Val charged forward without hesitation, taking the remaining crossbow bolts on her outstretched shield. Her vicious battle cry seemed to refocus Lia, and she sprang up from her forced crouch to sprint out from behind Val’s bulk towards her assigned guards. While the one-sided combat played out around me, I straightened and paced forward into the chamber with a well-practiced nonchalance. Lia’s assessment had been accurate; apart from the dwindling guard force at the door, the only remaining people in the room stood behind a large, half-crescent table opposite us.
The Strategist met my gaze, and a smirk curled the corner of his mouth. To my left and right, the noise of combat faded out, and my companions joined me in our procession down the center aisle. The Council chamber was a long stone room, large enough to hold a meeting with hundreds of nobles at once. Every wall of the chamber was decorated in gorgeous tapestries depicting various historical events, each with a small inscription at the bottom describing the scene above. Heavy wooden benches ran halfway down the aisle on either side of us, leaving a large open space for gatherings or demonstrations in front of the Council table, which was raised up on a low platform.
“I was wondering when you would make your appearance, Valandra,” the Strategist called out warmly, as if speaking to an old friend. “Though I have to say, your choice of company is unexpected. Has the Trinity Guard become the Quintet Guard? Or perhaps, this is all that remains of your most recent batch of recruits? They’ve certainly gained my respect for making it all the way here.”
“Your hold on Attetsia ends tonight,” Val replied, ignoring his prodding. “You will send your fleet away, disband your army, and accompany me back to Yoria as my prisoner to answer for your crimes against Kaldan.”
He let out a flowing, melodious laugh. “I don’t think that I will, unfortunately.” He pulled out the large, center chair of the council table and sat down, kicking his feet up on the edge of the table. “You appear to be woefully uninformed of the situation here, Commander. Did your King send you off on a noble quest without an explanation of what you were walking into?”
Val glared at him, but said nothing in return. He leaned forward, his eyebrows raising in surprise. “He did!” The Strategist clapped his hands and rocked back in his chair. “That Virram is more clever than I gave him credit for. Don’t you think so, General?” He turned to the older man standing beside him. The General stared straight ahead, seemingly uninterested in the conversation. There was an awkward pause before the Strategist waved at him dismissively and turned to the woman in white. “Wasn’t that a clever move, dear?”
“Yes, sir,” the woman responded obediently, “I underestimated King Virram.”
“That’s right!” he said with a smile. “I didn’t expect him to be so...thorough.” He bridged his hands in front of his face and rested his chin on his thumbs. “Valandra, what do you think is truly happening in Attetsia? Why do you think you’re here?”
Silence was all he received as a response, though Val’s rigid stance and clenched jaw spoke volumes for her. “Come now, Commander. This won’t be any fun if you don’t play along.”
Val took a single step forward, and the whole room shifted in response. The white-robed woman flicked her wrist forward, and a sparkling diamond orb rolled down into her hand; The General shifted from his statue like post, placing a hand down on the table before him and leaning forward in preparation to vault across should the need arise; and the Strategist’s smug smile returned, clearly displaying his pleasure in getting beneath Val’s skin.
Lia stepped up before the tenuous parley broke into a brawl, shifting out from behind Val’s shield to point her sword at the Strategist. “Stop pretending this is a game! We’re here because you and the rebels took over the city, and are planning to attack Kaldan!”
“Such passion!” the Strategist exclaimed. “Is this who you’ve chosen to take on as your apprentice, Commander? I can see why; her fighting spirit clearly matches yours.” He chuckled with self-satisfaction. “You’re very observant, young lady; you’ve seen exactly what I wanted you to see.” I rolled my eyes as he took a dramatic pause. It was clear he wanted to lead us to a shocking revelation, and his theatrics had already begun to wear on my nerves.
“Tell me, Commander. You’ve been our most formidable opponent in every Kaldanic endeavor we’ve taken on, so you must be familiar with our Company’s operating procedures. Do you honestly believe that a group of disgruntled citizens could gather enough coin to hire an arm of our business, let alone the whole Company?” He tipped his head to one side and watched Val expectantly. “Every noble in this city combined couldn’t afford that.
“Now, who do we know that has both the significant sums of money required to purchase our services, and the motivation to overthrow the Attetsian government?” He made an exaggerated show out of stroking his chin in thought. “Perhaps the ruler of Attetsia’s biggest rival?”
“I am growing tired of your lies,” Val barked sharply. “Your slander will not—”
“Valandra, I respect you far too much to lie about such things,” he said with a gracious bow of his head. “I know how difficult this must be for you to take in, given your unwavering dedication to the Golden Throne, but you must view it from a purely strategic perspective. It is in everybody’s best interest for this coup to proceed uninterrupted.”
I bristled as I reached the conclusion he was lazily approaching. It wasn’t necessarily a surprise that Virram would orchestrate a coup in Kaldan’s most stubborn neighbor, but the idea that he sent Val on a mission intended to fail just to cover his tracks bothered me more than being sent on it myself. I underestimated Virram, too.
“It’s not best for all the people you’re sending off to fight!” Lia shouted at him angrily.
“Oh, my dear, it certainly is,” he replied in a soothing voice. “Our army will gather at the plaza in the morning and march straight to Yoria, where Virram will already have massed a defending force. Under the guise of the wise leader, he will put a halt to the bloodshed before it begins by demanding to negotiate. The terms are rather simple: Virram saves Yoria without a single life lost and puts to rest the centuries old feud between Kaldan and Attetsia, while we gain control of the most powerful trading port in the world.” He waved a hand dismissively in the air. “The exact details were...painful to hammer out, but after months of deliberation we finally reached an accord.”
“You’re just lying to trick us into letting you go,” Lia retorted. “You would never tell us your real plan!”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he said, grinning devilishly. “It’s my one weakness, you see. There’s just no fun in it for me if you die without knowing the truth.”
“No…” Val trailed off. It was the first time I had seen her so completely shaken; she stood statue still apart from her eyes, which scanned vacantly around the floor in front of her. “He would not...he would not have sent me. If this is true, he would not have sent me here.”
“Valandra, Valandra,” he pouted, leaning forward on his elbows. “No one is more trustworthy than you. Were you to arrive in Attetsia and discover the Elta’sahn Company plotting Yoria’s downfall, it would give Virram enough time to plan his defenses and negotiations. Should you die valiantly on your mission, well...how did he put it? ‘To honor her memory, I will shield the city as she once shielded me. No blood will be spilled while I still draw breath,’” he recited in a clear mockery of Virram’s voice. “It was quite touching, really.”
My jaw clenched as I tried to process the information. The supposed agreement between Virram and the Strategist was elegant, and from what I had observed, it was certainly in character for both men. I could follow the logic to a certain point, but a single detail always put a wrinkle in the plans. Why is the Dominion here? It was possible the Strategist intended to renege on his backroom dealings with the King and storm the city with their added might. Perhaps he didn’t know what he had done in summoning them, and was unaware of the chaos abou
t to be unleashed on the world.
Val let out a loud hiss as she looked away in defeat, and the last of my patience ran out all at once. “I know you think you’re incredibly clever, but your plan has one large error: none of your dealings will matter when the world is destroyed.” I stepped out to stand in front of Val, blocking her from the Strategist’s line of sight. “Tell me how you contacted the Dominion, and where the Conduit is. If you tell the truth, there’s a chance I’ll let you live.”
The Strategist screwed up his face in pure puzzlement, looking back between his two stoic companions in confusion. When he found no answers there, he turned back to me and stood, clapping his hands. Shrewd grey eyes sparkled down at me from beneath his massive hat, and a wicked grin curled his thin lips. “I must say, I did not expect this. For the first time in my life, I find myself at a loss for words.” He pointed at me, shaking his finger up and down as he thought to himself. “You’re a confounding individual, my friend. It is my job to know everything about everyone, and I do that job quite well, but you...I don’t know you. Where are you from? Did Virram contract a—”
“I’m well out of patience for your mind games,” I snapped, “and your time is wearing dangerously thin. The Dominion. The Conduit. Answers, now.” My sword flashed into my hand and pointed up at the man.
The woman in white gasped and the General drew his swords for battle, but the Strategist held out his hand. “You will wait for my command,” he snapped quietly at the pair. He cleared his throat as his companions retook their resting positions, then looked back to me and smiled. “I’m truly sorry, but I am unfamiliar with whatever information you’re looking for.”
My growing uncertainty tied knots in my stomach, and my anger flared up in response. “I thought it was your job to know everything about everyone?” I mocked. “Your soldiers with the distorted eyes and enhanced abilities. The Dominion.”
He snapped his fingers excitedly as a wave of recognition passed over his face. “I see! Please forgive me; I was unaware they had come to call themselves ‘The Dominion.’ The men here certainly have a flair for the dramatic, it seems.” He sat back down in his chair, clearly relieved. “They are quite a marvel, aren’t they? As our plans for the acquisition of Attetsia crystallized, I realized it was the perfect opportunity to test out my newest pet project. Where else could I find a population more willing to take modified Warp than a group of angry rebels?”
The last thing I had expected was a seemingly honest explanation. “Warp?”
“You’ve...never heard of Warp? Fascinating.” He tapped his chin quietly for a moment, then shook off whatever line of thought had distracted him before continuing. “Warp is a drug of Doramese origin, initially created by overworked miners to increase productivity and enable longer working hours. Side effects are minimal, given that you adhere to the recommended dose, of course. It’s been an integral tool in the Company for years.”
With a small hand gesture, he summoned the woman in white to his side. “As a show of good faith, Virram offered me a gift when our negotiations were finished: his most promising disciple from the Unity Cathedral in Yoria.” He smiled up at her sweetly. “And what a gift she’s been! Within a week of joining my service, she identified multiple avenues for improvement in our Warp supply. A week! Doram’s been using Warp for decades, and she makes it better in a week!”
Val stirred behind me. “The Yorian cathedral?” She stepped forward and peered over my shoulder at the woman, then gasped as recognition finally came. “Solette Barrow,” she called out, somewhere between a question and an accusation.
“Yes, Commander,” the woman replied. “We were never properly introduced before my dismissal, but we met several times in passing at the cathedral.”
“Gullen branded you a heretic and exiled from the capital.” There was an unusual waver in Val’s voice as she spoke. “How did you come to be in service to the Company?”
“I already told you, Commander,” the Strategist said, annoyed, “she was a gift. It’s not as though they could give you the true reason for her disappearance. I never inquired as to their cover story, but...heretic seems a fitting reason, don’t you think, dear?”
“Yes, sir,” Solette nodded. “Gullen didn’t approve of my unorthodox methods of prayer. He was glad to see me go; I believe he feared my connection to the Primes.”
“Unorthodox, yes,” the Strategist mused with a grin. “The Warp distributed among the Unbound so far has already surpassed our wildest expectations. Based on that data, Solette has created another batch that stands to change the course of history. Soldiers fighting with the strength of three normal men, unable to be stopped by injury or pain.” He paused for a moment in consideration. “I have been looking for something to call these men, come to think of it. Perhaps the ‘Dominion’ isn’t the worst name. A bit ostentatious, maybe, but—”
“Enough!” I shouted. “I’m sick of listening to your bullshit lies.” I tried my best to disguise my shattered confidence with anger; every instinct hammered into my head from the years of fighting in Hedaat told me the Dominion was on the brink of devouring another world, but my gut knew something was off. Solette. It has to be her. The mana signature, whatever this “Warp” nonsense is, the claims of heresy: it HAS to be the Dominion. She’s hiding the corruption somehow, but she’s the Conduit.
The Strategist’s eyes narrowed. “You speak like a man who has never been punished for his insolence. That will change.” He held up a hand and snapped his fingers above his head. “Solette, take out their tongues; I will not be interrupted again. General, make sure they stay for their lesson. If they move, kill them.”
A jolt of adrenaline surged through my body as the room readied for combat. The General slid over the table and landed in a lithe crouch, drawing his swords as he descended the short staircase to the chamber floor. Solette cupped her diamond orb to her chest with both hands and closed her eyes. “Primeval of Darkness, I beseech thee-”
“Val, countermeasures,” I whispered.
“-grant unto me the power to silence the foes of my master-”
I turned to Val and found her staring vacantly at Solette. “VAL!” Her eyes snapped to attention, and she quickly dropped to one knee, planting her shield in the ground in front of her as she started to chant.
“O Prime of Light, divine above all-”
“-and allow your word to ring true-”
“-bestow upon me the power to protect my allies-”
“-within the ears of the damned!”
There was a soft pop inside my ears, followed immediately by a heavy wave of vertigo that nearly knocked me to my knees. Val’s chanting abruptly stopped behind me, and I felt my heart sink as I let out a silent gasp. Looking down to her confirmed my fears; though her lips were moving, she didn’t make a sound. The realization came to her a moment later as she reached up and grabbed her throat, trying in vain to make even the softest noise. When all of her attempts failed, she looked up to me with an expression of abject terror and mouthed a simple phrase: “I’m sorry.”
I felt a gentle nudge at my side, and I turned to find Lia standing next to me with her sword at the ready. Our eyes locked, and I felt the warmth of her aura reach out to mine. The pure, unwavering confidence emanating out from her bolstered my flagging resolve, and my chest swelled with pride at the sight of her strength. I gave her a small nod, and we turned as one to face the General. To my surprise, he halted his advance about ten feet away, standing statue-still as he waited for any of us to move.
“Now, perhaps, you’ll be more apt to listen when I speak to you.” I jumped as the Strategist’s voice rang loud and clear in my ears. “I was hoping we would have a chance to talk, but it is clear that you can’t be trusted with that privilege.” He paced out from behind the table to the edge of the small staircase, leading Solette along close behind him. “It’s a shame that the two of you will die a mystery to me.”
His eyes tracked past us to Val. “Commander, I
have to say, given our past encounters and your glorious reputation, I had expected you to be more...formidable.” His tone grew significantly more vicious as he continued. “This has been a truly pathetic display; I expect Virram will be disappointed when I recount these events at our next meeting. If I’m feeling kind, perhaps I’ll return your shield to him as a gift. I would return your body as well, but I don’t imagine there will be much left when Solette is finished with you.”
A white-hot rage burned behind my eyes as I stood voiceless, forced to listen to his berating. “As you die, I would like you to reflect on your failings. The King to whom you’ve pledged your life to has lied to you and sent you to die, but it was your arrogance that led you to your death at my hands. Moreover, it has led your friends here to die as well.” He paused and scanned his eyes over Lia and me with a malicious smile. “I wonder...are you truly as strong as they say? When you watch your friends burn before you, will you make your final stand, or will you throw down your shield and beg for mercy?” The silence that filled the room as he watched us felt as though it lasted an eternity. “I suppose we’ll see.”
He turned his back to us and prepared to round the table to retake his seat, but he paused next to Solette. “Kill those two first. Make it something painful; I’d like to hear them scream before it’s over, if you could.”
“Yes, sir,” Solette answered obediently. She held the diamond orb up above her head with both hands as a faint orange light shimmered at the center of the gem, which began to rise into the air as her new chant started. “Primeval of Fire, I beseech thee-”
I felt the familiar sensation of time slowing around me as my adrenaline kicked into overdrive. With a deep, measured breath, I looked down to Lia one final time and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. Despite our imminent demise, I found myself smiling at her as my mind focused to a singular purpose. As my remaining energy reserves began to activate, I reached out to her mana and flooded her with my intention. I’ll protect you, but I need you to protect me, too.
Restart Again: Volume 2 Page 28
