Chapter 9. Black Battalion

With the prince’s announcement said and done, the members of the palace were left standing in the garden with no idea what to do next. Truthfully, there was nothing to do, as the situation was so beyond them. Valorth glared up at the towering spires of the Uradesh Palace, many questions plaguing his mind.

“Why would an angel descend upon our world?” he muttered quietly. “Were the heavens not enough?”

To his side, he heard Adion let out a chuckle. To be able to laugh in such a situation suggested that, like Valorth, he did not mourn the loss of the nation’s ruler.

“Perhaps it truly is the Angel of Arms. Maybe he’s come to bring his wrath onto the people of the world’s four corners,” Adion replied as he scratched his hairless chin.

For a moment, Valorth didn’t respond and considered what such an event might look like.

If the Angel of Swords wished to bring destruction onto our world, how would the other empires respond? Would they seek out the means to have their own patron angel descend and come to their aid?

The thought hit him like thunder, sending pain through his head.

Couldn’t this lead to a holy war between angels right before our eyes?

Before the thought could make him keel over, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. It was Adion’s, and the young man wore a smirk on his face.

“Don’t look so afraid, my friend. For us, this is good news. This is the gospel!” he leaned in and whispered.

Valorth raised a brow. “How so?”

Adion’s eyes darted around him, noticing that they stood too close to other servants and nobles. Before continuing, he led Valorth away to a small patch of flowers surrounding a garden pond. They were well out of earshot of others.

“A Hearteater thrives in chaos,” Adion continued, staring at Valorth with orange eyes. “For our entire lives, we have lived in hiding. Not physically, but spiritually. Since we roamed the streets as homeless children, aspiring to someday be more than what we were, we always had to hide the ambitions that we held deep within our spirit.”

Adion then thudded his fist into the right side of his chest, and a proud look spread across his face. “If the empire falls, then so will the law. There will no longer be a need to hide what we are. We will be given the opportunity to freely pursue power.”

At the words of his friend, Valorth found something ignite in his spirit. Adion had always been good with his words, knowing exactly what to say at the right times. It was why they had first become friends when they met on the streets of Uradesh as abandoned orphans. Valorth found himself smiling at the prospect of chaos. Perhaps under such circumstances, he would no longer have to keep secret his corrupted heart.

“So, what you’re saying is that we need to pray that Thomaes, Leader of the Black Battalion, fails to communicate with the descended angel, which would ultimately lead to chaos.”

Adion nodded his head and flashed his friend a wink. “Exactly. Though I’m not quite sure whether a descended angel can hear our prayers.”

———

Time passed slowly in the palace gardens. The anticipation and fear growing in the people’s hearts were hard to control. Some chattered amongst themselves, whilst others simply lay on the grass and fell asleep.

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However, it was hours later that the sound of distant horse hooves against cobblestone was heard arriving up the road leading to the palace. Valorth and all the others waiting rose to their feet and turned their attention towards the direction of the sound.

Eventually, three horses came into view. Their furs were onyx black and their heights much taller than any man. Upon their saddles were three figures, each dressed in equally black suits of thick metal armour. Their faces were obscured by horned helmets, and on their backs and waists were a variety of different gruesome weapons. From the gaps of their armour, a constant shadowy mist flowed, leaving a trail behind them wherever they travelled.

As they arrived at the palace, the three men leapt down from their horses and landed on the ground with a thud that seemed to rumble the world. No words were spoken from those waiting in the garden, but Valorth noticed that the crown prince looked nervous as he rose to his feet and made his way towards the figures. The man at the centre of the knights reached up and removed his helmet, revealing long, black, greasy hair that curtained his face, hiding everything but the glint of eyes that seemed to weigh the crowd like prey.

The knight arrived before the prince, and he did not bow. Instead, it almost looked as if the young prince was the one meant to bend the knee to the figure that towered over him.

“Commander Thomaes,” the prince croaked. “It is a blessing to have you here.”

For a moment, the garden was silent, all but for the afternoon wind. Adion nudged Valorth’s shoulder with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Ay,” Thomaes grunted. “Where’s the angel then?”

The commander of the Black Battalion was easily the most terrifying man known to the central empire. Not only was his heart riddled with seven veins, but he was also a grizzled figure, trained more with weapons than any other man on the continent. The callous manner in which he spoke seemed to intimidate the prince, who stuttered nervously. “He was last seen on the throne. But who knows—”

The sound of metal scraping cut off the prince’s words, as Thomaes reached behind his back and pulled free a long sword made from black steel with one hand. Its tall blade was etched with glowing red runes that made the prince and those nearby take two steps back in utter fear.

“Ay,” Thomaes grunted as he strode towards the palace fearlessly. With his two knights behind him, Thomaes left the chatter of the garden and entered the palace. The prince’s jaw sagged open, his hands clenched white beneath the shadows of his cape.

Thomaes is strong, but this is an angel we’re talking about. To stride into the palace with his sword drawn is a declaration of combat…

At this point, no one could even make a guess at the outcome of the day’s events. No one knew what the state of the empire would be by the time the sun fell and night arrived.

All they could do was wait for their fate.

———

The servants and nobles of the garden were now starved and thirsty, though with the prince’s orders, nobody dared to leave the comfort of the garden. Valorth sat on the grass beside a sleeping Adion and many others. The chatter had long since died down and had now been replaced by a variety of other negative emotions. And then, the palace doors swung open again, forcing everyone to rise to attention and stare at the three figures who began to emerge.

They were Thomaes and his two knights.

At first, nothing seemed to have changed. It had been roughly thirty minutes, and yet no one had heard the sounds of battle, and the men seemed unharmed. However, Valorth was more observant than that. Not only did he notice the look of uncertainty on the commander’s face, but he also noticed something more alarming.

He nudged Adion with his shoulder. “Look, their weapons. The weapons that they wore before are gone.”

Those around who had heard this took on expressions of confusion. The crown prince and his closest rose to their feet, waiting for the commander to speak as he stood tall at the top of the staircase. His words were blunt, but his voice somehow carried. “Armaneus, Angel of Arms, commands that we all leave. Says that it’s for our safety.”

Everyone’s thoughts had been confirmed at that moment, leaving them too stunned to speak. Only Valorth was left unshaken, as he had learned the true name of the angel long before. Still, chills ran through his body.

“W-what do you mean?” the prince stuttered desperately. “For our own safeties? Does that mean we’re the target of our own patron angel?!”

Thomaes didn’t seem to care for the words of the prince. As he descended the staircase with his knights close behind him, he spoke over his shoulder. “He says that the palace will soon become a battleground. I have no intention of standing by and watching. My place is at the demonic rift.”

Then, the Black Battalion swung into their saddles and rode off, the glow of their shadow-trails fogging in the air long after they vanished from sight.