The Castle of Runes

The Damned Shadow

A long stretch of land, covered with bodies of knights and assassins, smolders as the sky turns gray, the sun slowly rising bringing forth it's warmth and light. A man in a white hood stares at the countless bodies, the smell of iron and smoke strong. He stares at them in astonishment, remembering the slaughtering. The way his knives had dug into the enemy's skin. He looks down, gets on one knee and looks to the sky. "Lord! I am sorry! I have taken innocent life! The life of children, brainwashed by their elders! I am Damned!" He screams, tears running down his cheek as he remembers the young girl he saw under the armor. The kingdom didn't usually train women as Knights, but they were short of soldiers, as were the Shadows. He screams for forgiveness as he stares into the sky. Then he stops and stands. He adjusts his hood, and heads towards the small church he has known since he was a child.

The church, made of stone and marble, was hidden behind a hill. Some of the stone had been worn away, and the cross above was slightly crooked. He opens the door and is greeted by the priest. "Good morning, Henry. It is quite early to be here, so what brings you?" The priest is an elderly man, dressed in a black and white outfit, his face a warm and crinkled one, with lines and ridges all across. He stares at Henry with a face of concern.

"I am Damned. I killed an innocent child. She didn't know what was right and wrong." The priest stares at Henry, as if looking for a sign to explain what he meant. He then sits down, his sad expression crushing. "It's not surprising. The war is at a very low point. We've trained teens, but no children without exceptional skill. With the war at this point, I think it's time." He walks towards the windowsill.

"Time for what?" Henry looks at him questioningly. The priest stares out the window, looking at the flowers. Then he turns, "It's time I told you of the runes."

"When the castle for King Edward was being built, an angel fell from the sky. She was attempting to save the world, so at night she carved runes into a hidden part of the castle. No one but I know where it is. I haven't the courage to summon the guardians, but you might. If you could summon them, maybe they could help us. And in return, save you from hell. The runes are in the lowest part of the dungeons. In order to get there, you must turn yourself in. Can you do that?"

The Shadow nods and leaves. He had studied runes before. They were required to use some weapons. Summoning a guardian would be easy.

He goes back to his domain. In there he has a wife, pregnant with his child. She looks at him, "It's a shame you still have to battle. If I weren't pregnant, I'd help you." She looked at him with eyes full of misery from staying at home. She had never bore a child and was not use to doing nothing. Henry looked at her eyes and said, "I know. I wish you could too. But I can't let you out there."

He reached for his bag and started toward the door. "Where are you going?" His wife looks at him curiously. He speaks as calm as he could be. "Sydney, I have to report the battle. I was the last man standing. We won, but we lost many of our own. Honestly, I  feel that we lost."

She lets him out and he goes and reports the battle. Then he goes to turn himself in.