Rise of Heroes

Chapter 14 - The Hideout

Jaden gave a sign for Jamie and Anitra to follow and headed toward where the soldiers had started piling up the bodies. More than half of his men had made it through the battle, mostly unscathed, and as long as they could walk and carry, they had all put on thick leather gloves and started gathering the bodies of the monsters on top of the Abrasck demon.

If they let them stay there long, especially with the poisonous blood running through some of them, the ground in the area could have become barren or worse. Jaden had seen an entire lake, its waters and its plans and inhabitants alike, turn twisted and toxic just because a demon crawled into the water and died there. If they didn’t want to have to worry about their own land killing them before the demons did, they had to take precautions before their darkness spread, even in death.

Jaden’s eyes stopped on the dozen human bodies lined up further away from the demons. If they could find a cart or wagon, they could bring them back and give them a proper send-off ⁠— that was, if they didn’t meet any more demons on the way. With the way things were going today, they would probably have just enough time to build a single pyre and give them their last rites here, in what was left of Naysa. At least they could make sure their souls pass on to their next life after they had given their lives to protect others.

His people believed that if a person didn’t get a proper burial, then their essence would get stuck in a realm between the worlds, and the chain of rebirth would break. Without a place to go, those souls would turn into specters seeking only destruction and death. Jaden wasn’t a particularly strong believer in those otherworldly tales, but the more he fought the demons, the more he kept seeing similarities between those creatures and the specters of death everyone was just as afraid of.

Tamara had laughed when he shared those thoughts with her, but he still thought that if his fears turned out to be yet another legend being true, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure there were fewer souls left to turn into demons. That’s why he would often order all bodies to be retrieved after battle ⁠— if possible and if there was anything left of them ⁠— and given last rites, even if it increased the danger for his men.

After splitting the group in two, he left half to take care of the demons and led the others down the road to the devastated village. The thick trees on both their sides rose eerily quiet as his group moved along in a tight formation, not a bird or a cricket left to make a sound. The only noise came from the screeching of their armor and their feet kicking dirt.

Once they neared the first line of houses, the heavy stench of burned and rotten flesh hit them hard, making some of the soldiers gag. The sound of cloth being torn echoed through the silent street until most had covered their mouths and noses and were rushing to complete the formation. Jaden walked in the front with his weapons ready, his back stiff with tension.

“Keep your eyes open!” he shouted as his hands tightened on his swords. He couldn’t sense any demon presence nearby, but he couldn’t let his guard down either — there were some creatures that could move so fast that even a second of distraction could cost him or his men their lives.

He gave Anitra a nod, signing for her to lead the way. She and Jamie exchanged a brief look, then both stepped on what was once the main street. It had now turned into uneven ground littered with blackened wood and stones, puddles of blood, and shapeless forms that suspiciously looked like human corpses.

Jaden followed them, gesturing for the others to separate into units and search for survivors. He knew the chance of finding someone alive was slim, but they had come this far. Not even trying was going to put his men’s spirits down even more.

When he caught up with Anitra and Jamie, they were already standing in front of the ruins of one of the houses. It was located almost in the center of the village, close to the inn Jaden had stayed at before, but what now remained of it were just the support beams, sticking out of the black ground like a monster’s teeth. There was less blood here, human or otherwise, and he couldn’t see any bodies, but the devastation of the fire was much worse.

“Uncle!” Jamie shouted, just as Anitra called Bel’s name. No answer came and both of them rushed through the scorched rubbles, desperately looking for any signs of their loved ones. Jaden just stood where the front door used to be, trying to sense any hint of danger. Making so much noise wasn’t the best of ideas, but seeing the desperation on their faces, he couldn’t bring himself to tell them to be quiet.

“Is there a place where they could have hidden?” he asked after their voices had grown weaker. Both turned and stared at him as if just now remembering he was there, then looked at each other.

“Yes!” Anitra jumped with newfound hope and rushed toward the end of the house so fast that she tripped twice, almost twisting her ankle. She reached a parcel of scorched earth that rose slightly above the ground level and tried to pull a rusty handle that even Jaden had a hard time noticing. The handle was attached to a small wooden trapdoor that led to what seemed to be an underground basement. She pulled a few more times without success, her hands trembling from the effort. Jamie joined her, grabbing onto the handle as well, but even with their combined strength, the door didn’t budge.

“Kick it in,” Jaden suggested, pointing at the black wood and the two of them got up at once, each stamping it with their foot. The charred wood finally gave in after a few kicks and the boards snapped. Jamie caught Anitra’s elbow just as she was about to fall through the hole, steadying her on her feet. The stench of death that burst from the hideout made them both step back. Even Jaden, who was standing behind them, had to raise his hand to cover his nose.

“No, no, no…” Anitra muttered in panic, pushing Jamie’s hand as he tried to stop her. She stepped through the hole, staggering down the steep staircase. Jamie glanced at Jaden, then disappeared through the hole. Jaden looked around for a second, then followed them silently, his uneasiness growing.

The hideout was without windows, so the only light inside came from the small entrance. The stench of dirt, stale air, and decaying flesh became stronger with every step Jaden took.

He stumbled over a few crates and broken jars until his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness. The first thing he noticed were the bodies, surrounded by puddles of blood and puke, but as much as he looked, he found no traces of violence. What happened down there wasn’t a demon’s work, and that bothered him even more.

His eyes followed Jamie as he walked around, moving boxes so he could reach the bodies, checking their necks for a pulse. Anitra was making her way further into the hideout, tripping around and bumping into things like a blind woman. The basement wasn’t that big, so it didn’t take long before they checked everyone, finding none alive.

Jaden stopped next to the body of a woman hugging a child that looked no more than three winters old. He didn’t bother checking their pulse — their skin was already turning purple, with traces of blood running from the edge of their lips.

“What happened to them?” Jamie asked, getting up and wiping his hands on his pants. “It can’t be a demon. It’s too clean and they are all in one piece.”

“They suffocated,” Jaden replied, pointing to the marks on the woman’s neck and her bloodshot eyes. Something big and metal fell onto the ground, causing a loud rattle to echo through the hideout. Anitra cursed, and then something else fell. “Do you know her?”

“My uncle’s neighbor,” Jamie said in a quiet, angry voice. Jaden opened his mouth to tell him to go back to the others and bring more people to get the bodies out when a low, muffled cough came from the back of the basement.

For a moment he thought it was Anitra, but the sound was too rough and too weak to be her,s and Anitra herself was looking around frantically in search of it. Another cough followed, then something grated against the ground, making Jaden tighten his hold on his sword.

“Jamie!” Anitra shouted. “Jamie! Quickly!” Before she could finish, the boy was already sprinting with Jaden on his heel. They found her kneeling on the floor next to an old man, holding his hand and patting his back. The man’s body shook as he coughed again.

“Uncle! Thank the spirits, you’re alive!” Jamie breathed out and the man on the ground let out a sour laugh that only made him cough more. He pulled off the piece of cloth that was tied to his mouth, his bright blue eyes stopping on each of their faces.

“Water,” he whispered, and Jamie frantically detached his canteen from his waist, offering him a sip. The old man drank greedily for a second before pushing the flask away. “Thank you, my boy.”

“What happened?” Jamie asked, kneeling down next to him. “Where are the others?”

“Dead,” the man said, lowering his head. “There were too many demons for us to fight off. Bel and the boys stayed to push them back and buy us some time, but… there were too many.”

“Where is Bel, Brok?” Anitra asked, squeezing his hand. The old man looked at her but said nothing. By the tortured look in his eyes, Jaden could tell that this wasn’t a question he looked forward to answering. “Where is he, Brok?” The old man looked down at his feet. She let go of his hand, pulling away as if to escape his answer. “He is alive, Brok, he has to be alive! Tell me he’s alive! Tell me!”

“I’m sorry, my dear girl. They fought to the death. He died a hero.”

Anitra stumbled to her feet, stepping away from the old man. She kept shaking her head, biting her lower lip as if to stop her sobs from coming out. It was hard to distinguish her features in the gloom, but her eyes were gleaming with the saddest of sorrow, losing their spark with each passing second.

Jaden approached her slowly, as if he was nearing a scared wild animal, and reached to touch her shoulder. She pulled back instantly, looking up at him with resignation.

“Come,” he whispered, reaching for her shoulder again. She didn’t react this time, just kept on blinking rapidly, as if trying to remember how her body worked. Jaden touched her forearm and like a puppet whose strings were suddenly severed, her body slumped down. Jaden caught her, wrapping his hands around her just as she let out a heart-wrenching wail, bursting into tears. He turned to look at Jamie and the old man. “We’ll wait here with your uncle. Go get some help.”