Chapter 24: Fresh Steel

I followed Shay back to the King’s hall, which I found transformed since the previous morning. Tables and chairs had been brought in and arrayed in neat rows, food of various kinds was piled on plates and into bowls, and a massive plate of black meat sat in the center of it all, stacked up higher than my head. There were dozens of people lined up, both Rens and Horde plates already half full, and seemingly at least one cup in. A man sat near the table strumming the strings of some kind of circular guitar, and singing about knights and dragons. The king sat at the head of the table, a plate stacked high, and Atlan speaking with him, her head leaned close to his. All of it combined to set me on edge, and give me an immediate and powerful urge to leave, but once the scent of the meat hit me, I knew I wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.

I found my way to the edge of the table and picked up a plate. People parted for me, clearing the way almost on instinct. I ignored the vegetable, and other offerings, and instead made a bee-line for the center of the table. I stacked the plate high and began looking for a corner to settle down in. Before I could find one though, the king took notice of me.

“Donovan. Please, come sit next to me. We wouldn’t be having this meal without you after all.”

I looked at him and considered ignoring his offer, before deciding it might be valuable to pump him for a little extra information. I walked over and sat at his left across from Atlan. I noticed that her chair was pressed very close to the king. I removed the bandana from my face and started to tuck in, drawing a few gasps from the table when they saw my teeth, as well as a missed note or two by the musician.

“Damn,” exclaimed Atlan. “I thought my deadman siblings had sharp ones.”

“You have siblings that share his…condition?” asked the king.

“Maybe a dozen. With the Khan it’s a numbers game though, you’re bound to have a few.”

I ignored them, cutting into the first hunk of meat with a serrated blade and lifting it to my mouth. I took a bite, and black juices flowed down my throat. It was tough, which I liked, but I knew wasn’t something most humans enjoyed. There was none of the spice of rads in it, but it had its own unique and sweet flavor. It was juicy, and as the first bite slid down my throat and into my stomach I felt invigorated. I gave the meal my full attention, tearing into bite after bite and even returning for a second plate. After I finished polishing that second plate off, I remembered through my food haze that I’d sat there for a reason.

“Had some questions,” I said, interrupting whatever Atlan and the King were discussing.

“Ah,” he said, reluctantly turning from Atlan to look at me. “go ahead.”

“The bunker you came from. Know anything about why your people left?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment. “No, but you may try asking Jude. He’s our recordkeeper.”

No luck with that one then. “The ursans outside the walls. Any way to get around them?”

The king glanced sideways at Atlan, then returned his attention to me. “I doubt you’ll be able to travel safely any time soon, even as a group.”

“Not planning on leaving with them.” I nodded toward Atlan,”Have something I need to do, deeper in the woods.”

“Why would you do that?” he asked.

“A quest.”

That drew an eyebrow from Atlan, but the king leaned in. “A quest? Really?” he asked.

“Yes. I have an obligation at your old bunker.”

The king stroked his beard gently. “Well, we need to send a patrol to the metal mound anyway. We usually stir up the bears on the opposite side of the wall from the gate, then send people out. You can go out with them, and then leave their group once you’ve made it some distance from the walls.”

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A distraction and potential shields. That would be very helpful. “Works for me.”

The king nodded with a smile, satisfied. “I do have one other thing I can offer you. I had planned to give to you anyway, but now you may have use of it sooner than expected.” He looked across the table and gave a little wave.

A large man nodded back in acknowledgement. He was gray haired and wearing a simple tunic with no sleeves, revealing powerful arms. He left the room briefly, and returned with a long cloth wrapped bundle which he presented to me.

I looked to the king, and he gestured for me to unwrap it. I pulled the cloth to the side and a silver blade came into view. I peeled the rest of it off. It was a sword. A short one, just a little longer than my machete had been. The blade was clean, and sharp, with a simple hilt and a handle wrapped in black leather. The bottom of the handle had a small hoop through which a strip of leather was looped. On the strip of leather was a large black tooth. Taken, I assume, from the same ursan I’d been eating. I grabbed it by the handle and lifted it. It felt good, a little heavier than my machete had been, but it also seemed sturdier, and recent experience proved that was something I needed.

I looked at the man who’d handed it to me. “Thanks.” I said, sincerely. It was one of the nicest things I’d ever been given.

The man nodded. “Yer welcome. Mixed in some of the metal from the blade that broke in the beast's stomach. Figured it might be sentimental, and hate to let it go to waste.”

I nodded. “Anything for me to put it in?” I asked.

“Yep,” He handed me a simple black scabbard.

I belted it to my waist and slid my sword into it. It felt good to have that weight back again, and it was a fine replacement for my machete. I gave the smith a nod, which he returned and then he went back to his spot at the table to eat.

I looked at the king who had a bit of a disappointed look on his face. I think he wanted me to thank him for the sword. I ignored him, and went to get a third plate of food. So far this little feast had wound up being worth it, much to my surprise.

…

The next day I woke early, got all of my gear together, and headed for the gate. Shay and the other wall guards were starting their distraction. It wasn’t a complicated one. They’d lower runners near the front, have them make as much noise as possible, and when the ursans in the woods began to move and react, they would loop around to the back of the castle, where a rope sat waiting for them to be pulled back up as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the patrol and I would slip out.

I heard the orders as the first runner was let out. Followed by what sounded like metal hitting metal, loudly, which then started moving from the front of the castle to the back from both sides. There were roars, and the sound of breaking branches and, then massive creatures moving along the walls.

I looked at the group of Ren’s with me. They were armed and armored unlike anyone I’d seen before. Heavy layers of metal folded over their bodies. They wielded spears, swords, and bows. I felt it would make more sense for them to dress light, maybe wear all black to blend in, but I wasn’t going to complain in this case. Made me less noticeable compared to the rest of them.

There was more yelling, and the gate was opened. I let the patrol go first, and they moved quickly, getting out of the gate and heading for the treeline with urgency. There were archers massed above us in case any of the ursans had neglected to take the bait, but we were lucky, and saw no sign of them.

Once we were about a mile away from the castle, I tapped the leader on the shoulder and gestured that I was leaving. He nodded, causing more noise than I’d prefer with the clang of his armor, and I broke off from them. The metal mound was apparently an old junkyard they scrapped their metal from. They needed to take routine trips to make sure they kept a good stock of weapons; it was easy to lose them in an Ursan’s hide.

I made my way a short distance from them before pausing. I checked my compass to orient myself, and took a deep whiff of the air. I could smell a small trace of musk heading this way, but I could tell it was following the group's prints rather than my own. That was good. I started walking.

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