Iron Blooded

It was nearly morning, but I’d had no time to sleep. After a healer had treated most of my wounds I had dressed in full armor, short sword at my side. Draxus, Kato, and Hade met me outside my tent. The worry reflected in their eyes told me that rumor of what had happened must have spread.

“Will,” Draxus stepped forward, gaze darting from my still-wet hair to my armor. I noticed that although he wasn’t wearing full battle rattle, he was wearing chainmail and had belted on his sword. The others were similarly outfitted.

“Is it true? You were attacked in the bathhouses?”

A wave of tiredness hit me all at once, and I simply nodded. Hade swore, surprising everyone.

“I heard from a reliable source that it was a Death Hound that attacked you, Ser William. If that’s the case then..”

He trailed off but I knew what he was thinking. I was thinking it too.

Suddenly the camp didn’t seem like a safe place to talk. I glanced around, seeing the soldiers beginning to emerge from their tents. The guards at patrol on the perimeter. Any one of them could be an enemy. No, that was paranoia.

I had been targeted in the attack, but so far there was no indication of who had summoned the creature, or why.

“Walk with me,” I said to the others, before setting off in the direction of the city. The others followed behind, and Draxus fell into step beside me.

I shook my head.

“Not yet. But I intend to find out.” I glanced around to make sure we wouldn’t be overheard, then lowered my voice.

“Do you remember when I told you that Lord Blackthorne suspected a mole among our own?”

Draxus’s eyebrows descended like a storm. Even Kato looked grim.

“A traitor… that would make sense. What I don’t understand is the motive. What reason would a human have to betray humanity? What would they get out of selling us out that would make it worth the risk? The Inquisition isn’t kind to traitors, and the price they extract from the flesh of those who betray their oaths to the throne,” he gave me a significant look. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Agreed.”

Draxus’s words reflected my own thoughts. Since I had spoken with Lord Blackthorne, and had been told the signs I had begun to wonder at it. Like a dog with a bone, my mind had been unable to puzzle out the answer. How? And why?

Lord Blackthorne's own men had launched an investigation of the Governor’s estate, but the process was long and tied up in the courts of the nobility. Justice, it seemed, was to damn slow. It was time to take matters into our own hands.

“On a scale of one to ten, how comfortable would you be with potentially breaking the law?” I asked as we exited the camp. Kato perked up, dropping a hand to his sword.

“Ah, I knew you’d come around. I know a place in-“

“Not those kind of laws,” I interrupted, amused. “I mean, how would you feel about assisting the city with its vermin problem? Helping to.. expedite the judicial process.”

Draxus cracked a smile.

“Now that,” he said, “I can get on board with.”

We crossed the city in the early dawn, heading towards the northeastern wall. Below one of the towers was the entrance to the jailhouse. The place where all of Ceris kept its criminals and those being held during an active investigation.

It was early enough that the two guards in front of the gatehouse were just sitting down to eat a meal of eggs and bacon. I could smell the grease as I approached and my stomach gave an involuntarily growl.

Not now dear, I’m working.

At the sound of our approach, the two men glanced up. One, the one with a mouthful of scrambled eggs, seemed to recognize me almost immediately.

“Ser William,” he said, rising uncertainly to his feet. “I’m terribly sorry, but I was told not to allow you access to- “

“Sorry about this,” I said apologetically as I ducked beneath his outstretched arm. “But I need to question the prisoner. It won’t take long.” The guard began to protest, and his companion made to stand.

“I’d stay where you are.” The flat of Kato’s blade rested on the guard's shoulder pouldron and slowly, he resumed his seat. His fellow goggled at us, gaze darting between me and Hade who had now stepped forward to crank open the gate.

Draxus stood beside me, muscled arms folded across his chest. At a single look from him, the guard threw up his hands.

“Listen, I don’t want any trouble with a Knight. All I know is that I was given orders. They said not to allow you or anyone under your employ inside the jailhouse. I’m only following orders.”

“Whose they?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. The guard’s eyes widened and he clamped his mouth shut. I smiled, then nodded to Draxus.

My friend stepped forward, his hulking frame towering above the guard. The man took an involuntary step back and then seemed to remember he was supposed to be a city guard.

“I… I can’t say.”

“Who-“ I started, but the rest of my words were drowned out by the screech of the lever as Hade fumbled with the gatehouse chain. Everyone looked at him and he froze. HH

“Eh sorry.”

“Who,” I repeated “Is they?”

Draxus clenched his fists so hard his knuckles cracked and the guardsman’s throat bobbed.

“It was an order given by the steward,” he said at last. “The man in charge of the Governor’s state and all of Ceris in the interim of… well everything.”

I stuck my tongue in my cheek, thinking.

“Interesting that the self-appointed steward believes he holds more power than the local lord. For it is Lord Dacon Basset that has been granted the right of temporary sovereignty here. Tell me, are you an enemy of my Lord?”

The guard’s face paled a fraction.

“No Ser.”

“Good.”

Hade finally managed to crack the gate all the way, and he set the levers lock with a click.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Stay here,” I told him. “Be sure these jokers don’t try anything.”

“Yes Ser.”

Hade braced his spear on the ground and gave the men a challenging stare. I smiled as I turned away. Promoting him had been the right decision. Hade had leveled to 18, and I had the confidence that he was more than strong enough to handle these two under-leveled guardsmen.

“The city guard must have sparse pickings for recruits if those two are the best they can do.”

I grunted my agreement as we ducked beneath the gate and into the hallway beyond. The old stone was worn and smelled vaguely damp. We followed the corridor to a narrow set of steps that spiraled down several floors. On the first floor we found a small room filled with what looked like records. Another guardsman was sitting behind a desk, his head bent over a piece of parchment.

“For the last time gregory,” he growled. “I’m not going to tell you where to put the..” he trailed off when he saw we weren’t Gregory.

“What the.. who the hell are you?”

“Ser William of Blackbriar. Also, I need your keys.”

“Is this some kind of joke.”

This guard was older, and a quick scan of his stats showed me that he was a level higher than me. It wouldn’t save him.

I banged my armored fist on the desk, the crash making the man jump. His hand twitched towards his blade and I gave him my best mad mans grin.

“Let me tell you how this is going to go,” I said. “I’m going to give you the opportunity to comply. You hand over the keys, I question the prisoner and then leave. No harm done. Or you try to draw that blade and I show you exactly what all the songs they sing about me in taverns these days are all about. I’m not fussed which, so I’ll let you decide. Do you want to keep your teeth? Or do you want to tell your grandchildren you eat porridge for every meal because Will of fucking Blackbriar ran out of patience?”

The guardsman mumbled something under his breath but I watched as he unbuckled the key ring from his belt. Slowly, he handed them over, face sullen.

“Ah,” I said. “A man of culture.”

I snatched the key rings and strode from the room, a cackling Kato trailing behind me.

“Think I overdid it?”

“Nah, you got a reputation to uphold. I’m going to tell my children about this moment.”

“What children?”

Kato threw a hand over his chest in mock pain.

“You wound me, noble Knight.”

The stairs led to a dim corridor branching into two separate hallways. Along the wall were several heavy wooden doors with iron bar windows set into them. We glanced into a few, but the men and women within seemed almost vacant.

Some, I knew, were on death row waiting to be marched to the gallows. Not all though, it would seem.

“That bastard,” breathed Kato as he peered into the last cell. This one was more spacious than the others, the room at least twice as large. What was more, it had a high barred window in which fresh light and air streamed in. At the center of the room on a comfortable-looking rug, a man sat at a low table. He was currently tearing into a leg of roasted duck, chewing with gusto.

Someone was keeping him particularly comfortable. The only question was who and why.

Kato fumbled with the keys for a moment before finding the right fit. He turned the key in the lock and the second it clicked, I kicked the door open with a bang.

The bathhouse attendant looked up with a full mouthful of duck, his eyes bulging as he spotted me. He set down the food hastily, the platter rattling. He scooted backwards on his hands like a crab as I approached.

“Ser William,” he tried to say around his mouthful. “I didn’t know.. I didn’t think..”

“Didn’t think I’d be able to get in here.” I finished, coming to tower over him. I dropped my hand to my blade. “Thought your masters would keep you safe? Well, you were wrong. The protection of the steward only gets you so far.”

The man’s eyes darted to Kato and Draxus, and he swallowed his mouth full of duck with an audible gulp.

“The steward? I don’t know what y-“

I kicked the wall next to his head so hard that the attendant actually cowered in fear.

“Don’t fuck with me,” I snarled, gripping the hilt of my short sword so hard my knuckles turned white. Only hours ago I had almost died fighting a creature that had come from the depths of hell itself. It was time for answers, and I wasn’t particularly fussed how I got them.

“I’ve heard the accounts of those involved.” I said. “You and the Matron were the only ones left in the bathhouse that night. I don’t know her involvement, but what I do know is that if she is responsible then it’s highly unlikely that she acted alone.”

I bent down, boots creaking as held his terrified gaze.

“You were the one who attended to me. You knew I’d be there, and likely for how long. What I need to know is who you told this information.”

The attendant wet his nervous lips with his tongue. I could tell he was going to lie even before he opened his grease stained mouth.

“Ser William I have no idea-“

“I warned you,” my voice echoed around the room and I let my eyes grow cold as I drew my blade several inches from its sheath. The rasp of metal on the leather made the man flinch.

“Not to lie to me. The Matron herself vouches for you – says you do good work and always have. But she also confirms that at the time of the attack, you were the only one in the building. She had already locked up and was headed home for the night when the guards heard the commotion. That leaves you as the only one present in the bathhouses other than me. Am I getting warmer?”

When the man didn’t answer I continued.

“Then of course, there is the matter of the door. It was locked. But not by any normal means.”

I let my eyes bore into him even as I heard Draxus and Kato shift near the door. It would come as a surprise to them no doubt. When I had heard Sergeant Evan’s account of the night's events, something had stuck out to me. The door had been sealed, but according to the Matron and the guards present, when she had tried to unlock it with the mater key the door hadn’t budged.

I was no expert locksmith but even I could guess at the reasoning.

“It was sealed with magic, wasn’t it.”

The attendant was the first to blink. He clenched his jaw, looking away as if the force of my gaze pained him.

“I don’t have to tell you anything. The Governor’s laws protect me from harm. You have no right to threaten me.”

“The Governor is dead.”

This time it was Draxus’s voice that rang out behind me. That simple pronouncement seemed to hit the attendant like a physical blow, and he hunched his shoulders inward as the warrior continued.

“And you my friend just committed a capital crime against one of the Lord’s Knights. Do you think that will be brushed aside? Do you think Lord’s Dacon and Blackthorne will show you any mercy?”

Draxus crossed the room and came to lead against the wall his giant shadow looming over the man. The attendant glanced between us, seeming to realize he was likely moments away from violence. I didn’t disabuse him of the notion.

“Ceris may have had its own laws and hierarchy for generations,” I continued, “But that hierarchy ended the moment it was discovered that the Governor and his very own were traitors to the throne. Your Lord Governor ordered the inner gates to be closed. Ordered his own garrison to keep his people from safety even as the city proper burned around them. Those are the actions of a coward at best,” I drew my short sword now, letting the light from the high barred window glint off its edge.

“And at worst…. The actions of a traitor. Tell me, Draxus, what is the penalty for a traitor to the throne?”

“Torture unto death.”

Each word was delivered like a blow.

I held my tongue then, letting the threat speak for itself. I could see the battle behind the attendant’s eyes. Maintain his innocence and protect those who had protected him? Or spare himself the consequences of his actions? I resisted the urge to smile. Coward’s would always choose themselves in the end.

Sure enough like granite cracking, the attendant's façade of fearful defiance broke. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes and his bottom lip began to tremble.

“You have to understand,” he said. “I never intended for any of this to happen. He only said I had to notify him if you returned to the bathhouses. I didn’t have a choice, Ser William I swear. He was going to tell her… tell her everything.”

Draxus frowned.

“Everything? What does he mean.”

I exhaled, rocking back on my heels. It was all coming together.

“You were skimming from the top, weren’t you.”

The attendant gripped his robes, pulling them more tightly across himself.

“It’s only fair. We were barely being paid a legal wage, and it’s not like she didn’t have money to go around. If it wasn’t me then it would have been someone else.” He darted a fearful look up at me. “But I swear, I didn’t know why he wanted to know. Only that he told me to send word to him if you returned. Said he’d pay me three months' salary. I needed the money…”

Sold out my life for three months' wages? The idea made me want to laugh, hit something, or maybe both. Instead, I gripped the attendant's robes and yanked him forward until we were face to face.

“Who is he?” he snarled, letting the venom in my voice portray the anger now burning in the pit of my stomach.

The man’s throat bobbed.

“I don’t know who he is. He never showed his face, only gave me this and told me to contact him when I next saw you.”

I looked down. The attendant had rummaged in his robes and removed a folded piece of parchment which he now held out in a shaking hand. I snatched it from him, opening it to reveal semi-faded writing in a scrawling hand.

At first the words didn’t seem to make sense. There were numbers followed by what looked to be… a street name. Was it a location?

“Will!” the warning almost came too late.

Before I could fully read what was written the edge of the parchment suddenly caught flame. I swore, stepping back and dropping it to the ground as it disintegrated in a flash of red-hot flame.

“Magic,” whispered Kato, his eyes wide. “Witchcraft, maybe. Or worse…Just what the hell are we dealing with here?”

“I’m afraid,” Came a voice from the door. “That what we’re hunting is a practitioner of the occult. And if I had to wager a guess, this is only the beginning.”