Citadel Archives

The bookcase crashed to the ground and three bedraggled soldiers stumbled into the room. The room was an old section of the library, covered in dust. Rook stumbled over and put his back up against another case against the wall. Xyla sat on her knees, she still had tear tracks in the dust on her face. Jack was finally getting the ringing from his ears and a new sound reached them. Battle. “We can’t be too late” Jack murmured “move out.” He immediately began to jog toward the sounds of combat.

They walked out of the archives into the depths of Jack’s worst fear. Around thirty soldiers in the duke’s color, and men in an array of civilian outfits were attacking the citadel guards. The dozen Citadel guards were pinned at the door to the east hall. Whether they were retreating, or holding was impossible to tell, but Jack wasted no time in walking up behind one of the archers and slashing the back of his unprotected neck. Rook and Xyla followed suit, with a mace crushing skull, and an arrow through the back respectively. It didn’t take long for the invaders to realize they had a new enemy from behind. Whoever they were, they were professionals. While Jack and his team had moved in behind, with the element of surprise, they were vastly outnumbered. As the back row turned their attention upon Jack, he had to kick his exhausted body into action. He twisted to the side, dodging a crossbow bolt from his flank while simultaneously stabbing his Katar into the thigh of an archer on his left. His left pulling the trigger as the first gunshot rang our, killing and archer who was aiming at Rook. He had come too far now, he had five bullets left in each Katar, and he couldn’t hesitate to get to Aiden. With the sound of gunfire, the plain clothes soldiers immediately focused on the new threat of three pulling away from the citadel soldiers. Rook took a sword slash on his shield then crushed a knee cap with his mace, a smile on his face as he powered through his weariness. The look of fear on the enemies face as twenty men turned on three, this… this is what it meant to be a Raven.

Mathew had been a guard for four years, and never before had he raised his halberd to another human. The duke’s men and the mercenaries had fallen on them before they knew they were under attack. He had been on duty outside the throne room when the coup had started. They hadn’t seen much, but when the king’s elite went down to the men in armor, him and the young men with him knew it was time to flee. If they hadn’t ran into the Sergeant and his men, they would already have been overwhelmed already. Then he saw the tide shift. The enemy combatants switched their focus, his sergeant noticed it too and shouted “Push” Even his limited experience was enough to know that another unit must have hit their rear, with a burst of their flagging energy, they amped up their attack. As they pushed them back, Mathew finally saw their saviors, three armored demons that everyone on the squad immediately recognized, the Ravens. Mathew truly hoped the rumors about them turning traitor weren’t true, because if they were his life was forfeit.

Jack grabbed the halberd behind the head and pulled, the soldier not releasing the handle in time stumbled forward as Jack plunged his Katar into his ribs under his right arm. That soldier was the last to fall as he and his weary team looked over the guards they had saved. Behind the Ravens masks one couldn’t see their state, but the guard had no such luxury and they were obviously exhausted and scared. Jack looked the unit over and noticed the sergeant's stripes and his eyes bore into the man. “Sergeant, where is the prince?”

Sergeant Smulders sighed, this day was getting longer. The man in armor before him was none other than the Blood Raven himself. With his armor looking dirty, ragged and covered in dried blood he now understood the nomenclature. There had been rumors of the Raven’s being traitors but every career soldier had dismissed it, anyone who had ever met the man knew that was impossible. Beyond that, the fact that he saved them was a clear indicator he was not on the side of the Duke's men. Smolders saluted and replied “On their way to the Valkyrie pad commander” Jack nodded and looked at the dead men at his feet. “The duke turned traitor, I had assumed as much.” Smulders shook his head, “No sir, the Duke was one of the first slain, these five were on duty outside the throne room” the sergeant nodded toward another young man. Mathew gulped and stepped forward. He saluted and spoke. “It’s true sir, the duke died protecting the king from the dukes own men, they had a white like armor sir, and they were terrifying.”

Jack was confused. He had been sure the duke was the traitor since they had left Hellsgate. His rush back had been in concern of this exact worry. His own men turned on him? That was absurd, the Duke was an imposing man, to turn his own men against him was a high order. His thoughts turned to Chad but he immediately dismissed it, the man was a bumbling idiot, this was too well planned, too precise it would have taken someone methodical and cunning and… It hit him like a physical blow. “No” Jack mumbled, his blood draining from his face. “The princess, she is with the prince?” Mathew stammered, not understanding the change in the deadly man's demeanor. “Yes sir” Jack cursed “And the king he died in the throne room?” Mathew was sweating now “I’m not sure sir, his knights were taken by surprise and were dying fast sir. I. We didn’t wait to see” Mathew put his head down, avoiding the looks of the others he had dragged into this. Jack felt his resolve solidify. “The king is alive or not, we head toward the Valkyrie pad, you men with me.” He turned and started down the hall. The guards stood there in a stupor, not understanding what was going on. Smolders sighed again, then he nodded and fell into his routine. “Well you heard the commander, get your asses moving.” The men snapped to their senses and followed after the commander. Smolders just hoped he wasn’t about to lead them all to their doom.