4. Ilona's Tale
Written by Jairo Nieto, Creative Director, Jam City[1]
I did not tell any of my sisters-in-arms about what I saw. I did not trust my state of mind at that point, so I kept ignoring the dead child walking next to my steed as we approached the last stretch of the road that connected Villebrew to the City of the Moon. We were now a ten day ride from the abandoned Colosseum that overlooked the ocean. It would be thousands of years before someone would dare to build an empire around it, less to have blood spilled on its floor once more. The immense Darulk in charge of our regiment kept barking random orders and was noticeably tense.
“Aren’t they supposed to be fearless demons?” whispered Adelina as she caught up to me.
“The Fenrir are ruthless, sister. The Darulk know this. You should too.”
“I’ve killed Fenrir before, Ilona. They howl as you twist the knife, and that is all there is to it.”
She was telling the truth. Adelina was probably more capable than half of the Darulk that were leading the attack that night. She had grown up among the harsh peaks of the Mountain King, and she had conquered every foe imaginable. But it gave me no comfort. I had once stared into the eyes of an enraged Fenrir and survived, but I was certain I would not be as lucky this time.
The child now waved from atop a ledge. I bit my lip and focused on navigating my horse across the narrow trail that snaked around the mountains. Some sunlight made it through the dense forest that lined our northern flank and it felt good on the skin. It was hard to make out anything a few yards into the treeline and a strange silence hung in the air. And then, Adelina shouted.
“Fenrir! In the trees!”
“Where? Point, human! Point them out!” howled Uhrarah, our Darulk captain.
“There! He’s moving!” said Romina, one of our younger sisters.
“They know we’re coming. No need for subterfuge any more!” exclaimed Uhrarah as she grabbed a large horn and produced a sound that I had never heard before.
“Twist the knife and that is all there is to it,” said Adelina with a smile as she rode off.
* * *
The child was back. Somehow, I could hear him over the incessant screams of my sisters. The Fenrir were holding fast, and the Darulk had decided to change their approach. A lot of us were wounded in the first wave, and we could not break into the courtyard as originally planned. The Darulk could not risk the Alpha and his progeny escaping, as the other families would be forced to shelter them and rally against The Absolute. I was assigned to interrogate a captured Fenrir and learn if there was any other route that could lead us into the royal chambers. One of the few Whisperers that had tagged along for the attack was also tasked to help.
“Why are you ignoring him?” he asked, as he grabbed the limp Fenrir’s chin with his right hand.
“He’s unconscious. There’s nothing to ignore,” I replied.
“I meant your child. Why are you ignoring your child, Ilona?” asked the Whisperer.
How did he know? I fell to my knees. The howls, the screams, the noise, all gone. I could now see my dead son standing there, asking me to stop.
“Mama, don’t,” he sobbed.
I had come to that place for him. Everything I was doing, every decision, every sacrifice– for my son. Why was he asking me to go back? I had spent years working towards this. My hands were unrecognizable, deformed from all the training, all the combat that was required to become accepted as one of the Sadaari. I knew deep inside that his soul would not rest until I made things right. I just wanted him to know that I would dedicate my life to get justice. I could not go on in any other way. I could not go back.
“There is a price to pay tonight. He wants you to know that,” said the Whisperer as listening to my thoughts. “The City of the Moon is more than just buildings, woman. No one knows what will unfold from tonight’s events, but this world will not be the same once the sun rises.”
“Good. This world is shit,” I replied angrily.
“Mama, don’t,” I heard again.
“I love you, Adrian. But I have to do this. For us,” I said as I attempted to embrace my son, but the moonlight shone through him and my arms came up empty. I buried my head in the gravel where he stood and I looked up angrily, as if the moon itself had taken that moment from me.
“Interesting choice,” teased the Whisperer. “You humans have a lot of… texture. I’m pretty sure the other races have grossly underestimated you. I won’t make that mistake.”
“Get him up,” I muttered, pointing to the senseless Fenrir. “I have a score to settle.”
“Indeed.” The Whisperer grinned, and drew his long thin war knife. He advanced on the Fenrir. “Why don’t we start with an eye?”
***
Adelina gasped for air as the gash on her throat flooded with blood. One of the Fenrir Packguards had lured her into an antechamber; an ambush awaited her there, and more enemies than even she could handle. And there she lay, amongst the bodies of Fenrir, trying to say something. She grabbed her dagger and placed it in my hand. The moonlight refracted through the broken window next to us and distorted her beautiful face.
“T-Twist.” she gurgled and closed her eyes.
Uhrarah walked up behind me and stood there for a while. “The information you gathered was good. Take her weapon, you’ve earned it.”
I took Twist and cleaned it of blood. The dagger was surprisingly light and sharp. Perhaps the secret to Adelina’s enormous success on the battlefield, or perhaps just another good blade. Uhrarah signaled the remaining troops to follow her. The corridor that led to the royal chambers was silent, devoid of any sign of struggle, as if the very forces of hell were not attempting to destroy the imposing citadel. An arrow flew and grazed my neck.
“Archers!” called Romina, a few steps away from me.
“To the ground, humans! We cannot fail tonight,” ordered Uhrarah as she started to march towards the barricade at the end of the corridor. Arrows kept flying past us. While some of them pierced Uhrarah, the Darulk kept moving, unfazed. As she reached the barricade, the arrows ceased and she proceeded to crush every object with fascinating ease. Her tentacled hand grabbed a Fenrir by the throat and shook him like a ragdoll, finally crushing his head into the ground.
“Get up, Sadaari! Kill every last one of them,” she barked and attempted to walk, but her balance failed her. We noticed dark blood pouring out of her multiple wounds and she looked at us in disbelief as she collapsed. The sound of her hulking body hitting the ground echoed through the corridor.
“She’s dead! The Captain is dead!” gasped Romina. I felt the bewildered eyes of my sisters lock onto me.
“We have our orders, Sadaari,” I replied. “No one gets out alive.”
***
Our Darulk allies finally broke through the courtyard. Just outside, I could hear the howls that Adelina had promised me a few hours ago. The remaining Fenrir were now completely cut off from their leader, and it was agony to the pack. In the chambers that the Sadaari had captured, Kuro, the Alpha, sat on his throne with his two sons beside him. There was an aura of dignity about him; it was easy to understand why he was revered across the land.
“I don’t believe any of us in this room will ever see another sunrise. Human, do you know who you fight for?” asked the Alpha.
“I know what I’m fighting against, wolf,” I snapped.
“This is the last night of the City of the Moon,” he replied. “She will not be pleased to see that you aided the forces of hell. There will be a high price to pay for this.”
“Your gods and fantasies are of no concern to me. Tonight you will see your children die. As I did,” I growled.
“Your anger is misguided, human,” he scoffed. “I was surely not responsible for whatever happened to your offspring.”
“No, but he was!” I yelled pointing to the Alpha’s youngest son.
The face of the Alpha changed in that instant, and everyone’s fate was sealed.
“That thing entered my village at night,” I told him. “Abducting and eating our young. I saw him with my own eyes– the night he killed my son.”
“Son?” he muttered. And his soul broke, just like mine had years ago.
Then came the sound I had heard that terrible night. The murderous blood curling howl that I had sworn to silence. My sisters and I drew our weapons and lunged towards the enemy.
“Restrain the Alpha, sisters! I want him to watch,” I yelled.
“You cannot kill a child of the Moon under her gaze and expect no retribution!” Kuro warned.
As I twisted the sword inside the young Fenrir’s chest, Adrian spoke again. I thought he would find peace once the beast was dead. But instead, he reproached me with anguish, a deep melancholy that has chased me ever since.
“She’s angry,” he whispered and I immediately knew I had cursed myself and my sisters forever. I felt hungry all of a sudden. A type of hunger I had not felt before. I craved not for food, but for blood. I could feel my face changing, my mouth distorted in a grotesque grimace and my skin felt like leather. I turned around and watched in disbelief as the Alpha was torn to shreds by those that belonged to my order. And then I joined them.
***
Sometimes I travel to the ruins of the City of Moon to ask for forgiveness, but all my prayers fall on deaf ears. I have spent thousands of years trying to find my way back to Adrian. I thought my vengeance was a fair trade for this curse. But my true punishment was time. I have forgotten his face, his smell, his voice. The priest at the House of Death keeps telling me that one day I will be able to see him again. And so I battle in the arena, quenching my hunger and seeking Ascension, for when I turn Eternal, I will be able look at the Moon in the eyes, and gouge them out.