Tragedy of Rain 28 Chapter 28: Whispering demons

I reject you! She summoned the thought into her mind as elongated finger nails scratched at the back of her skull.

I reject you! She concentrated as the scratching became more intense.

"I reject you!" Rain said out loud to the empty air. She could feel the migraine growing making her sick. She tried to find purchase to anything she could hold onto. She gripped the windowsill and held on to it for dear life. The seconds were counted in heartbeats.

The white markings glowed an iridescent glow which lit up the room. Guardsmen from down below would claim they could see the tower lit up in ghostly light as the dawn broke and the first warning horns blew.

"I reject you," she said again a little quieter. Her hand was against her throat, it felt like something was moving inside her trying to break free. It was all in her head, she kept thinking to herself.

Several minutes passed until the mirror was gone, the scratching faded, and the pressure in her skull evaporated. Even still she kept her composure. She wouldn't dare look behind her, the smell of its presence still mixed in the air.

"But for how long," it's voice was deep, dark, and wet like blood. She cringed her teeth just listening to it. And then it was gone. Like a nightmare it had left.

When she could no longer smell it she knew it was safe to turn around. The room was empty, and even peaceful had it not been for the sounds of alarm outside.

Rain ran outside the room and down the staircase, her hand held the front of her robe to keep it together. A pair of guards each in mail armor with longbows ran past her, they barely saw her in time to dodge her. She noticed they didn't threaten or cajole her as they passed. That was new.

As soon as she found herself back to the floor she had started on she ran right into the body of Sir Tristan who seemed just as alarmed as she. The second Rain landed into him she caught a whiff of his scent, and instantly regretted it. Damnit, she thought to herself, why is he so sexy!

"By the gods I'm glad I found you, where were you?" His hands were large enough to grasp both shoulders with ease, but gentle enough to know there strength.

"They're here..." Rain didn't need to specify who.

The entire castle had been awoken into activity. Guardsman were pulled from beds by sergeants, many of which stank of intoxicants. In the armories boxes of gear were poured onto the tables amid the sounds of steel hammers. Horns blared, drums beat, and somewhere a bag pipe was singing.

"I should thank you," Sir Tristan exclaimed as the pair walked down the hall. Passing soldiers bowed. At first she thought they were only bowing to Sir Tristan, but it occurred to her they were bowing to both of them. They seemed to regard him as a prince, the son of their lord who they revolved around. Perhaps here far from the cities in no mans land, they were Kings if only in name only.

Why were they bowing to me? The thought kept hitting her. Some of the guards and servants even seemed frightened of her.

"For what?" As she asked a servant carrying a bundle of papers accidentally bumped into her causing her to drop them. She panicked, begging her for forgiveness and scooped the rolls of leaf documents to rush away.

"When you tried to overrun the castle about a month ago, it alerted us to a number of security issues. We won't be caught off guard again." It didn't seem to make a difference. The castle walls were so vulnerable she doubted any amount of preparation would suffice.

"Whatever happened to Severin?" It felt strange asking about him.

"We offered him a choice," Tristan spoke nonchalantly, "Life gelded or death."

Rain grew white just hearing him, he seemed to enjoy the look she had.

"He chose death of course, that man couldn't bear living without his manhood." Tristan shrugged his shoulders as if not sure he would choose the same.

"Why is everyone acting like their terrified of me?" Rain asked noticing another pair of elf servants refuse to look her in the eye.

"That's my fault, I might have floated a few rumors to give you a little more prestige around here." He spoke as if it was the least he could do. "Might as well make the most of it."

"What kind of rumors?" Another pair of servants shunned the halls, keeping to the doorways as they walked past.

"Oh nothing much...other than you being a succubus sent from the wastes."

She didn't expect that.

"What, you think I was going to tell them you were my woman or something?" He laughed.

"Actually yes, but a pleasure daemon...really?" They we're legends only. But a lot of things spawned from the uncharted wastes to the west.

"Hell yes it did, and I'm the only one to survive your seduction," He was obviously lying about that.

"I guess that explains why you didn't strangle me in my sleep. You can pretend to be the alpha male of the castle." The whole thing was ludicrous. Rain wasn't sure she should trust a man with such imagination.

Rain stopped in the hall, he was several steps ahead before he realized she was behind. He turned around and noticed how lost in thought she was.

"I'm tired to being led around. Where are you taking me." She felt fire burning inside her. She had to hold it back.

He thought about his answer for a moment, the sounds of people moving equipment echoed through the halls. "Isn't it obvious?" He asked her pessimistically.

She rose an eyebrow and wondered what was truly wrong with this brute of a man. A brute of a man with a brute of a—She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. This was insane, it was all insane. "It better not be the bath house."

He laughed, "Good gods woman, we're going to the damned armory. We don't have much time before they assault the walls."

She followed him but took a while before she caught up side by side. She didn't realize they were both smiling as they walked.

Rain felt out of place, she came here originally to kill their lord and take the castle. She then organized a coup. And now she was walking side by side with their lords son, being bowed to! Her heightened hearing didn't catch any sarcasm or slang curses as she passed. She heard no snickering from passing elf's that used to see her as a pestilence.

Even shorter than every other man or woman rushing past, she somehow felt taller.

They we're now walking down a stairwell. The smell of mint leaves floated from the bath house, "No were not doing that again," she did notice there was no lingering smell of spice. But she did wish she had time to clean up. Only to clean up, if only she hadn't wasted the opportunity.

"Dawn is breaking, they've never come out in the sunlight." He paused looking at her. She thought he was looking at how her nipples were poking against the robe. But what he was really looking at was the curse mark on her skin. It was glowing, and shifting. "We need to get ready, I took the liberty to have gear prepared for you."

"What kind of gear?"

"Something from the blacksmiths special inventory, I think you knew him." As soon as they walked outside the cold air impacted like a wave.

"Remon Butcher?" Rain asked while clinging to the robe. She tapped the pool of magic within herself to warm up her body to combat the icy cold.

"That's the clever bastard, the musket he made is the only reason he's still alive." he seemed to weather the cold like it unfazed him.

"Please don't tell me you gelded him." Remon might have been fool but he was a good man.

"Of course not, his manhood is larger than mine, it would be a tragedy."

The light of the sun slowly dipped over the building above. Rays of fire spread across the trees, lightning them up to reveal orange autumn leaves glistening with mildew.

They crossed the courtyard outside, men were arranging themselves in columns three men deep and 10 across. A collection were forming thinner columns twenty men wide. There were only two groups of them but each were armed with weapons similar to what she had seen Remon use. They were stuffing small bags of powder followed by thin lead balls into the long barrels.

Nature was already eating away at the walls, the yellow cobblestone looked like corpse flesh in the dawning light. It made her stomach sick just looking at it. Thick layers of vines draped over large sections of the crumbling walls. There was no point in manning them, or focusing any defense toward a central gate. The entire fortification was vulnerable. It's one of the reasons she found it so easy to enter in the first place. About a hundred men were arranged facing the walls creating a new one, not of rock but bodies. They carried shields and spears, axes and hammers, and muskets.

Just out of site a sound was just audible enough to hear. It took the place of insects or birds. The wind carried it over the walls as a collection of whispers.

Chapter end