A Court Of Night and Fire

Chapter One

Prologue

Articus glanced at the window shutters. The rattling coming in bursts. Stillness and chaos in a uneven pattern. Howling in the distance, the wind passing through some hollow.

The windows shook violently. Water seeping in at the joints. Something was out there, in the dark chaos of the storm. It thrashed and pounded at the window, like an animal wanting in.

Lightning flashed out there, glistening through the drops of water. Another flash.

The light stayed. Steady, like glowing eyes, just outside.

They were talking to Articus. "Let me in." They told him. "I can show you things you'll want to see." 

Articus was transfixed. "What things?" He thought to himself. "What would I want to see?"

The storm stopped. The roaring and the banging shutters replaced by a too quiet silence. Everything stood still. Glancing back at the fireplace he saw that the flame had gone out. Replaced by darkness and quiet. "Errrrrk" the door slowly slid open and young Articus didn't turn around. Feeling heat behind his neck he froze.

CHAPTER ONE

"I know... little of humans." The Darkling said. "They break. Their minds break, but not you. You did not break."

Men screamed in the chaos of battle. Horses piercing cry's. Fear. Cold rain peppering his face. Friends dying. Orders from Centurion Leaders thick in the air. Mud slick as glass. Heart beating in his ears.

"Centurion! They're trying to out flank us, north side!"

"Rotate! Spears up! SHIELD-WALL!

More screams. Bow strings releasing. Thump. Thump.

"Second signal now!"

A small flame shot toward the thundering sky from behind us. Thump. Battle cry's and screams came closer from behind the shield-wall. Thump. Thump.

"Third signal!"

Another flaming arrow shot forward. Thump. Screams. Thump. Red painted mud. Thump. Thump. Victory.

***

Articus shook his head from the chaotic week-old memory and tried to focus on what was ahead of him. The hypnotic clicking of the horses' hooves against the cobblestone carpeted road had sent him off daydreaming again. His eyes scanned the land in front of him and, to his surprise, he found the landscape had changed drastically.

Before he had drifted off, the road had been surrounded by sparse trees and there hadn't been a soul in sight. Now large squat mud bricked buildings crowded both sides of the street and people of all kinds parted before him in the thousands. Ahead of him loomed the Golden Arches of the Vanguard Grounds

Enormous in size, they were a sight to stop any traveler who had come to Deshar, the Ce'l Empire's capital. As tall as a three story building, the arches spanned the width of the Empress's Route. White marble accented the carvings of men and women fighting in long lost battles that snaked up the length of the arches. With the glare of the sun, the carvings were hard to see but, across the top the words "First in, Last out" could be clearly made out in its black onyx stone.

Standing proudly above those words was the very symbol of the Vanguard; a red marble carving of the Ce'l Hawk--wings out stretched and beak open in a fierce cry--perched atop the great Sword of Deshar. Articus unconsciously touched an identical hawk and sword that had been tattooed on his right shoulder upon joining the Vanguard.