Bone2pick
Minority of One
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<strong>MORE THAN I CARE TO REMEMBER </strong> Banners and tapestries fell like leaves. The castle's courtyard would soon be littered with them. Ecab pulled his attention away from the heavens when the world quaked. He slapped a leathered gauntlet against the stone handrail to steady himself. At the same instant the tremor subsided a stray flag crumpled near the left boot of the Captain. He stole a glimpse at it before stepping around its edges. It was quartered in the colors of their enemy, burnt orange and white. To walk over it now was to walk over a mass grave. As he ushered his soldiers down the stairs Ecab's eyes darted about the rows of figures spilling into the courtyard. There was a sharp divide in energy among the people. Everyone moving with a purpose was an ally of the Captain, while everyone else—the Kroephan men and women—were reduced to hopeless meandering. The fighting was over, but more bloodshed would come. <em>"There, past the garden." </em> The Captain followed the outstretched arm of his Lieutenant to the gates they had earlier stormed through. Without reply Ecab marched towards their exit with twenty one soldiers in perfect lockstep behind him. He had entered with two dozen. Without wanting to the Captain spied a lone Kroephan Knight collapsed on a stone bench in a corner of the garden. An enormous bronze sculpture of the castle's Monarch cast a shadow over everything surrounding the once proud warrior. Her battle-scarred helm was toppled over at her feet, and in her lap was the broken body of a pistoleer. She wept silently while the man she cradled gulped for breath. Ecab looked into the Knight's pained eyes, and she looked back into his. It lasted no more than a heartbeat—more than enough time to haunt a soul forever. The Captain turned to his Lieutenant to see if he too had witnessed the tearstreaked Knight, but Odumod's focus was fixed to the exit gate. As expected the fleet was waiting for them on the other side. The Feathered Serpent, Ecab's own airship, was bobbing in the wind just off the edge of the roost while its crew used push poles to keep it from colliding with the rocks. One by one his soldiers climbed into the Serpent. The delay between the incessant tremors had shrunk significantly. Ecab, while waiting his turn—he was always the last to board—watched several species of bird flee overhead out and away from the fortress. They too, would lose their world today. Finally, with Odumod's urging, the Captain stepped off the roost and onto the Serpent's deck. <em>"Is any of that your blood Captain?"</em> The questioned came from one of his concerned underlings. It had the benefit of breaking through Ecab's distractions and the Captain used that time to peer down at his gore-caked arm brace. <em>"No."</em> The word summoned bile inside his mouth. Shortly afterward a young shipmen named Leindon pushed himself through the soldiers between them and bounded over the deck towards Ecab and Odumod. He was grinning wildly when he offered a waterskin to his superiors. <em>"Did either of you slay Qoekmen?"</em> The two veterans exchanged bored looks under their sweaty brows. Odumod spoke first to spare his Captain the effort. <em>"We were beaten to the throne room."</em> Disappointment crept into the teenage shipmen's expression, but he pressed on. <em>"But you saw him fall?"</em> Odumod chose to peel off his torn shirt without a word while Ecab chugged the cool contents of the waterskin. Eventually, with a partially drowned voice, the Captain spoke up. <em>"I saw more than I care to remember."</em> With that Leindon slunk back into the ranks of the crew. Ecab and Odumod moved toward the stern of the ship to watch the death of floating Kroephan castle; Its landmass was beginning to shrink as the Serpent gained altitude. <em>"They forced our hand; they have only themselves to blame."</em> The Captain's statement was dangerously close to a question. Odumod looked over the man next to him, his truest friend, with empathy. <em>"It was us or them."</em> Ecab nodded slowly as he witnessed the bronze statue of Lord Qoekmen slip into a sinkhole that had opened up in the courtyard. There was too much distance between them to make out if the Knight was still alive. <em>"Then let it never be us."</em>
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<strong>MORE THAN I CARE TO REMEMBER </strong> Banners and tapestries fell like leaves. The castle's courtyard would soon be littered with them. Ecab pulled his attention away from the heavens when the world quaked. He slapped a leathered gauntlet against the stone handrail to steady himself. At the same instant the tremor subsided a stray flag crumpled near the left boot of the Captain. He stole a glimpse at it before stepping around its edges. It was quartered in the colors of their enemy, burnt orange and white. To walk over it now was to walk over a mass grave. As he ushered his soldiers down the stairs Ecab's eyes darted about the rows of figures spilling into the courtyard. There was a sharp divide in energy among the people. Everyone moving with a purpose was an ally of the Captain, while everyone else—the Kroephan men and women—were reduced to hopeless meandering. The fighting was over, but more bloodshed would come. <em>"There, past the garden." </em> The Captain followed the outstretched arm of his Lieutenant to the gates they had earlier stormed through. Without reply Ecab marched towards their exit with twenty one soldiers in perfect lockstep behind him. He had entered with two dozen. Without wanting to the Captain spied a lone Kroephan Knight collapsed on a stone bench in a corner of the garden. An enormous bronze sculpture of the castle's Monarch cast a shadow over everything surrounding the once proud warrior. Her battle-scarred helm was toppled over at her feet, and in her lap was the broken body of a pistoleer. She wept silently while the man she cradled gulped for breath. Ecab looked into the Knight's pained eyes, and she looked back into his. It lasted no more than a heartbeat—more than enough time to haunt a soul forever. The Captain turned to his Lieutenant to see if he too had witnessed the tearstreaked Knight, but Odumod's focus was fixed to the exit gate. As expected the fleet was waiting for them on the other side. The Feathered Serpent, Ecab's own airship, was bobbing in the wind just off the edge of the roost while its crew used push poles to keep it from colliding with the rocks. One by one his soldiers climbed into the Serpent. The delay between the incessant tremors had shrunk significantly. Ecab, while waiting his turn—he was always the last to board—watched several species of bird flee overhead out and away from the fortress. They too, would lose their world today. Finally, with Odumod's urging, the Captain stepped off the roost and onto the Serpent's deck. <em>"Is any of that your blood Captain?"</em> The questioned came from one of his concerned underlings. It had the benefit of breaking through Ecab's distractions and the Captain used that time to peer down at his gore-caked arm brace. <em>"No."</em> The word summoned bile inside his mouth. Shortly afterward a young shipmen named Leindon pushed himself through the soldiers between them and bounded over the deck towards Ecab and Odumod. He was grinning wildly when he offered a waterskin to his superiors. <em>"Did either of you slay Qoekmen?"</em> The two veterans exchanged bored looks under their sweaty brows. Odumod spoke first to spare his Captain the effort. <em>"We were beaten to the throne room."</em> Disappointment crept into the teenage shipmen's expression, but he pressed on. <em>"But you saw him fall?"</em> Odumod chose to peel off his torn shirt without a word while Ecab chugged the cool contents of the waterskin. Eventually, with a partially drowned voice, the Captain spoke up. <em>"I saw more than I care to remember."</em> With that Leindon slunk back into the ranks of the crew. Ecab and Odumod moved toward the stern of the ship to watch the death of floating Kroephan castle; Its landmass was beginning to shrink as the Serpent gained altitude. <em>"They forced our hand; they have only themselves to blame."</em> The Captain's statement was dangerously close to a question. Odumod looked over the man next to him, his truest friend, with empathy. <em>"It was us or them."</em> Ecab nodded slowly as he witnessed the bronze statue of Lord Qoekmen slip into a sinkhole that had opened up in the courtyard. There was too much distance between them to make out if the Knight was still alive. <em>"Then let it never be us."</em>
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