Brother...?

  I glance between Edwin and Edric, disbelief flickering across my face. Brothers? The thought had not even crossed my mind, the two men so different in bearing. Around me, the men of Ravencroft stir with equal confusion. But slowly, pieces of the past begin slotting into place. And now, seeing them face to face, the resemblance is undeniable.

  But then why-

  Before the revelation has time to settle, my thoughts stall as I spot the figures flanking Edric. On his left, Ren stands in gleaming half-plate, the golden scimitar at his hip catching what little light seeps through the smoke. On his right, my own towering brother stands, Two hefts a massive claymore in one hand like it weighs nothing, his black plate partially obscured by a dark cloak. Neither look at each other, despite the agreement I arranged between them.

  Edwin snarls, stepping forward. "You are no brother of mine, you filthy brigand rat. You and your rabid dogs die today."

  Lifting his helm, Edric smiles darkly. "We are not brigands, brother. Not any more. We are a warband."

  Ravencroft's mayor blinks, momentarily taken aback. And so his brother continues on.

  "And I, as their warlord, will lead them to conquest over this region, your precious Ravencroft included."

  "HA!" Edwin throws back his head and laugh. "This? This pack of unwashed, untrained swine is your warband? Pathetic. As pathetic as their leader."

  "And yet, here you are. Ravencroft's mayor, come to face us personally."

  Lowering his blade slightly, Edwin growls. "Even if you somehow defeated me, took Ravencroft, took the whole region... the crown would never allow it. Lumenon would purge your faithless hide from this world."

  "Lumenon will do nothing. Haven’t you heard, brother? War is coming to these lands. Lumina’s Dominion has no time, no men to waste on me, or on this frozen backwater. Doubt they have much time left at all."

  Shaking his head, Edwin's gaze drifts to the smoke rising from the south wall. "It’s pointless, Edric. Whatever you think you're doing... it ends in nothing. It will accomplish nothing."

  The brigand's expression darkens, a rare flicker of fury crossing his face. "Coward! You may be content licking the boots of those damned royals, brother... but I am not. Lumenon will fall, I'll see it done myself. That whore of an empress won’t survive the winter. I’ll finish what we started."

  "Surrender, Edric. And I will show some mercy." Edwin stabs his greatsword into the snow before continuing. "Your fort is broken. My forces here outnumber yours two to one. And soon my son will take the south wall, joining us here."

  Edric chuckles, shaking his head. "Clever trick, that fire. Never would've guessed you'd get your hands on something with that kind of power... let alone sully yourself with tools of the arcane. Father would be proud."

  His brother says nothing, only glares, the tension in his jaw sharpening. So he continues on, voice low and venomous. "Unfortunately for you, brother... you're not the only one who's delved into the dark."

  He throws his head back and shouts, voice booming across the yard. "MALDOR!"

  The ground trembles.

  From the snow, hidden tunnels burst open, stone and dirt spilling aside as giant spiders emerge, limbs glistening, eyes like coals, their grotesque shapes skittering into the open.

  There they are...

  Luna and I exchange a grim look, then snap our attention back to the advancing horrors.

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  There are just over two dozen of them, a frightening sight that I can't help but shudder at. We should still hold the advantage in numbers...

  But I'm not sure how much that is worth.

  The peasants recoil in panic, formation shattering as fear takes hold. Despite the warnings we gave, that Edwin told them of, the very sight of the creatures breaks their courage; nearly half teeter on the brink of flight. The urge to flee for the woods almost unbearable... even for me.

  Edwin hisses through clenched teeth, "Dark magic... Brother, how low you've fallen."

  Edric scoffs, voice biting. "And your damnable fire was so different? Just another cursed tool."

  Though aligned with them, even the brigands shrink from the spiders, edging back with visible unease, careful not to get too close. Only the twenty who marched in with Edric remain steady, their nerves unshaken, clearly no strangers to the creatures. Edric draws his greatsword with a flourish, raising it high.

  "WITH ME MY WARBAND! OUR CONQUEST BEGINS HERE!!!!"

  The twenty brigands flanking him shout in unison, their fierce cries rallying the wavering ranks behind them with renewed purpose.

  Edwin answers in kind, yanking his blade from the snow.

  "FOR RAVENCROFT!!!”

  Edwin charges forward, cleaving through one of the spiders. The moment his sword strikes, golden fire erupts from the blade, devouring the creature’s dark flesh with divine fury. Gasps ripple through the peasants behind him.

  They look to each other and then to the rear, seeing Father Alric stalwart behind them, head lowered in prayer.

  "FORWARD!!" Gandre shouts, voice thunderous, slashing through another spider in turn. The sight of the golden fire and their leaders standing firm kindles something in the terrified men, fear giving way to faith. With renewed cries, the peasants rally, shouting desperate prayers to Lumina as they press forward. Trusting in the weapons Father Alric blessed, all of which now shimmer faintly with light.

  My own eyes widen at the brief flashes of golden flame. Is this truly Lumina's blessing? Edwin said it repelled magic, but this…

  Luna yanks me back to the present. “We need to get to Maldor. While his spiders are loose, he’s vulnerable.”

  My eyes flick to her, confused, but they quickly sharpen and I nod.

  "Let's go."

  We plunge into the throng of brigands. The clash is now pure chaos. Gone is the order and discipline Gandre drilled into the militia, his formation training had worked against disorganized cutthroats, but against this? Against supernatural horror and madness? Every man now fights for his life. Fear, faith, and raw instinct are what now all that drive these men forward through the carnage.

  Even Gandre himself can barely spare a breath to shout, locked in a desperate parry as Halric’s longsword slices for his neck. Edwin too is lost in the storm, clashing against Edric blow for blow, their greatswords striking like thunder.

  We press forward, three steps, then comes a blade. I twist aside as it cuts through the air, slipping past a wild swing, before cleaving into the back of its wielder. Luna darts ahead of me, inhumanly fast. A brigand steps into her path, only to drop a moment later, blood erupting from his neck.

  Slipping between the churn of bodies, we race past the chaos, past the shattered lines, aiming for the keep where Maldor surely waits.

  But as we reach the steps, we stop as we look up to find Two standing there at the top, a giant, blocking our path to the doors beyond. My throat tightens at the sight of him. He toys with his claymore like it weighs nothing, spinning it casually. He nods once. "Brother," he says, voice low, but sounding over the battle behind me. "I hope you're ready."

  I force my voice steady. "I am."

  He studies me without moving, eyes unreadable beneath the shadows of his helm.

  Then suddenly comes a flash of gold—faster than lightning—arcing toward the right side of Two's neck from behind. But faster still is Two’s gauntleted hand, snapping up to catch the strike with a deafening crash. Sparks burst from the impact, almost blinding me, but Two's arm.... doesn’t even twitch. He absorbs the full force of the blow without so much as flinching, still staring straight at me.

  Only then does he begin to turn.

  From behind him steps Ren, calm as ever, circling with deliberate grace, scimitar pointed at the huge man.

  "Most impressive," he says, eyes gleaming. "A glorious hunt, this will be."

  Two’s mouth cracks into a wide, savage grin. “Do you think I’m the prey, little hunter?” he rumbles.

  Ren's eyes gleam, pupils sharp pinpricks as he steps forward like a stalking panther.

  Two's claymore rises high, slow and deliberate, pointing to the sky.....

  Then, he lets it fall.

  The blade vanishes in a blur, crashing down faster than I can see. Snow and mud erupt in a violent explosion, the shockwave blasting Luna and me off our feet.

  Another thunderous boom rocks the courtyard, another section of the fort vanishes in an eruption of smoke and stone, as if another Emberglass detonation had struck. The shockwave sends debris cascading, and by the time my vision clears, both Ren and Two are gone.

  Staggering upright, I rasp, "What...? What the hell just happened?"

  Luna doesn’t look back. “Forget it. We have to go. Maldor’s still ahead.”

  The image still scorches the back of my eyes, Two and Ren locking blades...

  But I shove it aside and nod. With Two gone, we sprint up the steps to the keep. I throw the heavy doors wide and inside, the shadows stretch before us.

  Maldor is somewhere within.