needed a safe place to stay for the night.” David said in a confident voice not wanting to offer any doubt about their intentions.
The General moved in front of David
and looked into his eyes. David met his gaze without blinking. He could see the darkness inside. It was pitch black, far more sinister than the others he had encountered.
The General paused for a moment
, his face expressionless then turned to look at Aurora’s eyes. She too met his gaze unflinchingly. The general muttered, “So you say.”
David
said, “General we have been traveling for weeks in secret, and will set out from here in the morning to meet your master.”
The General looked back at David
, and raised a hairless eyebrow, and said, “Will you. Do you suppose he will grant you an audience?”
David asked
, “Why wouldn’t he?”
The General
said, “There is only one man we are expecting to travel to Tartaros. There is only one man that my master wants to see. Are you that man?”
David realized they were on the verge of being exposed
, and wanted to buy some time to come up with a plan. “I don’t know what you mean General. The land of Southaven wants a treaty with your master so that when he wins this war we can have a place of honor under his rule.”
The General asked
, “Do you think my master needs you to win this war?”
David
said, “I believe that your master wants the war to be over with him victorious so he can establish his rule.”
The General
said, “Yes he does, but there are those of the light who would thwart his plans.”
David knew he didn’t have much time, then the General moved past David’s right to face Eustus. This was
it; any second now their story was going to unravel, and he still didn’t have a plan. The General wasn’t looking at David he was looking at Eustus, who was staring at the ground trembling slightly. David took the opportunity to slip his hand inside his coat to find a knife.
“What are you getting at General?” David asked contemptuously
.
The General, ignoring David
, reached out to Eustus with his left hand, his right casually moving towards his knife. Then tipping Eustus’ head up, he looked into his eyes and saw the light. A small grin appeared on the General’s face then David knew it was time to act. David pushed the General hard on his right shoulder saying “Don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you.”
The shove
and the indignant words surprised the General. His left arm still outstretched towards Eustus, he turned to face David with rage in his eyes. David didn’t hesitate. The General stood before him, arms outstretched, exposed, and with all his strength David drove the dagger into his heart.
David caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye as he saw Aurora moving into action
, but he couldn’t afford to look at what she was doing. The General was now fully enraged and moved towards David. In an instant, David felt the air crack as the now familiar charge ran through him like a bolt of lightning. The General, in spite of being wounded, and as large as he was, moved surprisingly quickly, but David was still able to duck under his massive fist. He slipped past him to his left, and stepped up onto a chair while drawing his short sword. Then with a mighty swing spun around and cut off his head.
There was an unearthly scream that ripped through their ears like hot needles.
As his bulk fell to the ground, he saw Aurora standing over the dead body of the little man. He had also pulled a knife but was too slow for her. She looked up at David, her face set with grim determination. They stood still for a moment, and then Eustus fell to his knees.
The two of them went over to him Aurora asking
, “Are you alright Eustus?”
Eustus looked up at them pale as a sheet
and said, “Dear Lord.”
David asked
, “Are you hurt anywhere Eustus?”
Eustus started to come back to himself “I think I’m alright, I’ve never been so frightened in my life.”
David and Aurora helped him to his feet.
David
asked, “Eustus are you well enough to find the artifact?”
Eustus regaining some color in his face
said, “Yes, yes, I can, yes.”
David grabbed a lamp off of the desk
and said to Eustus, “Ok, then lead the way.”
Eustus led them through a series of hallways downstairs through several rooms until they finally came to a small room that gave David the impression of a prayer chamber. In the corner was a niche
, Eustus went over to it, and removed a small statue. Behind the statue was a small seal. He placed his finger on it, and began to pray. After a few moments, the back of the niche slid into the wall exposing a hidden cubby. Eustus reached inside and withdrew the item wrapped in cloth. He turned to them and opened it. Inside were two golden daggers. He handed them to David, and said, “May these help you in your final battle.”
David took one
and handed it to Aurora then sheathed the other one. Aurora slipped hers inside her boot. Then David said, “We’d better get moving before someone shows up here.”
They quickly made their way to the main entrance
, and David said, “Stay behind me.”
He walked out onto the landing
, and reached out drawing on the spirit. The air cracked and sizzled around him, and then he said in a loud clear voice “I stand for Jehovah.”
As the ’vah’ sound left him
, it exploded like a cannon. Even in the moonlight they could see the dust whipped up from the ground as it shot forth into the city. David knew the men waiting on the ridge would have heard it too. He turned to Aurora and Eustus, and said, “Hurry get into the carriage we have to go meet the others.”
David quickly climbed up onto the driver’s bench
, and Aurora joined him. Eustus got inside, and David set out immediately. He drove back down the main street. As they passed all the buildings where the men were, they could hear them inside. This time, the sounds where not of wild indulgence, this time the sounds were of brutal slaughter. Unholy screams of pain, and suffering as the men turned on each other in a wild melee of killing.