The journey so far had not been so bad. They spent a little over two hours in Alexandria, heading for the permanent gate leading to El Tharan, which was the halfway point of their journey. There, they had to spend more time going through other portals, but fortunately, those led directly to their destination. The real heat hit them as soon as they emerged from the gate in Bushtabhar.
The place did not look very interesting. Just a few wooden houses squeezed into a gap between high cliffs, enclosed by a palisade and gathered around the entrance to a cave. Even the gate itself was simple - a stone arch without any decorations. One could say that apart from the golden portal, there was nothing here to indicate magic.
A soldier stood near the magical passageway, and at the sight of the emerging column of Guards, he froze. The boy barely held his spear in his hand, trembling like a young aspen tree. The blood drained from his face, and terror took its place.
Darius gently urged Bellator on so as not to slow down the other Guardsmen. Rex immediately caught up with him. Earl looked around. The area in front of the enclave's entrance was actually the border with the Sheheds, although the lack of visible sentries did not indicate this. The only upside was that the taboo totem was clearly under the protection of a priest. Thanks to this, at least there was certainty that no lost non-magical wanderer would stumble upon something they should not see. Such objects were placed near the entrances to enclaves to prevent unintentional taboo violations and exposure to the consequences.
Bleist turned in his saddle, looking for the unfortunate soldier guarding the portal.
‘Where's the commander?’ he growled in a hoarse voice. The dry air clearly did not suit him. Personally, he preferred to go to places with a more moderate climate.
‘I-i-i-i-i-i-i-in the ciii... ty...' The boy stammered, almost paralyzed with fear.
'The post commander!' the colonel corrected.
The soldier turned even paler as Rex turned the chimera towards him. He even stopped stammering and just pointed to one of the wooden huts.
Darius ignored the frightened boy and directed the beast in the indicated direction. The corporal, however, was quicker, riding up and striking the door several times with the shaft of his spear. Bleist was also not very pleased with the condition of the enclave's entrance, especially since all the previous ones had been properly manned and managed in accordance with military doctrine. In Bushtabhar, problems arose right from the start, and since the colonel was supposed to take control of what was happening here anyway, he might as well start right away.
From inside the hut came discontented noises in a language Darius did not know. Although perhaps it was better that way, because from the tone alone he could tell that nothing flattering was being said.
The door opened violently and a burly man in a sloppy uniform, which did not belong to the Atlantean army, rolled out. The light brown colour, at least in the relatively clean areas, indicated that he was a representative of the local governor, a senior private, as indicated by his epaulette.
At first, the soldier did not know at whom to direct his anger, cursing and squinting against the glaring sun. Then he saw the chimera standing in front of him and began to back away, but the sight of the rider apparently froze his blood.
‘Are you the commander of the post?’ Rex growled sharply.
The man did not answer, but retreated further into the shadow of the hut. The soldier also began to look around and lost even more colour when he realised that he was not talking to just one Guard.
‘You or not you?!’ The corporal pulled lightly on his mount's reins and the chimera snorted warningly.
‘I-I-I-I... Sir.’ The governor's man only avoided falling because he bumped into the wall of the poor hut.
‘Where are the troops?’ Rex seemed to be comfortable in his role as a stern non-commissioned officer. Darius was grateful to him for that.
‘I-i-i-in the enclave,’ the man managed to say.
‘And at the post?’
The soldier looked towards the pale guard who was still trembling by the gate.
‘Where are the rest of them?’ The corporal's voice carried, echoing off the stone cliffs towering over what was supposed to be a border post.
‘I-i-i-i-i-in t-the en-enclave,’ the governor's man repeated. It seemed that all his previous arrogance had evaporated, leaving not even the slightest trace behind.
‘Gather everyone present at the post!’ commanded the corporal, and without waiting for a response, he turned his mount around. ‘Immediately!’ he barked without even looking back.
This time, the soldier fell, but, urged on, he scrambled almost on all fours towards the other cottages. In the meantime, the corporal rode up to the colonel.
‘Even in the saddle, I could smell booze,’ Rex muttered, wrinkling his nose.
‘It's only noon, and already such a mess,’ Darius looked around again. ‘I wonder if this is a remnant of last night or if they've been drinking since morning.’ He shook his head in dissatisfaction. ‘You're doing well, by the way,’ he added.
‘I thought it would be better if I talked to... people like them.’ Capal seemed a little confused, though it was hard to say why exactly.
‘As I said, you did well, but in future, wait for the signal to act,’ Bleist said gently.
‘Yes, sir, Colonel.’ The Guardsman was visibly relieved.
Gathering, and more importantly, lining up the soldiers from the checkpoint took a long time for a military unit. Although, judging by the condition of the personnel stationed here, they gathered quickly anyway. Even from a distance, a cursory inspection made it clear that most of them were already heavily intoxicated, while the rest had simply been dragged out of their beds with terrible hangovers.
The senior private and his ten, not fully dressed, governor's soldiers looked at the Guards with horror. The heavily armed men surveyed the palisade, the entrance to the settlement and the gates, while members of the Azure Guard unceremoniously searched the dilapidated huts. Darius was almost certain that they would find a lot, probably far too much, that should never have been there.
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‘What are they doing...? They're not one of ours!’, one of the ragged men protested, for which he was almost immediately struck on the head by the burly commander.
‘Forgive us, sir... He doesn't know what he's saying.’ The senior private seemed to sober up before their eyes, or perhaps fear and adrenaline had won out over alcohol. Regardless, the man began to speak more coherently.
Neither Darius nor Rex commented, completely ignoring the soldiers and focusing on the ongoing searches. Mostly bottles, both full and empty, flew out of the cottages. In addition to them, there were a few personal items, some rather exotic goods that should not have been there, and too much gold. A Guardsman emerged from one of the huts holding a small box and hurried towards the colonel. Bleist could not see his subordinate's face, but his frantic movements spoke volumes. Certainly nothing good.
‘Colonel.’ The Guard stopped next to Bellator and handed Darius the box with slight distaste. ‘I found this in the cottage where those two were staying.’ He pointed to the soldiers without uniforms, staggering on their feet and rolling their blind eyes around.
Darius cautiously looked inside the box and immediately understood his subordinate's disgust. Inside were three vials - two full and one significantly emptied. Inside the containers, a thick, green-purple liquid with black specks sloshed unpleasantly. Even though he did not move the box, the liquid seemed to mix on its own. Bleist did not need advanced alchemical knowledge or complicated research to know what he was dealing with, and it was not the first time. Aphalis, sometimes called the Devil's Embrace, was a drug with a very strong intoxicating effect and an even stronger addictive effect. Even in small amounts, it caused agitation, colourful hallucinations and a disconnect from external stimuli, and withdrawal caused bone pain, anxiety, insomnia, delusions, irritability and a host of other minor symptoms. More importantly, it was a completely banned substance in Atlantis, and mere possession of it could result in life imprisonment in a mine, and if someone was proven to be trading in it, they faced torture and the gallows. In fact, it was not only in the Kingdom of Light that such strict regulations were in force; it was difficult to find a place where a drug that physically and mentally enslaved subjects was viewed favourably. Therefore, the production of such substances was carried out only by well-organised and quite influential criminal organisations. The appearance of Aphalis in its pure form in a remote province, and in the hands of soldiers at a border post, did not bode well.
Bleist turned his gaze towards the senior private. He showed him the contents of the box, but saw only incomprehension on the soldier's face.
‘How did this end up in the hands of your men?’ he asked calmly, trying to keep his nerves in check.
‘I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know.’ The soldier looked down blankly, trying to avoid Darius's gaze towering over him.
‘You are the commander of this...’ He was about to say ‘guard post’ but bit his tongue. ‘This place. I'll ask you again, where did this come from?
‘No... I don't know... Really.’ The governor's man began to shake with fear. It seemed that he was beginning to realise the consequences that awaited him.
‘Where is the nearest army post?’ The colonel had enough of his own problems, and spending extra time dealing with others did not suit him.
‘In the castle.’ The soldier pointed to the cave. ‘In the enclave.’
‘At this moment, by the authority vested in me by Grand Master Inventius Tilion and Crown Marshal Sven Zilven, I, Colonel Darius Bleist of the Azure Guard, arrest you for possession of prohibited substances and suspicion of smuggling and corruption,’ the earl thundered from his saddle.
Those who had sobered up in terror raised their heads, while the others continued to sway in their drunken stupor. No one made a sound, there was no opposition.
‘Rex!’ Bleist looked around for his deputy.
‘Yes, Colonel!’ The Guard quickly found himself next to his superior.
‘Take care of these...’ Darius didn’t finish. ‘And then take two of our men and bring the commander of this whole castle over here.’
‘Yes, sir,’ the corporal nodded and immediately began shouting orders.
Darius analysed the situation intensely. If there is a large criminal guild operating in Bushtabhar, it could complicate many things. He thought gloomily. It would be simpler if it turned out to be smugglers from the Sheheds. He shook his head in dissatisfaction. Neither possibility was good for him. Time will tell. First, let's deal with the murder. He concluded gloomily.
A sergeant in a grey army uniform appeared just moments after Rex disappeared into the enclave. The non-commissioned officer was followed by the Guards, and then several more soldiers. The middle-aged man was clearly in a hurry. His uniform was slightly dishevelled, and sweat glistened on his ebony skin, although it was unlikely to be a symptom of persistent heat. The soldier rushed on horseback, his terrified gaze trying to take in the scene unfolding between the crumbling cottages.
A few things had changed before he entered the enclave. First, all twelve people present at the sentry post had been placed in the middle of the empty area in front of the portal and tied with a thick rope. In addition, a binding spell had been cast on each of them, so they could do little more than follow the rope in single line. Secondly, the gate in the palisade, although it would be more accurate to describe it as a sliding barricade, was closed both physically and magically. Another change was that all the loot found in the surrounding shacks had been gathered in one place.
In the meantime, Darius wrote a short report to the headquarters in Alexandria, under whose jurisdiction Bushtabhar fell. Since Aphalis was involved, it was necessary to follow the rules. Bleist suspects that immediately after receiving the message, the general in charge of the African contingent will launch a wide-ranging investigation. Fortunately, all he had to do to send the message was go through the portal to the guardhouse in El Tharan and hand it over to the local commander. Earl was certain that it would reach headquarters today, and tomorrow more investigators would arrive in Bushtabhar, this time on a different matter.
‘Sergeant Sadiki Badu reporting for duty.’ The soldier jumped off his horse and saluted. He did not dare move until he received permission to do so.
Darius slowly looked at the non-commissioned officer. He also seemed terrified by the very presence of the Guard members in this place. Especially since he was trying not to look directly at Bellator, let alone Bleist.
This behaviour seemed to be the norm, which the colonel had never noticed before. In the capital, the presence of Guardsmen was nothing unusual. They could often be seen in almost every district of Atlantis, so the inhabitants did not treat them as anything special. It was similar in the kingdom's large cities, and in smaller ones, he did not usually appear in uniform, but in his normal noble attire. Then he was indeed looked at differently, but also in accordance with the status he represented. In addition to these places, Darius also visited various diplomatic missions, where, as in the capital, the sight of members of the Guard was familiar to everyone. However, it seemed that in the provinces, the Guard was something unattainable and terrifying at the same time. Bleist did not even want to think about what stories about his unit were circulating among ordinary citizens.
‘Do you know what this is, Sergeant?’ Darius showed the man one of the vials he had secured earlier.
‘I'm sorry, sir, but I have no idea.’ The soldier turned pale, but he seemed to be telling the truth.
‘Then how do you control who enters the enclave?’
‘We...’ The sergeant was startled by this question. According to the law, the commander of the unit responsible for entering the enclave was also in charge of searches carried out at checkpoints. ‘We don't carry out checks, sir,’ he finally managed to say through a tight throat. ‘In accordance with the governor's decree,’ he quickly added, as if to defend himself. ‘His people do it.’
Darius just gave him a sharp look, which made the sergeant involuntarily shrink. According to everything General Leigher had told him, Lieutenant Al-Satar was in charge of the army in the enclave. However, there was no point in starting a dispute about authority and who could give orders. For now, he took note of this.
‘How many men do you have in the castle?’ The colonel tried not to sound harsh, but he wasn't doing very well.
‘Thirty, sir.’ The soldier looked as if he would have liked to vanish into thin air. ‘Thirty-nine, if you count the patrol.’
‘In that case, you will secure this post.’ Darius looked around. ‘In addition, I order all detainees and evidence to be transported to the citadel and kept under lock and key until I decide otherwise.’ He took a rolled-up piece of parchment stamped with the Guard's seal from his pocket. ‘Here is your written order.’ The sergeant barely managed to catch the scroll. Darius, wanting to emphasise his position, gently nudged Bellator, who took a step forward and hung his head over the soldier who was busy catching the document. The sergeant looked up, straight into the beast's teeth. ‘Do you know what the penalty is for disobeying a Guard order?’ The colonel ended the conversation ominously.
Thank you for reading the latest chapter of my story. I'm truly grateful that you've chosen to walk alongside Draco and the others, and to spend time in their world.
@dracoriss.official. You'll find illustrations created especially for this chapter—they might help bring the atmosphere and imagery to life even more vividly.
Thank you for being here. Until next time—see you next week.