Ramwick, Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – The Order of Blood

Karz hid, silently, behind the hedgerow. He peered through some bramble, careful not to cut himself and trained his eyes upwards, across the green knoll and to the Tower of Traitors. It was a cone shaped structure, no larger than a house, silvered against the moonlight and black against sunlight. It had no doors or windows, hardly a comfortable place for the Traitors that were inside. Of course, Karz knew like everyone else that the dwarf Tower itself was not the prison, it was the caverns underneath that held the Traitors.

The bramble was of little protection, anyone as nimble as Karz could easily climb through it, run up the knoll and get to the tower. How to open it was the real mystery. Modern culture dared not approach the Tower of Traitors; they lived in fear of the building and the Traitors inside. Karz was no exception, he knew little of who the Traitors were or why they were imprisoned there but an old stigma kept him from climbing through that bramble and approaching.

“Can you see anything?”

A voice from behind Karz spoke, Ramwick of Esserram. Karz almost forgot that his friend and master was there beside him.

“Just the tower, like it always is,” Karz said, not daring to look away from it. “We should go.” But they didn’t. Karz and Ramwick stayed, Ramwick making his own clearing in the hedgerow to watch the conical tower.

“I’ll be in there tomorrow night,” Ramwick gulped.

Karz put his head down, looking into the grass expecting to find answers. “You brought it on yourself, you’ll be better in there – you aren’t well! Perhaps if you simply forget that you are a Traitor, maybe this is all a craze?”

“We both know it isn’t Karz.”

Karz forced himself to look at Ramwick, his young friend. They were both in boyhood but tomorrow his friend was due to marry, marry a female of great beauty. On the night of the marriage great things could happen, Ramwick could get a power, the power of Esserram: the power of fire. But that would never happen; the wedding service would go horribly wrong. Ramwick was a Traitor.

“I still don’t understand. How can you be a Traitor? Only evil people are Traitors.”

Pause.

“You are younger than I, Karz, and less important. The House children get taught about many things. I am a Traitor, but I do not think I am evil.”

“But you must be—“

“—Have I ever harmed you?”

Karz thought for a moment, “No.” He bowed his head shamefully. Ramwick continued, stirred.

“Have I ever stole or killed?”

“No.”

“Then I am not an evil Traitor.”

Karz said nothing and looked back at the sinister cone, a spire on the devil’s pitchfork. He briefly wondered what happened in the Tower of Traitors, then shivered in fear for his friend.

“They will still send you away.”

“I know, the girl my guardians have chosen is pretty. Maybe you would do better with her.”

Karz’ eyes shifted, he couldn’t imagine that he would ever marry. However he knew that one day his own guardians would bring him a girl and they too would marry. He bit his fingers.

“What If I am a Traitor as well? What exactly is a Traitor?”

Ramwick lent a little closer and Karz felt at ease. Ramwick’s eyes opened and Karz also found himself moving forward, quivering with fear and excitement. A whirring sound cut through the moment and both boys returned to their holes in the hedgerow.

A woman, clothed in simple scarlet robes, appeared a little away from the tower. Flaxen hair came down to her waist and a dagger lay through a ribbon belt. Another woman, similar in garb appeared next to her. The second one was older and had a touch of silver in her garments. Ramwick and Karz took one look at their dresses to know they were from The Order of Blood.

“Sister…sister…It has escaped,” said the older woman, out of breath. The younger woman became ugly and slapped the older one.

“Fools of the fort. Can you and your heathens be trusted with anything?”

Karz opened the gap slightly, but both sisters looked at the space. Quickly, he bent down, hoping they hadn’t heard him.

“Ignore it, it will be a song-bird of sort!”

“Sister, please forgive me. It tricked us all, It tricked us and broke out of its chains, it killed…” she broke into a wail, knelt down and taking her dagger. “I should kill myself for the Order, I have failed everything.”

Her sobbing was met with another slap which sent her to the ground. “You have caused much distress; the higher echelons of the Order will kill both of us for your incompetence. How am I to report this catastrophe? The greatest order of the world will be in ruins.”

Karz leant closer to Ramwick, he feared the younger and simpler dressed woman. She was shrieking banshee-like. Her horrible voice carried through the air, ruining her beauty.

“Sister, please may I suggest – what if we stop It from doing anything? What if we cull the Traitors?”

The sister sneered coldly and took her by the throat. “Cull? Maybe then we should cull all the women, and then all the children above the age of five. Don’t be ridiculous, the Sires of the order would never agree to a cull!”

Karz backed away, Ramwick was in danger. If the sires did agree to the cull, Ramwick was in danger. He felt again for his friend to find he had moved further away and was no longer looking at the two women, he too was trembling, but stupidly trying to hide it. Karz ignored him and continued to watch.

“Maybe the Sires of the order need culling as well...” the older sister stood now, more imposing and stronger.

“How dare you Sister – you are in no position to be reshuffling the Sires.”

“I am more senior than you! Do you see this silver?” She ripped some silver ribbon from her clothes and threw it onto the ground, spitting on it afterwards. “I’ll say it again – the Order is in shambles.”

“Sister, I beg you not to be a heretic. They will kill you. We should sit down and discuss your failure together.”

A great wind blew over the hill and shook the hedgerow. All went dark, Karz looked up to see two more women, flying angelically, carrying a box between them. Gold flickered in the moonlight.

“I should not be blamed for a monster’s tricks! I should not—“ she broke off, the two new women had landed and the box was opened.

The golden ladies seized the older sister and forced her, screaming, into the box. They slammed the door and uttered a strange tongue. The box was locked tight with magic.

The younger woman clawed against the box. “Please let her go, she was tricked. She is my sister, please.”

Then the golden ladies spoke in unison. “The Sires of the Order of Blood know that It has escaped. We are to arrest all involved immediately.” The young woman fell silent at the semi-threat.

“Take her,” she said, turning to cry. “I wash my hands of my sister, the one who fell into the trap of the monster. She is stupid. I shall now go and repent.”

All parties disappeared, leaving Ramwick and Karz in silent thought. Ramwick was a Traitor, if what the old woman said was carried through he could die. Karz cried but was soon pushed over by Ramwick.

“This isn’t the time for crying. I need support, not cry-babies. I may be dead tomorrow after the wedding.”

“You won’t be Ramwick, the younger woman said the Sires won’t allow it.”

Ramwick didn’t seem convinced; he stood up and dragged Karz up with him. “You asked me a question earlier. You asked me what a Traitor is.”

Ramwick stroked Karz cheek. For several moments he felt that it was strange, that he shouldn’t allow it and should run away. But then it felt nice, soft and cool. Somehow it felt right. He bit his lower lip in ambivalence, should he run or stay. Before he could decide Ramwick, his friend, a boy, kissed him sharply on the lips. Karz pushed him away.

“No, no, you can’t be one of them!”

“Traitors are like me, we do not desire women Karz. And you are like me. You are a Traitor.”

“I'm not!” Karz was lying to himself, he had enjoyed that kiss, he had enjoyed his friend’s touch. All the while he had other thoughts though, the order women – they could cull all Traitors tomorrow, they would smell him out, they would know he was not loyal. Karz was scared for both of them.

“I can feel it in you, you enjoyed that,” Ramwick said, coming closer. Karz didn’t back away.

“I want my House powers, I love women, I have to love women.”

Ramwick ignored him and took some bramble, pushing a thorn into his wrist and getting some blood. He then used the same thorn to take blood from Karz. Ramwick held the bramble tightly, allowing all the thorns to penetrate his flesh and allow the fluid to run all over his hands.

“No matter what I am a prisoner,” screamed Ramwick, “If they don’t cull, tomorrows wedding will result in my imprisonment. I am even a prisoner in love. I’ve loved you for a time now Karz, and now you are in denial. Go from here, they will kill you in time. The order women are frightened – somehow this monster’s escape and us, Traitors are linked. This can only mean doom.”

Ramwick took Karz into another kiss, both did not resist. Ramwick spread the blood through his hair and all over his skin. They broke apart, blood covered and returned to their homes.