The Tears of Kas̆dael

Seventeen days had passed since the incident at the lake, and the accursed jungle was finally behind them. There was something almost magical about the way the landscape changed as soon as they crossed the great River and reached the small enclave of land that Sapīya possessed on its western banks.

The endless sea of trees gave way to flat plains, offering an uninterrupted view until sky and earth embraced. Most of the land was covered in fields of wheat and barley, with occasional islands of trees rising above the amber grains. There was a simple beauty about it that appealed to S̆ams̆ādūr, but one flaw of the jungle still remained - the soul-crushing heat.

Fortunately, Birnah stretched in front of them, an oasis of shade in the sun-stricken lands. S̆ams̆ādūr had thought Dūr-Sebe was an impressive fortress, but it was a dungheap next to the city that rose before them.

The city was built on the only patch of elevated land for miles around, with a wide moat fully encircling it. Three curtain walls followed after it, each one higher than the last and gleaming with the dull gray of an iron coating. Towers guarded every 100 feet, each one topped with a catapult or ballista, and soaring above all the rest was a massive castle flying the green and gold colors of the city’s lord.

Yas̆peh, set against the backdrop of the life-giving river and the abundant jungle, was a far more beautiful city than Birnah, but the durgu prince found a certain grim charm in the fortress town, something that reminded him of his father’s own bastion. Perhaps this assignment won’t be so bad.

The city had just two points of entrance - a bridge that led to the north and one that exited to the south, so they headed for the closest of those. A fortress protected the entrance to the bridge, along with a full staff of guards.

As expected, no sooner did they reach the bridge, than the guards demanded they stopped. S̆ams̆ādūr chose to keep silent as the guards questioned the Corsyths accompanying them, clearly upset by the presence of the durgu. While their people weren’t technically at war, at least not yet, the tension between them was well known. But the Corsyth commander accompanying them, Takklāta, had the weight of the king’s order behind her, so S̆ams̆ādūr expected little issue. He was wrong.

“We’re not letting those dwarves in without Lord Sarganīl’s orders,” the guard captain declared, shoving the papers aside. “And he’s currently out of the city.”

“You can’t just ignore the king’s orders,” Takklāta snapped. “Lord Kabāni has gifted these durgu to bolster your defenses. Who are you to turn them down?”

“You can enter the city and speak to General Qardûl,” the guard relented, “but I will not let them in without Lord Sarganīl’s permission, letter or not. Kabāni is not lord of this city.”

“Kabāni is the king,” S̆ams̆ādūr’s escort hissed. “He is the lord of every Sapīyan city.”

The captain ignored him and simply repeated the offer to let the Corsyth speak to the general, much to his escort’s ire, and the prince decided to step in. “You said Lord Sarganīl isn’t in Birnah currently? Where is he? Perhaps we can speak to him directly and resolve this issue.”

The captain grimaced as he looked at the durgu, but responded after a moment of hesitation. “There have been rumors of a sighting of an Atrometos near the village of Qarās̆s̆amas̆. It’s probably just peasant rumors, but Lord Sarganīl went to investigate. If you really want to find him, it’s to the north.”

S̆ams̆ādūr thanked him, and after calming the Corsyth commander down, the group hit the road again. When they were well out of earshot, he turned to the commander. “Are your king's orders always so casually ignored? If I were back in my father’s kingdom, the captain would have his head removed the first time he refused an order.”

“No,” Takklāta replied, grinding her teeth. “Only the lord of Birnah would dare such insolence.”

“And Kabāni just lets him?”

“Lord Kabāni,” the woman corrected him. “Unfortunately, Lord Sargonīl has used his position as the king’s father-in-law and the lord of Birnah, the most important fortress in the province, to push the boundaries of proprietary. He grows ever more bold, but I assume you already know this - Lord Kabāni sent you here to spy on him, did he not?”

S̆ams̆ādūr shrugged. “Even if I did, I could hardly tell you.”

“No need,” Takklāta grunted. “I am quite certain of it.”

“And when we find Lord Sargonīl?” The prince picked the conversation back up. “Will he allow us to enter the city?”

“He used his proxy to humble us, but he isn’t bold enough to refuse us entry. Not yet, at any rate - to do so would be nearly tantamount to open rebellion, and whatever the plans for the future may hold, Sargonīl is not ready to enact them. Hopefully,” she added with a meaningful glance at S̆ams̆ādūr, “he never will be.”

The prince snorted. “I don’t know what you imagine I can do about it. It’s not as if I have any real power here, and frankly, I don’t care if your kind start killing each other. Your petty squabbles are none of my concern.”

“Yes, I imagine you’d be quite happy to see our lands fall into ruin,” she said, glaring at him angrily. “That way your father and his ilk can sweep in and claim them for himself.”

S̆ams̆ādūr let out a low chuckle. “My father has no interest in your worthless lands. I’m sure he’d let Kabāni serve him, but his eyes are on the gems of the north, not your empty jungles.”

“The Empire is stronger than your father thinks,” she replied defiantly. “His efforts will fail.”

The prince shrugged. “I am beginning to think that myself. For as much as I’d heard of the Empire’s fall from glory, I had underestimated its sheer size and the strength of its many fortresses. I doubt the empire can beat my father in the field of battle, but attrition alone may prevent him from achieving any true victory. But it does not matter - my father and I are no longer on the same side of things. I care no more for his plans than for yours.” S̆ams̆ādūr knew that wasn’t quite true, but he figured the girl was no mind reader.

Takklāta was, however, intuitive; she watched him pensively for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t believe that. I think you care a lot - you just haven't quite decided which horse you're going to back.”

“Believe what you want,” he replied curtly, but she had struck at the heart of the matter. The assassins his father had sent had shaken him to the core, and part of him wanted to strike back; another part, though, couldn’t shake the decades of training engrained him, the role of the dutiful son that had been enforced on him from the moment his ability had manifested. Was he really willing to throw in his fate with the Empire? He just wasn’t sure.

Their conversation petered out, and they rode the rest of the way to Qarās̆s̆amas̆ in silence.

Unlike the villages across the river, Qarās̆s̆amas̆ was protected by a fifteen-foot log palisade, with a singular watchtower keeping an eye on the plains around them. It wasn’t enough to stand a long siege, but it was enough to protect the villagers until a rescue force could be scrambled from Birnah - or at least it normally would be.

Smoke filled the skies as a dozen fires burned across the village rooftops. The watchtower was also consumed by flames, its logs already as black as the night itself, and it swayed dangerously in the wind coming off the River. Something massive had ripped a giant chunk in the palisade, tearing the logs out of the ground and tossing them aside like they were tinder toys, and an angry bellow echoed through the smoke, accompanied by a fell voice speaking a language S̆ams̆ādūr could not comprehend.

FUGYE ANUYETOS TH’NETOS.

His eyes met the commander’s, the realization dawning on them at the same time - the Atrometos was here.

Old instincts kicked in, and S̆ams̆ādūr spurred his pony into a gallop. Dust mingled with the thick smoke as the durgu and their Corsyth escorts charged toward the town, but the two commanders - the only ones on mounts - pulled ahead.

The gates hung ajar, and they burst them with ease. Bodies littered the ground, many torn to shreds so thoroughly by the creature’s claws that the prince could not even distinguish if they had been man or woman. Choking on the smoke, he grabbed a scarf out of his bag and pouring his canteen over it, wrapped it around his face before pressing on.

The smoke swirled, and then it parted as a massive black hand shot straight toward him. Wicked long claws, each as long as a short sword glimmered on the edges of his fingers. The horse reared, tossing him to the ground, and S̆ams̆ādur rolled safely below the strike. He landed on his feet, and keeping to the ground, he charged forward silently, pulling his axe free of his pouch.

He faltered as the Atrometos loomed out of the smoke, and struck down at him again. He’d never fought one before, but he’d never imagined they were this large. Its head crested above the nearest cottage, likely well over fifteen feet, and the two massive horns on its head spiraled even further. Its skin was as black as the night itself, so dark that it seemed a void, and its mouth opened to reveal a mouth brimming with endless rows of teeth. PITHANE.

A shoulder crashed into his own, and S̆ams̆ādūr was tossed back as Takklāta threw herself in front of him, her shield raised high.

*CLANG*

She staggered beneath the blow, but remained upright, as the creature’s claws punched through the solid metal. It pulled its hand back, and she was lifted off her feet as the claws remained stuck in the shield. With an angry growl, it shook its hand, and she was flung to the side as the claws finally slipped free.

Her efforts had given him the time he needed though. Regaining his senses, S̆ams̆ādūr rolled to his feet, and snatching up his axe, launched himself at the creature. He dashed between its legs and slammed the blade into its haunches, twisting it violently, but he barely made a mark. With the grace of a ballerina, the massive creature spun around and swept its clawed hands at him. He flung himself to the side, but not quite enough, and the tip of the claw ripped open the back of his leg.

As he struggled to stand, the muscles on his leg betraying him, Takklāta returned to the fight. Her blade glowed with arcane light as she danced between the creature’s blows and scored a flurry of quick hits on its chest, drawing drops of black blood, but she could not land a killing blow. Abandoning all efforts to stand, S̆ams̆ādūr drew on his essence and cast a spell. Lib-dalāh.

The single spell sucked all his essence out, and he slumped forward, clutching at his head, but so too did the Atrometos. It faltered briefly, its eyes growing dull as the spell struck its mind, and Takklāta leapt forward. Her blade slashed through its root, sending waves of black blood gushing across the scorched earth, and she struck again, driving the sword through the chin and up to the head.

Yet the Atrometos was not so easily dispatched. As the spell released its hold, it shook its head with an angry growl and staggered forward, swiping at her clumsily. She dodged the blow, and then the battle was over, as the rest of their comrades arrived and piled onto the creature, overwhelming the wounded being with sheer numbers.

With a groan of pain, the prince forced himself upward and rummaged in his bag for a healing potion. It did nothing to ease the pain of essence deprivation, but it healed the sinews in his leg enough to let him stand. As he stumbled to his feet, he became aware of a presence behind him, and whirled around, axe firmly clutched in his grasp.

The black horns of an Atrometos loomed out of the darkness, followed by a decidedly mortal hand. A group of soldiers emerged from the smoke, dressed in heavy armor, with their leader holding the severed head of an Atrometos in his hand.

“Well, you’re not entirely useless,” the man said as he pushed the faceplate of his helmet up to reveal a face weathered by age, "but, frankly, I expected more."

Tamping down his irritation, S̆ams̆ādur offered a respectful nod. "Lord Sarganīl, I presume? Lord Kabāni sent us to bolster your forces."

The man's lip twisted in a mockery of a smile. "Yes, I suppose I did. Well, who am I to reject my son-in-law's help? But I'm afraid right now, your help is most needed out here, protecting these villages. You can bunk here for the night, and then...we'll see."