The Trials of Sybil

Chapter Twelve

Aramis

Nero and I ride side-by-side in silence as we canter towards Larnwick. A group of soldiers follow miles behind us with wagons for prisoners. A familiar pressure constricts my chest as I prepare myself for what I will find. Memories still haunt me of the last town they sent us to ambush the shifters in. The seer has foretold of an attack, kidnapping our citizens. By the time we arrived in the city, a pungent smell of smoke and burning debris already fills the air. The sight that greets us is heart-wrenching. Half of the buildings have been reduced to smoldering ruins, anything of value has been taken, and the savages left their women, elderly, and children to defend what remained. The feeling of hopelessness and despair is palpable as we watch the chaos unfold before our eyes.

What sort of evil creature would leave their weak and children to take off with the spoils?

Bile burned in the back of my throat at the memory of loading the children and their mothers into separate wagons, tears streaking down their faces. It was not the most desirable outcome, but it was necessary. Unmanaged shifter children would just mature to join the rebels and their strive to destroy the kingdom my family has been establishing into an empire. Since I was a young boy, my father and his new bride always reassured me that shifters are better off sent up north, into the mountains, far from Shadowvale, and I can't help but agree with them.

It was, after all, the shifter rebels who killed my mother in an attempt to take down my family and the entire kingdom. I was only eight years old–a baby in mages' years–when the assassins entered my room masked. Absent-mindedly, I reach a hand to my chest and rub at the scar that slashed from my left shoulder to the breastbone. Thanks to my wind magic, I threw the attackers off and out the balcony window, but not before their poisoned blade sliced through my skin. I thank the goddess that Nero broke through the door and rushed me to a healer. Glancing sideways, I look at my friend's profile in the rising sunlight. I did not think I'd be alive today if it wasn't for him.

***

Thick plumes of smoke rise high into the sky, casting a dark shadow over us. The acrid stench of burning material fills our nostrils, making us cough and squint our eyes. The crackling sound of flames can be heard from a distance, the heat so intense it feels as though we are standing too close to a raging fire.. I glance at Nero beside me as we slow the horses to a walk. He nods his head, confirming my suspicion that we've once again arrived too late. I have never been to Larnwick before, but I have most definitely heard about it. There aren't many towns in the kingdom where humans and shifters live side by side.

Now look at their folly.

"Let's split up. I'll look for signs of the rebels at the north of town while you head south." Urging my horse, I make my way through the buildings. The only sounds I hear are the cries of ravens circling above. Deep claw marks scrape the sides of buildings, leaving dark gouges.. Multiple houses stand in ruin, their roofs collapsed and charred. Smoke lingers in the air, obscuring the view of the surrounding area, gray flakes of ash floating around me. The smoldering fires cast an eerie orange glow, illuminating the destruction. The scene is a haunting reminder of the devastation the rebels can bring.

"Is anyone out there? Come out and show yourself," I call out while looking for signs of life. Where are the guards my father had promised he'd send to protect the towns? There is no sign of any creature, living or dead.

A loud crack resounds in the air and I whip my head around, my horse whinnying beneath me. I watch as flames burst out the window of a building across the street and the roof slumps inside, defeated. A large wooden sign hangs from one corner. The painted words "Margerie's Bookshop" are barely legible from the smoke stains. I feel a pang of regret as I imagine all the tomes inside. The dry thin pages being mercilessly consumed by the flaming beast. An insane urge to run into the building and rescue any remaining books crosses my mind, but I turn my horse and continue on our path.

"Aramis, my lord!" Nero calls out from in front of me, leading his horse by the reins. He must have made it full circle around the town already. I spot something in his hands as I slide out of the saddle and approach him. There is a crunch under my boot as I take a step forward. There's a rag doll laying squashed under my foot. I scoop up the discarded toy and regard its simple brown hair, brown eyes, and olive tone skin before I notice two fluffy ears atop her head. Frowning, I let the doll fall to the ground where it sends up a small cloud of dust and ash. Where is the shifter child it belonged to?

"I found nothing except this." Nero hands me a large, monstrous claw. "No sign of anyone, elemental or shifter."

I scowl at the large jet black claw in my hand. It is nearly the length of my forearm with a wickedly sharp point.

"What shifter has a claw of this size?" I ask as I hand the monstrosity back to him.

"None that I am aware of. It makes me wonder..." Nero trails off as he runs a finger along the edge of the claw, his brow furrowing in concentration.

"That the shifters have grown considerably larger in the last couple of decades?" I laugh, hoping my words aren't true.

"No. I wonder if we aren't dealing with rebel shifters, but another creature entirely." He looks up and meets my gaze. I cross my arms over my chest in defense. This is a serious–and entirely wrong interpretation of what is happening. My father would never let this happen.

"Nonsense. Here I thought I was the one with my head full of tales. Have you found a fondness for reading after all these years, Nero?"

He punches me lightly in the arm. "If you spent more time in the training yard and less with your secret pastime, perhaps I wouldn't kick your ass so easily when we spar. But Aramis, I truly feel like there is more to this attack. Look around you. We've never seen destruction of this caliber in the past."

"Each attack in the last year has become more gruesome, Nero. They're getting desperate." My thoughts return to the discarded doll. What is the point of destroying a peaceful village where elementals and shifters lived together? How did this attack help their cause? Doubt lingers at the back of my mind as I cast my eyes across the burning remains. Something is not adding up, but I am not ready to admit it.

"This does not look like an attack of desperation. This looks like malice." Nero tucks the claw into his bag.

Pulling myself back up into the saddle, I turn back towards the palace. "There is nothing to report here. We might as well head back to the castle."