When discussing the infamous Red and Black forces, popular history often obscures their true essence with exaggerations and misconceptions. Public imagination, fed by the widely disseminated accounts of the Heroes’ Journey, paints the Red as blind zealots and the Black as mere mercenaries swayed by Cull’s gold. Yet, these oversimplified portraits fail to capture the depth of their roles in Cull’s dark designs. Cull, repellent as his motives may have been, was a strategist of remarkable brilliance. His inner circle was far from the caricatures we often conjure. The Red, while not a conventional military force, consisted of individuals whose skills as insurgents proved unparalleled. Though most were not professional soldiers, their experience and fervor made them devastatingly effective. Meanwhile, the Black stood as an elite cadre of disciplined warriors, skilled not just in brute force but in the art of warfare. The most infamous chapters of this grim tale bear the unmistakable mark of Cull’s orchestration. He entrusted the Black with the harrowing task of dismantling the Crystal Guard, assassinating the emperor, and kidnapping the Crystal Blood. The Red, in turn, carried out the chaotic devastation of the Night of Fire and Blood—a campaign of terror that etched their name into infamy. – Lord Tal Hol, “Re-examination of Popular Misconceptions of the Heroes’ Journey”
ELA
Ela tapped her foot. It betrayed her impatience, and she hated that she couldn’t stop doing it. Getting almost seventy of the Faithful over the Aponte Wall was time consuming. Tyrell’s obscuring spell helped conceal them from the defenders, but it couldn’t make the Faithful any fastet climbing up and down. From the pandemonium around the Aponte Wall, Ela doubted anyone would have noticed if she brought three times the number.
“Edess Kul, the last of the Faithful are over the wall,” the leader of the Black reported. She acknowledged him with a nod, and he sprinted back to organize the colors. The Black would go with Ela and Tanus to secure the Crystal Blood. Tyrell, Palin, Amar, and Remi would lead the Red to kill the lords in the Diet before securing the Sacellum. They would purify the Crystal Blood in the Goddess’s own house.
“How are you feeling?” Tyrell whispered, stepping close to her.
“Stop worrying. You did your normal superb job putting me back together.”
“I will not stop worrying about you. Part of the job of being your lover,” Tyrell said. “Even after we purify the Crystal Blood, I will still worry about you.” Ela stepped closer and let her hand brush his. It was the most intimate act they could do in front of the Faithful.
“I hate to interrupt, but we need to go now. Time is of the essence,” Tanus said.
“Of course. You’re correct,” Tyrell said, and trotted over to one of the ladders. Coldness replaced Tyrell’s warmth. She hated that feeling every time he left her side. She channeled that feeling into her desire to purify the Crystal Blood. It made the climb over the Aponte Wall easier. The Red and the Black waited patiently in ranks with the Acolytes in front.
“Faithful, we are very close to our true goal,” Tanus said, “Remember what you swore when taking on the Black and the Red. By the next morning’s light, we will be in a new world.” Tanus walked back to join the Black. Ela started down, but Tyrell gripped Ela’s hand. She looked back at him.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Tyrell answered, waving his hand dismissively. “Just the way Tanus spoke that last sentence. It sounded wrong.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. Just, be careful, my love.”
“You as well. I don’t want to face our new world without you.” Ela walked over to where Tanus and the Black were waiting for her.
“We need to hurry if we are going to capture the Crystal Blood,” Tanus said.
“Are you sure that she will not be at the Crystal Palace?”
“She would if Vol had not failed,” Tanus said, “It was a worthy attempt, but I never believed our sympathizers would succeed. The plan was always that the Crystal Blood would be forced from the Crystal Palace. We always knew where she would be forced to go.” Ela nodded. If Vol succeeded, their plan would be simplified. If not, it would remove almost all of the bitch’s guards from around her as she ran to her sanctuary.
Everything Tanus said would happen had come to pass. It was one of the reasons Ela agreed to join the Acolytes when they came for her. He never betrayed her like her so-called brothers had. Ela trotted down the street with Tanus and the Black behind her.
