Chapter 12: The Black Fortress

Gertrude Northguard

Inside the great spiked walls of Merridor, it almost feels like stepping into a different realm. Whereas most other cities of the Northlands feel rich, vibrant and filled with life, The Black City is devoid of any of these things.

Everyone keeps to their own, hoods up and cloaks clasped tightly. Funny enough it actually makes it easier to blend in, my own black cloak covering the top of my head and a cloth covering most of my face. Everyone looks like this, giving nothing away to their neighbours as distrust and suspicion choke the air around us like the thick smoke of a forest fire.

I turn to my approaching companions, Sister Guilda and Sister Lindri, equally as concealed as I am. Under their cloaks I can't see Guilda's earthy brown hair or Lindri's charcoal black hair but I can tell them apart by their eyes. Guilda's are a serene blue similar to Kai's while Lindri's are almost as dark as her hair.

"The fortress is at the centre of the city." I begin explaining after determining that no one is listening in on us. "The front entrance is out of the question, too heavily guarded."

"I believe there is a more secluded entrance at the eastern part of the fortress." Lindri chimes in. "King Alistair's son, Prince Bran, from what I gather, happily frequents the… services of a certain brothel, much to the disapproval of his father and sisters, I'm sure. The King seems to have built a secret exit so no one would see the prince come and go."

I let out a light scoff. "Sounds like a charming lad. But that does sound helpful, I assume you know how to get to the entrance."

Even though I can't see her face I can practically feel Lindri's smirk. "Our charming prince apparently becomes significantly more talkative when drunk. He let slip the exact location of the east entrance to some of his female companions, a sizable bag of gold coins was more than enough to get them to share what they heard."

"Good work, please lead the way." I motion for them to start moving.

"My pleasure, princess." Lindri remarks earning her a pointed look from me.

Guilda, ever the silent yet attentive sentry, merely nods before we proceed towards the Black Fortress. Lindri leads us through the shadows of the dark alleys, away from curious eyes. Just to be sure I keep my senses open, making sure there is no one following us or casting any suspicion our way.

The Fortress soon comes into full sight. The structure sacrifices height for width, the walls appearing only tall enough to accommodate two levels but wide enough to cover the area of a large forest. It's actually hard to see where the pitch black stone ends. Along the wall are dozens upon dozens of lanterns and statues of different manner of creatures, all currently unlit though being early in the afternoon, that is not a surprise.

"The lantern to the right of the vulture statue." Lindri points to the statue in question. "It opens the unseen entrance into the fortress."

I take a look around, no guards around but I suppose that makes sense. The King can't have anyone see his only son trudge to the lowly company of Merridor's brothels, even if it is his own men.

Lindri takes the lead, making her way to the lantern before pulling it down from its chain. A small click echoes from behind the wall. When nothing happens after that I turn to ask Lindri what is supposed to happen now until I notice something odd. The black stone of the wall appears to have taken a shimmering quality now.

With a curious hum I reach out to touch the now shimmering wall. I hum again softly as my hand goes straight through, almost like reaching through water. I share affirming looks with both Guilda and Lindri before I take the plunge and fully step through the wall.

It's a strange sensation, it almost feels like I'm falling sideways as the black waves wash past me. It only lasts a moment before I come out the other side, completely dry. Lindri and Guilda soon appear through the wall as well. I take a moment to observe our surroundings.

Quite dreary.

We appear to have found ourselves in what looks like an armoury. Serrated swords, spears, arrows all draped across weapon benches. The walls are just as black as they are on the outside of the fortress, the windows are small, too small to offer any real source of light leaving just the 4 torches along the walls to provide any meaningful amount of light.

"The war room and archives are mostly likely towards the centre of the fortress." Guilda explains, speaking up for the first time in what feels like hours. "If there is any information regarding King Alistair's plans against Kamrion, it is most likely there. You already know what to do."

Both of my companions respond with a brief nod. I close my eyes and allow the cold, almost biting wave of the Void to wash over me. It coils around me like a snake, a tight, almost unrelenting grip that is just barely shy of being painful. I open my eyes to see that Lindri and Guilda have also started Void Walking, their bodies blending into the background like living shadows.

Without another word we find our way out of the armoury and begin navigating the fortress. Ironically, the dark colour and low lighting of the fortress makes Void walking even easier, the countless shadows and dark corners providing constant cover.

Since none of us have ever been inside the Black Fortress before, navigating through it to where we need to go is mostly through calculated guessing. We pass by a few guards, servants and maids but they don't notice us, our presence concealed halfway through the Void, our footsteps echoing through a different plane of being.

It takes quite a while but we finally make it to the inner fortress. Unfortunately, there appear to be multiple routes, the path ahead no longer straight forward. I feel a small frown form on my face, we would cover more ground if we split up from here but it would also mean none of us would have assistance if things went awry.

I look to Lindri and Guilda, both of them awaiting my instruction. I weigh our options for a few more moments. The longer we stay here the greater the chance we will be discovered; the Void can only do so much to keep us concealed.

Making up my mind, I motion to Lindri and then down one of the paths before motioning to Guilda and motioning down another. Lastly, I point to myself and point towards the path I will take.

They both nod without hesitation and make their way down their respective paths. I take my own way, hugging the wall as more servants begin walking up and down the hallways. Seeing two servants towards the end of the hall, I focus my ears to hear what exactly they are saying.

"…delay from the kitchens." I catch the tail end of the first servant's statement.

"Just go inform them food is on the way. The generals have been in the war room all day and I'm sure they are famished."

The second servant looks hesitant but nods in affirmation before making his way down the hall. Deciding quickly, I follow close behind him, still under the cover of the Void Walk. The servant is walking with a brisk pace, each step radiating nervous energy.

He leads me to a room with massive double doors stretching as high as the roof. He gives the doors 3 quick knocks. A beat later, a gruff sounding voice instructs them to come in. As they push open the door I carefully slip in after them just before the heavy doors close behind me.

The centre of the room houses a large round table littered with parchments. Curious though, the other servant mentioned that the generals would be in this room but there are only two other occupants here.

The first is a man probably in his late thirties or early forties, grey hair barely starting to form along the sides of his mostly dark hair. He is well built and stands heads over the other occupants in the room. The second occupant is the most curious though, based on the descriptions I've heard this can only be Princess Gwyn Kaydwin, first born of King Alistair and heir to the throne of Merridor.

Her brown hair is tied back into a long braid, her eyes somewhere halfway between the blue of the sky and the green of the forest. Though she appears somewhat young, her entire demeanour is shrouded in a certain weariness that makes her seem older, complimenting her features, hard and weathered with a feint scar running down the side of her face.

Both the general and the princess silently observe the servant as he nervously bows to them.

"I-I have been sent from the kitchens." He manages to get out. "The food for the generals is on its way, my princess."

The princess responds with a non-committal hum, her eyes falling to the parchments on the table. "I've retired the generals for the time being, tell them I will be eating in my quarters."

"Of course, my princess." The servant offers another bow before scurrying out as quickly as his feet can carry him.

A heavy silence settles in the room as the general eyes the door critically as if expecting someone else to come through. He eventually relents and turns to Princess Gwyn.

"It doesn't matter how hard you stare at the letter, Gwyn, the words will remain the same." He tells her, his voice unexpectedly patient.

"Oh, I understand that." Gwyn responds, her voice tinged with frustration. "What I do not understand is my father's impatience."

"Gwyn…"

"The man has been fighting wars since before I was born." Gwyn continues, from where I am I can't see what's on the parchment she is so focused on and I can't risk getting any closer to find out. "You would think he would have learnt something about biding his time."

"Well, your father has a history of acting irrationally in regards to King Reginald."

I resist the urge to step closer at the mention of my father's name.

"But to push forward with the plan now… we aren't prepared, Balen." Gwyn's voice falls into weariness, finally pulling her eyes away from the table.

"Not fully, no." Balen agrees. "But also consider the longer we take to act, the more time Kamrion has to prepare themselves, the more room we give them to uproot our plans before they can take shape. Perhaps that is what the king is trying to avoid."

Gwyn sighs, age lines unnaturally standing out on her young face. "Perhaps. In any case, Queen Clementina has responded to my father's last request. She says it is possible but it is no small task, she will need to send a number of her alchemists to work with our necromancers."

General Bale nods. "I will inform the king."

"Do so, please." Gwyn nods before taking the letter she had been staring at and folding it up.

"Gwyn, what are you doing?" He asks as she makes her way towards the door.

"My quarters offer better protection that the war room." She explains matter-of-factly. "It's better if this missive stays with me for the time being until our necromancers have been informed."

Gwyn doesn't wait for a response before leaving the room.

Damn.

I need to find out what is on the missive she is carrying. But I can't just leave the room now, Gwyn closed the door behind her leaving just a tired looking General Balen. Unfortunately, it seems like the door is the rooms only exit so I have no choice but to wait for the general to leave.

The general lets out a disgruntled grunt before making his way towards the exit. I quietly wait for him to exit but he pauses when he reaches the door before turning around. I stop, staying as still as possible, willing myself to slip just a little deeper into the void.

The amount of time the general spends standing there is quite unsettling but he eventually relaxes his posture and pushes the door open, silently exiting the room. Sensing the room is now completely empty save for me, I allow myself to fall out of the Void Walk, a small bit of warmth returning to my skin.

I feel the air in my lungs gradually heat up as my misted breath begins to fade away. After making sure I have mostly recovered, I walk over to the war table. There must be over a hundred different missives and parchments littered across it, and from a few cursory glances I notice not all of them are important.

This room would benefit from having a scribe or two. There are a few correspondences from Thaegon, Vilos and even a few from Illis. Nothing particularly incriminating, mostly supply routes and trade agreements and even though the items being traded are questionable at best, it's nothing concrete.

I would seem what I need most is in procession of the princess. I supress a sigh, I was rather hoping I wouldn't need to infiltrate the royal wing of the fortress. It's undoubtedly the most well-guarded part of the fortress and even with Void walk it will be difficult to get through undetected.

I make my way over to the door, pressing my ear against it to hear any footsteps. When it sounds like the hallway has been empty for a while I slip back into the Void Walk before opening the door just enough to slip through. I almost jump when a dark silhouette is waiting for me on the other side.

Guilda motions for me to follow her. Without a word I stay just a few steps behind her as she leads be down the various twists and turns of the corridors until she pulls me into what appears to be a large supply room, judging from the contents, most likely the kitchen supply room.

"Sister Gertrude." Guilda greets courtly in a hushed voice. "I regret to report that I could not report anything of value."

"Worry not." I wave off her report quickly. "I believe Princess Gwyn has information we can use. She has a missive in her possession from Queen Clementina, from what was discussed in the war room it seems to contain details of another assault against our home."

Guilda appears to ponder over my words. At least that is what I assume, even for a veiled, Guilda is unnaturally good at keeping her features neutral at all times.

"If that is so then what I have may be of use after all." Guilda looks back at me. "They are finishing the preparation of Princess Gwyn's dinner. One of the maids will no doubt be taking it to her soon. From what I have come to understand, the work force in the fortress is immense, I don't think the guards or the princess will bat an eye over one unfamiliar face."

Picking up on her line of thinking, I feel a small frown form on my face. It's far from ideal but it is the best way to reach the princess' quarters without drawing too much attention.

"Very well. Lead the way to the poor girl unfortunate enough to be bringing the princess' dinner today."

Master Dahlia always taught us things have a way of starting off well before descending into chaos. Intercepting the maid carrying the princess' dinner and pulling her into another storage closet proved to be quite easy, going almost perfectly, too perfectly for me to believe our luck will last.

I hold my dagger up to the terrified girls throat after carefully setting down the covered tray of food I was able to grab before Guilda seized her. Guilda is standing behind her, firmly holding her arms in place to keep her from struggling with one hand and her other hand firmly planted over her mouth to keep her from screaming.

"I'm going to have my friend remove her hand now." I tell her, feeling her tremble. "Please don't scream, I would rather not have to slit your throat, understood."

It's hard to discern if she is nodding or if it's just a result of her terrified shaking. I decide that it's the former before nodding to Guilda who slowly lifts her hand from the girl's mouth. Hushed sobs and shaky breaths escape her mouth but she doesn't scream.

"Good." I nod at her, pulling my dagger back a bit from her throat. "What is your name?"

She tries to speak but another smothered sob escapes her. I stand patiently, understanding her fear. She eventually regains her composure enough to speak.

"M-Mary." She states. "Please, don't…"

"Listen to me, Mary." I cut her off. "How do you get to Princess Gwyn's quarters from here."

"W-what?" She sounds dumbfounded.

"Where you were going before." I press gently. "How do you get there?"

"You…" She hesitates, narrowing my eyes I press the edge of the blade harder against her neck. "Down the end of the hallway you go right. It will take you to the royal wing, Princess Gwyn's quarters are on the east most side, where the obsidian statues are."

"Good." I pull the dagger back completely and she visibly relaxes, at least as much as she can, given her position. "Now I'm going to explain to you what is going to happen, if you co-operate, I won't kill you. I am going to take your outer robes and the princess' dinner with me. You are going to go home and retire for the rest of the day and not breathe a word of this to anyone."

"What… what are you going to do?" She asks.

"Not your concern." I answer immediately. "If you play along no harm will come to you. As I said from the start, I'd rather not have to slit your throat. Now are you going to do as I said."

"Y-yes, of course." She nods vigorously.

I lean forward into her personal space, searching her eyes. "And you won't tell a soul that we were here?"

"I swear, I won't." Her voice is now pleading, fear swirling around her eyes.

She's telling the truth.

"Good." I nod to Guilda who slowly releases her tight hold on the girl.

As she shakily starts stripping away her outer robes I take a brief moment to observe her. She looks barely older than 16, it really would have been a shame to have to kill her. When she is done she slowly holds the robes out to me.

"You may go now." I turn to Guilda. "My companion will watch from the shadows to make sure you truly leave the fortress, you seem to be a smart girl, for both of our sakes please don't prove me wrong."

Mary bows shakily before slipping out of the closet.

"When you make sure she is out of the fortress find Lindri and make your way to our meeting point." I tell her. "Don't wait for me before you leave, I have a feeling that we will need to make a hasty exit when we have what we need."

"Understood." Guilda nods, as curt as always before slipping into the Void Walk and exiting the closet.

I glance down at the robes in my hand and the still undisturbed tray of food on the floor.

"Now for the difficult part."

Lindri Igenna

In hindsight it probably wasn't wise to venture into the lower levels of the fortress without going back to report to Guilda and Gertrude that a lower level even exists. I have never been renowned for my wisdom, though.

But when I noticed cloaked figures stalking down the hallways with what appeared to be a rushed pace I knew I had to follow. It is heavily ill-advised to run while accessing the void, the strain is said to drive you mad but I couldn't risk losing them. I push through even as I feel myself slipping too far towards the other side, my lungs feeling like their freezing in my chest and my skin going numb from the frostbite.

I don't have to push myself for too long, thank the fates. I follow them down a steep winding set of stairs, it goes down far deeper than I would have thought. The good thing is because of how dark it is, I place less focus on Void Walking. At the bottom of the stairs is a long, dimly lit corridor. Oddly enough the flames from the torches are a dark shade of green, creating a rather morbid atmosphere.

I press my back against the wall and slowly shimmy forwards as the cloaked figures make their way into a larger room up ahead. I don't fully enter the room, not willing to take that big of a risk considering where I am. I keep my self just at the point where the tunnel leads into the room which is another sight entirely.

It's a large round with dozens of what appear to be tables. Each and every table is covered by dark grey cloths. At least I think they are dark grey, it's hard to say for certain with the green hue of the flames.

The figures spread around the room, occasionally lifting the cloths only just enough for them to see what's underneath but I can see nothing from here.

"Any word from Thaegon?" One of the figures asks.

"General Balen is on his way. If there is anything he will inform us." Another responds. "The Queen knows we cannot proceed from here without her assistance."

General Balen?

Well, I suppose that is the person I am waiting for as well. I concentrate on my breathing, keeping it even and steady, keeping myself on the right side of the void just as Master Dahlia taught us.

This keeps me occupied until a rhythmic set of footsteps ring out behind me. I press my back as close to the wall as I can as I observe a large man with dark hair slightly greying at the sides walk briskly down the tunnel towards me. He passes right by me into the large round room.

They exchange a chorus of greetings before the man, whom I assume is general Balen, begins addressing the cloaked figures.

"Queen Clementina has graciously granted our request." He looks over each figure, expression stern. "She'll be sending some of her alchemists our way and not she did not specify when."

"But Sir, preparation would be more efficient if we knew the arrival day of her aid." Another cloaked individual steps forward.

"As I have already said, she did not specify when." Balen repeats, his voice growing sharper causing the cloaked figures to flinch back. "And quite honestly she was wise not to do so. I have reason to believe our position is no longer as secure as it once was. Not too long ago my patrol found a group of our new forces slaughtered along our boarders, cut down with cold steel and what appear to be animal bites. They also found one of your little experiments wandering around there, I still don't know who killed them."

A long silence passes after the general speaks, the cloaked figures merely staring back at him. The general wanders over to one of the tables, but unlike the cloaked figures he fully pulls away the cloth covering the table.

Oh my…

The lifeless husk on the table is grotesque. A small deformed creature with one arm significantly longer than the other, missing an eye and a scale pattern on its skin that is anything but uniform. If I had to guess which creature it originally came from I would have to say a lizard.

General Balen lets out a sigh.

"Another failure then?" He throws the cloth back over the withered form.

Failure?

What exactly is it they are trying to create…?

The figures remain quiet as the general, who seems to have had enough of this place, starts making his way back towards me, towards the entrance.

I really should try to make my way back towards the exit after the general leaves and find Guilda or Gertrude.

But then…?

I need to know what it is they are trying to create down here. When the general leaves, I wait for the cloaked figures to also take their leave. Since they require Queen Clementina's alchemists to continue whatever corrupted experiment they are conducting down here, I presume they have no reason to stay long.

It takes longer than I would have liked but eventually my presumption proves correct and they begin filing out one by one. When I am absolutely certain they are gone I let myself slip out of the Void Walk, immediately feeling a sense of overwhelming relief as I do. I waste no time, quickly making my way over to the covered tables.

I go over to the closest one and pull the cloth down. I ignore the sour taste in the back of my mouth as I look down at the malformation, just like the other one. I go over almost all of them, each looking like a lizard produced from varying degrees of stillbirth.

There is nothing I can discern just by looking at them but perhaps I can take a sample of one of these creatures back to the Artificers. I'm sure they would be able to determine something from it.

I pull my dagger out and prepare to take a sample of hide. A surprised, muted gasp escapes my lips when the blade scrapes harmlessly across the dead creature's skin. I feel my eyes scrunch in confusion, that can't possibly be right. I once again try to plunge the dagger into the hide of the creature but it's like trying to cut through steel armour with a dinner knife.

I press harder, hearing the metal strain with the pressure. I almost stumble forward as a loud snap fills the room. I look down to find my dagger splintered into several shards.

"By the fates." I mummer to myself, staring at the splintered metal in my hand.

Perhaps…

I pull out my second dagger, gently easing open the creature's mouth before using the blade to carve out a tooth. This time the blade cuts cleanly. I tuck the tooth away. I think I have been down here long enough.

On my way back up the stairs to the ground level I can't help but think about the shattered remains of my dagger. Our weapons are made of tempered steel, there are very few creatures to ever exist whose hide could withstand such a metal.

And most of those creatures are extinct…

When I make it to the ground level I am not surprised that Guilda is already waiting for me, her eyes shining with the tell-tale purple glimmer of the void.

"Come, we must make our way to the grey hills." Guilda tone is just as no-nonsense as I am accustomed to, though there is a glimmer of worry on her face, it looks all too foreign on her. "Gertrude's orders."

I feel myself scowl. "And where is Gertrude?"

"She is infiltrating the princess' chambers." Guilda is beginning to sound impatient.

"And we are leaving without her?" I question, feeling my eyes narrow.

Guilda's eyes narrow as well as she stretches herself to her full height, towering over me by quite a bit. "You have heard your orders."

It takes every ounce of my willpower to not take a step back.

"If she is discovered she'll be trapped in the most well-guarded part of the castle." I try to reason.

"She knows the risk and she decided that it was acceptable and we…" Guilda cuts herself off as a servant passes by us, oblivious to our presence. "We wouldn't be able to help her without fighting our way through which may compromise her even more."

"But…"

"Lindri."

I wince, the new dangerous edge in her voice is not one to take lightly.

"We go, now." Her tone leaves no room for arguments.

I look up to meet her eyes, letting my displeasure show. "At your order, Elder Sister."

I see a flash of something unfamiliarly surprised briefly come over her. I haven't referred to her as 'Elder Sister' since my early days of training.

"Come." With that one word she turns begins walking.

After a moment of pause, I follow.