Iron Blooded

When the room had emptied and the door shut behind us, I gave Lord Blackthorne the message I had been bidden to carry. The Lord’s brows drew together, his expression unreadable as he glanced at me.

Then he sighed.

“William,” he said. “I have an obligation to you now to warn you that the knowledge I’m about to impart to you is forbidden, even to many in the Inquisition. Lord Dacon belives, as do I, that you are trustworthy enough to know the truth.”

He held my gaze.

“But I cannot make the decision for you. If you so choose, you can walk out of that door and remain a Knight in service of the realm. But if you stay, then you become a part of this. What say you?”

I lifted my chin. There was no other option for me. Living in ignorance might be enough for some, but If I were to send my men to fight an die for a cause, then I owed it to them to understand that cause.

“I’m in.” I said.

Blackthorne nodded his approval. Moments later, he began to speak. His tone was low and urgent, a man reciting a grudging truth.

“Of his true origins we can only ever speculate,” Blackthorne said. He laced his gambeson at his waist, wincing when the fabric pulled over his still-healing wound.

“But what we know from the scriptures and from the history texts, is that he first arrived in Kadia sometime after its founding. Back when the land was split into duchies, and noblemen ruled fiefdoms like their own kingdoms.”

He opened his inventory and pulled out a silver flask. He raised it to his lips and took a long pull. Then he handed it to me and I did the same. The sharp sting of liquor burned my throat on the way down, filling me with a rush of warmth.

I handed the flask back and Lord Blackthorne set it on the table, his hands braced on either side.

“I will spare you the tedious details. Only know that for humanity, this was a time of strife. Monsters roamed the lands freely, killing and eating men they encountered. The only safe places for humanity were Bastion cities, of which Ceris is one.”

“Bastion cities?” I asked as he handed me the flask again. “Is that why the walls are so high?”

Blackthorne nodded.

“Ceris is old, and it is one of five such cities within Kadia. When the God-King first appeared, and he went by the name Enais at the time, he was young. The texts claim that he had a presence even then - a sort of way about him that men respected and women admired. Enais was a man of the people. When he saw someone in need, he would often lend his aid.”

He took a swig from his flask and shook his head.

“He was charismatic, arrogant, and somewhat brash. It wasn’t long before the local Lord began to notice his presence and invited him into his household. Enais was, if nothing else, a cunning man. He knew gaining the favor of those in power would grant him some of his own. And so he learned the game of court. He watched, waited, and listened. He began to forge alliances and in time, he earned the right to join his Lord’s company as a man at arms.”

I arched a brow in disbelief.

“The God King was a soldier, Lord?”

Lord Blackthorne shrugged.

“If the histories are to be believed then he served many roles over many lifetimes. But the strangest thing about Enais, at least back then, was the fact that he never seemed to age. That, and he was strong - unnaturally so. It became clear on the battlefield that Enais was a soldier of exceptional skill. One not only gifted but with a natural affinity for Ether magic.”

“He’s an Ethermancer…” I muttered. “A Magus with power over light and life itself? Forgive me Lord, but Isn’t that something the academies claim isn’t possible?”

“As far as we know, it isn’t.” Said Lord Blackthorne. “At least, not for a human.”

This gave me pause. I watched Lord Blackthorne’s face in the half-light and knew without the shadow of a doubt that he was serious. I licked my lips.

“You think the God King isn’t human?” I asked carefully.

Blackthorne smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Tonight, Ser Willaim, we are heretics. Know that if what was said were to leave this room, we would both burn on the divine pyres, and the Inquisition would dance on our graves.”

He took one last swig from his flask and placed it back in his inventory.

“What Enais is, I couldn’t tell you. But he is certainly not human - at least not anymore. It was a fact the Nobility of Kadia would come to realize quite late.”

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Lord Blackthorne laced his vambraces, eyes distant. I waited for him to go on.

“You have not met him, not yet. So I will tell you. Enais’s power lies not only in his martial and magical affinity - but in his ability to influence others. He is persuasive and cunning, and if you ever find yourself in his presence you would do well to guard your mind like I have taught you.”

My eyes widened.

“Is he a Mind Mage, Lord?”

Lord Blackthorne shook his head.

“No, he is not, and for that, we should all be grateful. Being in the presence of the God King has an effect on most mortal men. It is easy to lose your wits and give in to the compulsion to obey him. It was this power more than anything else that gained him the influence he needed to overthrow the Lord he served, and eventually, turn his gaze to the Kingdom itself. No one had the power to oppose him back then. And after a bloody war that lasted no more than a few years, Enais took the Kadian throne and declared himself King.”

Blackthorne paused when a knock came on the heavy door and a messenger hurried in with a piece of parchment. He read the note, brows furrowing. Then nodded.

He muttered something I didn’t catch to the messenger who bowed and hurried out of the room. When the door shut behind him Lord Blackthorne turned back to me.

“Where was I? Yes, Enais took the throne and declared himself King. At first, the Nobles who had supported him were pleased. At least they were right up to the point when Enais declared his own divine right to rule - and proposed the nobility served him not as a King, but a God.”

I arched a brow.

“That seems.. Bold.”

Blackthorne snorted.

“It was unheard of. I firmly believe that if the signs hadn’t appeared then and there, Enais would have had to put down a rebellion himself then and there. But the signs of three had begun to appear, and for humanity that spelled disaster. You are familiar I’m sure. Most hear the stories as children.”

“My father told me many stories by the hearth,” I lied and the Lord merely nodded.

“Many believed the stories were nothing more than myth. Or perhaps they did until they began to appear in earnest. The restlessness of beasts has been at the heart of this war since it began, six months ago. Since then, the madness has begun to fester. I sensed it when we first entered Ceris,”

His eyes met mine and held them.

“And I believe you did too.”

I swallowed, remembering the feeling on uncertainty and unease I’d had when we first entered the southern city. Perhaps in a way, I had known. Slowly I nodded and Blackthorne turned away to lift his greatsword from where it rested, leaning against the wall. Dawnbringer was as magnificent as ever, gleaming in the candlelight.

Blackthorne strapped the sword to his back, leather sliding over plate.

“The God King alone has a power even the Demon Lords of the Abyss fear. His Ethermancy, his eternal light, is their bane. When the Red Moon appeared in the sky, and the Demons began to pour from hell itself, it was he and he alone who saved humanity. That is why he is necessary, even now. The threat of old Demonic invasion keeps us all subservient to him - for he is the only thing that stands between us and that infernal darkness.”

I blinked, as thoughts slowly began to come together. A realization struck me and I shook my head, wondering how I hadn’t seen it before.

“You hate him,” I said.

Blakcthornes shoulders stiffened. His eyes grew hot with anger.

“No,” he said, his voice a boom that made the door rattle in its frame. I took an involuntary step backwards and he blinked as if he realized what he had done. His shoulders sagged.

“No,” he said, in a softer tone. “I have never loved Enais as some do or worshiped him as my God. But I do respect him - at least in part.”

“And his son?” It was a risk to ask the question, especially after I had seen Blackthorne's reaction to my words. But I needed to know, and I knew if I didn’t ask now I may never get the chance.

Lord Blackthorne's fists clenched so hard the metal of his gauntlets creaked. He drew in a breath and held it, a muscle ticking in his jaw. Then at last he blew it out and lowered his head.

“Should you ever have the misfortune of meeting the Crowned Prince of Kadia, then I pity you. Since he was a boy he has reveled in hurting others - like a child pulling the wings of a butterfly. He has the arrogance of his father, but none of the grace or diplomacy. He seeks only to manipulate others for his own sick amusement. If you ever find yourself caught in that trap, I recommend you take your own life.”

I opened my mouth in surprise but found I wasn’t quite sure what to say. Blackthorne closed his eyes for a brief moment and exhaled again.

“My fiancée was one such unfortunate. Xandria was different at the time, you see. Nothing like the creature she has become. But years of manipulation, torture, and misplaced affections have made her his tool.”

He shook his head.

“I wish to speak of it no more. The Kahn has a weakness, one born more of culture than anything else. He has a need to be seen as strong, and thus he joins his armies on the battlefield. I know the feeling well,” his lips curved upwards.

“As I too lead from the front. Urksol is dangerous, and what’s more, he is experienced as both a Magus and a warrior. Even now I have men tracking his movements through the city. I wish to lure him deeper into the town center, and from there, launch our attack.”

“You believe we can bring him down, My Lord?” I asked him, eyebrow raised.

Blackthorne shook his head.

“Even if I was at full health and rested the task would be difficult. No, what I aim to do is weaken him. The Kahn rules on the illusion of power, and others follow out of fear. I mean to take that fear from him.”

I nodded.

“Break the illusion and the other Orks will circle like sharks in bloody water.”

Lord Blackthorne smiled, white teeth flashing.

“That is the goal.”

“And then?” I asked him. “My Lord, you say you were aware of the rot within the city when we first arrived. But I wonder if you know how deep it goes.”

I recounted the events from the sewer, and what the others and I had found. The presence of the Skinwalker had been strange enough but what we had discovered within that strange chamber had been enough to make me shiver at the memory.

Lord Blackthorne's lips pressed together, his throat bobbing once.

"Then the rot runs deeper than I thought," he said. "I knew we had a mole in the city but I never imagined that Ceris would house some sort of Sect. Make no mistake, the worship of the Dark Old ones is a rare practice. But where it persists, darkness always festers."

"So," I said grimly. "We hunt the Firebrand. And then?"

Blackthorne clapped me on the shoulder and I saw something in his gaze I hadn't seen before. A sort of fondness - a brotherly affection. Though whether it was aimed at me or his old friend I couldn't be sure.

"Then," said Blackthorne. "We pay a visit to our old friend the Lord Governor."