castleBanx

Chapter 46: UNMASKED

The arrogant air that surrounded Fendri faltered with a gasp.

“What do you have on your face?” he demanded, his mouth contorted into a look of shock. His complection reddened rapidly. His cheeks, most prominently, assumed the vibrant hue of roses. “You will take that off at once. You will not disgrace him by wearing that in the sanctity of the King’s halls. What do you mean showing up here dressed like a circus performer?”

The anger that brightened his face was ...

Chapter 45: THE LAST VESTIGES

The contrast of the fiery, wavy strand of hair against the stark white of the healers head dressing was Risens first clue as to the identity of who had just entered the room. With the Shadows Shroud returned to his face, they matched. The lower half of her face was covered by the mask of her station, Tawny’s smiling eyes greeted him.

“What ails you today, sir?” Her voice was distorted, but knowing the true tones behind the words, the disguise no longer worked for him. Without wait...

Chapter 44: THE SUMMONING STONE

The shadows of the hidden passageway within the hedges were a welcomed sight. In the seclusion, and murky darkness, Risens tended to as many of his wounds as he could, pounding his fist nearly bloody against the hard-packed earthen floor to distract his mind from the unrelenting pain.

The agony still fresh, he’d triggered the hidden switch near the maze’s entrance, raising the spikes that blocked access to the disorienting maze. Soon after his return, the King’s agents would swarm...

Chapter 43: THE RAVENS TALONS

Pushing away the body that had shielded him from the blast, Risens whipped one of the kingdom-issued blades into the group. Unbalanced and frantic, it was an awkward sidearm throw that slashed through the meaty part of one man’s upper thigh. He knew the wound wouldn’t be lethal, but was satisfied to see him stumble and fall, tripping up his closest companion. They were smart enough not to bunch together, yet in the cramped quarters of the maze, the close proximity was unavoidable.

C...

Chapter 42: THE DARK CLOUD

The talon in his hand trembled with excitement as Risens readied himself for the first strike. Their ambush had failed, though he was by no means in the clear yet. His actions would likely spoil the secrecy of the hidden passage through the maze, but he had no intentions of using the windStep here again any time soon. Haste would be required; the countdown for the blades continued to decrease. The images—the familiar symbols—flickered in the lower corners of his vision. The right and left...

Chapter 41: DEAD SILENT

The emptiness of the King’s Exposition was complete. Not a soul moved anywhere within the range of Risens’ vision. For a pleasant evening, the desolation would have been alarming if not for the earlier events. Even the castle walls, looming overhead, seemed eerily devoid of the regular motion of patrols.

Keeping his head low to disguise the Shadows Shroud, Risens covered the ground to the entrance of the hedge maze at a up-pace, yet casual-looking walk.

Even knowing the reason...

Chapter 40: THE RAVEN'S GIFT

Risens passed through the portal. This time, he bit his tongue as he suffered through the man’s unyielding instructions. He collected the blades, though as much as he wanted to continue his inspection of the peculiar weapons, he cut it short. The pull of the steel toward the squirming man on the table was undeniable. The desire to bury themselves in his soft flesh, to paint the room with his blood, to spill his intestines to the floor…

“You have the tools, now complete the task.�...

Chapter 39: THE MAN

The feather dug deep into the door like a talon through soft tissue. With the other doors, as he solved the cipher, the heavy sound of the stone panel scraping the floor was deep and hollow. But this one was different. A blood-curdling shriek filled the chamber and caused him to frantically reach for his daggers, falling back a defensive stance.

Where the feather stabbed into the stone, a trickle of crimson oozed from the puncture wound. He panicked, fearing he had misunderstood the cha...

Chapter 38: RETURN TO THE ROOST

Risens’ dour mood settled over him like a cloud as he slipped silently through the shadows of Windwake. Even in the fullness of day’s light, his mind’s gloom was not shared only by the darkness of the alley ways, but the citizens as well. Surprisingly, for a cloudless, pleasant day none were out and about. The streets were empty.

His thoughts were consumed by the distraction of the afternoon’s disaster. His neck felt as tight as a key-wound clock spring. He had no doubt that the...

Chapter 37: BRUTAL JUSTICE

The cold embrace of the windStep tugged at Risens as he hastened down the underground corridor. Shrugging off the ever-present discomfort, he passed the doorways heading for the main portal ahead, only relaxing his hold on his blades once they were behind him. The looming raven and the portal to his private quarters were only meters away.

His mission—deviations made out of necessity notwithstanding—was a success. It was with a distinct sense of satisfaction that he’d watched the e...

Chapter 36: JUSTICE

Korning didn’t make him wait long before he jogged down the last step. Risens scoffed as the man paid no attention to his surroundings, disregarding any suspicion that the voice of his master had not been accompanied by her form. He’d blindly chased her voice into the depths of the estate. The soldier stopped as he entered the chamber, where his hand fell to the sword at his hip.

“What the fu—”

Sprinting from the concealment of the shadows, Risens crossed through the sou...

Chapter 35: THE TRAITOR

As the incongruent, mimicked notes of Lady Myrenas’s voice sounded through the room, the sentinels came to an abrupt and definitive stop. Whether primed for an attack, gliding over the flaming floor, or shaking off the final vestiges of the burning cloth, they moved no long, turning away and retreating back toward their hidden keeps. In staggered bursts, the closest of the three remaining constructs dragged the dead weight of the fourth shell, digging a deep gouge in the stone floor. A perm...

Chapter 34: TO DREAMS GO THE RAVEN

A sudden and savage rush of air ruffled the hood of Risens’ cloak as he dove aside. The solid impact of something impossibly heavy shook the tile, peppering him with a shower of jagged stone. Swift movement registered in the corner of his vision, signaling him to dive once more for his life.

This time, he saw it: the second stone sword, held aloft by the massive knight statue dropped diagonally across the chamber. It pistoned into the stone, repeating the painful rain of shrapnel from...

Chapter 33: THE GILDED CAGE

Back in the comfort of his all black apparel he felt more at ease.

Aggravation festered in his mind and it was a predicament of his own design. The level of trust between himself and any of the women who sold their services was generally very low. They knew their lives would be longer lived by not betraying their secrets, but for the right price, any information could be bought. He had done so on several occasions, albeit with a varying degree of believability.

The situation with ...

Chapter 32: A NEW PLAN

The evening bells rang again. The deep, booming, repetitive gongs echoed over Windwake, signaling the beginning of the third watch. The festivities, however, were still in full swing. Marlaine remained draped over his arm for the night. Her flirtatiousness and borderline indecent affection thankfully put an end to much of the feeble and disingenuous attempts at conversation initiated by some of the curious nobles that haunted the court.

Though Risens’ attention was split between fendi...

Chapter 31: THE LADY MYRENAS

Risens and Marlaine followed the white-clad servant as he moved through the gardens toward the main structure ahead. Lady Myrenas’s estate was like all of the others that occupied the narrow stretch of sandy coastline—massive and underutilized, merely a show of the power of their alleged influence and depths of their purses. They were oftentimes sparsely occupied beyond the permanent staff and private soldiers who protected the grounds. Unlike the others, in her case, this served as her p...

Chapter 30: THE PARADE OF DEATH

They encountered no one as they traversed the corridors between the buildings. He’d haunted these darkened aisles and knew that even in the light of day, the brilliant colors of their festive outfits would stand little chance against the inky void. Together they snaked their way though Springs Square into the Learners Row. He slowed their pace as the sounds of revelry increased, floating between the buildings in a haunting mix of music and voice.

They came to a stop. Tucked into a con...

Chapter 29: BACK TO THE HEALER'S

The afternoon sun was hot, and Risens was bogged down by thick and heavily decorated fabric. The King’s tailors had exceeded expectations. They were truly masters at their crafts. The bright colors of what he could only refer to as a costume were a far cry from the all black outfit that was his norm, but he couldn’t deny, they would fit in well. His one small measure of joy came from the fact that Fendri had opted not to meet him to deliver the garment by hand, instead, choosing to hang i...