DAWN OF THE PHOENIX Read online

  The woman turned so the redhead could see her face inside the cowl she wore over her head.

  “I did, dear sister. I was told you had a talk with that vile creature down there?”

  Scarlett’s eyes widened. “I only thought it right, after all. He didn’t ask for what has happened to him, and we both know what she intends for him.”

  “Then that is her affair,” Raven said harshly.

  “I only told him about the sword. I felt it only right for him to know what he carries, you know how dangerous it can be,” the redhead said with a hint of audaciousness.

  Raven smiled icily. “How did he even get his hands on it? That sword should have been destroyed long ago.”

  Scarlett put her hands on her shapely hips. “I don’t know. I heard he found it in the Dark One’s tower, but you know as well as I do she had something to do with it falling into his hands.”

  Raven turned back towards the city so she could watch the princess and her entourage. “Well, at least now we know who stole it from the temple in Sidia. I’m really starting to dislike that horrible man. He is only bold because Shiavaka favors him. I don’t want to talk about the arrogant little toad. Let him sit in his tower and rot.”

  Scarlett nodded. “If only he would.”

  Raven gestured to the group riding through the market. “I hope you are watching this, Scarlett. Do you see how tall they walk the world?”

  The redheaded sorceress fixed her gazed on the princess and her mercenaries. “I do, Raven. I just hope they don’t stomp on it."

  They stopped in the Great Market where Princess Raygan climbed the stairs of one of the many platforms that the merchants used to hawk their goods.

  K’xarr had Ansellus help the princess with what she should say to her people. K’xarr had also given her a few suggestions of his own. In the end, it was the princess that had to make this work. No one could help her now. The girl had to convince them, or his plan would end here.

  He listened as she spoke of Bandara and its people and the love she had for both. He watched the faces of the people in the crowd. They were hanging on her every word. It was working.

  When she talked about her late father, some of the crowd even began to weep. She told them about Blackthorn, not in detail but enough to make them see he wanted to put a noble foot back on the necks of the common man. She even made an appeal to the city watch to help her reclaim the city or stand down. They had told her not to say much about her brother, as he was off defending Bandara as far as the people knew. It would not go over well if she made him out a villain just yet. She had balked at that, but Ansellus told her the people would form their own opinion of the young monarch.

  The people of the city already resented the new taxes he had levied against them. Once they learned the truth about Cain’s intentions, his reign would be over.

  K’xarr could not believe it. The princess’s speech had drawn the people to her like a bear to honey. Her pleas were so effective on the mob because the princess was well spoken and believed what she was saying. The citizens of Turill could tell the young woman cared about them.

  When she finished, many of the watch were cheering her and had joined the mob. After all, they had families that had felt the pain of the new taxes just like everyone else. Many felt that if the princess was the rightful heir, their allegiance should be to her.

  When they moved on from the market, hundreds followed them. K’xarr felt like his plan might just work. The young princess had done her job, so now it was up to Kian.

  Bishop Lyfair stood on the wall with Duke Blackthorn. It was a cool day, but Lyfair could see that the duke was sweating heavily in his armor. He didn’t think the aging noble was perspiring because he was hot.

  The princess was coming and she had Ansellus Fox with her, as well as part of the city watch and hundreds of the citizens of Turill. The city watchmen that were still loyal to Cain had entered the walls that surrounded the palace.

  The watchmen told the duke that besides Ansellus Fox, a handful of mercenaries were also escorting Raygan, and one of them was the demon that had attacked them the night before.

  Bishop Marin Lyfair didn’t believe in demons, but he knew they were in a tight spot with only forty members of Royal Guard and now less than fifty of the city watch. Ninety men should be able to hold the palace from this rabble, even if they had Fox with them. For some reason, he felt uneasy. He was at least enjoying watching Duke Blackthorn squirm. No one in Bandara, including himself, had ever stood up to him.

  William Blackthorn had made a mistake. He had underestimated the princess. He assumed she would bend to his will. He had been wrong. Lyfair didn’t know if Raygan had found a hidden strength or if it was the fact that King Aaron had spoiled her so much she was just doing what she must to get her way.

  He did believe that Ansellus Fox had something to do with Raygan’s sudden courage. The former general had never liked William Blackthorn and Blackthorn had never liked him. Fox had been favored by the Albana family and William had never liked that fact.

  It didn’t matter now why the princess opposed the duke. The girl had angered him. If she failed, which Lyfair felt she surely would, William would make her suffer or worse. Lyfair wondered if Raygan was ready to spill Bandaran blood, because the duke most certainly was.

  She was smiling and waving to the crowd as if she was in a parade, but she was sick. Not just the nausea the baby was causing but sick with fear. K’xarr was crazy to push her father-in-law like this. He didn’t know Duke Blackthorn like she did, the man was ruthless.

  She thought Ansellus would have them take her to reside at one of the noble families’ keeps until he and barbarian mercenary gathered an army and drove William Blackthorn and his lackeys out of her father’s palace.

  K’xarr said she would have to stay in the city. The arrogant mercenary told her she was the only one who could rally the people to their cause and the people would be her army for now. She had looked to Ansellus, but he had agreed with K’xarr.

  To top things off, that Endra woman was riding beside her. Raygan would never admit it, but the woman’s looks rivaled her own, with those dark eyes and thick black hair. The woman’s powerful body was simply stunning. It was all so irritating. Raygan didn’t even think the barbarian woman brushed her hair out at night. She made no effort at all to look beautiful, yet she was ravishing. Of course, it was in a common way, but it was still infuriating.

  At least Rhys was with her. His very presence made her feel much better. He was such a brave man and she could tell he cared a great deal for her, even if he hadn’t told her so. She had seen the pained look on his face when he told her she was carrying Talorn’s baby. She wanted to tell him that she wished it was him, not Talorn, who had put the child inside her, but that would be unseemly, since she had not so much as even kissed the healer or told him how she felt. Now she would most likely never get the chance, since she had let herself be talked into this brazenly absurd plan.

  Raygan looked over at K’xarr, but the savage wouldn’t return her stare. She wanted to make sure he saw how much her people loved her. When Ansellus had told him the people of Bandara adored her, she could tell the mercenary had doubted the general’s word. She wanted to gloat a little, but maybe this wasn’t the right time.

  They hadn’t got to the palace yet. That’s when the trouble would start, even she knew that. William Blackthorn wouldn’t be handing anything over to her, no matter if the whole city demanded it. K’xarr’s plan would fall apart when the duke became involved. She was very afraid of what would happen to her after that. Talorn’s child inside her might be the only thing to keep her alive. As they got closer, she was starting to have second thoughts about the whole thing. Maybe she should have just run away with Rhys and left Bandara to Cain’s tyranny. No, she would rather die than see her father’s kingdom left in her brother’s hands. The Princess of Bandara told herself right then, it was time to be strong. The trouble was she had never had to be str
ong or brave. Frightened or not, Raygan knew she had to ride on. The young woman threw back her shoulders and tried to look as regal as she could. If she was to be killed, she would face death like a Bandaran Princess.

  When the palace wall came into sight, they could see the gate was closed and the wall was manned by what was left of the city watch. The duke stood on the wall and called out to the crowd. It took several times until they would quiet down for him to speak. “Disperse or the watch will fire on you. I will give you thirty seconds,” he commanded.

  Some of people slowly walked away but most stayed, not believing their own watchmen would fire into the crowd, but they did. Maybe thirty people went down in the first volley. Crossbow bolts flew through the crowd indiscriminately. The first volley scattered over half the mob that had followed the princess.

  Raygan screamed as her fellow Bandarans died right in front of her. Men, women, children—the aim of the city watchmen was callous.

  Rhys grabbed the reins of Raygan’s horse and quickly led her out of range of the crossbows. He knew he could do nothing to get them inside the palace, and K’xarr had charged him with keeping the princess safe after the fighting started.

  “You will pay for that, Blackthorn,” Ansellus cried. He looked as surprised as the princess. He had not truly believed the duke would fire on his own people either.

  K’xarr had planned for it, though. “Kian, get the gate open?”

  Endra’s head jerked around. “K’xarr, are you insane? You can’t send him in there alone.”

  It wasn’t hard to see a look of anger quickly spread across the Camiran’s face. “I have no choice. We don’t have enough men to breach the gate before they kill us all with those damn crossbows.”

  Endra flinched at K’xarr’s anger and she knew her protests would not be heeded.

  The wall around the palace was fifteen feet high, not the massive curtain wall that surrounded the city itself, but still well built and quite formidable.

  K’xarr watched as Kian ran towards it, dodging crossbow bolts as he approached the stone barrier. Then he simply leaped up and pulled himself top of it.

  They watched as he killed four of the crossbow men before jumping down on the other side out of sight.

  K’xarr smiled with satisfaction. The half-elf was better than a battering ram.

  “Damn you, K’xarr,” Endra yelled. “You might have just killed him. We don’t even know how many men Blackthorn has on the other side of that wall.” She kicked her horse and headed toward the wall. What was left of the mob and her companions followed.

  The duke stood with his mouth open. He had never seen anyone move that fast. The thing had killed four men on the wall and now he watched as he slaughtered three more with no more effort than a man swatting a fly. The beast was headed toward the gate and no one was trying to stop him. The Royal Guard hesitated to advance on this…thing. None wanted to be the first to engage its whirling blade. The cagey old noble knew he had to do something. If the gate were to be opened, he would lose his advantage. “Hightower, kill it before that thing opens the gate,” the duke bellowed.

  Captain Hightower didn’t know what it was, but he didn’t want to face the man that stood before him now. He had laughed at the watch telling everyone that a demon had attacked them. Now he wasn’t so sure they had been wrong.

  He had no choice. Duke Blackthorn had given the order and he had seen what happened to those who failed the duke. He raised his sword and called to his men. The Bandaran Royal Guard charged. None of them knew what they were about to confront.

  The demon was pulling the huge iron bolt that barred the palace gate. As they got near, he spun around to face the guardsmen, sword in hand and fangs bared. Captain Hightower saw its eyes and the sword in its hand, and he was afraid.

  The demon stood inside the arch of the gateway, so they could only come at him three or four at a time. The captain hoped it would be enough. The thing let out a fierce roar and stood its ground. Hightower himself and three of the Royal Guardsmen attacked. The rest of his men waited behind them, ready to take their place should one of them fall.

  The man to the captain’s left died quickly, a sword thrust through the heart that had been almost too fast to see. The demon brought a backhanded cut at the captain’s abdomen. He jumped back, stumbling as he dodged the attack.

  As he regained his balance, he watched the thing kill the other two men who had been on his right. Two others stepped in quickly to take their place, only to be cut down.

  Captain Overton Hightower raised his sword to rejoin the assault. He moved forward only to stumble again. He looked down to see what he kept tripping over. The captain found that his feet were entangled in his own intestines. He hadn’t dodged the monster’s attack after all.

  Kian felt the animal urges inside him surge to life after the first blood was spilled. They were almost overwhelming, but there was something more, something dark and insidious, driving him as well. His thoughts were beginning to drift away and blind animal instinct was taking over. The sword Malice sheared through armor and mail as if they were made of cloth. The Royal Guards’ attacks were no more effective than if they had been made by men of straw.

  Instead of staying inside the gate’s archway where they could only come at him a few at a time, the beast inside Kian pressed the attack. He was among them leaping and whirling. With almost every swing of his blade, a man died, and he did not care. They were the enemy, they were his prey.

  William Blackthorn watched as Captain Hightower was gutted by the unnatural swordsman. The Royal Guards were being rapidly cut down with a ferocious precision the duke had not thought possible. Many had simply turned and fled from the deadly killer. The duke struggled to perceive what he was seeing. It was just one man? No, he thought, it isn’t a man, but it could still be killed. He just needed more men. He grabbed one of his aides by the arm. “Take a message to my army. Tell them to send a thousand men to the palace at once.”

  “Your Grace, the army is camped several miles from the city. I don’t think there is time,” the young officer pleaded.

  “Just do what I tell you. Now go.” The man saluted and left. The duke knew his aide was right, the army was too far out to help him now, but he could use them later to retake the palace if it was lost. Was he going to lose the palace? He couldn’t think, it was all happening too fast. All he could do was watch this blood-spattered creature massacre the men that were meant to protect him and his palace. He heard himself cry out, “Crossbows, use the crossbows.”

  Bishop Lyfair had run away as soon as the thing leaped to the top of the wall. Now he was hidden inside the entrance to the palace, but he had been watching the carnage. Death had come to Turill. God had turned his holy face away from Bandara and Lyfair knew why. It was his sins and the sins of his coconspirators, and this demon had come to extract vengeance for their evil. He hoped God would have mercy on them all, because this unholy fiend would not.

  The Royal Guard, or what was left of it, had turned and ran for the safety of the palace. Two of them had tried to fire crossbows at the raging demon like the duke had suggested. The monster had ducked the first bolt and cut the second out of the air as it sped towards him. After their crossbows were empty, both men turned and ran as fast as they could, only to be cut down from behind. What was left of the Royal Guard was in full retreat. The blood-stained demon watched them flee. For the time being, its appetite had been sated.

  Cromwell and Endra had cleared the wall and gazed on the cobble stone walk and courtyard that lead to the palace entrance.

  Cromwell smiled grimly. “I see why he didn’t get the gate open. He was far too busy.”

  Endra took in the scene. The once beautiful palace grounds now looked like a battlefield. Bodies lay everywhere. The cobble stone walk looked like the floor of a slaughter house. Over twenty of the Royal Guard lay dead, and scattered among them were the bodies of several watchmen.

  The watch must have broken and ran sooner t
han the king’s guard, not quite as many of them had been killed.

  Standing in the middle of the bloodbath was the man she had sworn to stand by, the man she had pledged herself to. He was covered in the blood of his enemies--no, Endra thought, not enemies, victims.

  Cromwell had opened the gate and the others rode through. They saw what carnage Kian had introduced to their beloved palace gardens. The citizens of Bandara looked with revulsion on the terrible scene, unaccustomed to such violence.

  Many of them wouldn’t even enter the courtyard, but the princess did. She quickly turned her head, not wanting to look upon the dead.

  Rhys gently helped Raygan down from her horse. Endra headed towards the princess. She walked past the people loitering around, taking in the gory affair. “Welcome home, Highness,” she said sarcastically. The princess only whimpered.

  “Endra, please,” Rhys scolded.

  K’xarr and Cromwell stood side by side, pointing and grinning, both very happy with the outcome of Kian’s assault.

  Endra marched over to where they stood. “I hope you’re happy with yourself, K’xarr, you sent him over the wall without a care if he lived or died. I hope you enjoy your victory.”

  K’xarr seemed not to take any interest in the woman’s displeasure. “There is no victory yet. Blackthorn and what’s left of his men are in the palace. I wish I had known how few men he had.” K’xarr looked to where Kian stood among the dead. “What the hell is he doing, Endra, just standing there like that?”

  She was angry; K’xarr had just dismissed what she said. She turned to look toward where Kian stood. “Why don’t you go ask him yourself?”

  K’xarr walked over to where the bloody warrior had stopped his attack, two dead men lay at his feet, still clutching their crossbows. “You took this courtyard single-handedly, my friend.”

  The swordsman turned quickly, droplets of blood were cast off his gore-soaked hair as it snapped around. His face was completely covered in blood and his inhuman golden eyes gave his visage an eerie look.