"Pathetic creature," Superion exclaimed as he pulled Purity's Embrace out of the scaled creature whose pathetic life he had just ended. His gaze fell onto the next creature, which, like its brethren, looked much different from the Yxals of other clans. With its head similar to the head of a reptile and its long tail, it looked more like an oversized lizard than a Yxal.
The creature, whose scales were blue, swung its wooden club as it approached him. Superion barely had to move his arm to split the club into two pieces and the creature's head with it. He didn't pay any attention to the creature he had just killed as he stepped over its body and approached the four remaining Yxals, who his soldiers surrounded. Among them was a bronze one that was much taller and more muscular than all the other creatures Superion had faced on this day. He had no doubt that the creature was the clan's leader. He assumed they were male, but he didn't care about that at all. Only a dead Yxal was a good Yxal in his eyes.
"Leave them to me," Superion ordered. His golden wings were spread widely, and his sword was pointed challengingly at the enemy leader. The silver and gold shimmering double-edged blade was covered in blood, but the intricate vine patterns etched along the length of the blade could still be seen.
The leader spat some words at his subjects, waiting for them to attack first. Superion's massive but light blade sliced through his foes like butter; their painful and dying cries were music to his ears. His foes fell one by one until only the leader remained. A pathetic creature that called himself Macs.
The creature shouted something at him, but judging by the tone of their voice and the look in their eyes, it was nothing positive. Macs charged at him, thrusting their thick spear at him. Superion didn't even try to dodge the spear. Instead, he caught it with his right hand, and an amusing smile flickered over his face when he recognised the shocked expression on his foe's face. Macs pulled onto the spear, trying to yank it free, but Superion's grasp was too firm. Despite all the struggle, the clan leader could not retrieve their weapon.
Superion simply snatched it out of Macs' claws, enjoying the terror and fear radiated by the Yxal's eyes. Instead of using its claws, tail or feet to fight him, the scaled creature turned around and started to run. Because of the tight ring of soldiers surrounding it, it wouldn't have gotten far if Superion had not ordered his soldiers to step aside with a simple gesture of his gloved hand.
The creature ran, nearly stumbling over corpses; most of them were Yxal, but there were also dead or dying Tenarians spread over the expansive bazaar. The creature didn't get very far. A forceful spear throw was enough to take it down. But it was not dead yet. Superion realised that once he approached it. The spear stuck in the creature's back and came out of its chest, but it seemed to have missed its heart. The throw was not as precise as he had intended.
"Seems you live for now," Superion said, not caring if the creature could understand him. He grabbed their tail and pulled it with him, dragging it across the ground that was covered in blood and gore.
---
"Status report!" Superion said demandingly once his highest-ranked soldier approached. A man in highly decorated bronze armour stopped right in front of him. He held his helmet above his waist, his long blueish hair was dishevelled by the wind, and a trimmed chestnut-coloured beard covered his whole chin.
"We searched through the whole settlement, but we couldn't find the artefact," the man answered obediently. His facial features didn't show he feared how his superior would react to the bad news.
It was clearly visible on Superion's gorgeous face that he was anything but pleased. "So, you want to tell me we got rid of an entire clan and still didn't get the artefact?"
"There are two clans left that raided the Gore-Eater Clan. The artefact must be in the possession of one of them," the man responded.
"Better pray the artefact is among them. We won't return home until we find it," the platinum-haired man replied seriously. "I hope you know what is at stake, commander."
The man nodded. "I do, Your Excellency."
"The artefact is capable of doing bad things in the wrong hands. We do not want to imagine what harm it could do to our kingdom."
The man nodded again. "Which clan will we attack next?"
"We need to wait for reinforcements first since the Bonebreaker and Skullcrusher Clans each possess at least twice the numbers of the Man-Eater Clan. In the meantime, we will go somewhere else."
"Where will that be? If I may be so bold as to ask, Your Excellency?"
"You fought alongside my mother at the Battle of the Shattered Spires, didn't you?"
"I did," the man replied immediately.
"We will go right there," Superion announced.
Confusion appeared on the man's face. "But the Shattered Spires are in the heart of Yxal territory; we would have to travel for weeks to reach it."
The way Superion tilted his head let the man's heart beat faster with anxiety. "And?" Superion asked, one of his brows was raised.
"You said we would have to find the sceptre as soon as possible to prevent the Yxals from using it to harm our people," the man replied, confusion was visible in his eyes and clearly hearable in his voice.
"Are you questioning my decision, Commander Feron?" Superion asked, side-eying the commander as he stepped away from him.
Commander Feron paled. "Of...Of course not," he stuttered nervously, feeling his heart rate increase again.
"I thought so," Superion replied as his gaze wandered over the burning houses around him. "How many did we lose?"
"Around six hundred Keristian soldiers so far. We will count again to be certain."
"How many Anxoyal were among them?"
"Thirteen."
"They will not be forgotten. With each soldier we sacrificed, we took at least eight of them with us." Superion's gaze fell on Commander Feron again. "Search the settlement for survivors once again."
"What should we do with them?"
"Kill the women, take the men alive but castrate them. The fewer possibilities they have to reproduce, the better," Superion explained without any scruples in his voice. "And kill the children. I don't want them to grow strong enough to fight back one day."
Commander Feron nodded. "As you command, Your Excellency."
---
Cruxia's eyes went to the approaching figure, and she quickly recognised its familiar shape, letting her know that her ears had not deceived her. Her mood immediately soured, which was clearly shown on her face. "Look who crawled out of their hole again. Seems I didn't beat you hard enough last time," Cruxia spat in Dragda, her voice dripping with venom.
"You shouldn't keep your mouth so loose unless you want me to shut it," Karilla replied with a mischievous grin on her lips.
"Have you come here to kill me? If so, do it quickly so I no longer have to suffer your ugly face," Cruxia spat back, not changing the tone of her voice.
"You told me once I was the most beautiful woman you ever met. What happened?" Karilla asked, pressing her beautiful face against the iron bars.
"Your foul character came showing through. It drowns out your appearance."
If that made Karilla upset, she didn't show it. "You are the only person who thinks that, and you will be dead soon. I don't need to listen to the words of a dead woman."
"Not if I beat your ass first. You always thought you were better than me. Why don't you prove it? If they kill me, you will never be able to prove that you are. You have always tried, but you always came short. You never managed to beat me in single combat. It would eat at me for the rest of my life if I never managed to beat my rival," Cruxia replied, raising her head to stare into her older sister's eyes.
This time, Karilla was not able to hide that Cruxia's words were affecting her. She was angry and hurt at the same time. Cruxia's provocation worked. Karilla grasped the bars tightly as if trying to crush them with her bare hands. But she was not strong enough for that. Even if she had a muscular physique like Cruxia instead of a slender one, she wouldn't be able to do that. The iron bars were too firm.
"Perhaps I speak to the warlords if I could beat your stupid ass before they kill you. Or perhaps I will ask them if I can keep you as my pet."
"Poor Karilla Abyssborne always need to ask others whether she is allowed to do something or not. She will always be serving someone for the rest of her pathetic life. She was a respected member of our clan and threw it all away to be a lapdog to the eastern clans. I wonder what they promised her to betray those who most loved her. I wonder if she's enjoying being a lapdog all her pathetic life."
Karilla's face was a mask of fury. She stormed over to the cell door, a knife in her left hand while the other reached out for the door's handle. She grabbed and yanked it down, but the door didn't budge. For Cruxia's sake, it was locked, and Karilla didn't seem to have a key.
"They didn't even give you the key because they don't trust you. The warlords don't think you are capable enough to keep their prisoners unharmed," Cruxia spat out provocatively.
"I will enjoy watching you die!" Karilla shouted angrily.
"Fight me, and perhaps you can finally prove you are better than me. Or die and be forgotten. No one will remember Karilla Abyssborne."
A loud scream escaped Karilla's lips as she stomped away angrily.
Cruxia's gaze went to Celeste who was regarding her with a surprised look on her face. "What was this about?"
"Not only did I prevent my sister from doing anything stupid, but I also increased the chances for the warlords to allow me to prove my innocence through combat."
"How so?"
"My sister will demand to fight me to death. That suits me since I'm planning to demand to fight one of their champions. I'm not sure if the warlords will listen to her, but perhaps she can influence their decision in our favour," the Yxal explained.
Celeste gave her a slight nod. "I hope they give you that chance. Even if winning would not change my situation, I still hope so for your sake. You do not deserve to die for your father's sins."
The corner of Cruxia's lips formed a small smile. "I appreciate your words."
Celeste mimicked her smile. "What's the point of hating each other in a situation like this? I just hope you won't forget me if you make it."
"If. I can't promise that I can do something if I win. But I try my best."
Celeste smiled again. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. I haven't achieved anything yet."
"I still hope for the best."
"So do I."
---
Cruxia's eyes immediately fell on the person who had just approached the iron bars. It was a familiar person, but fortunately, it wasn't Karilla again. This time, Chesa approached her, but Cruxia assumed she had very different intentions from her half-sister.
"Finally, a face I like to see," Cruxia said to her aunt in Dragda. "I hope you bring good news."
Chesa squatted down and approached the bars, her face almost touching the cold iron. "Unfortunately, I have no good news for you. I got no news at all. Neither positive nor negative."
"Too bad."
"How are you feeling?" Chesa asked worriedly.
Despite being imprisoned, Cruxia let a soft chuckle escape her cracked lips. "According to the circumstances. Could be worse."
"I was talking to the warlords again, but I was unable to dissuade them from their opinion," Chesa replied, an apologising look could be seen on her face. Her voice also told Cruxia how sorry she was. "Usually, they listen to me, but not in this matter."
"They will hand me over to the eastern clans." It was not a question.
"They will. Unless...," Chesa stopped as she saw the determined look on her niece's face.
"Unless I demand a trial by combat and win."
"I was thinking about something else, but that works too."
"What were you thinking about?" Cruxia asked curiously; one of her brows was raised.
The ocean-blue-haired woman looked around inconspicuously, ensuring the guards were not close enough to hear her whispers. "I was trying to make a plan to break you out, but it's pretty hard to escape from Jeekalan."
"There are too many guards inside and outside the settlement. I would rather try my luck with a trial by combat."
Chesa nodded understandingly. "I will talk to the warlords. Most inhabitants of Jeekalan still believe in the gods. The warlords would be foolish to deny you that request. Not to mention, they have no proof you were responsible for the annihilation of the Corpse-Speaker Clan. The only reason they imprisoned you is that the eastern clans want to get rid of you."
"I don't get why they would want that. I know nothing that could harm them, nor am I in the position to take revenge on them," Cruxia explained.
Her aunt gave her an agreeing nod. "You are not, but they are still cautious. I cannot understand why they seem so paranoid about you."
Cruxia sighed. "I cannot understand either."
"You need to hold out, honey. I will talk to the warlords and see if I can get you something to eat and drink. You need to be as strong as possible for your trial. If they grant you that wish. Which they should if they do not want to upset their citizen. Denying you the right of a trial by combat would mean they would defy Verrakhaal. They cannot allow themselves to defy any of our gods," the advisor said to her niece. "Fortunately, the gods still have a lot of followers despite the doing of Mordax the Incredulous. The gods sent Sonder the Sunderer to speak their will. He massacred the heretics and rallied our people against our oppressors. He fought and bled for us until he gave his life to protect our people."
"He was a hero," Cruxia simply replied. There was a certain amount of sadness in her voice.
"He was," Chesa repeated, clearing her throat a few moments later. "I did not come here to talk to you about Sonder. "I can't promise you anything, but I'll try my best."
"I have to thank you, aunt."
Chesa exhaled. "Don't thank me yet. For now, I have achieved nothing in your favour." Chesa turned her head, spotting the impatient look on the guard's faces. "I need to go now, hon. Hold out."
"I will," Cruxia replied, mimicking the weak smile on her aunt's lips.
Cruxia watched as Chesa got up and hurried away quickly.
She was unsure how much time had passed when the next person approached the cell. She had the feeling that several hours had passed, but she couldn't be sure how many. A guard approached them carrying two trays in her hands. She waited for another guard to unlock and open the cell door, putting the trays on the grey floor. With her feet, the guard made them skid across the floor. They didn't quite reach their destinations. Cruxia had to lean forward to reach it with it. Meanwhile, Celeste had to lean to the left to get hers.
The prisoners regarded the food intensely. It wasn't much, and it didn't look appetising. It looked like a grey gloop. The women said nothing while the guards were near them but didn't say anything either once they walked to the back of the room. Cruxia and Celeste silently regarded their meal, not tasting a spoon of it yet.
"I doubt it's poisoned," Cruxia said after a while.
"I'm not so sure about that," the Anxoyal replied.
"If the warlords wanted us dead, they would have killed us already. Publicly to demonstrate their power. Killing us with poison where no one could witness it is not their style, nor is it in their interest."
Celeste regarded the other woman looking at her; their eyes were meeting. "I believe your word, but I should not eat it."
Cruxia tilted her head, and a questioning look settled on her gorgeous face. "And why shouldn't you, if I may ask?"
Celeste took a breath, crouching closer to Cruxia; her voice was barely louder than a whisper. "I may not know how long they will keep us there. Nor do I know if your aunt can convince them to allow you to prove your innocence in combat. All I know is you need all your strength. You should eat my portion to remain as strong as possible. I have a feeling they won't give us enough food."
The Yxal regarded the Tenarian wordlessly; numerous thoughts crossed her mind. She wondered whether the other woman was speaking the truth or just looking for an excuse to not eat the food that may or may not be poisoned.
Nevertheless, she had a point; Cruxia had to grant her that. Cruxia would need any food she could get. If the warlords were clever, they would starve her to weaken her. On the other hand, the faithful Yxals who worshipped the gods were much more honourable than those who did not. They would not do such dirty tactics since they feared the wrath of the gods. They did not want to be unjust.
"Are you sure you want to go without food?"
"As much as I hate starving, I would rather starve than be in the possession of those warlords. I would rather be in yours. You treat me much better than they ever could," Celeste replied honestly. "I mean, I cannot know how they will treat me yet, but judging by how you and your clan treated me in your settlement, I hardly doubt it will be much different for me as their prisoner."
"It was never my wish to treat you the way I did. When I said I did not enjoy causing pain to you, I really meant it. I hate unnecessary violence. You can argue that, in my position, it was necessary because we needed to know everything you and your group knew. My father wanted the artefact back. Believe me, you don't want to get on his bad side. He was a tyrant, but he was much worse when he didn't get his will."
"I believe you," Celeste replied. She was not lying, and Cruxia realised that. Broxa the Cruel was as infamous in Tenaria as he was among the Yxal clans. She had been aware of him and the way he treated his subjects before she had been captured. "I want you to succeed for your own sake and perhaps even mine. It's not there is another way for me to escape. I have to put my faith in you, and even if they will not allow me to be free, at least you might not have to die. You don't deserve that."
Cruxia was speechless for several minutes, gathering her thoughts. Then she finally spoke. "I accept your offer. You have my thanks."
Celeste gave her a small smile as she pushed her tray over to the taller woman. "May it be for the best."
---
"The warlords want to speak to you," the guard told Cruxia in their native language as she unlocked the cell door. She opened the door and entered the cell, followed by two more guards. They went to Cruxia without hesitation and removed the shackles around her ankles.
"Get up!" the female demanded impatiently. Cruxia did as she was told; her gaze lingered on the guards briefly before it went to Celeste. "What about her?" she asked.
"She won't be needed for your audition."
"Make sure my sister doesn't touch her. Since she is my prisoner, she is my possession."
"Since you are our prisoner, your claims on her are forfeit."
Cruxia said nothing in return, knowing she would have to speak to the warlords about this matter and not to the guards. She glanced at Celeste before she followed the guards out of the cell. They brought her to the same room they had dragged her out of days ago.
The warlords were already awaiting her, but they were not alone. Her aunt and uncle were waiting to the left, and her sister to the right. A tense expression could be seen on Chesa's and Theodar's faces; a certain coldness was reflected on Karilla's face. Cruxia was unable to guess if the warlords were intending to grant her the request or not.
She spotted two more familiar creatures. Warlord Cestra of the Bonebreaker Clan and Warlord Yart of the Skullcrusher Clan. They had not changed from the last time she had seen them. She felt anger rising inside her, and she knew she must prevent the anger from getting too intense. She must not allow her emotions to speak and act for her.
But someone was missing. There were three remaining eastern clans, but only the leaders of two were here. Warlord Macs of the Man-Eater Clan was missing. She was wondering why he wasn't there. She could only assume he had better things to do than to attend her trial or execution. Whatever it would be.
She was hoping her aunt was able to talk to the warlords and convince them to grant her the chance to prove her innocence.
"Your aunt told me you want to prove your innocence before Verrakhaal?"
Cruxia nodded. "I do. I had nothing to do with my father's decision to annihilate the Corpse-Speaker Clan. I just followed him because I was ordered to and you know better than anyone else how we deal with disobedient people. To defy him would have meant certain death for me." She was not just saying this to convince the warlords. It was the truth. She had not liked her father's idea to attack the Corpse-Speaker Clan. She argued against it, but as soon as he showed the first signs of anger, she stopped arguing with him. It was all his doing, and everyone died for his greed for power. Everyone but her.
It was the female warlord of the Deathchanter Clan who spoke. Lilithra was her name. "We long discussed whether we should grant you this opportunity or not, and we decided that we will. Dragdom might no longer exist, but our gods still do. They are still looking out for us, and since they did not entirely forsake us, we are not allowed to forget them or their rules and demands."
Cruxia had to pull herself together to not smile or show any positive emotion. She did not want to give the warlords any sign that might make them change their decision. Not to mention, she was not saved yet. She may be saved from certain death, but she has to fight for her survival. And she had no idea who her opponent would be.
She was hoping it would be her sister, but she doubted they would pick her. She assumed that someone must have found her knocked-out sister and asked her what happened. It was likely that the warlords knew Karilla was unable to beat her and let her escape. Whoever would face her, she would have to beat them, and she was confident she would. She had no other choice but to win. It was win or die for her.
"Who will I fight against?" Cruxia asked, sounding as neutral as possible.
"Your opponent will be revealed once we reach the Temple of Verrakhaal."
"That is a walk of three days from Jeekalan, isn't it?" Cruxia asked curiously.
"It is," one of the male warlords of the Deathchanter Clan responded. He was not as muscular as Lilithra, but he was still more muscular than Cruxia herself. She didn't recall his name. Her aunt had told her the names of all three warlords, but she could only recall Lilithra's.
"The combat must be held there. Otherwise, Verrakhaal cannot judge you," the other male, whose name she didn't know either, added.
Cruxia could argue why she must be in a very specific place for a god to judge her. If he was as mighty as lots of her people claimed, he could judge her from any place. Perhaps even without her having to fight first. But she didn't argue with them because it would only be to her disadvantage. It was only because of her people's religious beliefs that she was given the chance of survival. She would be a fool to argue about those. So she did not.
"I assume we go there right away," Cruxia replied.
"We will," the first male warlord responded. "You will get your armour and your weapons back."
"What about my prisoner? Since I'm not proven guilty yet, you have no right to imprison me and take all of my possessions. That includes my prisoner or slave, whoever you want to call her. She is mine by the right of conquest."
All present warlords were looking at each other, exchanging questioning looks. Everyone except for Lilithra who was straightly staring at her. Those orange-glowing eyes were almost burning through her. "You are right. By the law of conquest, you are allowed to keep her. Dragdom may no longer exist, and the royal bloodline was extinguished, but the laws are still not unmade by anyone. Sonder the Sunderer didn't unmake the law of conquest when he rallied our people against Tenaria. As you know, we are trying to unite our people under one leadership. The council of all warlords will rule over a united kingdom. There will be law changes and the creation of new laws, but until that happens, the law of conquest still exists. We cannot simply abolish all existing laws without first creating a new government."
Cruxia's heart skipped a beat. "So, the Anxoyal will stay with me?"
Lilithra nodded. "Exactly," if she could see the surprised and irritated faces of the other warlords through her side eye, her facial expression didn't show it in the slightest.
Once again, Cruxia had to gather all her focus to not show her emotions. She dug her sharp fingernails into the palm of her hand and used the pain to suppress the excitement that overcame her. "So be it."
---
Cruxia's gaze rested on the ornaments as she curiously studied the temple ahead of her. Or what was left of it, at least. Despite the stone being cracked, dirtied and otherwise ruined, she could still recognise the fine ornaments. The proportion of ornamentation was low, but they were still there to let Cruxia wonder how the temple must have looked like in all its glory. Before the Tenarian invasions and before the fall of Dragdom.
It must have been huge and imposing. A place worthy of a god. The ruins she saw before her were anything like that. Both doors of the huge double-door lay shattered and broken far away from the place where they were supposed to be. They were full of holes, and the top right quarter of the left one was missing. Only pieces were left of the front columns that used to support the temple's roof near the entrance.
Cruxia was wondering where the trial was supposed to take place. She had never attended or watched any of those trials, she had only heard about them. She guessed either the main hall or the courtyard behind the building. The ruins didn't seem to be a suitable place, but it was the warlords' decision in the end.
She was in no place to argue about it. She was already happy that they granted her the chance to prove herself. She didn't want to test their patience. A single wrong word could cost her dearly. She didn't want to risk it, so she said nothing as they entered the seemingly forgotten place.
The temple was no longer enclosed by either surrounding walls or a roof. There were many holes of different sizes in the roof; some were pretty small, and others were enormous. The floor was not in a much better shape either. It was missing a lot of tiles, and debris was scattered all over it.
She assumed they were in the main hall because there were the remains of a statue that stood tall in the middle of the room. She had visited a few temples and temple ruins to know there was always a big statue in the main hall. It was always the statue of the god the temple was built for, so she had no reason to doubt that the headless statue represented Verrakhaal.
She had never imagined Verrakhaal in her head, nor had she ever seen drawings, paintings or other depictions of him. She didn't have any specific image of him in her head. Nevertheless, she had never imagined him being that muscular.
The statue depicted Verrakhaal with broad shoulders, a broad, muscular chest, upper arms thicker than tree trunks and claws bigger than cartwheels. Starting from the tip, half of the sword he wielded was missing, and so was his left foot. Cruxia assumed the statue was not supposed to have a chalky crust on its surface that was no longer pure white but greyish instead. The statue must have been exposed to air and rain for hundreds of years. The cracks in the surface, which was no longer as smooth as it must have been once, spoke for that as well.
The warlords stopped in the middle of the curved stairs that led to a circular, even area that was big enough to give the participants enough space to move around. The warlords signalled Cruxia to enter the circular area. She did as she was told to, her gaze rested on Celeste long enough to notice the small nod she gave her. Then her gaze fell on Lilithra. "Who is my opponent?"
"That will be me," a voice answered. Cruxia immediately turned around as she recognised a familiar voice she had not heard in decades; her eyes widened in shock as she recognised familiar facial features. "No way," she cursed silently.