Private Tales The Bones Glow As They Break

[Silas Artesto]

Silas didn't say anything back to match Rhidian's confidence, but he did knit his brow a bit as he turned back towards the winding evening road ahead of them. It was good that Rhid was sure of himself, but this was his first mission. Silas had seen their own get killed by far less than Lycans, and that wasn't limited to Initiates... Still, the last thing he wanted to do was unnerve his friend.

Some might have said the remainder of the trip to Vel Cirak was pleasant and relaxing, but to the pair who'd spent the first leg setting off explosions and breaking boulders, it erred more on the side of boring. The wind in his hair was always nice, but he rarely got to travel with somebody he clicked with like Rhid.

By the time they could see the city ahead of them, glowing amongst the dark moonlit horizon, Artesto felt like he might doze off and fall from his mount. Rhidian's word of approval brought him to shake his head free of exhaustion and tilt his gaze towards the voice calling them to halt.

"Yeah, it's a damned sight alright, ain't it?" Sliding from his horse, Silas hit the ground boots first and tossed the mount a sugar cube from its saddle bag as he pressed on towards the waiting Guards on foot. "Shame it's all the way out in the Falwood. Doesn't make it very viable for a vacation."

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Rhidian didn't see the apprehension in the company's faces, standing before the gates that were shut to the new arrivals.

The Dreadlord ahead of them, standing off against the unseen guards controlling the gates, cleared his throat and muttered something incoherent before raising his voice. "We are here on the orders of Dreadlord Avery."

A face appeared on the ramparts, Rhidian's head moving to catch the new face, and many other faces of guards appearing. The man stood tall, young too in comparison to a lot. Possibly even a few years older than himself and Silas.

"You got here in one piece then. We are gonna open the gates only a margin, enough for you each to enter one by one. If an attack is to happen, you better hope to be within the city by then..." Avery shrugged, lifting a hand to signal the gates to begin opening.

Rhidian moved forward, patting Silas on the back to get him going too as they lead their horses towards the gates.

"We rushed all the way here ahead of schedule, I thought we would at least hear any weres out here." He murmured.

 

[Silas Artesto]

"They're smarter than they look." Silas replied in a hushed voice, straining to hear what was being said up ahead of them."They still have the reasoning of a human. At least, the mature ones do. They arent' going to telegraph their position if they're expecting company."

He couldn't make out the man standing on the ramparts in the dim light of night, but the voice couldn't be much older than them. It was odd, to think that somebody so young could be a Dreadlord, but then they were only a year and change from graduation themselves.

Still, even with the presence of a Dreadlord, There was a wary tension in everything around them; the expressions on the faces of those they'd ridden with now bore the unease of entering a city they were told was a death-trap. That even Avery seemed unwilling to open the gates more than was absolutely necessary spoke to the severity of whatever the hell was happening within these walls.

Slowly they approached the gate, their group entering the city two or three people at a time. They would open the gates a bit wider to permit access to the wagon, only to quickly narrow the gap again once it was through.

They were scared, and it showed.

"I don't like this." He nudged Rhid as they slid through the opening in the gate. "They didn't rush us here because they were being attacked, they rushed us because they expect to be attacked soon. How do they know?"

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Rhidian gave a good look around as they entered past the gates, his eyes falling on the weaponry and defenses, then the men and women manning them. He let out a low whistle.

"They are kitted up. Must be hell being stationed here." But the longer each Initiate took to watch, the Guard and Dreadlords knew where to move, where to be when they time came. The constant attacks had seasoned them, and it seemed their efforts and training kept the walls around Vel Cirak safe for those that called it home.

"The highest count of werewolves in the Falwood. Some packs are wild enough to forget themselves, testing the defense of this fortress... some slip past the cracks, but not all. If you ever hear sirens sound, find the closest guardsmen or Dreadlord. It means a werewolf is inside the perimeter. Protect the people first." The woman who spoke to them at camp fell back to talk to them again. "Just do as Avery says. This is his show now."

Rhidian glanced at Silas and shrugged. Perhaps there was more to it that just blasting at the creatures.

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas grimaced at the sight of the weary defenders of Vel Cirak, weathered and worn by whatever misfortune had taken to assaulting the city so regularly. It was never a good sign when even the presence of Dreadlords hadn't brought a conflict to a swift and bloody end.

"Then I guess we've just jumped feet first into the fire, haven't we?" He muttered back to Rhidian, casting his gaze over to Dreadlord Avery as he delivered a brief set of instructions for them. Strange, he thought they'd been put on a rescue mission. This seemed more like the defense of a city. Had they been diverted entirely, or was this involved with their original objective?

He knew better than to pipe up and question orders, especially when the tension was as thick as pig fat. Instead, he crossed his arms and regarded the woman with a look of concern crossing his brow. "He said 'some' are wild enough to forget themselves. What about the others? Do they have a reason to infiltrate the city?"

Not being told the whole story came with the job, usually. Didn't mean he couldn't try.

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Rhidian perked up, waiting to see what the female Dreadlord would answer with. She looked at the pair of them before looking to see the arrangements being made. "Call me Kesson. I'm not an expert on werewolves, but I know they attack the fortress because of our resources. Sometimes they cannot find something to sate their appetites in the Falwood."

"Well that is a terrifying thought..." Rhid grimaced.

"You lot! Follow me." And Avery walked past, clapping them both on their backs and motioning for the Initiates to follow him. Rhidian looked back to the gate, seeing a number of Guard and Dreadlord alike lie in wait. They did not need Avery's instruction, not when they have done this countless times before.

Hot on Avery's heels, Rhidian bade Kesson a weak farewell as they now were in the hands of another Dreadlord.

"You too are to stand guard by the cellar." Avery called out, not looking back to see if the boys were keeping up. "It is very highly unlikely a werewolf would infiltrate the building, but if they do, I need you both to work your magic and ensure the prisoner does not leave that room. Understood?"

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas knew better than to question the orders of a Dreadlord, even one so young as Avery. Still, it was little comfort to him that they were being sectioned off from the rest of the group they'd traveled here with. The two of them were strong, sure, but against werewolves? He would have preferred a bit of backup.

Avery spoke back to them, giving them their commands as they moved down a flight of stairs below the floor. Artesto felt his lips twitch a bit at the order, guarding a cellar from werewolves, just in case they got in. He couldn't decide if he was happy or disappointed with the assignment. On the one hand, they were far less likely to see any action at this posting, but on the other hand...

Well, that was kind of boring, wasn't it? Just because he didn't want to fight a werewolf didn't necessarily mean he didn't not want to fight one.

He could practically feel Quill's palm thwacking him on the back of his head for such a contradictory statement, and one that threatened to get him killed. Though that could just as easily have been the stress of not knowing where the hell she'd gotten off to for the last few weeks.

"Yes, sir!" Silas called back in acceptance of the order, though casting a glance over at Rhidian with a raised brow. "Er... Prisoner, sir? We weren't completely clued in on all of this."

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Avery looked between the boys, smiling wryly.

"Behind that door is the prisoner you're here to take back to Vel Anir. Prisoner transport, simple."

"Right... the fugitive that was captured..." Rhidian could recall a little of the information now.

"No matter what you hear behind those doors, do not open it. They are dangerous, and invite danger. That's why I needed you both here. I've read the dossier about you both, and I am impressed. Do well in guarding, and I may write glowing reports for each of you to your Proctors." Avery clapped Rhidian on the shoulder and winked, making for the stairs.

Once he was out of earshot, Rhid turned to look at the cellar door. Chained and locked, it made him curious of this prisoner.

"He's probably a murderer. What do you reckon? For us to be taking them from here and back to Vel Anir? Gotta be murder..." Rhidian looked to Silas, raising a dark brow. "Just funny that we are guarding a prisoner... it's not like the werewolves would come after him, right?"

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas's eyes followed Avery as he departed, a confounded expression on his features as Rhidian openly speculated beside him. Artesto merely shook his head, a bit put off by the entire situation. He was used to working without much to go off of; It was part of the job, but...

"I dunno, Rhid. Something about this whole mission seems off, doesn't it?" Arms cross over his chest as he leans back against the wall, looking over at his friend. "First we're told the job is to escort a prisoner. Then we're halfway here and they start talking about werewolves. Now we've found the prisoner, and we're posted up outside their room, instead of... you know, transporting them?"

Silas groans, thunking his head against the wall and looking up at the moss-riddled ceiling over their heads. He couldn't claim being an initiate was boring, but it was frustrating as all hell to have your job made harder because people didn't trust you with information.

"Imagine how much easier this would be if they told us shit. 'They' are dangerous and invite danger. Who the hell talks like that? Doesn't dangerous -mean- they invite danger? Hell, going back to Vel Anir... they could just be a runaway."

After a pause, a coy grin split his face.

"Maybe we should see if it's a girl. Could be your dream date in there, Rhid."

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

He was right that this was no ordinary mission from the get go.

Rhidian stared at the cellar door, wondering just who might be found at the bottom of those stairs leading into the cellar. Why wait on transporting them back to Vel Anir?

Well... werewolves seemed like a good excuse.

"I suppose they can't control when werewolves would attack... I rather would fight against them with the advantage of a fortress than out on the open road, you know what I mean?" Rhidian shrugged, walking away from the door to begin a lazy pace. He snorted at Silas' comment of a girl, but Rhidian flashed his friend a grin all the same.

"Cheeky shit." He chuckled, eyes straying back to the door. The caution they were given about the person behind those doors was forgotten momentarily as Rhid stopped before them and stared at the lock. "I could break it... but then we can't lock it back." Curiosity was certainly a weak spot for Vaughn.

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas shifted, trying to hide his mild embarrassment at being called out on the obvious. Of course, it was easy for him to say that they should just be hauling the prisoner home when he had the ability to outrun whatever lycan freak tried to follow them. Sometimes it was easy to forget not everybody was gifted with that kind of mobility.

"I guess you're right..." He conceded, crossing his arms and tapping the toe of his boot against the floor. "But you know me. I don't like hanging around one spot for very long. This damned anxiety..." It was a side-effect, the medics at The Academy told him, of his constant use of his magic for speed. Artesto moved so quickly so often that it had caused him to develop a bit of a jitter when he loitered about too long. "Not knowing how long we'll be here, or what to expect when we do get to leave, it bothers me."

At least he had some amusement to keep his mind busy. He'd been joking about taking a looksee at their charge, but the fact Rhidian seemed to genuinely consider it caused a chuckle to rise from his chest.

"It's either the worst idea you've ever had, or the best." Silas snickered, before turning his head to look at the door. "But you know... I could probably get us in without breaking the lock at all."

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Before Rhidian could make any comment, there were alarms going off in all directions of the fortress. Moments later, shouts and commands were being yelled. They were stood between two buildings, and manning the alleyway with the cellar door, but at either end was open street. Both boys could see guards and Dreadlords alike running around and getting into position, but after a few minutes, everything seemed to... just calm.

"Should we take a look?" Rhid asked.

He had strayed five steps before deep, guttural growls came from behind him, and Vaugh turned around to see only Silas.

"Was that your stomach, Sil?"

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Well, that didn't take so long after all.

The city went from deathly silence to absolute calamity in the span of a single second, the quiet air suddenly filled with shouts and klaxon as unseen voices called to arms and spilled out incomprehensible orders, muffled through the alarms.

Artesto's hand went straight to the dagger on his hip, but he didn't rush toward either end of the alleyway. Even with his speed, he wasn't about to risk being caught off guard. It would only serve to screw over Rhidian just as badly as it would himself.

"Be quick, I've got the door."
Rhidian started down the alleyway as Silas shifted and moved to keep the door at his back. No sooner had he stepped in front of the locked doorway did he feel a rush of wind and a low, deep growl hit the back of his throat.

"Was that your stomach, Sil?"

Artesto took in a deep breath, and gave a shake of his head. Only one thing it could be, really. Big, hairy, ran around on four legs... Silas flicked his eyes down to Rhidian's feet. More specifically, to the cracked and damaged cobble of the alleyway, tiny chunks of rock littering the road.

He looked back up to Rhidian and tilted his head back behind him.

Silas could dodge whatever was about to take a shot at him... probably. But Rhidian needed to let him have it the moment he did.

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

The cellar doors rattled behind Silas, the growls low and within.

"Silas, move away from that door..."

He knew that his friend could move quicker than anything he knew to exist, but all said and done, those very growls unsettled him. "What the fuck are we protecting?" Guarding. Avery had said the prisoner invited danger...

Could it be that behind those cellar doors, behind this whole mission, was to bring a werewolf to Vel Anir?

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Rhidian certainly didn't need to tell him twice. In the blink of an eye, Silas had zipped away from the door and found Rhid's side, turned to look back toward the cellular door he'd just been posted in front of as they rattled and struggled to keep to their hinges.

"If I had to guess? The same thing that the wolves ransacking the city are after." Silas muttered, looking over his shoulder at the mouth of the alleyway, expecting to see the damned things encroaching on them any minute. "And judging from the growls, I'd wager it's a buddy of theirs." Again, it struck him how more prepared they could have been if they'd been given that tidbit of information from the very start.

"So what's your vote?" He nudged Rhid with his elbow, peeking at him from the corner of his eye, the most he felt safe enough to look away. "Stay here and deal with whatever breaks through that door? Or run out and deal with whatever is tryin' to make mincemeat out of everybody else?"

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Rhidian looked to an iron grate over a window nearby in the alley and held it tight in his hands, pulling at it while his magic let off two small bursts to break the bar from the grate. Bravely, he stalked towards the cellar door and shoved the bar through the handles, as if that would do much god against a series of growls that now grew quiet.

"I say fuck this but we are trained Guardsmen." They grew up surrounded by orders and discipline, but Rhidian would not throw it all away becoming a Dreadlord because of a growl.

"We gotta stay. This is the orders Avery had gave us, Sil." And Rhidian grimaced, not liking the fact he chose to be dutiful.

Laughter spilled in the alley, and Rhidian whipped his head around to find the source. He looked at the rooftops, the windows, all the while looking for the dry laughter still ringing.

"Fuck." Dark grey eyes fell on the cellar doors. "Do werewolves laugh, Artesto?"

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

"I would love to know..." Silas grumbled as he watched Rhidian approach the door with the makeshift weapon, "...Who told you that trained Guardsmen don't just say fuck it and run sometimes?" None could claim that Vaughn lacked valor, but Artesto could think of far stronger men who would have already made themselves scarce by this point. Still, he followed close behind his friend, never one to leave a comrade unprotected. "It's the Dreadlords who're the suicidal ones."

He wouldn't offer any more protest, regardless; Rhidian was right in that they had their orders, and as long as they were sticking around, Artesto intended to follow said orders. "Move over, a second..." He mumbled, squeezing between Rhid and the door to place his palms flat against the surface. Channeling vibrations through his arms, he pushed them out through his palms and rooted himself against the ground as the door began to hum against its hinges.

"It touches this cellar door again, the built-up energy will give it a nice little punch." Silas explains, looking over his shoulder to check the ends of the alley again, acutely aware of how open he was right now. "Won't last forever, but it's something right?"

This was their mission. They just had to have a little faith in the others to deal with--

A laugh bounced off the walls of the alley. It was chilling, the kind of hollow, bitter laugh that spoke of an empty heart, not a joyful one. Just the sound of it made the damned hairs on the back of his neck stand up tall.

A dreadful feeling settled in the pit of Silas' gut as he shook his head.

"Granted, I'm not a Werewolf expert but... I don't think so."

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

The extra precaution Silas added to the cellar doors was something at least, but the laugh behind those doors was so unnerving it made the hairs at the back of Rhidian's neck stand.

"What the fuck is this?" He asked aloud, regretting even thinking this mission would be cool as he had thought at the start of it. Take him back to the back of the wagon and the two of them creating explosions with combined magic.

The cellar doors protested at it's chains and lock, Silas' magic having gone off as something had tried for the doors.

Silence fell around them, the alarms in the distance have echoed and fallen to the silence of the trees around the Falwood fortress.

"Is it dea---"

The doors thrashed again, scaring Rhidian so much he yelped and skittered away as far back as he could. The doors didn't blow off their hinges, something he believed werewolves were capable of doing, but it seemed to be moving at a force and past that a normal human would be able to do.

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas winced as the force of something strong collided with the other side of the door, jostling him hard enough that he could've sworn he heard his teeth rattle. The magic wouldn't last unless he kept his hands on the door, so it was all he could do to dig his feet in and hold.

Still, Rhidian wasn't exactly helping with his constant questions that he knew damned well Silas didn't have the answers to.

"I don't know, Rhid!" Silas snarled with the lingering pain of the impact, "How about you walk up here and ask it, yeah?!" For all his bravado, he wasn't exactly the shining example of bravery right now. Not to throw stones, as Silas was most definitely only keeping his cool through the focus of his magic, and another hit like that would probably have him just as frantic. "Gods, you ask too many questions!"

But a second hit didn't come. The alarms echoing through the city died out, and the inhuman laugh behind the door went silent. All that was left was the Falwood breeze, howling lowly through the alleyway like the quiet voice of a ghost.

Had they won? The Dreadlords had fended off whatever attackers had besieged them? Silas would normally have bet on the Anirians over Lycans any day of the week, but that did seem rather fast. Best not to look the gift horse in the mouth... Letting his magic wane a bit, Silas rests himself against the doors, exhausted and sore.

He released his breath in a long, relieved sigh, just as Rhidian stepped closer to speak.

"Is it dea---"

Silas didn't even have time to lash out at him for asking another fucking question before the door he leaned against thrashed even more violently than before. Artesto wasn't ready, and he paid the price for it, being flung across the alleyway by the impact and back-first into the opposite wall with a thud and a sharp groan of pain.

"Son of a-- nnngh!"

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Rhidian helped Silas stand, giving him a once over before looking to the cellar doors.

"Fuck this."

After making sure his friend could stand, Rhidian charged both his hands with his destructive magic. One blast had made the doors blow off the hinges inwards, the other hand lifted and ready to strike whatever was on the other side of the cellar. The doors had found a body, a shape Rhidian could make out in the rising sun of the day. The peek of sunshine revealed someone rising in the gathering clouds of dust from the impact of Rhid's magic, and he lifted his hand ready to hit them with it.

But Rhidian's brows furrowed, "What the fuck?" came out in a breath of surprise as the body moved to stand, unfazed by the fact he had winded her.

"Great. Initiates." The young woman rolled her neck and winced, but her dark eyes pierced Rhidian to the spot. Then a grin came.

"Did you meet Avery already?"

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas staggered back to his feet with some considerable effort; He could barely see straight after the impact he'd endured against the wall, and he only knew Rhidian was blowing the door when he felt the rush of destructive wind blowing back against his face.

It was almost too dramatic to be reality, the way that the morning sun finally peeked over the rooftops as the dust kicked up by Rhid's blast billowed forth, creating a smokescreen that hid whoever had been behind it. The rays of dawn cut through, revealing the form of a someone emerging from within.

Artesto had to rub his eyes. Had he been totally knocked silly by that blow to the back of the head? Because he could have fuckin' sworn...

"A woman?" He gaped. "That snarling, laughing, rhinocerous-strength thing we were posted up to guard was a woman?" Nobody knew better than Silas how scary the fairer sex could be, but he'd felt the power behind that door being battered from the other side. "Who the hell?"

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

"Who the hell?"

"Who the fuck are you?" He asked at the same time as his friend, staring stupidly at the young woman as she continued to dust herself off.

"Dreadlord Sen." She answered, as if it were obvious.

"Dreadlord?!" Rhidian didn't mean to sound so surprised, but scrambled to place himself between the Dreadlord and the only exit.

"Avery didn't tell you what your prisoner did to get locked up?" She coughed and took a moment to compose herself, catching her breath after the hit her body had taken. "The crime I am guilty of is that I know information I should not."

Rhidian frowned. Still, he did not give up his defensive stance. "Why not kill you?"

"I asked myself the same, but I guess that is something I will find out in Vel Anir." She nodded to something near Rhidian's feet. "He forgot to check they were on properly. Decided to play a trick on you both to scare you because I have been in here about a week."

"A week? What the..." Rhidian pinned her with a curious look. "Who are you?"

Sen straightened herself upright, looked to the towering Initiate and grinned like a feline. "Kitra Sen. The Lyrebird of Vel Cirak."

And then her mouth moved, taking shape to bare her teeth as she mimicked the sounds of a werewolf.

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas would have rolled his eyes, were he not so frustrated with this entire clusterfuck of a situation. He'd said from the beginning that this mission smelled rank. They'd been told so little, given information in tidbits, like animals following a food trail.

They'd never wanted Rhid and Silas to know what they were doing here. Now, he could see why. They weren't guarding some wild beast, or a war criminal. They were aiding in the imprisonment of one of their own. A Dreadlord, and one with an especially disarming trait, at that.

"Lyrebird, Songbird, Next mission they're going to have me chasing a chicken." Artesto grumbled as he rose to his feet, keeping his eyes trained on the stranger. She hadn't made a move yet, but she was a Dreadlord, and she'd been cooped up under lock and key for a week. He wouldn't blame her if she tried to attack, or escape.

As quickly as he's able, he stumbles over to to cover the other escape route. Not that Kitra couldn't easily blow through one of them if she really wanted to. Even after being locked up for a week, she seemed quite spry.

"So, they want to interrogate you, then?" If she was jailed for what she knew, then they obviously wanted to have a word with her. So then what were they doing here standing outside of her door all evening? Shouldn't they have been getting her the hell out of here, before whatever was ravaging this city got to her first? "You don't have anything to do with what's going on here?"

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

The sound of a werewolf coming from her own lips made Rhidian stumble, and fell mere feet before Silas. Swearing under his breath, he got up to see Kitra grinning at them both.

"Yes, I do suppose I am to be interrogated once I have been transferred. There's a nice Healer down that way, one that will listen to Avery and keep quiet about all of this." Her tone turned serious, her face falling to one of a hardened Dreadlord. Rhidian reckoned she was only a couple of years older judging by her appearance.

"So... we aren't actually on official orders?" He had been sitting for a moment before rising to his full height, frowning alongside Silas. "That'd explain why we are being kept in the dark, Sy."

"Good. I was afraid I was going to have to explain everything to you both."

"So then... what are we to do now?" Looking back at Silas, Rhidian scowled at the decision before them. "Do we keep her here or... help her out?"

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Kitra didn't seem keen on fighting them, which was really the only thing Silas had been a bit worried about. Still, her explanation had him scratching his head a bit. Artesto had been on some cloak and dagger, hush hush assignments, but never anything so convoluted as an off-the-books mission.

"I... I'm kinda at a loss, to be honest with you."

Taking off with Kitra in tow seemed like a hell of a fast way to piss off anybody who wasn't in on this, and Silas didn't know that Avery fellow nearly enough to trust him without any official orders. On the other side of the coin, if they weren't supposed to be here in the first place, then they were already in considerably over their heads.

And honestly, he didn't want to stick around in this place any longer than he had to. From what Kitra had just told them, he was free to leave.

"Let's just get the hell out of here." Silas finally sighed, turning towards the end of the alley. "We can figure out what the hell we're doing with her afterwards." The chance he was going to promise to help some lady he barely knew was slim to nada, but keeping her here? That assumed she'd let them, and given the display she'd already put on...

"Kitra, right?" He turned back to her, biting the inside of his cheek. Too many damned unknowns with this lady. "You good to walk?"

Rhidian