Chapter 428 - Warlock Stronghold

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Nisha was bored out of her mind at Hump’s side. An hour or two of walking was one thing, but pacing along at the speed of humans really wasn’t something Nisha was used to. She was desperate to stretch her wings, but timing didn’t allow it. Also, with Celaine ahead and Hump worrying, she was more anxious than she should be. All in all, Hump could feel her impatience constantly, niggling at the edge of his consciousness and making his own problems worse. It was a vicious cycle, but one that Hump was pleased to have. At least it was a distraction.

Anara had them stop after a while. The scouting party had stopped moving, which meant one of two things. Either the warlocks were done with their journey, or they had been discovered. Or…

“This is the worst,” Hump said. “Celaine could be fighting at this very moment and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

They’d been walking all day, following Anara as they pursued the warlocks. It was dark now. The sky was empty of anything—no moon, no stars… nothing. The hells were always viewed as fiery places filled with demons, but Hump had to wonder if nothingness qualified too. The only thing that kept him sane was that his party was at his side. Or at least, most of them.

Celaine had yet to return. Perhaps an hour ahead of them, the scouting party advanced into gods knew what.

Bud put a hand on his shoulder. “She will be fine. “This is Celaine we’re talking about.

Hump nodded. “Yeah. I know.”

***

“They’re getting close,” Anara finally said.

Hump rose to his feet and stared out into the darkness ahead of them. There was almost no light here, but after becoming dragon blooded his eyes were far better than they used to be. Still, searching the land, he nobody.

They appeared out of nothingness, all five of the scout force, Celaine amongst them. A relieved smile came to Hump’s face at the sight of Celaine. She smiled back, then turned her attention to Anara. Hump realised all of them looked pleased. A flicker of excitement brew in his chest—they’d found something.

“It’s good news,” Anara stated, seeming to read the same thing on Lana’s face.

“Excellent news, Anara,” Lana said, exhilaration in her voice. “We found a stronghold. I don’t know if it’s the main one, but it’s big and full of demons and soldiers. We’ve got them!”

Hump drew a deep breath, optimism filling him. His mind went to the kid he’d found in the slums of Elenvine, Mav. If his sister was still alive, there was a good chance she’d be here. He’d promised him that he would find her, and Hump intended to keep that promise.

Prince Gregory shook a clenched fist. “Good work everyone. Fantastic work! The gods have truly blessed us today.”

“Indeed, they have,” Anara said, a grin on her face. “Did they spot you?”

Lana shook her head. “They have no idea.” She pulled out an artifact map and the expedition force gathered around. “The stronghold is a few miles north of here.”

“Where does that place us relative to Alveron?” Prince Gregory asked.

“I’ve been thinking about that a bit, your highness,” Teff said, the ranger stroking his chin. “It’s hard to give an answer with any confidence but based on my experience travelling from the Infernal Halls to Alveron, I expect we are somewhere near the Dukedom of Yore. It’s well positioned for access to the Fallen Lands as well as Fort Nordric, which would explain how they could undertake their recent activities in the north.”

“It’s also about as far from Elenvine as one could go while still being in Alveron,” Anara said. “A logical place to retreat to while they rebuild their force. What did you make of the stronghold’s numbers?”

“Celaine could see best,” Lana said, turning to her.

“I could tell little other than that the walls were well garrisoned,” Celaine said. “There were a mixture of demons and humans, and they were armed like any army I’ve seen. The walls were too tall for me to see anything more.”

“For them to dedicate so much to man the walls can only mean this is a key location,” Prince Gregory said. “The king will be gladdened at the news, Marshal. Mark my words. All of you will be well rewarded for your work this day!”

“It pleases me greatly to hear that,” Anara said. “Let us not get too far ahead of ourselves, however. We’ve located the stronghold. Now we must get back to Elenvine undetected. We could find ourselves back to where we were yesterday if the warlocks find out they are discovered. Our advantage, for the first time, lies in the fact that we know something they do not.”

“Of course, you are correct,” Prince Gregory said. “Forgive my enthusiasm. What are your orders, Marshal?”

Anara thought for a moment. “Lana, did you leave any trace of yourselves?”

“No. They will never know we were there.”

“Then we will not risk anything more today,” Anara said. “As much as I’m sure we would all like a look of the stronghold, we must return to Elenvine. There, it will be up to Command what we do next.” She turned back to Lana. “I’m sure we’d all appreciate a more detailed report on what you discovered.”

Lana smiled. “Of course.” She looked to the other members of the scout party. “Who wishes to begin?”

They spoke as they walked, and Hump listened to every word. Between the five scouts, they had about as detailed a report as one could ask for. During their time stalking the warlocks, they’d witnessed a few instances of advanced magic during shade attacks. From the way the warlocks had moved, they hadn’t cared one bit if they drew attention from anything in the Remnant Realm. They moved with complete carelessness. Either they knew there was nothing around, or they were simply too powerful a force to care.

As for the stronghold, it was a tiered fortress with two concentric walls—the inner rising higher than the outer, both bristling with jagged battlements and ward runes. Crude towers were carved directly into the cliffs behind, giving the defenders a clear advantage over the surrounding wasteland. They had more than enough light to see anyone approaching, and a deep pit surrounding the outer wall to make that approach near impossible without earth wielders.

There was no way it had been built overnight, that was for sure. This was a major fortification, and if it was as well defended as Hump expected, it would be a terrifying battle to assault it. There was a reason castles were so common. They were effective. A few defenders could hold off against many times their number, and that was before defensive enchantments and magic came into the picture.

“The one advantage I can think of as an assaulting force is that we can return to our own realm to recover our essence,” Prince Gregory said. “This sounds like a challenging siege, but not impossible. The warlocks will be unable to collect more essence stones or import food.”

“We also will have an advantage in numbers and Chosen,” Anara said.

A thought occurred to Hump. “Unless they have access to rifts.”

The two looked at him.

“Damn it,” Prince Gregory said. “He’s right. I don’t believe they would choose a fortification with no passage to our realm when there are so many alternative choices out there. They will have food, resources, and an escape path if they need it.”

“We would need to locate the other end of that rift and lay siege it too,” Anara said. She let out a long sigh. “I think I shall leave deeper thought on this matter to the specialists. I have little experience attacking human fortifications.”

“Few in this age do,” Prince Gregory said. “History has a way of repeating itself, though, and my teachers have taught me of many instances where Chosen claimed a warlock fortress, successes and failures alike. Needs must, Marshal. We will figure it out, for there is no alternative. This evil must finally be put to an end.”

Listening to the prince speak, Hump thought the man truly meant it. He felt it to his bones.

Hump lagged behind the main force, his mind wandering. He and his party were right at the rear, and he could already feel himself tiring. It had been a long day.

“I like him,” Bud said quietly. “After the fall of Sir Tobias Godfrey, I’ll admit, I had my doubts at times. It’s good to see the kind of prince we fight for.”

Hump glanced at the night. “Yeah.”

“You don’t agree?”

“I didn’t say that. It’s just… At the end of the day, Prince Gregory is a Chosen of the fourth circle. He can’t imagine the power of our enemies. An enemy that had proved themselves in subterfuge and battle. Even if the warlocks are unaware that they’ve been discovered, I have no doubt that they will be ready. Words and confidence only get a person so far.”

Hump had seen the demon lord in the Infernal Halls, he had witnessed the living wall of the citadel and been there when Warlock Anthony had fought the Three Eyes. Now that only two seals remained, he was anything but confident.

“That’s rich coming from you,” Dylan said with a chuckle. “You’re always good at saying a few words when we need them. Don’t underestimate the power of good morale.”

“You’re right,” Hump said. “I’m probably reading too much into it.”

He remembered Starrick’s warning. The next War of the Firmament was coming, and somehow, even with this discovery, Hump felt they were no closer to stopping it.

***

Hump’s lungs burned as the crested the final ridge overlooking the Elenvine temple. His robes clung to him, damp with sweat even with the cooling properties of his cloak, and every breath felt like it scraped against his throat. They’d been pushing hard ever since leaving the warlock trail behind them, covering miles of barren wasteland in a desperate rush back to friendly territory. The showed on everyone’s faces. Exhaustion weighed on them. Even the Chosens’ blessings hadn’t done enough to stave off the bone-deep weariness that clung to them all. In a world without usable essence, it simply required so much more effort to move.

The towering stone columns of the temple were a sight for sore eyes, silhouetted against the grey wasteland beyond. Relief rippled through the ranks as they slowed to a march. Some began murmuring in low voices, others simply breathed easier. Even Nisha let out a low, pleased rumble at Hump’s side. She’d enjoyed flying for a while, but even her near-endless supply of energy was running out.

But the sight waiting at the temple’s steps soured the mood instantly.

A figure stood at the entrance, clad in the messenger uniforms used by those working directly for command—dark green with silver trim. A royal messenger.

Hump felt a pit open in his stomach. This wasn’t normal. Not once had a messenger been waiting for them after an expedition. It could only mean bad news.

The group hurried forward, and the messenger wasted no time.

“Marshal Anar. Your Highness,” he greeted stiffly, offering a quick salute. “Urgent word from Command.”

“What has happened?” Anara demanded.

“Fort Nordric has fallen.”

A stunned silence swept through the expedition like a freezing wind. Hump felt the breath punch from his lungs. Fort Nordric? It was the last major defensive bastion standing between the Fallen Lands and northern Alveron.

Gone.

Nothing now stood between Alveron and the warlocks.

“News arrived in the early hours of the night,” the messenger continued grimly. “The fortress is destroyed. Most of the outer walls were reduced to rubble in the opening hours. Survivors say demons and warlocks swarmed the breaches like ants, and a red fog in the air.”

Prince Gregory swore under his breath, fists clenched at his sides. “Survivors?”

“Many were evacuated during the assault, but we do not have any information beyond that.” The messenger glanced at the prince. “There is some good news, though, milord. Prince Kassius was rescued.”

Hump’s heart drop. His mind spun back to Bledsbury Dungeon, to the warlock who had slipped away into a black rift. Kassius. A traitor in the royal family, alive and free.

The prince’s expression tightened, a shadow falling over his face. His eyes darted to Hump, the unspoken question clear.

What does this mean?

Hump could only give a subtle shake of his head. He had no answer.

“Well…” Hump said quietly to his party. “This can’t be good.”