The Awakened Book Two (29 page)

Kael made it to the northern wall of the city just after noon. The sun was high and blazing, the weather getting warmer with each passing day. He followed the instructions on the message and reported to the Captain of the northern district, who provided him with the standard array of armor and weaponry for an Orud ground soldier—one metal cuirass, greaves to protect both the legs and forearms, a small rectangular shield, and a short sword attached to a belt.

Kael suited up and reported to the wall above the northern gate, a massive arched structure, wide enough for ten wagons side by side. He managed to catch the last of the procession—the Emperor’s army—leaving the city. He knew that somewhere, among the bright reflections and red flags, Dacien rode to war, and he wished him well.

Once the cavalry moved beyond the wall, large iron gates were swung into place, securing the northern entrance to the city. The citizens, uninformed about what was happening, lingered about, looking to strike up a conversation to satisfy their curiosity. This marked the end of anything interesting for the remainder of the day and Kael spent his time joking with fellow soldiers throughout the afternoon.

As night fell, everyone’s attention was heightened. It was an unspoken rule that enemies attacked at night. And, coupled with the pace that the Korgan were keeping, they could arrive anytime.

Unless Dacien stops them!

Torches flickered at regular intervals along the top of the wall. Kael stood near a ballista, ready to replenish supplies of iron missiles, should the need arise. His eyes were getting heavy, but he shook it off, blinking repeatedly. Every so often, he would scan the darkness beyond the wall and turn to do the same inside the city, to keep his vision fresh. It was nearing midnight when the shift would change.

Kael shifted his stance and breathed in heavily. Out of the silence rose a strange sound. At first, he wasn’t sure of its identity. But then it repeated, a loud and clear blast of a horn. It was a distress signal.

Kael cocked his head to the side and waited. The third report allowed him to pinpoint the location; it was coming from the Imperial Palace. The other soldiers shifted uneasily, looking out over the wall.

“It comes from the Palace,” Kael shouted.

His fellow soldiers all glanced back to the heart of the city.

“Maintain your posts,” commanded the Lieutenant of Kael’s small force. “The Palace is sufficiently guarded. Those boys can take care of themselves.”

Kael looked around to see concern on the men’s faces, and something inside him told him that he needed to leave. He walked over to the Lieutenant and addressed him quietly.

“…permission to be excused, Sir?”

“Didn’t you hear me,” the man replied. “Stay at your post.”

“I am due to be relieved, and something isn’t right. I need to go find out what is happening at the Palace.”

“You’ll stay at your post. The General put you under my command.”

“…to lend assistance. I am not under your command. I am going to leave and if I am able, I will report to you what is happening at the Palace. Your men are concerned and they have a right to be. We are here guarding the wall and, meanwhile, something is happening within the city. …sounds like a distraction to me.”

The Lieutenant considered Kael’s words, which had been spoken quietly enough not to arouse his subordinates. “…very well.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Kael replied, turning to leave.

“Report your findings as soon as you are able,” the Lieutenant announced for the benefit of his men.

“Yes, Sir,” Kael replied, playing along.

After descending a long flight of steps, Kael touched the ground at a run. He quickly discarded his armor, all except for the sword. Fortunately, the streets were clear due to the hour. Kael’s leather soles beat steadily across the stone streets, as his heart pumped loudly within his chest. After standing still all day, it felt good to be moving.

It was only a few miles to the heart of the city, where Kael came within sight of the Palace. It was a beautiful and sturdy structure, surrounded by grass and water. Large trees ringed the property in a perfect circle.

Kael could see an orange glow and occasional flicker of flame coming from the western side of the building. Smoke was beginning to rise into the night air. As he ran across the lawn, toward the elaborate columned building, he could see confusion among the guards, some of which were glancing about, unsure whether or not they should remain still or move to the western end of the Palace.

Kael approached quickly and startled one of the men, who lowered his stance and held out his spear. Kael slowed to a stop and held up his hands.

“We were guarding the northern wall and heard the alarm. What’s happening?”

The man eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then decided that Kael wasn’t a threat. “A small band of men shot flaming arrows into the western wing of the Palace. Something caught fire. We sent out after them, but they disappeared into the night.”

“Were they Korgan?” Kael asked.

“We’re not sure. They were dressed in dark clothing and their faces were painted.”

Kael thought for a moment. “It’s a diversion. Who’s inside the Palace?”

“The Emperor and Commanders of the north and south naval forces,” the man replied quickly. “As well as…”

“You must get me inside quickly,” Kael interrupted. “Their lives are in danger.”

“We’ve already sent men to guard the Emperor. It is our first priority.”

“It won’t matter. He may already be dead. You must help me,” he pleaded.

The man paused for a brief moment, then nodded to his left. “…this way.”

A maze of hallways passed by in a blur, bringing Kael and the guard to a large wooden door.

“Is the Emperor inside?” Kael asked, breathing heavily.

“Yes. The Royal Guard is with him and the Generals,” the man said, then proceeded to bang the butt of his spear against the door in a rhythmic pattern.

When no answer came, he tried again.

“Is there another way in?” Kael asked.

“It’s barricaded from the inside, but there is another way.” Again they ran, following a circular hallway that surrounded the barricaded room. The soldier stopped abruptly and turned to the wall away from the room. Lifting a heavy tapestry away from the wall, he revealed an opening just big enough for a man to pass through on hands and knees.

“I’ll go first,” he asserted, disappearing through the dark hole.

Kael followed until he could stand, and found himself in a small stairwell that led downward, back in the direction of the barricaded room. He followed the soldier down the passage that appeared to lead underneath the hallway and below the room where the Emperor was kept. And just as he expected, Kael began to ascend stairs until the soldier stopped at a narrow landing, the ceiling only four feet above the ground.

Crouching underneath a wooden door in the ceiling, the soldier wedged his shoulder against it and flexed his legs. Slowly, the door began to give, but appeared to have something on top of it.

Kael moved next to the man and added his strength to the effort. Immediately, the door gave upward and whatever blocked it and tipped over to land with a crash. Kael helped the man upward through the opening and expected a helping hand to come back down. When nothing happened, Kael grabbed the ledge and jumped, pulling himself up to the floor of the protected room.

Before he even got to his feet, it was clear that they were too late. Bodies could be seen lying lifeless around the room. Kael moved as quickly as he could to his feet and scanned the room for his escort.

The soldier was standing a few feet away, looking down at his Emperor, whose head had been removed from his body. Blood had formed a large pool around him.

Kael took in the rest of the scene at a glance. The naval Commanders were lying together to his left, with puncture wounds to the chest. And scattered around the rest of the room, the ten royal guardsmen lay in various positions of death, slain while defending their Emperor. The quickly spreading pool of blood beneath one man’s throat told Kael that all of this had happened only seconds earlier.

“Is there no other way into this room?” Kael asked.

The soldier looked to Kael, startled from his thoughts.

Kael repeated his question.

“No,” he answered.

The two doors on opposite ends of the room were still barricaded with large timbers. And the passage that they had just taken showed no signs of tampering. Kael searched the walls for signs of entry. Eventually, his gaze went upward to the rounded ceiling with ten small panels of colored glass set into the dome. In the day, it would have been easy to see, and beautiful to behold. But the dark night sky beyond hid the ceiling in shadow and made the windows nearly impossible to see.

“Is there a way to get up to the roof?” Kael asked with a sense of urgency.

The soldier picked up on his meaning and looked upward. “Yes,” he said, with vengeance in his eyes. “…this way.”

Kael followed the soldier back through the secret passage. Judging by the size of the timbers in front of the doors, it was a wise choice for the quickest exit. More hallways and turns led them past several fallen soldiers, slain in the same way as the men in the Emperor’s safe room.

Spilling out into one of many courtyards within the Palace, the two turned sharply and ran to a darkened corner, which turned into a narrow staircase. Kael pushed past the man and bolted up the stairs skipping many with each stride. His heart pumped strong in his chest as he anticipated a confrontation.

The stairs opened to a sand covered roof surrounded by a low wall around its perimeter. Various large shapes protruded from the sand, structural elements of the Palace construction, each large enough to hide several men. And in the center of the roof was a dome with colored glass windows set five feet apart.

Kael stopped, his eyes scanning the rooftop for signs of movement. His ears told him that the soldier was approaching the top of the stairs behind him. He held out his hand indicating that the man should stop and the footsteps obeyed his instructions.

“You take the left and I’ll go right,” the soldier offered.

“NO!” Kael said, his voice as hushed as he could make it. “Stay close to me.”

Silence followed and Kael took it to mean acceptance. Slowly, he crept forward, trying to listen over the sound of his own heartbeat. The faraway sound of voices came from the west as the Palace guards tried to put out the flames, unaware that their efforts were wasted. The goal was already accomplished.

Shadows everywhere. Which one are you hiding in?

Suddenly, movement to the right caught Kael’s attention as a shadow darted behind an obstruction.

Kael burst forward, trying to close the distance and get a better look.

It was so fast and silent that it seemed to disappear.

Kael stopped again, letting his instincts tell him where the phantom had gone.

Then it seemed to materialize in the form of a man standing on top of the wall fifty feet away, much farther than Kael would have guessed.

“Ukiru,” he called out.

The dark silhouette turned back and cocked its head to the side, with a look of curiosity.

Kael moved forward, brandishing his sword, the Orud guard only a few steps behind him. And then the shadow disappeared. Kael caught only a brief glimpse of a rope, coiled around its leg as it dropped out of sight.

Rushing forward, he confirmed that there was a rope tied to a nearby beam, extending over the edge of the Palace roof. By the time he reached the edge, he could only see the swaying end of the rope, a few feet short of the ground. Looking outward, a shadow melded with the nearby trees and vanished.

Kael sat down on the low wall and looked out over the city. He couldn’t quite feel it yet, but he knew that this was going to trouble him deeply.

First Narian…now Ukiru!

Slowly, a deep anger began to burn within him.

Chapter 21

The mid-afternoon sun filtered down through a blue sky, dotted with patches of cloud. Dacien rode at the front of the column with the other Generals. They were exhausted from their non-stop trip, which carried them north and east to the plains between
Orud
and
Nelhut
. There they confronted the Korgs who were moving as quickly as any un-mounted force, taking them by surprise. They were no match for mounted cavalry from the most powerful military force in the civilized world.

Weary and in need of recuperation, Dacien was disappointed to see three riders, bearing the distress flag of Orud, riding north to meet up with the army. A quick conversation with these men told of the Emperor’s death, and that of his Commanders.

“The High Council has called an emergency meeting at sunset, and the presence of all the Generals is required.”

The General from the north simply nodded in acknowledgement, no signs of exhaustion in his demeanor. “We will be there,” he said confidently.

The three riders turned and galloped away to the city, while the army resumed their slower-paced ride back to their home. When they reached the gates of the city, a loud cheer went up from the crowds gathered there. It was nothing unusual, for citizens always showed such support. But on this occasion, the sheer number of people attending was unlike anything they had seen before.