Breaking Utopia

Chapter Nine | Lineage

The Kantara was abuzz with commotion. Desk workers and beurcrats flooded any window they could find, clamoring to get a look toward the gates into the city. Advisor Hushtone pushed his way to the front of one such crowd, and looked to see what the hubbub was about. His heart sank.

"Tiso Reignly, Master Reignly!" The plump man said barging through the throne room doors. He found himself before the young leader and the thin bald advisor.

"We know, Hushtone. We know." Cullo answered without even a glance in the direction of the small man.

"Vaas has already enlightened me on the situation. Admiral of the Guard Hester has luckily already put barricades in place to keep any city folk who haven't seen them from getting too close, and the ones that have are being kept indoors until the Bowdlerizers can spin a story." Talion Reignly

"What is this? It looks like our soldiers, dozens of them, limping through the streets, carrying corpses of others, it looks like a nightmare!"

"They are being brought here, I will find a leader among them and figure out what is happening." Cullo said finally laying his piercing eyes on Hushtone.

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A sea of armored and bloody men stood outside the Kantara. A dozen eyes stared down from its windows. Between them was Vaas Cullo and a dozen more armed city guards with sights on the wounded warriors before them.

"We need medical attention, sir!" One cried out from the crowd.

"Not to be wrangled like animals!" Another yelled.

"We have wounded!" The crowd became a muddied mess of begging and hollering. With a wave of Cullo's hand the crowd silenced.

"Who among you will speak for the lot?"

"I can." An assured and confident voice came out from the crowd. The wounded parted from each other letting the voice move toward the front. A young soldier stood before the tall advisor. He held his side in pain and his hair was unkempt and covered in dust and cuts that seemed to be trying to scab over, but weren't there just yet. "Sargent Demoine, of Commander Hein's company."

"Where is the commander?"

"Maligg has fallen, sir." Hastily Cullo brought the Sargent inside. This was no conversation the wind should take elsewhere. Cullo ordered the guards to keep the wounded in place as he brought the soldier to Reignly.

"How many are left?" Reignly paced across the throne room in thought. Demoine was only a bag of information to him, a messenger.

"Twenty-Five before we set off, my lord."

"Twenty-five? So you have about thirty wounded out there?" Hushtone asked. He was baffled at the thought. Prisoners, overtaking a fortress, destroying it, how?

"About twenty-four wounded, and seven dead I believe, sir. I couldn't even tell you about Himmer's men though. They have a buggy full."

"This is madness!" Talion Reignly growled to himself.

"Thank you, Sargent Demoine. We will have the council of health send someone out as soon as we can to your people. In the meantime, keep them where they are." Cullo said nodding for the guards at the door to open it for the wounded man.

"In the hot sun?" Demoine asked confused.

"Until further notice." Vaas Cullo answered shooing the man out. Sargent Demoine scoffed at the thought and then raised a hand in salute before leaving.

"The food shortage, the riot, the stolen documents now this!" Reignly slammed his hand against the far wall and turned to the window looking down at the wounded below. "We came up with plans for war." He said. His voice was hoarse at the thought. "How can I handle a war when I can barely keep it together here?"