Awaken Online: Inferno (Tarot #3)

by Travis Bagwell

  Finn met Aerys’ gaze and could see the anger reflected there, yet he refused to back down. They would need the librarian’s help in the war that was coming.

  “Is this going to be a problem?” Finn demanded.

  Abbad raised a hand to Finn before turning to address Aerys directly. “What Finn says is true. I was conscripted at a young age, and the Emir trained me himself. That was how I eventually discovered his true nature.”

  A grimace and the librarian continued, “I have been required to commit many evils during my life. Your anger is understandable, and there is nothing I can say that will undo what has already been done. But as Finn said, we have a common enemy. The Emir – Bilel. Perhaps my actions can help atone for what I’ve done.”

  “Nothing will ever wipe your slate clean,” Aerys spat back.

  “It will not,” Abbad agreed simply. “And those acts will forever weigh on my soul. However, for now, I suspect you will need my assistance. Once our mission has been accomplished, you can exact whatever punishment you wish. I am more than willing to pay that price if it secures the freedom of the other mages and your people.”

  Aerys was about to speak again, but Julia placed a hand on her arm. “Let it go. Our quarrels need to take a backseat for now. You must have heard the rumors of what’s happening in Lahab already. Our primary enemy is the Emir.” The Khamsin clan leader grimaced but held her tongue.

  “Rumors?” Finn asked.

  Julia sighed. “I think it would be easier if our two guests helped explain. I expect there’s a good reason they’re here – and firsthand testimony is better than gossip.”

  All eyes turned to Kalisha and Malik, where they sat across the table.

  “You really know how to put a woman on the spot,” Kalisha offered with a smile.

  “If you would like, we could provide some additional encouragement,” Aerys shot back, waving at the guards, who stepped forward ominously, blades appearing in their hands.

  Kalisha gulped, and she held up a hand. “Okay, got it. No joking. Geez, you people are on edge.”

  “Maybe just tell us whatever you’ve come to say,” Finn offered. They certainly didn’t need to antagonize the Khamsin any further.

  Kalisha glanced at Malik, her expression sobering. “Things are rather… unstable back in Lahab. The Emir issued a public announcement that Finn violated the competition and tried to trick him by offering up a flimsy trinket instead of the relic we were sent to retrieve. Clearly, he was lying.”

  The merchant glanced at Finn with an appraising expression. “It also appears that someone told him that Malik and I were dead.”

  Finn nodded. That had been part of the plan, after all.

  “Which may be the only reason we’re not dead right now,” Kalisha added grudgingly, waving at Malik. Her eyes shot to Finn. “Otherwise, I suspect we would’ve been greeted by the royal guard at the gate – a loose end that needed to be tied up, permanently.”

  She sighed. “However, we had the foresight to enter the city more surreptitiously. Our respective guild leaders were quite interested to learn what actually transpired in the Abyss and the fact that Finn arrived in Lahab carrying the actual relic. In short, they know that the Emir misled them. As the only witnesses to what happened in the Abyss, Malik and I have become quite valuable to the guilds.”

  Kalisha met Finn’s eyes, and he saw an expression that he almost didn’t recognize. She looked… grateful. And irritated at herself for being indebted to him. “I suppose we have you to thank for our lives,” she said grudgingly.

  “You’re welcome,” Finn replied in a dry tone.

  “I’ll point out that you technically owe us twice now,” Kyyle said, staring at the merchant and fighter. “We could just have easily left you to die down in the Abyss as well.” This earned him a pained grimace from both Kalisha and Malik.

  “Point taken,” Kalisha bit out.

  “I assume the merchants and fighters weren’t terribly happy to learn the Emir betrayed them?” Finn asked, his brow furrowed in thought.

  “That’s the understatement of the century,” Kalisha grumbled. “But it’s worse than that. After issuing his decree, the Emir locked the royal palace down, and all outside entry has been denied. That’s unusual.”

  “It sounds like the Emir is being cautious after our escape. Maybe increasing security and trying to cover up that we made it out of the palace?” Julia offered. “We did a number on his throne room… or he did, anyway.” She shot Kalisha an inquiring look. “Why exactly is this a cause for worry, though?”

  “By itself, it isn’t,” Kalisha explained. “Except that we’ve received reports that residents have begun to go missing. At first, it was just the homeless and vagrants. A handful of the…” She trailed off, shooting Aerys a cautious glance. “Anyway, the disappearances haven’t slowed. In fact, a few of our own guild members have gone missing.”

  Finn grimaced, rubbing at his temple with his good hand. It seemed Bilel was moving fast – much faster than he had anticipated. “It’s likely the Emir,” he murmured. He raised his eyes to see the others watching him. “That relic we recovered from the Abyss was one of two pieces – the Emir’s staff being the other. When combined, it creates a powerful magical artifact. The staff preys on a person’s passion, corrupting their Najima and draining them of their mana. The process also converts them into creatures of pure passion. A hellhound bound to the will of the person who wields the staff.”

  Finn raised his left arm, revealing the dark blade that now jutted from his elbow. “I barely survived the process myself.”

  “The staff also turns the hounds into mana batteries, funneling mana constantly back to the relic,” he continued. “My guess is that the Emir has been draining his royal guard and staff first. If he’s already worked his way through them, he’s most likely kidnapping a few people at a time to continue feeding the staff without creating widespread panic.”

  Kalisha didn’t seem terribly surprised. “We suspected as much. My mechanids and drones captured a few images from inside the palace walls—”

  “The merchants were spying on the Emir?” Aerys interjected in surprise.

  “They have been for some time,” Abbad answered for Kalisha. “The guilds have never fully trusted the Emir or one another. Bilel used this paranoia as a form of control. It keeps the guilds at each other’s throats and individually weak.”

  Kalisha nodded. “Although, that has begun to change. Given the Emir’s betrayal in the competition and this latest information, discussions have begun taking place between the merchants and the fighters. We’ve also reached out to Nefreet, but he has been unusually quiet.” Her eyes focused on Abbad. “Although, I suppose it now makes sense why he would be reluctant to speak with us by himself.”

  “Which, I suppose, leads us to the reason we’re here…” The merchant hesitated, as though not quite certain how to continue.

  “Which is?” Finn prompted, although he already suspected the answer. He could recall his last conversation with the Seer. The gameboard had been set, and the goddess had carefully arranged the pieces. While he might have given away the relic – handed their enemy a powerful weapon – he had also set the stage for something new…

  “An alliance,” Malik spoke up for the first time. “We are stronger together – the guilds and the Khamsin.” He nodded toward Aerys.

  The merchant glared at Malik. “We could have soft-pedaled that a bit. Bargained for a few perks. You just showed them all of our cards.”

  Malik shrugged. “My orders were not to dicker over petty advantages. We have a more pressing problem at hand. The future of the guilds is at stake.” He hesitated for a moment as though chewing on his words. “We also require the desert folk’s assistance.”

  “Why do you need the Khamsin’s help?” Julia asked, a frown creasing her brow.

  “We would like to evacuate our guild members from Lahab,” Malik answered evenly and without hesitation, earning him an exasperat
ed sigh from Kalisha. “Which means we need help covering our escape and somewhere to set up a safe base camp. We’ll need to move the better part of a thousand people from each guild.”

  Aerys snorted, smacking her hand against the table. “Are you two joking? What makes you think the Khamsin would be willing to help the guilds? After everything you’ve done to us? After how much blood has been spilled?”

  “As though your people are entirely innocent in those conflicts,” Kalisha retorted with a derisive snort. “I seem to recall quite a few attacks on our caravans, leaving merchants and fighters bleeding out in the sands.”

  “We weren’t the ones to throw the first punch. The mages exiled us, the merchants cut off any hope we had of making a living by short-changing us on every trade, and the fighters hunt us like animals…”

  As the bickering became more heated, Finn started to tune it out. His thoughts were racing. What the Seer had described had come to pass. The Emir’s betrayal had set the stage for a potential union between the guilds and the Khamsin – with Finn standing in the center of the conflict.

  They had a mutual enemy, and they needed each other’s help.

  The guilds needed a safe place to retreat. If they waited, the Emir would likely kidnap their members and drain them dry. His power would continue to grow as he charged the staff and created an even larger army of hellhounds. It was only a matter of time before he began openly kidnapping people. And despite Aerys’ anger, the Khamsin needed the guilds. They needed their additional manpower, their equipment, and their skills – fighters, craftsmen, and mages that would be vital in the war that was coming.

  Although, that didn’t solve the larger problem that loomed at the edges of his mind.

  Even if Finn could convince the various factions to work together, how were they going to face Bilel? The demon had a weapon capable of not only incapacitating his enemies from a distance but growing his own ranks at the same time, creating a legion of demon dogs that would only further increase his power. Finn could still remember what Bilel had done to his guards in the throne room. Even working together, the guilds and Khamsin were facing an almost impossibly difficult opponent – one that was growing more powerful with each passing day.

  It still felt like a final piece was missing. A move that Finn couldn’t quite see yet. It left him feeling frustrated and blind.

  “Maybe I should show you the same mercy the guilds have—” Aerys snapped.

  “Enough,” Finn snapped harshly, smacking his palm against the table. He let some of his frustration slip through, his eyes glowing dully as he instinctively channeled his fire mana. A reluctant silence fell across the room, leaving Aerys, Malik, and Kalisha glaring at one another wordlessly.

  “This isn’t the time to bicker. We all have grievances against one another. Blood has been spilled. But the reality is that all of this hardship and conflict has stemmed from one person – Bilel. And now we face an enemy far more powerful than any of us can face alone. We have to put aside the past and work toward a common future.”

  “Are you really suggesting the Khamsin help these people?” Aerys demanded.

  Finn met her gaze. “Yes. Would you rather face an immortal demon wielding a god-forged relic on your own? Or hide in the sands and hope he ignores you? Those aren’t realistic options. We have no choice but to take the fight to Bilel – to kill a demon king. And to do that, we need allies. Soldiers, mages, and craftsmen capable of waging war.”

  Finn waved at the tunnel behind him. “What I told the Khamsin is the truth. We need to rely on ourselves and take matters into our own hands. And that starts with putting aside our grievances and our pride.”

  Aerys grimaced but held her tongue.

  Turning back to Malik and Kalisha, Finn continued, “If the Khamsin help find refuge for your people and assist their passage across the sands, what would the guilds offer in return?”

  The pair glanced at each other. “As you said, we can only run so long and so far. The only real solution is to kill the Emir. The leadership of both guilds have already pledged to commit all of our resources to that fight. They are ready to sign a treaty with both the other guilds and the Khamsin.” Kalisha glanced at Aerys. “Assuming the desert folk are willing to offer us a place for our people.”

  “The other clan leaders would never agree to compromise the location and integrity of our colonies,” Aerys said gruffly.

  “Couldn’t we make a new colony?” Kyyle offered. All eyes turned toward him. “If the Khamsin could identify a rock island that would be suitable for a new colony, even a small group of earth mages could build and fortify that location relatively quickly.”

  “And the Mage Guild could offer mages to help accomplish that goal,” Abbad added with a nod. “We will need to withdraw our own people from the city, and there are many within the guild that are still loyal to me – including Nefreet.”

  “You mean the other islands that are now covered in giant mutant ants,” Aerys said dryly, sparing a glance at Finn. “Someone destroyed their nest, and they have already spread far and fast. Some of the insects have even begun encroaching on our own colonies.”

  Malik tilted his head at that. “Then our fighters shall help clear the pests first. You only add a single step to the process.”

  A sudden silence descended on the room as the group digested this plan.

  Aerys nodded, finally breaking the silence. “I…I might be able to sell that to the other clan leaders.” Her gaze snapped back to Abbad, Kalisha, and Malik. “Assuming I was also promising the military support of the fighters and mages and supplies from the merchants. Although, many will still be unwilling to cooperate.”

  “You could also use my name,” Finn said. “We will need to unite the desert folk under a common banner anyway. It isn’t enough for the Khamsin to simply accept me as a member of your clan. If we are discussing war, now is the time for unity among the clans. Tell them the Najmat Alhidad has called on them to fight for their freedom.”

  Finn paused, recalling the critical expression on that old man’s face back in the arena. Some of the Khamsin wouldn’t be swayed by prophecy alone. “Any clan joining our alliance will also receive weapons and supplies. That should satisfy both the idealists and pragmatists.” Aerys cocked her head as she chewed on that idea, but he could already see her anger morphing into cunning deliberation.

  No doubt, she was weighing how she could barter with the other clan leaders to increase her own standing among the Khamsin. Finn didn’t love giving the woman even greater power and influence – especially not after she had shown she was willing to risk his life to accomplish her own agenda – but if it helped him achieve his goal, then so be it.

  “We’re also authorized to offer one more piece of information – assuming you all were receptive to an alliance. You could consider it a show of good faith,” Kalisha offered.

  The merchant met Finn’s gaze. “I suspect you already see the larger problem here. Even if we combine forces, we’ll still be at a disadvantage against an enemy wielding a god-forged relic – one that can convert our forces mid-fight. I’m not sure any of us fully understand the power of that staff. We either need a powerful weapon of our own… or something that can protect us from the relic.”

  Aerys snorted. “The Khamsin are already immune – one small blessing for the pain we’ve been forced to endure at the hands of the guilds.”

  “But there are many who defected without being purged or who were born in the colonies,” Kalisha retorted. “And that does little to protect the merchants, fighters, and mages who will be fighting by your side. Or would you prefer that your allies turn on you in the middle of battle?”

  “I already expect that outcome,” Aerys shot back.

  “What exactly are you suggesting?” Finn asked, heading off Kalisha’s bitter rejoinder.

  Kalisha spared Aerys a glare before refocusing her attention on Finn. “The merchants are… aware of the location of an ancient workshop that contai
ns advanced magical technology. We believe there may be other items and designs hidden within the facility that could aid us in our fight against the Emir. Legend says this place once manufactured weapons and armor that could protect one against the gods themselves.”

  “That’s rather vague. That sounds more like a wild goose chase than an actual plan to me,” Julia retorted, skepticism coloring her voice.

  Kalisha tilted her head. “If it helps, even our brief access to the workshop is what helped us design the mechanized armor that you faced down in the Abyss. And we barely scratched the surface of that facility. Imagine what other treasures could be hidden inside, assuming there was a competent team willing to explore it.” The implication of her words was clear and Finn hadn’t missed the challenge in her voice.

  “Translation. You want us to go dungeon diving to find you some fancy new designs for your craftsmen,” Julia replied. “I’m sure the merchants will benefit tremendously from such technology.”

  “Or she could be setting a trap,” Aerys offered, staring with open suspicion at Kalisha. “Which would put the Najmat Alhidad at risk.”

  “First off… of course, the merchants would love to get our hands on some new tech. But what benefits one of us benefits all of us – at least, right now.” Kalisha eyed Aerys. “Second, I fail to see how betraying your prophet benefits me or the guilds. Without Finn’s influence, I doubt that this tentative alliance would last for long, and it would undermine your ability to pull together the Khamsin clans. There’s still a war to be won.”

  Finn rubbed at his chin. It did feel like a gamble, but at the same time, Kalisha was right. They were going to need an edge in their fight against Bilel. Even with a union between the Khamsin and the guilds, the demon wasn’t going to go down easily. And after their brief encounter, Finn was confident that Bilel could take on a small army single-handedly – even without a god’s relic.

  And there was still the magical infection that plagued his body. Perhaps he could find a possible cure at the same time – effectively killing two birds with one stone.