by RG Long
“We have to get Holve,” Gregory insisted.
Ealrin puffed his frustration out into a breath. He knew they needed to get Holve. He was integral to not only their success on Ladis but their eventual escape too. The man knew the ports, the captains, and the right cities to go to. He was also a marked man, to be fair.
“Well,” Ealrin said, knowing what was right and also seeing the task that was ahead of them. “What do we do?”
“The city is still in an uproar,” Gregory said. “There’s a chance we can get to the temple in the middle of the chaos.”
“And what if the chaos is happening around the temple?” Ealrin shot back.
“Aye,” Gorplin said. “The priest did look all kinds of flustered when he came and demanded Holve. Dirty beast.”
“Fine,” Ealrin said, feeling flustered and heated. He didn’t want to take chances that would endanger the group. “But it’ll just be me, Ferrin and Gregory. Everyone else can stay back and get Galp and Gorplin to safety.”
This caused immediate arguments from several of their group. Jurrin didn’t want to miss out, Miss Rivius refused to be separated from her bodyguard, and Blume insisted they would need her along the way. Olma stayed mostly quiet.
“We can’t all go!” Ealrin shouted back.
“Hey! What’s going on down there?” came a distant shout.
Everyone froze. Ealrin looked at Gregory, who was staring up a long corridor that had a set of stairs leading from it. One torch lit the stairs the rose out of sight into the rock above. He turned slowly back to Ealrin.
“You’re right,” he said darkly. “We can’t all go. Some of us will need to stay back and help these two. The dwarf is too weak to fight right now, though I don’t doubt he’s a considerable opponent.”
Gorplin muttered at this. Ealrin wasn’t sure if it was agreement or dwarvish curses. They went on.
“Is anyone willing to stay behind?” Gregory asked.
Olma raised her hand sheepishly.
“We’ll stay with her,” Miss Rivius said. “Ferrin and I will help get these two out of here and be with little Olma.”
Ealrin noticed the girl she was referring to gave her a look at the word “little” but didn’t protest. He nodded and looked at the others. Blume’s eyes were wide with daring. He knew that look. They also didn’t have time to debate.
“Then you three get Galp out of here,” he said. “Meet up with Tratta and Maccus and try to see what’s going on in the city. We’ll meet back up with you on the outskirts of the southern border. Gregory, Blume and I will go find Holve.”
THERE WAS NO GOOD WAY to describe the situation. Blume and Gregory were the ones who could go with him. Maccus and Tratta were, hopefully, able to protect the others as they got Gorplin and Galp to safety. In the meantime, Ealrin was going to do his best to make sure Blume stayed safe, and Gregory got them to where they needed to go.
And while all this was happening, they had a hallway of guards to deal with.
The path to the prison was familiar to Ealrin. They had traversed this way recently in reverse, so he knew the route well enough to know that there was a turn up ahead that would lead them to the castle’s grounds. Unfortunately, that turn also seemed to be inhabited with every guard the prince of Meris had.
Voices and the clanking of metal armor reverberated down the hallway as the three of them stood in the shadows. They tried to take in everything they could while also not poking their heads out to be seen by any guard who was suspicious about the path to the dungeon. If any went that way currently, they would find several of their companions unconscious or otherwise out of the way.
Gregory had a very stealthlike manner about him, which was helpful.
Up to this point.
“I could make a path...” Blume offered.
“And risk having every other guard in the castle on us as well,” Gregory said, stating what Ealrin was thinking. He knew Blume was good, but even she wasn’t that talented. Plus, her magic had been a bit finicky as of late. They couldn’t risk it.
Blume looked put out, but Ealrin shook his head at her.
“It’s not worth it,” he said.
“And every moment we stand waiting around, Holve gets tortured more,” Blume protested in a harsh whisper. “Shouldn’t we get going!?”
Ealrin smiled at her, just a bit. He never thought she particularly liked the old man. He was rather short with her most of the time. Then again, he was one of the two who had rescued her at the beginning.
“I know,” Ealrin said. “But we don’t want to cause...”
His sentence was cut off by a loud crash that echoed down their hallway.
“What in the world?” Gregory said, poking his head out.
Several shouts and clanging of metal followed the crash and what sounded like most of the guards moving away from the spots they had been occupying.
“Can’t ask for better,” Ealrin muttered. “Let’s go.”
Gregory moved out first, followed by Blume. Ealrin took the rear, making sure that Blume was covered if they needed to make a quick getaway. In any possible circumstance, she would be the one who could enable them to escape if needed.
The stone hallway gave way to an arched door, where the soldiers had been standing. Gregory peeked around the corner, taking a moment to see whatever was beyond it. Ealrin took a breath, steeling himself for a fight. He held the sword he had borrowed from a stash of Ladis weapons in Juttis. It still didn’t feel right in his grasp. He missed his old sword, but now was not the time to lament his losses.
Gregory nodded and waved them forward before taking a step out himself. Ealrin crossed the archway at the same time as Blume did, not wanting her to engage unaccompanied. Instead of a castle courtyard filled with soldiers, they saw that it was utterly deserted.
The last time they had made their way through this courtyard, it had been filled with nobles and lords who were celebrating the birthday of the Prince. Expensive food and drink were abundant, and the decorations were elaborate.
Now the courtyard was barren, save for a large crater in the middle of it that was not there the last time they had walked through. Even a few things seemed to be out of place. A stray shield lay against a turned over barrel. A spear stuck into the ground had a bit of cloth hanging on it. A cat even walked alongside the other end of the courtyard, observing the newcomers with indifference.
And not a soldier could be seen.
“Weren’t they just...” Ealrin started to say.
Gregory pointed, rather than spoke.
Ealrin followed the direction of his finger and saw the castle gates wide open. Not a single guard was left to defend it.
“Why would they just leave like that?” Blume asked.
Ealrin didn’t know, and he saw Gregory shake his head.
“I’m not sure,” he said in his gritty voice. “But whatever the reason, it can’t be good.”
“Do we head on towards the Temple?” Ealrin asked.
“This may be our best opportunity,” Gregory answered.
Blume stepped in front of them both.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go get Holve!”
Ealrin found it hard to share her enthusiasm, but he agreed with the idea. They needed to take advantage of whatever good fortune they had wondered upon. If something was occupying the soldiers of Meris at the moment, they didn’t have time to think about why or what.
They needed to head straight for the temple.
“Let’s go,” Ealrin said. “Take us to the Temple, Gregory.”
9: Bitter Tastes
Once they had left the confines of the deserted castle grounds, Blume found herself in the oddly familiar territory of large houses and well-groomed lawns of Meris. It was so unlike the place they had initially entered. She had a moment of remembrance running through these same houses and bushes with Olma, but she pushed that aside.
No matter how hard she tried, the only girl who was relatively close
to her age kept pushing her away. She had hoped to find a friend. It seemed that all she could do was scare the girl from the jungle.
Blume found herself resenting Olma for it. They had such similar stories. They had even been plucked up from certain death by the same group of people. Why couldn’t they bond over their experiences? Few people could ever understand them. Their parents were killed. Then they were accepted into a group of strange and wonderful adventurers. She wanted a friend.
So far, it only felt like she had received an enemy.
Gregory was jogging through the streets of Meris, keeping to the far side of them. Ealrin was right behind her as they ran. As the sky darkened, a more magnificent orange glow came from the city’s entrance. The shouting seemed to get louder as well.
“Exactly where is the temple?” Blume asked as she attempted to keep up with Gregory’s long strides.
“Up ahead,” he answered, pointing out the large structure that stood above the houses that surrounded it. “That’s the temple’s tower.”
Small rocks crunched under their feet as they continued their run. The streets were devoid of life. No guard, occupant, or temple priest was anywhere to be seen. Blume supposed that was for the best. If they ran into any one of those groups of people, it might alert the authorities to what they were doing. Plus, they very much needed the group who would meet them outside the walls of Meris to make it there unscathed.
Hopefully, they could find some supplies they could take with them on their trip back down south. Blume knew their stores were running low.
Gregory stopped abruptly and put up a hand for them to follow suit. Blume skidded to a halt and nearly fell forward. Ealrin grabbed onto her shoulder and steadied her, and he stopped as well. The air was still, and all Blume could hear around them was the distant shouting and the quiet night. Her ring glowed with a slight blue tint as she felt apprehensive about no longer moving forward, so she covered it with a hand.
Then the sound met her ears.
Footsteps.
Lots of footsteps.
“This way,” Gregory said, running for a house’s lawn and hiding behind one of the massive columns that held up the house’s portico. Blume and Ealrin followed his example. Just as her hair flipped around the pillar, Blume caught a glimpse of temple guards marching down the street, weapons in their hands and torches lighting the night sky.
At their head was a temple guard who was tall and intimidating in his appearance. He was shouting at his fellows.
“They can’t kill our priest and get away with it!” he yelled at the crowd. “The prince may have sided with the demons, but we know better! We’ll show him with the man he was so eager to imprison. We’ll take him to the prince himself and have them see who the true gods are! That’ll put a stop to the people’s rebellion!”
With that, he pulled on a chain he was holding, and a man stumbled forward, pulled by the guard.
Blume let out a tiny gasp as comprehension dawned on her.
It was Holve.
He looked awful, even from this distance and in such pale light, Blume could see cuts and bruises all over his face. They must have mistreated him terribly.
“Gregory,” Ealrin whispered. Blume turned around. Ealrin had seen who they pulled on several chains as well.
The grim-faced man looked out at the crowd of guards and then back at the two of them. Blume knew he must be weighing their odds. Three to a dozen or more. Blume knew they had faced worse and come out on top. But what would he think?
Before giving him time to consider whether or not they could take them, she leaped around her column and let out a yell of fury, followed by words of Speaking.
Tendrils of power flew from her ring and assaulted the guards as they pulled hard on Holve’s chains. Some of them began to rush Blume and the porch she was standing on. Gregory came around his column with a bow and an arrow notched and ready. Beside her, Blume heard the arrow sail through the wind as the bowstring snapped. The first guard fell dead with a scream, the projectile straight through his eye.
Ealrin jumped in between her and the second guard and let his blade sing, taking down the second guard even as he advanced on them.
Now the remaining guards were in a sort of panic. It seemed to Blume that some wanted to flee, while others held Holve’s chains and shook their weapons at her and her companions.
A smirk crossed her face. She felt powerful. She felt alive.
How delightful would it be to end the miserable lives of these guards who held her friend captive? With a flick of her wrist, the weapons of each guard flew from their hands and went soaring high into the air. The chains that held Holve tightened and glowed with a bright blue light. She felt the air tighten within her grasp as the weapons soared back down towards their owners, tips and metal blades aimed to kill.
“Blume!” a voice called to her. It seemed far and distant. The air around her grew lighter. A blackness that she had not realized had consumed her vision receded. Strangled cries of anguish filled her ears, and her feet touched the ground hard. Had she been floating?
She blinked.
The chains around Holve fell in a smoking heap. The collar that had been around his neck and the cuffs around his wrists broke into pieces as he gasped for air.
Blume breathed deeply of the cold night air and realized that moments had gone by without her realization.
The guards around Holve all laid dead on the ground. Holve himself was on his knees, gasping for air. Gregory was with him, helping him to his feet and hurrying him towards the house as fast as he could.
Blume was aware that someone was holding onto her arm. She didn’t like it.
“Ah!” a voice said. She looked to her side to see Ealrin shaking his hand frantically. “Did you do that?”
She looked down at where she had felt a hand and saw that her shirt was smoking there. Had she burned his hand? Had she meant to do that?
“I don’t know,” she answered. And she really didn’t. The ring on her finger glowed brightly as Gregory and Holve stumbled up to the house. Blume took a moment to take in Holve. He looked terrible. The bad light from the street hadn’t done his injuries justice. Still, he seemed every bit as stubborn as he usually did.
“Where’s Galp?” he asked, looking at the three of them.
Blume raised her eyebrow at him.
“Thank you, would do just fine,” she replied, standing to her feet and crossing her arms. She gave him a hard look. They just risked life and limb to save him, and this is how he showed his gratitude?
By asking about a Skrilx they hardly knew?
Blume could feel her mouth go dry as she opened and closed it several times. She didn’t like the taste it was leaving, and she felt a great mix of anger and frustration coming up from her, like a wave of power. Blue sparks radiated from her hair as Ealrin put a cautious hand on her shoulder.
“Calm down,” he whispered.
Blume didn’t want to calm down. She wanted to blow things to pieces with her magic.
Holve shook his head.
“If we can save Galp,” Holve started, looking around at their surroundings. “We can end this conflict and deal a strike against the foul things that spawn from the dark comet.”
Blume looked at Holve and blinked.
“You mean he knows how to...”
“Defeat the demons of darkness for good?” Holve interjected, putting a hand on a column and freeing himself from Gregory’s helping hands. “He does.”
10: The Plans of Gods
Jerius walked quickly down the path. He was breathing heavily as he hadn’t yet taken a break since the suns had risen early that morning. Since he had spoken with the king and explained the plan to him, he had been going from general to general, relaying the details of the great quest to rid their continent of the Isolian threat.
Some of the generals were willing to take whatever measures it required to get the magical heretics off of their lands. Others looked at Jerius with skepticis
m. He couldn’t blame them. There wasn’t much trust he had for them to see this through either.
Clutching the tome he had carried from the high priest’s private study in his arm, Jerius climbed the last set of steps he would need to before heading back. He took the steps quickly, making sure that he touched each one. Even in his rush, he wasn’t going to fall down these steps.
A priest had his position to think of, even in the chaos of a siege.
Jerius made his way up the stairs until he reached the top of the tower. Before he registered the people who were standing within the tower, he saw the carnage that was going on out in the fields of Prommus. The army of Isol was back further than he could remember seeing. They had positioned themselves just outside the range of Prommus’ best artillery. This had to have been their intention.
Those blasted cannons of theirs, however, could shoot further than anything Prommus had in its arsenal. Another shot came careening towards them, and several of the officers in the tower looked to see if it would impact the wall.
It did.
A thunderous explosion reverberated throughout the city as another portion of the wall came crashing down. A few more direct hits like that and Prommus would have no barrier left to defend itself.
Jerius nodded resiliently. He had the answer in his hands. Now he only needed to convince one last general.
“Pardon my interruption,” he said, bowing to the room at large. “ Who is the commanding officer for this section of the wall?”
He knew the name of the general very well. He didn’t, however, want to leave the impression that he was starstruck. Oranius was a name known by many in the Theocracy. He was a hero in the Disputed Lands. Leading troops to victory after victory had made him grow from a soldier to a general in a short amount of time. No one had the strategic prowess he seemed to possess. Even the king spoke highly of him.
