The Iron Fist

"How long has it been?" Alone, Elryk spoke softly to himself while gazing upon the walled city of Eisen from atop the ridge line. The clear sky allowed the moonlight to illuminate the city. "How long?" he repeated. He stood under the shadows of a wolf tree, the darkness consuming his body, as he watched and waited...

His attention was taken away by the rustling of bushes, and out from the darkness a woman materialized into existence.

"How many guards are there?" Elryk asked as Gyna reached the crest of the steep ridge of the Pellen mountains, gasping for air. Yet she was composed, soldierly. Her shoulder length brunette hair elegantly swayed in the light wind as her golden ends purposely mirrored the gold eyes which reflected in the moon light. She was breathtaking to say the least.

"There are four at march street gate. Even at this late hour they are vigilant. I recognize the bastards Divrin and Chole, but the others are a mystery. New recruits most likely that survived their twenty and were sent home." She took a short breath and recommenced, "There are two patrolling the bottom street perimeter, three at blood gate and two more patrolling dirt and marshal street."

"Is that all?" Elryk asked.

"That concludes my report, commander," she replied.

"Good, good. I suspected heavy patrols at night. We will slip past them unnoticed just before dawn when the streets become crowded again. Until then we wait. Return to your watch and report back if there are any changes," Elryk commanded.

"Yes, sir!" she said.

She turned and sprinted downhill, enshrouded in the cloak of night amid brush and scattered trees, the outline of her body was quickly consumed by the shadows as she vanished from his view to rejoin the other scouts.

Before turning around, he stared at the city one again. As he gazed upon the walled fortress in the dark of night it resembled a massive prison. Inside the metaphorical penitentiary he was sure the citizens nervously slept.

I remember expecting the city guard to break my mother's door down every night and wake me from my sleep, he thought, and the day I left, and saw the outside of those walls for the first time, I inhaled the freshest air and exhaled the calmest breath I had ever known. I finally knew what hope was.

He yawned and rubbed his tired eyes, staring directly at the massive castle at the farthest and highest point of the city. I never thought I'd live to see you again.

The city was built on a hill that gradually rose until it steeply collapsed along a rock infested coastline, where the endless sea continued and connected with the sky at an unreachable location. Built atop the crest of the hill, directly before the cliff, was the Iron Castle. Its three-pointed peeks gave it the nick name the Devil's Dominion and its size made the city seem miniature in spectrum. Especially the bottom, where the poor resided in small stone, brick and wood houses on streets of unkempt pothole abundant roads. You got used to the miserable smells of piss, rotten food, animal droppings, and any garbage imaginable. Even now Elryk could faintly smell it as the night breeze carried the stench for miles. After such a long time, it would seem he would have to become accustom to it again.

The mission revolved in his mind endlessly. The contacts on his payroll, the location for the placement of the crossbow, the arrangements made for his seating and the fear that no back up plan was officially put in place.

This is our only chance. Those words echoed in his head.

After a few more moments, Elryk finally turned and descended toward the valley where his unit discreetly huddled in scattered groups of three or four. They chatted quietly. The terrain on this side of the mountain was extremely hazardous. They were surrounded by uneven, rocky terrain where scattered tall grass and thick wolf trees randomly grew from cracks between rock piles or small land patches not obstructed by rocks and boulders. The branches on some of the dispersed trees had overgrown and intertwined, ultimately falling and connecting with the green floor.