WARNING: this chapter will be very graphic. Reader discretion is advised, as this chapter will feature gruesome violence and death.
Keith woke up next to Natani holding him close. His heart was heavy, and his mind went to Trace and Flora. Trace had spent the first night of the new year without her. She was hurt in a way he couldn't even imagine. He looked up at Natani, and a thought crossed his mind. No, not yet. It wasn't the time yet. He would wait. There was enough going on for everyone right now, they didn't need another complication like that. But he imagined her taking his hand… he would do it. Just not yet. For now, he snuggled back into her chest, and was content to just be with her.
Zen sat up in his bed. Like before, he and Barret shared a room. The window overlooked the main road, which was busy in the early morning. Barret was already dressed, and walked out of the room without saying a word. Zen knew why. He had heard Barret mumbling in his sleep, he blamed himself for making Flora sick. It was his idea, after all, to take the mountain road. Throwing on his vest and cloak, Zen followed him downstairs shortly. The snow was nearly gone, and Whilam was serving hot coffee to anyone who went over to the bar.
"Well, happy new year. Sorry, but I haven't seen the doctors yet today. They probably took care of your friend all night, they're good like that." Barret groaned and put his head down. "Don't feel bad. From what it sounded like, you did your best. You did the impossible and crossed the mountain range, endured a blizzard, and came out on top! If the other two were still here, they'd probably be rather proud."
"Other two?" Zen asked, sipping his coffee.
"Yeah, they were here just two days ago. Couple of scaled folks." Barret's head flew up, eyes wide.
"What?! Ishtaer?! Here?!"
"Yeah, two days ago. They stayed the night and left before I could ask them any questions. They didn't seem to want to stick around, heard them mention something about Templars."
"My kind don't get along with Templars. It's… complicated."
"Well, it's not my place to judge. If I knew you were coming, I might have asked them where they were off to."
"What did they look like?"
Zen elbowed Barret and muttered "Don't get your hopes up too much."
"Well, it was a guy and a gal, he was taller than you are, nice bright silver scales with a bit of gold, deep voice, made my skin crawl when he looked at me. Looked fierce enough to make anyone nervous, but I doubt he was that bad, especially with how he treated the other one. She was barely taller than me, and she also had silver scales, but every time she moved, the secondary colors seemed to be different, like I was looking at a living rainbow. She seemed like a sweet gal, very soft spoken, very- you alright?"
Barret had stopped breathing. "Two… two days… they're alive!" His eyes were wide, and Zen could almost hear his heart pounding. "My parents are alive! They were here!"
"Well, I don't know where they went. Like I said, they came in late, late at night, got a room and left before I could ask them anything. If I see them again, I'll let them… oh bloody hell." Whilam looked out the windows. "What the hell are they doing here? They shouldn't be back for months."
Zen and Barret turned to see thirty Templars marching through town. "I didn't know they had control here."
"They don't. They go up and down the roads, mostly protecting caravans from raiders and bandits. Sometimes they stay a few days, other times they pass through without a word. Most folks round here only tolerate them because they keep things safer- usually. They left town last week going east, don't know why they'd come back." The sound of military drums began sounding, and the captain began shouting to his men. Zen and Barret went over to the door and opened it to hear.
"Let all here witness what happens to those who work against the Templars! Bring forth the prisoner!"
"What are you doing?! You have no right to start a public execution without trial!" A well dressed Tiger Keidran ran out to meet the captain, who held out a paper.
"I have every right sir, now stand down Mayor." The Tiger took the paper and began reading it, only to be pushed off to the side of the road as his eyes flicked. The drums struck back up. Chains rattled and clanked as eight soldiers with swords escorted a gagged prisoner with silver scales. Shackles on her wrists, ankles, neck, chest, waist, and knees rattled with every step she took. Behind her, a burly soldier carried an executioners axe.
"No. No!" Barret began to move, but Zen pulled him back.
"Barret, wait! Stay here, and don't go out yet. We will save her, but let me get help first." Zen pressed him against the door frame, and bolted upstairs. Barret's eyes were wide again, his chest pounded, and everyone in the inn was watching the soldiers with horror and awe. Less than a minute later, Keith, Natani and Zen rushed down.
"We heard the drums and figured something was up. What's going on?"
"Templars. They're going to execute my mom!"
"Alright, we-" Zen was cut off as a deep voice echoed through the town, over the drumming, over the clanking of armor and over the rattling of chains.
"LET HER GO!" The four rushed out to see a giant standing at the far end of the street. A sword gleamed in his hand, silver and gold scales wrapped tightly around the hilt. His face was twisted into an angry scowl, his fangs bared. With a shout, the Ishtaer sprinted down the street, rushing straight toward the Templar company. Scrambling as they were now under attack, the soldiers drew swords and fell into a defensive formation. Barret suddenly rushed forward too, leaving the three in the dust. His bow in hand, he shouted and loosed an arrow, which flew straight into the side of a soldier.
The giant Ishtaer crashed into the soldiers with unmatched ferocity. His blade felled one, and with his other hand he lifted a second soldier into the air, tossing him over ten feet before he came down with a crash. The captain barked orders over the chaos, and the escort and executioner backed up, pulling the prisoner with them, though she struggled fiercely. Zen, Natani and Keith threw themselves into the fray, and the street was filled with carnage. Barret fired arrow after arrow, aiming for the escort as much as he could, killing three of them.
"Just do it!" the captain shouted, and the executioner stepped forward. The soldiers formed a wall, and surged forward, pushing the four melee fighters back, even Barret was forced to retreat a short distance. He looked over the soldiers as the axe was raised.
"No!" He fired an arrow for the executioner, but hit his armor. The axe fell with a swish and a sickening squelch.
And Barret's heart stopped.
The executioner pulled the bloody axe out, and kicked the Ishtaer prisoner to the ground, before turning his eyes to the giant one. The giant Ishtaer roared in anger and fury. One poor soldier lashed out and stabbed him in the leg, only to realize his mistake far too late. A giant scaled hand reached down and pulled the soldier off the ground, whirling him around, and throwing him back into the twenty remaining soldiers. The captain drew his sword and joined the battle. Barret stood there, looking in horror, as the woman he called 'mom' lay there in the street; skull split open, motionless and dead.
For several seconds that lasted a lifetime each, he stared. Then his blood boiled. His anger swelled, and his heart raced. He fired shot after shot. The Templar's armor was thick, and they shifted around constantly. Zen and Natani dueled with two soldier each, Keith took on three himself, and the giant Ishtaer roared as he was surrounded by seven. Barret backed up and dropped his bow, pulling out his hunting knife as four soldiers rushed at him. Though he wanted them dead, he couldn't take them on, he was outmatched.
As he tried to stay out of the reach of their shortswords, he heard a cry of pain to his left, and looked over to see the giant fall to the ground. Though he managed to bring down five of the soldiers, they had wounded him severely, and he fell to the ground as the executioner walked over, kicked him and raised his axe a second time.
Keith dispatched the three soldiers in front of him and looked over to see Barret's right hand outstretched, his eyes glowing like fire, and the Templar soldiers that had been hounding him backed up in fear. "NO!" Barret shouted, and magic shot from his fingertips. The executioner looked up as his axe fell, only to get blasted by a bolt of silver energy. Blasted back, the man flew twenty feet, skidding and snapping his neck on the ground. The axe spun through the air wildly, as though it had a mind of it's own, before falling with a wicked thud, and a second, sickening sound of metal cleaving flesh.
"Retreat! Fall back! Run!" the captain shouted, scrambling back to his feet. The ten remaining soldiers backed up, and turned to run. Barret ran over to his bow, and picked it back up, firing one last arrow at them, hitting the captain in the shoulder as he fled. Panting, adrenaline slowly left everyone panting and weary. Barret rushed over to the giant Ishtaer, who was laying on the ground. The axe had lodged itself in his chest, cutting deep, through scale, flesh and bone. His breathing was weak and his eyes were barely open.
"Dad? No! No! Not again!" Barret cried as he held his hand.
"Barret? You… you're alright… you're alive… I wish… that I could… tell you… how proud… we are… you truly are… my son… Barret…" With that, he breathed his last.
"Dad? No. No! No!" Wails of agony and pain filled the city. The smell of death filled the air. Trace ran out of the inn to see the carnage.
"My door got jammed. What happened?" Barret cried and held his father. Though he had passed from this world, Barret would not let go. Even as Zen and Keith tried to pull him off, he would not let go. For an hour, he cried.
His heart was broken.
His world was shattered.
His parents were dead.