The Zero Hour | #Wattys2016

Chapter 22 - White Harrow (Part 2)

As Amadeus opened his eyes, he was greeted by a large golden and glass chandelier which hung on the ceiling. A smooth fabric covered over him, and felt like suspiciously like satin. He remembered how decadent it felt against his skin when he was hauling rolls of satin fabric to the tailor shop. In fact, he felt like he was lying on top of satin too. I could get used to this, he thought to himself.

Looking around, he found himself alone in a large bedroom. The walls were white and the floor was made of dark timber. A fireplace warmed the entire room and there were marvelous paintings on the walls. A large rug made of wolf skin was laid out on the floor. Two large leather armchairs sat beside a sturdy table where a porcelain tea set was on a silver tray. Amadeus grinned. Oh, I could definitely get used to this.

He sat up on the bed where he had been resting on. His sides still had a dull ache, but it was a far cry from the intense pain he had felt when his wounds were fresh. I must be recovering from my injuries. Looking down, he found that he had his shirt off, and his torso was wrapped in clean white bandages. With a wide grin, he ran his fingers along his bandages. Cotton? Amadeus frowned. I thought these were satin bandages!

The windows had intricate curtains on them which were drawn, so Amadeus could not make out what time of day it was. Where am I? How long has it been since I blacked out? The smell of wood and apple filled the air, and he gladly took a deep whiff of the calming smell.

Amadeus turned towards the door as it let out a creak. Someone pushed it open slowly and peeked into the room. It was good to see a familiar face. Old Jarbus smiled and walked into the room with Madam Marcella coming in behind him.

"Amadeus, you're awake!" she shouted with glee as she rushed to his bedside and embraced him. "I've been worried sick."

"I'm feel much better," Amadeus said with a smile, and returned her hug.

"Everyone's been talking about you. You saved us from death." Old Jarbus said as he walked up and stood beside Madam Marcella.

"They're calling you the Champion of White Harrow," Madam Marcelle added proudly.

Amadeus was never one to care about titles or fame. He asked the one question gnawing at the back of his mind. "Where are my friends?"

"The Exiles? They left a day ago. You've been out cold for a week."

"Oh, okay..." Amadeus' pursed his lips in disappointment. He had hoped to see Izumi before she left for Ichi.

"Your friends did visit your bedside often while they were here though, especially that pretty girl with the silky white hair." Madam Marcella said, causing Amadeus to perk up.

"What happened?" Amadeus asked, rubbing the side of his head with one hand.

"After you blacked out, the Avianath army arrived. It was bad enough that they had just lost an entire wave of troops from that crazy stunt you pulled. The sight of an entire Exile army scared the living daylights out of them. They abandoned White Harrow without a second thought." Old Jarbus explained.

"They... what?" Amadeus widened his eyes in shock.

"They abandoned White Harrow. The town belongs to us now. I discussed this with my brother, Penn. We both agree that the Avianath could use a little more living space. So from now on, call me Chief Jarbus," Old Jarbus added with a laugh. "Half of the Avianath have relocated to White Harrow. This is now a second home to the Avianath and the very first Commoner Stronghold in the world."

"Commoner stronghold? You're serious?"

"Yes, aside from the women and children, about half of our men survived. We also had two thousand commoners arrive from the neighboring Noble town of Iridia. Wow, were they surprised to be greeted by an army of Exiles." Old Jarbus paused as he fondly recollected the moment. "Anyway, we captured the small group of battle-wizards which were escorting the commoner slaves and imprisoned them. The commoner slaves were given refuge in White Harrow."

"But won't the Nobles of Iridia now realize something is up and mount an attack White Harrow?"

"Iridia aside, Malevolent Drake is now probably plotting his takeover of White Harrow after his shameful defeat a week ago. As we speak, the Avianath riders are training up the commoners to fight with shield and spear. They won't be as deadly as an Avianath rider, but it'll help them stay alive in a battle." Old Jarbus's face turned serious as he looked Amadeus in the eye. "What you started can no longer be stopped. War will soon break out, between the Nobles and commoners."

Amadeus sighed. "Did I somehow make things worse again?"

"Jarbus!" Madam Marcella scowled at him.

"Well, no." Old Jarbus quickly corrected himself. "But, we will need to prepare for war. I pray that the Nobles do not join forces against us. Nobles normally don't work together due to their pride, but what you did may just convince them to put aside their arrogance and unite to nip this uprising in the bud. There is much to discuss once you're better. As the Champion of White Harrow, you have a responsibility to its people."

"Responsibility." Amadeus repeated it as though it was a dirty word. It left a bad taste in his mouth, causing him to frown at Old Jarbus.

"Don't look at me like that. You started this. So you very well better see it through."

"Once, he's well enough." Madam Marcella reminded Old Jarbus sternly.

"Yes, of course." Old Jarbus laughed. He turned to Amadeus with a friendly but firm smile. "Once you are well enough... then there will be much to do."

Amadeus nodded quietly in acknowledgement.

"Come now, let's give him some rest," Madam Marcella said protectively as he dragged Old Jarbus towards the door. Halfway to the door, she stopped in her tracks, as though she had just remembered something important.

"Oh I almost forgot, that creepy looking girl in black and that Rokuth did stay back in White Harrow. Jarbus tried to keep them separated from the others because they make the commoners nervous whenever they're around."

"Creepy looking girl in black?" Amadeus asked. He had no idea who Madam Marcella was talking about.

Suddenly, there was a familiar puff of black smoke as a dark figure appeared in the room. It was the assassin in the Onyx mask. Only that the assassin was no longer wearing a mask. Also, the assassin whom he had been referring to as Onyx until this moment was a she and not a he.

"I told you to use the door," Old Jarbus said with a sigh.

The assassin ignored him and walked towards Amadeus' bedside. She had shoulder length dark brown hair and intense red eyes. She had a certain dark beauty about her that Amadeus could not explain. She crossed her arms across her chest. Without her dark black armor, she wore a leather tunic which showed off her curves. Amadeus swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I see you're finally awake," she said with a coy smile. "My name's Raven."

Author's Note: And that's it! The book is completed. Next Tuesday I will be adding the last part, which is an Epilogue. As always, share your thoughts via the comments and vote if you enjoyed :)