Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World - Chapter 256

Capítulo 256: Henry arrives

Henry stood beneath the shadow of Askiv’s walls, his gaze tracing the weathered stone, amidst thick trees. The ramparts were several heads lower than those of Eisenburg, the capital of Stahl. Perhaps the people here had never known true war, or perhaps they trusted too much in their mages to defend them.

Henry still remembered those blazing orbs that had once rained down upon Eisenburg’s walls, melting stone as if it were wax beneath the sun. There were no walls to sustain that kind of destructive power, turning them into nothing more than useless bricks. No obstacle.

Without turning back, Henry spoke to the dozen soldiers crouched behind him, his eyes fixed on the clear blue sky – “We will wait for the sun to fall. Then we move.”

He drew a thin sheet of black parchment from within his cloak, the Parchment of Whispers. Channeling a thread of energy into it, he sent word to the Shadow Guards inside the city – “We enter tonight. Meet us at Eastern part of the wall.”

Hours passed.

When the sun finally sank, shadows were drawn across the land, like a blank canvas being smeared with ink. Together with the darkness, the soldiers raised their hoods. Their forms seemed to fade into the surrounding forest’s dark embrace. Then, with a single motion from Henry, they dashed forward, silent, fast, blending with the shadows of the trees and walls. Then, in only a few breaths, they reached the wall and pressed their backs against its cold surface.

Henry glanced at his soldiers. He raised a hand, signaling silently. At his signal, he felt a faint tug in the air, his senses almost not catching it, Mana being drawn. His eyes locked on one of the men crouched nearby, who was murmuring fast words, eyes closed. In his hands, a small flame cradled in his palms, no larger than an apple. Their gazes met. With a nod of Henry, the man hurdled the fireball towards the western treeline.

It vanished, like a glowing needle cutting the darkness.

“Hey, did you see that? It was glowing.” one of the guards atop the wall muttered, pointing toward the dark forest where the flame had gone. He jabbed his companion, who sat slumped against the parapet, eyes shut.

The second guard groaned and shoved his hand away. “What is it now? Probably just a firefly or your imagination. First watch’s yours, remember? Let me sleep a bit. I have been patrolling for days thanks to those damned nobles.” He turned away, already half-asleep again.

The first guard frowned, peering into the darkness one more time, but the forest was quiet. Only the wind whispered between the trees. He shook his head, eyes fixed on the darkness. That glow didn’t look like an arrow or a torch, it had moved too fast. It was like one of those fairy tale’s demons, which parents used to scare their children. Demons of the frozen north who roasted people alive and devoured their flesh raw.

Then, in the distance, a red flicker caught his eye.

“Fire!” he whispered hurriedly.

He probably was the first to spot it, a small blaze spreading quickly through the trees. Within moments, more guards were yelling, pointing toward the growing flames as the fire began to engulf a patch of forest.

He kicked his drowsy partner – “Get up!”

“Damn it! I told you to let me sleep!” the man barked, springing to his feet, ready to punch at him, until he saw his friend’s back. He was already leaning over the edge of the wall, peering into the darkness below, fear in his eyes. His head only inclining a bit, enough to confirm that nothing was there.

“What the fuck are you doing?” the sleepy one grumbled, rubbing his eyes, already walking to his side, just as their commander’s voice bellowed from the tower.

“Everyone to the west wing! Prepare for attack!”

The two guards exchanged uneasy glances. Orders were orders. They grabbed their weapons and ran toward the commotion. The one who spotted the light had a relieved face. Luckily, he found no demons down there.

Beneath the walls, Henry heard them go, a faint smirk crossing his lips. He gave a silent nod to his soldiers. With a single kick, they began to climb, hands and feet moving swiftly through the cracks between the stones.

They ascended like silent spirits. The two mages lagged behind. The knights were helping them up, using one hand to fit into the cracks while the other pulled them up. An easy task for those already in the Third Rank, with the strength of ten grown man.

These mages had been with Luna for the past couple of years, being called “mediocre”, unable to progress further in the mage path. With those words, Henry decided to put them to good use, despite their modest talents. He could handle magic himself, though barely, but he didn’t have time to practice. Furthermore, these two had been with the mage for years, so they must have acquire some knowledge, which could prove useful in this parts of the world, where there were mages.

They reached the top of the wall with ease. After a swift glance to both sides, they leapt down, landing softly, almost soundless. No alarm rose from the guards. They had gone unnoticed.

“Your Majesty!”

Xena’s voice came from the shadows. She emerged from behind the crumbling wall of an abandoned house in the outer slums and bowed deeply. She had been waiting, hidden, for hours, afraid to miss his arrival. She was anxious. It was only the second time she had ever seen the king in person since surviving the ritual that marked her as a Shadow Guard, the Tribal Tattoo still faintly pulsing beneath her skin.

Henry’s eyes swept across the surroundings. The scene was worse than he had imagined. The stench of rot and filth hung thick in the air, death, decay, and human waste. The streets were empty. The people had long since fled deeper into the city, seeking safety should open war erupt.

“Guide me to Leier,” Henry ordered.

Without a word, Xena turned and led him silently into the maze of darkened alleys. Under the pale moonlight, they slipped through narrow passageways, using the abandoned houses and shadows to avoid the eyes of patrolling guards. The more into the slums they got, the heavier the air became.

Henry saw hundreds of bodies left to rot by the roadsides, children so thin their bones pressed against their skin, women showing their bodies, trying to earn some food. With every step, Henry’s gaze grew colder.

Before long, they were inside a cramped room inside one of the abandoned houses. The air inside was stale, thick with the smell of damp wood and fatigue.

“Your Majesty.”

Leier, now strong enough to stand, dropped to her knees. The other Shadow Guards packed into the small space followed her lead, lowering their heads in silence.

Henry studied the woman carefully. She had grown thinner since the last time he saw her. New scars traced her skin, one across her forearm, another faintly visible along her forehead. The explosion must have been severe for her to end up like this. His expression softened, if only for a moment.

“You should rest, and eat more,” he said, pulling a piece of dried meat from his cloak.

“I don’t deserve it, Your Majesty,” Leier murmured, trying to refuse, but Henry silenced her with a single word—”Order.” He placed the food firmly into her hands before continuing, his tone turning sharp again.

“How is the situation?”