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| Scouts brought back word quickly of the condition of Emani as the Bloodclaws marched. The outlook was not good, but the scouts reports were for Erixs ears only. Almost all of his men had been born and raised in Emani, and if word spread, things could get out of hand, and fast. News from the scouts said that Emani appeared to be in one piece, but little else could be determined without moving within the city gates. One scout said that things appeared to be extremely quite within the walls. Erix could only imagine the worse. Banes body was sent with Hawry to Glenmalden before they departed, many of the Bloodclaws did not react well to the sight of their Emperor laying unconscious upon the stone floor of the palace. Despite being the elite of the elite, they were still in fact Lycan and they could still fear and hurt. Erix said a silent prayer to the Goddess of Love for protection of Bane, Emani, and the Empire. Things did indeed look dire. There was only one steward of strength and courage holding the men together, Toul Auhven easily strode next to Erixs horse, his two-handed sword now, once again, strapped to his back. Toul had seen a great many things and took the destruction of his Kingdom with unsettling ease. In the worst of times, Toul Auhven had always been a cornerstone for those in need to lean on and at this moment, Erix was glad that he was there. Erix reined his horse closer to Toul, What do you think they were? I dont know, Touls voice was cold and steady. But they were powerful. Extremely powerful. Hazel eyes looked up into jade. Whatever they were though, they can die. And Ill be more than obliged to help them in their journey there. Erix nodded in agreement, whoever they were they could die. And they would. Raising his hand, Erix ordered the Bloodclaws to come to a halt. Swinging his leg out of the saddle, Erix looked ahead. A small rise was directly ahead and he and Toul moved toward it. As they neared, they dropped down and crawled slowly to the edge. Emani lay below them as they peered down from a rise. All appeared to be peaceful, nothing at all wrong. That in and of itself alerted Erix that something indeed was wrong. Erix, Toul whispered, There are no guards on the walls. Erix had noticed the exact same thing. No guards on the walls or gates, no people moving in and out of the city and, as far as he could see, no movement in the streets within the walls. Something was not only wrong, but it sent chills deep into his bones. Crawling back several feet, Erix and Toul stood and faced the army. All eyes rested on the two, all waiting for some news of their home. With a heavy sigh, Erix stepped toward his men. At nightfall, we will move into the city. Be on full alert, for we do not know what will be waiting on us inside. For now, everyone should rest. Rotate patrols every hour on the hour. Bloodclaws sprung into action, all save a couple, who stared longingly at the edge of the rise, then began to move about with purpose. Men with families no doubt, Erixs heart sank as he watched them go. If they only knew. We wait? Toul asked stepping next to him. Nodding slightly, he watched his men toss out bedrolls and unpack a few necessary items. I dont want whoever is in the city to see us return. Erix looked up. If Emani has fallen, I will take it back and surprise will be on my side. ~*~ Emanis large gates felt cold on Erixs back as he watched the last of the Bloodclaws sneak to the wall. So far they had not been seen, or if they had, no alarms had been raised. Light from the full moon shown down on them, almost mockingly, as if it knew what lay in store. Erix looked at it for a moment and remembered the rumors of Lycans changing into bloodthirsty killing machines by the light of the full moon. Tonight, those rumors may prove to be truer than any had ever believed. Placing his back to the gate, Erix began to push the gate slowly open. He and Toul moved in quickly and the Bloodclaws filed through quickly. Before long, all were through the gate, and none could move from sheer terror and shock. The buildings of Emani were unharmed and only a few things in the streets appeared to be knocked over, but that could have been from normal day to day traffic. What held everyones attention, was what lay in the roads. Black liquid seemed to be splattered and sprayed onto the walls of the buildings for as far as one could look and the road was coated in the thick black ichor. One sniff brought bile into Erixs throat. Blood. Everything was covered in blood. From behind he could hear many of his soldiers sick up on the ground. His own stomach wretched and turned in his stomach as tears welled up in his eyes. Clenching his eyes shut, Erix felt his hands begin to shake and his shoulders trembled. How could this happen? He should have been there. He should have never left. He should have protected his people. Touls voice pulled him out of his stupor. Men! Search the city for survivors! Meet at Erixs home in one hour! If you are not there in an hour, we will assume the worst and you will be left behind! Move! Move! Bloodclaws scattered, their military training kicking in and their minds set to task. Erix took a deep breath and nodded to Toul, who gave a knowing smirk and nod. Placing his helmet upon his head, Erix looked toward the butcher block which was once his city. Come on. Lets see what we can find. And he lowered his visor. ~*~ Appearances were not everything, Erixs home was proof of that. It looked no different than those around it; two stories, tile roofing, and made of fine wood. No different at all, as a matter of fact, Erix had purchased it when it had first been built on the edge of a small farming village of Emani. Now Emani had grown into a metropolis of commerce and the city swelled until Erixs home lay in the heart of the city. So much had changed in the two hundred years that Erix had been Lord here. Now it all lay in ruin and pools in the streets. Erix was now over the shock of the sight of the blood, but what curdled the juices in his stomach was that he had not been able to find a single body. Where had they all gone? What had done this? Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Erix turned the knob to his house. It appeared clean enough, apparently the gore from the road had not seeped into the house yet. Fear entered his heart as he thought of the only other inhabitant of his house, his manservant Tad. Tad Oraphan. Tad had once been one of Erixs most trusted generals in his army and had been one of the few Humans that had ridden under his banner. Tad was one of the most deadly men Erix had ever seen with a sword, and Tad was even deadlier without. After Erix returned to Emani after a short campaign for the Empire, Tad voluntarily swore to serve Erix as his manservant for the rest of his days. Erix prayed that no harm had befallen his old friend. His house was clean as usual, save where he and Touls boots were tracking in the gore from the streets. Nothing moved in the house. Nothing was disturbed. Everything was as it was when Erix had left. Kitchen was clean, pots and utensils in their place. Sheets on the beds neatly folded and clothes cleaned. The cellar was well stocked and tidy. As Erix was heading to the stairs to return upstairs, a stray thought came to him, and he looked down. Below the stairs in the cellar was another storeroom where he and Tad kept the things they had considered extremely valuable. The entrance was well hidden and could have escaped the notice of anyone who did not know what to look for. Feeling along the crack of the wall under the stairs, Erix found the small release mechanism and pushed it. A quiet click let him know that the lock was opened and he slowly pushed the door open, Toul raised his sword to stab anything that might come out. As the door swung further open, light began to pour into the storeroom and a foot kicked Touls sword. Erix grabbed for the attacker, but saw a fist fly toward his face. Erix ducked and blocked attack after attack from the unknown combatant. Toul raised his sword and slashed several times but the assailant either evaded the attack or kicked Touls sword or hand each time. Taking several steps back, the face of their assailant was revealed. Tad! Erix shouted and he blocked a kick aimed at his head. Its me! Stop! Pulling back a kick that would have landed hard on Erixs ribs, Tad spun to a stop. Tads balding white hair and wrinkled face would have surprised any with his ferocity. He truly was a sight to behold with his wiry body and bulbous nose. Tad immediately began to bow and apologize. Oh my! My Lord Jaguar! Im so sorry. I did not know! Please forgive me! Tads voice still held the same youthful adoration it had when Tad was young. It made Erix want to slap the man. Tad! Erix barked and Tad fell silent, Please. Enough. Are you the only one down here? Tad only turned and peered into the darkness. Slowly children began to walk out of the storeroom. Erixs eyes widened in surprise. We were able to get all of the children into the storeroom before the fighting broke out. We dont know what happened outside, but we were in here for what seemed like half a day. I knew that my Lord Jaguar would not mind if I took such precious treasure into the place where we keep other things of lesser value. Tad smiled at Erix. Erix could not help but smile back. Despite the fact that Tads passion for calling Erix by his title and not his name annoyed Erix to no end, Erix could not help but feel pride in this once general. Lord Erix sir, a voice asked from the storeroom door. Erix removed his helmet and looked at the little girl. Can I go home now? Erixs jade eyes met Touls hazel and concern painted them both. But it was Toul who answered the girl. Not right now honey, he said picking the girl up with one arm. Theres a lot of stuff that needs to be done up there before its safe for you to come out. Do we have to stay in that room? No sweetheart. You dont have to stay in that room no more, but you cant go upstairs until we say its okay. Understand? Toul looked into the girls eyes and waited for the girl to nod. Good, now run along and play. Everything will be okay. Tad looked up at Erix and knew. Ill keep an eye on the children here. The cellar and the storeroom are big enough there should be plenty of room for us to move about without being to crowded. Thank you Tad. Running a hand through his long silvery-gray hair Erix looked at Toul. We have a lot to do and time is against us. |
| Return to Emmani By LL Erix |