by Jeff Kish
Marmela’s heart sinks as she leans against the wall, a flood of emotions coursing through her body. Anger, fear, and anxiety bring a weakness to her knees, and she sinks to the floor. “How…?” is all she can manage to utter.
Galen clenches his fist in frustration. “It’s as you warned. The guards must have been paid off by Merc Market resources.”
“No, I mean, I was keeping watch on all of it,” she says. “The roster, the schedule… I even patrolled this hallway myself for thirty hours straight! I should never have slept.”
“This is not your fault,” he insists.
She plants her head in her hands. “I was certain that Morla and Tuye were loyal. How could I have been…?”
He frowns while examining a document in his hand. “Morla and Tuye were originally scheduled, but an order came before sunrise to relieve them.”
“Who issued the order?” she demands as she snatches it.
“General Graff.”
“The general?” she exclaims as she scans it over. “I gave him explicit warning not to-”
“Easy, Marmela. I suspect it was forged,” Galen says. “It placed Narba and Wales in charge of the prison area.”
“I had long suspected they were bought,” she groans. “They really just snuck him out of here? Where is Praler!?”
Galen raises his eyebrows. “Why do you ask?”
“I left her here when I retired. Where is she?”
He grimaces. “I’ve seen no sign of her. If Talkem killed or captured her…!”
“He did not harm me,” says a timid voice, rounding a nearby corner. The young officer sports thick, dark hair, and her green eyes are filled with uneasiness. She approaches her superiors and offers a weak salute. “I-I’m so sorry, Marmela. His men had my family hostage. My father and brother! They told me if I fought them or called for the alarm, they’d…”
Marmela shoots to her feet and brings her hand back, ready to strike her subordinate, but Galen grabs her wrist. “Enough. This is not the lieutenant commander’s fault.”
The zealous officer’s fierce demeanor slowly softens. “Thayo… He masterfully predicted my movements, to have taken your family hostage in advance like that,” she says, as if trying to calm herself. She looks to Praler and asks, “Are they well?”
Praler wipes a tear from her eye. “They honored their promise. My father and brother are in my quarters upstairs.”
“You saw his men,” she points out. “Did you overhear where they were headed?”
Still red with shame, Praler states, “Yes, I heard them say they were headed to Alleria.”
“Is he seeking asylum?” Galen asks in disbelief. “They would kill him on sight!”
Ferociously, Praler growls, “Commander Marmela, I want nothing more than to hunt and slaughter those heartless fiends. Just tell me what to do, and I will do it. I’ll turn in my uniform and chase him across the border if I must.”
“That will not be necessary,” Marmela says, a gleam in her eye. “He is not headed across the border.”
Praler is puzzled. “What? But I heard them-”
“The commander would not have made the mistake of allowing you to hear their plans. Besides that, Commander Talkem already has men in Alleria,” she explains. “He will not risk the journey himself, especially as a Valvoran commander, former or otherwise. He will remain on this side of the border.”
“Then we must track him.” General Graff’s booming voice brings a chill to the three officers, and they scramble to salute their superior. “Brief me.”
Praler steps forward, her voice quavering. “Sir, I… I-”
“Lieutenant Commander Praler was coerced,” Marmela interjects. “Thayo’s men took her family hostage. She aided his escape against her will.” Graff fixes his gaze on Praler, forcing her to shrink back. Marmela hurries to add, “Sir, I will vouch for the lieutenant commander’s integrity. She was-”
“We will investigate this matter later, Commander,” he says. “Right now, we must use all our resources to track him down. His Majesty will not be pleased if we are forced to delay Talkem’s execution.”
Marmela ponders this. “He may have escaped, but, with his men in Alleria, he is likely setting up near the border. We should flood the neutral zone with scouts to intercept the exchange.”
“They’re likely still communicating with each other via portable beacon units,” Galen theorizes. “Our towers near the border should intercept any information passed between the parties. We can also run records from the past twelve hours in case something was sent by one of our towers on his behalf.”
“But Thayo knows his cipher was broken,” Marmela says. “He’ll have changed to a new encryption algorithm.”
Suddenly facing Praler, Graff says, “Lieutenant Commander, I want a detailed report of your role in this on my desk before you leave.”
“Sir!” she acknowledges, visibly grateful and possibly even perplexed by the menial discipline.
As she hurries away, Graff turns back to his commanders and orders, “Follow me.” They obey as he leads them to a private meeting room, where the windowless, stone walls guarantee their privacy. “Commanders, what I’m about to tell you does not leave this room. You are not to breathe a word of it to your lieutenant commanders, the runics… No one.” They wait in expectation as he offers a long pause. “I approved the change of guards. I allowed our prisoner to escape.”
Galen’s jaw drops, and Marmela’s eyes widen as she fights against herself to patiently await an explanation.
“Diamond’s runic friend sought refuge in Alleria,” Graff reveals, his arms behind his back, “and I deemed Talkem the best chance for us to recover him.”
“I don’t understand,” Galen interjects. “After all this, Talkem agreed to help us?”
“Heavens, no,” he says. “Thayo is an unwitting accomplice. His men in Alleria have already been hunting the runic. They intend to bring him across the border, at which point we will make our move.”
“But what about-” Galen starts, but Marmela places a hand on his shoulder to cut him off.
“I understand the strategy,” she quietly says. “Surely he is being tracked, then?”
“Tracking would have been risky, so I chose a different maneuver,” he explains. “I solicited Lieutenant Commander Rex to go undercover and aid in our criminal’s escape. As Galen suggested, Talkem will assuredly use a portable beacon node to communicate with his forces in Alleria. I have instructed Rex to send us the new encryption cipher as soon as possible, which will thereby enable us to monitor their messages and time a perfect assault.”
“The risk is our reliance on Rex,” Marmela notes. “If Thayo catches him, we will never receive the cipher. He would make a clean escape with the runic.”
“Yes, we must have a contingency plan. That is why, even as we await Rex’s message, you will work to crack the new cipher,” Graff forcefully declares. “You did it once before, Commander. I expect you can do it again.”
“Th-That was with months of data,” she contests, bewildered. “I would need at least six or seven messages to even start to-”
“You will report to the beacon tower at Allas. Work with the towers at Ramas and Drynga to report on any scrambled messages. If Rex is discovered, we are relying on you, Commander, to find our runic. Do not fail me.”
Marmela salutes and excuses herself from the chamber. Graff says to Galen, “Commander, should Rex and Marmela fail, or last chance is to sniff out Talkem’s hiding spot the traditional way. The border scouts are already under your direction, so I task you with this operation. Diamond and Opal are also yours to command.”
“Yes, sir,” he says with a salute. As Graff starts to leave, Galen says, “Sir, this maneuver is risky. I know it isn’t my place to ask, but what will His Highness think about all this?”
“With any luck, we will obtain a third runic and His Majesty will never need to know the details,” Graff pointedly answers. “There is much on the
line, Nayl. Find my runic.”
As he departs, Galen finds his heart pounding. To release a traitor without the monarch’s approval is an action that could itself be argued as treasonous. This brash move feels like crossing a line into military insubordination, and Galen can only trust that his superior has properly weighed the risks of this plan.
* * *
Era treads the mountainside with enthusiasm, his heart anxious as he nears his destination. He motions for his partner to hurry as he pushes forward with stealth, dashing between the trees of the thick forest in which they now find themselves.
Jem does little to hide herself as she trudges onward, exhausted from traveling with such urgency these past several days, especially given the mountainous terrain of southern Alleria. Her journey with Era has been a quiet one, with words exchanged only as necessary. With every step, an inner war wages between her desperation to escape and her promise made to Era to see this through.
Motion catches her eye, and she sees Era signaling for a quiet approach. She sets her bag down and cautiously moves to his side at the hill’s crest. They peek out from behind their cover to find a gaping gorge spread before them. Thousands of trees litter the landscape, and in the midst of it sits Magnifica, twice the size of Valvoren’s Lake Haran. Spread before the base of a towering, purple mountain, its deep blue waters sparkle in the midday sun as the tranquil chirping of birds fills the air. Across the lake, distant fishing boats are drifting nearby a village on the opposite coast. Jem has to catch her breath at the majesty of it all, but she relinquishes her awe and reminds herself that an assassin may well be lurking in the shadows. Two assassins, if she counts Fire.
Era leans close. “The cavern is supposedly on a ridge above the south side, surrounded by trees. Maybe above that beach down there,” he indicates with his finger. “If Tema is really guarding it then we need to approach carefully.”
Jem barely nods her acknowledgement as she retrieves her bag. “Path down is over here,” she comments while taking the lead. Her mind endlessly loops the conversation outside Gantz, and she feels like a fool for baring her soul to Era like she did. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she realizes she made her promise to Era without considering how dangerous this mission could become.
“Let’s look over there,” Era points, his sights locked on the ridge as they arrive at a shallow cliff overlooking the beach.
“I’m sick of mountains,” Jem groans as she forces her aching legs to move.
“I wonder how much of Alleria is like this.”
“Too much.”
“Agreed,” he offers in awkward amusement.
They hug the rocky wall until they find a thick cluster of trees. Era forms his earth sword and steps into the foliage, hacking his way through the branches as Jem follows. He pushes into the brush until he finds the cliff wall, and his heart races in excitement when he stumbles onto a cave opening. “Jem, this is it!”
She steps up to the cavernous entrance and shines her light rune into its deep confines, but the illumination offers no indication of an end to the tunnel.
The branches above rustle as a figure emerges behind them. They spin and grasp their weapons, only to find their ally staring them down with scorn. “Yikes, Fire! Don’t scare us like that,” Era scolds before turning back to his discovery.
“You two are pathetic,” she growls in typical fashion. “What if it wasn’t me? I could have cut you down with ease.”
“But it was you,” Era points out. “You must not have found your target.”
“Tsh, not that it’s your business,” she gripes. “But no, she’s not here.”
“Are you going to keep looking?”
“I’ve been here for days. If she had been here, I would know about it,” Fire says. “That drunken gambler played me, so I guess I know where I’m headed next.”
Jem snickers. “Wow, Fire, it looks like you haven’t slept since we last saw each other.”
“I’ve slept…” she mumbles while rubbing her eyes. “Where’s the royal pain? Did you finally ditch him?”
“Kind of. He left on his own,” Era replies. “So, have you checked out the cave?”
“Haven’t been inside,” Fire says. “Too busy wasting my time searching the area.”
“What if she’s in there?” Era asks.
Fire shakes her head. “Inside is too risky, she wouldn’t know if anyone approached. If she was guarding this cave, she’d have to be somewhere with sight on it.”
“Wait just a second,” Jem barks. “You knew where the cave was, and that this other assassin was supposedly guarding it, yet you waited until we were on top of it to reveal yourself?”
“So?”
“You were using us a bait!” she screams. “To see if your assassin friend would drop us when we found it!”
Fire says nothing, and Era lets out a small whistle. “That’s pretty low, Fire.”
“I would have swept in to help,” she argues. “I am trying to kill her.”
Era grimaces. “I guess we were lucky. Still, maybe don’t use us as bait again?”
“MAYBE?” Jem shouts. “That’s it? You’re really going to let her get away with that!?”
Era lets out a sigh. “Jem, not now.”
“No, Era! I’m sick of her! I’m sick of being used by… ALL OF YOU.” With that, she storms inside the mouth of the cave. “Let’s get this over with.”
Fire raises an eyebrow at Era. “What’d you do?”
“Nothing,” he grumbles as he hurries after his partner.
The cave entrance opens into an empty expanse within the mountainside, and Jem flashes her rune to illuminate the area around the entrance. The rock walls are abnormally smooth, and even the cavern floor is level.
“This isn’t a natural cave,” Era comments.
Fire scans the ceiling. “No signs of moisture. No stalactites, no stalagmites…”
Jem continues to peer ahead. “What could have made something like this?”
Era’s eyes widen as he realizes the answer. “An earth shaper.”
Fire’s ears perk up. “An earth shaper made a cave? Out of rock, no less? That’s impossible.”
“She said to the walking, talking rune,” Era quips.
She silently concedes the argument. “What exactly do you expect to find down here?”
“Luk said one of those secret chambers is in here,” Era says. “I’m hoping that, well, that Jem can do that thing. Do the thing with the… whatever it is. However it works.”
“Ah, that’s clear.”
“The binding thing,” he clarifies. “I want Jem to take control of me, like the general did to Di.”
Surprised, Fire realizes, “You’re willing to give up your freedom for power? You really want to rescue that brat, huh?”
“I do.”
“And you’re not scared about the ice queen making you do her bidding?”
“N-No,” Era quietly replies, suddenly worried for the direction of conversation. However, Jem abruptly freezes and signals for the others to hurry to her side. He creeps next to her, his sights locked ahead. “What is it?”
Fire withdraws her knife with one hand and a pair of spikes in the other. “Footsteps,” she says in a low voice.
Jem peers further into the cave. “I think I see… whoever it is.” She keeps the light locked ahead while pulling her rune blade, and Era reaches to his pouch and pulls his earth sword. The three stand in a tight formation as the daring intruder directly approaches.
“It’s a… woman?” Era whispers as she comes into full view.
The dark-haired Allerian doesn’t seem bothered by the intensity of the light rune, and her black cloak makes for an intimidating sight as she seems content to approach unarmed. Her hair is tied into two long ponytails which extend to her lower back, and she stands taller than anyone in the group. Perplexed, she keys in on Era and Fire with her dark, piercing eyes. “You two?”
“Who are you?” Fire barks, pointing her
knife at the stranger.
Jem’s heart races. Something doesn’t feel right about this encounter. This Allerian’s presence itself is enough to stir a myriad of questions, but it’s her demeanor that sends the experienced traveler into a panic. Despite the two strong allies at her side, her feet start to slide backward, as if an involuntary reaction. This person scares her.
“To think I would run into you here, of all places,” the stranger muses. With a slight bow, she says, “My name is Athena.”
“Athena?” Era gasps, recalling Luk’s comments about the runic expert.
Fire scans the darkness for anyone else who may be lurking. “I’m quite alone,” Athena assures her with hands raised. “I’m no threat to you, dear. Let me pass.”
Era keeps his blade outstretched. “Are you here for the chamber?”
“Naturally,” she says. “You can check it out for yourself. It’s just a ways further.”
“What were you doing there?” he asks.
“None of your concern.”
“How are you related to Luk?”
“Who is Luk?”
Frazzled, Era looks to Fire for guidance. “What should we do?”
“Contain her,” Fire says quietly. “She’s hiding something. Tema isn’t here, but we instead find the informant Luk mentioned? I say we tie her up until she talks.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she says, her voice edging on menacing.
Fire is alarmed that she was overheard, and she signals to Era to engage.
Before he can move, Jem grabs his shoulder and yanks him back. “Let her go,” she says without lowering her voice.
“No way! She might know something that could-”
“This isn’t a fight we should pick!” she shrieks, her voice filled with terror. “Please, Era!”
“Leave it to me, then,” Fire says as she charges Athena, her blade at the ready.
Athena doesn’t flinch as Fire races at her. If anything, her amusement only grows with each step the mercenary takes. She places her hands behind her back and confidently dares her opponent on.
Fire isn’t deterred by the defenseless stance. She flips the dagger in her hand and swings the iron handle at the side of Athena’s head with all her might, but her hand stops short of making an impact.
