The Ivory Star

Chapter 18

Valerion reined up. His massive black stallion snorted a cloud of steam into the cool air. A slowly rising pall of smoke obscured the morning sky, and Valerion cursed. Twisting in the saddle, he called back to his men. "Faster! But pick your way carefully among the rocks. Remember, let us not provoke them. Bare your blades only if they fall upon us!" The Red Dragons did not draw their weapons, but they made sure they were within easy reach. The men spurred their horses forward, proceeding around the mountain toward the smoke.

Valerion well remembered the hidden entrance to the valley that Sordus had shown him when he had taken Capian to be an Eagle Knight. That was the day he had given up his first born son for a greater cause. The memory was clear as a glass, and he led the Red Dragons into the hidden cave. As the cave began to open into the valley, Valerion's stallion snorted and came to a halt, its nostrils flaring. He flicked the reins, but still the animal did not move forward, just pranced nervously to the side. Then he caught the stench on the air, and steeled his guts for what he knew was ahead. The stench of blood and death. As they rode out of the cave, Valerion would have wished his eyes blasted from his head ere he saw something like this again.

Bloody bodies and pieces of bodies scattered the valley like gory, discarded rags. All of the cottages at the lower end of the valley lay in smoking ruins. The blackened beams and planks of the burned Sanctuary jutted from charred rubble like the quills of some grotesque spine-back.

The procession of silent warriors walked their horses slowly down into the valley. Not even animals had escaped the mauling, mutilating swords of the Slayers. Here lay the body of a small dog, its head a few feet away. There stretched the huge carcass of a mightily horned bullock, its innards spilling a long trail behind it.

The men gaped in sickened disbelief at the horrendous carnage. Bodies lay scattered everywhere, human and otherwise, broken, so mutilated that age and sex were best left matters of guesswork. There on a gore-spattered pike thrust into the ground, hung an ensanguined net crammed with severed heads, lifeless eyes staring into nothingness. One of the Dragons reeled in the saddle and spewed the contents of his belly onto the bloody ground. A furious, sickened scowl furrowed Valerion's brow.

Then a low agonized moan floated from a small cottage nearby. Valerion leaped from his horse.

Angus exclaimed, "My lord, wait!"

Valerion did not turn as he stamped into the house. "The time for waiting is long since past!" he growled.

Angus leaped from his horse, and followed Valerion into the ruins.

On the floor lay a woman, horribly violated, of possibly late middle age, but they could not be sure. Her face was but a crimson smear. Weak fingers clawed desperately at her entrails, striving to keep them within herself. Two bloodshot eyes stared vacantly. Angus doubted she was even aware of their presence. The poor woman loosed a terrible gurgling scream. Valerion, unable to withstand any more, pulled out his sword and ended that scream with merciful finality.

"Butchery!" he growled wrathfully.

Angus stepped aside for him as he stalked outside.

Valerion looked up the hill toward the remains of Sanctuary, sighed, and walked toward it. Angus followed.

Four pikes jutted from the midst of the debris-strewn ashes with a severed head thrust onto the point of each one. As he approached, as yet unable to distinguish features, he prayed to the gods of Law that Capian and Eric were not among them.

Sordus's ensanguined head stared grotesquely down from its perch on the blood-smeared pike blade. The sick feeling that always came with the loss of a friend crept into Valerion's guts.