Land of Demons

4

“You’re right,” she agreed. “That’s strange. However, consider this: no spy would ever ride an Ancient Beast. Besides, have you ever seen such a monster be tamed by a Heaven Soldier?”

Derek had heard rumors that, in the very center of their vast country, the eldest heirs of the great clans of the Lascanian Empire and their parents had entire menageries of Ancient Beasts. Here in the outskirts, however… Regardless, only a Lord could tame an Ancient Beast, and Derek had never even seen a Lord in his life. The head of their school, the strongest man in the Barony, was a peak Spirit Knight.

“Maybe-”

Derek didn’t get to finish speaking. He was interrupted by Irma’s cry.

“Look! Boltoy!”

Among the rocky hills covered with golden grass, at the mouth of a dried up river, an ancient fort stood on a high hill. It might have been surrounded by a deep river once, but these days, the massive bridge that spanned the banks looked like a relic of the past. A winding path led to the second gate, wounding through huge boulders and jagged rocks.

A squad of soldiers clad in armor could be seen in the distance, dragging carts with the remains of provisions in some of them, and corpses in others. Derek’s attention was drawn to a cart with a cage that had been sealed tight with glowing hieroglyphs and runes engraved into its bars. Inside it, completely detached from the world, sat about two dozen people. Some of them were simple shepherds and farmers, but there were also Darnassian soldiers among them.

“That’s amazing!” Derek breathed out.

The girls exchanged a glance. They knew why their friend hated the Darnassus Empire so much, but they didn’t share his zeal. If a war broke out, and at this point, it seemed almost inevitable that one would, they would definitely join the ranks of the Lascanian Army. They wouldn’t do it to mindlessly slaughter their foes and burn the enemy lands to the ground, but to become stronger through battle with worthy opponents. Unfortunately, Derek had a very different outlook. As far as he was concerned, anyone who was part of the hostile Empire was his sworn enemy.

The soldiers soon disappeared through the gates of the fort.

An hour later, the trio found themselves in front of those same gates. Up close, the massive fortification made from gray stone looked monumental and foreboding, even with its blue-tiled roofs that seemed almost pleasant. For thousands of years, it had stood at the very edge of the two Empires, and for thousands of years, Darnassus hadn’t been able to conquer it.

However, the Lascanian forces also hadn’t had much luck taking Fort Darigon — the gateway to the entire Darnassus Empire.

“Who are you?” A gate guard asked them impudently. His power as a mid-stage Heaven Soldier made it so he could look down on a lot of people, but not on the disciples of the ‘Red Mule’ school.

Derek silently showed the man his school token. The guard immediately looked both fearful and full of regret.

“Please forgive my impertinence, honored disciples of the inner circle.” The guard bowed. “If there’s anything I can do to-”

“Open the gates!” Alea interrupted him. “We have a wounded man with us! He needs help.”

The guard swallowed hard. Gods and demons! If he ended up being responsible for the death of one of the ‘Red Mule’ school’s inner circle disciples, he would be sent to the battlefield in a heartbeat.

“Open the gates!” The guard commanded.

When the heavy gates creaked as they were lifted by a giant chain, the wounded man groaned.

“Look,” Irma said, stroking the cub and pointing at him, “he’s coming to.”

   

Hadjar had been prepared to see anything upon opening his eyes, from the bars of a cage to the threshold of his forefathers’ house. However, by the High Heavens, he hadn’t expected to see the famous boundless Lascanian steppes. He found himself lying on a comfortable carriage sofa, and the vehicle itself was moving along a paved road leading into a fort. Going by the sounds and smells, Hadjar, as someone with a military background who had seen and personally captured many a fort, could never have mistaken it for anything else.

Peeking through the window, he was surprised to see that a Darnassian flag wasn’t fluttering atop the main tower. By the Evening Stars! He wasn’t in Fort Darigon, but in a Lascanian fort. Concentrating, Hadjar remembered the map of the enemy Empire he’d seen. The closest fort was Fort Boltoy, under the command of a weak Lord at the initial stage. But no matter how weak he was, Hadjar wouldn’t be able to fight him in his current state. He could still deal with a Spirit Knight, maybe, but not with someone who could combine the two types of energy into one.

“Calm down. Everything’s all right,” said the girl sitting on the edge of the sofa. She adjusted her brown hair. The token of an inner circle disciple glittered on her chest. Hadjar didn’t recognize the school’s emblem. “We’re in Boltoy. It’s all right. You are among your own people.”

“What makes you think we’re his people, Alea?” The young man sitting opposite her asked, flushing with annoyance.

“Shut up, Derek,” the other girl hissed.

“You too, Irma?” Derek rolled his eyes and frowned, turning away to stare out the window.