DEVILRY [FANTASY LGBTQ]

Chapter four:

By the time he reached the courtyard the sun had just begun to drop below the horizon, leaving behind an encroaching darkness. The air quickly cools without the sun's warmth. "Psst!" William hissed at him from behind a neatly trimmed hedge. Hendryk rolling his eyes as he slowly made his way towards the group. "You made it!" William mused.

"What are you doing?" Hendryk questioned as he looked down at the crouching boys. There were five of them, including WIlliam. All of them dressed in dark colors and ducking behind the hedge.

"Hiding, get down" William hissed before he pulled him down into the hedge with the others. Hendryk letting out a grunt as he was tugged to crouch with the others.

"Once brother James and brother Lance leave, we rush the gate" William murmured as he peered around the hedge. Hendryk rubbing the bridge of his nose in irritation as a group of upperclassmen passed them, giving them odd stares as they went. They weren't even remotely well hidden. They remained huddled in the dark for a few minutes before William guffawed loudly.

"What are you doing?"

"Thats the signal" Willam stated.

"What signal?" Hendryk questioned as the other boys jumped up and skirted around the hedge, making their way to the gate. Brother Lance and Brother James were nowhere to be seen. With a sigh Hendryk stood up and meandered his way towards the imposing wooden gate. The rest of the boys gave the gate a shove. When it didn't budge, they huffed and looked toward Hendryk.

"Okay Hendryk, open the gate" one of the boys instructed. Hendryk looked up at the gate, its impressive wooden surface towering over them. He then let out a sigh and moved along the door, his hand tracing the carved ridges of it before he found what he was looking for.

"What are you doing? Push the gate open" another boy scolded. Hendryk ignored them and twisted a section of metal embedded in the gate and instead opened a small hatch hidden within the gate.

"There you go" Hendryk deadpanned. Of course, he wasn't going to push the entire gate open. One that would make far too much noise and second there was a perfectly fine hidden door within the gate itself. The door was just big enough for one person at a time to slip through. Not that he expected them to know about it, he only knew because he was shown it by Tannick before his first mission some months back.

"A hidden door!" William mused. "You genius" he added with glee. The boys slipped out the door one by one. "Come with us" William pleaded.

"I said I'd get the door open, no more" Hendryk grunted.

"Please" William begged. Hendryk tutting in annoyance. He should have known William would resort to begging. He never could leave well enough alone. "Brother Hendryk" the latter pleaded. For a moment he thought of Tannick and shortly after he felt his resolve crumbling.

"Fine, just stop it already" he groused. William letting out a muted cheer.

"Okay let's go, hurry hurry" William mused as he paraded out the door. Hendryk quietly followed behind him, pulling the door closed behind them. He was going to regret this; he could feel it already.

"The devil is coming with us?" one of the boys remarked coldly. Hendryk barely reacted to the word, honestly, he had been called worse by better people than the little creatin that was standing before him.

"Yup!" William mused. "I managed to convince him to come along" William said proudly. The rest of the boys looked rather put out regarding the news but said nothing more. Hendryk ignored their downtrodden sighs and instead eyed the city below. The enclave was built on a hill, to get to the front gates one had to walk a series of steps, the city sprawling below. He watched as the torch lights began to glow, gleaming like so many fireflies in the darkness. William suddenly skirted around him and began to push him along by his shoulders as the group began to make their way down the stairs. Hendryk pulled up the hood of his cloak as they went.

By the time they reached the tavern the sun had fully made its disappearance, giving way to the moon. Its silvery glow, however impaired by an overcast of clouds. The tavern was ordinary looking, but the boys looked upon its brightly lit windows with awe and glee as they approached. Despite it being rather early in the evening the tavern was crowded with patrons. Some were already drunkenly singing along with the bard. At first the group stood in the doorway, an uncertain energy washing over the group. They didn't remain rooted for long before another patron roughly shouldered past them, some of the young men stumbling out of the way.

"Let's grab a seat" a boy quipped, leading the way through the crowd. Hendryk followed after them hesitantly, slipping through the crowd towards an empty table. The group clamored into their seats at the table. William turned in his seat as he took in the sights. Hendryk eyeing their surroundings from under his hood, the young men sitting with him shifting uneasily.

"Well, this is fun" Hendryk deadpanned. His comment earned him a collective glare from the group.

"Let's get drinks" William mused, abruptly standing from his seat. Hendryk watched him leave the table and disappear into the crowd. When he returned it was with arms laden with iron mugs, sloshing over with ale as he was bumped into while making his way to them. When he reached them, he unceremoniously dumped the drinks on the tables, some of the ale spilling over. Much to the other boy's chagrin. Willaim hastily apologizing with a laugh. Each of the young men then took a tankard for themselves. Hendryk being passed one by William. "Cheers! To a fun night out with brothers" William mused loudly as he roughly clinked tankards with the other boys. Hendryk frowning before he took a sip of the ale, he wasn't much for drinking. He didn't like the taste honestly. Granted all he had really ever had was ale and the sour wine that communal served to bless the Lady of Ash. The rest of the boys seemed to warm up, the ale undoubtably helping. William standing by the table talking animatedly to the others when a man stumbled into him from behind. William wincing as he nearly dropped his drink.

"Watch it" the man barked roughly.

"Ah, sorry" William said timidly. Hendryk assumed that would be the end of the confrontation. It seemed he was wrong when the drunkard grasped WIlliam by the arm. The older man yanking William towards himself, before he could spew whatever drunken tough guy drivel he could think of, Hendryk stood from his seat. The action seemed to catch the man's attention seeing as he turned his gaze towards him. He opened his mouth, making a disgruntled sound before his blearily gaze drifted towards Hendryk's chest. Hendryk lifting a brow at drunken man before a silly smile crossed the man's face.

"Ah shit, you're from the Order" the man chortled. "My bad mate" the man chuckled as he released William. The latter cast a confused look towards the group who were sitting by nervously. For a confused moment Hendryk stood there before he recalled the emblem stitched across the front of his cloak. The symbol of the Order. "Hey everyone!" the man shouted, gaining the attentions of the patrons nearest. "The Order is here!" he boasted earning a few drunken cheers. Hendryk slowly sat back in his chair as the volume of the tavern picked up. Their table soon surrounded by drunken townsmen and women, thanking them for their service and offering to buy them drinks. The young men quickly eating up the attention. Hendryk found it rather strange considering the men with him hadn't even seen real combat yet. He supposed there was no real way for the common folk to distinguish novice from a seasoned knight or paladin. However, that didn't stop his fellows from garnering more attention to themselves by regaling them with tales of monsters, which of course they had only seen in books.

Hendryk quickly separated himself from the group once the attention got to be too much. He made his way towards the bar, which was decidedly less crowded. He let out a sigh as was passed a drink by the barmaid, taking the tankard into his hand before he took a gulp. His face scrunching up at the taste.

"That scent..." a voice growled from alongside him. Hendryk glancing up from his drink at the burly stranger sitting at the bar beside him. He was a tall yet ordinary looking man with dark hair. Hendryk's eyes narrowing as the man tilted his head towards him, black eyes regarding him. "Spawn of her mistress of red" he growled, his voice warbling and inhuman.