Satin Rose and the Witch Hunters

26. Arm's Down, Head Low

“I can’t do that.”
He stood there, his single eye staring me down as the man stood holding his palms out. His cloak fell to his side and I could see the dented armor that he was wearing. A pin, formed as a miniature crossbow also held his cape. Was he really a hunter?
“My hands are calloused, bones weary, my joints begin to creak from what is a Hunters life demands. I have done my duty. My only wish is to be dismissed while my feet still stand and I can accept the honor.”
“What you ask is beyond me, beyond you. What of your recruits? The men and women who have sworn to work under your watch?”
The grave sullenness of his face gave way to a dark grimace. Sting grinded his teeth as he looked down.
“This is my last resort. Many of us are tired and few will voice why. If I can be dismissed without consequence then perhaps they’ll see me as an example. That the Hunt can end honorably, even when nothing has been caught.”
Was he really a hunter? This didn’t seem right. “Doesn’t seem honorable to me. You have a code, an oath to uphold.”
“The Hunters have slowly withered away from a world without quests. The new troops are restless and uneasy, seeking glory that does not exist anymore. To be a leader that has no point to lead towards was never what my intention. I fear that the Hunters I joined, pledged too, is also no longer here.”
Satin had gone out to join the Dark Wloran. Was this connected to any of it? “This is the first I have heard of this. Hunters have always been an imposing force since the days of the first king.”
“Have they? A hundred years have passed. Look around sir there are no more dragons in the hills, we have killed them all. No more beasts in the forest, and even the witches and wizards now walk freely right beneath our noses.”
So it was. Witches and wizards? Did that mean that they didn’t catch wherever Baron had gone off to? I shook my head. “Even still I cannot do this.”
His mouth became a thin line and a moment of quietness followed. A drip from somewhere in the alley counted the seconds. What right did I have to give his request or even charge him with my dark imaginings? For all I knew it was the wizards who had trapped Satin. If so, how could I entertain Sting’s request if he could help me?
“Have you heard what my a squad of mine has done?” I raised an eyebrow at this and he continued. “They were ordered to do nothing, but guard a square. I had even gone to see them myself right before pandemonium. One of my screamed of witches and magic before chasing after a bird. Look at me, I do not deny that my hands play a part at this fall, but I am tired my king.”
I sighed again. No matter how much I wanted to convince myself to lie, my mind just couldn’t bring me to lie to this man.
“This refusal is not because I deny your request, but because I have less power than you realize.”
His brow knitted together in frustration. “You are king.”
“I am an escort. Royal consort to the Queen with nothing but my love to have given away. You saw the schoolhouse ceremony? Expect me to be at more of these and if not find me beside the queen, tending to her family. When I agreed to marry the Queen Zestra there was not a thought in my mind that power would ever be in my grasp.”
There was another stretch of silence. The giant’s face turned to stone and he pulled his hood up and pulled his cloak to cover him again. The sun over head seemed to flare making the shadows around us deeper. Again, he asked one last time.
“You can do nothing?”
My mouth was dry. There had to be something I could do.
“Are there more of your troops that feel the same way? Five? Tens? Hundreds?”
The commander nodded, “More. Half my guild would be willing to put down their arms if it meant there training was acknowledged.”
“Your words will reach the queen.” I could at least do that.
“Perhaps I made a mistake bringing this to you.”
“Take my word. I promised to do all in my power,” The man started to turn away just before I added, “But if I do this though, there’s something I want in exchange.”