Chapter 55 – Feeding Vengeance

Harm strode down the hallway and back down the stairs to the ground floor. Luubu was standing in front of the men and women who were now bound and gagged in the large dining area. The room would have easily hosted sixteen, but now looked like a tornado had torn through it; the candlesticks and holders lay twisted on the floor. The drapes were torn from their poles, and the glass from the shattered windows covered the blood-soaked floor. 

The still forms of three goblins lay among the dead. Harm walked to the large iron bar that secured the door from the inside and lifted it, throwing it to the floor before he flung the double doors open. He walked outside, where more goblins were gathering in a small group. 

"We're going to the gates," Harm said as he continued down the path. The night was no longer at its peak, and the dark skies were attempting to lighten. "Bring them all," Harm ordered. The goblins moved as one as they entered the house, and as Harm walked the long leafy driveway to the entrance, he heard the jabbering and crunching of feet on the gravel as they were brought behind him.

At the front gates, eleven of the clan had remained, and seeing Harm walking out, Teras called over.

"Is it done?" 

"It will be." Harm looked around at the quiet streets. He noticed the drapes twitch, and a face hurriedly pulled out of sight as they spotted him. It was the same expression he had witnessed on many of the town members' faces when Satil's guards had patrolled the market square. The balance of fear had now shifted. He knew many in the town were weak-minded, following Satil like a flock of sheep doing his bidding, but he couldn't blame them; they had known no better. Harm wished he had stood up to Satil before, but he had also followed the pack, apart from his one run-in with Satil's boy.

It sickened him now to think how he had allowed his own life and that of his family and friends to be torn apart so easily through the man's manipulations and lies.

Satil's area was too quiet and out of the way; few buildings looked out on his estate, and Harm wasn't going to waste the opportunity to make an example of him. He had been thinking about what he should do once he reached him. Initially, Harm was going to cut the man and his twisted followers down, but he knew that Satil and his men had caused as much hardship to the town, maybe not including the deaths of family members, as to him. The taxes he charged and the coin he made to fund his attempt at taking Hillnot must have been unbelievable. After visiting Hillnot, Harm now knew that Satil never would have stood a chance, not even with a small army. The level of opulence the man and his family lived in was sickening, considering the average family in the town, whose homes were in disrepair and meals were provided only when they could afford them.

Satil and his wife staggered down the path towards the gate, the man still attempting to look regal even in his dishevelled and fouled state. Harm couldn't keep the sneer off his face. Florence itched in his grip for payment in blood as he twisted her in his hand.

"What are we doing with them?" Dafu asked.

Harm looked down the street. "We take them to the market square."

The street was silent ahead of Harm as he marched towards the square. The Market Square wasn't really a square, but rather an open space where traders would set up stalls. The gaggle of blood-soaked, snarling goblins, prodding their captives forward on the other hand, was a sight to witness. Guards who had previously walked the town's streets with an air of authority, making residents despise and fear them, were now staggering and groaning under their bindings or injuries that some had sustained.

Luubu, can you sort out our fallen? Harm asked.

Sure, her immediate response to his request was to see her stop a group of goblins following the macabre procession as she sent them hurrying to where any had fallen.

In the centre of the Market Square was a raised platform that Satil or the council members used to announce changes in the town. A bell hung on a pole, gently chiming in the early morning breeze. Today, the platform would be his reckoning. Harm wasn't going to just kill him; his decision was made, and he would wait until first light and speak to the town. He knew many wouldn't even leave their homes with the goblins present, so he told Dafu to send all but a small force watching over the guards out of the town. They could stay close enough so that if anything happened, they could immediately return.

Satil and Vera were moved onto the platform, while the remaining eight guards were forced to the ground at its base. Harm stood silently between the husband and wife, who had brought him the misery that they had as the time slowly ticked by.

A wagon and horses were led through the market square back towards the exit that led to Kartoon. Luubu led the horses, with the bodies of their slain members resting in the back. Goblins didn't bury their kind; instead, they burned them, and she would build a pyre. Harm thanked her as she passed.

Dafu stood next to Harm on the platform, his small frame with his blood-covered armour and face, never mind his half ear, made him look a much mightier foe than he actually was, not that Harm questioned his friend's strength or loyalty for a split second. This goblin, who had captured him in the foothills, had become his closest confidant apart from Pardew; he was the only other who knew his secrets and exactly what he had suffered.

The first rays of light crept over the town's rooftops, casting long shadows as they fought against the silent streets. Not a cloud could be seen in the sky this morning, a rarity for Sallew. Harm stepped to the side of the platform as he spotted drapes twitching in buildings. He reached for the bell and rang it relentlessly.

After several minutes, he stopped and spoke.

"People of Sallew!" he began, his voice not a shout but clear and sharp, cutting through the veiled silence. "Many of you know me and have known me for a long time," Harm lifted his great helm from his head, revealing his face.

"I was your neighbour, friend, and my family was loved in this town by many. I know you watch from your shrouded windows. Kalton, I spent many a day at your butcher's chatting after selling Dahlia's game from her hunts. Hasquith, your son regularly hung out with Marius when in town, and I can't forget Jill and Vic, who were dear friends and took both Yonda and Marius in for several nights, offering us respite during our hardship.

Today, you see me standing in front of you, covered in blood and not as I once looked. Too many, I will now appear as a stranger, a demon that you don't recognise.

I ask that you look closer, beneath the armour and mask I now wear, at the man you once knew so well and whose family you loved.

See today who stands free and who stands bound.

Many won't know the lengths this excuse of a man went to, to fund a war he could never win. I know you would have seen mercenaries pass through the town recently, but why, you may ask?

To take Hillnot, to remove the dwarves from their home, they have lived in for centuries, before our town even existed. Why, you may ask? Greed. Greed is the only answer. I would ask that those who have never seen the luxury that Satil lived in go and visit his estate, which now lies open. Look at his furnishings and trappings he kept, while stripping the town's coffers and bleeding you, hard-working members, dry.

I may not have grown up on these streets like many of you have, but I have come to love this town more than any other since I moved here after taking Dahlia's hand. I hung up my sword, never expecting that Florence would be required ever to shed the amount of blood again she has on this day, especially that of my fellow man. But this was not the case.

You see goblins here, green-skins as many call them, who stood with me on this day. They are not here to harm or to hurt any member; they are here to support you all against these men and women who now sit humbled at our feet. They will not be staying in the town and will leave once our business is done. Only with an invitation will they return. I have lived with them since I escaped the murderous torture of Dasir. They are my kin now. They fought and bled with me to help remove this tyrant and allow Sallew to return to the town of Hope I once knew.

This man, sitting on this platform in his stained clothes, will today face the price for his actions. The murder of my family, the murder of Sister Carol and the murder of our dear town druid Wes. They died at this man's bidding, all because they helped me in my hour of need, pulling me from the life of despair I had entered. 

This, though, is not just justice for me, but for you all. We share this victory today and this retaliation against the twisted nature of this pitiful being. I'm not even sure I can call him a man anymore.

For too many years now, you have remained silent, suffering his reign, hidden behind doors in whispers, afraid to speak your minds. But no more.

Come see, come join me and witness the fate of the being who controlled your lives, added to your misery and restricted you all, tightening his grip on you to feed his greed alone.

This is your time, not mine alone. Reclaim your town, free of the tyranny and darkness. You are no longer his to command. No longer do you need to feel afraid.

Join me now, claim your futures."

As Harm stopped speaking, silence again filled the streets; not a sound could be heard. The silent awe of the profound speech was far more deafening than anything else. Harm wasn't sure where the words had come from, but everyone had been honest, baring his soul for all to see.

Several minutes passed before the first sign of movement was noticed. A single figure appeared; she walked with a hunch, her body aged, yet known by all in the town. It was Martha, the town's mage, who burned the rubbish pits and outhouses of the homes of Sallew. She supported every family in the town through her actions.

Satil had remained silent as Harm spoke, his head down, and Vera had sobbed quietly at his side, but Harm felt no shame, no sympathy. She had watched him do what he had, and a stronger woman would have stood up to him, as Dahlia would always stand up to him when she disagreed. Her silent acceptance spoke more than a thousand words could ever convey.

"Harm," Martha said as she approached. She showed no fear or caution of the few remaining goblins who stood watching over the captives. "I, for one, will stand by you and watch this arsehole's demise. He has brought me misery over recent times, with his malicious taxes."

Harm nodded towards her respectfully, as two more appeared. Slowly, more of the townspeople started to emerge onto the streets. Whispers behind cupped hands, none others come as close as Martha had, remaining at a distance from the goblins, from Harm, but close enough to see the bloodshot whites of Satil's eyes.

Satil's head lifted; his bruised jaw looked like a red beacon in the early morning light. His eyes flitted over those appearing. He didn't speak; he had nothing he could say. He knew his fate had been chosen when he had started his failed actions.

As the crowd grew, the voices of those in attendance rose, fearful yet excited. 

Harm waited patiently for several minutes; those who stood before them weren't fighters or a threat to him. He knew he could have slain them all if he had wished. The thought of it made him giddy for a moment before the feeling passed. He looked over the gathered before he spoke again, his eyes meeting with many whom he knew, even if not personally. Their faces edged with uncertainty.

"Thank you," Harm said, and as he spoke, those gathered were silenced. "This being on his knees will not suffer a quick death as those before him have. He will suffer and endure the pain that my family went through. I just wish it would be as long-suffering as theirs, a purer poison, allowed to fester, not the malicious feed he tainted that was fed to my herd, the milk of which poisoned and killed my family. I'm just grateful no others suffered the same harrowing fate as my own."

Satil's eyes opened in panic at those words, as he started spluttering incoherent words above the once again murmuring crowd.

"Dafu did they get what I asked for?" Harm asked his friend.

Dafu spoke to two of the goblins, who lifted a sack onto the platform. The sack was half rotten, so they had wrapped it to bring it. It had been on the way to the town as they had neared his old farmstead that Harm had decided that he would feed the exact grain to Satil that had caused the herd's milk to become poisonous.

The grain had been attacked by rodents, leaving clear holes in the original sack where they had burrowed through. With a sense of pleasure, Harm bent and scooped the grain into his fingers. The putrid wet smell was fetid and pungent.

The guards in front of the platform turned their eyes wide in shock as Harm moved to where Satil was kneeling.

"Open your mouth," Harm said, his voice like ice.

Satil's eyes were wide with fear and revulsion as Harm held it before him, his lips tightly closed.

"I said Open your mouth," Harm repeated. "If this feed is not poisoned, then you have nothing to fear. It may make you sick, but it won't kill you. I believe you know exactly what is in it, though."

Satil turned his head away, his lips clenched tight.

Harm grabbed Satil's jaw violently with his free hand. Satil's jaw, which was already badly bruised, gave little resistance as Harm forced his finger and thumb between his teeth, opening his mouth. Several in the crowd gasped as Harm forced the feed into his mouth before pushing his mouth closed, making him swallow the feed. 

He stepped back as Satil gagged and retched as he scooped up more. He repeated the process as tears streamed down Satil's cheeks. 

"This is the final step in seeking vengeance for those you have hurt," Harm hissed. He could feel his eyes blazing with twisted pleasure.

Satil continued to retch, but in the position he was in, he was unable to be sick properly, his body convulsing under the restraints.

Harm turned back to the crowd and the terrified captives before the platform. Vera had begun to wail again until Dafu had struck her across her face.

"All those kneeling before me attacked, and either killed or injured my kin. I held them no ill will until today, but I won't make them suffer what Satil will suffer."

Dafu spoke in goblin to the remaining few that had stayed behind, the four goblins walking up to a man or woman, whoever was the closest to them. They drew their blades, and as the guards started to cry and scream, pleading for their lives, they slit their throats. Their blood soaked the earth before them. They didn't stop until all of them were either dead or bleeding out, the noise of their final sickening gurgles being covered only by several in the crowd who had turned away retching. 

Harm had watched each one of them die, every life winking out of existence, sending pulses of ice through his veins as if their souls were absorbed. It filled him with an electric pleasure, which unnerved the humanity that remained in him. Not that he now believed much remained. He had endured so much suffering; the relative peace that his new form gave him soothed his torture.

He then turned to look at Vera. 

"You were as complicit as your husband, but I will not make you suffer the same. I am not evil; your death will be swift."

Florence reappeared in his hand, and as a scream left Vera's lips, she flashed with her blue-edged blade through her neck. Vera's head fell sideways, her body toppling as her head came to rest, staring its mouth open in a permanent silent scream.

Satil sobbed, his tears and pleas falling unheard.

A member of the town called towards Harm. "Finish the fucker." 

Harm turned to see the face of a man who had nursed him and cared for him in the chapel; it was Jeffer, the tall man, who stood at the rear of the crowd, those around turning to look at him. Jeffer was a quiet man, never outspoken, and his words felt like boulders falling from the sky. On Jeffer's arm, he saw Tanya, Wes's widow. Her face was resolute, stony cold as she stared at Satil. Whatever story Satil had fed her, Harm had now shattered; the truth had been spoken. Harm nodded towards them both, the silent understanding gesture holding more strength than any word ever could.

"Finish him," others cried.

Harm had hoped for a painful death, but torturing the pathetic being, now that he had slain his wife in front of him, no longer had the same appeal.

"Dafu, would you like your revenge?" Harm asked.

Dafu reached up and rubbed his half-ear before stepping forward and grabbing Satil's head. The scream as Dafu sliced his ear off was piercing.

He looked at Harm, holding the appendage up to the side of his head where his half-ear was, and with a twisted smile said, "It's a little small."

Several of the goblins laughed, and Harm tried to hide a smile as he stepped forward. Florence in hand, he pointed her at Satil's chest.

Harm looked down at Satil, at the pathetic, weeping ruin of a man who had once seemed a giant of terror. The icy need to prolong his suffering hardened into something final.

"I will do as asked. I have taken away from you what you stole from me. You have nothing left now. No one will miss you, and you will be forgotten in time," Harm said as he thrust Florence through his chest.

Satil's eyes widened in realisation, as blood appeared in his mouth, his eyes slowly fading as their light left them, and as his head finally fell forward, Harm smiled.

Revenge was at last his. 

As the last breath wheezed from Satil's chest, a familiar voice crept into Harm's mind.

Your journey has only just begun. The gods' laughter was rapturous.

This is the end of Book 1 of the Scrug Wars. Thank you for reading the first instalment of the series. As this is a side project to my main series, it may be some time before I get around to writing the second book, while I continue with Book 6 of The Amatherean Tales.

Your support is appreciated,

Bosloe