“I saw Robert moving around already, though I can’t vouch for the others,” she supplied. “Sayana least of all…”
“I know, I can’t believe what happened either,” Aiden whispered, stifling his sense of grief for the moment. They ambled around some of the wrecked constructs, whose broken bodies loomed over the scene as the survivors went about their work. Above, Sergeant Gordon MacTavish assisted the remaining members of his engineering teams to repair the wall. The dwarf glanced down and exchanged a nod of respect with Aiden before turning back to his work.
“Our elven friends are leaving,” Nellise remarked, nodding towards the half-dozen elderly wizards who had survived the battle with Sayana. A glowing doorway of light had been created in the courtyard, through which the levitating bodies of their fallen where being sent. The price had been high, considering they were a dying people, but their efforts had bought them valuable time in the battle.
As the last of the Acadians was about to depart, he paused and turned to regard Aiden from beneath his grey hood. Nothing was said and no gestures were made, yet he had the distinct feeling he would never see them again.
“I think their debt to us is paid, and then some,” Aiden said as the last of the wizards stepped through the glowing portal and vanished, the light from the portal leaving an after-image on his eye similar to if he had been looking at the sun.
“I had hoped we would foster a new era of cooperation, but I suspect they want nothing more to do with us,” Nellise mused.
“Always with the best of intentions, aren’t you?” Aiden said with a faint smile. “If I may ask… what happened to you during the fight?” he prompted curiously, recalling the strange power that had overcome her. Nellise hesitated for a long moment before answering.
“It’s hard to describe in words,” she eventually said. “I felt my weariness disappear and a voice spoke to me. I can’t quite recall exactly what it said, but it needed to borrow my body for a few moments before it left. The presence merged with my mind and I experienced a feeling of such peace and tranquillity… it was an angel, Aiden, of that I am sure.”
“Not that I’m complaining,” Aiden remarked as they slowly made their way towards the wall, “but it just happened to show up at that exact moment, right when we needed it?”
“You didn’t recognize it?” Nellise asked in surprise. “Aiden, it had been with us the whole time, living within Solas Aingeal. That’s where the blade’s power came from — the ‘Angel of Light’. Only when the weapon was broken was it free to help in a more direct manner. It couldn’t remain here for long, as it was depleted from so much time spent within the weapon, but it gave of itself so that we might endure.”
“Solas Aingeal was one of the elven soulswords Salinder mentioned,” Aiden breathed in sudden understanding.
“There can’t be many of those swords left. Salinder is gone too, I presume?”
“He conserved his energy right until the end and struck a mighty blow,” Aiden nodded, thinking of the last few times he had communicated with the dragon. “It wasn’t enough of course, but it was a worthy effort. He was atoning for some mistakes he made in the past. I hope he can rest in peace, now that his task is complete.”
“I heard mention that there was a man inside the Ironlord?” Nellise asked in disbelief.
“King Alaric the first,” Aiden nodded. “I don’t understand it either. Terinus is looking into it. We’ll go have a word with them after we check on a few things. Over there, amongst the debris I think.” They headed closer to the wall, to the last place he’d seen Spartan after his ferocious struggle again Sayana.
To his relief, they found the dragon still lying amongst the wreckage, his chest rising and falling slowly. He was a pitiful sight, having lost an entire wing and gained a lot of scars on his body.
“Spartan, I had thought the worst when I saw you fall,” Aiden greeted the dragon, who cracked open an eyelid to regard him sleepily.
It would take more power than she had to destroy me, Spartan blustered, his voice sounding strong despite his appearance. I will confess that she had me worried for a moment. Please do not look at me with such pity, my wing will regrow in time, and my wounds will heal.
“I’m pleased to hear that,” Nellise said. “If you’re able to walk, I’m certain you’d be welcome within the keep. It’s getting quite cold out here.”
I shall avail myself of your hospitality, though it will be strange to take shelter with people who may have hunted my kind for sport in another time.
“Perish the thought,” Aiden scoffed. “I overheard a lot of people talking about you on my way out. Your presence was inspirational, and without your aid I doubt we would have survived.”
Thank you. Tell me, have you seen Pacian?
“Yes… I think he’s around here somewhere,” he hedged, unsure what condition he would be in. “Pacian appeared to have some sort of breakdown after killing Sayana, I don’t think he’s in a good place.”
For what it’s worth, I am sorry about Sayana, Spartan apologized. Her betrayal was inevitable — it was only a question of the timing. Do not blame her, for her actions were not of her choosing. Now, I will avail myself of shelter for a time, until I feel recovered enough to depart, Spartan declared, standing up and slowly moving towards the keep itself. A thought occurred to Aiden as he watched the small dragon limp towards the heavily damaged fort.
“Before he died, Salinder confided some of his secrets to me,” he said, though the dragon did not stop. “There was only one of his young left alive when he was forced into service with Aielund. How old did you say you were again?”
I never mentioned my age, Spartan said, pausing for a moment to look back at him. But to answer your unasked question — yes, of course that was me. Without further comment, he continued onwards to the keep, where he was welcomed by the people making their way inside.
“How times change,” Nellise murmured at the sight of a dragon abiding with humans. “A century ago, they would have been at each other’s throats.”
“I’ll have a word with the king about this,” Aiden mused. “I think it might be time for a ban on dragon hunting within Aielund’s borders.”
“That won’t go down well with the Lords,” Nellise suggested sadly, “but that’s a battle for another day. Let’s try and find Pacian, I need to speak with him.”
“I’m right here,” came the abrupt reply from the deepening shadows. Aiden turned to see Pacian’s eyes glinting at him from the darkness, while the rest of him was hidden from sight.
“Thank God you’re alive,” Nellise breathed, setting Aiden aside so she could move to her lover. Pacian had other ideas, however.
“Don’t come any closer, you might give away my location,” he whispered harshly. “Besides… you wouldn’t want to be seen consorting with a murderer.”
“You had to do it, Pace,” Aiden said, trying to reassure him. “Sayana was out of control and would have killed us all, if you hadn’t stopped her.”
“I wasn’t talking about Sy,” Pacian sobbed. “Those inquisitors are right — I killed one of their men.”
“Oh Pace, why did you do it?” she asked.
“He was going to send you to the monastery whether you wanted to go or not, and in the end, he didn’t give me a lot of choice in the matter. The bastard set a bunch of thugs on to me, so I had to kill them all. God… what have I done, I’m covered in so much blood.”
“The inquisitor might have overstepped his authority,” Nellise suggested, struggling to control the tears that began to run down her face. “We will have to investigate fully to—”
“I killed Tosh,” Pacian blurted, interrupting her.
“… What?”
“Sloane MacAliese told me he was working for them, right before I rescued you. I ran into him, he was dressed in their clothes and I was so angry… and tired, God I couldn’t even think so I just… I was lied to and manipulated because I’m just too stupid and paranoid. I believed he
r, that conniving bitch, and so I killed Tosh thinking he was a traitor, and I lied to you to cover up my mistake. I can’t do it anymore, I just can’t. I killed him, and the inquisitor, his thugs, those rapists back in Bracksford a little while back. It was all me — I’m a monster.”
Aiden was speechless, as was Nellise. They could only stand there as Pacian poured his heart out, sobbing in the shadows as he confessed his many crimes.
“Yes, you are,” Nellise finally said without emotion. “I knew something wasn’t sitting well with you, but I never would have guessed you’d fallen so far.”
“Well, you always knew I was a mess,” Pacian chuckled morbidly. “You were right about everything, you know. All those things we talked about months ago when we first met. Here I was, trying to show you the error of your naïve ways, and all I did was destroy my soul.”
Nellise stepped into the shadows and embraced him, allowing him to cry on her shoulder as all the pain came out in ragged gasps. Aiden felt rather self-conscious witnessing his epiphany and confession, and averted his eyes for a few moments.
“I wish I could have done more to help you,” Nellise confided to Pacian as she stroked his ragged blond hair. “But your fate is out of my hands, now. When this comes out, they’ll hang you for your crimes. Unless…”
“Unless what?” he asked.
“When you arrived here with Spartan before the fight, you spoke of wanting to do better. Do you truly wish to atone for your sins?”
“Nothing I do can bring back the people I’ve killed,” Pacian sniffed. “I know that much.”
“That isn’t what I asked,” Nellise insisted firmly.
“Yes, I want to do better, but it’s too late now.”
“There is a way,” the cleric assured him. “Inquisitor White survived the battle, and as soon as he’s well enough, he will discover that you’ve broken out of jail,” Nellise explained hastily. “You will have to leave immediately, but if you are committed to redemption, there is a place for you with the Keepers of the Light.”
“That place I was trying to keep you out of?” Pacian remarked in disbelief.
“It’s the only way. You will have sanctuary there, so long as you do what the abbot says.”
“The Stonegaard Mountains are a long way from here,” Aiden cautioned.
“If you leave now, you might get enough of a head start to stay one step ahead of White,” Nellise said.
“I can make it,” Pacian responded, clearly at the end of his rope. “We won’t be seeing each other for a long time, will we?”
“No Pace, I’m afraid this is the end for us. Go, now.”
Pacian stood there considering his options for a long moment, staring back at Nellise. There was no mercy in her eyes, no more comfort to be had, so he withdrew into the shadows and disappeared. She turned away from the darkness and returned to Aiden’s side. Mere moments later, her stern façade crumbled and she fell into Aiden’s arms, crying her heart out.
“He made his own choices, Nel,” he counselled her softly. “There was nothing more you could do about it.” She didn’t reply, but held onto him tightly as she dealt with the depth of her feelings. Aiden didn’t envy their relationship, for even at the best of times, it had been tumultuous.
A large pile of broken wood and debris shifted nearby, as if someone underneath was struggling to find their way out. Aiden set Nellise aside and pushed the detritus away until a dusty hand appeared in the gap, then grasped hold and pulled the man free.
“Thanks, mate,” Colt grunted as he slowly stood amongst the rubble. He reached down and grasped hold of someone else, and within moments the elven ranger Mona arose from the wreckage. They were both sporting a number of injuries, and her hair was matted with blood, but they were both still alive. “Are you okay, Mona?”
“Intact,” the elf murmured, gingerly touching her head as she glanced around. “Did any of the other rangers survive?”
“Only five,” Aiden informed them soberly. “I’m sorry for your loss. They were good people.”
“It would have been less if I hadn’t thrown us off the wall,” Mona said ruefully. “I only had time to grab one person.”
“… and you picked me?” Colt remarked uncertainly. “Commander Armin was next to you as well, if I recall correctly.”
“I only had a heartbeat to make a decision,” she informed him, gazing at him with her large green eyes. “I chose the person I couldn’t live without.” This hung in the air for a long moment, until Colt finally wrapped her in a huge bear hug.
“Easy there, you don’t want to break anything,” Aiden advised, though he was fairly certain his words were falling on deaf ears. When Mona was finally released, Colt turned to Aiden with a far more serious look on his grizzled features.
“What the hell happened to Sy? I can’t believe she was working with the enemy.”
“I think the Ironlord took her over,” Aiden attempted to explain. “It’s a long story, but those tattoos of hers are linked to it, somehow. She couldn’t stop herself, so don’t take it personally.”
“The poor woman,” Mona empathized.
“And Pacian was the one to bring her down, why am I not surprised.”
“Easy, Colt, there was no other way,” Aiden said.
“Don’t stand up for him, mate, I overheard everything he said just now,” Colt growled, drawing a gasp from Nellise.
“What are you going to do?” she asked hesitantly.
“He’s a murderer and escaped criminal,” Colt grated. “I’m going to do my job and bring him in. That bloody inquisitor will have to get in line, ‘cause when I get my hands on Pacian, he’s going to remember what I said to him back in Culdeny when you left for Fairloch. I’m a man of my word, Nel, so don’t give me that look.”
“You can barely stand up,” Aiden pointed out.
“Neither can he,” Colt assured him with cold clarity. “Why don’t you head back inside Mona, I’ve gotta get on his trail or I’ll never catch him. I hate it when I’m right about people…”
“I’m coming with you, idiot,” Mona chastised him. “I didn’t save your life just so you could run off again.”
“No objections here,” Colt replied. He gave Aiden a brief nod as the two rangers quickly set off towards the north gate.
“Pace has a bit of a head start on them,” Aiden assured Nellise. “They’ll never catch him.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Nellise whispered. “If they find him, he might try and kill again.”
“It’s out of our hands now. Come on, we’re not quite done here yet, and I’m going to have to fall over sometime soon,” Aiden said, nudging her to continue half-carrying him through the debris.
Eventually, she regained some semblance of self-control and without saying a word, began to help Aiden towards the parapet stairs. Most of the wall on the eastern side had fallen during the battle, but there was one location that still stood, and was now the resting place of someone very dear to him. Aiden wasn’t sure how he was going to react at the sight of Sayana’s body, but he had to see her, one last time.
Ahead of them, just past the stairs, was the southern gatehouse — or what was left of it. Dwarven engineers were clearing some of the rubble, allowing travel to resume through the southern entrance. To Aiden’s surprise, he saw Robert Black attaching saddlebags to a powerful warhorse. The survivors of the soldiers from Trinity were gathering near him too, and Aiden could sense something was going on.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you on your feet so soon,” Aiden remarked as they approached the mercenary. Robert half-turned and took a puff from his cigar, regarding them for a moment before continuing to secure the leather straps.
“I always keep a little healing draught on hand for emergencies,” Robert explained gruffly. “I was going to give you a hand against the Ironlord until I saw the magnitude of your fight and thought, ‘bugger that’. That was the most impressive fighting I’ve seen from anyone ever, mate. Except
maybe yours truly, of course.”
“The benefits of centuries of tactical training distilled into a potent incantation,” Aiden explained deprecatingly. “Not to mention the sword I was carrying. I was merely the vessel for greater powers. Are you leaving so soon?” Aiden asked, pointing at the filled saddlebags. “You still need some time to recuperate.”
“I’ve served my time in hell mate, now I get to reclaim my life,” Robert explained gruffly. “The princess just informed me that I’ve been officially pardoned for my part in the attack on Culdeny. I’m a free man. I’ll get some rest when I’m clear of this place.”
“You’re kind of a hero to these people,” Aiden pointed out. “I think there would be an opening for you in the Kingdom Guard, if you wanted it.”
“I don’t,” Robert answered simply. “That bloody inquisitor has it in for me, and I’m not sticking around to see if he’s going to make trouble. Captain Freeman wants some help securing Trinity from looters, and he wanted to get back there as soon as possible, and frankly I need the money.” The dark-skinned captain nodded his accord from nearby, giving Aiden a salute as he did so. “Besides,” Robert added, “the war is over now. I’ll get bored pretty quickly in peacetime.”
“How can you be so quick to rush back into another conflict, after everything you’ve been through?” Nellise asked incredulously.
“I know what I’m about, Nel,” Robert stated, looking over the ruined battlefield with his piercing blue eye. “‘To thine own self be true’, yes?”
“‘Each to his own’ would also apply,” Nellise nodded. “I may not understand, but I respect your decision.
“The Crown could probably supply you with some gold if that would change your mind,” Aiden offered.
“Your Kingdom is flat broke,” Robert snorted. “You’ll be lucky to survive the next month without riots in the streets of Fairloch.”
“Fair point,” Aiden muttered, realizing there was still much to be done in the aftermath of the war. “Look, we seem to be dancing around the subject, but I wanted to offer my con—”
“Don’t say it,” Robert growled, glaring at Aiden, sensing he was about to discuss Sayana’s death. “It wouldn’t be the first time I fell in love and had it snatched away. Look at it this way — if she was alive, do you think they would let her keep living, after all the death she caused? And what about her? She’d have to live with those deaths on her conscience.”
Soldiers of Legend Page 37
