Knight of Endrell Book One: The Red Empire

Chapter Eight

Chapter 8

At once Kinai remembered the black smoke coming up over the mountain peaks and climbed one of them so that he could see what lay behind the mountains. As he reached the top the smoke began to clear away revealing a grand empire so vast that it seemed to go on without end. The sunset appeared to graze the horizon so beautifully, reflecting the magnificence of the empire as it complimented the sun with bright beacons of fire planted on the top of every roof. It seemed truly glorious at first, but then light burst from the sunset and struck Kinai’s eyes so that the bright crimson image lifted off of his eye like a lens.

He saw then before him the image of a black city of death; as if it had been completely overtaken by some strange force of darkness. It was so dark that it was difficult to tell one edifice from another. The only way that he could see was by the fire that burned on the roof of every house, causing the sky to glow a deep red while black clouds from the fire swallowed the heavens. Its range seemed as vast as the ocean like a never-ending journey without any hope of ever reaching the mark. There was a sudden raging heat to counter the cold that rose up nearly burning Kinai’s face, forcing him to climb back down in to the valley.

He leaned against the base of the peak, his suspicions brought to confirmation at the realization that he had come to contend with the Gisic Empire at last, the only city of cities that was able to move its foundation across the continent. It traveled the land slowly, steadily, like an insatiable predator always seeking new kingdoms and new territory to conquer and add to its own. It was the realm of Sidonin once servant to the King of Kyros. There was no empire like it in the whole of the continent. It had already consumed thirty-six kingdoms and now sought Endrell. In all the years that Gis had existed Sidonin had never been known to any of the other nations as the red dragon, but Kinai was about to be the first in Endrell to know. 

While Kinai stood against the base of the peak, one of the Izzo came out to him saying, "This way," and showed Kinai the passage through the mountains and into the belly of the city several miles down from the valley. On the way the Izzo showed him where the dragon armor was, and there Kinai took off his armor and replaced it with the dragon armor as Makat-Saku told him. There was a long leather belt left with the armor that Kinai took with him. After descending deeper into the mountain tunnels, Kinai and the Izzo stopped by a small opening in a wall and looked out into the vast cityscape of the red empire which, to Kinai's eyes had retained its crimson guise once again. From that window they looked out to twenty high bridges aligning the mountains that ascended from the empire’s walls near to the place where they stood. They must have been building these bridges for many years to get through the mountains, Kinai thought looking back in Endrell’s direction.

From there they quickened their steps, making their way to a very small ice cavity bearing a large hole in the surface above them where the remains of a rock slide sat piled up to the surface with enough of an angle for someone to climb in or out. The Izzo stopped at the opening of the ice cavity and said to Kinai, "SAH be in you as you go. Let your mind return to the Source at all times."

"SAH be in you also friend. Thank you."

Then the Izzo left him and Kinai put on the red cloak, buttoned it, and tied his sword to his back with the leather belt before climbing to the top. The rock pile was easy to mount and upon reaching the top, Kinai was met by a large heap of rubble with wood and metal stalks sticking out of it. He climbed to the top of it looking up to the atmosphere above that was now a brazen red. Coming down to the other side, he realized that everything in the empire was truly soaked in a crimson shade from the ground to every piece of architecture and form of stratus in the sky, even the sun was glazed with red.

Looking around Kinai saw that he had come to what was originally the main entrance to the empire. He looked ahead to the wide street paved with stone all around, aligned with great walls that reached up to thirty feet above, pointing to a gallery of tall immaculate buildings and towers in the distance, which lead to a great palace whose peak stood above all others in the empire. The main entrance had been abandoned for the time being until a way was either found or made through the mountains, but from where the young knight stood, aside from the hole in the ground that he just came out of, a way through did not seem possible.