Harbinger of Justice

Harbinger of JusticeAndrew Watson Copyright © 2023 Andrew WatsonAll rights reservedThe characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.Cover design by: Felix OrtizEditing by: Sarah ChornMap by: Joshua Hoskins To Mum and DadFor listening to me talk about made up people and places and nodding politely PROLOGUE 5 years ago.The man with the too-dark shadow staggered down the corridor, waiting for the voice in his head to speak again. Kyan was going mad, he was sure of it. He could feel insanity scratching at the walls of his mind.He continued onward, scraping across the sandstone palace walls, ducking as he passed under glaring torches. Voices echoed from further ahead. Kyan turned down the corridor on his right.You should have let me take care of them, Kyan, the voice whispered in his mind. Kyan flinched but otherwise ignored it.He didn’t want it to emerge again.He picked up his pace, mustering himself to a jog. More shouting from behind but he didn’t turn to see if the guards had spotted him. His footsteps cracked on the stone floor, his breath filling the quiet with an uneven whistling. His mind was an incoherent whirl making it impossible to remember if this was the right way out of the palace or not. Kyan slowed at an intersection to gather his bearings when three guards to his right shouted.Probably telling you to stop, the voice said, amused.I really am going insane, Kyan thought. He turned left, sprinting past the flames that lit the palace corridor. The palace was labyrinthine by design so that intruders wouldn’t be able to find what they were after, or the way out. One of the others had a map on entering, but they were dead now, the map discarded somewhere in that Duat-forsaken place. The place through the rend in reality. The place with the ever-storming sky.So Kyan had to escape the palace without the map. Alone. Well, almost alone.A group of guards cut him off as he ran to an intersection, their swords pointed at his chest. Kyan glanced behind but saw more guards so he couldn’t double back.“Stop right there!” one of them called.“Please, just let me pass. I don’t want it to hurt you,” Kyan said.“Get on your knees. You can’t run from us,” the guard said, stepping forward.Kyan dropped to the ground as the three approached from the front and more from behind.“I wasn’t running from you. I was running for you,” Kyan whispered, then his shifting shadow lurched.Kyan closed his eyes. He didn’t want to see it again, but he heard everything. Guttural gurgling and tearing echoed around him. It wasn’t the sound of people fighting. It wasn’t even the sound of people being slaughtered. It was too… instant. They didn’t have a chance to scream or cry out.Soon, only the low rumble of the flames in the braziers could be heard. Kyan thought about keeping his eyes forced shut forever, but eventually, he opened them to see the mess of blood and pieces of bodies all around. Kyan had killed before. Death wasn’t new to him, but the sight turned his stomach. He wasn’t sure how many guards it had killed.There were seven. Four were behind us, the now-satiated sounding voice said.Kyan put a hand on the blood-slickened sandstone, it squelched as he pushed to his feet. Stepping carefully through the… mess, to avoid the larger chunks, Kyan kicked into a half-hearted jog again. He felt sick.How had it come to this?Because they don’t care about us, Kyan. You are a weapon for the Empress, nothing more. She probably didn’t think any of you would return from this mission.“That’s not true.” Kyan panted as he came to an outside pathway. Here, the left-hand wall opened up with a railing and arches framing the glowing city of Yontar against the night sky.Kyan peered over the edge, he must have been a hundred floors up, the wind lashing at him as he leant out. It was a straight drop to the gardens below. Too high to jump.Oh, but it’s true. You know I’m right. Perhaps at one point, the Empress cared, but not anymore, the voice said. It was true she had become colder. She didn’t come to see the Seven anymore. Not even to give orders, instead using Akarai to inform them of their missions.Has she ever commanded you to protect the people? To help the people? No. It was always, attack them, take out this rebel group, fight off these people.“Enough!” Kyan roared, white knuckles tightening around the railing.“There!” a guard shouted.Kyan broke into a sprint. He kept the outer wall on his left as he ran in search for a way to get to the lower levels. The night air was cool with the breeze brushing against him. A guard slid to a halt in front of him from a passage on his right, but Kyan jumped onto the railing before launching himself over the stunned guard. She came to her wits too late and reached for him just as he passed beyond her grasp. Breathing hard, Kyan landed and kept sprinting, noting a set of stairs at the next bend. If he could reach them, he could descend and get out of the palace.The clatter of guards sounded behind him, padding paws and booted feet clashing with the low growl burbling in the throats of the pursuing palace beasts. Kyan had spent too long lost in the corridors of The Thousand Floor Palace. He had half the palaces guards and now the palace beasts on his tail. Even if he made it to the steps, they would be atop of him in no time, but he had to try.He almost