While dread crept into his mind at the very thought, Ramak was forced to agree with Princess Alicia. The Cabal and Seroli alliance had just received word from its spies that the battle between the Sarafan army and the Clans had begun.
It was still unclear exactly how the battle was processing, but whatever the outcome; an opportunity such as this was not to be missed.
The Order would be distracted with the conflict in the north and so many men away, Willendorf was left as vulnerable as it was ever going to be.
Resistance safe houses were discovered on a near daily basis and if the army won the battle at Dark Eden their political power would become absolute. If a revolution was going to succeed, it was going to have to take place now, while the Cabal still had the strength.
"The days of the Sarafan lord's iron fist rule over Nosgoth is over." The Werewolf leader announced to the coalition members assembled inside the warehouse. They had retreated here after their hideout in the Province's Upper City district had been compromised. "Yet the Sarafan continue to exact their control over us.
They proclaim themselves to be our protectors, yet they murder more citizens a day than the entire vampire race." Ramak turned to face the representatives of the Merchants Guild. "They drain all peoples of their hard earned money in ridiculous taxation and store it in their coffers; ignoring the condition of the state they claim to uphold." The merchants all nodded together and murmurs of agreement echoed around the warehouse from other faction representatives.
"They have been in power so long that they see any opposition to them as an act of heresy.
Our oldest fables tell us of their brutality, of the 'Cold-Blooded Righteousness of the True believer.'" Ramak paused then turned to face all of those present. "Are we going to let this age old Fundamentalist murder continue?"
"When the Sarafan Lord reigned from Meridian, My wife and children were killed because I was late on a tax payment." The Captain of the Royal Ottmar Militia stated as he rose from his seat. Despite his gleaming white armour and cape partly concealed by a worn cloak the man looked drained and haunted as if he hadn't seen a good nights sleep in years. "I still see their bloodied corpses with my waking eyes.
When the Sarafan moved their headquarters here, I prayed for the chance to ensure their demise. It seems my prays have been answers.
The Royal Militia are at your disposal."
"We are simple traders and businessmen, not warriors." The speaker for the Merchants Guild began. "And our hired mercenaries can not hope to compete with trained garrison troops.
We do however have skilled mages and sorcerers in our employ. Users of magic not associated with the Sarafan recruitment branch." Several groups began to murmur amongst each other. During the Order's reign, all humans who displayed magical talents were drafted into their ranks. Those who refused to cooperate were either press-ganged or executed. It was rare to find mages outside Sarafan control.
"And you choose to keep this a secret until now, why?" The captain asked.
"It wasn't deemed in our best interests to have any other organization outside our own knowing, at least for the time being." The merchant replied, his fingers pressed against each other on the top of the crate in front of him. "Harboring non-order Commissioned sorcerers is punishable by death as you're all aware."
Without warning a dark shape dropped down through the sky light in the roof of the warehouse, falling a good twenty feet before landing directly before Ramak in a crouch.
Ewoden was exhausted, his breathing coming out in loud and rapid succession. He dropped from his knees onto his hands, physically incapable of supporting himself any other way.
"Sarafan…. Magic….kill us all…." He managed to get out through his harsh breathing. Escaping from the Sarafan garrison had been strenuous enough, but he had also pushed himself like mad to get here as quickly as possible.
"Calm down lad, get your breath back." Ramak told him, dropping down to one knee and placing a hand on his shoulder. Ewoden paused to try and collect his breath.
"What happened Ewoden?" Obelisk asked stepping forward.
"I went… to the Order's stronghold…" The former knight breathed, thick beads of sweat dripping from his face and onto the floor. "They're gathering… what troops they can muster in the city. Arming themselves…. They're coming."
"What's happening Ewoden, what are they up to?" Ramak asked, placing his other hand on Ewoden's remaining shoulder.
"An Inquisition." He replied, shaking the sweat off the ends of his long hair. "Through the entire city. They're planning to march through all of Willendorf." Murmuring ran across the lips of all those at the meeting as they sprang into conversation with one another.
"What for?" The Militia captain asked.
"I don't know…" Ewoden replied. "But their readying nearly all of the garrison soldiers in the city for it."
Ramak shook his head and stood up.
"Even with the bulk of their army gone there are over two thousand armed Sarafan soldiers in this city. That can't just be for us."
"Oh my god…" Another of the merchants Guild speakers began. She suddenly looked horrified, as if she'd seen the face of the devil himself. "They… They can't… they can't be…"
"What is it?" One of her colleges asked leaning forward. "What can't they do?"
"During the original Sarafan Order's time, nearly a thousand years ago, The Sarafan exacted horrific means of vampire extermination." She explained without looking at any of those around her. "They would destroy entire settlements and villages to eradicate even a single vampire in their midst. Their bodies would then be stacked on pikes and left to rot… the killing fields of the righteous they were called."
"You don't think…" The captain began suddenly realizing exactly what she was getting at.
"They're going to 'purge' the entire city…" Ramak breathed, hardly able to believe it himself. "Wipe the clans out in the north, and us out in the south at the same time."
"That's idiocy!" Obelisk protested shaking his head. "That kind of plan would massacre all of Willendorf. They'd be no body left for them to rule over."
"It gets worse." Ewoden breathed, having now regained his breath and some strength he sat back up. "I saw what they were doing with those human remains they had shipped in."
"What?" Ramak asked, not almost afraid of what the answer might be.
"Necromancy." As the reply. A hushed silenced followed. Necromancy was magic practiced by one sorcerer at a time. Only the Guardian of the Pillar of Death was permitted to use it. Forbidden by all others, it was a taboo practice that was rarely spoken off in public.
Necromancy was a magic forbidden by the law. Sarafan law.
"They violate their own laws?" The captain demanded, angrily smacked his fist down on the crate. "All that needs to be said has been said. I will follow the Princess into battle against these monsters."
"I saw them bind soul to a suit of armour." Ewoden carried on interrupting him. "I saw them revive Malek." There was not a single person living under Sarafan rule that did not know that name.
The Order revered three saints.
One was Lord Moebius, the Time Streamer who lead the vampire hunters over two hundred years ago.
The second was William the Just, the boy king who was killed by a vampire.
And the third, and most famous; was Malek; the legendary Paladin.
The last of the original Sarafan Order.
Ramak slowly stood up. Plain shock on his face.
"This order has been plagued us for centuries." The captain began again. "This is the one and only chance we may have of bringing it down.
This is the Endgame."
Silence endured for another moment. Ramak breathed out through his nose and turned to face them.
"Are we all in agreement then?" The Master-Smith asked. Nobody said anything in argument. "Then the time has come.
We must strike first." He looked towards the Captain. "Inform the Princess that we are ready. I will prepare what forces we have for an attack." The man saluted and gestured to his compatriots to follow him. "To think we once believed we could survive if we tried to go unnoticed." Ramak muttered to himself. "My kind will never be allowed to live as long as the Sarafan remain in power."
"What about the battle in the North?" Obelisk asked.
"I'm afraid we've no other choice but to leave it to Vorador and his sect of the Cabal." The master-smith replied. "We'll have to hold up our end and hope that he can hold up his." He looked down. "Ewoden…" The former knight glanced back up. "I know your tired and it isn't fair to ask you, but our time is deadly short.
Do you know when the Order plans on performing this inquisition?" Ewoden shook his head and hoisted himself back up onto one knee.
"Only they intend on doing it soon. They were arming themselves when I snuck in. I suppose anytime within the next few days."
"Then we have no choice. we'll have to move tomorrow night."
"Can we organize a rebellion of that magnitude in a single day?" Obelisk asked with raised eyebrows.
"I don't know but we're going to have to try." Ramak replied. "Ewoden, I want you to go to the Royal palace. You're to protect the Princess Alicia. Do you understand?" Ewoden faltered looking a little confused. "That girl can rally more people to her than we can. We need the numbers and if she is killed, we are left facing some enormous odds.
I believe she is in danger."
Danger?" Ewoden repeated.
"I've suspected it for some time…" Ramak continued. "But now, after our safe house was found so easily, I'm sure of it. There is a spy somewhere in the Cabal. A Sarafan infiltrator. Our organization has been compromised." The former knight blinked once in surprise. "I do not believe it to be you or Obelisk, which is why I'm asking you to protect the Princess.
If the Sarafan is informed that she if working with us, her life is in great danger. We can't afford to loose her. Now go!" That last statement was barked in a tone that left little for argument. Despite his fatigue Ewoden picked himself back up and bolted for the open Warehouse window.
---
Upon returning to the Royal palace, Alicia went straight back to her chamber and sat on the balcony overlooking the city. The image showed to her at the temple of Midguard still tormented her mind, refusing to leave no matter how hard she tried to banish it.
It was almost as if she was there, standing in that alleyway; staring up between two burning buildings. People being dragged out of their homes, begging for mercy; before being killed in the most brutal fashion.
Blood ran thick through the street, pouring like rivers into the drains. Rape, murder and pillage were everywhere and the Royal Lion flag, lay smoldering at her feet. Having been shown this image, Alicia no longer cared about the kingdom. The ambition she once harbored for rebuilding the Lion kingdom had all but disappeared.
Now, she just wanted to be rid of the Sarafan.
The door to her chamber opened and she glanced up.
A single figure strode in. An old man with short grey hair and a beard. He was dressed in the finest red satin clothes finally riddled with golden needlework, the image of the Lion on one shoulder and the Sarafan icon on the other. An amulet hung from a golden chain around his neck. A cut ruby get directly in the centre of the golden pendant.
"Father…" She began starting to rise. He gestured up with one hand that courtesy was not necessary and she descended back down to her chair. Slowly the old man walked into the room and stopped almost in the dead centre of it.
He crossed his arms behind his head and sighed out load.
"Alicia, my court informants tell me that you left the city for a short while about a day ago." He began slowly. "Can you tell me where you went?"
"Am I forbidden from leaving?" The Princess asked.
"No.." The kind replied softly. "But I would still like to know where you went."
"The palace was getting so stuffy father." Alicia snorted leaning back in her chair now at ease. She had been on edge for a while but she knew from long experience that she could handle her pious father. "I merely went out for a short trip outside the city limits to rid myself of the current stench around the palace. Out for fresh air you might say."
"I see." Ottmar stated after a moment and then stepped forward towards her. "And how was your trip?"
"Uneventful for the most part." She replied. The king was now standing beside the balancing table.
"Have you still not figured out this?" He asked changing the subject, picking a square bronze object off it. It was a puzzle box. A container that opened once the correct combination had been acquired. "I would have thought by now you would have discovered the sequence." He rotated the rings around the centre of the box in his hands, sliding the runes back and forth until they aligned properly.
"Well you were always better at puzzles than me." She replied as it opened up.
"Yes." The king stated, staring at the empty contained for a moment before placing it down on the table slowly. "Which is why I can deduce that you are lying to me Alicia." The Princess looked up suddenly startled. "Fresh air? For pities sake girl what sort of idiot do you take me for?" His tone suggested uncharacteristic anger.
"I…" She began but the king cut her off.
"You met with Cabal sympathizers, Werewolves and Vampires didn't you?" He didn't give her time to reply. "You're plotting a rebellion against the Order." The doors to the chamber flung open and two bodies were hurled inward. Alicia gasped at the sight of Jessup and Fitzroy. Each of their knights had had their armour torn off and serious wounds carved in their bodies as if they had been attacked by a whirlwind of blades.
A good half a dozen Sarafan soldiers rushed into the room, swords already drawn.
"I'm sorry girl." The king stuttered, fixing her with a stare. "You have left me no other choice." Alicia looked horrified as Saber, new leader of the Sarafan Order and Druid Grandmaster walked in. His smug smile plastered over his face.
"Princess Alicia Ottmar…." He began facing her. "You are under arrest for high treason against the Sarafan Order."