Page 38 of Keeper

When we’re done, I nod to Praxis. “Bring them outside. Let everyone see what happens to those who defy us.”

We drag the prisoners into the center of the camp. My warriors gather around, their faces hard and expectant.

“These men,” I say, my voice carrying across the crowd, “thought they could attack my warriors and get away with it. They were wrong.”

I turn to the first prisoner, the one who spat at me. “May the gods forgive you. For we do not.” Without hesitation, I plunge my dagger into his heart. He gasps, eyes wide with shock, then falls to the ground.

The other two plead for mercy. I silence them with swift, lethal efficiency. Their bodies hit the dirt, blood pooling beneath them.

I face the crowd again. “We are Bloodstone. We do not forgive. We do not forget. And we will crush anyone who stands against us.”

After the executions,I mount my horse again and signal to my men. “We ride for Karra. No rebel escapes tonight.”

Luc, Liam, Praxis, Gabriel, and the same fifty men follow me as I lead the charge through the dense forest.

The icy wind whips through my hair, but I barely notice the cold. My focus is singular—to crush this rebellion before it can take root.

The trees blur past as we race toward Karra, their bare branches reaching out like skeletal fingers.

The lights of Karra flicker in the distance, growing closer with each passing moment. My grip tightens on the reins. Tonight, the rebels will learn to not oppose me.

The city gates creak open, and we thunder through.

Our first stop is a dilapidated tavern on the outskirts of the city. I kick in the door. Inside, patrons scatter like rats. My men flood the room, pinning suspects against walls and tables.

“Check the cellar,” I say.

Liam turns to do my bidding, along with three other warriors. They return a short while later, dragging two men by their collars.

“We found these rats hiding behind some barrels,” Liam says.

I nod. “Bind them.”

We continue storming through the city, each location yielding more rebels. A bakery with a false wall. A tannery reeking of more than leather. Even a high-end brothel, where we find three rebels cowering in a hidden room.

At an abandoned warehouse, we meet resistance. Arrows whistle past my head as we breach the entrance. I duck and draw my sword.

“Take them alive if you can,” I shout, “but don’t risk your lives for theirs.”

The clash of steel fills the air as I cut down two men.

When the dust settles, we’ve captured five more rebels.

Our final stop is a noble’s manor. The owner, a portly man with thinning hair, protests loudly as we force our way in.

“This is an outrage! You have no right—”

I silence him with a look. “I have every right, Merrick.”

We find a secret passage behind a bookshelf, leading to an underground meeting room. Maps of Karra cover the walls, with battle plans scrawled across them.

“Burn it all,” I say. “And arrest the noble.”

As dusk settles over us, we return to camp with our prisoners—twenty in total. It’s fewer than I’d hoped, but it’s a start.

I dismount, surveying the rebels. There’s no sign of Hawke or Alvina among them.

They’ve slipped through our fingers...for now.

---