“Oh. I’m, erm…” I fished through the pouch on my belt and retrieved the writ stamped with the King’s seal. “I’m here on business.”
The man’s eyes widened as he examined the paper, and he quickly folded in a deep bow. “Say no more. Please let me know if you need anything else; it would be my honor to serve you.”
“Sure. Thank you,’ I said awkwardly, carefully stepping my way through the packed room to the designated bins. I turned the small scroll end over end in my hand absentmindedly, my mind distracted by the interaction. That was...odd. Is this scroll really that important to these people? I tucked it carefully back into my pouch and pulled out the first of the specified baskets. After a few minutes of searching, I found what I was looking for: a pair of long black gloves made from incredibly soft silk, but reinforced on the palms with woven strips of leather.
After verifying they fit comfortably over my hands and beneath my leather bracers, I cleared my throat and waved to the shop attendant as I began to plot my course to the exit. “I’ve found what I was looking for. Thanks for the help.”
“It was my pleasure!” he responded jovially, giving me another deep bow. “If it’s not too much trouble, please give the King my regards.”
“Can do,” I called out over my shoulder, hopping over a haphazard pile of cloth reams and shouldering the door open. As promised, Tess was waiting for me just across the hall, and we set off towards the baths without delay. While we walked, I watched Lia through my Detection with amusement. She had just come to the realization that the three women in the elegant bath chamber were her attendants, and much to her apparent dismay, intended to assist her with her bathing. After a great deal of sputtering, she was able to convince them to face away while she removed her armor and clothing, only allowing them to return when she had entered the water. Despite her initial trepidation, she soon warmed up to the attendants as they brushed out her hair and scrubbed her back, and her face took on a dreamy, blissful look.
My bath was already prepared and steaming when we arrived, complete with a trio of my own female attendants. I felt a targeted rush of jealousy from Lia’s presence at the back of my mind, followed quickly by relief and embarrassment when I sent them all away without a second thought. Once the room was empty, I stripped off my clothing and gingerly lowered myself into the oversized ornate bathtub. The steaming water was uncomfortably warm to start, but as the knotted muscles in my back began to release, I sank deeper into the water with a relieved sigh. After a few minutes of relaxation, I scrubbed myself down with the provided soap and pumice stone, and emerged feeling refreshed and ready for the trials ahead.
Lia and I met up with Tess outside our respective chambers and followed her to a small dining room where a feast had been set out for us. Our table was set for eight, but nobody else arrived to eat with us as we began to pile our plates with food. The offering was incredibly varied and far too large for the two of us: platters of fresh fruits and vegetables, trays of beautiful pastries and cakes, and multiple preparations of fish, fowl, and game covered the large wooden table. Although it was by far the most impressive meal I had ever indulged in, I noted with some amusement that nothing tasted quite as good as the meals Hana had made for us.
As I stood to inspect the nearest dessert tray, the doors at the end of the dining hall opened to reveal Val and her party of five guardsmen. “You’re a bit late for lunch, but I suppose there’s enough left for a few of you,” I called out to them, grabbing a small apple cake from the pile.
“The King is ready to see you,” Val replied, unphased. “Please follow me.”
I took a bite of the pastry, humming in delight at the sweet cinnamon flavor. “I guess it can’t be helped,” I said through a mouth full of food. “You ready, Lia?” She stood and quickly scanned the table, then dashed down a few chairs to grab another sweet roll before returning and giving me an affirmative nod. I grinned, grabbed a second apple cake, and made my way to the exit. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.”
The guards formed a perimeter around us as we traversed the keep once again, making sure to keep us blocked off from any of the adjoining halls we passed. While the men were clearly nervous at our presence, they walked with their hands at their sides instead of on their weapons, which was a welcome improvement from our last visit. After a few minutes of walking, we reached a large set of double doors painted with the sigil of the Golden Throne and guarded by another half dozen men, one of whom I recognized.
“Commander Savitz, it’s nice to see you again,” I said enthusiastically. “How’ve you been?”
He looked at me through squinted eyes, his face somewhere between a scowl and a grimace. “Lux,” he replied with a tiny nod, his gravelly voice barely audible. “The King is ready to see you.”
“Yes, I’ve heard,” I mused. “Will you be joining us?”
“No.”
“I see. That’s a shame.” The double doors swung outwards as two more guards opened them from within the chamber, and our party moved into the throne room. “Well, it’s been lovely chatting with you again, Commander, but the King is ready to see me,” I called back to him, smirking.
Entering from the intended door for the first time, I was able to fully appreciate the massive size of the throne room; I could see the full scope of the towering stained-glass window on the opposite wall all at once, and the golden throne that sat beneath it was appropriately dwarfed in comparison. As expected, Virram Yorrell was seated in the chair, flanked by three white-robed figures I assumed were his councilors. Apart from them, the room was strangely empty, missing the guards posted at every pillar along the path to the throne that I had seen on our last visit.
Our footsteps echoed out across the silent, cavernous room as we made the long journey to the throne. I found myself chanting a simple mantra in my head, attempting to force myself to remember the phrase no matter what happened in the coming meeting: Don’t antagonize him. We just want to leave. While it screamed counter to every fiber of my being, I knew it was the best course of action. If stroking Virram’s ego could be the deciding factor between walking out and fighting our way out, I could swallow my pride for an hour to make it happen.
The soldiers surrounding us came to a sudden halt, forcing Lia and me to stop as well. “Thank you, men. You may go,” Virram commanded, his voice full of the lazy confidence I had tried to forget. The guards saluted in unison, then spun and made the trip back to the far exit. Val continued forward to the base of the raised platform that supported the enormous golden throne, taking her place as a shield between us and her King.
“It would seem that congratulations are in order!” he proclaimed, raising his hands to us. “When I tasked you with this mission, I could never have guessed that you would return with the country’s most wanted criminal as a prisoner.” He shook his head, laughing. “And the General, killed in action? It’s almost impossible to believe!”
Virram looked back and forth between Lia and me for a long moment in silence. “With a task force as capable as this, Kaldan would never be in danger again.” I gritted my teeth and said nothing as I waited for him to make his offer. “Based on the report from my Shield, you two were imperative in this mission’s success. I was surprised by how highly she spoke of you, given your initial...reluctance to accept.” He grinned arrogantly as he let the statement linger.
“Despite our previous history, I would be foolish not to offer you a place in my Royal Guard. After a recent incident in Shadowmine, I have found myself in need of competent soldiers once again.” He motioned to his closest advisor, who hurried over and handed him a scroll. “You would be heavily compensated, of course: your own private estate in the city, a handsome salary, and full access to the many amenities offered here in the keep, to start.”
“While that is a truly gracious offer, I am afraid that we must decline,” I answered, bowing deeply. “After our experience in Attetsia, we are looking to live a much less adventurous life.”
&
nbsp; He arched an eyebrow. “Such manners! My Shield, you’ve done an excellent job in taming this one.” He chuckled to himself for a moment. “While I am disappointed, I cannot say I expected you to agree. As per our original agreement, you are hereby granted a full pardon for any crimes committed on Kaldanic soil leading to your arrest.” He lifted a hand lazily. “Gullen, fetch his payment.”
The small man nodded profusely and disappeared behind the throne, returning a moment later with a lockbox. He hastily crossed the distance between us and held out the prize, his hands visibly shaking. I took the reward and opened the lid; much to my surprise, it was filled with the promised contents, and a significantly higher sum of gold than originally promised. This is...not what I was expecting.
He smiled down at us as I finished inspecting the reward. “You may notice that you have been paid double what you were owed. Please consider this gift recompense for our less than agreeable first meeting.”
“That is very generous of you, King Yorrell. We are honored,” I replied, bowing again.
Virram clapped his hands excitedly. “Now! With that out of the way, I simply have a few questions about certain details of your mission, and then you will be free to go. My Shield provided an excellent, in-depth summary of the events, but some things still remain unclear.” Despite being a constant topic of conversation, Val remained expressionless as she stood her vigil. “Just a few questions. It won’t take long.”
My stomach lurched as I put on a false smile. “Of course. What would you like to know?”
“I was told that, on the night of your raid on the Attetsian statehouse, you nobly stayed behind as a distraction while your companions snuck past the guards.” He tilted his head to the side, resting it on his fist. “Tell me, how is it you were able to eliminate four dozen soldiers by yourself? Such a feat of heroism seems impossible.”
Of all the things he could’ve asked about, why this? There’s no way he could know what happened, unless...My eyes tracked down to Val, and my hand clenched reflexively into a fist. “The truth of the matter is much less heroic, I’m afraid,” I admitted with a nervous laugh. “I set fire to the building we were hiding in, and ambushed the first guards who investigated. When they didn’t return, the bulk of the remaining soldiers ran to search the area, and I snuck away through the smoke. I can’t say for sure what happened to them after I left.”
He smirked and, although I couldn’t identify why, I knew I had walked into a trap. “That’s very interesting. You see, I’ve heard a very different account of how things happened that night.”
Val and Lia weren’t there to see what happened, and everyone else who did is dead. I thought back to the events of the fight, using every bit of concentration I could muster not to flinch at the horrors I inflicted. What is he talking about?
“Contrary to what you were told upon accepting this mission, I was not uninformed of the situation of Attetsia. What sort of king would I be if I wasn’t keeping a careful eye on our closest potential enemies?” He let out a triumphant, bitter laugh. “My agents had already joined the local ranks of the Unbound before you left Yoria, and had done an excellent job of keeping me updated on their movements throughout the occupation.”
Pieces began to lock into place in my mind as I continued to scan the fight, desperately trying to find what I had missed. The Strategist was telling the truth. They were in league from the start. That still doesn’t explain how he could...wait.
I arrived at the answer, a second too late. “One of my men happened to be in the courtyard during the incident in question. The things he saw that night were truly disturbing.” Virram leaned forward in his chair. “He claims that a man consumed by black flames killed every man present with such brutality that nothing remained but blood and ash. Only by the blessing of the Primes was he able to escape with his life, while the monster was distracted in its rampage.” He turned to his nearest councilor. “What was it he called it?”
“The locals have referred to it as the Umbral Flame, my King,” Gullen answered.
Too ashamed to face Lia, I locked eyes with the King. “I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that.”
“That is a shame, but I suppose it can’t be helped,” he said with a shrug. “I have only one other question, about your fight with the General.”
“He was a fearsome warrior, to be sure, but—”
“The question is not for you,” Virram interrupted. “I was speaking to Marlia Corell. Daughter of Marten and Hana Corell.”
I felt a chill down my spine as I heard the implied message. I know who you are. I know where your family lives. My heart began to race in my chest as my fight or flight reflexes activated, sending an electric tingle to the ends of my extremities. The atmosphere of the room remained the same, but Virram’s game was abundantly clear: accept the offer, or bring death upon yourselves and the ones you love.
“Now, Lia,” he continued, lingering on her name once again, “how is it that a trader’s daughter won a fight against one of the world’s most dangerous warriors?”
“That is an exaggeration, my King,” she replied calmly. “While it is true that I delivered the killing blow, I only had the chance to do so because of the protection of your Shield. The General would have killed me if she had not been there. To say that I won a fight against him would be inaccurate.”
His eyes narrowed. “Still, to even stand against him is a great feat. Men with decades of training have died by his sword in mere moments. Clearly, you are a gifted prodigy.”
“You honor me,” she said with a respectful bow. “I do not know what to say.”
“Say that you will join my Royal Guard,” he countered.
There was a long pause as they stared each other down. “I will not,” she answered eventually, the warmth and courtesy in her voice markedly absent.
“That is truly unfortunate. Maybe you’d like a day to think it over? Discuss it with your parents!” he suggested pointedly. “Come to think of it, perhaps I’ll bring them here for a private audience. They might be more willing—”
“We’ll be taking our leave now, unless you have further questions” I interrupted loudly.
His eyes flicked back to mine angrily. “Perhaps you don’t understand. I’ll give you one more chance to—”
“I fully understand the situation,” I growled, cutting him off again.
“Such a waste. My councilors warned me that you wouldn’t agree to my terms, but to think you would become so violent…” A terrible, devilish smile curled his lips. “I suppose nobody will be surprised to hear that you drew your sword and threatened my life when you found my offer lacking; you were a wanted criminal, after all. I’m lucky my Guard was here to protect me.” For a brief moment, Val’s emotion finally broke through the impassive mask she wore; her eyebrows raised and pulled together as her mouth opened to let out a small gasp.
I felt an insistent pulse of alarm from Lia at the back of my mind, and I realized too late that I had let my guard down. I reached out with Detection, following her guiding mana to the barracks room behind the throne. Two dazzling figures illuminated my vision; while the men themselves appeared only slightly above average in terms of their mana capacity, the weapons they held radiated a multicolored light show of magic energy I had only seen once before. The Trinity Guard.
Seemingly triggered by my discovery, the men opened the door and filed into the room, ascending the stairs behind the throne to take their places at Virram’s side. The juxtaposition of the two men was a strange sight; the man to Virram’s right was clad head to toe in exquisite gilded plate armor and wielded a massive, pitch black sword, while the man to the King’s left wore nothing apart from a leather skirt belted with jingling iron medallions and a pair of enormous metal gauntlets that extended up to his elbows.
“Thank the Primes you arrived in time!” Virram shouted with feigned relief. “These two criminals have made an attempt on my life! I continue to breathe only by the protection of my Shi
eld.” He stood from the throne and pointed at us. “Commander, your reinforcements have arrived. It is time to put an end to these villains, once and for all.”
His words echoed through the hall, fading to silence while the room remained completely still. My eyes were trained on Val’s, hoping against hope to find some sign of empathy. She stood perfectly still, her body so tense that it threatened to shatter like an overdrawn bow. After a moment of waiting, Virram cleared his throat. “Commander Sesaude, give the order. Now.”
As if in slow motion, her arm reached back to retrieve her shield and hold it out at the ready. “Val, don’t do this,” I pleaded, my voice breaking from the strain. “You don’t have to do this.”
Val’s eyes closed as the world waited for her decision. I heard the whisper of a sword leaving its sheath beside me, and looked down in surprise to find Lia taking a battle stance. Where I would have expected to see fear or despair on her face, I found only fury. The emotion radiated through her aura, washing over me in waves, and I could hear her voice in my head. I trusted her.
When Val’s eyes finally opened, they were filled with tears. Her voice rang out over the silent throne room, and my blood chilled to ice at the words.
“Kill them.”
***
Author’s Note
Another volume down, another author’s note to write! I hope you all enjoyed Volume 2 of Restart Again. I apologize for the eight month wait between the books; my overall goal is to release a book every six months until the series is finished, but there are plenty of pieces that have to fall into place for that timeline to be met. Hopefully all of the things I’ve learned throughout this process will speed up my schedule and allow me to meet this self-imposed deadline going forward!
Speaking of deadlines, you may have noticed that this volume of the series lacked any additional art apart from the cover. While I was hoping to include two additional pieces in the interior, I ran out of time on the commissions. If the book was to see the light of day in 2020, it would have to be without additional art, and after going back and forth on the idea a couple of times, I decided that an entire novel’s worth of content outweighed the added artwork. However, the pieces are still going to be completed! Every bit of artwork for the project (Volume 1’s art, Volume 2’s art, and every character portrait I’ve had commissioned) is hosted on my website in full color and resolution for everyone to see!
Restart Again: Volume 2 Page 35
