The Path to Peace

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Moving with unnerving speed, Vladimir spun on Ioaniss. “Why are you here, Jones?”

  “The King has ordered me on a recon trip to the city of Peace. Our friends there delivered a letter to me a few days ago, but it took a few days to get things ready. Why are you here, Dracon?” Jones spoke in a slightly mocking tone.

  Snarling, lips peeling back to show his fangs, Vladimir reached behind him and grabbed Renful by the robe, yanking him forward. “This is twice now that your refusal to be courteous has caused complications. We shall deal with this when we return... if you survive the trip.”

  “Sorry, master,” Renful whined, bowing as best he could while being held off the ground by Vladimir.

  “Oh, thank god, I made it,” Cody breathed a deep sigh of relief as he rushed up to join the people gathering in front of the Portal Guild. “I thought I was going to be late.”

  Eyes flaring solid red, Vladimir’s head turned slowly to stare at Cody. “Carter? Why is the least of the major Houses here? Did your family fail at something else?”

  Cody jerked as if slapped, and tugged at his white robes. “I didn’t expect to see you, Sir Dracon. I have arranged to go with Alpha Company to Peace to do what my ancestors should have done before they fled the city.”

  Dracon jerked a fraction of an inch, as though slapped in turn. “I see,” eyes going to Alburet, he seethed with anger. “Where is your leader?”

  “Here,” Gerald said as he approached from the other side. Marysue was with him, as were Rolland and Kim. “We had an unexpected guest with a request as we were leaving.”

  Vladimir almost seemed to vibrate in place. “Why? What did I do to deserve this farce?” Vladimir went still for a long moment, then blinked, his eyes clearing. “I see that many factors are in play and that I have no choice in this matter.”

  Jones chuckled, “Funnily enough, if your two friends and Sir Carter would join my friend and me, we will have a full group.”

  “Gerald,” Vladimir said formally as he turned to address him, “I ask that we start the trip from your Keep. It will cut travel time down significantly. If you must allow these others to travel with us, so be it. You should know that I won’t defend them if they are attacked. I consider them an impediment.”

  Gerald frowned at Vladimir with his lips pursed. “Sir Dracon, I think you asked us to go with you, and agreed to wait, because you need us for some reason. They are our friends,” he nodded at Ioaniss, “and our guildmates,” he put his hand on Rolland’s shoulder. “I ask that you reconsider that stance.”

  Teeth clenched, Dracon nodded, “I see. Fine.”

  “Let us go, then,” Gerald said simply as he walked past the others.

  Rolland and Kim went to join Ioaniss, his assistant, and Cody as they followed Vladimir into the Portal Guild. Gerald exchanged raised brows with Alburet as they brought up the rear and motioned the women to walk a few paces ahead of them.

  “What happened?” Gerald asked softly.

  “I think Vladimir is on a secret mission and doesn’t like Ioaniss being here, nor Cody showing up. He seems to know what Cody is about, but hasn’t said yet. We’ll have to figure it out before we reach the city. Vlad is on the verge of a breakdown, is what it looks like to me. His emotions are all over the place.”

  “Great. An emotional vampire on a secret mission, with Ind… Ioaniss Jones and a noble we have no idea about.” Rubbing his head for a second, Gerald sighed, “Well, this is not going to be an issue at all.”

  “What’s up with Rolland and Kim?” Alburet asked.

  “That’s something else entirely,” Gerald said. “They were waiting outside the inn for us, bags in hand. Rolland said he’d been given a quest, but wouldn’t say by whom—only that he had to go with us to the city of Peace. He promised to tell us tonight, away from Jones, Dracon, and Carter, and that was before I knew Carter was coming for certain.”

  A cold chill made its way down Alburet’s back. “Great, add in more weird shit. Keep an eye on the unknowns and pray we get a handle on this before we get there.”

  “It’s a week or more to the city of Peace from our Keep, supposedly, but Ioaniss probably has a better grasp of distance than we do.”

  Shrugging, Alburet watched the motley crew before them go towards a backdoor. “That’ll give us some time, at least, to untangle this ball of wire. Hopefully, we manage it before it gets knotted around our necks. I’ve also been wondering why we’re at the Portal Guild to get to the Keep.”

  “I got a message from the Portal Guild the other day,” Gerald replied as they walked into a courtyard that held a number of large runes inscribed on the ground. “They set up the public portal to our city, funded by the King. It’s been up and running for a few days, it seems.”

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Appearing in the small graveyard at the base of the ramp leading to the Keep, the group was greeted by two guards stationed there.

  “Sir, we didn’t expect you back this morning,” one of the guards said, giving Gerald a salute.

  “Not staying, we’re off into the sands,” Gerald replied, returning the salute. “Is Commander Roberto around?”

  “He’s on the north gate this morning, sir,” the guard replied quickly.

  “That’s the way we’re going,” Gerald said. “Thank you, carry on.” Exchanging another salute, the group started moving to the north.

  The first six buildings they passed were whole and clean, unlike the others in the distance. “These be the shops?” Stacia asked as they passed the biggest of them.

  “Yes,” Marysue replied. “That one is the inn Stewart will be running.”

  “Mayhap we can have a celebration there when we return?” Stacia asked, her eyes going to Alburet.

  “I’m sure we can arrange something,” Alburet told her, a soft smile on his lips.

  “We’ll need to pause for a few at the north gate so I can brief Commander Roberto,” Gerald told Vladimir. “After that, we will follow your lead.”

  “If we must,” Vladimir said, his eyes drifting to Cody and Ioaniss.

  The trip through the ruins of the town was uneventful. They saw several patrols off in the distance, making rounds, but no signs of recent fights. When they got to the northern pass, Roberto was addressing the four men on duty. As the group approached, he turned to face them.

  “Gerald, Sir Jones, Sir Dracon, Sir Carter—is there something I can do to assist you today?”

  “We’re heading out on a mission,” Gerald replied, trading salutes with Roberto and the men. “I wanted to let you know that we’ll be away for a while. Vanessa will be in charge of the staff, as Kim is going with us. Ironhand will be acting in my stead until I return.”

  “Yes sir,” Roberto replied, his eyes flicking to the nobles again. “Did you need me to put together another unit to go with you?”

  “No,” Vladimir snapped. Everyone looked at Vladimir, a little taken aback by the lack of his usual decorum. Coughing, he looked at Gerald, “I’m sorry. It is your choice, but that would delay us further.”

  “We will decline,” Gerald said, giving Vladimir a slight nod. “Keep things running as best you can.”

  “Sir, may I have a private word?” Roberto said, motioning with his head. “It is perhaps a topic that shouldn’t be aired in public.”

  “As long as it’s quick,” Gerald said, stepping away with Roberto. Once they were a bit away from the others, he lowered his voice, “What is it?”

  “Over the last two weeks, there have been a number of small groups to go off to the north. A scant handful of them returned, but the rest haven’t been seen since. The oddest was three days ago, when six unmarked carriages went north. Some of the guards accompanying them were former city guards. I recognized several as men that had been discharged for unacceptable behavior over the years. I don’t know what’s going on to the north, but I don’t like the feel of it.”

  Chewing on the information for a moment, Gerald’s lips were thin. “Yes
, it makes sense. Sir Jones is going with us because the King wants to know what’s happening out that way. Make anyone else leaving to the north identify themselves. It may be very important to know.”

  Roberto nodded slowly. “I’ll make sure that word is passed, sir. Just this gate or all of them?” he replied.

  “Start with this one, but keep on eye on the East gate as well,” Gerald said. “I’ll let Sir Jones know about the carriages.”

  “Yes, sir,” Roberto walked back with Gerald. “I wish you all a safe journey, or as safe as it gets across the sands.”

  “Thank you, Commander,” Ioaniss grinned at Roberto, “it’s nice to see that your promotion is working out.”

  Roberto’s face went blank and he brought his men to attention and saluted, holding it until Gerald returned it. “Sir, if there is nothing else, I have duties to attend to.”

  “Dismissed, Commander,” Gerald said, then turned to Vladimir. “Sir Dracon, you seem to know the way, so we’ll follow you.”

  “Finally,” Vladimir exhaled as he stalked up the ramp toward the rim of the crater.

  As they crested the rim, the sun was above the horizon. Vladimir ignored the single guard at the top and led them northeast. Gerald and the rest of Alpha Company gave the guard a salute as they went past.

  “Sir, just so you’re aware, the Infernals seem to have pulled back over the last few hours,” the guard told Gerald as he went past.

  “Thank you. We’ll keep our eyes open,” Gerald replied.

  “Didn’t they leave us alone the last time we were out here, too?” Marysue asked as they followed Vladimir.

  “Yeah,” Alburet frowned, “but that was because the Dark Lord knew where we were going and wanted to make the trip easier for us. I don’t see how he could know what we’re doing this time.”

  A pulse of shame came from Stacia, causing Alburet to look at her. “I wanted to make our trip easier,” she said, not looking at him. “Last night before joinin’ all of ya for sleep, I talked with Mother.”

  “What did you tell her?” Alburet asked.

  “What we be doin’, and why we have to do it,” Stacia murmured. “I should have asked, but—”

  “Silly fire kitten,” Alburet murmured as he pulled her to his side. “You have no reason to feel shame for making our job easier, especially when it improves our chances of completing this leg of Vicky’s quest.”

  Stacia exhaled in relief, and a surge of love and happiness washed out from her. “Thank ya, Asthore. I do nay know why I worried so, but I feared ya would nay appreciate me goin’ behind ya back to do it.”

  “I don’t,” Alburet told her. “You should have mentioned it, and I would have agreed. I’m sorry I didn’t even think about asking. You did a good thing for all of us. Just next time, talk to me please, even if it is afterwards.”

  “Aye,” Stacia murmured, kissing his cheek and wiping away a tear from her cheek.

  “Silly goof,” Karen said, appearing at Stacia’s other side and giving her a kiss.

  “You did what would help us all,” Fluff nodded, then stepped over to give her a kiss as well. “None of us would hold that against you. We all want this to work.”

  “What’s going on?” Gerald asked, not having caught the conversation.

  “The Infernals will probably leave us alone on our trip again,” Alburet said loud enough for everyone to hear. “Apparently, a favor was called in.”

  “She told me she would speak of the price after we finish Vladimir’s quest,” Stacia said so softly that only her three lovers caught the words.

  Rubbing his cheek, Alburet wondered what the right hand of the Dark Lord would demand of them. “If we see Infernals at all, don’t attack right away. We need to see if they intend to attack us first or not.”

  Vladimir nodded. “That will make the trip much easier, if we only have the Undead to contend with.”

  “And the Sandworms,” Ioaniss pointed out.

  “If there are even any this far into the sands,” Vladimir sniffed. “Renful, gather your helpers when we are attacked.”

  “Of course, master,” Renful said, bowing his head deeply to Vladimir.

  Rolland adjusted his steps so he came even with the rest of Alpha Company. “Tonight when we set up camp, I would like to speak with you all, please.”

  “I’ve told them, it will happen,” Gerald reassured the worried Elementalist.

  “Thank you,” Rolland said, his eyes flashing a deep blue.

  “We should talk with Sir Jones,” Kim said from beside Rolland. “We’re in his group with Sala and Sir Carter, and we need to discuss strategies with them.”

  “Yeah,” Rolland smiled at his wife, then turned back to Gerald. “Thank you again for allowing us to join your quest.”

  “You’re part of Alpha Company,” Gerald chuckled, “and we take care of our own.”

  Kim smiled, “We’re very happy to be in the guild. Vanessa was a little shocked by my request, but she can handle it while we’re away.”

  “What about the teleport Glyph?” Marysue asked suddenly.

  “I made arrangements with a colleague,” Rolland replied. “It will be fine while we’re away for a week or three.”

  “Okay,” Gerald said. “We’ll talk more tonight. When you get back to the others, see if you can get anything out of them—especially Sir Carter. We have no idea what his intentions are; he’s wearing the robes of a Priest pledged to Peace, but something feels off about him wanting to come with us.”

  “He won’t be a problem,” Marysue said softly. “Sir Carter is on a mission from our Goddess. She didn’t tell me what it is, just that she sent him to make sure that it’s accomplished.”

  “You talked with Peace?” Gerald asked with a raised eyebrow. Everyone else looked at Marysue with equally interested expressions.

  “Briefly, in my dreams last night,” Marysue said, looking away from them all. “All she said was thank you for recovering the Icon from her lost temple, and that Sir Carter would be a key part in our quest while he completes the task she set for him.”

  “Huh,” Gerald grunted. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

  “I was going to, but then Rolland showed up and we had to hurry to the Portal Guild, then—” Marysue began.

  “I got it,” Gerald said, cutting her off gently. “There hasn’t been a good moment.”

  “Sorry,” Marysue said, setting her hand on Gerald’s arm. “I wasn’t trying to keep a secret from you.”

  “It’s fine, Mary,” Gerald said, taking her hand and kissing it.

  “We’ll be going,” Rolland said as he led Kim away from the group. “If we hear anything, we’ll let you know.”

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Everyone was quiet as they set up camp that evening. They had only been attacked once while they’d been travelling, by three sets of Forgotten, comprised of Dark Knights, Necromancers, and Archers.

  Renful claimed the three Forgotten Necromancers as his pets, turning them on their former allies. Gerald, Sala, and Tiny tanked the Dark Knights for the melee to kill, while Marysue, Vladimir, and other ranged DPS focused on the Archers.

  They weathered the fight without too much difficulty, and now had three Forgotten Necromancers with them. Renful was busy fussing over them and pulling gear out of his bag to equip them.

  Later, when Ioaniss set the Campstone, he stood up with a sigh. “The first day is done, and we only encountered a single group of enemies. Next time I talk with the Dark Lord, I’ll have to thank him for his help.”

  “As will I,” Vladimir added as he set his tent up. “We leave at daybreak.”

  “Sir Dracon,” Gerald said to keep Vladimir from leaving, “might I ask a question regarding this quest?”

  Vladimir hesitated, then turned to see everyone staring at him. “You all want to know why I’m going to Peace?” When numerous affirmative responses came back, Vladimir took a seat by the fire. “I’ll ask you a question then, and if any single o
ne of you can truthfully answer that it is not so for you, I will answer. Do any of you have nothing that you would rather forget? No secret shame that you wish to hide from the world?”

  Time stretched out for several long minutes. People looked at each other, but no one spoke up. Vladimir made eye contact with each person, but no one could hold his gaze, looking away after just a few seconds. When he was satisfied that no one was going to speak up, he stood. “That is why we are going, so I might repair my secret shame. If need be, I’ll explain further when we get to the city, but until then, I ask that you respect my silence.”