Chapter 1
“Ugh, this blood is going to take ages to get off.” the cloaked woman commented, as her opponent dropped his halberd to clutch futilely at his slit throat. She stepped daintily over him, cleaning off her viciously curved daggers. Several of her compatriots had already finished off their opponents, and were busy securing the ornate hallways.
“How many dead?” barked a burly man, loosening his ax from the broken remains of his opponent.
“Five dead on our side, and three more severely wounded.” one of the assassins reported as he bandaged his gashed arm, sounding slightly awed. “These men are quite skilled. Without inside information, we would’ve been slaughtered at the walls.”
After all the corpses had been dragged away, and the injured killed to avoid revealing anything to their enemies, only seven assassins were still alive. The woman with the daggers sniffed.
“Well, all the chaff has been cleared away.” She commented nervously.
No one bothered to reply, fear and doubt settling in their minds. This commission was far too risky, even with the ridiculous payout. They barricaded the hallway, and moved on, the sound of clinking armor all too close, and even more ominously, the grim silence in which they came. The assassins moved quickly, but not quickly enough, as the doors on either side were flung open, and six figures emerged, one from each doorway.
They were cloaked in blue, and bandoliers of vials were slung under their cloaks. Their insignia was that of a snake, rather than the drake emblem stitched onto all Empire guards. After exiting their doorways, they simply stood in place, eyes distant behind their half-masks. One assassin stepped forward gingerly. No reaction. Another step. Nothing happened. She walked uneasily, trembling slightly, gaining confidence as she strode. The six figures appeared to ignore her. She reached the end of the hallway, and was about to open the large double doors.
Her finger had just barely touched the handle, before one of the figures materialized behind her, and took her head in two gloved hands, jerking it sideways with a sharp crack. He turned to face the remaining assassins, bowing slightly.
“The young heirs are at rest. We humbly request you do not disturb them. If you are still so uncouth as to refuse….”
“You shall be disposed of.” finished the other five. Their hands reached under their cloaks, and a pneumatic hiss was heard, as blades seemed to jump into their hands hilt first.
The assassins drew their own weapons in a slither of steel.
The blue-cloaked man in front of the doors surveyed them for a while, dismissing them with a glance. “No blood will be spilled in the presence of the heirs. For they are destined to inherit a land…”
“Of milk and honey, devoid of death and anguish.” Finished the other five quietly. The blades retreated back into their sheaths. The remaining assassins sprang forward, their expressions contorted in fury. “You would dare to mock us!”
Five sharp cracks were heard soon after. Five bodies slumped to the floor, joining their comrade.
The blue-cloaks looked on in shock, as one of their number fell heavily, his head rolling on the ground. The gilded carpet darkened with red. They sprang upon the lone survivor.
Empire, P.F. 666. An unknown assassin killed six Cobalt agents, and entered the royal chambers, executing [CENSORED]. Causing the Empire to declare war upon its nearest kingdoms, in what would be known as the Purge of the Thousand Suns. -Transcript from Scholar Godfrey’s private journals, Volume 1.
“The Empire as we know it, is a small land to the west. It is unique, in that it has almost everything it needs to survive. The Wyndwell mountain ranges that serve as a buffer to the Hinterlands also double as a rich source of minerals and ores. The farmlands have been known to be some of the most fertile on the continent, easily capable of feeding double the current population. The-”
Trelia sighed deeply, basking in the noonday sun as she moodily gazed out the large stone window. Across from her, many others in the lecture hall had already drifted off, lulled by the constant droning of Scholar Godfrey. Her mind wandered off outside, trying to keep her question in mind, as the soothing lecturing caused her eyelids to droop….
“Ms Arhival, perhaps you would like to answer my last question sometime this millennia?” She snapped out of her daze as Scholar Godfrey waited patiently, his smile fixed unnaturally upon his face. The other students chuckled, those awake at least. A single glare wiped their smug expressions off. She kicked the fat tabby cat dozing on her feet, hissing at him mentally. Quickly, what was the last question again?
How would I know? I can’t comprehend your human languages. Tobias retorted back, dragging himself out to better absorb the welcoming rays of the sun. Something to do with three Houses.
She bit the inside of her cheek to prevent a snide comment, racking her brain for enlightenment and cheat sheets, preferably the latter. “Well, uh, the three Houses of the Empire are, House Carmine, House Cobalt, and House Evergreen.” She held her breath, sighing with relief as he nodded and moved on.
“Unfortunately, I had asked for their purpose, but your lackadaisical answer will suffice.” He said curtly, dismissing her. Grating his chalk on the board sharply to call the class back to the present, he began sketching a rough map of the Empire in three different shades, blue, green, and red.
“The three houses each have their own role to play. House Cobalt is primarily concerned with intelligence. They have multiple organizations within and without the Empire, tasked with monitoring the rest of the continent.” He picked up the blue chalk, coloring in the capital city, Everward, and began sketching out thin blue lines, crisscrossing them through towns and villages.
“However, their primary weakness is their lack of pure military power. Although they could sabotage a fort, their agents would never be able to hold it. They do not have the numbers, nor the power. Which is where House Carmine comes in.”
He used the red briefly, dabbling at their borders and key fortress cities.
“House Carmine, is perhaps the more controversial house out of the three. It holds complete control of all military assets within the Empire. Navies, armies, and their air forces. Within the Empire, there will be not a single Cobalt officer. Every fighter swears loyalty to House Carmine, second to only the Emperor.”
