Chapter 511: The Great House of Helene
Two hundred warriors of the Cairn tribe, led by their Dusk King marched into the Villa District. Marek glanced at his warriors standing in the rain. They were covered in blood, some their own, most their enemies’. They had crossed several districts and fought hundreds of Hollow Shade soldiers and battle mages to get here. Most of his warriors had perished, but every life sacrificed was worth it.
They stood in front of the silver gates of an enormous manor, far larger than the neighboring manors.
Of course, it had to be, thought Marek.
This was after all the manor of the Helenes, one of the wealthiest merchant families in the entire Ebon Realm. They were not just a Great House, they were a Ruling House.
Once, long ago, after the fall of the Ebon Lords, the Helenes were only a Minor House, but their leader at the time betrayed their liege, the Royal House of Thorn. It was thanks to that betrayal that the current Ruling Houses were able to defeat House Thorn in the civil war. Thanks to their contribution, House Helene was elevated not only to a Great House, but they also managed to claim a seat of power in the newly formed City Council, earning the title of one of seven Ruling Houses.
Tamora had told her son Marek the story many times as a child. He should have learned back then the true meaning of her stories; to never trust his aunt, Alessandra, or any Helene for that matter. Their family’s power was formed from betraying others. His mother had paid the ultimate price for trusting her sister. His entire tribe paid that price when Alessandra had sent a small army of mercenaries to slaughter Tamora and leave no witnesses.
Alessandra hadn’t known about Marek. He survived the slaughter and for the last decade, he had done everything to reach this gate.
Marek glanced at Alessandra’s decapitated head hanging from a banner pole carried by one of his men. He had killed his aunt, he had avenged his parents’ deaths, but not the deaths of the countless Cairn people who had been murdered by Alessandra’s soldiers. If he simply left things here, his Helene cousins would one day seek revenge. And the Cairn tribe might suffer again.
The words of Caligo haunted him. Whichever Cairn adults survive tonight’s battle will die by my hand tomorrow.