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The Praetorian
Part 10
The heavy smell of impending rain hung in the air. Duncan Milius paced back and forth along the archery range. The platoon under his command was arrayed in a military formation before him. They stood in rows of four fighters. They looked much healthier than when they arrived. The tears and slashes in their armor were patched up and they had obviously benefited from the time off given to them by General Hawkwin. Most of them had come to grips with what had happened and they were now eager to return to the field. They had spent the week drilling and exercising. They were once again the honed warriors who had left Valandov a month ago, though somewhat more humble.
Their new orders had arrived. They were to leave the Palladum and return to Valor’s Keep. Duncan moved from one row to the next, inspecting each soldier. Captain Blaine and the only surviving lieutenant stood at the head of the formation. As Duncan walked past, they saluted. He returned it and moved to stand in front of the formation. It was time to address the troops.
“We pause for a moment to remember the courage and valor of our fallen comrades — the seven hundred and thirty-four Praetorians who died at Ravelin and the four who met their fate here.” Duncan rested a hand on a small pouch that hung by his side. It held the grimal claw that was extracted from the lung of a dead corporal: a reminder of the changes that needed to be made to the Praetorship, a symbol indicating that after all the training and the drilling, they were still human at the core.
A cold wind whipped across the archery range, an apt complement for the grimness of the moment. It would have made any civilian shiver and huddle for warmth, but these fighters remained where they were, pretending not to notice. Duncan lowered his gaze and closed his eyes. The Grand-General’s response came swifter than anyone had expected. Eight days! The captain never realized that carrier birds could fly so fast. In that time, he had come to accept his duty. He would return to the Keep and testify with honesty and integrity. He wanted this episode to end so he could return to regular duty. So did his troops.
Duncan was thankful for Jarren’s brief visit. She had left three days ago, and although they were used to being apart for extended periods, he missed her greatly. As much as he wanted her support now, as much as he longed for her advice, he knew that this battle he had to face on his own.
Finally, he lifted his head and finished his address. “Our orders arrived an hour ago. A galleass awaits us. We are to return to Valor’s Keep by way of the Rivers Nillus and Saar. Then, it’s a long march south from Maribor. We’ll travel direct, day and night. You know the drill, you’ve been through it before. When we reach the Keep, we’ll be ordered to participate in Marshal Wallace’s court-martial. If any of you have a problem with this, feel free to talk to Captain Blaine or me about it. There will also be counselors available at the Keep.
“I know that this was a first mission for many of you, and I’m sorry that you’re being forced to experience the less glorious side of the Praetorship. All I can say is that our task now is to testify truthfully and without reservation — it’s the only way to ensure that Ravelin doesn’t happen again. Our reputation has been tarnished, but our honor is very much alive. Perhaps it’s a worthy lesson to discover that Praetorians are more human than we give ourselves credit. A little humility now and then can be a good thing. We depart in ten minutes. Gather your gear and say your goodbyes. Dismissed.”
The troops broke formation and headed back to their barracks. As Captain Duncan Milius turned to walk to his quarters, a fierce chill swept over him. Some unknown awareness at the back of his mind filled him with a profound sense of wrongness. A putrid stench of decay filtered into his nostrils and his mind was invaded with horrible images of destruction and terror. He saw cities lying in ruins. Fields of wheat and orchards burned brightly, their smoke covered the sky. Giant inhuman creatures tore down Gath’s walls and pressed inside, devouring everyone in their path. He watched one brute lift up his foster-father and disembowel him, and Duncan’s eyes blurred with tears. Another one tore into Jarren, and its maw was drenched in gore and blood from her body. He saw everyone he cared about reduced to bony husks, as if their souls had been violently sucked from them. Valor’s Keep, the mightiest fortress in the realm, was swallowed up by the earth.
Then, as quickly as they had come, the dark intrusions were swept aside, leaving Duncan with a disturbing sense of foreboding. He sank to his knees and brought his hands together over his mouth. He was thankful that everyone had left the range so that no one could see him quivering like a frightened child in the middle of the plateau. He had never been more terrified of anything in his life than he was of that vision.
Stay tuned for the next chapter…
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