In Harmony We Trust by Ryan Matthew Harker (first ebook reader txt) 📖

a small barn adjacent to the cottage Dan heard a cacophony of various animals from within, a cow, some pigs, and even the bleating of a goat, all sounding hungry. The barn being little more than a large shack Dan rounded it quickly and reached the front yard where he encountered the hungry clucking of chickens as they wandered around pecking for whatever they could scavenge.
Yes, something was definitely wrong here. No self respecting farmer would ever allow his livestock to go hungry. Dan knew this from experience gained during his childhood. Farm animals were too important to a farmer’s existence to allow them to suffer discomfort. A farmer would often rather go without in order to keep his animals healthy and happy, knowing that by being good to them they would in turn be good to him.
Dan stopped at the front door of the cottage and listened intently for any sounds that could be heard over the cries of the animals. If it weren’t for the animals, he thought, this place would be as silent as the grave.
The grave, yes, but who’s?
Determined that the grave not be his Dan drew his gun.
Only opening the door about two inches Dan paused to listen again and again he heard nothing. He pushed the door open all of the way but he did it slowly and he was completely on guard.
Nothing happened.
The inside of the cottage was dim but not in a dilapidated way just in an unlit way. Sunlight streamed into the single large room through its only two windows, which were set in separate walls perpendicular to each other. A single table was placed in the middle of the room. It had place settings for two. A small sink sat under one of the windows. Surrounding the sink were a set of small cupboards, which also doubled as counter space. Knives of various sizes were hung on the wall to one side of the sink. One of the knives was missing. Where it had hung was a knife shaped spot slightly lighter in color than the wall surrounding it. Apparently the stove that sat on the same side of the sink as the knives had discolored the wall over the course of its use.
The missing utensil caused Dan to feel a twinge of trepidation.
The cottage was empty though and Dan reassured himself with that fact before creeping across the threshold. This emptiness allowed Dan to recover some of his lost courage. Relaxing his gun arm but not his vigilance he proceeded across the cottage floor to the head of the table. Examination of the neatly laid crockery revealed nothing unusual and he was about to turn to the cupboards when he suddenly felt the coldness of sharpened steel press almost imperceptibly against his throat.
“Where are they?” asked a cold voice.
“Who?” Dan countered allowing none of the fear he felt into his speech.
The knife tightened and he felt a warm trickle run down his neck.
“Don’t mess with me,” the voice intoned sharply.
Knowing his life was forfeit if he failed to comply he never the less sought to stall in an attempt to further figure out the situation.
“What’s your interest in them?” Dan asked still managing to sound calm.
The answer was simple. “Money.”
“Ah,” Dan exhaled knowing exactly whom he dealt with. “In that case I’ve got no reason not to cooperate.”
When he did not continue the voice demanded, “Well!”
Dan smiled and said, “If you would kindly lower your weapon.”
“I could kill you,” she whispered directly into his ear. It was unmistakably female now.
This only confirmed what Dan already knew. “You could Sefu,” he said calling the assassin by name. “But then you won’t find out where they’re hiding.”
“Perhaps, but it would be fun to watch you bleed.” There was just a trace of humor in the assassin’s voice.
Then there was a moment of silence and Dan could almost hear the wheels turning behind him before Sefu said, “Drop your gun and kick it away from you.”
Doing as he was told Dan felt the blade leave his throat as his gun went skittering across the floor.
“There now,” he said as he turned around and daubed at the blood on his neck with a kerchief. “Isn’t this more pleasant.
Sefu’s lips did not even twitch in the face of Dan’s smile but her eyes sparkled with deadly intent, cold as ice.
“Anyway,” Dan turned back to the cupboards and opened one of them. “I was just about to see if there was something to eat.” He looked back towards Sefu. “Are you hungry?”
The assassin was one cool customer, emotions tightly in control at all times but even so Dan was trying her patients. Her lips curled in a humorless smile and then the knife flashed within a hair’s breadth of his head, almost too fast to see, and imbedded itself in the cupboard.
“I guess not,” Dan said and straitened with some fixings in his hands.
“Well,” he walked back to the table and sat down. “I don’t know much of this world beyond what I was told but,” he paused to take a bit of what he found in the cupboard. “They left the castle headed east of here. Apparently they were headed to some kind of a monastery but a witch intercepted them just before dawn with orders to escort them back to the city then that head merc did some fast talking before they teleported.” Dan took another bite of his food. “I don’t know where she took them. My partner returned to the city and I searched for the monastery but couldn’t find it.”
“I just came from the city,” the assassin informed him.
“Ah,” Dan chewed thoughtfully. He understood the implications of her revelation. The chosen ones were not at the city.
“The Midnight Monastery,” Sefu mused. It wasn’t a question.
Dan nodded indifferently and kept eating as the assassin favored him with one last look before she turned to leave.
“One more thing,” he said around a mouthful just before she crossed the threshold.
Sefu stopped and waited to hear what the spy had to divulge but did not turn around.
Smiling at her turned back Dan swallowed and said the only thing he had left to say. “Don’t fail this time.” And then he laughed as without a word she departed.
He smiled to himself as he finished satisfying his stomach. He felt immensely pleased with himself as he pushed away from the table and left the cottage.
Dan walked past the cramped barn- if it could be called such- and suddenly thought about the missing farmer. He knew the farmer’s fate as soon as he identified Sefu and after again hearing the hungry cries of the animals he decided to act upon a whim.
The scent of the beasts assailed him as he entered the cramped confines of the barn. He looked around and saw the same imploring look in the eyes of the cow as he did in eyes of the goat and pigs. An unexpected pang for his lost childhood suddenly hit him and almost without realizing it Dan went around and unlocked all of the latches, freeing the orphaned livestock. Then, as the animals milled past him and out the door, this spy for the forces of darkness remembered himself. His training flooded back and he pushed aside his nostalgia and followed them outside.
Once free of the farm’s strange aura Dan made it to a familiar road without incident. His mission now was to make it back to the Harashna, return to Earth, and deliver the location of these chosen one’s place of refuge to his lord and master, Harmony. It was even possible that he would run into Dave somewhere along the way.
As he mundanely made his way down the road, non-magical and without transportation, the spy thought about the task that lay before him. He knew that once he crossed through the Harashna back to Earth he would be in the midst of the enemy encampment. He had no means to conceal himself- the magic of his former deception had belonged to his companions- and trying to traverse openly through the Complex was not a prospect he relished, but after all he was a spy.
It took what seemed to Dan a long time to reach the tower and he had still not sorted out all of the details in his plan of infiltration. All he was certain of was he would have to cross under cover of darkness but he was still trying to think around the alarms such a crossing would trigger throughout the Complex. So he was pleasantly surprised when, after three stolen horses and many days of hard travelling later, he finally reached his destination and discovered that all of his problems had conveniently been worked out.
All around the tower mercenaries bustled about their business, moving to and fro within the new perimeter of their hastily erected defense camp.
Perfect, he thought as a solid plan of action formed in his mind. This was going to be a lot easier than he expected. With all of his worries gone Dan settled into a spot of concealment.
As he awaited the dark, which was fortunately not far off, he chuckled to himself. He had chosen a spot that afforded him a good view of his enemies’ activities so he could sit patiently and study the pattern of their routines. By the time dark fell he had memorized all of the mercenaries’ movements and was able to move out of hiding and into the fringes of their camp with a fair amount of confidence. It was pretty obvious that they had not been in AnEerth long- probably only that morning or late the previous night- and it was also obvious by the large number of guards on patrol that they did not have any serious defenses in place.
Dan had the guards’ rounds committed to memory so his plan was simple, he’d just wait in the dark for one with his build to come along, kill him, take his clothes, walk openly to the Harashna, and pass through, simple.
He did not have to wait long for his victim. Without hesitation he sank into his training and struck. The mercenary did not know what hit him, literally. Dan hit him as hard as he could behind the ear with his pistol and the guard silently crumpled to the ground, dead instantly.
The spy wasted no time as he changed into the mercenary’s uniform and concealed the body. It would not take long before the shift change discovered their murdered comrade and raised the alarm; even so Dan remained calm and made his way casually towards the tower. No one thought to question his presence in the encampment and he made it inside, up the stairs, and to the tower’s top unimpeded.
The Harashna floated in a swirling mess of color, a portal of fantastic light just beyond the parapets. An exact twin of its earthly counterpart it dangled out over that great expanse of nothing. Dan went to the edge and looked down, the height was immense and vertigo hit him like a hammer. He backed away.
Dan studied the psychedelic kaleidoscope and felt himself almost becoming hypnotized by the brilliant beauty of the unnatural portal, a gateway through the very fabric of reality. For just a moment he actually forgot why he was on top of the tower in the middle of his enemy’s camp and he never even heard the footsteps as they came up behind him.
“Freeze!” shouted an angry voice that snapped him out of his reverie. “Don’t move!”
Risking a slow glace over his shoulder Dan saw four mercenaries with rifles pointed at him. Shit! How long had he been enthralled by the damned Harashna?