Iron Blooded

Outside of the Inquisitor's tent, two Darkblades stood vigil. Their silver masks turned, following my path as I stepped forward.

"Tell the Lady I've done as she instructed." Said Ser Connel. The Darkblades remained still and silent.

"Enter," called the Lady Inquisitor. Ser Connel gestured to York who shoved me forward unnecessarily. After cutting him a glare I stepped through the flap and into the tent's interior.

The scent of incense and oil was strong enough to make my eyes water.

White beeswax candles ran along the tent's edge, their yellow flames giving off a steady glow.

The lady Inquisitor leaned against the edge of a heavy wooden table. She was wearing her fighting leathers but her dark hair was now loose, tumbling around her shoulders.

"Will of Blackbriar," she said and her red lips curved at the corners.

"My Lady," I said tightly. It was a formality to make the sign of the saint upon meeting an Inquisitor but I kept pointedly still.

"Your summons came at a bad hour," I said, keeping my voice neutral even as my heart thumped in my chest.

"I have yet to deliver my report to lord Blackthorne, but I'll be sure to include a detailed written account for your perusal."

Xandria's eyes never left mine as she spoke.

"That is all Ser Connel, you may go."

Her tone was dismissive and the Knight hesitated for a moment before making the sign of the saint.

"As you wish, Lady."

The soldier's footsteps faded into the night and I was uncomfortably reminded of just how isolated the Inquisitor's tent was. If my secret had been discovered there wasn't much I could do against two DarkBlades and an Inquisitor with Mythic weapons.

Xandria walked around the table and lifted a beaker of wine and two glasses.

"Wine?" she asked.

No, thank you."

She poured two cups anyway and handed one to me which I held loosely in my hand.

"So serious," she crooned, eyes sparkling. "But then, all of you soldier types are. I used to find it endearing."

"And now?"

Xandria ran the edge of her finger along the rim of her glass. Her nails were painted black.

"Now I find I have little patience for it."

She tapped the fingers of her free hand against the table, head tilted as she studied me.

"You're young for a Sergeant," she said. "And significantly less experienced than most. I was surprised when Hadrian promoted you. That was until you proved yourself a Gifted."

My lips parted in surprise and I tried to cover it by raising the glass to my mouth and taking a small swallow.

The wine was bitter.

"What makes you believe I'm Gifted?" I asked her.

Xandria smirked.

"Aside from the rumors and your unlikely feats?" she asked. "I would say the speed at which you level. Unusual for a common soldier…. But quite standard for one blessed by the God King. His radiant light guides us all in these dark times."

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I took another sip to avoid answering, and the Inquisitor's eyes tracked the movement.

"My Lady," I said bluntly. "Why did you call me here? What do you want from me?"

Xandria ran her tongue over her teeth and set down her glass with a clink. She watched me for a moment before speaking.

"As you may have already guessed, my presence in the camp is no coincidence. I am on an errand, both for the crown and the Inquisition itself. There have been strange happenings on the Kadian front, of that I'm sure you are aware."

I nodded and waited for her to continue.

"My role is a difficult one," she said. "I hunt the Monster, the Heretic, and the Demon as that is my vocation and my Throne-given task. But, more often than not, all three of those attributes can be found among men."

I thought of the bodies swinging from the tree. Of that little boy's eyes, staring and glassy.

"I don't follow," I said.

Xandria leaned forward.

"Imposters," she said. "Other worlders."

My pulse was hammering so loud I was surprised she couldn't hear it. My palms were sweaty around the glass which I now lowered.

"I thought they were a myth," I said casually. Xandria nodded.

"Many do, but I assure you the threat of their existence is quite real. I have interrogated some myself, and learned some of their secrets."

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There was a feverish glow in her eyes, the sort of madness that can only come from obsession. I licked my lips.

"And what secrets did you find?"

Xandria pushed of the Table.

"Ramblings mostly, and all of it blasphemy. You can never trust the word of an Other worlder Will of Blackbriar - It is in their nature to lie. They are masters of deceit summoned by Demon Kind to disrupt our world order."

I had to grip the glass tightly to keep my hands from shaking.

"I don't see how I can be of assistance then," I said. Xandria smiled knowingly.

"You are close to Hadrian," she said suddenly, and I blinked in surprise.

"I serve Lord Blackthorne," I said, carefully. "But we are far from close. He is nobility and I-"

She waved a hand.

"You misunderstand my meaning. Blackthorne is a man of few allies - the price of independence I suppose. He spent too much of his youth resisting those with power and influence and as a result, he's earned himself a reputation among the other nobility. He does not trust easily and yet…" she walked around me, appraising me with her eyes.

"I am told he thinks quite highly of you. Perhaps even confides in you…"

I leaned forward and set my wine down on the Table. I didn't know where this was going, but I didn't like it.

"My Lady," I said. "I think you misunderstand our relationship. Lord Blackthorne is my Lord. He gives an order and I obey. Nothing more. We are not and never could be friends - not when our ranks are so far apart."

Xandria paused in front of me, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. She leaned forward, so close that I could smell the scent of candle smoke on her.

"Has he told you that you resemble someone he used to know?"

The question caught me off guard.

"I'm.." I try to recover but Xandria's mouth is already tilted into a smile.

"He has." She chuckled and brushed a nail across my cheek.

"It's funny, I didn't see it before. But now, In close proximity the resemblance truly is uncanny."

She withdrew her hand.

"You really are just like him."

I froze even as a memory tugged at my mind.

"You remind me so much of someone I used to know," Blackthorne had said. "At times It feels like I am speaking to him."

I met the Inquisitor's gaze and asked the question she had been waiting for me to ask.

"Who?"

Her eyes danced with triumph.

"I will tell you," she said. "But the information is conditional. First, I want something from you, Will of Blackbriar."

She smirked at my frown.

"Nothing like that. I want you to befriend Blackthorne. Listen to his council, and watch what he does. I want to know what he's thinking, but more importantly - I want to know any plans that he makes. Do that and I will reward you."

"Aren't you already privy to that information?" I asked. "You're on his war council."

Xandria's lips thinned.

"There are many on his council, himself included, that… resent my presence. They see it as interference from the Inquisition, and thus a criticism of their own capability. The reality is much less appealing, I'm afraid. I am hunting something - something that the Inquisition has long feared."

"It has to do with the eyeless corpses, doesn't it?"

I had asked this question for two reasons and in several seconds her reaction told me everything I needed to know.

Not only had she been sent here to investigate the occult happenings surrounding the war. But she had also known the details of our encounter with the Shadow Kin before I had made my official report.

That could mean two things. Either my story had been overheard at the cookfire by someone outside of our company. Or someone in the 3rd was already leaking information to the Inquisitor. Neither was a welcome thought.

Xandria hadn't contradicted me, but neither did she answer.

"What are they?" I asked her at last. "The corpses. Why do they cut out the eyes?"

The Inquisitor was quiet for so long that I thought she might not answer. Then she brushed the hair from her face and said:

"Warnings."

"Warnings to whom?"

She laughed lightly.

"My, you are bold. But you overreach, Blackbriar. If you want information from me then I expect the same in return. Tell me, did the Shadow Kin speak to you? What did they say?"

"They said they wanted to eat us. Referred to us as meat and said they wanted more for 'the host'."

She leaned forward and that same light blazed in her eyes.

"And," she said impatiently. "Did they say anything else? Were they looking for something?"

I played dumb.

"Looking for something? What do you mean, Lady?"

Xandria exhaled through her nose and leaned back. For a moment she shut her eyes. Then her smile returned.

"Very well," she said. "I will uphold my end of the bargain but only if you promise to consider my offer. We could make a good team, you and I. If you were to make something of yourself, the Inquisition would be more than willing to take you in. With the proper ability, you might even find yourself in my position one day."

Her smile was snake-like. I smiled back though it never reached my eyes. She seemed not to notice.

Xandria glanced to the side and after a moment she began speaking.

"In the time when the God King's reign was still young, he claimed an apprentice. He was a powerful Magus and the Radiant Lords' closest confidant. He was charismatic, charming, and quite popular among the nobility."

She laced her hands in her lap.

"He was also one of Hadrian's dearest friends. The two of them grew up together and they were inseparable. He used to joke that they were long lost brothers and it was… apt."

"Was?"

Xandria looked at me then, and her expression was calculated.

"What I will tell you now shouldn't be repeated to others. There are those who would cut your throat just for speaking his name."

I nodded and waited for her to continue.

"The God King's Apprentice was many things, and one of them was arrogant. He believed he alone knew the will of the Radiant Throne, and so he began to carry out small acts of defiance. Little things at first, things that could be overlooked. But eventually, he crossed a line from which he would never return - at least not in the eyes of our Lord and Master."

At my expression she tutted.

"Oh, what he did I will not tell you. Even that information is forbidden to most."

"Then what was his name?" I asked. I didn't know why I felt I needed to know but something was nagging at me.

Xandria arched an eyebrow.

"Did I not just tell you that speaking his name in front of the wrong people would get you killed?"

"Yes, Lady," I said. "And yet I still want to know."

Amusement glittered in her eyes and her smile returned.

"There is a fine line between boldness and madness," she said.

"But I will tell you."

She leaned back, crooking a single finger at me. Hesitantly I stepped forward and she wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled me close. Her lips brushed my ear.

"His name," she breathed. " Was An' Duin."

All around us, the candle flames began to flicker. Several went out, trailing smoke into the air. A cold breeze stirred through the air, whipping my hair around. Only Xandria seemed unphased by this sudden change. Just as soon as it had happened the flickering stopped and the candles that had gone out relit themselves.

I swallowed.

"So," she said, rising and dusting herself off. "Now you know. Take care Will of Blackbriar and... do think about my request. There is much the Inquisition has to offer."

I left the tent feeling uneasy for more reasons than one. I didn't know how to feel about what she had told me. On one hand, it could just a story - something the Inquisition used to make the populace fear defying the God King.

On the other, it might mean that the history of Kadia itself was tangled in the roots of all of this.

I was certain of one thing, however. Xadria had been asking after the Book of Souls. I didn't know what it was or why she might want it, but I knew that something powerful falling into the hands of the Inquisition could mean serious trouble.

This was turning out to be a dangerous game, and I didn't like being a pawn. It was time that I began to reclaim some of that power.

But first, I was going to need better gear.