= Chapter 34 =
These lands were once called the Purple Lands, in honour of the Imperial dynasty of the same name. The steppe, endless and boundless, ruled here, framed by round, low, ploughed hills. Many paths and paved roads, dozens of small towns, hundreds of villages. hundreds of villages, a perpetual, uninterrupted trade in numerous commodities, simple and rare.
And any traveller who looked up against the strong dry wind, upwards, could see a beautiful blue sky and a warm sun. A host of wild geese, hawks and other birds always flew in abundance in these parts.
Winter rarely ruled here, too often giving way to warm summer. When a thin layer of snow fell, it was a catastrophe and the beginning of the end for the inhabitants, often causing unrest and even revolts against the appointed warlords from Yin, the capital of the Empire.
The Purple Lands were home to many peoples, from the savage border guards of the Jogos-Nhai who had sworn allegiance to the Emperors to the native inhabitants of the former western kingdoms. The Amazons of Bayabazad Fortress, the people of the eastern edge bordering Asshai, the small and silent people of the Great Jungle, or the tall and handsome islanders of Lang fled here.
This part of the Empire had been untouched by civil wars, or even another nomadic invasion from the north decades ago. A quiet, peaceful land that had become a melting pot for a multitude of peoples.
Once upon a time.
Now all the steppe fields have turned into frozen, hard and cold land, depriving people of the ability to sow and even live. The sky turned into a multi-coloured grey, gloomy pastel, and the sun was covered by dense, thick clouds. All wildlife either died from the sudden cold weather or fled to warmer climes.
A few months after the sudden and fatal snowstorm from the east of the Empire, famine came. The famine was followed by discontent, prayers to the many pantheons of gods and powerful nature spirits. When the divine entities ignored the calls and requests for help from mortals, people turned to sorcerers and witch doctors, blamed the disaster on the stupidity of the Emperor and military leaders, and grumbled. The first uprisings broke out, suppressed by numerous garrisons.
And while the inhabitants of the western fringes of the Empire tried to survive, its eastern part was dying. Rumours of the fall of the Five Fortresses spread quickly - but not everyone believed them. People, vagabonds and refugees spoke of an army of dead men whose corpses littered any strong wall with their bodies, huge ice spiders, gigantic, tall men five men tall, and ice monsters leading the horde.
The prophets of the ancient Itian gods of the plains and endless forests shouted that Yinjiang had come, a time when the world was turning from the bright side of its turn into shadow, a time of horrors, darkness and evil.
The worshippers of the Lion of Night broadcast to the people in the towns and villages that all that was happening now was the punishment of the lord of the dead for their endless, endless sins!
Months, even years passed. The echoes of the ongoing war echoed closer and closer - and the wild rumours kept flooding in.
Jinzi, the mighty trading city on the border with Asshai, had fallen, the Red Sea was covered in thick ice, the entire northwest of the Empire had become a lifeless, empty land filled with dead men and ruined settlements.
Even the mysterious, frightening to any Ithian who knew of it, the sorcerers' fortress city standing at the source of the vast sacred Anian River, Mao-Yin had fallen. Wielding secret knowledge, the lords of sorcery, it took several moons for the enchanted ancient black walls to be pierced by ice magic.
Neither the Bone God, nor R'glor, nor the Sea Deities of the Thousand Islands or the Lion of Night helped save the city of wonder and mystery. In the hour of last need, the mages began to pray to long-forgotten ancient spirits. The One Who Drowned for Us and the Father of All Monsters.
Deserters, bandits, murderers, and people just running for their lives crowded the roads. Garrisons withdrew from the fortresses that guarded the northern and western frontiers, travelling east on the orders of their commanders. None ever returned.
Decrees came - imperial officials and recruiters raked in every stock, every grain, every blade, armour, horse, every nail and every healthy, able-bodied young man who could hold a weapon.
In Tizui, the glorious capital of the western edge of the Empire founded under the Purple Emperors, after several years of starvation, stripping, and one after another, urban rebellions arose.
Only the fourth rebellion became successful when the garrison in the city became depleted, consisting for the most part of only old men, young children, and only a few ordinary, healthy recruits.
The rebels declared their freedom, and sent their demands to the capital of Yin, while inciting the peasants and the sparse garrisons to join them.
No one responded. No one came to quell the rebellion. It wasn't until a couple of months after the rebellion that the terrible news of the fall of Yin and the death of Pol-Ko, the Hammer of Jogos-Nhai, the First Emperor of the Orange Dynasty, came thundering down.
The remnants of the Empire became a patchwork of dozens and hundreds of domains, ruled by their own emperor, lord, governor or warlord. But instead of bickering and strife, the people under common threat were more co-operative and accommodating. The most powerful of them have forged a single alliance, pulling smaller rulers under them on the ruins of Ii-Ti.
The Alliance of the Four Western Lords - that was the name of the four men on whose decisions the fate of these lands depended.
The dead continued their march. They marched in an endless, wide stream, but concentrated their attention on the major cities. The decisive battle took place at the former ruins of Si-Tso, the old and abandoned capital of the Empire, now turned into a huge fortress under the diligent hands of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Here the first victory was won - thanks to the vast array of dragon-glass weapons, wide, long moats filled with fire, combustible oil and alchemists.
It was here that his star shone.
He had joined one of the Emperors of the West as commander of one of the hundreds of units flocking under the banners of Lan Xu, nicknamed the Snow Prince, who had formerly been the powerful warlord of Pol-Ko and now claimed power over all of Ii-Ti.
Euron held back a growing smirk, with his only eye on the endlessly stretching constructed earthen fortresses with deep moats pinned with obsidian-tipped stakes.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, former peasants, deserters, bandits, and townspeople, were relentlessly digging and digging, setting up fortifications, lining the ground with pots of oil, and carrying provisions and stockpiles of weapons.
The dead retreated from Si-Tso, attempting to follow the coast road, towards Manchu-Que, a large trading town nicknamed Blue for its inhabitants' fondness for roofs of the eponymous colour.
When Emperor General Abazada Gung beat back dozens of waves of dead from land and sea, the Others retreated. The ancient monsters were in no hurry to butcher humans, nor were they eager to lose their dead host. For many months more battles were fought in the snow-covered jungle, until all suddenly stopped - the Lords of Cold and Night retreated.
Only to soon learn a new direction for their strike. The hordes of creatures had rushed upon Titsui, one of the few remaining major cities in the Empire.
He suspected that the Others wished to replenish their hordes by becoming more cautious in their offensives.
He had played no small part in this as well.
The red amulet on his chest was hot as if after a forge smelt, but he felt no pain.
The scarlet eye looked at everything with hidden contentment and pleasure.
There was something beautiful in all the horror, despair, and devastation on people's faces.
The beguiling scent of the end of time, the era when all your labours, thoughts, ideas, life - everything doesn't matter.
He laughed, drinking with bliss on his face the Ii-Tii wine, rare in these times, red and tasting like Dornish drink.
His loyal commanders behind him glanced at him, but dared not interrupt their lord's contemplation. That was what he liked about the people here-they were docile. Cunning, dodgy, yes. But if you showed a grin, killed the most foolish and mauled the most rebellious, they would kneel instantly.
Better than the warlike, glory-seeking scum of the Iron Islands.
Skinny, exhausted children, women and old men tirelessly poured handfuls of earth onto yet another fortress under the watchful eye of equally tired soldiers. Thousands of empty, dead eyes looked up to the sky and found nothing but the silence and indifference of Heaven.
Those who could not stand it and fell to the ground, unconscious and without strength, were grabbed and carried to the wagons filled with the dead, to be burned later, as quickly as possible. It was not uncommon for those who woke up to find themselves in the burning pile of dead, screaming and begging, but receiving inaction and silence in return.
There were also those who threw themselves into the piles of dead or burning fires, just to spare themselves from bodily and mental pain.
Many sought comfort in the arms of women. Some ungodly drank and devoured miraculous herbs to escape the realisation of their situation.
Every day people found, morning and evening, those who had chosen to die by hanging themselves from the nearest beam or slitting their throats.
No one prayed to the old deities anymore. The Lion of Night was not mentioned in conversation, and his temple at Titsui was the first to be dismantled for fortifications.
Euron saw a convoy of carts carrying new corpses. His sharpened vision saw some of them giving signs of life.
Perhaps a few dozen fools would once again wish to cut off a limb or two to fill themselves with 'fresh' meat. Such, if caught, would not be executed, but sent to the front of the line.
Dead meat has become a breeding ground for diseases and if it were not for a lot of witch doctors, healers and sorcerers, the whole Iti army would have been lying in the ground long ago in a heap of bloody diarrhoea and their own excretions.
-The scouts report that they are approaching, honoured Eu-Ran,' bowed one of the Ii-Tians, who kneeled servilely, 'Our pious and valiant lord Bao Yun asks you to be ready.
''Bao Yun, a plain old official who rose in the chaos and confusion of the still civil war. The weakest and most cunning Emperor from the Alliance.
The old man had hoped for a couple of days of fighting, thinking the Others would retreat here as well, but Euron knew that was a mistaken judgement. R'glor whispered, showed in the fire, that the creatures of Hlad were intent on going all the way, wanting to finish off the remnants of the mighty state at last. To go further, west and south.
The tall, shouldering warrior beside him showed signs of movement for the first time. Bai Li, one of his trusted commanders, clad in armour, stared wildly and expectantly through the slits of his helmet. Long hooked on the elixir of madness, the pugnacious and fearless Yitian had recently earned the blessing of the fire god from Asshai.
-Tell Bao Yun that I remember the Imperial plan,' Euron said in the language of the Empire. Ithian had long ago become like his own - even closer than the common tongue of Westeros, which he had not spoken in years.
The old fox's servant left, and Greyjoy turned to his commanders.
Viroslav, an old Mossovian vigilante with a spade-shaped grey beard, had joined him after another battle at Yn. Euron kept the experienced fighter always by his side as a bodyguard, not forgetting to rip out his tongue and convert R'glor.
Chan of Yanji, a skilful soldier and commander of his crossbowmen, short, with perpetually pinched lips and an impassive, ugly face.
A swarthy, bronze-haired Amazon from Bayabazad, whose obsidian spear struck the dead with remarkable accuracy by day and whose feminine gut pleasured her commander by night. There were a dozen other thousand men who stood silently behind the others.
And thirteen thousand select veterans who had fought numerous battles with the dead under his command.
Euron had built up this army piece by piece, often losing thousands and hundreds of men in endless battles in the jungles of the Empire, but rebuilding them again and again. His fame and reputation went before him, and people were drawn to him like moths to a shining light.
All who joined instantly embraced faith in R'glor, a fire god from Asshai that had not previously been popular with the people of the Empire. But now, when the only thing that can stand against Ice is Fire?
After the battle at Si Tso, sorcerers and priests from Asshai and the ruined Witch City began to join him. Dozens of alchemists and engineers, whom Greyjoy had lured into his troop in the first place.
Day turned to night, and mighty fires of dead men and wood, rare in the land, were lit. Huge columns of everything were being brought in from those parts of the Great Jungle where the dead horde had not reached.
As were all the provisions. The latter had to be saved more and more every month and year, for the Imperial Grain Stores were almost empty.
The first arrows with signal lights flew upwards. It was a warning that dead men had been spotted in the distance, and the huge camp had turned from an ever-moving and living beehive into a frenzied circle of milling men.
Greyjoy and his host took up position at the third line of battle on the approaches to Titsui. His squad had been left in reserve as one of the most capable.
-Isn't it a mesmerising sight? - Euron turned to another field commander standing nearby.
The short Ithyans looked at him with a thoughtful and questioning gaze.
Small bags under his eyes, a round, withered face with a thin beard. A few scars on a fairly young face, though it no longer shone with healthy colours.
Tanzin, the son of a blacksmith and a seamstress, is one of the famous heroes of this war. It was because of him that the victory at the Blue City had gone to Emperor Abazad rather than the Others. The latter had not failed to take all the gains for himself, and Euron could tell that the War Master was displeased and harboured a grudge.
-There is nothing beautiful in war,' he said in a quiet, calm voice, 'only deceit.
This man had his own understanding of many things. Strange, sometimes incomprehensible. But when you think about it, everything falls into place. Greyjoy liked that. But more than that, he liked the man's unusual talents and abilities.
-Do you? - Euron hesitated, trying to keep the excitement of battle out of his voice. A red, scarlet eye looked at Tanzin with abnormal curiosity, and the latter noticed it. But there was no fear or adoration in the commander's eyes. Only appraisal and cold calculation - isn't war the spoils of war, the conquest of territory? War gives you greatness, it gives you gold, women and glory.
-All these things can be obtained without war,' Tanzin remarked. His plain, unremarkable armour of iron and wool glistened with cleanliness. 'All this is offset by one drawback. In war, death reigns supreme. And it is always unpredictable and unexpected.
'Should I be afraid of death?' he wanted to laugh, but he held back again, keeping a concerned look on his face.
Maybe he was right, but Greyjoy hadn't thought about such things for a long time.
-What do you say to this war,' Euryon waved his hand falsely, fiercely, toward the first lines of earthen fortresses and endless ditches, 'it is a war with Death himself. Not for gold, not for power - for survival.
Tanzin grew even darker, though it seemed nowhere near as dark.
-It is a test,' he replied after a moment's silence, 'a test of the strength and spirit of the people of the Golden Empire.
-It's not too harsh a test,' he grinned.
-"To a great nation, a great test. By passing it and defeating Death, we will rise, soaring as high as even dragons have never risen.
-Those who take advantage of the victors' labours will rise,' Euron said gravely, looking into Tanzin's face. 'They will take all the gains, all the victories, and sleep sweetly in their new palaces, surrounded by maidens and rivers of wine.
Tanzin smiled bitterly, realising perfectly well what the foreigner from the far western lands was implying.
-This is the will of Heaven.
-The will of Heaven, or the will of... humans?
Tanzin didn't answer, turning away and staring ahead at the earthen fortresses lit by hundreds of fires. Smoke filled everything around him and seeped into his skin. The whole place reeked of cinders, dead people and shit.
-They're coming! - signalled to the others.
From far away came the inhuman wheezing, the screams of men, the sound of steel. The first fiery shells from the catapults flew towards the horde of dead men already storming the first line. Dozens, hundreds - the whole night sky was filled with fire and arrows.
On the first line fought simple militiamen, former peasants, captured and commissioned bandits - all those who were not to be pitied and who would slow down the first, powerful onslaught.
The Vihtas filled the ditches, creating bridges of sorts, but the Itians instantly threw barrels and amphorae of black oil into those places, setting fire and burning the passageways. They climbed the earthen five-metre walls, studded with small and large dragon-sharp pieces.
For the first few hours, the humans managed to keep the dead outside the structures, but near dawn, the creatures broke through, and a battle ensued on the earthen walls. The commanders sent no reinforcements or additional provisions, deciding to sacrifice the defenders.
When the bleak, grey dawn finally came, the first line had fallen. The gunnery crews sent a huge amount of fire shells in point but massive blows, exactly where the stores of... wildfire were hidden and camouflaged.
The green conflagration erupted in a powerful wave, scorching even those men who were standing on the second and even the third lines.
Euron, who had already had some fun with his favourite Amazon, taken a nap, and watched the battle for a while longer, felt the red ruby on his chest heat up even more.
The wildfire had burned for half a day, giving the humans a brief respite before the Inhumans made their move. Powerful, icy and scattered projectiles flew into the green conflagration. An hour, a second, and the warriors could see the magical fire begin to fade under the influence of the magic of the demons from the East.
In a wide, large-scale wave, the dead ran across the charred ground as the last of the green flames died out. Euron could get a closer look at the creatures and was once again inwardly horrified by their numbers. An endless horde, reaching the horizon in the hundreds of thousands.
Greyjoy suspected it was not even a tenth of the army of the Other.
Wave after wave of crossbow bolts flew, knocking down hundreds and thousands of flesh-hungry Walking Dead. When all the shells were used up, the barrels filled with 'black grain' came into action.
Powerful explosions shook the ground. A peculiar odour hit his nose that Greyjoy had never smelled before until he saw the black grain in use.
He saw a swarm of dead birds approaching in the distance, flying toward the defenders.
-Nets, now! - Euron shouted to his engineers. The other commanders scurried about, issuing commands.
The soldiers quickly attached special harpoons to the arrows with sturdy nets, the ends of which were either coated with black oil or wrapped in obsidian-tipped wire.
The characteristic clicks and the nets flew towards the wave of flying bastards. Ignited arrows flew after them. As the sturdy entanglements gathered their harvest by grabbing the birds, the flaming arrows sank into the fabric or pile of bird bodies, igniting and turning them into one huge ball of fire.
The surviving birds swooped down on the defenders, digging their rotten paws and beaks into faces, especially aiming for eyes and necks.
One of the hawks was so lucky that one of the Ithians got a dead grip on his cheek that he floundered and toppled over into a vat of black grain. Accidental or not, a few moments later, part of the earthen wall exploded, toppling clods of earth, dirt, and people in all directions.
-Commander Tanzin, Commander Eu-Ran! Commander Roi Khi! Bayu Yun orders to send reinforcements to the second line immediately! - announced a few minutes later by a messenger riding in on a rearing horse.
'Orders!' - Raven Eye snorted, fixing his gaze on the messenger. But both Tanzin and Roy Khi had unconditionally sent some of their seasoned veterans to assist. Greyjoy had sent his most ferocious and ruthless to himself commander.
As the dead fell in a thin trickle through the passageway created by the explosion, they were met by the fierce snarls of Bayou Li's berserkers, the steady ranks of Tanzin's crossbowmen, and the deadly copiers of the Roi Khi. They were joined by a small number of Mossoway vigilantes and tall Lengyian swordsmen.
The fighting began - no sooner had the fighters repelled a wave than another followed. And another. And another. Until they came through a wide crevice.
Giants clad in frozen steel, with rotten heads and the remains of uncovered hair, gnarled with iron bars, with living heads sticking out at their ends, making horrible sounds of screams and shrieks.
One of them chopped in two one of Bayou Li's berserkers that had rushed at him with reckless abandon. So that the second one with a shriek from the wall rushed at him from above, pounding madly on his head with an axe, tearing the bars off his head and shredding the flesh into pulp.
The elixir of madness, created from basilisk venom and numerous herbs, made any man fearless of any danger and even of his own death.
The giant fell, rattling his armour one last time. The brave berserker who had killed one of their kin was torn apart by the giant dead, snacking on blood and flesh.
Bolts lubricated with an alchemical brew, finally deadening the dead men, clattered impotently against the armour. Even the shells that hit the heads most accurately did not kill the giants completely, only weakening them for a brief moment.
The latter continued their advance, bringing confusion and chaos to the battlefield, tearing apart the berserkers and crushing the common soldiers.
Euron, watching his best warriors being slaughtered, felt a surge of anger.
With a roar, Bai Li surged forward with several hundred fighters, toppling a small wave of wychs that had popped up ahead of the giants. Axes, swords, and cleavers roared a song of carnage, crumbling and shredding human bodies, cutting a path forward. The Berserkers mindlessly struck the giants with steel, climbing on top of them and chopping off their heads, tearing off bars and sticking them into them to be torn apart later. Amphorae of wild fire were thrown at them and blasted with black grain, and it was not until after a full hour of battle that the Wychs were driven back and all the giants crushed.
Night fell, and the Others continued to send wave after wave. The second frontier had every chance of falling by dawn the next day.
Under the cries of the dead and the screams of the soldiers, managed to fall asleep and close the passage with whatever was at hand.
-The second line should hold as long as possible,' Tanzin said to Euron, 'the fourth and fifth are still under construction, and the third is not as strong as the first and second.
-If the second line falls, there is one solution,' Greyjoy said, listening to the amulet, 'it will be our salvation.
The concerned Roy Khi tilted his head forward, and the Lengian commander, with his helmet covering his face, looked at him with amber eyes.
-We'll use it later, but for now all we have to do is hold our defences,' the Evil Crow was pleased to disappoint everyone.
All night long the Vihtas had been breaking on the walls of the second line of defence. All the ditches had long since been filled with dead men, arrows were in short supply, and the men were getting tired. Some soldiers with doomed faces threw themselves down from the walls right into the hands of dead men reaching upwards. Rotations, the plentiful food that was given on the first day of the battle, neither alcohol, nor women, nor miraculous herbs helped.
But the soldiers braced themselves and endured.
On the morning of the second day, the Other Ones brought a new gift.
With huge wings, formerly snow-white, now sooty and with rotten sores. In half-collapsed bronze armour, with faces burning with blue fire, they attacked at the hour before dawn when men slept most soundly.
Mythical winged men who lived in far eastern lands and of whom only tales were told.
But like the creatures of Hlad, they were real. One of them flew into Euron's tent, trying to tear him apart with its claws, bypassing Viroslav. He broke free from the embrace of several concubines just in time and sliced the creature in two, showing inhuman strength.
Hundreds of bells rang throughout the third line, warning and waking the soldiers. Dressing quickly and on his own, he ran outside to meet the stern and bloodied face of Bayu Li and the guilty, silent face of Mossoway.
-You're alive,' the berserker said in a deafening tone, holding the winged man's teeth snapping head firmly in his hands.
-Alive,' Euron informed him with a feral smile. Hundreds, if not thousands, of winged dead men were flying in the sky, diving purposefully at the lunging soldiers and dropping blocks of ice on the heads of the unlucky ones.
The Ithians fired their crossbows and bows at the fliers, losing hundreds of fighters. Several more dead men swooped down on Euron, specifically targeting commanders like him.
But no sooner had one of them flown up than Bai Li was caught with his bare hands. Exhausted from the desire to cause a bloody massacre, the burly Itian grabbed the dead man's skull with his hands and squeezed.
The crunch echoed unpleasantly around him, but he paid no heed, finally putting the second dead man to death.
While the army standing on the third rung fought the winged men who had attacked them suddenly, the dead men increased their onslaught on the second rung.
By the time Euron and his squad were there, the walls had almost fallen and he had the thought of retreating. But seeing the soldiers of Tanzin and the other commanders rushing to topple the Wychs back, Greyjoy changed his mind.
He shouldn't have wasted his reputation on such things. He could still use it in the future.
With his sword, its sharp edge coated in Valyrian steel, Euryon pierced the skull of the whirlwind that leapt from the wall, clenching his teeth at the unbearable and inhuman scream the dead man let out.
Chan's hastily lined up crossbowmen managed to fire several crossbow volleys towards the walls. Euron's soldiers rushed forward, rattling their armour and urged on by their sergeants.
-Halt to the death! - Greyjoy shouted, swinging his blade high for all to see, -Stand to the death! - He repeated even louder, 'When the Night is Dark!
-We Stand! - the soldiers echoed, shields slamming into the wave of dead.
The dead lunged at the shields, snapping their half-rotten jaws at the fresh meat, screaming and thrashing against the sturdy formation.
Along with the others, Euron did not fear death. No, he felt strength, power, excitement. The amulet on his chest burned bright red, and the stronger and brighter it was, the faster and more powerful the Greyjoy felt. The sword, the Black Dream, chopped and sliced, with each swing finally returning the dead to oblivion.
He froze when he saw a spider climbing up the wall with dozens of paws, huge, ice-covered and snapping its long jaws, its eyes wide and wide.
The creature let out a deafening and subtle squeal, and its rider went over its head affectionately with his hands, soothing and looking at everyone with his blue eyes.
Other.
The humans briefly jerked back under the increased pressure.
The spider, deftly sidestepping the climbing and jumping corpses, rushed from the wall to the ground, and several waves of cold, powerful wind flew into the formation, crumpling and tossing the warriors away.
For the first time, Euron felt the pain of the amulet. It seemed as if the ruby hidden beneath the layer of cloth and iron was about to catch fire and turn him into a charred head.
He met his gaze with the Other's. Long, white hair, bright, thick and inhuman blue eyes and a face like a statue hollowed out from the ice, pale as milk.
The creature's tall, lean body straightened and leaned forward, baring its deadly eyes at him. Thin lips began to move incoherently, but no sound came from the ice demon's throat.
Euron felt ice in his veins and a sudden weakness. Momentarily, the pain from the amulet and the curse eased, and the Inhoi echoed unhappily with the crackling of ice from his lips.
His riding beast was closing in on him, and Inoy produced the spear in his hands.
'Come on!' - mentally shouted Greyjoy, and the Black Dream heated up, smouldering. Only to become one great conflagration a second later as tongues of bright, red-hued fire erupted, catching everyone's attention.
A wave of fire swept towards the Other, turning the Viht into ash, but the creature only waved its hand and the fire was extinguished by an icy whirlwind.
Swiftly approaching, sweeping all the soldiers around it, Inoy tried to impale it and the spider grabbed it with its chews, extending its short head.
He stepped back, 'sacrificing' one of the soldiers.
The humming blow of the spear came through the air, and the spider grabbed the poor Itian with its chewing jaws and bit him in half, ignoring steel and bone. Blood spurted, organs scattered. The abandoned half of the poor creature, its ropes of intestines turning to ice, was still moving, feeling the full range of pain and death agony, until one of the spider's thick paws pierced its head, stepping on it.
Greyjoy seized the moment and with a scarlet stroke of his blade sliced through the paw. The beast shrieked, and Hlad's creature launched an icy projectile at him, which Black Dream easily repelled.
-Can you feel it? - He laughed abnormally, tearing off the bandage. Hidden by the black cloth, an icy eye, icy and deep, was revealed to the Other. The eye of the Other,-you will soon join your brothers!
-I may be dead,' he sang in Westerosi, 'but you are already dead, slave of Kthunha.
An ice sword formed in his hand, and they crossed blades. With each blow, Euron drained the strength of the Other, weakening him.
The ice spider tried to help its master, but each attempt robbed it of a limb, left cracks in its carapace and deep wounds.
Flashes of fire were coming out from Black Dream, taking the life of the wychs as well, causing the course of the battle to change drastically. Bai Li's Berserkers rushed into the battle after drinking their elixir, while Tanzin's fighters entrenched themselves in some parts of the fallen line.
As the spider's severed head rolled across the charred and barren ground, the creature's body collapsed, dropping its rider as well.
The evil Crow sprang at him, trying to end the duel quickly, but Inoy was faster and more agile. It seemed to stand on both feet, making him stronger and more skilful. The ground beneath his feet turned to ice, and spells unknown to him were constantly coming off his hands.
The Black Dream consumed them all.
But only a miracle saved him from slipping. Stepping aside, he thrust his sword into the ground, and the steel sank easily into the icy ground, unleashing a huge wave of fire.
The Other managed to stand, but weakened considerably and looked in his direction. Not at Euron, but behind his back. Greyjoy felt a chill and an urge to turn around, but he didn't. He already knew everything. Realising he was going to die, the monster entered its final dance of Death, lunging forward.
Inhuman blows, twists and turns, and deft feints did not save him - Black Dream turned the ice sword into vapour, and then stabbed it into his chest. Thick pale blue blood spurted out and instantly evaporated under the heat of the fiery blade.
-You will die like all those before you,' Inoy whispered and exploded with shards of ice.
Some of the Viht instantly dropped dead, which encouraged the soldiers. But most of all they shouted Euron's name, praising the ice demon slayer.
He himself felt like he was about to fall.
The burning presence behind him was gone, and he struggled to his feet, eager to be seen in the full glory of his next triumph.
As luck would have it, the triumph was put to another test.
The shadow of wings descended to the ground, and in the next instant dozens of people were crushed under the pressure of its broad, three-toed paws.
Blazing blue stared out of the dead eye sockets. Its jaws grabbed a few of the trapped Itians and swallowed them in one gulp, chewing the screaming humans alive into a pulp.
The dragon flapped its wings of bone and chunks of icy meat, toppling the squad of berserkers rushing at it. Ignoring crossbow bolts and ordinary arrows, it moved purposefully at Greyjoy, and the Other sitting on top of him screamed furiously in his language of ice and frost.
He felt the death of his fellow man and recognised his killer. He realised who this man was and rushed to kill him.
Black Dream, whose fire was already out, fought off several of the dragon's lunges, but on the third, Euron toppled to the ground. R'glor was silent, and Greyjoy felt the death grip on his neck tighten.
There was no strength or magic in his body now - the amulet had gone cold, digesting another soul.
As the creature's jaws prepared to snack on him, a third stood between him and Iny.
With a rounded shield in front of him and a long, thin sword, the Lengyian captain was able to fend off the dead dragon's throw and lunged. Powerful sparks erupted and a wide chipped mark was left on the skull. The Other stared at the mortal in bewilderment. It was the first time Greyjoy had ever seen puzzlement in a creature like Hlad's creatures.
But he knew. A sharpened sixth sense told him they were not alone here - but it was not R'glor. His throat and nose tasted of salt water, foam, and the peculiar odour of rotten milk.
Something familiar and yet foreign at the same time.
The dead reptile's body tried to flip off the rogue who dared to stand in its way, but all to no avail. The Langian seemed to grow into the ground with his shield and inflicted nasty wounds.
-'Go away,' he said, 'go away! Here is only your doom.
The other did not understand or listen, and the dragon lunged forward with a battering ram of his skull.
The Langian dug his feet into the ground, shielding himself from it. The dragon stepped back and a blue flame appeared from its open mouth, quickly turning into a concentrated wave of icy fire.
But the rounded shield held, only icing at the edges.
The hail of arrows and bolts at the dragon intensified. Several fiery catapult shells landed nearby, and the chipped and torn bone pieces on the dragon's skull multiplied. The Other decided to retreat. With a flap of its wings, the dragon left the battlefield as quickly as it had arrived on it.
The stiffness was gone and the Langian helped the helpless Euron stand up.
-You saved my life, Captain,' Greyjoy said glumly.
-Are you not satisfied, man of the Isles of Iron?
He tensed. Greyjoy never spoke of his homeland to anyone, generalising all questions to the answer, 'The far western lands.'
-Glad to still be alive,' he replied angrily, watching as the soldiers finally gained a foothold on the walls and swiftly began to rebuild the frontier. The Vikhtas had retreated for the first time in the entire multi-day battle.
-Then rejoice, Champion of Fire, you have many deeds yet to accomplish.
Viroslav, who had been nearby the whole time and was one of those the dragon had winged, ran up and helped Greyjoy to the third line. Euron had vowed not to interfere with the Mossovian when he was engaged in another fight with the Other. He did not want to lose such a skilled and dangerous fighter.
Stripping off his armour, which had turned grey with black earth, Euron washed himself with the help of several maidens.
One of them, with unusual silver eyes looked at him with the fearful eyes of a doe, but he only smiled encouragingly.
There were no thoughts. Nor emotions. The days that followed promised to be dreary and indifferent. He burned himself out for a short time.
When a messenger arrived a few hours later, informing him that Bayu Yun was gathering all the commanders at the outskirts of Titsui, he went there immediately, taking Viroslav and a hundred of Bai Li's loyal berserkers with him.
The suburbs became the headquarters for all the commanders of the assembled army of the four Lords, housing the old rogue Yun and Captain-General Ju Di of Trade City, the only one who did not call himself Emperor but was allied as one of the Lords of the Alliance.
The old frontiersman had remained loyal to the dead Emperor Pol-Ko and had sheltered several of his offspring, hoping to further establish the Blue Dynasty on the throne of the long-collapsed Empire.
All the houses here were occupied by soldiers, engineers, witch doctors and sorcerers. The place was bustling with activity, horses, people, and wagons mingled together.
The self-proclaimed emperors had organised their temporary dwellings tastefully. Small palaces, not the homes of formerly wealthy townsfolk. Euron smiled every time he looked at it - sometimes people didn't realise when to show off their status and wealth.
The old rogue had welcomed them into his luxurious fiefdom. Lord Titsuya's men had let him and the rest of the commanders in without even taking away their weapons or inspecting them, which was unheard of by Ii-Tii standards.
Once upon a time, long ago, it had been.
Sitting at the head of a huge, long square table, Bayu Yun was not tall, nor could he boast the strength, skill, or talents of a great commander. Each of the commanders present here externally towered over the former Imperial official like giants over a single dwarf.
But the master here was Bayou Yun.
His half-closed, predatory eyes gazed into everyone. The frail, crouched, and aged body did not deceive Euron - there was a dangerous player in front of them.
Sitting in the centre of the table, Greyjoy faced the old Ithian with his gaze. He chose not to press but averted his eyes, pretending he couldn't stand the pressure. He was still feeling very tired and lethargic, preferring for the moment to take a wait-and-see stance.
But the spark of disdain in Bayou Yun's eyes he noticed. Itians, especially those of high rank, were generally disdainful of all foreigners. From the wild-eyed Jogos Nhaians to the mysterious inhabitants of Asshai.
-My observers have informed me of the situation at the second boundary,' Master Titsui announced in a sweet voice. Behind him towered several bodyguards with closed helmets. things are not looking favourable.
The thirteen assembled commanders glanced at each other, and a lull settled over the table. No one was in a hurry to convince Bayou Yun otherwise. Most of the people here were servants of other Emperors, only temporarily 'loaned' to help.
Clad in ceremonial imperial robes, Bayu Yun did not show his displeasure in any way. The former old official continued:
-How long will the second frontier last, 'my' warlords? - He emphasised the word 'my' with a faintly ironic tinge.
'The situation for his dominions is deplorable, and he is calm and indifferent,' Euron inwardly marvelled and admired. The bastard sitting at the head of the table reminded him of Theon - just as unconcerned and indifferent even in dire situations.
Greyjoy wondered what gave this self-proclaimed emperor the ability to be so calm under his circumstances. How do men like Bayou Yun and his nephew Theon escape from a woman's womb?
Answering Bayu Yun's question was volunteered by the person sitting closest to him, Tanzin, who in a cold voice, without lies or pretty, convenient words, told it like it really was.
-A day, the best option is two days,' the War Master concluded, 'while the people can recover, but the Jiangshi will resume their relentless attacks at any moment.
'Jiangshi' - that was the name of the Viht and Inhumans in the common people, and as a bright representative of it, Tanzin called the creatures of Khlad that way, unlike the aristocrats.
-We won't be able to complete the fourth frontier in such a short period of time. And the fifth is the suburbs of Titsui, - said one of the commanders of Bayu Yun, - we must repel the first frontier!
-There is reason in my commander's words,' Bayou Yun said with a smile, covering his face with a multicoloured fan.
Greyjoy met Roy Khee's gloomy gaze. The Lengyian captain sitting beside him, still with his helmet closed, stood motionless, staring at the Tizui Emperor.
-Heavenly foolishness, Master Bayou Yun,' Tanzin said without any fear and as if not noticing the thickening atmosphere in the room, 'if you want to ruin your entire army, Father is your witness, you will ruin it.
-Do you have a suggestion, Master of War?
-Tizui is doomed,' Tanzin admitted after a moment's silence, 'our only option is to slow down and devastate Jiangshi's armada as much as possible by getting all the people of Tizui out of the city.
-Every day, thousands of swords are forged in Tizui, tens of thousands of arrows and bolts are made, and black grain is mined. The townspeople, artisans, children and women work tirelessly every day, Tanzin. If we lose this city, we bring the servants of the Lion of Night closer to victory.
-We will take everything we can and move it to Abazad,' Tanzin countered, not realising, or perhaps not realising, that he was proposing to give everything to Emperor Gung, 'we just need time.
-You are a Master of War, Tanzin. But you are not a ruler and you do not understand,' Bayu Yun squinted, 'My answer is no. We will stand.
-Then we have no reason to ruin the lives of our soldiers here.
Tanzin's words were echoed by a couple of other Abazad commanders.
Bayu Yun's commanders were outraged. An altercation ensued. Few remained silent - Euron glanced at Viroslav, hinting that he was alert and ready to sprinkle blood on his sword.
The Ju-Di warlords lurked, watching to see how a verbal brawl could escalate into bloody conflict.
Bayu Yun sat silently, unchanged in his impassive manner behind his small throne at the head of the table, taking his time to intervene and calm things down.
Suddenly, the Lengyi captain stood up to his full height. And pounded his steel fist on the wood, drawing attention to himself.
-That's enough. Are you men or quarrelsome old women?
-"Who are you to insult us? - one of Bayu Yun's servants shouted.
The captain stepped forward, walking up to Emperor Tieqiuya.
-I have the same status as your lord,‖ the captain removed his helmet with careful, deft movements, exposing an angular, handsome face, long hair the colour of night and piercing amber eyes of a bright hue.
A woman stared back at them, silencing everyone in stunned silence. In the grave silence, she called out her full name:
-Kira Qianze, of the lineage of Kiara the Great, daughter of Empress Lenga Koroei the Fourth, Queen of Black Island!
Bayu Yun without showing his emotions, gazed at the Lengyi Blood Princess.
-''When Leng promised to send his help, he didn't say that he would send one of his princesses.''
The young woman's voice changed. Whereas under the helmet it had seemed muffled, hoarse, and masculine, it now revealed a velvety, ear-pleasing voice.
'Magic,' Euron realised, stiffening. The thought that he had been saved from imminent doom by a woman stabbed unpleasantly at first. And afterwards... brought interest and perverse curiosity.
-I volunteered, and my mother approved of my decision. -Selfless.
-Selfless! - Bayu Yun acknowledged.
-The Ancients have spoken to me! - the princess announced the news. Her face took on an abnormal, spiritualised look and every Itian in the room cringed. To them, Lang and their Gods, the mysterious lords of the subterranean black cities, had always been alien and religious traditions repugnant, - They told me to come to the Golden Empire to help defeat the creatures of Hlad.
Kira's spirited, frozen face sank into Euron's. Greyjoy glanced back and again felt a faint presence behind him.
Which disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
'Beautiful!' - he acknowledged. The armour-hidden body surely possessed all the curves of a trained and strong woman, quite possibly as good as his personal Amazon. Exotic face - narrow amber eyes, alabaster skin, unusually scarlet, thin lips, fan-shaped eyelashes - not a woman, but a tigress.
They stared at each other for a few moments, and he felt a long-forgotten sense of desire... to possess.
None of the I-T commanders except Euron took the princess's words seriously. But the argument subsided and Bayou Yun began to beg for the blood princess's help from Lang, which unlike his homeland, did not suffer from hordes of dead men.
It was said that Black Island didn't even have much change in climate and its inhabitants felt at ease unlike their continental neighbours.
She replied ambiguously, admitting that her mother was in no hurry to send new help in the form of men and provisions. Bayou Yun was visibly upset.
The topic turned once again to Titsui's defence.
-There is a solution to our problem,' Euron spoke up for the first time, competing glances with the princess sitting across from him.
-If the Evil Raven speaks, then he does have a trump card up his sleeve,' Bayou Yun said, and everyone fell silent as they listened to Greyjoy's words.
What was said struck them. Some didn't believe it, some were speechless. But Bayu Yun approved, clutching at the last straw to save his own capital and domains from becoming a barren wasteland.
A day passed. The dead began their inexorable march once more. As Tanzin had said, the second line held out for a day and a half before falling - the men, despite the brief respite, could not stand it and retreated to the third.
Standing in a cleared clearing of snow on one of the hills, Euron was drawing a huge sigil. There was enough blood, and he was putting the finishing touches on it. Tall and thick poles had been erected at important parts of the sign, to which Greyjoy's soldiers were now tying men, women, old men and children.
But these were no ordinary people. In each of them flowed the blood of rulers, powerful emperors of the past.
Royal blood, as they would say in Westeros. The priests of R'glor had done a good job of finding Imperial bastards. Blood of the Azure Emperors, unrecognised sons of the late Bu-Gai, descendants of the Bordeaux Emperors, and even the sole and possibly last member of the Pearl-White Dynasty.
-Don't cry,' Euron smiled, gently wiping the tears from the eyes of the silver-eyed girl who had previously been his maid and concubine, 'look on the bright side. You will die for a good cause.
She cried harder, but did not resist as the warriors tied her to the pole.
-Everything is ready, Mr Eu-Ran! - Bai Li said. Viroslav behind him moved like a shadow for a brief moment.
Tanzin and dozens of commanders wished to behold the mystery of the ritual and Greyjoy did not prevent them.
Princess Kyra was also present, to whom he smiled an eager, excited smile.
Listening to himself, Euron realised - it was time! The amulet heated up, showing that it was ready to perform the ancient magic.
-I call upon thee,' he began in a clear, measured tone, 'I call upon thee, Lord of Fire, Shadow, and Blood!
The Valyrian dagger struck the throat of one of the children, and blood flowed profusely all over his body, soaking into cloth, skin, and wood.
-We call upon thee, Lord of Fire, Shadow and Blood! - The priests of Asshai repeated after him in a powerful chorus, raising their hands to the sky.
-I beg you to grant me victory in the Darkness.
The dragon steel was soaked with the blood of the old man, who silently prayed to the ancient Ii-Tii gods. But they were silent. And the old man became food for another deity.
-Night follows Dawn. And the Dawn is you, Lord!
Fire, bright, reddening red, sprang up on the bloodlines and swiftly spread around, sticking its tongues into the pillars. Those who could not be reached by Euryon's hand screamed. The fire took its time turning them to ash, as if enjoying the agony of the agonising people.
-Don't cry,' Euron repeated, smiling gently at his former maid. The fire hadn't reached her yet and he needed to put the finishing touches on her as quickly as possible.' 'Think good thoughts. About me, for I am the best thing that ever happened in your miserable life.
With undisguised pleasure he slashed at her throat, and scarlet blood splattered around. Silver eyes faded, and Greyjoy watched with perverse pleasure as the fire devoured the girl's body.
The huge conflagration flared up in an uneven triangle and reached tens of metres high, taking its time to extinguish.
No, he needed something else.
Viroslav approached, holding the wrapped body of a baby. Greyjoy accepted it and gazed into the baby's beautiful indigo eyes.
-So you are a possible descendant of Hyrkun,' Euron tickled the baby's cheek. The baby giggled and reached his hands out, waiting for warmth and affection.
Euron gave it.
The shrieking cries of the baby thrown into the huge fire stirred everyone around him. The commanders, stunned, took a step back, only Tanzin stared blankly at it all with cold curiosity. The priests continued to chant the name of their god, asking for strength and power.
A moment and having flashed bright fire into the too-high distance, the fire was extinguished in a second.
Everyone fell silent. There was a sepulchral silence, interrupted only by the distant howls of the dead.
The grey sky lit up with rays of light. to become pillars of fire that burrowed into the ground. Where the Viht hordes had been.
A cacophony of ear-splitting sounds, a burning blaze that spread for kilometres. Vihtas, dead animals, giants, flying winged men, even the Others. turned to ash.
Ten minutes - that was exactly how long it took R'glor.
Euron chuckled in the deafening silence of the battlefield.