Six of Ruin (Heirs of Irenwell #1)

Rixen led the way; I could barely focus on my own breathing and had no idea where we were heading. Something within me felt irrevocably broken, like I’ve felt something impossible in that ballroom, something nothing could match.

“Come on.” Rixen pushed the smaller iron gates open.

“The back door?” I asked and followed him out.

“One of many.”

The fresh air slapped my face, sobering me up. I breathed in the cold and let it cool the heat under my skin. The sudden change in pressure made my head spin, like I stood up too fast.

Rixen grabbed both my shoulders, “Are you alright?”

“Dizzy.” I mumbled, closing my eyes for a moment.

“There’s all kinds of substances in the air in there.” Rixen chuckled. “But there’s no time to be drugged right now, we have to go.”

Slowly, I opened my eyes, “This was a strange experience.”

“It gets stranger.” Rixen arched his eyebrow.

Finally, I took in the sights in front of me. We were on a stone balcony, overlooking the moonlit valley full of grey-black ruins. The columns, supporting nothing, still stood proudly, outlining the large square in the middle of the valley.

I could still make out the streets, moss-covered cobbled pathways, cracked stone stairways and half-ruined bridges connecting the sides of the city. The ruined city spread all the way from the valley, up the hills, where the evidence of the previous civilisation became scarcer.

In the distance, on the opposite side of Aradda Tower, I saw another fort, which mimicked the tall towers of Aradda. These towers were pitch-black, almost like fire marred the stone. Unlike Aradda Tower, the Waiting Tower was carved in the mountain, it was a part of it. A mountain range spread around it; high, dark and threatening.

“The Waiting Tower.” Rixen said and began descending the stairway on our left. “The only other entrance to the Spirit territory beside Liu Raj’s lake.”

“What is this?” I looked over the ruins.

“City of Aradda.” Rixen shrugged. “Or what’s left of it.”

Judging by the number of stone foundations, the city used to be huge, perhaps bigger than the capital of Irenwell. It also appeared to be completely abandoned, except for the weak, distant fire lights right under the Waiting Tower.

“That’s the town of Dahn.” Rixen said when he glanced at me and saw me looking towards the lights. “Come on.”

We came down the narrow, fence-less stairway and I clung to the stone wall like my life depended on it. I wasn’t afraid of heights, but staring down into nothing still made me dizzy. Once we finally reached the ground, I let out the breath I was holding.

“There,” Rixen pointed at the wooden double gates not far from us, “That’s the entrance to the tunnels.”

Twinges of panic spread across my skin. The wooden gates were still closed. Ace said we shouldn’t wait for them, but I couldn’t help myself. Shouldn’t we wait at least a moment?

Time ticked away, each moment passing by too quickly. Music still rang through the towers, but it did not sound inviting now, it sounded like a dangerous premonition.

“Rixen,” I swallowed the rising panic, “Where are they?”

“I don’t know.” The shadowman took my hand, slightly pulling me away from the door. “I think we need to go.”

His anxiety mimicked mine, growing exponentially stronger by the minute. I couldn’t move, not when I knew they were still inside. Ace promised he would keep them safe. And yes, I knew better than to trust a devious mage, but his promise was the only lifeline I had left. There was nothing else to hold on to.

“Irina.” Rixen’s voice sounded guttural, like a warning. “We need to go.”

I shook my head, “No. They’re coming.”

The shadowman’s scattered sigh reached my ears, filling me from head to toe with worry, “Tunnels under the fort aren’t that long. They should have been out by now.”

My head snapped in his direction, I even used my bitchy, princessy voice, “We’re waiting.”

“You really are bad at following orders.”

“Don’t sass me, shadowman.” I grunted. “They’re coming.”

“If we start walking towards Dahn now, we’ll have a head start.” Rixen rationalized. “They will catch up with us.”

I turned around, anger burning in my temples, “Danilo and Torvald are inside. If you tell me you don’t care about that, I swear I’ll never kiss you again.”

Rixen’s hands dropped by his sides, “Fine, we’re waiting. But when Ace asks whose brilliant idea that was, I’ll blame you.”

I narrowed my eyes, “Such a gentleman.”

“Never said I was one.”

Minutes went by, taking with them all the hope I had. My fists remained clenched, my heart in my mouth and my world narrowed down to the wooden door.

I gritted my teeth, “Come on, stupid mage.”

Rixen grabbed my hand, “Irina.”

The door burst open. Arrows flew out. Shouts and roars reached my ears. Ace ran outside, his green eyes wide and bulging.

“Run, run, run!” The mage shouted and sprinted right through Rixen and me. The warthog was at his heels, our luggage jumping up and down on his back.

Nickeltinker came right after, dashing faster than the wind, “Don’t just stand there! Run!”

Rixen grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the door. My heart leaped. Energy burst through my muscles. My legs were faster than my mind. I pushed all my strength into running, ignoring the pain in my ankle.

“Fuck, shit, fuck!” Ace shouted when an arrow flew by his head. He ducked and cursed some more. “Fucking spirits, fucking ghostly apparitions!”

Wind swished through my hair and slapped my face. I turned my head around, almost falling over my feet, and glanced at the wooden entrance. Torvald and Danilo ran away from four armed guards, who kept on mercilessly shooting arrows in our direction.

I had no time to help them, no time to think or feel. Rixen kept near me, even though he was usually way faster than me. The stone and moss exchanged beneath my feet, mashing together in a grey-green blur. Pain resonated through my ankles, each step harder than the last.

“We should fight them!” Rixen shouted.

“No!” Nickeltinker turned around and threw daggers in guards’ direction. “They’re spirits, we can’t kill them! Just run!”

Danilo joined in, “We can fight them! There’s more of us!”

“For once in your life, don’t be an idiot!” Nickeltinker jumped up, an arrow grazing the green skin of his legs, but he didn’t let out a sound.

“Fucking asshole spirits!” Ace cursed some more. “Soft-cocked, empty-headed, envious baboons!”

“Goddess, stop pissing them off!” My words sounded hoarse and dry. Pain burst through my throat and my spleen, I couldn’t breathe in.

“Irina!” Rixen ran next to me. “Get on the warthog! He’s faster!”

“Frank!” I let out a breath. The warthog’s hooves scraped against the stone and the beast stopped.

The arrow’s swish pierced my ears and my heart skipped a beat. Hands shaking, heart pounding and muscles tensing, I climbed on the warthog and he ran faster than ever before. The fire lights in the distance grew brighter along with my hope.

Ace turned around, put his hands around his mouth and shouted, “You can’t even shoot straight, you incompetent morons!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Danilo roared.

An arrow flew straight into his shoulder. The knight stumbled over his feet, let out a shriek and fell down. And the idiot pulled the arrow out immediately.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I patted Frank’s neck. The beast pulled up; I held his mane tightly, almost falling off. “Danilo!”

Rixen was already by his side, helping him up, “Get him on the warthog!”

“Francis Bacon the Third!” Ace slowed down. “Don’t you help that knight!”

The warthog grunted.

“Ace!” Desperation laced my voice. “You promised!”

Before Ace could answer, an arrow flew through his thigh. Blood poured out and the mage stumbled, rage bursting out of his wild green eyes.

“I will fucking kill you!” Ace shouted towards the guards. “I will feed your cocks to Erenna, she’ll shit them out and feed her young!”

“Frank!” I called the warthog. “Don’t listen to that lunatic and help us!”

The warthog let out a disgruntled sound, but listened to me and galloped towards Danilo. Rixen helped the knight up. The arrow wound was deep, blood oozed all over the warthog’s back and our luggage. Suppressing disgust and ignoring the thick, red liquid coating my hands, I pressed Danilo’s wound. The warthog ran like the wind.

Another arrow flew straight into Torvald’s back-

And snapped in half, not even scratching his skin. I stared in horror, momentarily forgetting the inevitable danger following us. Torvald didn’t even notice, he just kept on running.

Surprisingly, Ace managed to run with an arrow in his leg. Nickeltinker and Rixen were naturally faster than all of us and the warthog managed to avoid all the arrows even with Danilo and me riding him.

“Dahn!” Rixen shouted. “We need to reach Dahn!”

“They’re going to follow us inside.” Danilo mumbled, his eyelids closing. The arrow pierced an artery, he was bleeding out. I tried to hold him up, but he was too heavy, especially when he was completely relaxed.

Ace glanced back, “No, they won’t!”

We were losing them. The guards remained somewhere in the distance, the only evidence of their existence an occasional arrow flying past us.

The town of Dahn grew larger the closer we came. Suddenly, I could see the high, sturdy walls, larger than any I’ve ever seen, and the fire light coming from inside. Nothing but a giant, stone barrier stood in front of us. As we came even closer, I realised the iron gates in front were three, perhaps even four times higher than me. And they were closed.

Nickeltinker climbed up the tallest pine tree in our proximity and looked back at Aradda, “They went to get backup.”

“Of course.” Ace growled and dropped on the ground, blood beginning to ooze from his leg wound. “These fuckers couldn’t wait to get their hands on me. They have nothing better to do.”

“You got us into this mess,” Rixen stepped in front of the mage, rage colouring his golden eyes, “Fix it!”

“I told you they were ordered to kill me on sight.” Ace rolled his eyes, tore off a piece of his grey robe and tied it tightly around his leg, just above the wound, “What did you expect, a welcome drink?”

“How do we get in?” I asked, staring at the large gates.

“I could climb over.” Nickeltinker jumped off the tree, landing soundlessly on the ground.

“They’ll kill you.” Ace gritted his teeth and pulled the arrow out of his leg. “You have to be let in.”

Rixen let out a sigh, “There’s a reason why the spirits won’t follow us inside. Once you’re in Dahn’s territory, you’re technically safe.”

“How do we get in?” I repeated, frustration colouring my voice.

“We knock.” The shadowman shrugged and approached the door.

My gaze fell on the bleeding mage, “This is all your fault.”

The old man let out a throaty laugh, “My fault? If it weren’t for me, you’d all be dead by now. It’s certainly not my fault you’re underprepared, undertrained and incompetent. Retrospectively, it seems as if someone sent you here on purpose, knowing you’d get your dumb asses killed.”

I scoffed, but said nothing.

Rixen knocked on the iron gates. Nothing happened.

“What happens if they don’t let us in?” Nickeltinker came closer, sweat covered his green skin, and panic sparked in his eyes.

“We need to come up with a plan.” Danilo mumbled; he was in no condition to do anything other than rest.

“You need a healer first.” I opened our luggage and searched for bandages. There had to be something that would help.

Danilo smiled weakly, his eyelids fluttering, “How come I’m the one always getting hurt?”

Ace coughed, “Your god must be punishing you for being useless.”

The iron gates slowly moved, dragging across the stone ground, piercingly creaking in the process. Rixen stepped back. My pulse rose. The door opened a tiny fraction and a small, bald man dressed in black robes stepped out. A mellow smile rested on his lips, but didn’t reach his dim, blue eyes.

I had trouble determining his age, it could have been anything between thirty and fifty. He moved like an old man, but his face was wrinkle-free. His eyes were foggy and washed up, but his teeth white and straight.

The strangest part about him was the fact he was completely, undeniably human.

“Who knocks on the gates of Dahn?” The man asked, slightly squinting, like he couldn’t see us clearly.

“Hello.” Rixen bowed slightly. “It’s... uh.”

Ace sighed, “I believe they call us the Wasted Six.”

The man’s eyes widened, “The Pointless Six?”

“That’s somehow worse.” I mumbled.

“I thought you were dead.” The bald man frowned. “The crows said you were supposed to cross the Northern Ocean by ship.”

“Our ships blew up.” I offered. “So we had to improvise.”

“The spirits are chasing us.” Rixen quickly jumped in. “We really need help.”

The crease between the bald man’s brows deepened, “No.”

My mouth fell open, “No?”

“No.” His lips firmly thinned.

“What do you mean no, you little shit?” Ace pushed himself off the ground, wincing as he stood on his wounded leg. “Do you have any idea who I am? I could smite you in a heartbeat!”

The bald man shrugged, “I do not particularly feel like endangering my town by letting you in.”

“But- but, we need help!” A desperate shout left my lips. “Our friend is dying!”

“Not my problem.” Another shrug. “Have a safe trip.”

The man disappeared behind the door and began closing it right as Torvald rushed to grab the gates. He pulled them wide open, startling the bald man. Torvald stumbled as the door opened wide abruptly, revealing the biggest man I’ve ever seen on the other side.

My eyes widened as I took in the huge figure, almost larger than the iron gates. His skin was grey and sturdy, almost as if he was carved out of stone. Black, thick veins covered his muscled arms and legs, strong torso and not one, but two hairless heads. Four pairs of narrowed, black eyes stared at us, promising pain and suffering. The beast’s two mouths curled in a snarl, revealing black, bloody teeth.

I yelped and took a step back. We all did, even Torvald. Hell, even Ace shut his stupid mouth.

“Shit.” Rixen stumbled, pulling me back with him. “Alright, we’ll be on our way.”

“Thank you.” The tiny, bald man nodded.

“Guys,” Nickeltinker was back on that tree, “They’re coming. Dozens of them.”

“We need to go.” Rixen grabbed my hand. “Maybe they won’t follow us across the wasteland.”

“Oh, yes, they will!” Ace shouted and limped towards the door. “Let us in, now!”

The two-headed giant stepped outside, looming like a mountain over us. There was no patience in his eyes, no mercy.

“Ace, do something.” I mumbled, feeling utterly helpless.

“They’re approaching fast!” Nickeltinker shouted, his voice shaking. “It’s now or never!”

“Ace!” Rixen called for the mage, who turned weaker by the minute. “You’re a mage, act like one!”

But Ace barely stood on his two feet. Blood poured all over his grey robe. He was in no condition to fight, or even negotiate. Danilo was out of it, leaned against the warthog and eyes closed. An army of spirits was on their way.

Desperate, helpless and angry, I ignored the building fear in my gut and strolled towards the bald man, “What do you want?”

He raised his black eyebrow, “I want you to leave.”

“I have a crown.” I offered. “And Irenwell silver, lots of it.”

“I have no need for your trinkets.” The bald man shrugged. “You may leave.”

Anger coursed through my veins. Threats wouldn’t work, not with the two-headed giant staring at me like I was something to eat. Ace couldn’t even keep his head up. Running through the Waiting Tower wasn’t an option, we wouldn’t get very far, especially if an ice-covered wasteland waited on the other side.

“We have to hurry!” The urge in Nickeltinker’s voice awoke a familiar, oozy sensation in my stomach.

Now, I recognised it for what it was. Magic sparked in the tips of my fingers and my tongue. Angry, frustrated and scared, I grabbed the collar of the bald man’s robe and pulled him closer, ignoring the two-headed giant staring down at me.

“Listen to me, you little shit.” I growled, my voice sounding just like Ace’s. Magic burst through my veins, guided by fear and anger. “You will let us in!”

Everything stilled for a moment. The giant did not move. The bald man’s wide eyes turned even foggier. Willingly, controllably, I pushed the magic out of me.

“I-” The man squeezed through his shut lips. “I can’t.”

I pushed the magic harder, until it danced all around my mouth and sparked through every fibre of my being, “I am Princess Irina of Irenwell and if I do not get what I want, I will kill you.”

The bald man’s mouth relaxed until drool began pouring down his chin. His foggy eyes closed, but he managed a small nod, “Come in.”

Rixen let out a breath, “Shit.”

Eyes wide and heart full of fear, I let the gatekeeper’s collar go and stepped back.

Nickeltinker jumped off the tree, “Come on, come on, come on!”

The bald man stepped away from the door, along with the two-headed giant, letting us in. Rixen helped Danilo up on the warthog and they passed through the door. An army approached us, the soldiers’ steps resonating through the ground.

Ace pulled himself off the ground, barely standing, and limped for the door.

Despite the magic taking its toll, approaching army and rising fear in my veins, I blocked his way. The mage’s eyes burst open, the wild green inside roaming over my face.

“Princess.” He warned. “I may be hurt, but I can still do some damage.”

I looked at the army appearing on the horizon, “You wanted to leave Danilo behind.”

“No, no.” Ace let out a laugh, panic colouring his voice. “That was a joke. I was joking.”

The bald man stood next to me, listening to my commands against his will. He wouldn’t let him in unless I said otherwise.

“You promised you would protect them.” I uttered, magic crawling through me, leaving a disgusting, disturbing trail.

“And I did!” Ace glanced at the spirits coming closer. “Irina, you don’t know what you’re doing. You can’t use the spell in Orathia without me!”

I shrugged, “And you can’t outrun them.”

“What do you want?” Ace’s voice dropped to a growl, full of resentment.

“I want you to behave.” I emphasized each word. “I want you to remember that no matter how powerful you think you are, a moment will come when the tables will turn and you’ll beg for my help.”

“Fine, fine.” Ace clenched his fists, his legs stomping on the ground like his muscles wanted to move on their own. “I’ll be good, I promise!”

“This is your last chance, Ace.” I caved, only because I knew we still needed him, and turned to the bald man. “Let him in.”

The bald man nodded, still under the influence of my magic.

Ace faced the army of spirits, approaching as one, an indistinguishable mass of translucent grey and green, “Tough luck, assholes! Tell you friends that As of Naz cannot be captured!”

I slapped him, sharp pain biting my palm. The sound rang around us. Ace’s head snapped back and he yelped, but the slap did not erase the wild, deranged grin off his lips.

“Behave.” I raised my finger as a warning and retreated through the iron gates.

Ace walked past me, a satisfied smile curling his lips, his wild green eyes glued to mine, “It’s like looking in the mirror.”

He whistled on his way in and the iron gates closed behind us, leaving the army of spirits on the other side.