The Promise of the Dawn

Chapter Forty-Five: Annihilation and Transformation

TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT, VIOLENCE, GORE

The day had arrived. The one I'd anticipated. The one where my life would change forever. I was wracked with nerves when I woke up the morning of, so I decided to throw on a cloak and take a walk in the early morning weather. I ended up in the training grounds. Yet, much to my surprise, there were no trainees in sight. I glance towards the clocktower of the Estate.

Six in the morning. The trainees should've been here by now.

I wrinkle my brow in confusion and start off towards the barracks, a strange feeling suddenly growing deep within my gut. I unlock the barracks with a set of keys and walk down the hallways.

All the doors are locked and closed. No one's left their rooms.

I turn back around, walking over to the info building and walking straight up to the worker at the front desk.

"My Lady! How can I help you?" The worker asks.

"Well, I was hoping you could answer a question. You see, it seems the trainees haven't yet started their training for the day. Do you know why that may be?" I ask politely.

"Of course My Lady! I talked to the trainees yesterday evening, and they said their trainer, Casimir, gave them the day off today" The worker says.

"A day off? And no one thought to tell me, or His Lordship?" I question.

"I apologize, My Lady. Casimir said he'd already received permission from you" She says.

"Of course he did" I say under my breath.

"Do you happen to know of Casimir's whereabouts?" I ask.

"I'd assume he's still in his chambers, ma'am" She replies.

"Very well. Thank you for your help" I reply, turning around and setting off towards the barracks again.

I march down the hallway angrily, not stopping until I reach the room with Casimir's name on the door, which, much to my astonishment, is wide open. No sign of Casimir.

I suddenly feel my gut sink as I experience an epiphany.

I should've recognized it sooner. I enter his room, heading straight to the dresser, where I open the drawers to reveal its contents.

Stacks of loose bills.

My adrenaline is racing as I open the next drawer, rifling through stacks and stacks of random papers until I pull one from the pile.

A Rochdalian birth certificate.

I'm breathing hard now as the realization hits me.

Casimir was the one The Duke hired to gather the bounty.

I think back to the day of The Duke's death, and it all starts to make sense. The day after Casimir arrived was the first day The Duke started getting sick. Casimir poisoned The Duke.

Then it hits me.

I don't waste another moment. I grab a sword from a stack in the corner of Casimir's room and rush back towards the Estate to alert Cael of what I've learned, but when I reach the main entrance of the Estate, chaos has already insued. There were guards in our own uniforms fighting each other. Blood on the floor. And screams echoing through the hallways.

This was an invasion.

My first instinct is to call out for Cael at the top of my lungs, but this attracts the attention of a few guards, who then charge towards me. I cut them down, proceeding onto the grand staircase, which I run up, glancing around in panic as I call Cael's name. When calling his name doesn't work, I proceed up to the drawing room, where a guard throws someone out the window just as I arrive, then makes eye contact with me and snarls, heading my way. I dodge his blade as he swings it at me, and hit him with mine instead, causing him to fall to the ground. I call for Cael again, but am greeted with a large group of guards entering the room. It's impossible for me to tell who's on our side and who's not.