The Reformation Wars: The Trump of Ibis

Chapter 13

Dustin and Paulo fought off countless living carcasses as they combed the Innutukian capital for Tanuk's cursed presence. Up and down the streets they searched, clambering atop rooftops and exploring all the spots Paulo recalled him taking comfort in when they visited the city in days gone by. Nowhere did they find him, and as the minutes dragged on, Dustin's heart grew anxious for the companions he'd left behind in the graveyard.

Finally, they resolved to search the palace, which proved a test of their skills individually and together. Clearing the locked gates, breaching the palace's undead defendants, and working through its labyrinthian innards all served as a thorough trial. Neither man's resolve faltered, however; both harbored their own deep-seated need to bring justice on Tanuk's head.

So at last, they came to the throne room doors. Snatching a pair of war hammers from guards they'd recently dismantled, they set to work breaking inside. Blow after blow cracked the doors, then began to cave the wood in, and then finally smashed a hole through. They enlarged the hole with a few more hits before crouching through and entering the forbidden depths of the Innutukian palace.

For all the gruesome sights he had seen that day, Dustin still managed to be shocked at the spectacle that was the throne room. Heaps of what appeared to be slain common folk slumped over each other on either side of the carpet leading up to the throne. And unlike the skeletal warriors standing at attention between the piles, these bodies were truly, irrevocably dead.

Immediately in front of the throne, Dustin recognized two bodies in particular. Sir Simien Wade lay splayed out on the floor with his chest ripped asunder and tattered organs clearly in view. And beside the murdered knight of Monterayne lay Emperor Barukentaken himself. No wonder he'd never peeked out to negotiate with the siege force for as long as they'd maintained the effort.

Dustin's gaze finally rose to the throne itself, where Tanuk had seated himself comfortably amongst the carnage. A crooked grin split his narrow face, devilish eyes darting between Dustin and Paulo as he leaned against one of the armrests. The emperor's crown sat askew upon his scalp, as if he'd been too busy massacring the city's populace to get it fitted.

"Their deaths were not without meaning, so worry not." Tanuk intoned, "Ibis required quite a sacrifice before he would grant me skill to sound his horn. Quite worth it in the end though, wouldn't you say?"

"If it was a moment of pleasure you desired before meeting your maker, then I suppose I can understand." Dustin said.

"Oh, a lesser man would shudder in his boots at such words. But I am no lesser man."

"You'll be only a body in the pile when we're through with you!" Paulo blurted out, "You and I have unfinished business."

"I was foolish not to render you finished business when last we met. How sloppy of me."

"Wouldn't be your first mistake."

Tanuk let out a hearty laugh as he rose to his feet. The burgundy cloak rustled with his movements, its flapping serving as the only sound in the deathly quiet of the throne room.

"Do you not see the error of your ways, my boy?" Tanuk asked, "You doubt me for a second, and you turn to a Rickland instead? This man beside you was born from the seed of deceit, from the very bowels of—"

"The seed of deceit? That's you! All my life, I thought myself a child with no mother, and all because you made it so. I looked to you as my savior, but all you wanted from me was a weapon to use against Monterayne."

Dustin cleared his throat. "It would appear your allegiance even to the emperor himself was only a matter of convenience. Lord Tanuk, you must be the loneliest man ever to live, for you seem unable to maintain any relationship that isn't solely one created for your benefit."