As we reached the center of the square, there was a crash. All around us, doors burst open and soldiers streamed out, dressed in full clan regalia, weapons in their hands. The guards stepped back and disengaged from fighting with us, looks of relief on their faces.
I turned to face the approaching ambush. These were the sorts of numbers we had feared, coming at us from every direction. More than that, they were disciplined in a way the guards weren’t. They gathered around us in strictly regimented formation, imposing lines of warriors in polished armor and matching uniforms.
A soldier in a plumed helmet shouted, and they came to a halt. They raised their weapons.
I braced myself, ready for the attack.
The leader shouted again. The soldiers clicked their feet together and then, as one, they sank to their knees and held their weapons out in front of them.
“My Lord Ganyir,” the officer said, his plume drooping past his bowed head, his warhammer held out in both hands. “We come to pledge our allegiance to you once more. When we learned that Mahrai had joined your side, we understood that Saruqin was not all-powerful. Still, we failed you and now, we stand ready to receive whatever punishment you see fit. But first, let us help you make this right.”
Around the square, the expressions on the faces of Saruqin’s guards turned from triumph to dismay. They backed away, weapons clutched tight, conceding the square to us.
Ganyir laid a hand on the head of the leading soldier. “You need fear no punishment, Rendar. You did what you thought was right for the city, for the province, and for their people. Yes, you made a mistake, but as you say, you now have a chance to put that right.”
Ganyir stepped back, and Rendar rose to his feet. The others followed his lead, standing up and readying their weapons.
“Today is a glorious day,” Ganyir bellowed so that they could all hear. “Today, we take back our destinies from those who would corrupt them. We cleanse our city of the ungodly heathens who have populated it for so long. In their place, we restore the Wandering Path. We accept that life is not easy, that we must sometimes accept hardship and delays, but that the result is a kinder, better world. One in which we help each other up, lift our land up, and rise together to a brighter future.
“For Gonki!”
“For Gonki!” the soldiers cried out and slammed their fists against their chests.
While Ganyir was speaking, I had worked my way around the outside of the crowd. I now stood in front of the palace, looking up the steps to its imposing iron gates and towering central building. Unlike the city’s other stone buildings, it wasn’t built from local rock. Instead, it had been made from slabs of marble, imported at the height of Gonki’s grandeur. Patterns of dark and light stone spiraled up its sides, smooth and mottled. Further up, wide windows and soaring balconies looked out across the world.
There were no signs of enemy guards or the demons that had swarmed over the city the night before. In front of the palace, a barricade had been erected. It crossed the entire width of the square, a mass of carts, furniture, and even chunks of buildings. Though haphazardly heaped, it was still sturdy and high enough that it would prove an obstacle to our attack.
I noticed movement beneath the barricade, and saw guards hiding behind an upturned cart, covered in the blood of their comrades. They must have been the final survivors of those who’d been stationed at the gates and the outer streets of the city. They watched me nervously, unsure whether I’d spotted them. They had retreated this far, but crossing the barricade would be too powerfully symbolic an act, or perhaps it would draw them to Saruqin’s attention, and so here they were making their stand.
“You could surrender,” I said after I’d walked to the upturned cart. “Return to service under Lord Ganyir and to the Wandering Path.”
“The Straight Path is the only path,” one snarled.
“Death to Ganyir,” said another, hidden from view.
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
I charged at them, the Sundered Heart Sword in my hand. I jumped onto the cart and then propelled myself behind it. The first guard raised his mace to block my blow. As I came down, I sliced clean through the shaft of the weapon and into his body. As he dropped, another two moved around, trying to get at me from both sides. I focused my Vigor through my feet and jumped, slamming both boots down like I’d seen the earth Augmenters do. This time, a Ground Strike rippled from both my feet in the direction my toes were pointing, right at the two guards. I’d only used a little Vigor, so the technique wasn’t very stong, but it did enough to make them stumble.
The one on my right was the first to steady himself, and he brought a curved, two-handed sword up in a smart parry as I swung the Sundered Heart. The weapons hit each other, producing a sonorous ring. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the entirety of Ganyir’s army was watching me deal with the final city guardsmen. The soldier in front of me snarled, and I quickly dispatched him with a swift stab.
The last of the guards charged at me, screaming his defiance. I spun around, activated a Flame Shield the size of a buckler over my left hand, and caught the blow. I stepped aside, and his momentum carried him past. I dragged my sword across his stomach, and his innards spilled out while his feet continued to carry him forward. The gruesome trail he left behind almost reached the gathered
