Chapter 41 - Bleeding Mountains

Hans

The Black Islands - Kassarath

Reuben was his name. And he was an assassin.

Hans saw him in his dreams every night. All dressed in black and concealed beneath the midnight darkness. His sharp knife slaughtering his targets with swift effortless swipes. His hissing blade slashing through flesh and bones. Bodies of his victims ripped open, filling the air with the stench of blood and death.

But also every night he saw him fail. Discovered and chased. Guards flying after him as he flapped his white wings through the night, the red moonlight marking his position.

And he saw him die.

Reuben the Killer, I curse thee with the eternal sleep of terror.

The hiss of an ancient curse. The dreadful words drilling through his ears and sweeping over his whole body, sending him aflame with a tremendous amount of pain and terror.

Hans's most dreadful nightmare. Every night, he was trapped inside a monstrous gargoyle, his heart pounding hard against his chest while horror consumed his soul. He was completely aware that he was dreaming, but no matter how hard he struggled, he could never wake up. No matter how much he writhed, his body would never move. No matter how loud he screamed, his voice remained trapped within his throat.

Hans... Hans...

A gentle voice called him through the dark. It was Riki. Hans knew it was Riki. He could clearly hear him. He could even see him. But he still could not wake up. Riki shook him lightly. Hans could feel Riki's hand. But he still could not wake up. He struggled to scream louder, pleading for Riki to save him. But only the faintest hint of a squeak escaped his throat. Riki shook him harder. Harder. And harder.

Hans suddenly snapped as he woke up with a sharp gasp. He quickly sat up in bed, his heart still racing. He panted heavily as he held his hands to his chest, while Riki gently stroked his arm.

"The same nightmare again?" Riki asked as Hans still caught his breath. Hans could only nod in silence, and Riki turned around to light a candle on the bedside table. "It's alright," Riki smoothed Hans's hair, "it's just a dream."

Hans nodded again, although he knew very well it was not just a dream. It was real. Very real. Reuben was real. Hans knew him. He knew him very well. Only he didn't remember when and how they had met.

Hans held his head between both hands and closed his eyes. Reuben the Killer... It was frustrating. Every time his dreams of Reuben stirred those vague memories, something that had happened to him, something that linked him and Reuben together. And every time Hans thought he was finally too close to figure it all out, the vague memories disappeared, as if they never even existed in the first place.

"Are you going to sleep again?" Riki asked. "It's almost dawn anyway."

Hans looked towards the opened window where the white chiffon curtains danced lightly with the soft predawn breeze, and he found that indeed a faint purple hue stained the horizon, announcing the approach of sunrise. Without a word, Hans lay back down in bed and closed his eyes, grateful for Riki's gentle arms that closed around him.

***

Late morning sunlight poured in through the high glass windows, filling the great hall. King Serenus sat comfortably on his tall obsidian throne, shining in his favorite scarlet robes. Hans lay meekly in his lap, soft blonde waves framing his lowered head, while Riki knelt by the King's feet on the floor, his long ebony hair complimenting his pale skin and his sky blue robes.

With a satisfied smirk on his face, King Serenus stroked Hans's thigh, his thin long hands sliding up and down beneath his white silk robes.

"What is it this time?" Serenus asked as a guard walked in announcing they had received a new message from Vilfred. Without a word Serenus's prime advisor, Ervin, took the message from the guard and started reading it aloud. Only to be interrupted by a loud unpleasant laugh from Serenus.

"I can't believe he's still whining about that!" Serenus chuckled, while he still stroked Hans's thigh.

"Well, Your Grace, he still believes that our mercenaries betrayed him by abandoning the battle," Ervin said.

"And what did he expect?" Serenus scoffed. "The agreement was clear. I gave him mercenaries to fight for him, not die for him. He can't blame my men for fleeing an already lost war."

"Of course, Your Grace," Ervin agreed. "However, he is expecting you to send more mercenaries, to compensate for the loss of – "

"Nonsense!" Serenus growled, his face suddenly darkening, and his hand tightened unto Hans's thigh, squeezing him painfully. Hans only held his breath, doing all he could not to wince or squirm. "He has no right to expect anything of me," Serenus continued, his voice dark, and his black eyes scowling. "He gave me gold for my men's services, and I gave him all the numbers he needed. The outcome of his battle is not my concern. I owe him absolutely nothing!"

Hans couldn't hold himself anymore, and a little whimper escaped him as Serenus's fingernails dug into his thigh.

"Oh, did I hurt you my little bird?" Serenus pouted as his attention was drawn to Hans, his voice softening at once. He gently drew open the lower half of Hans's white robes, revealing the full length of his slender leg. "Forgive me my love, I got a little carried away. Your brother's fault after all. Having the audacity to blame us for his failure," Serenus said in a soft soothing voice while he smoothed his fingers over the red marks on Hans's thigh.

Hans shuddered and his heart stared racing. It was not a good sign when Serenus acted so gentle and caring, because it only meant that he was planning on taking him to bed right after that. And Serenus in bed was everything but gentle and caring.

"How would you like me to respond to Lord Vilfred, Your Grace?" Ervin asked.

"Just tell him to shut the fuck up and not bother me again," Serenus scoffed while he still caressed Hans's leg.

"Of course, Your Grace," Ervin frowned. "But..."

"What? Do you have any objections?" Serenus's eyes darkened.

"Not at all, Your Grace. I am only concerned this would affect our good relation with the North, especially with the open sea treaty we have –"

"Fuck the treaty. They have no power to threaten us anymore. Can't you see how weak they've grown?"

"True, Your Grace," Ervin said, but Serenus paid him no more attention and he turned to Riki who was still kneeling obediently on the floor.

"Riki love, will you take Hans to my bedchamber and get him prepared?" Serenus asked as he tugged at the leather collar around Hans's neck, urging him to stand up. The next moment, Riki rose to his feet and bowed before Serenus, before he took Hans's hand and led him away.

Once they reached Serenus's chamber, Hans went straight to the large terrace overlooking the East and took in a deep breath, savoring a few moments of peace. The sun was already high in the cloudless sky, announcing the approach of noon. The whole Eastern Kingdom stretched before him, shimmering and glowing in all sorts of color and sparkle, while the great Black Mountains stood along the horizon, like a massive black wall extending from the Southernmost point of the Kingdom all the way to the Northern Sea. A light breeze teased his face and tousled his hair, and he closed his eyes as he inhaled the cool spring air.

"Come on Hans, King Serenus will be here shortly," Riki said. Hans lowered his head in silence, and he clenched his fists to still his trembling. Did Serenus really need to fuck him in the middle of the day?

Fleeting memories from his torturous sex with Serenus last night flashed within his mind, and he shook terribly. Very terribly. To the extent that he felt as if the castle itself was shaking. His body swayed and his knees faltered. Riki gasped sharply, and before Hans knew what was happening, Riki had pulled him away from the terrace wall, and they both fell onto the floor.

Stones rumbled and groaned, while both Hans and Riki shook terribly as they held onto the ground. And then Hans realized that indeed the castle itself was shaking. Hans's heart pounded hard, and he looked up in horror at Riki.

"Don't be afraid. It's just the earth shaking," Riki said, and Hans only panicked further. Just the earth shaking? What did that fucking mean? Hans whimpered and closed his eyes shut. "Don't worry Hans, this is a quite common thing in here."

But how could he not worry? Hans had never experienced anything like this before. The earth never shook in Nordenvania. And he suddenly recalled all the horror stories he had heard about the demons possessing the Eastern lands and the bleeding mountains swallowing up the Black Islands.

"There, it's over," Riki said, but Hans could still feel his body shaking as Riki helped him up. Once back on their feet, they both walked warily towards the terrace wall, and Hans noticed how it had suddenly grown darker where heavy grey clouds now shielded the skies. Thunder roared in the distance, and large flocks of birds flew towards the West, as if escaping a dangerous storm.

"Oh no, this is not good," Riki said as he looked towards the East, this time his voice filled with deep concern.

Hans frowned as he followed Riki's eyes, and his mouth hung open as he realized that what shielded the skies were not heavy clouds. Far in the horizon, the mighty Black Mountains breathed out ash and smoke, blanketing the whole eastern Kingdom in darkness. What was going on?

Another roar of thunder rumbled in the distance, the sounds coming from the mountains. And before Hans could understand what was happening, a massive blast broke through the highest peak, spewing out rock and earth. The whole castle shook again and Riki quickly pulled Hans into his arms. An outburst of heavy smoke erupted into the skies, and thick streams of a glowing red liquid started flowing down the black mountains.

Riki knelt to the floor at once, whispering frantic prayers to the Eastern Gods, while Hans continued to stare towards the East, his eyes widened in awe at the sight of the bleeding mountains.

And he realized with horror that these were not mere stories and myths. The bleeding mountains were real.

The ground shook beneath them as the mountains continued to breathe out smoke and fire. Distant cries and shouts reached them from beyond the castle walls as chaos broke through the city, and Hans could see that people were fleeing in different directions.

"My boys," King Serenus rushed into the chamber, an unusual look of concern on his face. Both boys turned around and hurried towards him, their eyes filled with horror. Another explosion broke, and the mountains hissed and groaned, spewing out more smoke and pouring down more boiling flames.

"Do not fear my birds," Serenus said as he wrapped an arm each around the cowering boys. "The mountain blood wouldn't reach the castle anytime soon. And by the time it does, we will be gone from here."

"But where will go?" Riki asked in a shaking voice, while Hans only held on to Serenus, for the first time needing the protection of his embrace.

"We will go somewhere safe," Serenus said as he looked up towards the East, his eyes darkening with resent. "We will go somewhere where mountains don't bleed."

************

Hans is back, and we got a little more insight on his mysterious dreams. Can you guess what these dreams could mean?

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