Ye Who Dare Not

SHADE'S RETURN, WINTER, CHAPTER 19

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Addan Fletcher, The Dungeons of the Castle of Wick, Emerald Isle.

The dungeon stank, filled with the smell of decaying flesh and rotting rat shit. Addan shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Every day he returned to his post. And every day, he would bolt from a stupor in the middle of his watch. He hadn't seen the Countess Edness since that day three months ago. But every time he awoke from his slumber he could smell her lingering scent. 

His skin crawled; his mind balked when he prodded at the lost time. His mind slipped far more easily into carrying out his duties instead. Chief Guard Horsley relied upon him, he was his eyes inside the dungeon. But why did he feel as though someone watched his every glance? 

No. It's just the sleeplessness and nightmares talking. Addan shook himself, trying to free his clouded mind. Focus. Your shift is almost over and you're needed in the street patrols next.

His mind wandered, to the countess's bare ass as it—What the fuck is wrong with me! I've never seen that!  

Sweating, Addan saluted his replacement - an old, ugly, bearded man, missing two fingers, called McClaud. They silently nodded to each other, and Addan made his way through the palace grounds. The winding and narrow stone-hallways packed with sweating servants and grumbling guards opened up into elegant ballrooms and decoratively gardened courtyards, filled with prattling lords and fawning ladies. 

Addan kept his ears open, listening for any tidbits of news or gossip as he passed slowly through the castle grounds. Another war had broken out in Frankia, the Holy Church United called for another Crusade against the infidels of the Levant, and butter cost nearly double in the Stoney Isle.

Chief Guard William Hornsley stood beside the gatehouse of the inner walls of the City of Wick, eyeing Addan's approach the same as he did every day. 

"Aye, Addan." Hornsley said, glancing up from the parchment in his hands. "I'll be away for a couple days. Troubles to the south." 

Addan's eyebrows raised slightly. "Aye Chief Guard."

He looked at Addan, a pensive twist to his lips. "You alright lad? You look wane." 

"Fine sir, just tired." Addan snapped. The truth gnawed at him. Those missing hours and debauched dreams. He hadn't slept much at all, and when he did the visions terrified him. Memories of things he didn't remember doing and having things done to him.  

Shaking himself back to the present, Addan saluted Cheif Guard Hornsley and marched into the guardroom to check the duty roster. Looks like today his partner would be Aethestal. 

I hope there's more to war than endless duty rosters. Addan turned and marched out into the city. Maybe this time we can avoid the brawls with unruly thugs and mercenaries. 

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Shade, Sailing Off Shore, Emerald Isle

The village burned behind them as the longships of the Armada rowed away into the twilight. The frightened villagers stood on the shore in mute shock, clinging to each other. A child wailed in terror, inconsolable. 

A dozen pigs lay trussed in the hull of the longship, squealing in terror at the blood fate that awaited them. Sacks of grain and boxes of salt rested beneath the rowing benches. An army marches on it's fucking stomach. Shade looked away from the village. 

The people would survive. They would flee from their ruined homes into the nearby villages or distant cities. None of them needed to die, and so far none of them had unless the fought back. He needed them hungry and desperate. Six months of supplies for your city looked awfully thin once the city flooded with refugees and its population tripled. 

All along the coasts of the Emerald Isle, villages burned and their villagers fled. Longships appeared out of the morning mists bringing silent terror as armored raiders splashed into the surf and pillaged the villages, leaving ruin and terrified families. In war, food truly becomes the greatest of weapons. A siege is nothing more than a contest of food, a race to the empty bottoms of thousands of barrels of sour wine, old beer, murky water, dried meat, moldy grain, and pickled fish. 

The Damnation, the longship of Schism and Liana, rowed along side his longship. The surf splashed between with with each stroke of the oars. The ships drifted together and the oarsmen pulled in their oars. The hulls bounced in the seas, barely a foot from each other. 

"Heyo! Scoundrels." Shade bellowed across the sea. 

Liana beamed at him, her eyes nearly sparkling, and stood from her rowing bench. She looked hearty and hale, a light dusting of snow upon her wolfskin cloak and hood, her cheeks rosy. The man on the bench with her, Ivar Shade remembered his name, said something and she laughed bright and pure. 

Shade's heart almost ached at the sight. She looked so much like her mother, but in a way he could see himself in her as well. Eyad, we have a fine daughter. You would be so proud. 

Schism stumped past his men and bellowed at Shade. "Well what does the hairy dog in charge want now!" 

Shade smiled at his friend, but to everyone it looked more like a vaguely menacing snarl. "Schism. I need you to join me. I have a meeting with an old friend. Scinder."

"Well then." Schism whistled low and slow as his eyebrows rose. He sprung across the gap between the ships, landing with a thundering crash between the vikings.

"Liana, the Damnation is yours." Shade said and watched Liana's eyes widen in shock and deligth. "Listen to your crew, but you're the Styrimandr now. Listen to Knarlsun, Ivar's Skipari and your second in command. He'll teach you what you need to know." 

Liana turned to the men of her longship and pumped a triumphant fist in the air. The vikings bellowed and cheered for her, their new captain. Many of the benches were empty, only twenty souls remained from the full thirty, but the crew cheer all the more loudly.

"Liana." After a the cheer, Shade bellowed, waving the crew silent. "Schism and I will enter the City of Wick. In two weeks the solstice comes. Raid the coasts until then. Push the refugees into the cities. Then gather the fleet. You will launch attack the night of the solstice. Breach the harbor chain. I will secure our way into the castle."

"Aye." Liana said, a wild eyed grin on her face. "I'll do it and put the terror in them." 

"Liana," Shade said, his tone even and firm. "This is serious. We cannot fail. Countess Edness... she is—" Shade paused trying to find the right words, "ruthless."  

Liana paled a little at that. Shade realized that he'd let his fear show. Good, she needed to see the true darkness that they fought. The pure evil that would callously bend others to her will without a care and steal their power and wealth simply for her own gain.