Heir to the Empire

38. Civil Unrest - Ethelston

Her darkened eyes appear to soften at Ethelston's deep voice, despite focusing on Jarendrud, Aryya's stance relaxed.

"I apologise if I caused offence, my lady." Jarendrud apologised.

The chuckle from Aryya was unnerving as she swang around and returned to her original seat, "Hah! I am no lady, little one. I am the Desert Viper."

Knowing the powder keg had temporarily diffused, Ethelston returned to the task at hand, "How many of the Syndicate have we either killed or detained?"

Just as Jarendrud was to speak, the creaking doors to the room flew open. Arminell rushed in with a look of concern on his face.

"Milord, sorry to disturb, but a large angry mob have just descended on the keep and wish to speak with you. I have my men standing guard; however, I'm worried things may escalate." Arminell explained.

As the chorus of discontent flooded through the door, Ethelston stood upright with Jarendrud instinctively moving beside him. If there was one-time Ethelston wished Jarendrud was wrong, he wanted it to be now.

Walking out of the war room and towards the crowd, the chorus crescendoed louder. The shouting of anger and fear was almost at boiling point and only kept in check by a mere few concerned guards.

The mercenaries had been effective, but brutal in execution. Some families had loved one's body parts displayed throughout the city as a warning, unaware of their ties to the Black Knife Syndicate. The Syndicate felt it necessary to express their dissatisfaction by targeting the ordinary folk, attacking them without provocation or mercy.

With each shout and clamour, the pang of fear felt heavy in the courtyard.

Ethelston took position on a scaffold behind the thin line of guards struggling to keep the people at bay. As he raised his arms to silence the crowd, the cries crescendoed louder.

He recalled times when he had been in similar situations. Remembering when he was a guard, knowing that one wrong move could cause a bloody and regretful battle in the streets with unarmed people. He remembered when, at times, he was in the crowd, where his anger was overflowing, and he wanted the local liege's blood. Now, for the first time, he was that liege, the one in control.

Control was vital; he needed to gain it quickly before things boiled over.

"SHIELD WALL!" he shouted, instantly encouraging the guards to scurry into two lines in front of him, their shields locked together to make an impenetrable wall.

"LOWER HALBERDS" Ethelston shouted once more, causing the soldiers to reset their halberds casually against their shields and the ground.

The flurry of activity seemed to cause pause among the mob. The show of strength, but restraint, seemed to make them second guess their next action; as a result, the shouting had died down to a murmur giving Ethelston the time he needed to resolve the situation.

"People of Ravenscourt, listen to me. This period of transition has been a challenging one for us all, and I hear your anger and your fear as we try to resolve this Syndicate threat."

"They killed my father." someone shouted out.

"They killed my son, and my husband" another cried.

"They harass everyone continuously." the cries echoed as more and more furious people put forward their complaints.

Ethelston could see the situation was starting, once more, to spiral out of control and it was when a stone hurtled towards him that he knew he needed to take action quickly.