Dralin

Chapter 7

No one bothered them on the way to the barracks.  Sergeant Gorman was known as a fierce swordsman and Frath was an imposing presence even with a baby in his arms.  There was only a dim glow of sunlight in the west as nighttime was creeping in.  Lanterns were lit, but Frath in his grief preferred the darkness.

The Dralin City Guard District, or Guard District as most people called it, was more of a military fortress than a real district.  An Altordan army general, Izamel, built it long ago for his personal use. He redirected military funds to do so rather than use his own money.  In addition to some of the best military architects and engineers, he hired wizards to help strengthen the entire fortress and to protect it from magic.

Once the fortress was finished, Izamel decided that he should run the kingdom instead of letting a bunch of wizards do it.  He declared war on the Grand Assembly of Wizards and then sat in the safety of his fortress while his troops attacked the Grand Assembly’s Estate.

General Izamel and every officer who had sworn loyalty to him died a few hours later.  The wizards were vastly more powerful than a silly general sitting in a fortress.  It took very little effort to defeat him once the wizards who had created the wards protecting the fortress realized that they would suffer under Izamel’s rule.  They deactivated the wards and shortly thereafter, wizards overran the fortress, easily incapacitating whatever swordsmen hadn’t foolishly attacked the Grand Assembly.

Other than the officers, there was very little loss of life.  Every soldier in Dralin was rounded up and forced to the fortress.  Powerful spells kept them from attacking or fighting in any way.  An announcement was made that they would each be given a chance to serve the High Council.  They would swear fealty and be magically bound to it.  If they betrayed that oath, they would instantly die a terrible death.  The alternative was to suffer the horrible death immediately for the crime of treason.

Thus was born the Dralin City Guard.  Dralin had become overrun with crime and no one was safe.  General Izamel may have been an idiot for attacking the wizards, but he had the best training regimens in Altordan or any other country.  The City Guard began restoring order and destroying crime.  However, the purveyors of that crime were so powerful that the guard lost half its number in the first year without fully eradicating the problem.

More recruits were hired and trained under the vigorous regimen.  The city settled into a balance of order versus chaos.  Order hadn’t gained much ground in the centuries since, but the City Guard prevented things from becoming so terrible again.

Each thirty foot thick wall of the eight-sided district had two gates for people to walk through and a large double gate for large deliveries.  Gorman and Frath reentered through the main gate of the northwest wall and returned to the barracks.  Corporal Willmas and other members of Gorman’s squad were waiting for them.  The corporal had made certain that everything was spotless, not wanting to risk Gorman’s wrath by letting the squad remain idle.  The squad consisted of four units of six guards, men and women, plus a sergeant and corporal.

They walked to Frath’s bunk where Gorman had him sit down on the footlocker.  The bunks were made of wrought iron with simple mattresses sitting atop thin wooden box frames.  There were rows of fifteen on each side of the wide center aisle, leaving a few extra.  The walls and floor were stone that helped keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  Small mats at the side of each bunk were a measure of comfort for the feet of the tough guards.

Pelya continued to sleep peacefully in Frath’s arms.  He liked holding her even though he was terrified by how fragile she was.  He just wished Sheela could hold her.  The thought drove another chill dagger through his heart.  Frath had never realized pain could be so cold.  He didn’t hear Gorman quietly tell the others that Sheela had died, nor did he see the sympathetic reactions and even tears from a few for his loss.