An Axe in the Flames

Brothers of the Shadow

In taking over the five provinces, King Herrod had only done minimal training of new troops. He was slack and thinking that his rule would be peaceful and without strife. Aside from the occasional rebellion, which he would squash with a legion of Battle Priests or a stiff right hand smack from a Brother of the Shadow. Nail still liked Herrod and his rule, he just didn't like how he prepared for a future where someone else would try to take over his lands and kingdom rule. You always had to prepare for the worse is what Nail the third had taught him. He was the fourth Nail in the succession, as the third had died a violent death at the hands of one of those rebellions. In preparing for the worst, Nail had offered his and his brothers services to Herrod.

Nail thought about all of this as he bobbed in the saddle of his slick, black Racer. A breed of horse used for long rides in the country. At least, that's what the stable master in Time's End had told him when he came to buy one. He was heading back to his stronghold, a small castle that sat in the swamps of Time's End. A meager solidified housing that years of mercenary work had paid for. Few knew of the housing and even fewer knew how to get there. A bird flew from the darkened canopy of trees above him and dove down to glide beside him for a moment. The smell of the marsh was beginning to tinge the air and he knew he was close to home. His thoughts nagged him, though.

Could Rabbit really have been the rebellion leader? He seemed so brash and unintelligent to have led men into guerrilla warfare. That took real thinking, and real thinking seemed to not be what Rabbit was about. There had to be more than met the eye. Something deeper than the surface that was shown. A farmer by trade, Nail thought, couldn't be the one sending a province into a near full on war. For one, where was the money coming from to make new weapons and armor? Where were they hiding the weapons? How did they know where supplies were coming from, because those kingdom supply lines that ran through Thanish lands, never made it through lately.

Nail looked up from his thoughts, his horses's hooves drumming on wooden planks, pulling his attention back into the world around him. The Brother's stronghold standing in front of him, it's dark stone exterior seeming to blend in with the marsh and trees around it. From the stonewalls surrounding the small hold, shielded lanterns shone like fireflies in the dark. Two watch towers stood in front of Nail, with a drawbridge between them and mote in front that separated the wooden bridge and stronghold. A figure peered from a cutout in the right tower, it's hood hiding the face underneath. "Halt, stranger. These lands are protected."

Nail shook his head, "You know me, Poe. Drop the bridge."

"Can't. That's not the password."

Nail dropped his shoulders and sighed, "You're a pain in the ass. Drop the fucking bridge."

"That's not it either."

Nail slid off his horse, flipped Poe the bird, then called out to Poe. "I am watcher, through the eyes of shadows."

"If shadows spoke, what would they say?" Came the call back to Nail.

"We are brothers joined as one. Now lower the fucking bridge!"

Groans of rope and wood being loosened echoed around the marsh, as toads began to sing back in their throaty bursts to the sudden noise. The draw bridge dropped and shuttered as it came to its resting place connecting to the wooden bridge. Nail sighed again and grabbed the reins of his horse and walked it across. The shadowy figure disappeared from the window cut out as the draw bridge began it rise back into place. Nail crossed the towers into the central courtyard of small pebble stones and tied his horse off to the right, sliding a stack of hay closer for the beast to eat. He turned to meet Poe, as he exited the tower.

"Two days there, two days back. So I assume the deed is done?" Asked Poe as he crossed the courtyard.

Nail reached into his brown hide trousers and pulled out a black coin bag and tossed it to Poe. In the darkness, Poe's black hooded robe made him almost seem like a shadow himself. He caught it and opened the purse and pushed a few coins around.