The Lord Commandant

A part of me was terrified. Being told that devils were escaping in confidence was one thing, but being told that I would soon be travelling to those lands and facing them was another matter entirely. But I was also excited, this was an opportunity to learn more about what was wrong with me, about Lilith and my strange abilities. She was connected to the devils in some way or another, from what I had learned from Anoir the last record of her was during the thousand wars, and if there was a place in this world connected to devils more than the shadow gates, I didn’t know where it could be. It felt as though I had limitless energy and yet at the same time all I wanted to do was bend over and hurl my guts over the cobbled streets.

Since Queen Celeste had told us of our charge, we had hurriedly gathered what supplies we may need from the market stalls and artificers in the city. The journey to Karatir would only take a week, less if we could get some good mounts, there we would be able to stock up on everything else that we would need to explore the shadow gates. Goddesses only knew what that would be.

There was a very good chance that we wouldn’t return from this journey, for all anyone knew crossing the threshold of the shadow gates could mean ****, or we could become trapped in there ourselves. Our task was one great unknown and a thousand things could go wrong, but that was the hand that adventurers are dealt. The Goddesses gave us great amounts of power, and with that came the duty to risk our lives to protect this world.

I said my farewells to Henry, to Opal and Bella, to Rayall, and the few others that I had come to know during my time in the city. Some of my goodbyes were filled with more tears than I would have liked, and I made sure that if I didn’t return Henry would tell Opal and Bella what happened to my mother. If I died, or worse, then I still had the comfort of knowing that she wouldn’t be abandoned to whatever fate Motten decided for her. It was a small comfort, but it helped.

With our supplies readied for the journey and our goodbyes completed, we drifted into a difficult sleep and awoke in the small hours of the morning. We retrieved our horses from the stables that they were housed in and loaded our gear onto them before trotting down the streets towards the eastern gate with the squinting eye of the rising sun looking upon us.

We had decided that it would be best not to travel with the other parties that had also been chosen for this contract. Zarin was the head of one of those parties and I had no doubt those under his leadership would show anything less than malice towards me. Some of the others I didn’t recognise and others like Nallis may have been more favourable towards me, but I didn’t want to risk it. On a journey there were hundreds of things that could go wrong, accidents that could occur, a torn strap could see more fall from my horse, rotten food could poison me, infections, dirty water, muggers, all opportunities for Zarin to get his petty ****. And so, we were resolved to depart early and rest far from the roadside where we wouldn’t be stumbled upon.

Our horses clattered out of the gate, past the bleary eyes of guards still on duty following a long night as we travelled in the direction of the rising sun. The country to the east was different from that to the west, it was almost hard to believe that we were in the same land. Where the west was marked by craggy, barren lands, with mud and stone being a staple of that landscape; the east was lush and fertile. We passed golden fields of barley and wheat, vibrant yellow fields of rapeseed, verdant greens of sprouting carrots and sprawling grass plains, orchards with hanging globes of apples and oranges. My stomach rumbled at the sight of it all and it was hard for me to remember why we had bothered to pack food as the days rolled on and the landscape only grew more fertile.

I knew that far to the east were the great mountains of the dwarven kingdom and the deep forests of the elves, but as we travelled the roads it was hard to imagine there being anything else to be seen in all the world. At night we rested out of sight of the road that was frequented by carts and wagons carrying all sorts of produce and travellers. We talked about what we may have to face at the shadow gates, the awful deeds of devils in stories that it seemed everyone had been told as a child, all the while Aladra sat in an unusual silence.

It was the afternoon of the sixth day of our journey when the thick walls of Karatir arrived on the horizon. As we trotted closer, they became swarmed with the sight of men working to reinforce the thick stones, large cranes carrying heavy loads of rock, and the construction of siege engines on the walls. Closer still, and the air was lit up by colours and arcane sigils as elves stood before the walls, waving around elaborate rods, and chanting in a strange language.

At the sight of our adventurer rings we were waved through the gates, passing through five separate portcullises, each made of iron as thick as my arm was long. We were told that the other adventurers had arrived earlier and that we should report to the Lord Commandant in the fortress.

We gave our thanks and continued on through the streets of the city; unlike the towers of Alynthir that seemed to reach to the sky in a challenge to the goddesses, the buildings of Karatir were short with thick and ancient walls. Karatir was the eastern gateway into the rest of the kingdom and any army that wished to invade had to conquer the unconquerable first. As far back as anyone could remember the walls of Karatir had stood strong and had never fallen, a feat that was so impressive that it seemed there had never been occasion for the fortifications to be repaired. The reputation of the city seemed to be a stronger shield than the walls themselves.

Korin whistled at the sight of the city, “Impressive” he murmured, “It’s got nothing on the mountain neck, but it’s still damn impressive, I’ll give ya that” he said as our horses slowed to avoid knocking down the crowds of people that all seemed to be rushing to go somewhere important.

“The mountain neck isn’t that impressive” came Aladra’s voice, “I’ve sneaked past it before” a smile twitched on her lips as Korin let out a bellow of laughter

“If I’d known how to do that, leaving the mountains could’ve been a lot easier” I couldn’t help but smile that there was still some normalcy even with the devils looming over us.

At the fortress gates, we were stopped by multiple groups of guards that all wanted to know what we were doing there. The Lord Commandant apparently did not take the security of his city lightly, especially here in its beating heart.

At last we were escorted to the great hall, the vestibule of the fortress where all doors led. Unlike the great hall in the Citadel that was a feat of opulence and decoration, the one in Karatir was simple and more suited to war. There was no throne on a pedestal, no mosaic floor, no masonic decorations; there was a round table in the centre of the room with a replica of the city and surrounding lands, chairs were scattered around the table with one only slightly larger than the others. The walls of the room were decorated with swords and axes, shields, and the occasional suit of armour, with crystals lighting up the room.

The other parties were sat around the enormous table already with platters of food that they were gnawing at, we took our seats and joined them. I looked around and saw Zarin with Elsie besides him, for this contract it seemed she had been allowed out of her maid outfit, though it was still apparent that Zarin had selected her clothing. I looked away from them, remembering what Shana had told me on that beach, I took in a deep breath and calmed myself, refusing to let the anger within me boil. I would get him in the end, but it would be on my terms, I wouldn’t resort to the same **** that he favoured.

I wasn’t sure how long I could keep that up with his blatant attempts to antagonise me and I was grateful when the doors swung open, and the Lord Commandant arrived with a couple of guards but no apparent ceremony. He was a handsome man, with a sharp jaw and a few small battle scars that seemed to only enhance his looks. His short brown hair was sprinkled with the occasional strand of white, and he wore a military uniform with medals sprinkled across his broad chest. The weight of his duty was shown by the bags under his eyes and the tired expression on his face.

The table went quiet at his entrance though he continued talking with his guards until he got closer, “You’re all here” he said, sounding distracted as he waved his arm for the guards to move to their posts in the room. “that’s good” he muttered quietly, apparently to himself. He looked back up at us and moved his gaze over each member of the table, there were about forty of us and only one of him, but it seemed to me that we were drawn into his authority.

“My name is Horst, I am the Lord Commandant of Karatir, not an enviable position under these circumstances” he said grimly, placing his hands on the edge of the table as he leaned forward to address us. “I have been instructed to provide you with any aid that you require to complete your contract, and I will. The weapons of the armoury are at your disposal, if you need armour we will get it for you, horses, food, whatever you need. I know better than anyone the importance of what you must do” he glanced back at his guards and paused before speaking again. “The devils, should they break free will **** this city first. If I were in their position, I can’t say I would do anything different. It would give them a foothold into these lands and strike a terrifying blow to all of the kingdoms, taming the unconquerable…” he shook his head. “I can’t think of a better first strike”

One of the adventurers with his feet resting on the table spoke up, “Relax, we’ll take care of your devil problem. You don’t need to make it sound all dramatic” he said with a smirk, picking up another leg of chicken and speaking as he chewed. “We’re the best there is, either we get rid of the devils, or no one can” he shrugged his shoulder. “You might want to start building some coffins then”

Horst went silent and glowered at the adventurer for an uncomfortable length of time until he swallowed and took his feet from the table, looking around as the focus of the Lord Commandant’s glare rested on him.

“Be that as it may” Horst said loudly, giving him one final glower before returning his attention to the rest of us. “Should you fail then the people of Karatir do not intend to go quietly into the night, we will fight with every fibre of our being to defend our kingdom from the devils” he paused and sighed. “But that may not be enough, devils are… powerful creatures and I do not know how well our walls will fare against them”

He slammed his hands on the table, startling one of the adventurers that was distracted by another conversation he was having. “To that end, I have a request to make of you all. Should the defences of the city fail us, then I do not intend to allow her people to be slaughtered in their own streets. There are a series of catacombs beneath the city, it includes a passageway that leads far outside the walls, I intend for the people to be able to flee through them in the worst case. However, one of my predecessors thought that it would be a good idea to inhabit the catacombs with monsters, to guard them from intruders” he shook his head as he spoke of the monsters. “If he weren’t long dead, I would have him hanged for his stupidity. We have managed fairly well with the monsters until recently, there are some large beasts that have killed our soldiers and I do not want to risk more of their lives. I would like you to kill these monsters and allow my men to finish clearing the paths outside of the city. Most of our resources are being spent on the reinforcements that I’m sure you noticed, but we will pay the current rate for whatever monster you kill. Will any of you volunteer?”

A few mumbles sounded from some of the adventurers sat at the table as they discussed the task amongst each other. I glanced from Korin to Sara and Cleo, and then to Aladra. Before I could say anything to them, Aladra raised her hand. “We’ll help with that” she said calmly, getting a satisfied smile from Horst.

Zarin frowned at us from across the table, “I’ll take care of them for you too” he said carefully, as though he was trying to understand what we were up to. One of the girls in his party shot him a confused look but Horst simply nodded his appreciation.

Two of the other parties also volunteered for the task, including Nallis’. With that, Horst gave his thanks and excused himself from the chamber, claiming to have other pressing matters to attend to.

We finished feasting on the dishes that had been served to us and talked about what may lie in the catacombs. When I asked her, Aladra claimed to have volunteered us so that we could get some more experience before risking ourselves against the devils. Following the meal, servants came to the great hall and escorted us to the rooms that had been prepared for us. They were simple and utilitarian things, similar to those used during our training except for the design which was uniquely Karatiran. As the night grew late, we laid our heads down in bed and fell asleep.