Theurgy: Forsaken Oaths (Book Two)

Chapter 39 Ghost of the Past

It was not too long that they had gotten word from Torlak's now Grandmaster Remmus Mythweaver that his sister Cara was considered dead. The boat meant to take her from the Asedian capital, Razmia, to Torlak was attacked by bandits. While the wreckage was recovered, the bodies were already preyed upon by the creatures of the deep. The entire town was thrown into sorrow. This was a culture of warriors, for sure. But with Cara, seen as the best and brightest with a promising career before her, it was a sad thing to see happen. Especially to someone so young. And even more so for the Pesmenos household itself. Ryan remembered his parents barely leaving the house for days. His father, trapped within his study, made himself busy with whatever menial tasks, and he often caught his mother reading the various books and journals of his sister's travels across the world. And for himself, he didn't know what to do, if he could even do anything. With her gone, it felt like something was wrong; something was missing from him. The last time they spoke, she told him that she would say to him what these six tattoos on his arm meant. But now, they will never share another moment ever again. He found himself just sitting alone in the area where they often trained in the woods outside their residence. The practice dummies were all obliterated or knocked over, and he didn't feel like setting them all up again that day.

As he sat beneath the massive oak tree, watching the sun descend further beneath the horizon, he thought about allowing himself to fall asleep outside this night. But, he did not do so. Just before he could doze off, a faint scent tickled his nose and stirred him. He faintly recognized the smell of a lovely fireplace or cooking pot. The smell of burning wood, cinder, and ash. A fire. He snapped awake, up and alarmed as he saw in the distance smoke rising from the village. Ryan took his practice sword and began running back. Was it an accident? Did some fool accidentally invite some fire-breathing salamander to the two squares? But the smoke was massive. This couldn't have been just one accident. His heart beat fast, and he became afraid of what he might find if he continued to run. But Fate carried him forward. He had to see it unfold.

Ryan was utterly petrified by the scene that was unfolding. He was not far into town when he started seeing the fires. Large and massive, eating away in its path like a hungry beast, it took him no time to realize that these fires were indeed not caused by accident. The village was being attacked. Men ran to and fro, carrying weapons and buckets of water all while men in dark hoods and holding black weapons came from the shadows. It was a picture of absolute carnage as a slaughter unfolded before him. Scattered warriors engaged with multiple opponents as they were brought to their knees. Massive creatures ripped their way through buildings like they were made from straw. Great serpents that swallowed men whole. Creatures that petrified all who would gaze upon it. And, of course, the cause of such great devastation was a dragon periodically from the blackened sky to ignite whatever was left of the village. He saw a woman with a golden spear lead a group of men to the east, where some resistance was taking place. That was his parent's house. He immediately ran in that direction as well, taking to the alleys to avoid detection. This did him little good. He immediately ran into one of the black-cloaked men who stood over the fresh corpse of a woman. He turned on his heel to run into an adjacent alley, ducking beneath destroyed chunks of buildings around him to escape. But before he could crawl his way through the debris, the man grabbed his cloak. He had no choice but to abandon it to keep running. More destruction was over the rooftops; he saw the remains of the bell tower being flung through the air like a small toy.

He stopped at the gate of his home. The bodies of guards were everywhere, the gate crumpled and thrown open. And that woman was standing there. The same one as before, her golden spear was dripping with fresh blood. She took notice of him, and he felt paralyzed by her stare. She wasn't human. She wasn't mortal. There was an ageless judgment about her. Her golden gaze creased into what appeared to be something between a snarl and a smile. And then, she bounded away into the chaos outside his family's abode. He did not consider what her presence meant then, only that his parents were in danger. And he ran into his house. The doors were ripped off their hinges, signs of battle, but no blood or bodies anywhere. The floorboards were torn up and shattered like something heavy was dropped on them. And he could smell smoke coming from somewhere. He ran through the main living area, nothing there. The kitchen, nothing there as well. Where were the guards? Where were his parents? Where was anyone? Did they just abandon their posts? He ran to his sister's study, and as soon as the doors opened, he felt the miserable heat that was held within. The entire room was on fire, papers strewn about and ransacked along with all of her other belongings.