The Long Road to Ruin Ch. 24

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Shiloh let out a scream of frustration. She couldn't allow herself to be taken by the Dhorn. As Bastian's name lingered on her lips, a flash of black entered the room and immediately she knew who it was. Despite the black mask and cowl that covered his head and face, she knew who it was by the way he fought.

Vico!

She continued her struggles while Kheldar dragged her backwards toward his office. The three Dhorn officers along with three more soldiers surrounded the whirling man in black with the deadly red tinged sword he called Kinslayer.

Blades clattered against each other and drew sparks. Vico used his wicked dagger to block while he ruthlessly plunged Kinslayer into the guts of the three soldiers, bringing them down to their knees. Snarling from behind the mask, the dagger found purchase in each of the soldiers' throats'. By the time they had thudded to the floor, the Blackguard had moved to engage the others. He taunted Jolan and continued his deadly dance, swinging both swords in sync with practiced ease.

With halberds slashing at him, trying the hit a critical point, the Dhorn officers worked together to bring the lone darkly armored man down. Spreading out around Vico, the Dhorn closed in on him until he was occupied upon all sides, hoping he would not be able to focus upon one of them for too long at any given moment.

But they were wrong. Dead wrong.

Vico laughed at them as he swiftly began to disarm them one by one of their halberds. He jabbed with his dagger while Kinslayer delivered the cold, clean kiss of well honed steel to slash at their unprotected throats and bit deep into large vein that ran the length of their necks.

Until only one remained. Vico and Jolan circled each other. Blood dripped from various wounds on Jolan's body, but he would not surrender. He hissed at the blackguard before him, taunting him back. "Coward! You hide behind a mask. Are you frightened to face me or are you just too ugly to show your face? Mark my words, by the time I'm through with you, you won't have a face left to worry about showing."

Ignoring the Dhorn's words, Vico feinted back and tumbled to the side, jabbing Kinslayer into a weak spot of the officer's mail. He held it there while he dropped his dagger to the ground and summoned to his hand a ball of blood red negative energy. Chuckling, he pressed it to the Dhorn's face.

Jolan screamed and pulled back, swinging his longsword in a wide arc at Vico, but it encountered nothing but air.

"Where'd you learn how to fight? In an academy for girls," Vico chuckled as he pressed his advantage. "You should definitely practice more. Or better yet, demand your money back because you got robbed."

It was time to finish it. Vico had better things to be doing than playing with this poor excuse for an officer. He lunged forward, slamming Kinslayer through layers of chain and leather. Jolan groaned and gasped as he dropped his sword and reached out to grab hold of Vico's shoulder.

He shoved it off before summoning another burst of sucking energy, applying it directly to the officer's heart. Jolan bucked violently before slumping to the floor. Then Vico bent over him and cruelly slashed his throat, leaving him to die alone. He dashed over to the door he'd seen Father Kheldar take Shiloh through and kicked it open.

Scanning the dark room, he noticed she was still in Kheldar's arms and he had a dagger pressed to her throat. "I'll kill her if you come any closer," Kheldar shouted.

Vico shrugged, "Go ahead. Do it. Kill her. I dare you." He took a step closer.

"I mean it. I'll slice her pretty white throat wide open."

Vico moved closer, his black eyes focused on the priest. "And I said go ahead. I'd enjoy watching that two bit slut bleed out. Do it. Slit her open."

Kheldar's hand shook visibly as he raised the blade in place. Shiloh gulped, repressing a scream as she felt the coldness of the steel against her skin. "That's close enough."

"You fuckin' coward! Kill her now or die yourself." Vico advanced six more paces, just an arm length or two from Shiloh and the priest. "Do it!"

Shiloh cried out as the blade pierced her flesh. She closed her eyes and went limp in the Kheldar's arms, hoping to wiggle her way out before his knife cut her any deeper. But then Vico was in front of them. He yanked her away from the priest and brought both his swords up, slamming them into the man's unprotected chest. Kheldar went down as Vico callously watched.

Then he turned to Shiloh and threw the cowl off and removed the face mask. His turned his cold eyes upon her. "You have got to be the stupidest bitch I have ever met! What in the fuck do you think you're doing? Robbing a temple? No one in the family told you to do that?! Do you want to get caught? Do you want to be the cause of our entire organization being exposed?"

"I don't expect you to understand, asshole, but I had my reasons. I needed to procure a specific magic item and only a temple would have it. I tried to deal fairly with that bastard priest, but he was going to use me and not sell me the thing I wanted. I thought I could get away with it. I had to try."

Vico scoffed at her. "Stupid bitch! When are you going to learn to leave these things to the people who are experienced enough to succeed?!?! Let's get out of here. I'm taking you to Nathan and you had best have a better explanation than that line of bullshit you just handed me."

Shiloh made a face at him and picked up the haversack that she had dropped then followed him back through the closet panel to the set of rooms on the other side. He escorted her through the tunnels in which she had came through, but he manipulated another hidden panel opened up to another tunnel which would lead them back to the main sewers.

Nearly an hour passed before they came to a locked door. Vico pulled out a key and opened it. He shoved her through, locking the door behind him. "Head up the ladder and try to stay hidden."

"Where are we? What's above that ladder?" She asked as she reached for a rung.

"The bearded lady, stupid. Just get your ass up that ladder NOW!"

Shiloh scrambled up it and opened the hidden door in the floor. As she climbed up, she realized where she was. Vico joined her, smoothing the small rug back over the trap door and grasping her elbow. He pulled her along with him quietly, leading her up the stairs to Master Nathan's office.

"Nathan, something should be done about her," Vico started as he shoved Shiloh towards the older man.

"Why, Vico?" Nathan raised an eyebrow at the blackguard and then turned his gaze upon her. "What's she done?"

"I saved her ass from being turned over to the Dhorn and tortured. Their pet priest caught her robbing the temple." Vico replied. "I followed her every move."

"Shiloh? Care to explain yourself?"

"Let go of me, asshole," she jerked her arm from Vico's grasp. "I was working on the job you gave me, but there was also something else I needed to do and for that I needed money. Lots of money. When I broke in the Dhorn barracks, I found a lead. Two large sums of money was paid out to the same person. Now that corroborates what I overheard in the sewers that time. The one man told the Dhorn he'd need money to bribe people with. I have to ledger with me... somewhere."

Shiloh sat down on the floor and dumped everything out of her haversack. She found the book and handed up to Nathan. "Flip it open about halfway. You'll see the entries I'm talking about. I not only lifted that book, but the Dhorn payroll as well. It totaled around forty-five thousand gold pieces. You will not believe the audacity of the Dhorn. That payroll was being housed in three safes that came from the castle. Those three safes were my father's. I knew the combinations and took what I feel is rightfully mine. The gold trade bars within them were stamped with the royal seal. I disguised myself and traded them at the jeweler for seven very nice gems. I took those gems to the temple. I had hoped to trade them for a rod that brings people back to life. That low life priest meant to do harm to me. I was happy to steal his keys and raid his treasures. I have the rod in question along with a second one that I found hidden beneath an odd altar. It was in a dark locked room. I don't think Father Kheldar knew about it."

"And just who do you plan on reanimating, Shiloh?" Nathan asked with a look of disbelief on his face.

She studied her feet for a few minutes before sneaking a glance sideways at Vico then she turned her gaze back to Nathan. "Do you really need to ask that?"

"From what I know about reanimating a person and bringing them back, they have to be willing to do so. Shiloh, after what happened to Caron, I don't think he'd want to come back. It is best to leave him dead."

Shiloh nodded at him, content to keep her eyes on the floor. She could feel Vico's heated stare upon her. She knew he probably wanted to hit her. She could deal with that. She just couldn't tell them the truth at this point. It had to be a surprise. "I don't have to take the things back that I stole, do I? I mean, I figure most of the things from the temple will be fairly useful."

"No, keep them, but just don't flaunt your new found wealth or call undue attention onto yourself," Nathan warned. "Now are you going to head over to the Arena later this evening and make some inquiries? I would suggest if you do that you do so as inconspicuously as possible."

"Yes, Master Nathan, that was the plan," she curtsied before him. "Actually, there was one thing I wanted to ask you. I wanted to ask you how you felt about Nicca coming to live with me. She expressed an interest in being with me, since I am the one who rescued her. Who knows when she'll be able to go live with her grandmother? She could still work in the kitchens."

"I don't think that is such a good idea, Shiloh."

"And why not?" Her voice raised an octave. She glanced over at Vico before turning her gaze back to Nathan. "She told me that this asshole scares her. She doesn't like the way he looks at her. She is only thirteen years old. She is an innocent young girl and I will not tolerate her being violated by him. And furthermore, there's Trissa. I know she's been mean to Nicca... behind Chella's back. I can't be down in the kitchen everyday to protect her. Therefore, I want her to live with me. I have more than enough room. She'll be safe with me."

Nathan nodded and glanced over at Vico. "Nicca's off limits. I'm sure you can still find enough whores to satisfy your needs."

Vico inclined his head and chuckled loudly. "Shiloh's whore enough to satisfy every man's needs."

Shiloh turned to him and slapped his smug face. "I'm not a whore. And furthermore, I'm through with you."

"That's enough!" Nathan barked. "Shiloh, you have a job to do. I suggest you get to it. Vico, I have something for you also."

Shiloh curtsied before she left the room. Her glare rested on Vico for a few tense seconds, but she kept walking. She'd show him. If her plan worked as well as she hoped, she'd have him where she wanted him once and for all.

O.O

Though it had many months and her memory was a tad bit foggy, Shiloh made her way through the various tunnels that Vico had led her through the night of the Dhorn attack on the castle. It didn't take her all that long to reach the cellars of the castle. She knew where she was and how to get where she needed to be. She remembered fondly the years of hiding from her nanny when she wasn't interested in her studies. They usually searched for her in the stables, her other favorite place on the castle grounds. But the cellars.... she often pretended they were deep dark caves where within resided the mightiest of dragons. And though she would have proved to be the most delicious of morsels, the dragon spared her because of her beauty. The memories made her smile. She had had so many wonderful moments in this place. It broke her heart that she was now in exile and could no longer wander amongst its majestic walls. One day, she vowed, this will all be mine again.

Draping the hood of the cloak up over her head, she delved into the shadows. Where darkness lingered, she found the safest places to hide. She made her way up from the cellars to the main level of the castle. The floor above her had housed the royal suites, including her mother's wing. She knew that the royal ballroom lie ahead of her to the west and the throne room to the east. She wondered who had assumed her father's seat, who now held court above everyone else that where residing in the castle. She crept to a back stairway and stealthily made her way down it to what had once been the servant's quarters. Though her fondest wish would be to find someone alive that she had once known, she feared that was for naught. The Dhorn had most likely brought in their own retinue of attendants, those loyal to the Empire.

Furtively, she eased her way down the long shadowy corridor. The kitchens were at the far end, but in between here and there were the rooms many of the workers had called home. Heading to the largest room, the one that had belonged to the woman who ran the kitchens, Mistress Madaera, Shiloh let herself into the dark room. After a few moments of searching around, she found a candle and lit it swiftly with a tindertwig. Pale light flooded the room, even encroaching into the darkest corners.

As her father's mistress, Madaera lived in luxury as few servants rarely ever got the chance to. Her bed was large and had a feather mattress. Her wardrobe had been full of fine dresses, the likes of which the gentry might wear. And Madaera's daughters had been included in that. She picked up the candlestick and walked the length of the chamber to the door at the far end. She knew the room beyond the door had belonged to Shanna and Shira. Normally Shira stayed with her in the princess' suite, but Shiloh always knew she had a room off of the kitchens.

As she reached the door, she was immediately assailed by a horrid sickly sweet aroma. Shiloh held her breath as she entered it and lifted the candle aloft. A bracket still held an unused torch. She lit it, illuminating the small room.

In the corner, she spied a badly decomposed corpse with golden brown hair. By the smallness of her form and the destroyed clothing she still wore, Shiloh knew it had to be Shanna. She gasped as she noticed the multiple gaping wounds on the younger girl's torso, especially the one over her heart. Tears flowed down Shiloh's cheeks as she knelt before the body. Vico saved me from this, she whispered to herself.

Shiloh drew the rod from her haversack and held it above Shanna. She felt warmth on her skin that resonated from the intricately carved white ash and a single word entered her mind. She spoke it aloud, concentrating on Shanna. "Resurgo..."

She didn't know what would happen next. Minutes ticked by as the body before her began to reform anew. The gashes that rent her skin coalesced, leaving behind unmarred patches of new flesh. It made her whole again and as Shanna opened her eyes, she gasped for breath, sucking it into her empty lungs. Convulsing violently, Shanna's body jerked upwards as her eyes rolled back in her head.

Unsure of what to do, Shiloh gathered Shanna in her arms, holding her tightly. "Everything's fine, little sister. Stay with me. I'm here to save you."

Long moments passed before Shanna came to again. She struggled in Shiloh's arms, trying to pull away. Begrudgingly, Shiloh let her go, but met her gaze evenly.

Wild eyed, Shanna scanned the room. "We must hide! The Dhorn!" She called out, attempting to crawl under her bed.

Shiloh grabbed hold of her arm, stopping her. "Shhh....listen to me, little sister. Much has happened since that fateful night. I have brought you back from the dead and I'm going to get you out of here. I'll take you to safety, to Vico."

"Vico?" She rubbed her eyes and stared unbelievably. "Princess Shiloh! Forgive me, I did not know it was you."

"I'm not a princess any longer. Though, I must confess something. Your mother and my father, the King, were lovers. We are flesh and blood. You're my younger sister. You and Shira. I survived the attack because Vico saved me. He was in the castle that night, trying to get to you," Shiloh admitted with a smile. "We cannot linger here. I have to find Shira's remains. They killed her before my very eyes. You should change your dress and grab your belongings. Then we must be off. I'll lead you to a safe place."

It took Shanna several long minutes to acclimate herself to mobility. Her muscles hadn't been used in a long time. Sweat broke out on her forehead as she shoved her clothes into a small valise before heading to her mother's room. She grabbed a few keepsakes from a shelf and placed them with her clothing.

"Do you have a dark cloak?" Shiloh asked.

"Mother does, uhm... err.. did."

"Find it, put in on and let us be off. We have to be as silent as a mouse. No speaking, for there will be plenty of time for catching up when we have escaped the castle."

Shanna nodded, slowly following Shiloh back out of the room. She retraced her steps, not encountering anyone, on her way back to the cellars. After finding a good hiding spot for Shanna, Shiloh set back off again. This time her destination was her old room, the last place she knew Shira's body to be. Part of her didn't expect it to be there, due to the fact that she remembered Vico telling Master Nathan that the Dhorn had piled the bodies up in the castle yard. Yet she prayed to Bastian that it would.

As she neared what had once been a busy part of the castle, she encountered a lone Dhorn soldier, patrolling a deserted passageway. Shiloh ducked into a doorway and sized him up. He wasn't much taller than she nor any larger in build. A plan formulated in her head and she moved swift to put into motion. She leaped into the air, brandishing her poison sword, and brought it down on the exposed neck of the soldier who wasn't wearing his helm.

He heard him groan as her blade pierced his spine and down he went. Grabbing him by the feet, she dragged him into a nearby room, leaving behind a bloody trail. Quickly she stripped the still twitching man of his armor and cut his throat cleanly once she had him completely bare.

Shiloh examined the armor pieces and realized she'd have to bind her chest on order for the breastplate to fit comfortably. She was too well endowed to be a Dhorn soldier. It took her several long nerve-wracking minutes to get into the armor, but finally she succeeded. She knew she would have to find a helm in order to hide her face. Searching around the lower levels, she finally found the large dormitory that served as a barracks for the soldiers that lived in the castle. Quickly she moved through the room, opening foot lockers until she found one that contained a helm and a red cloak.

The helm gave her a sense of claustrophobia as she settled it upon her head. It was too closed in around her. She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she tried to make herself get used to the feeling of having it hiding her face. It was a necessity, she knew. Picking the red cloak up, she draped it over her shoulders, hoping it would hide her long hair, and fastened the clasp up front. Now it only she had a mirror. Part of her wanted to see what she looked like as a Dhorn. Yet the mere thought sent shivers racing down her spine.

Her search of the lower levels had taken longer than she had expected. She couldn't afford to waste any more time. And with that niggling in her brain, she made haste back up to the upper level where what had been her own room was located. She hoped to find Shira. Shiloh knew there was no certainty of that, though. That she had found Shanna had been a miracle.