Rise of Heroes

Chapter 23 - Premonitions

Jaden made his way through the crowd that was trying to get a glimpse of the load in the two wagons that were trying to make their way through the packed street. Searching for food, no doubt, Jaden realized, and his own stomach turned as his eyes fell on the load of the first wagon. Somebody had thrown back the cloth covering the contents in it, revealing underneath a pile of decomposing corpses or detached body parts. The people closest to it tried to get away in haste, causing even more chaos as they pushed and fell, shouting in panic. A woman vomited while a man grabbed his young son, covering his eyes and carrying him away from sight.

“Keep moving, people!” a soldier shouted after climbing onto the cart and pulling the cover back on. He glared at the stream of people still pushing their way back, letting out a tired sigh. “Keep moving!”

When Jaden finally reached the wagon, the soldier frowned, jumping to the ground and reaching for his sword as if planning to clear his way by force. He didn’t seem to recognize Jaden at first, so his glare didn’t spare the prince.

“Don’t,” Jaden said calmly, reaching out and placing his hand over the soldier’s. The man stiffened, locking his eyes on Jaden’s face. A flicker of recognition flashed in his eyes and he froze, panic spreading over his face. “They are not at fault. All the streets are like this today, so please be patient. They are afraid.”

“Please, forgive me, sire!” the man said, saluting briskly before looking around. This close, Jaden could see even more clearly the traces of exhaustion and fighting on him. He had scars too, both old and new, on his hands and neck — even one that crossed his lips, distorting them slightly and giving him an even harsher look.

“At ease, soldier,” Jaden said, patting him on the back while trying not to wrinkle his nose. The stench coming from the wagon was even worse up close, although the soldiers had tried to repress it with marana — a herb so odorous that you could lose your sense of smell for hours, even days, if inhaling from it up close.

“Those are the last ones we found, sire,” the soldier explained when Jaden asked him. “The demons usually don’t leave much behind.” Despite his massive frame and tough appearance, the soldier shivered visibly when his eyes fell over the indistinguishable forms under the cover. “Those are rather old. They are at least four days old, judging by the level of decomposition. We didn’t find anything new.”

“Four days.” Jaden nodded as he glanced again toward the two wagons. He didn’t even want to imagine how many bodies were in there. Ever since the attack on Naysa a few weeks ago, those forays had become more frequent and more vicious, making the ones that happened in the past several months look like child’s play. Some villagers had tried to build barriers to protect themselves from the monsters, but no wall was a match for a demon over Class II.

And today they were arriving. The timing couldn’t be worse.

In a few hours’ time, they were going to be responsible for a handful of helpless, fragile women along with their guards, who probably would freeze in horror even at the sight of the most feeble demon. He couldn’t really blame them, though. The first time he saw a demon he had frozen too, even though he had already read so much about them.

“Should we proceed toward the burning area, sire?” the soldier asked and Jaden nodded, stepping out of their way. Jaden watched the Roderian jump back on the driving seat, shouting at the crowd to make way.

“So many, wickedly mistreated… not only in life, but in death. How are those poor souls supposed to find their way to the afterlife?” a voice spoke right next to Jaden. He turned to look at the elderly woman standing next to him, her gray hair flying in all directions, carried by the sudden wind that brought the stench of decaying flesh back toward them. She wrinkled her nose in disgust and shook her head.

“What do you mean?” Jaden asked as she looked at him, not showing any sign that she recognized him. Jaden studied her pale, sunken face, unable to shake the nagging feeling that he had seen her before. It was getting concerning how often that seemed to happen lately. “We’re doing the best we can to give them a proper burial.”

She either didn’t hear him or didn’t care about his reply because she showed no reaction. She continued to watch after the wagons with a thoughtful gaze, not bothered at all by the hair brushing her wan face.

“The door between the worlds is open, but they don’t know the way.” When she spoke again, her voice was quiet, almost inaudible on the noisy street, but Jaden was close enough to hear. Her head finally turned toward him and she met his gaze, her fierce blue eyes sending a shiver down his back. “Do you know what happens to a spirit when they embrace its hatred and fear? They turn into demons. So we must prepare, for there will be a reckoning.”

“A reckoning,” Jaden repeated, frowning. “What do you mean?”

She stared at him for a long moment, as if she was seeing more than she was leading on. Her bright eyes gleamed with a spark that almost made Jaden step back. When she spoke again, her voice was deeper, quieter.

“I can see your fate unfolding, Jaden of the House Driennon. What had once been can be again and what had never come to pass could happen hence. It’s almost time to choose.”

Jaden was still trying to comprehend the meaning of her words when she turned, mixing with the crowd that had just poured through the gates, carrying children or pulling wagons with all the belongings they couldn’t part with. Jaden shouted after her, pushing his way through in an attempt to catch up, but he soon lost sight of her completely.

His eyes shot in all directions, stopping at every face that crossed his path, but he found no one resembling her, not even close. It was as if she had vanished into thin air. He could still feel her vibe as something powerful, dark, and old. Like someone who he had recently met.

She felt like... that blonde woman, the witch. But it wasn’t possible. The only resemblance between them was those piercing blue eyes and that dark, foreboding presence. And he had met the blonde woman in a dream while this one was real, he touched her. Or did he? He remembered standing really close, but they never made contact. He didn’t see her make contact with other people either, despite the packed streets. But she couldn’t have been a dream, he was wide awake.

Jaden pinched his arm just in case and pain spread over the spot. He sighed, staring in the direction the old woman had disappeared. A bad feeling formed in his stomach, turning his blood to ice and weighing on his heart.

Jaden sighed and gave up on his search, turning back and heading toward the castle. He didn’t stop on his way, and for the first time, he paid no attention to the people who were looking for a place to stay or making themselves comfortable on the streets. His mind was so busy with what the woman had said that he barely noticed anything around him.

As he finally found himself back in the citadel, he couldn’t help but notice the two dozen horses being prepared for a ride out. It took him a minute before he realized he had almost missed Tamara’s departure, and he winced as he thought of her horrible mood that had grown fouler with each passing day.

Tamara’s protests against the marriage had turned so vocal and fierce that even their mother scolded her for daring to question the king’s decision so openly. Jaden still didn’t know if he should laugh or pity his sister for the way their father threatened her that if she continued opposing him, he would force her to marry a prince and ship her off to live with him. That had successfully shut her up, though Jaden doubted his father would ever do that.

Jaden looked around for her for a while, but she was nowhere to be seen despite her entourage patiently waiting for her. He was on his way to her room, passing the terrace that was looking toward the front yard where they were bound to depart from, when his eyes stopped on a figure in black and blue that was leaning on the railing for support. There were three figures, actually, but he often didn’t notice his father’s bodyguards until they moved.

The king turned to smile at him the moment Jaden stepped onto the terrace. The prince joined him at the railing, glancing down only to realize Tamara was now preparing to mount her horse, her men waiting patiently for her orders. As if sensing his gaze, she looked up at him.

“You can go with them if you want.” His father’s voice made him turn just as the king swayed on his feet, grabbing the railing to steady himself. “Tamara would be happy to have you with her.”

“Tamara would rather not go at all.” Jaden laughed bitterly and shot his father a glance. “And the tradition states that we have to greet them at the castle.”

“And yet you look so weary, my son.” The king swayed again, and this time Jaden instinctively caught him by the elbow before the two guards had the chance to do it. Joel nodded toward one of the marble benches on the terrace and his son helped him take a seat. Jaden sat next to him, eyes full of unspoken concern.

“It’s too quiet,” Jaden said in the end. “Unusually quiet. We haven’t had an attack for a few days, it’s almost disturbing. It’s like they are planning something.”

“The demons can’t think, son. They can’t plan anything.” The king laughed, but it sounded forced, almost as if he was trying to convince himself. “There aren’t so many opportunities for attacks anymore. Everybody knows that it’s not safe out there.”

“I have the feeling that there are demons nearby and they are planning something. I can’t explain it.” Jaden scratched his forehead while staring at the cold marble floor. His thoughts fled to his sister, who had probably already reached the city’s gates and was now on her way to meet his future wife-to-be at the harbor. This girl was utterly unprepared, physically or mentally, to become part of this world. And if his gut was right, the two sisters were about to meet the brutal reality way sooner than expected.

When Jaden looked up, his father was staring at him.

“You’ve always had a very strong intuition, son,” the king said with a wry smile. “I can’t remember the last time when it was wrong. Listen to your heart, son, it’s usually right. Forget about traditions, we are way past that.” His father moved to stand and his two guards stepped forward, one of them pushing the wheelchair. His father sighed but obediently settled in it, allowing the other guard to cover his legs with the blanket. Jaden looked away, his chest tightening at the sight of his father’s resigned face. “Go get ready, Jaden. If you are right, Tamara may need your help.”

Jaden nodded, and the guards took the king away, the sound of the wooden wheels turning slowly fading into the distance. Jaden stood still for a bit longer, trying to think of a plan before he got up and headed toward the staircase. On his way, he almost missed the tiny figure leaning on one of the columns leading toward another terrace. Her white dress contrasted sharply with the dark gray stone around her, and her hair fell on her shoulders like a waterfall of darkness.

“Are you going somewhere, brother?” Estelle asked even before she turned to look at him. He had always felt different vibes from his younger sister — one moment she would feel like a fragile, scared creature, and the next she would radiate danger and overwhelming power. It felt disturbing, but looking at her tiny figure and small, oval face, he couldn’t find a single trace of danger in it. If anything, he was growing more and more concerned about how defenseless she looked.

She returned to watching the city as he stepped next to her, following her gaze. Her eyes were staring, as he found out, not at the city but at the darkening sky over the forest which separated the city from the harbor.

“What are you doing, Estelle?” he asked while his sister took a few steps forward and placed her hands on the rail. Her head bowed a little, but her gaze remained locked on the same spot as if she was seeing something nobody else could.

“I’m waiting.”

“Waiting for what?” he asked her, stepping closer. The dark-haired girl slowly turned her head to look at him, her tiny lips twisting upwards and her bony shoulders shrugging slightly.

“The guests, of course,” she chuckled. “What else?”

Jaden laughed awkwardly, cursing himself for being so jumpy.

“Where are your guards?” he asked, searching the shadows for at least one of them, but finding the corridor utterly empty. He had heard their mother complain about his sister ditching her guards and running around alone, but he hadn’t witnessed it himself. How could a little girl like her ditch trained guards?

“I have no idea,” Estelle shrugged innocently. “We got separated a while ago. They are probably looking for me right now.” There was no hint of shame in her voice, which made Jaden sigh in surrender.

“I need to go, so you stay right here. I’ll send somebody to take you back to your room. I don’t want you wandering all by yourself, do you hear me? It’s not safe. Demons are not supposed to be able to get into the citadel, but you never know.” He glanced at the sky and the quiet city below before his eyes locked back on his sister’s face.

“Of course, brother.” She smiled.

Jaden hesitated for a moment, but then he shook his head and headed down the corridor, leaving Estelle alone on the terrace. Just before stepping around the corner, he turned to give her one last look, only to find her staring back at the sky.