Volumes of Sin

Volume Two - Chapter Five

An old fort stood silent, saturated with time as once strong walls built by skilled hands slowly decayed and crumbled, it was a place forgotten by man, now only an empty shell that housed the memories of the dead. Cracked and faded walls surrounded its perimeter as they lay sunken into the ground, once cleared and farmed earth now over run with wild weed and stretching roots, a dreary and bleak sight. The forts many rooms disused, writhe with damp and rot as they broke and wore away, a place only meant to be discarded.

It didn't welcome its new residents.

"Boss, this place is better than them caves we been using," the bandits carrying their ill-gotten gains had set up camp here. A deserted place, hard to access unless you were willing to spend days of travel through rough forest, fortifications that were still usable as long as they were patched up. They would be bandits living like kings, by the time they were found and besieged they would simply flee into the forest and disappear, leaving only heartache and misery behind.

A beauty in each hand Agrum stepped forward, relishing the women in his arms as they struggled in his grasp, he strut forward, posing before his men. Arms spread wide he threw them to the ground as he laughed, a loud maniacal laugh from a man who cherished nothing, turning around he faced his men as madness danced in his eyes. "Bring the women inside, today we rest, but tomorrow....," his crooked smile revealed his foul blackened teeth as his men watched, awed by their fearsome leader, a man who led them to riches and wealth they could only dream of. "Tomorrow we hunt!" His words drove chills through his men as his madness touched them, his voice growing louder as he spoke, whipping them into a frenzy. "We will hunt and deprive others of what we were not allowed, what we never received. They look down on us with pity, comparing us to rats that stalk the sewers eating their scraps. But they will fear us, we do not live by their laws. We follow our own!"

"We will pillage this land! We will drive terror and fear into the hearts of this kingdom. If we are to be hunted like monsters.... then we will become monsters. Striking in the midst of night, ripping families to shreds as we savour those we take," licking his lips Agrum surveyed his men with pride as they returned his fevered look, all wanting to put towns to slaughter, they would follow him and he would be their king.

Turning his back to them once more, their great leader, their boss, walked further into the dark fortress, every King needed a throne and he was about to claim his. Streams of men followed him as they lit torches and cleared rooms of ancient debris, burning out colonies of webbing that had spanned the fort's walls for years. This dead place was being brought back to life, it had lost its ancient allure, instead becoming nothing more than a hovel for the delusions of wicked men.

It would become his castle, his men would be his vassals and carry out his orders, the residents of the Kingdom just animals to be reared and slaughtered at his beck and call. With a gruesome smile Agrum sat in the fort, women lying chained to his side as his chilling laugh accompanied his men whilst they worked, infecting them with his savagery. His ambitions growing wild as plans flew through his mind, plans to make this land his.

Nothing could stop him.

...

Sasha lay in the cold and dark, her only company the constant dripping of water as murmurs from her fellow captives drifted through their confines. They had been taught to stay silent, shown what was to become of them if they didn't obey, Sasha had watched on in horror as the self proclaimed 'King of bandits' demonstrated his skills with a knife. She still didn't know if her friend was unlucky to be chosen, or if she was the unlucky one for not being chosen. At least then, this nightmare would be over.