Chapter One - A Saviour in Satin
'Legend has it that the dark age ended when the Gods crafted the divine blade 'Ecliptica'. Smithed in the heavens by the God King Andoria himself, and tempered by his Brother Zyphas in the fires of the underworld. With this holy weapon Andoria cut the sun in two, banishing the night and along with it, its creatures...'
"You better have finished sweeping up in there runt!" Came the bellow of the fat barkeep, and the dim candle on the desk flickered out from the gust as the large man swung open the door into the dusty back room. His large silhouette blocked out most of the dim red light that glowed behind his bald head. The frown on his shadowed face spread to a glare when he saw the panicked eyes of the boy, who was so absorbed in the book on the desk between them that he never even heard the heavy mans approaching footsteps, never mind the thuds of his wooden cane that strained under his large frame. His fat grimy fingernails dug into it's dog headed handle, and his twisted features reminded the boy of an wild Boar that was about to break into a charge.
"I'm sorr-" the boy murmered, but he was cut off by the sharp thwack of the cane across his cheek, landing heavily on the hard oak floor, he almost felt thankful for the cover that the desk gave him, lest the blows continue to fall. Instead the barkeep simply kicked the desk, sending several of the books avalanching over him.
"I don't want to hear your excuses!" The large man growled "children should be seen and not heard, preferably neither! You'll just have to sweep up again after the shading, now get to the basement before I leave you to the darkness."
Standing up and placing the couple of fallen books back on the table, the boy was able to slip the light leather bound book he was reading beneath his tunic as he scuttled quickly out of the room, fighting back his tears and not daring to lift his gaze, lest the cruel pig see the sorrow in his eyes and beat him some more.
He slipped out of the back door unseen, like he'd been told to a thousand times.
"The help shouldn't be seen, it puts off the customers, who wants to see a dirty little runt like you anyway?"
The barkeep Billy's words ringing in his ears even now. Flushing red with anger he kicked an empty bottle that was left in the dust of the back alley and it smashed against the back door of the temple.
"Hellfire!" The boy yelped, jumping into a pile of old broken stools beside him. They stank of ale and vomit and the Gods only know what else, but from his hiding place he was able to peek out at the old preacher who was now peering around the door, nervously eyeing the alleyway. He must have assumed it was clear as after a couple of moments he stepped outside, looking up and down the alleyway and eventually started walking around the temple, searching for the source of the ruckus.
The boy sighed a breath of relief and slumped against the wall bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, his red mop if hair falling over his eyes and tickling his freckled nose. He swept his fringe out of his eyes to see a cheery barkeep holding a tankard of ale, smiling broadly on yet another old bottle of 'Billy's Best' laying between his feet. He scoffed, the beer was like Goats piss not suprising as it was one of the cheapest beers the Peddler that came to Bogback woud sell, the Barkeep only bought it because his name was Billy too. The boy scowled at the bottle, as he began to fill with anger and longing.
He longed for a name himself... not something as ugly as Billy the Boar... but anything was better than just 'boy' or 'runt'... or most commonly if all 'whoreson'.
But at the end of the day what use did he have for a name? In Bogback there were only arsehole adults and traveling traders that were here one day and gone the next. There were a few teenagers in the town, but he was only 8 storms old and they never spoke to him, so who would ever ask his name in this backwater shithole...
His tears fell freely now, into the dirt and onto the bottle below, making the picture look like it was now crying with mocking laughter at the mere sight of him. His upset flashing into rage, he picked up the bottle and smashed it against the wall beside him. Breathing heavily as his tears dried up and he stared at the remains of the the broken bottle neck that he held tightly in his hand, watching the blood that trickled down his wrist.
He must have been staring at the wound for some time because the blood had reached his elbow by the time his attention was finally pulled away by a commotion from the back door that he'd exited out of only moments before. Repositioning himself quietly in the nest if broken chair legs the boy was just able to see what was going on.
The bar keep Billy was leant up against a wall, talking to someone that was out of sight behind his fat frame. But after a few moments of Billy's gruff grumbling, a young woman's voice called out in protest.
"No! I want to go home and shelter, I hate the Cellar under the brothel!"
Billy simply cackled.
"Oh please! That rickety old rathole is falling apart! It won't save you from the darks creatures! Hell with any luck they may tear the whole place down! Come Downstairs I'll take care of you"
there was a loud slap and the girl was able to wriggle free, pushing the mans hand away from her hip as she began to walk down the alley and past the boys hiding spot, when she did he was able to at last recognise her.
It was Lilly, one of newer and prettier girls that the boy had seen in the main lounge, though she'd never seen him of course. The girls usually leave before too long, most of them without even knowing he exists as he was never actually allowed in the main lounge. But when he saw her through the servants curtains he simply couldn't look away,
She must have been about twice his age, 16 storms maybe, but she already had the figure of a beautiful woman. Her curvasious hips and full breasts that were bearly covered beneath the loose silks of the dress, which was cut in a similar style to the rest of the girls that worked in Billys brothel. Her angelic blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders and flowed behind her as she briskly passed his hiding spot. But she was held fast by Billy's fat fist clutching at her long locks and pulling her down into the dirt. Falling atop her, he pinned her down roughly chuckling darkly as she cried out in pain and suprise begging him to release her, but Billy simply continued chuckling as he began to untie his breaches.
The boy had heard that disgusting chuckle before in the dark of the cellar at shading, usually shortly followed by the weeping of the girl Billy had his eye on at time, the weeping and horrid laughter could last minutes or hours till the all clear bell was rung, some of the girls never came back to Billy's Brothel, others never left the cellar at all. The boy was sick of it, sick of him, sick of it all.
As Billy knelt, lifting the already short skirt of Lilly's white dress and began to pry the terrified girls legs apart, his chuckling subsided into a sneer.
"Come now girl, you wouldn't even have a home if it wasn't for me, now it's time for you to show a little apprecia-" there was a flash of red as the boy raked the broken glass down the fat bastards face, his blood covering Lilly's dress as she laid motionless and petrified as the barkeep fell away, clutching at his face in pain and bellowing like a wounded Boar.
"What did you do to me whore?!"
Billy screamed as he felt around blindly for his cane with one hand, blood seeping through the fingers of the other as he struggled to clutch the remains of his face together.
"Her name is Lilly" the boy said, picking up the cane that Billy was scrambling in the dirt for. Hearing the boys voice the pig looked up sharply, his remaining eye stared at him in a mix of feral anger and pained fear, like a bear with its leg caught in a trap.
"You pissing whoreson! What have you done to me!? I always said you'd be-"
The words that the kid had heard a thousand times were cut off as he struck the uninjured side of Billy's face, much like the pig had done to him not minuets before.
"The death of you?!" The boy finished as the fat barkeep sprawled in the dirt with a spray of blood. The kid hit the fat barkeep again reciting yet another of Billy's sayings,
"Who wants to see a dirty runt like you anyway?"
Yet another strike fell, and another, and another, each with another of the fat bastards favoured phrases.
The boy was almost as covered in blood as Lilly was by the time he had stopped the beating. He had barely blinked throughout the assault and realised that the fat barkeep had done little more than twitch through the last dozen blows.
His panting steadied as the gravity of the situation slowly descended on the boy, he turned to Lilly who had been able to do little more than shuffle back out of the path of the savagery, her blue eyes staring up at him in fear but wth ashine of thanks.
"Go." the boy muttered as he turned and sprinted away, she reached out for him but the next moment he had disappeared through the ajar door of the temple, slamming it shut behind him.
The preacher hadn't returned yet, so the boy ran through the temple and straight up the long winding stairs of the bell tower. The wood was old and creaked beneath his light footing, making the boy feel more than a little uneasy, but when he eventually reached the metal tip of the spire, he leant against the rusty iron rail sighing a breath of relief. The end of every year was heralded by a great storm, and so in every tiny Village to the greatest of Cities were lightning rods like this one, at the top of the tallest buildings around to reduce the damage caused by the lightning strikes. The boy spent every free moment he had up in the spire, and he had grown to like the feeling of the cold iron in his hands, It made him feel safe, and with a more satisfied sigh he looked out across the land before him.
The only sun the boy could see happened to be rising in the south this cycle. It hadn't quiet made it over the horizon yet, and there was no sign of the second sun, but it was by no strech dark. Epecially as Aquanox, the large star to which Nequis and its twin suns orbited, did reflect some of the light, leaving the dim cloudless sky a spectrum of pastal oranges streaking the heavens. The Great Lake to the south shone in reflection to the burning blanket above causing it to turn a glorious glittering red, and spanning the entire equator of of the world. The boy sighed, he had read so much about the world of which he lived, be he had seen so little. His eyes lingered on the southern stretch of shimmering water, but his gaze was eventually drawn to the east, towards the blanket of black shadow that was only a few hills away.
With two suns irratically dancing around Nequis like a set of burning moons, it becomes very difficult to keep track of time. But even the young boy could tell that it wouldn't be long before the large black shadow that was cast by the second sun orbiting behind the titanic tower to the north would soon be upon them. As 'night' was little more than a myth that he'd read in the stories of old, the closest thing to it were these unpredictable occasions where one of the suns revolves behind the tower to the north. These occasions cast great shadows over the land commonly known as shadings. Putting an area as large as a Great City in shadow for hours or maybe minutes at a time depending on how far the other sun is over the ever orange horizon.
It is a dangerous time for peasants and nobles alike, for even those who's coin purses are heavy enough to afford keeps and guards are against near impossible odds trying to stand up to the creatures of the shadows. Or so his stories said at least, but if those stories were true, what chance did a whoreson like him have? Especially now he had killed the only man who knew where the key to the cellar was. Shaking his head to banish the thought his eyes desperately scanned the approaching shadow.
Hope could only come now in the form of a Sentinel, or a 'Shadow Hunter' as they are more commonly referred as by the locals. These wandering warriors are said to chase the shade, culling as many of the darks monsters as possible before they can reach any forms of civilisation. But when a settlement is threatened to be cast into shadow, the Sentinels ride ahead to defend the citizens.
The boy had heard the stories as had everyone, but he had never actually seen a Sentinel before. Whenever there was a shading the townsfolk were hurried underground into their basements with two rings of the bell tower, the first telling them to get to their shelter, and the other signaling them to lock the doors till the call of the final all clear bell. Even in the safety of the cellar, survival was never guaranteed. Everyone had heard the stories or Gods forbid even experienced the horror of walking into what was supposed to be sanctuary, only to find nothing more than the reminents of a massacre. Sometimes with the creatures of the dark still lying in wait in the saftey of their shadows, hiding from the newly risen sun and waiting for the next shading, they might escape and hunt again.
For a moment the boy was thankful to not be in the damp cellar of Billy's brothel, but for all the terror and disgust the boy had experienced lying among the fat pig and his victims, there was no denying it was safer than the open bell tower from which he looked out for any sign of his saviour.
'My saviour' he thought to himself hopelessly 'how ridiculous I sound' he turned to leave, maybe after her rescue Lilly might take him in for shelter,if she wasn't too scared of him, and if he could find her shack before the shade arrives... that was when he saw it. A flicker in the approaching shadow.He blinked stupidly and he leant out over the rail as if leaning in for a closer look, trying to work out if it was simply a trick of the shadows.
As he stretched out from the temples spire his grip was almost loosened by the sudden call of the bell, mere feet away from his head, as it began its first set of warning chimes. Though from this close those chimes were more like thunder that reverberated around the boys skull. He was only just able to pull himself back onto the wooden catwalk and clasp his hands over his ears painfully without falling to the the road below.
As the bells eventually stopped, they boy shakely looked over the side of the catwalk and down to the bottom of the spire, the priest was pulling the bottom of his brown home spun robes up to his knees and scuttling quickly towards the exit. As he left the boy sighed in relief, his ears still ringing and his head throbbing, he struggled to his feet and leaned heavily against the rail shaking himself. When he finally regained his senses, his eyes widened to find that the shadow that was acres away only moments ago was already at the edge of town.
Turning to leave yet again the boy saw more movement in the darkness, hesitating he narrowed his eyes to peer into the nightmarish shadow that approached him. He saw nothing at first but after a few moments his eyes ajusted to the shade and he noticed a black horse galloping furiously towards the town. He couldn't see the rider as he was wearing a blue cloak that was almost as dark as the shadow itself. And before the boy could determine more the rider threw something high into the air. it spun in an arc over the village and it took a moment for the boy to realise that it was an axe. It took yet another moment for him to more urgently realise that it was heading straight for him.
He threw himself to the catwalk and the metal clanged under the force of his fall, and the noise was echoed an instant later as the axe head was buried into the brass bell that tolled with thunderous clangs from the force. The boy wasn't sure which he was more shocked by. When he saw the Sentinel throw the weapon he didn't expect it to be in his direction, never mind be powerful enough to arc all the way over the village and to the top of the bell tower, and yet it still had enough force to dig into the brass of the bell with enough power to ring it.
'Ring it...' the boy thought to himself again, 'hellfire... that was the second bell toll. The cellars will be locked...'
He picked himself up again and in his panic stared to run down the stairs as quick as his shaking legs would carry him. Reaching the bottom he sprinted for the doors and scrambled at the bar on the door, and eventually he was able to throw it to the ground and pull the large doors open before running out into the street.
The shadow was already covering the buildings at the far end of town and he could see unidentifiable figures scuttling across roofs and along walls. The boy continued to run straight towards the red light that glowed dimly from the windows of Billy's Brothel, Lilly's cellar forgotten completely. He stopped at the hatch and clutched at the handles pulling with all his strength. but the locked doors didn't budge.
He heaved furiously but after a moment the child's grip slipped and he stumbled backwards, falling onto his backside in the middle of the road. He didn't even have the effort to shed tears. He simply stood up, and looked down the darkening road towards the approaching creatures in the shadows. Some were hideous bug-like beings with dozens of pure black eyes and snapping pincers, that scuttled along walls with hundreds of sharp little legs that dug into the wood of the buidings like butter, they couldn't have been longer than the boys arm but the other larger lizard-like creatures must have been as big as the boy himself, slithering close to the floor their claws as long as a grown mans finger left arcing trails behind them as they're dragged through the dirt. The beasts tongues tasting the fear in the air as they stalk closer and closer to their prey.
But it was the hellish hound like creature, with six legs that bounded towards him that held the boys attention, it's skin was as black as coal and smooth exept for three rows of spines down the monsters back. It had no eyes but it's long jaw was salivating grey slime over the childs scent as it aproached. The boy didn't flinch as the cold shade finally washed over him. He didn't look away as the Jackle pounced. And he didn't cower when it raised its four frontal claws and opened its maw to reveal two rows of black jagged teeth that were aiming directly for his throat.
He didn't need to fear death, Death was inevitable.
"Thankyou"
The words slipped out the boys mouth as he took his last breath. Before the obsidien war hammer swatted the beasts skull out of the sky, it struck with enough force that the creatures head was completley crushed in the dirt, and the boy stumbled back from the quake of the blow as the Sentinel positioned himself between the child and the horde.
"You're welcome" his gravely voice rasped as his torch burst into flames and he turned to the boy, his amber eyes flicked over the kids blank face and bloodied clothes, his brow furrowed for just a moment before the large man pulled back his dark blue satin robes to reveal two belts that hung loosley on his hips lined with more weapons than the boy had names for, he could see a sword, daggers, axes and throwing blades of countless variations, but in an instant the sentinel had unsheathed a dagger and flicked it around in his fingers, letting his robes fall back into place and pushing the handle of the weapon towards the child before checking the positions of the aproaching beasts. "Get to the Temple and lock the door, by the light I command you."
The boy looked dumbfoundedly at the admittedly beautiful blade and then back to the dark clad man. His face was mainly covered by a mask that stretched over his mouth and nose in the same almost blackened blue colour as his robes that struggled in vain to hide his large muscular frame. His black leather tricorn hat was pulled down to shield his eyes, and a raven feather held in pace with a dark blue ribbon that wrapped around and trailed in the breeze.
"What am I supposed to do with a knife against... them." The boy said as he numbly took the dagger, his eyes flicking back to the 3 lizards that had began to form a semicircle as they drew closer.
"I suggest you deny the hellspawn their prize-" The sentinel growled, flicking his amber eyes that were now burning with fury at the boy who had the nerve to answer back.
"-and cut your own throat. Now run." he said as he threw the torch through the air towards the church steps.
The boy ran beneath the torch, trying to wash off the chill of the shade that surrounded his bright circle of sanctuary, he didn't look back at the sounds of crashing and hissing that bellowed from the battle behind him as he ran, diving through the doorway the boy heaved against the heavy doors and barely caught a glimps of the sentinel who stood in a cloud of swirling dark smoke, swinging his grotesque war-hammer into the jaw of a deer like creature, as it span from the blow the boy saw the beast turn to have another head at the other end of its body before the door finally slammed shut.
He scrambled at the length of wood he threw on the floor, attempting to re-bar the doors, but the greatwood beam was bigger than him, and well over double his weight.
"By the light..." the boy said, grabbing a fistfull of red hair and spinning in circles, scanning the room "there's gotta' be somthing."
His eyes quickly landed on the nearest of the temples long benches, and without a second thought he vaulted over the back and put his shoulder against it, shoving with all his might he slid it back agasints the large doors.
"that's not enough." he muttered, running to the other side of the room and sliding that bench into place, and another, he threw his weight behind a fourth but his legs gave out from under him and he finally gave in to the terror that had been biting at him since he felt the darknesses kiss on his skin.
That coldness. It wasn't like the chill of walking into a pantry, or even the icy embrace of being caught in the rain during storm season. That icy kiss was indiscribable, like the shiver that goes down your spine when you think you're being watched. Only in the darkness, you know you're being watched, it made his skin crawl. The boy cradeled his knees, rocking gently as he sobbed on the floor, until a large crash at the door made him bolt upright. The sound came again, and again, making the benches shift, the boy to scared to run finally put the blade of the dagger to his throat, but the doors threw aside the barricade of benches and sunlight that poured into the room. The relief was like nothing the boy had ever felt before, like the first breath of air after almost drowning.
The Sentinel that burst into the room, had his strange thorned war-hammer slung over his shoulder, it dripped with a dark ink like blood that hissed and avaperated into black whisps of smoke as the drops hit the floor. A drop of blood landed on the childs face as the warrior span, scanning the furniture that was littered irratically around the room before his eyes finally came to rest on the boy who touched the ice cold splotch of blood that streaked into mist in the air, and with an audible sigh his eyes seem to softern.
He held out a hand to the boy who wordlessly took it, and pulled the child to his feet. He respected the boys silence and without a whisper, turned and walked out the doors and into the sunlight. The boy followed closely behind, eager for the humid heat that he thought he'd never feel again.
"Tell me boy" came the Sentinels calm but rasping voice "what is-"
The boy panicked. His name? What would he tell him? He'd never had anyone ask his name before. A cold bead of sweat trailed down the blue stain on his temple.
"Your parents profession?"
The boy simply blinked in confusion
"Huh..?" He managed to huff
"Your Farther, or mother, what do they do? Where do they live?"
"I... I don't know..." the child said "never met 'em... My mother used to work at Billy's but... He told me she left... "
The sentinels brow furrowed once again, deeper this time
"Then he is your ward?"
"Aye, he was..." the boy replied, the sentinels eyebrow raised in curiosity before the boy looked down, he winced at the sight of the red blood that still covered him and said "he... died... in the shading..."
The sentinel said nothing as he turned and walked away.
The boy stumbled after him as the Sentinel turned into the stable, only two horses resided there, the light grey packhorse that was tied up at the far end of the stable was a stark contrast to the magnificent black steed who stood untied in the centre of the stable surrounded by a circle of melting corpses that evaporated strings of smoke into the sky. It whinnied with excitement when it saw it master, such an innocent noise for such a large beast who had horned armour on its head and legs, along with large plates to shield its side, all painted the same midnight blue as the Sentinels robes.
"What should I do..? The boy said as the man rummaged through one of the saddle bags, there was a moment of silence as he searched until finally he pulled out a bundle and handed them to the child, he then walked to the grey mare who cantered nervously in the spot until the man rubbed the animals neck as he whispered to the beast, soothing her almost instantly.
The child looked down at the bundle and untied the robe belt, causing the tan leather jerkin and breeches tumbling to the ground.
"Put those on" the Sentinel said, not looking back at the boy as he started to unload the pack horse.
The boy didn't need to be told twice, he couldn't remember the last time he was given new clothes, pulling off his ragged belt and sending his old short cut breaches falling to the floor, along with the leather bound book, followed by the dagger that span in the air, the child jumped back with a yelp as the dagger landed, its blade sank into the leather of the book, pinning it to the floor through its title 'The unfinished works of Santaborium Wright'
The child couldn't tear his gaze away till the sentinels voice called across the stable "damn it boy, some time this cycle."
The boy stood back up and looked over at the man who continued to untie boxes and bags from the horses back. The child finished peeling off the bloodied rags and thew them into a pile. He eagerly donned the new breaches and jerkin, the trousers were a bit large but he tied them with the new rope belt and rolled up the cuffs of his breaches a couple of times. He paused on one knee as he looked at the protruding dagger and looked back at the sentinel, still busy with the bags. The boy swiped up his old belt and wrapped it around his leg a couple of times, tying it above his ankle, before swiping the dagger and slipping it into the makeshift sheath. He then picked up the book and held it to his chest before working up the courage to join the Sentinel. The man was checking the last few bags that were attached to the saddle ha in discarded the rest on the floor, 'the Peddler who owned him must have got here in a hurry to escape the shading' the boy thought idly as the man took the mares reigns and lead her outside, looking back at the boy and gesturing to follow.
Turning to the child as he joined him outside and held out a hand, the child blinked hesitantly but after a moment looked down and realised he was still clutching the book, handing it over to him reluctantly, the Sentinel read the title.
"The unfinished works of... who? Why do scholars always have such odd names..." he said with a series of grunts that the boy could only assume was a chuckle.
"So you can read?" He said turning soft eyes to the boy as he nodded, "huh... that's a rarity... he'll definitely take you"
"Take me where? Who? Huh?" The child stammered
"Don't worry" the man said softly as he slipped the book into one of the saddle bags "you are going to go some place safe, just follow the river" he said as he effortlessly picked up the child and placed him in the horses saddle before pointing at a trail parallel to the river "you'll come across a town before too long, a town called Binson Bay, just look for a guy called Sandy."
As he finished checking the saddles buckles he looked the boy up and down and chuckled to himself softly "and if you're going to keep that dagger, make sure you only use it as a last resort" the boys eyes snapped down to the handle shape that sat unnaturally under his breeches, when he looked back into his saviours eyes he could have sworn he was smiling,
"A boy with a butter knife isn't a threat, but a blade in the back is. Sure as shade." And with that he turned, slapping the horses rump and it started charging away, the boy was nearly thrown to the floor before he caught the reigns and yelled "Wait! How will I find him?!"
The boy heard the sentinels low rumble of laughter, and without looking back he waved and his voice called over the distance
"Oh he'll find you!"