When Kal left home, the sun had long risen behind the clouds.
Normally he rose from bed early, but staying up all night on the tower the day before yesterday had impacted his sleep schedule.
His father hadn’t awakened him before leaving for his guard shift. Luckily Kal was free that morning, so he could pass the time however he wished.
So he decided he would take a leisurely walk down to the harbor.
Setting off toward the main street, he passed in front of his neighbor’s house. And he narrowly avoided bumping into a little boy who right at that moment suddenly emerged running from that house’s entrance arch.
«Careful, Gelos.» A calm voice, belonging to someone who was moderately worried but not panicking.
Following the child, out of the arch came the tall and strongly built figure of Kydalim, Kal’s neighbor.
The man stopped for a single instant, flashing him an apologetic smile, then resumed following his son, without staying too close but not letting him out of his sight. He must have been his fourth child, or maybe the fifth, Kal didn’t really know. They were a large family.
The young man carried on, passing in front of Ark’s house. He saw a woman in the front yard, watering some plants. He recognized his friend’s mother.
Semna Tritina turned as if she had felt his presence, and glared at him with hostility, before snorting and going back to her flowers. Kal wasn’t offended. It was that woman’s way of saying “good morning”.
After Ark’s house came Fyra’s. That morning she wasn’t in the front yard. She was probably already in town. Thinking back to what had happened the day before, Kal decided that it was better this way.
Now he had arrived to the far end of the block of houses. If he took a right turn he would reach the main street, and from there he could go down to the harbor.
But right at that moment, suddenly he became aware of a dull sound, like a constant low rumble in the distance. It was coming from outside the walls, to the west.
He was taken by a sudden feeling of dread and forced himself to drive it away. It was impossible, if that was happening somebody would have already sounded the alarm. And yet, even if just out of curiosity, he opted to go up the walls and see what was going on. So he kept going straight, toward the West Wall.
The closed Kal got and the stronger the sound became. Once he was almost below the walls, he saw a watchwoman descend the stairs that led to the battlements as fast as she could, before sprinting in the direction of the Rook.
The feeling of dread came back, and this time the boy was unable to chase it away.
He went up the stairs and reached the top of the wall.
The first two things he saw were the siren to his right and a watchman standing to his left. The watchman was a boy less than a year older than him that Kal had met a few times, but they weren’t part of the same company: on his uniform he wore the insignia of a silver diamond, Kal’s was a golden star.
Nevertheless, the older boy greeted him: «Hey! You’re Kalos, of captain Astor’s company! What are you doing here at this hour? It’s our turn to patrol the west side of the wall.»
He sounded cheerful and unbothered, but Kal noticed that his expression was tensely worried.
He looked at the plain beyond the walls.
And saw the column of soldiers approaching.
There were hundreds of them, maybe a thousand. They were marching steadily. The sound Kal had heard was that of the stones moved by their advance along the road. He judged it would take them less than an hour to reach the gates.
He had to sound the alarm.
One part of his mind lazily wondered why nobody had done so yet, but he was already reaching for the siren’s handle.
«Don’t move!»
Kal looked at the watchman again. His comrade in arms was pointing the long barrel of his dolikos right at him. That answered his question, as painful an answer as it was.
«I don’t want to do this.» the watchman said, clearly terrified. «I swear I don’t, but I will if you sound the alarm. You’re a nice guy. Don’t make me do this.»
Kal asked: «What are you doing? What is going on?»
«Go home.» the boy answered. «Go back home and lock the door. By lunchtime it will all be over. They’re here only for Stefan. Get down those stairs and pretend you saw nothing.»
Only then Kal realized that the incoming soldiers were wearing the blue colors of the Principate military. And in an instant he understood that the rumors he had refused to believe were all true: there was going to be war between exarch Stefan and the Regent.
«Don’t throw your life away.» the watchman continued. «They won’t hurt anybody. All they’ll do is take Stefan away. In the end, that’s what he deserves. It’s justice, nothing else.»
Kal was unable to immediately refute those words. Technically, the watchman was right. If the exarch had betrayed the Principate, he had to be arrested and punished for his crimes. It was justice, like he said.
And yet…
Despite his pledge, despite the duty to the Principate he was taught to have, Kal felt that would be wrong.
He just had to think of the city. Not the exarch, but the citizens. His family. His friends.
«“They won’t hurt anybody”?» he answered, repeating the watchman’s words. «There’s hundreds of them, all armed. They’re not here for one lone man!»
«They’re here for Stefan and all his supporters!» the watchman admitted. The dolikos trembled slightly in his hands. «But they’ll have no reason to harm those who don’t fight! Go back home and you’ll be safe!»
«So whoever is found outside on the streets will be considered an enemy? Is this “justice” for you? Answer me!»
The boy hesitated. The grip on his dolikos loosened. For an instant, he looked away, toward the approaching army.
That instant was enough.
With a speed and precision that caught Kal himself by surprise, he grabbed the barrel of the weapon with one hand, moved it away and lunged forward, getting out of its range.
Then, closing the other hand in a fist, he punched the watchman right in the face.
He felt something break.
The watchman fell on his back, conscious but apparently stunned. Blood gushed out of his nose, now a little more crooked than a few moments before.
Kal rushed to the siren and started turning the handle. The only feeling that came from his right hand was pain, but he ignored it.
The siren’s rotor started to spin, and out of its horn came a powerful sound, like a wolf’s howl, spreading through the air and reaching every ear in town.
Helena heard the alarm while he was eating breakfast with her father in the Rook’s great hall.
The two were used to eating in silence, because her father was better at speeches than at normal conversations, but she was fine with that. It was a precious moment of quiet, just for the two of them.
Just before the siren, Helena had heard approaching footsteps from behind the hall’s door. However, she had not given that noise much thought. It probably just meant the start of another busy morning.
Then came the siren’s wail, and barely a few moments later the door was opened with far more violence than usual. In barged a dozen watchers, surrounding father and daughter.
At first, Helena thought they came to protect them from whatever had caused the alarm, but when her father rose from the table and asked: «What is happening?» two watchers drew their weapons and pointed them at him.
Helena did not even try to stand up. She cautiously turned her head to the door behind her and saw the person who entered following the guards.
«Captain Zalekh! What is the meaning of this?» she exclaimed, even as he feared to already know the answer.
The third captain of the watch was wearing his control band and held in his hand a thin bluish sword. He approached them without hurry, and spoke to her father as if she did not even exist: «Stefan Arystid, you are under arrest for smuggling of weapons, conspiracy against the Principate and high treason.»
«Wha… what?» her father replied, dumbfounded.
Zalekh ignored his words as well and continued: «You will be escorted to Arlis, where you will be judged for your crimes in front of the Synedrion for your crimes.»
Helena was speechless. She had imagined many possible scenarios for the upcoming war, but in none of them had she considered treason. And clearly neither did her father.
«I trusted you!» he said. There was no anger in his voice, only sadness. «Why are you doing this? Are you being blackmailed?»
Zalekh’s expression remained unreadable: «At this moment, the armory where you stored all mikrai and dolikoi you bought from Dysis in exchange for your treason is under our control. You have lost.»
«Is it envy?» Helena’s father insisted. «Are you still angry at me and Astor because he was made first captain in your stead? I know you would never betray us for money, you’re not that greedy. Answer me!»
He made one step toward Zalekh. In an instant, two watchmen restrained him and pinned him against the table, unable to move a muscle.
The captain sighed: «Even at this point, Stefan Arystid, you are unable to even conceive the idea that you’re in the wrong.»
«Because he is not!» Helena screamed, and for the first time since he entered the hall Zalekh laid his eyes on her.
The girl understood she could not hesitate: she had to use all her abilities, she had to convince him, before this brief interval of attention ended.
«Zalekh, how much evidence did my father give you of the corruption in the Principate over these years? How can you still not believe him? If you really care about justice, then release us this instant!»
Zalekh approached her. Helena was sure she was breaking through to him. She only needed one final push. What could she say that would affect him the most…?
The punch caught her utterly unprepared.
She fell to the floor, curling up and instinctively grasping her abdomen.
Inside the haze of pain, she still managed to hear Zalekh’s voice: «Had such a speech come out of your father’s lips I might have listened. For it would have been sincere. Spare your empty words for someone foolish enough to be tricked by them, little girl. And stay there. The next time you open your mouth to annoy me I will use my sword.»
Helena could only whimper. For the pain, for her humiliation, but most of all for the overwhelming sense of powerlessness she was feeling.
Was everything really going to end like this? She could not accept it.
At that moment, she heard screams and the noise of someone fighting.
«What the…?» Zalekh’s voice.
A sound like the crack of a whip.
A surprised shout.
Running footsteps.
More cracks, more screams and then the sound of metal against metal.
«Astor! Take the Exarch and run!» another voice. Prauss.
Helena forced herself to open her eyes. She saw a man standing over her. She recognized him.
«Give me your hand, Helena Dorina.» captain Astor said.
She held out her hand and he helped her stand up.
She saw her father, not far from her. He had been freed from the watchers who had restrained him, but he was still clearly in shock. Behind him, Prauss pointed his sword at Zalekh, keeping him away from them.
«Go!» he shouted as more watchers were already pouring into the hall from all entrances.
Helena’s father looked at him, for a single moment, and nodded. In that gesture, Helena saw all his gratitude and all his respect. And a farewell.
Then her father turned to her and Astor. He said only three words, to the captain: «Lead the way!»
And the three started running.
Kal felt movement behind him.
He let the handle go and turned back.
The watchman he had hit was now back on his feet and had drawn his mikra. He instantly realized he wouldn’t be able to stop him in time.
The boy took aim.
There was a crack, and then the watchman arched his back and fell forward, with a gargled cry. On his back, Kal saw a bleeding round hole.
Kal was momentarily paralyzed. However he heard a voice calling him.
«Kal! On your feet, Kal! Look at me!»
He realized a man had approached him. He saw the mikra in his hand. And then he recognized his stern face, to which, according to many adult acquaintances, his own had taken after.
«Dad…» he said. But then he looked once more to the corpse in front of him.
He had had no qualms about fighting him. He had punched him in the face. But he had never wanted to…
«You, you’ve…»
«Yes. I know.» His father said. «But if I didn’t, he would have killed you.»
Kal knew his father was right. But it was nevertheless hard to accept.
«Now listen to me. We have little time.» His father locked eyes with him. «We’ve been betrayed. Captain Zalekh and his company sold themselves out to the Regent. The only reason there’s still hope for us is that our captains were suspicious of him.»
Kal was still in a daze. «What are you talking about?»
«Don’t interrupt me! You have to go to the harbor. Captain Astor has planned for an evacuation. Follow your captain and take che citizens to safety.»
«What do you mean “take to safety”? What about the city?»
«The city is lost,Kal!» his father shouted. On his face, the boy saw despair. That face that he had almost always seen stoically calm.
«If we had stayed united, we might have had a chance to resist. But now that we’re fighting among ourselves… Please. Take your sister, take your mother and go to the harbor.»
Kal was about to obey, but then he noticed.
«…What about you?»
His father shook his head. «Evacuating the citizens through the harbor is the duty of your company. The duty of mine…» he made a step back and looked at the approaching army. «…is to keep them away from you for as long as it will be possible.»
«But…» the boy started to object.
«You have your orders, watchman Kalos Aregonid. Go and carry them out.» his father interrupted him, without turning back to him.
Kal felt like insisting. But he knew that would be useless. His father was right. Both of them had their duty.
He rushed down the stairs.
Praying whatever god was listening that today wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other.
Afterword
It’s been a while. Author speaking here.
I hope you’ve been enjoying the story so far. It still has a long way to go.
I’m here just to announce that starting next week I will begin to try monetizing this little work of mine. Like I say right there at the top of the page: I write so I do not starve.
Worry not, the chapters will keep coming once a week for free. However, should you be so generous as to spare some coin for this humble writer, you could gain the privilege of… reading ahead, let’s say.
Further details will come next week, and I hope to see you again here then.
And as always, If you like what you read, do tell your friends.
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