The Invasion Read online

  I do not understand why a respected high-ranking officer of the Imperial Fleet would transmit such blatant misinformation. This is another unexplainable event happening in the Karabia Peninsula, and this only increases my worry.

  I decided to reinforce the defenses around the city of Karabia, where the state of alert has been raised to high.

  Reverentially,

  Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia

  Letter 5

  To our Emperor Niklas,

  I am perfectly aware that all communications should now be channeled through our War Minister, but I decided to write directly to Your Majesty. What I have to relate can’t be filtered by someone who is mainly a politician and never left the safety of Otezalp and the Imperial Palace.

  But our Emperor is famous for his victories on the battlefields at the limits of our Empire. Our Emperor is conscious that, far from the quiet peace of our capital, the borders of our Empire are constantly threatened. And most of all, our Emperor has seen things that no public servant could ever understand.

  No matter how far from Keeroonah we might be, the way you fought there is sung in the taverns of Karabia. The stories tell about those wizards coming from the Frozen Lands of Cuatemoc with their mighty wolves. I heard how this enemy was flying over the snow, moving at unnatural speed. But they’ve been defeated, and both the city of Keeroonah and its gold mines have been saved.

  The war you fought against the dwarves in the Karpi mountains is legendary. Those hairy creatures had also gathered unearthly powers, causing death at a distance of almost ten cubits with the fire they were holding in their hands. But the Imperial Army, led by our mighty Emperor, didn’t hesitate to go after them in the caves and tunnels where they were hiding. They’ve been annihilated before they could present a threat to the Empire, and our citizens can keep on living in a peaceful land.

  Your Majesty,

  You saw oddities that our War Minister couldn’t even imagine, and this is the reason why I decided to write directly to you. I couldn’t take the risk of the information I am about to transmit to be considered as pure madness.

  The menace of wizards flying over the snow or dwarves sending fire was nothing compared to what we are now facing in Karabia. Another attack happened in Worldsend. This time, I was there and witnessed everything.

  ***

  Some weeks ago, the son of a wealthy trader named Haxin decided to gather a group of other young brave men. They wanted to head towards the village of Worldsend. Their plan was to go fishing themselves. They believed it was a great opportunity for them to take the monopole of the dried, smoked and salted Karabia fish by controlling both the production and the distribution.

  Haxin organized everything secretly, aware of the restrictions imposed regarding traveling in the Karabia desert. They must have been exceptionally careful, because our intelligence didn’t get a word about their intentions, and our guards didn’t notice them sneaking out of town and through The Marsh. If one of them hadn’t left a letter to his mother explaining their plans, nobody would have ever known where they had disappeared.

  People in the city of Karabia realize there is something going on in Worldsend. The absence of dried, smoked and salted fish is a subject of discussion, and the more than two hundred soldiers who died there had family. Questions start to be asked, and the high state of alert is not calming the spirits. Some days ago, Yuri’s sister had to be put in jail as she was becoming a source of concern in the central market by spreading wild stories about the disappearance of her brother.

  As I said, Haxin’s father is a wealthy and important member of the local bourgeoisie, and he was not happy to learn that his only child had left towards the tip of the Karabia Peninsula in those troubled times. He used all the influence he had to launch a search party, offering a considerable sum of money to those who would go through the desert and bring back his son.

  Before the situation got out of control, I contacted him and decided to join forces. He was to pay for all expenses, and I was to supply one thousand of the best men that could be gathered at short notice. I called warriors from all corners of the Karabia Province.

  We planned everything, leaving nothing to chance. We were to comb the whole desert, from The Marsh until the beach of Worldsend. Not a single piece of the Karabia Peninsula would remain unchecked. He was hoping to find his son, and I was intending to uncover our enemy.

  His wishes were not fulfilled, but mine were above any expectation.

  ***

  We did as planned. One thousand cavalrymen left the city of Karabia and went on the old path past The Marsh, until the desert. We spanned our entire force across the width of the peninsula and started to head South through the endless stretch of sand. Each rider had to remain in sight of his comrades on both sides, to keep pace with the company. The order was to blow a horn at the first notice of a foreign presence.

  Every evening, after sundown, we would gather all on the road and set camp.

  Every morning, before sunrise, we would spread again through the Karabia desert and head South.

  Unless the enemy was moving by night, there was no way he could hide from us.

  ***

  We went slow. The sand is tricky under horses’ hooves, and we didn’t want any accident to happen. Neither did I see any reason to hurry. If the enemy had noticed us advancing, he could only retreat until the beach where Worldsend lies where he would be stuck. By then, it had already been confirmed that the admiral’s report was correct and no warship could come to pick them up from there.

  They couldn’t escape.

  We were sure to find them. A man alone could have tried to hide under a small dune between two of our riders. Had he been fortunate enough, he wouldn’t have been apprehended. Out of sheer luck, this could have happened more than once. Maybe up to ten or fifteen times.

  But the assailants managed to wipe more than two hundred of our soldiers, and I determined their force had to be in great numbers. Some could remain unnoticed, yet at least one of them would be seen and caught. Then we would know. We have the means to get any piece of information we need from a prisoner.

  My confidence didn’t make us reckless, however. Haxin’s father was constantly urging to move faster, yet it was easy to remind him that the best way to bring his child back home was to comb the desert carefully and methodically. I didn’t believe we would find his son, or his unfortunate comrades, but there was no point in telling him so.

  I spent my time wandering among our soldiers, making sure none of them was getting bored with this tedious task and I can testify that their attention didn’t falter.

  It took us ten days to reach the shore. For the last two, the width of the peninsula had shrunk in such manner that our men could spread in two rows, narrowing the gap between the teeth of our comb. On the final day, they were riding side by side and not even a rat could have passed them unnoticed.

  Nevertheless, we made it to the shore without the horn blowing once. Nothing had been seen through the whole desert.

  ***

  We set our base at a good distance from the beach where the village of Worldsend lies.

  As Yuri had reported, everything seemed as if its inhabitants had simply vanished. Some tables and chairs were upturned, the smoking house was wrecked, and a couple of doors had been shattered, but otherwise it could have been like men were still living there.

  But they were not, and the place had a ghastly atmosphere. A village that has been ransacked looks desolate, a hamlet that has been burnt to the ground gives a sad feeling of useless destruction… Worldsend was different.

  In a way, it was more dead than any city whose population has been exterminated to the last soul. There was nothing alive in the whole area. Naught. No sneaky dog managed to escape before the attack. No stealthy cat survived, hidden in a dark and remote corner of its house. Not even gulls, or any other bird for the matter. We didn’t see any of those mice that normally thrive in the region. Damn, there was not even a singl
e sand scorpion in the desert surrounding the bay!

  The place was death. But not a quiet and peaceful one.

  Horses were agitated, neighing and snorting all the time. Our men were nervous, though at that time I put it on the tiredness of a long and fruitless ride through the peninsula. Neither did I feel good. I didn’t like the area and the constant nagging of Haxin’s father was not helping. He wanted to comb the desert again, but also the bay. He simply couldn’t accept that his son had disappeared as well.

  I thought it was the stress and the frustration of the unsuccessful search that caused my weariness and I didn’t give it much importance. I followed my instinct nevertheless and decided that we shouldn’t spend the night in the doomed village.

  We set camp maybe two furlongs from the shore. This is the only reason why some of us are still alive.

  ***

  Time has come to report what happened with as many details as possible. However, I don’t know how to describe the events without my words sounding like the incoherent hogwash of someone who’s trying to hide the truth, wishing to protect himself from a well-deserved punishment. It is not.

  The following account is nothing but true, and portrayed as accurately as necessary.

  This is the exact report of that terrible night at the tip of the Karabia Peninsula, where the Great Ocean meets the Valkyan Sea. One hundred and twenty-eight riders of the Imperial Cavalry based in the city Karabia—the only survivors of a one-thousand-man force sent to comb the desert—can testify about it.

  ***

  The night was young and most of the men were wide awake, some of them still eating. The moon was almost full, and its light allowed to observe perfectly well. It was not dark. Even if it was night, visibility was good.

  I could see the camp.

  I could see the soldiers chatting.

  I could see the horses resting.

  I could see the waves dying on the sand.

  And I could see the stones in the bay.

  Those rock formations described by the Imperial Marine are real. I witnessed their existence myself and I confirm that no warship or fishing boat can navigate through and make it to the beach in one piece. All the maps ever drawn of the area are wrong, and the report stating that no enemy can attack the Karabia Peninsula from the ocean is true.

  At least, this is what I was thinking at that moment.

  The heat of the day was dissolving and the cool air blowing from the water started to develop into a mist on the bay. The massive rock structures protruding from the sea, cloaked by the forming fog, were a hypnotizing view. Under the moonlight, I began to imagine shapes there, appearing and vanishing before I could recognize anything.

  Suddenly, a man started to scream in the camp. I ran towards the sound, and found a group of soldiers surrounding one of them, who was lying on the ground. He was sweating, and had a look of terror on his face.

  “What happened?”, I asked.

  “Nothing, Bailiff. Kujo had a nightmare, that’s all. We’re all tired,” answered one of the riders. I was under stress and I guess my tone had been harsh. They were afraid I would castigate the so-called Kujo for shouting in such a way without a good reason.

  Under normal circumstances, I would have. Every man has his own fears, even the bravest warrior, and they always come by night. Nonetheless, a member of the Imperial Army is not supposed to allow them to take control. Screaming in the face of danger is a very usual reaction, but one that shouldn’t be encouraged.

  However, those were not normal circumstances. I already grasped it by then. I had no intention to blame him for having a nightmare. I simply needed to understand what scared him so much.

  “Kujo, why did you shriek like that? What was your dream about?”

  “Bailiff Kahid… I don’t really know, I can’t remember exactly—‘

  “Do not waste my precious time, soldier. You will not be punished for a nightmare, but if you saw anything specific, I have to be informed.’

  I watched him hesitating for a while, before articulating in the unexpected shy voice of a scared child.

  “Demons, Bailiff. I saw demons arriving from the sea. Coming for us.”

  Nobody made fun of him. Neither of his tone, neither of his word. Maybe some of the men would have, given the time to process. But they didn’t have the opportunity.

  The enemy was already upon us.

  ***

  From this point, my account becomes confused, I am aware of it. But such was the situation.

  Some men were yelling and running in all directions. Others were looking haggard, not understanding what was happening. To my shame, I have to admit that I must have been one of them for some time. Many soldiers reacted promptly, though. They unsheathed their swords, ready for combat.

  But there was no one to fight. We couldn’t see any invading army.

  There was no doubt we were being attacked, however. Men were dying everywhere, their head ripped from their body, their members shredded, their organs spilled. It was a bloodshed, but nobody was committing it. As crazy as it sounds, nobody was thrusting a mace on or soldiers’ helmets, nobody was slashing their intestines with a sword, nobody was tearing them apart.

  This was happening right in front of our eyes, but there was no visible reason for this massacre.

  Panic was running through our troops, and they can’t be blamed for it. They would face any opponent with courage, but there was no one to battle with. There was only death spreading among us in a terribly quick and gruesome manner.

  I remembered my priorities. I didn’t forget my mission and my duty towards the Empire, even in the middle of this disaster. I was to spot the enemy, assess its nature, and return immediately to Karabia to report.

  But there was no adversary to be seen, no identity to confirm.

  I unsheathed my sword and waited for the assailant to appear in front of me, hoping I could see it before it got me.

  ***

  God was with me on that hellish night.

  I was standing close to a tent, looking at the shore, where the invader had obviously come from. My eyes were only focused on what was in front of me. I was hoping I would finally catch a glimpse of them and be able to fulfill my mission.

  I would be dead now, if the enemy hadn’t approached through the shelter.

  I heard it crash on my right and reflexively turned to face it. I watched it flying towards me at great speed and I acted instinctively. I stabbed the fabric with my sword and, to my stupefaction, it stopped and fell to the ground. It was not moving anymore.

  I was sure an enemy was hidden under the thick material of the destroyed tent; I could see the shape of its dead body. Knowing that the opponent was real and could be killed with a blade was reassuring; a bit of normality in the midst of this madness. But I didn’t like the contour I could distinguish.

  It was too big. Too wide. Too long.

  The only thing that came to my mind at that moment was a horse. I thought that I would discover the body of a gigantic steed lying there on the beach, but I was wrong.

  What I saw when I withdrew the gray fabric of the shelter hiding the shape that was attacking me some seconds before was so unexpected that I needed some time to process. I believed my senses were misguided. I covered again the fallen enemy with the tent, and could distinguish its exceptionally long and thick contour. There was no mistaking that the corpse of an unidentified invader was under the textile. I removed it once more, to be sure of what I had observed.

  I got the confirmation I needed. My senses hadn’t been deceiving me.

  There was nothing under the gray fabric. Nothing to be seen, at least.

  ***

  I left the beach immediately, heading towards the desert. I saw some soldiers doing the same, but I didn’t stop, didn’t turn around, and rode all night. Only when the morning came did I change direction to reach the path. There I met two of our combatants. They confirmed my discoveries.

  More cavalrymen joined, all
with an identical tale. All told a similar story and corroborated my incredible observations.

  By the end of the day, one hundred and twenty-eight warriors had gathered on the road. The only survivors of that awful night in Worldsend. We started towards Karabia before sunset, and we rode in the darkness. The men wished to put as much distance as possible with that doomed beach. I wanted to come back to Karabia and inform you without losing more time.

  ***

  I, Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia, have spotted the enemy and assessed its identity.

  I, Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia, must warn the Empire is under attack by invisible demons, coming from the waters at the tip of the Karabia Peninsula, where the Valkyan Sea meets the Great Ocean.

  I, Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia, await orders from the Imperial palace concerning this matter.

  Reverentially,

  Kahid, Bailiff of Karabia

  Letter 6

  To Bailiff Kahid of Karabia,

  Your stirring letter has been triggering a lot of discussion in the Imperial Palace. This is the opinion of many counselors in the court that you lost your mind and should be replaced. The possibility of the Empire being under attack by invisible demons is simply ludicrous. Even our High Priest—who doesn’t negate the threat caused by such awful devilish beings—can’t conceive why they would be targeting the Karabia Peninsula. It is nothing but a stretch of desert, and greedy evil would have no interest in such a desolate place.

  The Imperial Palace does not believe in demons.

  The Imperial Palace does not believe in invisible enemies.

  However, the Emperor believes in the unexplained disappearance of more than one thousand five hundred citizens. The Bailiff of Karabia may have lost his grip on reality, but this is unlikely that a hundred of Imperial Cavalrymen simply imagined their brothers in arms being slaughtered.

  Furthermore, merchants and gourmets alike are making increasingly worrying comments about the difficulties to find dried, smoked and salted Karabia fish. This is a very appreciated delicacy, and its shortage might become a cause of unrest among the aristocracy, as they like their comfort.