CHAPTER 60: A GIFT

Frejlurd could scarcely believe what he had just heard. Though the report remained unconfirmed, the Baron had already revealed who orchestrated the explosion and abduction of the female Guards. Now, those very culprits were said to be heading straight for his fortress.

"Zorthar must be backing them," he muttered under his breath, urging the carriage driver to pick up speed. The vehicle rocked as they sped along the road. "But why would they launch such a bold, open assault now? That would be outright foolish."

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to dismiss the possibility. After all, the things he had once deemed implausible had turned out to be true, and what he trusted had proven false. It was a hard earned lesson as to never overestimate yourself or underestimate your enemy.

Fortunately, Frejlurd reached the fortress before the gang did. As soon as he entered, he rushed to organize the defensive measures. He also relayed urgent orders to the City Guards patrolling nearby, calling them to converge outside the fortress.

The strategy was straightforward. Let the Red Serpents get close to the fortress gate. Once they attempt to breach it, surround them from all directions using the City Guards stationed nearby.

Then Trap them against the gate and rain down arrows until they either surrendered or perished. Since the gang was initiating the attack, Frejlurd had no qualms about using lethal force.

"Be alert. They might be carrying thunder barrels like the ones they used at the Palace gates," he warned his men while standing atop the fortress wall. His sharp eyes scanned the distant terrain, looking for any movement.

Below, he could see the City Guards concealed in various positions, waiting for the enemy to come close enough for the trap to be sprung. They all held their breath in anticipation.

And then they appeared. A mob of roughly two hundred men came charging toward the fortress. Frejlurd observed them carefully, waiting until they were close enough to initiate the plan. But something unexpected caught his attention, their cries and shouts.

They weren’t yelling the usual slogans of hatred or vengeance on behalf of Zorthar. Instead, they screamed something else entirely.

"YOU KILLED OUR FAMILIES!" They shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Frejlurd froze. The words didn’t make sense. Why would they shout such a thing? He had never taken the Red Serpents seriously before.

They had always been a small-time gang, barely worth a footnote in the Guard’s reports. But maybe that, too, had been a mistake.

The Red Serpents were infamous for their sexual violence. The City Guard had not only failed to stop them but had also turned a blind eye, allowing them to flourish without consequence.

The reason being that the Red Serpents were too small or insignificant for them to divert manpower and resources on them. Since they wanted to be focused on Zorthar and Lutis who were by far the largest factions of the City.

Frejlurd realised that it had taken the brutal deaths of his own subordinates to truly open his eyes to see how cruel these small numbers of people were since their crimes were equally worse compared to the evil deeds of Zorthar.

And that he must not ignore the smaller groups of evildoers simply because of their numbers. They could be doing far worse things and that the Guards must hunt them all down or else more people would suffer the way those three did.

"We should have cleansed these vermin before ever dreaming of toppling the beasts like Zorthar or Lutis," he whispered. A renewed sense of purpose burned in his chest.

He raised his hand high. With swift discipline, the hidden City Guards sprang from their positions, large shields in hand, forming a semi circle around the charging mob. The Red Serpents were now trapped against the fortress gate while in front of them lay a cauldron.

From the front line, Arnot, the leader of the Red Serpents stood ready with his sword while facing the Guards.

"You bastards killed our families and now you want to finish us too!" he roared.

Frejlurd didn’t reply. He simply lifted his arm again. Archers pulled back their bowstrings, arrows ready to fly. "Surrender or die," Frejlurd declared flatly.

Arnot let out a bitter curse and dropped his weapon. One by one, the others followed his lead, surrendering without further resistance. But Frejlurd was still puzzled by their accusations. Why would they claim the City Guard had massacred their families? It didn’t add up. Estefan had been clear that the Red Serpents were the ones behind the abduction and murder of the three female Guards. The Baron would never lie to him.

Descending from the wall, Frejlurd walked to face the detained mob directly. The truth, however, had already begun to unfold.

Hours earlier, after the gang had left the City Square where they had dumped the corpses, they returned to their homes.

What they found waiting for them were nightmares, the lifeless, mutilated bodies of their wives, children, parents. Everyone they cared about had been slaughtered in cold blood.

Enraged and grief stricken, they assumed it was a retaliatory strike from the City Guard, a brutal message for the deaths of the female Guards. Believing they had nothing left to lose, they rallied every member of their gang for a suicidal charge at the fortress.

But they didn’t realise the truth, it was nothing but a gift from the Baron to them for their crimes against the City and himself since they dared to blow up the gates of his house.

When the truth emerged during the interrogation, Frejlurd didn’t flinch. "They are shedding tears now after their families were killed? Especially after they raped three women to death like it was a game... No. I don’t feel sorry for them. They earned every bit of this."

He turned to one of his officers. "Send word to the Palace. Inform the Baron that we have successfully captured all two hundred of them."

The messenger ran off toward the communication chamber to relay the message to the Palace.

Frejlurd then walked past the surrendered Red Serpents, his voice low but laced with menace. "You can’t even imagine what that man has prepared for you."

He meant Estefan and Frejlurd knew all too well what kind of punishment the Baron had in store since he was told about it and the punishment was cruel, meticulous, and entirely deserved.

In that moment, he felt no pity because these men had reveled in the suffering of others. Now it was their turn to understand what true pain felt like just like their victims did.

[To be Continued]