Tomas and Landry did not know what else to add. They hoped the captain would believe them. He had to.
The three regrouped with the other still left in the battered company. Tomas kept his distance from the men. They all watched him with judgemental eyes.
“Alright men, we know where we are headed. We take the path northeast,” Gharland said.
“Ser,” Styna said, “you really trust that mutt?” He gestured towards Tomas.
“We have no other choice but to trust him. We have lost men, we have many injured, and I fear the Imperium needs us now more than ever. When we reach them, we will send word to the king about what attacked us the other night.”
“But ser… what did attack us?” Smiling John quivered.
“What the fuck were those things?” another soldier said.
Everyone had been too afraid to even discuss the monstrosities they had fought that night. It seemed easier to try and forget what had happened, but clearly that was no longer going to work.
The truth needed to be addressed.
Gharland huffed, trying to think of how to respond. “Your guess is as good as mine, men. But whatever they were, they were not from this place.”
“Others will be in danger,” Landry added. “Who knows where they came from, how many there are, and where they are headed now? We need to get to the Repository at once.”
Many of the remaining men agreed, muttering to themselves, nodding. Some were more hesitant.
“Perhaps the Magisters will have some idea on what those beasts were,” Gharland said.
“And what of him?” Ref said. He was glaring over to Tomas, his face still black and blue and swollen. One eye was sealed shut from the swelling.
Gharland turned around and looked Tomas up and down. He spoke loud enough for all the men to hear.
“You attacked one of my men and damn near killed him. The only reason I will not have you hanged here and now is that we need your directions. And if what you say is true, and your attack was in retaliation…”
Tomas held his breath.
“…then I will not sentence you to die.”
“Thank you, ser,” Landry said with a sigh of relief.
“However,” Gharland added, “I cannot have you serving with me and my men. You are a danger. When we reach the Grand Repository, you will be discharged from my service, soldier.”
Tomas felt a burst of uncertainty. How did he feel about that? Was he relieved? Shocked? It was all a lot to think about.
Landry, however, became distraught. “Ser, you can’t-”
“Remember your place, squire,” Gharland hissed. “You do not tell me what I can and cannot do.”
Landry’s shoulders sunk down like a scolded dog.
Ref simply sneered; his menacing blackened teeth hideous even from a distance.
“This boy is clearly not suitable for working in the king’s name.” Gharland looked at Tomas. “You acted violently towards one of your superiors. Despite the apparent cause behind it, your crime cannot go unpunished. You will remain in chains until we reach the Repository, or until I order otherwise.”
Tomas could not help but smile to himself. He was finally going to be free of all the turmoil he had experienced the last several weeks.
Free to leave.
But then it dawned on him. He would be departing from the only people he had left. Landry had become someone he could rely upon. Someone who seemed to genuinely care for him. And in a strange way, it was a sort of relief to receive orders about what to do and when to do it by the captain- it forewent the burden of making tough decisions for himself.
Rilan was gone.
Tomas did not want to return to Brittlepeak, not yet, perhaps not ever… so where else would he go?
Chapter 28 - Bells
Katryna Bower was still wide awake, despite the hour being well after midnight. She gazed out her window and saw the sky was alight with the pale white and blue light of Rea and Ixo.
Ixo, on this night, was especially alive. Its millions of shattered pieces out-glowed even the stars. So much beauty, yet so much devastation. She could not help but relate to the view.
Katryna was unable to stop thinking about her conversation with her father. It was what she had wanted in coming back all this way to Ravenrock, yet she still had so much to say and so much she felt she wanted to hear from him.
On top of that, there were still all the questions about the poisonings. Had Rowan really orchestrated the assassination of their mother, and the poisoning of their father?
Rowan was a cold person, there was no denying. Ever since he was an adolescent, Katryna could remember his disdain for her and the cruelly horrible things he would say and do to hurt her.
But was he truly capable of killing their parents, all for the crown?
The red star was brighter than the previous night. It was getting closer to Eos, Katryna suspected. It was a beautiful scarlet colour and its glow shimmered like sunlight on water.
She closed her eyes but could not sleep. Her anxiety had been grieving her again. It felt like someone was sitting on her chest and choking the breath out of her. Her hands were again trembling.
Katryna eventually gave up on trying to sleep. She threw her blankets off and jumped out of bed to leave her quarters for a walk to clear her mind.
The castle was hauntingly quiet at this time of night. Dark, candle-lit corridors awaited her. Their ceilings and corners were draped in black, while stark moonlight cast brilliant, decorated shadows from the windows.
Katryna recalled this feeling, the oppressive mood of Castle Bower. It was something she had often felt before she had abandoned it.
She certainly hadn’t missed it.
Katryna made her
