King Rurak left the castle through a long-forgotten passage know only to the kings of past. Old cobwebs stuck to his horns and clothes as he passed through it. He didn’t want to do this, but he knew the information needed would come from them. As his scouts scoured the human lands for more signs of wolfs, only a small town of long dead humans were found, but not by fangs and claws, but by knife and fire. The cave systems had to be the answer, and the guild he was about to ask lived deep in their bowels. He reached the old wooden door and it creaked as it opened, revealing a forgotten forge carved of rock. The large area was dark, but his eyes adjusted to its blackness and he saw the mine entrance. He stood tall before the dark pit his nocturnal vision having difficulty piercing.

“Send word to Apex, his king wishes to have a word.” Rurak spoke into the darkness. No response came, not even a sound except the echo of his words off the cold stone walls. He knew his words were heard, so he found a chair and sat looking over the old forge.

An hour passed and Rurak began losing his patience, he knew it was a power game. Rurak and kings before him waited for no one except for Apex. Apex’s hornless assassin guild was a secret to the kingdom, and that secret came at a cost. Apex knew the power he had over the kings and Rurak knew he used it every chance he had. As the second hour approached Rurak stood up, his anger rising with him.

“You summoned me my lord.” A slithering voice startled Rurak and he tried to follow the voice to the darkness. He couldn’t see or sense anything.

“Apex, the wolves have invaded the south.” Rurak paused, but no response came.

“I need you to use your resources to find out everything you know about it.” He paused again, but still no response came after a minute of silence.

“Your hornless will search the caves for any sign of the wolves and speak to your human sources to see if they know anything.”

“For a price, what you ask can be considered.” Apex’s voice sounded right next to Rurak. Rurak stepped back, but nothing moved in the shadow where it came from. “The caves run deep and long. Some are dangerous and abandoned, some filled with creatures from the dark. What you ask will take time.” Apex’s voice came from the shadow to Rurak’s right and his right ear flicked at the sound, his eye trying to spot the crippled creature.

“You have a few days Apex.”

“Explore the caves yourself since your impatient.”

Rurak’s eyes narrowed and his hand gripped his sword hilt, his ears flicking trying to find where the voice came from.

“You do not command me, Apex.”

“And I don’t exist.”

Rurak paused and breathed deep. He was the most powerful being in the known land, yet forced to be a peasant to Apex due to the kingdoms biggest secret.

“Fine, take the time required, but know that if the wolves cross to the south and spread, we will all be at risk of their infestation.” Rurak reached to his belt and removed two large pouches. “For your troubles.” He threw the heavy purses of coin into the darkness, but never heard them hit the ground.

“You will be notified once anything is learned.”

Rurak nodded, he walked towards the door and with a loud creak it opened. He looked back into the darkness one last time. “Our kingdom could end, the game you play with kings can wait till its settled.” No response came. Rurak shook his head and closed the door behind him.

~

When the door shut Apex released his shadow and the darkness flowed off him like water. He tied the purses to his belt where his sharpened horn daggers were sheathed. He wore tight, dark leather with various small knives sheathed along his chest and legs. His hood hid his face, but his eyes flashed purple in the hood as the magic released. He straightened his back, as the room brightened slightly as the shadows fell away into the corners.

“What have you learned from the half blood villages?” Apex dropped his slithery voice he used when he acted as the cripple. His voice was a natural bass with which intertwined with superiority. Apex looked slightly over his shoulder where two figures formed from the shadows and came to his side as they entered the cave entrance.

“Nothing.” Jio said eyeing the purses then glancing to Apex’s hand which rested on the hilt of his sharpened horn dagger.

“What of the half breeds?”

“Nothing.” Vertex said, his eyes flashing at Jio.

They walked in silence, their footsteps from years of training made no sound. They were shadows as they walked. After walking through the maze of tunnels in darkness they entered a large open area, Apex stopped and overlooked the training ground of new horns. Bright blue crystals embedded into the wall lit up the large area. They were young, their horns just beginning to grow.

“Jio, take some of the guild and begin searching the human towns and closest cities. Find out what you can.” Apex untied one of the large purses and handed it to him. “Bribe if needed.”

“It will be done.” Jio smirked and nodded, walking to another maze of tunnels.

“Why do you trust him with that gold?” Vertex asked still watching the new horns train.

“I trust no one.”

“Not even me?”

“Especially not you.” Apex let a smile slip as he removed the hood from his head. His horns were nothing but short stubs. He recently removed his horns and fashioned them into the daggers that he wore proudly on his belt. Smaller horn daggers, whittled down from use were strapped to his legs and forearm.

“I took my name in honor of you. I do not wish to take your place.” Vertex said removing his hood revealing his cut horns.

“It is the way of the Hornless.”

“Perhaps, Jio will challenge you before me.”

“He will, then when he fails, you must succeed to continue what I have started.”

“You grow stronger and faster every year, you are no frail old bull.”

“Two centuries have passed, I am an old bull.”

“But a pure blood.”

“So are many that live within the guild.”

“Only one other of Aesturion Blood, and his life has just begun.”

“Few will challenge you, most view you as their father. The only one with the heart to not end our lives at birth for being a runt.”

“We take what we kill. As you did to become my second.”

“He was cocky and slow with his left thrust.”

“But the blood you spilt to raise to my second. If I am your father, what do you think about me letting my children kill themselves to get closer to my side?”

“It is the way of the Hornless.” Vertex said, his eyes glancing at Apex without any remorse or ill feelings.

“We are strong and a hidden dagger that can be wielded to start or end a war, and you keep us secret and continue to teach us. We have freedom to leave the guild at any point, the bonds we make here, even as shallow as they are tie us here and to you. It’s a rock cage with the door open. The only place in the known world where we are accepted and have purpose, so we shut the open door to our rock cage.”

Apex nodded along with Vertex and sighed heavily.

“Purpose is the only thing any of us truly desire in life. To find it is the true feeling of accomplishment.” Apex said looking out over the training.

“Vertex, go deep into the tunnels, that must be the way they are crossing the mountains. Go deeper then we scout normally. Take guildsmen with you, the deep is filled with hordes of creatures which use to call our home their own.”

Vertex nodded and faded away into a nearby tunnel.

Apex stood thinking to himself about the wolf invasion. He was concerned, but the invasion would affect him and his guild very little. They lived and thrived in the caves. They were a self-sustained hidden kingdom which relied very little on the humans and minotaur’s. His hand mindless went to the bone fragment that hung from his neck on a simple leather rope. His hand twitched over it without notice as Apex thought about how the guild would continue on. If the minotaur were overrun and the humans extinct, the world he knew would indeed be very different.