Chapter 127 – The Sunken District (1)

Silver blue mist spilled onto the lake at the middle of An’Larion, it slowly rolled out from the thirteenth district, through the gap that had formed in the defensive formation the Empress had created over a decade ago.

He watched it for only a moment before turning around and dashing inside. He rushed past the working servants and shouted as he passed by the guards making their rounds. “Wake the garrison!” He ran up the stairs two steps at a time, disregarding the protests of his knees and legs. As he reached the upper floors of the royal wing of the Vermillion keep, he paused only for a moment – where had his sister moved this time?

He shook his head, there was no time to find Ilya. He kicked the ground, ran up a shorter flight of stairs and reached an ornate set of double doors. He slammed his fist on the doors. “Mother!”

He could hear the guards rushing upstairs after him. He waited, each second felt like an eternity. Each moment lost cost the lives of his people. The mist was spreading, it was a silent, yet deadly invasion. One that would become impossible to fight against in a mere hour.

The doors opened just as the guards reached the top of the stairs. They paused as the empress stepped out in her nightgown, her eyes barely open. “Midhir?” She asked, then glanced at the guards. “He’s my son. Dismissed.” Her gaze turned back to him. “What’s wrong-“

“The barrier around the thirteenth district is compromised. I rallied the garrison, but the mist is spreading.”

Blood drained from his mother’s face. She seemed lost for words for a split second as her gaze erratically sought a window she could look out from. “Have the guards summon the enforcers.” She turned back and hurried inside. “Get dressed and get your classmates – with Victor out of the fight, we need as many resonance casters as possible to try and repair the barrier resonance.”

“We’ll rally at the gates.” He turned around, and hurried downstairs to his room.

By the time he arrived at the gates with Arwen and Willow in tow, most of the Imperial Guard had already assembled.

It was a sight that would strike fear into any enemy. The black, crystalweave armour of the guardsmen was half covered by their white cloaks. The crystal augments on their well-maintained weapons caught the first rays of sunlight. They were the most numerous troops, the elite guard that protected the Vermillion Keep, and marched out to defend against both otherworldly and worldly threats.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

A smaller group wearing crimson and black stood next to them – the Enforcers. Midhir marched his group next to them, joining Cait and the few he hadn’t met before. Their black uniforms resembled the uniforms of Solus Academy, but embossed with gold, and created out of crystalweave instead of regular cloth. He knew from Cait that there were hidden crystals in the folds of their clothing, imbued with protective spells.

Behind the Enforcers stood a larger group wearing white robes and carrying crystal staves. While their clothing was simple, only embossed with the image of a rose and a rising sun, they were probably the most important people to accompany any size of troop – the healers and the chaplains, to mend the body and mind.

They waited only a few mere minutes before Ilya and the Empress stepped out of the Vermillion Keep, both wearing black crystalweave clothes, and crimson cloaks embossed with the imperial sigil.

“The barrier around the sunken district has been compromised.” His mother’s voice rang clearly, commanding their attention and compliance. “Any enemy would fear us today – but our enemy feels no fear. It is silent, unfeeling, uncaring, yet more deadly than any army you could fight. You are the Imperial Guard,” She paused for a moment, her gaze lingering on the enforcers. “We don’t march to kill today. We don’t march to invade – we march to protect. To protect our people, our families. We march to protect our home.” She took a deep breath. “May the light of the daughter and the sun be upon us all!”

They roared, fist rising into the air, and heels hitting the ground. It was a battle cry as they marched to face the silent invasion of the mist.

“Move out!” Ilya shouted.

Silence reigned on the streets as the small army passed through – the city guard kept the citizens in their homes, while evacuating the areas near the mist. It was the silence of fear, of anticipation. In a way, it was the silence before the storm.

Despite their cry for victory, he could see the fear in the troops’ faces. Their eyes and pale faces betrayed them. Their clenched fists, and too tightly held weapons gave them away. His gaze turned to the Enforcers. There were only six of them, including Cait. While he didn’t know any of the others, he could tell they were new recruits from the simplicity of their uniforms. They didn’t have the gold embossing Cait’s uniform had.

“Should you be joining this?” Cait asked with a low voice once their gazes met.

“Even my mother marches today,” he replied, looking at the Empress leading the troops. Her swift, long steps decided their pace, and her straight back and confident demeanour gave them the hope and trust they needed. “What kind of a son would I be if I cowered in the Keep?”

Cait pursed her lips, her brows furrowed. “What about your eye?”

Midhir shook his head. “It seems fine now.” Admittedly, he was worried about what would happen as they approached the mist, but it wasn’t reason enough to stay behind. The mist needed to be stopped, and the barrier resonance rebuilt.

Soon, they arrived at the shore of the wide river bordering the thirteenth district.

As the troops began to spread out and prepare, Midhir stepped towards the shore. The mist had spilled onto the river, hiding the other shore from his view. The river raged, waves crashing against the shore. The water slowed down the advance of the mist, but it wasn’t enough. Even as he stood there, he could see tendrils snaking forward.

Footsteps approached, and Arwen stood beside him, her hands clenched around her staff. “She was right.” Her voice was but a whisper. “It’s terrifying. I should have never spoken like that.”