Chapter 12 - War Stories

Selphrin had never seen Cloak run in the three years he had known him. Cloak was always calm and in control, no matter what the situation, so it was a great suprise to see him run towards the throne. Damien, who had been speaking with Selphrin at the time, was shoved aside as Cloak reached Selphrin. "Sire, there has been someone using the tunnels."

"Are you certain?"

"I was wandering about and found one of the trapdoors open in the forest. I fear that someone may try to make an attempt on your life, my liege."

Damien, ever distrustful of Cloak, butted in. "But sire, isn't it suspicious that he just happened to..."

"Have you been given permission to speak, General?"

"No, but..."

"Then you will remain silent until I have need for you. Cloak?"

Cloak sounded almost amused at Damien's reprimand. It was not very often that Cloak showed any emotion at all. "Yes, sire?"

"It's possible that this could be the work of the Coryn family."

Cloak knew all about the Coryns' past, but let Selphrin explain it anyway, just to give him a feeling of superiority. "The Coryn family?"

"It was before you came under my service. When I disbanded the twelve noble houses, House Coryn and House Fangora protested the greatest. Fearing that they would cause a rebellion against the throne, I ordered all living members of and heirs to the line of Fangora killed as a deterrant to any others who would pose a threat. It failed to work, obviously, and the rebellion began. House Coryn, however seemed to quietly follow my order to disband. The leaders of the House, Tabitha and Calan Coryn, disappeared and all of my efforts to hunt them down have been in vain. rumors say that they are building an army to overthrow my throne."

"Most likely thay are nothing but rumors, my lord."

"But with Issin and the bulk of the army away, we cannot be too careful." Selphrin curled his right hand over his mouth as in in deep thought. "Cloak, you and Damien will stay by me here in the royal hall until the intruders are discovered. If we come under attack we can escape through the tunnel entrance behind the throne. I want twenty men outside the door. Now."

Cloak went off to gather enough guards to protect the hall. Damien walked over to one of the room's two weapon racks to arm himself. He chose a nodachi, a long, narrow two handed blade with a slight curve. "Sir," he asked Selphrin, "what if they attack through the tunnel in this room?"

Selphrin smiled as he stood and strapped on his sheathed sword and the holster that carried his pistol, the weapon that had ensured his reign so many years before. "That's what you are here for. Don't let me down."

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With Toriban in the lead the three intruders scurried from hallway to hallway, ducking into rooms and dodging guards the whole way. At one point they reached an intersection that branched both ways. Toriban motioned to Allendrie to draw his sword. Toriban took Allendrie's sword as well as his own and ran at the intersection. Banking towards the right corner he threw Crimson left and stabbed right with his left hand. Two guards fell dead and Toriban used thier clothing to clean the blood from the two weapons.

When they next ducked into a room, Zara asked him, in whispers, how he had known the two guards had been there. Toriban had used his spiritual awareness to pick up their auras, but he obviously couldn't tell Zara this, since according to what Zara knew he should have little or no knowledge of such an ability. Toriban simply shrugged and whispered back, "Lucky guess."

Allendrie informed them that the royal hall was near, the most likely place for Selphrin to be. "There are likely to be guards stationed outside the door. If two of us hide here while the third distracts the guards, the two of us here could sneak in as the third leads them away."

Toriban nodded in approval. "Sounds like a fair plan. I'll be the bait while you two do what we came for." Zara looked nervous, and Toriban was more than a little worried about her. "Zara, are you armed at all?"

She nodded, pulling a short blade from under her robe. "Kodachi." After explaining to Allendrie what a kodachi was, a defensive short sword, Toriban drew Crimson from it's sheath and swiftly, but quietly, ran from the room towards the royal hall.

What greeted him as he turned the last corner was a well armed squad of twenty soldiers. Each of the soldiers had a startled expression on his face as Toriban rounded the corner at full speed. Toriban quickly rid himself of his incredularity and continued to rush straight towards the group as quick as his legs would take him. He rushed through the group, injuring two and mortally wounding a third as they came within his reach. Toriban continued running, and the guards followed stupidly like a pack of dogs chasing a rabbit.

Allendrie and Zara waited a count of fifty, then rushed out heading for the door. They found it unguarded except for a wheezing man with a hole in his chest, who was soon disposed of by Allendrie. Allendrie felt an adrenaline rush as he grabbed the door handle. Zara muttered a silent prayer for Toriban's safety and drew upon the sacred power that dwelled in her heart, preparing against the evil they would soon face.

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Toriban cursed the hand that fate had dealt him. In his blind run through the palace he had picked up three more soldiers. He had a strange sense of deja vu as he realized he couldn't escape and could never beat so many in armed combat. Without Zara around, though, he once more had the advantage of his dark powers. He felt the familiar cycles of energy move through his body as he prepared to use a technique he never wanted to use again. He regretted what he had to do. Memories of victims years past rose in his mind and he could see the inhuman twitching and twisting of people that had been struck by the black vortex of nerve-severing pain.

When his energy had gathered, he turned and fired the Kuroi Kaze, and prayed that he wouldn't pass out as he had four years previously.