Realm of Monsters - Chapter 643: Ruin

Chapter 643: Ruin

  Stryg sat on the rooftop of the Veres manor. Or at least, one of the rooftops, the manor was enormous, with several buildings interconnected. He had found this one spot, tucked away in the corner, where two buildings met. Only Gale knew of the spot, though she didn’t usually sit up here with him during the day. Even with their enchanted cloaks, vampires felt uncomfortable standing in the sunlight for very long. At least, most vampires did.

  “There you are,” Sylvie said.

  Stryg turned to find the giant vampiress standing on a pair of shingles.

  “Sylvie? What are you—? How did you find me?”

  “I asked the very scary vampire lady. She was actually quite nice. I think she wanted me to keep you company.”

  “Gale just doesn’t like it when I’m alone. She thinks I get myself into trouble,” he made air quotations with his fingers.

  “Do you?”

  “Never.”

  She grinned. “Mind if I sit?”

  Stryg scooched over.

  Sylvie sat down and stared out at the city sprawling over the horizon. “So, you’re the son of Death.”

  “And you’re the daughter of Bellum.”

  “Weird, huh? If I’d known when we met, I would have done things differently.”

  “I’m not sure it would have done any good. I didn’t know my father and I wasn’t in a very good place in my life back then.”

  “What about now?”

  “I guess. I just found out I’m related to every deity in the Ebon Pantheon. So, yeah, things are different. People are different. I’m… different.”

  “Mm. Family, huh? Not easy to have a god as a parent?”

  “Heh, try two.”

  Sylvie nudged his shoulder. “You know, you still owe me a rematch.”

  “How could I forget?”

  “Last time we were interrupted. This time we won’t be.”

  “I’m ready when you are. Want to go to the dueling grounds now?”

  Sylvie sighed. “Can’t. My mother wants me to help with some things while we’re here in the city. But I promise, I won’t leave Hollow Shade without that rematch.”

  “I look forward to it, Sylvie.”

  “It’s Belle, actually.” She winked and jumped off the rooftop.

~~~

  Callum and Lysaila followed quietly behind Kithina as she wandered through the burned-down ruins of the Common District. Several sections of the district were already well under construction, but there were still thrice as many areas that had been ruined. Even now, several weeks after the siege, the scent of ash and soot pervaded the air.

  With every moment they walked, Callum felt more and more that they were walking in a crypt. Kithina wandered like a ghost, her eyes recognizing the ruins of a burned down house and then another. All around her was destruction.

  “Maybe we should wait back at the survivor tent? The Veres’ servants are very good at what they do. They’ll find the records of where your family was relocated,” Callum offered.

  But Kithina wasn’t listening. She was in a daze, her expression still with disbelief. “I… I didn’t know how bad it was.”

  Lysaila and Callum glanced at each other, worried. 

  “Should we do something…?” Callum let the question hang in the air.

  Lysaila shook her head. “Let her be. There is nothing to be done but wait.”

  The areas around the gates had been rebuilt first. The true extent of the damage the valley tribes had inflicted upon Hollow Shade could not be seen by the average passerby. But here, this deep into the district, the truth was clear to see.

  “They said Hollow Shade won. They called it a victory. This is no victory,” Lysaila muttered.

  The day passed on and the sun began its descent towards the horizon. Kithina had gone back to her home; only a few charred beams remained standing. They had seen the small ruined house this morning, but Kithina had held hope. Her family wouldn’t have stayed at the house if the city were under siege. They had friends they could stay with in several different neighborhoods in the district. 

  After leaving the Veres manor, the trio had gone in search of each of those friends in hopes of finding Kithina’s family. None had remained. The fires had consumed them all. Twice, Kithina had returned to her home, as if hoping her family might be there, waiting for her with open arms.

  Finally, when the skies were tinged a golden orange hue, Callum told Kithina and Lysaila it was time to check back with the survivor tent. Several of the tents had been set up around the district in order to take into account all survivors and give out food, water, and other supplies.

  Kithina was eager to go, but at the same time, her face was marred with trepidation. When they arrived, a line of people wearing nothing but rags was waiting outside. The line stretched all the way down the cobblestone street. The sounds of wailing echoed out from the large tent. Even now, white mages were treating the wounded.

  Some wounds had been small, a nick, a small cut here or there. If the commoners had money or an apothecary whose home hadn’t been burned down, then they might have gotten treatment earlier. The survivor tents had prioritized the most gravely injured and so the small cuts had gone unseen. But those cuts and burns had become infected and grown worse over the last few weeks. Now, the best many healers could do was amputate.

  The whole sight was a terribly depressing place to be, but it was here that the scribes took records of the survivors. And it was here that a Veres scribe waited for them. The woman had thick rimmed glasses and her face was shielded by a dark enchanted cloak to protect her from the sunlight. When Kithina and the others had left, the scribe had already gone to work, too busy to pay attention to them. But now, she was pacing about at the edge of the massive tent.

  The old vampire noticed their arrival and her expression became a still mask. She hurried over, a thick book in her hand. She stopped two paces from Callum and bowed. She glanced at Lysaila and her tail somewhat fearfully, but did her best to ignore it. “Lord Callum, Miss Kithina, Miss Lysaila. Welcome ba—”

  “What did you find?” Kitty asked, there was an edge to her voice.

  “I scoured the records and found no mention of your family, but,” the scribe raised a finger, “As you know, there are several survivor tents placed throughout the district. I had my assistants sent to each one of them. They searched through all the other tents’ records and reported their findings back to me.” She patted the large tome in her hand.

  “And?” Kithina asked impatiently.

  “We found a mention of one dwarf scribe known as Grolm.”

  “That’s my dad!”

  “The report was given by a guard. It seems Grolm was traveling with his wife and son on the night of the siege. The local garrison gave them refuge, alongside many other refugees, during the fire.”

  “That’s why we couldn’t find them,” Kithina sighed with relief.

  “If the city guards had given them sanctuary, then they must be at one of the barracks, it’s protocol,” Callum noted. 

  The scribe nodded. “Correct—”

  “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Kithina turned to leave.

  “Miss Kithina, a moment, please,” the scribe called out.

  “What is it?”

  The old vampire licked her lips and swallowed hard. “You see, the garrison where your family was at… It burned down.”

  Kithina chuckled uneasily. “So they ran. Where would the guards lead them next?”

  “No, you, uh. You misunderstand. The garrison was attacked by an orange mage and his valley warriors. Two guards managed to escape. They were the ones who gave the report to the scribes at the survivors tent.”

  “What about everyone else? The people in the garrison?” Kithina asked, her smile cracking.

  “There were no other survivors.”

  Kithina grabbed the woman’s robe. “You assume, you don’t know that for certain.”

  “I had one of my assistants and a couple of soldiers search the burned down garrison. They found charred skeletons inside, roughly the same number as the people that were inside at the time of the fire.”

  “What… What are you saying?” Kithina choked out.

  “We also found this.” The scribe reached into her pocket and held out a few simple bronze beads. Even half burned, Callum recognized the design. Kithina wore the same beads in her braids.

  With shaking hands, Kithina grabbed the beads and stared at them. “This… This was my mother’s. W-Why do you…?” She sagged, Lysaila caught her before her knees hit the cobblestone.

  Kithina buried her face in her friend’s arms, and she wailed a horrid, hollow sound, low and raw. Lysaila hugged her close.

  “If it is any consolation, the mage and warriors who did this were killed shortly after in a skirmish by the forces of Lady Goldelm,” said the scribe.

  “Thank you, please send my regards to Lord Veres,” said Callum.

  “Of course. I am so sorry for your loss, Miss Kithina,” the scribe bowed her head. “If there’s anything else you need. My services are at your disposal.”

  “We’ll keep that in mind, thank you.” Callum turned, crouched next to Kithina, and rubbed her trembling back. What more could he do? He felt so useless. What would Clypeus have done in this situation? What would his father have done? He did not know. So instead, he channeled Red and cast a scarlet dome around them, cutting away the noise of the outside world. Then he silently wrapped his arms around Lysaila and Kithina, as his friend cried for the ones who would never return.

~~~

  It was deep into the night when Callum returned to the Veres manor. They had gone to the burned down garrison and stayed there all evening. After several hours, he had convinced Kithina that she needed to eat and rest. Now she was lying in bed in a guest room, Lysaila keeping her company.

  The cooks had prepared their best dishes for her, but Callum doubted she’d even taste them. Her mind was elsewhere. He resonated with that pain. To have lost his family without getting to say goodbye. But Kithina was different. She had known her mother and she had loved her brother. Callum couldn’t say the same.

  A knock at the door broke him away from his thoughts.

  “Come in,” he said.

  The door creaked open. Elise stood in the doorway, her red eyes flickering in the darkness. “You look tired.”

  “I guess I am,” he muttered and sat down on his bed.

  Elise closed the door behind her and joined him. “I heard about your friend. I am sorry.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “I don’t have to care for the dead to offer my condolences to the living.”

  “Is that why you came here? To offer condolences to Kitty’s family? Or to offer condolences to our family that you killed?”

  Elise sighed. “I do not regret killing our brother and sister. Both of them wanted the Veres throne. And if they had seized it, neither would suffer a hybrid half-brother living under their roof. After Father died in battle with our eldest sister, bloodshed was guaranteed. I only happened to be the one who struck first.”

  “So you didn’t kill them to seize the Veres throne, but to protect me? Is that it?”

  Elise stared at him, her eyes hard. “Yes, I tried to seize the throne for myself, but do not dare imply that for even one second you have not been my number one priority. You have no idea the things I would do to protect you, the things I have sacrificed to keep you safe.”

  Callum looked away and slumped his shoulders. “I know,” he mumbled. “I am grateful. It’s just… Ava and Feryd were our siblings. They were our family.”

  “They hated you.”

  “It doesn’t change what they were. It doesn’t change how I felt about them.”

  “You have a soft heart, Cal. It’s endearing, but it will get you killed.” Elise stood up and offered him her hand. “Come on. It’s time you face reality.”

  “Where are we going?” he asked warily.

  “To meet the woman who murdered your mother.”