Glyph

Part Five

With the Reavers gone, we sat back down at the campfire. The night was still waxing, but we knew we had to leave. As Keld put out the fire and packed up the food, I took down the shelters and made it look as if no one had been here. We worked and spoke at the same time.

“Who are they?” I inquired.

“The Reavers? They took the place of the Knights after my betrayal.” He said, trailing off near the end.

“Betrayal?” I questioned. “So you are a traitor.” I stated in response, questioning myself as to why I followed his lead in the first place.

“There is something you need to know about this kingdom, me, and your friend.” He began, setting down his now filled sack. “I suspect your friend is working with the Eastern Coalition, a rebellion setting about the means to restore power to the west. They are still fairly bitter about losing the war.”

“How do you know all this?” I interrupted.

“I fought in that war and witnessed the end of it. Our king, Phalen, fears another war. He took the officers and united them as a band he called the Knights of Renferis. However, he neglected to tell us what his intentions were.”

I sat, awed by this tale he spoke of. We got up and began our trip over the hills again. He continued his story as we moved, passing the body of the Reaver Keld slew.

“Soon, our ranks thinned as our comrades left on ‘covert missions.’ Soon, I was called to go on one. It turns out, the king had nothing to do with it. His associate, doctor Velter, was using a strange Glyph to send the knights to their doom. I didn’t have a chance to warn the king of his treason before Velter convinced the other knights that I was the one who was killing my comrades.”

He paused as we descended the next hill.

“What did you do?” I asked, wishing for more of the story.

“I fled with my former friends at my heels. I lost them and hid in the mountains for nearly two years, training. When I came down, the knights had become the Reavers and Velter ‘retired’ to the east. The king gave orders to this new fellowship and still saw me as a threat. They exist now as an elite police force, given writs to assassinate anyone suspected of greater crimes. My bounty is more than I was ever worth as a knight.”

His story was bleak and depressing. It haunted me. The kingdom was not as it appeared. Up until he told me this story, I always thought we were good and the east was bad. It was how I was taught; how everyone in my village was taught. This small trip to avenge my father’s death was turning into something more than I could ever imagine.

We crossed the plains that evening and arrived at the capital, Evvrét. The city stood as tall as ever. A large curtain wall surrounded all of the structures. As we passed into the city, I marveled at its construction. The inside was dramatically different than the bleak outside. Viaducts criss-crossed the skies, carrying water across the city. Small falls fell into channels periodically placed at street intersections. The streets were paved of high quality stones, and carriages traveled across the intersections. The buildings stood tall, covered in plaster with a lamp at every door. The viaducts dropped water down onto the roofs of every building, where a trough would catch it and carry it inside. The sun reflected brilliantly against the flowing water. Plants grew near every downspout. They circled the massive fountain in the town square. In the fountain stood a statue of what could only be our king.

His likeness was detailed. A small beard covered his chin. His eyes were soft, pressed under his overhanging brows. His face bore the marks of youth, but the statue itself had to be very old. His hair hung behind the crown on his head, tied back in a knot. His entire body was covered in armor, save for his right arm. On his arm, a strange Glyph was replicated. The lines on it were smooth and gentle. It flowed in a fairly straight pattern.

We did not wait long in the town square. We still needed a way into the castle without getting Keld caught. This would be the most difficult part. The castle had only one gate. A massive river, fed by the viaducts, flowed beneath the draw bridge. Two guards were waiting at the gate to meet us. The gate itself was tall and made entirely of stone. What stood as strange was the stone had similar smooth lines as the Glyph on the statue.

Keld failed to stop at the bridge. He crossed and caught the attention of the two on-duty guards. They stopped us and asked why we had come. Apparently, they did not recognize Keld. He was about to speak when something strange happened. The door behind the guards began to move. The lines that resembled the Glyph began to glow a bright red.

In little more than a few seconds, the door was just high enough for a little girl to squeeze through. That she did. She was small, dressed in beggar’s clothes. Her sack-cloth shirt failed to cover the Glyph on her arm. It was similar to, but not exactly like the ones on the statue. She had a small bag in her hand and was busy running from the castle. The door dropped back down behind her.
The two guards that were questioning us quickly chased after her instead of staying to question us. We took this distraction and ran with it. Keld used his Glyph to raise the water beneath us up to  a window on the second floor. We climbed the spout like stairs and snuck into the compound.

He knew his way around from here. We ducked behind corners and wove around patrols. Soon enough, we found the entrance hall and sprinted towards the throne room. Two guards stood at the portcullis, spears at the ready to intercept us. Keld lifted his arm and the water from his canteen flew towards them, binding their weapon-hands to the wall behind them.

The king had no choice to see us now. As we entered, he called for the guards. None came. I shut the hall doors and let Keld speak to him.
“Sire, I’ve returned. If you want me imprisoned, you’ll have to wait until I’m done speaking with you.” He stated. The king sat back down, knowing he had no choice.

“Speak then, Sir Havenguard.” He stated. His tone was gentle, not at all as I thought it would be.

“Sire, we are here only to protect you. The one who slew your children will not finish until he has slain you as well.” Keld stated. The king’s eyes snapped with anger. He didn’t take well to Keld’s tone.
He raised his arm and the Glyph turned red. The columns around us began to shift. A small section came out of each and flew right towards Keld. They surrounded him and pinned him to his place.

“What do you know about him?” The king pressured.

“He is with the eastern coalition, under command of Velter.” Keld answered. The King seemed a bit calmer now. The stones returned to their place beneath the pillars and everything went silent for a moment. The tension was thick and what was only a few seconds felt like hours. Shortly enough, the king sighed.

“What is it you propose we do then?”