Emily's Saga

by Travis Bughi

  Adelpha went next, and her news was good, too. The alliance that she had tried to rekindle with the elves was taking root. It was only with that one clan, but through them, Adelpha hoped to reenter the good graces of their once greatest allies. Those elves now traded with them—though only in a few small items—and granted them shelter on their journeys through the Forest of Angor, and that had been Adelpha’s most valued goal. Achieving it had worked wonders for the amazons, and the women had openly embraced Adelpha’s leadership, despite her sister having murdered their last queen.

  “There was some debate,” Adelpha admitted. “When I immediately left to travel to Lucifan with you, some thought a conspiracy was amiss. There were rumors that you and I were in on the whole thing and were going to join Heliena, rather than bring her to justice.”

  “What? How could they think that?” Emily asked.

  “It seemed more plausible than the truth: that you survived basilisk poison through divine intervention. Honestly, I can hardly blame them. The black mark on your leg could have been false, and even I found it hard to believe until we reached Lucifan and the angels were dead. Even still, I didn’t fully believe until I saw Count Drowin shoot you with a poisoned arrow. There was no doubting that.

  “Anyway, when I returned home without you but told them our story, some returned to Lucifan to confirm it. After that, the last of the amazons to oppose my rule fell in line. It was a long process, but it won over many opinions about you. The elders think you beyond brave to go after Heliena like that—to avenge your mother—and we’ve even discussed sending others if you failed. You’ve become a bit of a legend back home, a folk hero, if you can believe that. I’m glad you succeeded.”

  “So am I.” Emily smiled, but turned apprehensive when a memory struck. “Did you ever visit Belen?”

  Adelpha’s cheery mood dissipated, and she said, “I did. I realized you had the letters, but I had made her a promise. I found her on my return trip from Lucifan, or rather, she found me. It wasn’t like I was going to sneak through werewolf territory without her finding me anyway. Emily, she was pregnant.”

  “I know. I succumbed to temptation and read the letter she wrote to Mark. Tell me.”

  “She had a son,” Adelpha said. “He was born a werewolf.”

  Emily sighed, not in the relief of knowing the answer, but in the relief of having one at all. At least she knew that Belen had given birth to her child and that he was safe being with her.

  “What did you tell her?” Emily asked. “Did you tell her what Mark said?”

  “There was no need, so I lied,” Adelpha said. “I told her you had Mark’s written response, and that I didn’t know what it was. I don’t know if she believed me, but she told me it didn’t matter. With their son a werewolf, he would never be able to leave Angor.”

  “Did she say anything else? Did she ask you to send word back to Mark?”

  “She didn’t,” Adelpha sighed heavily, “and I didn’t ask why. All she told me was how sorry she was that her son would grow up a werewolf. The other werewolves say it’s not a disease, but she thinks it is. I agree with her, of course. What else could it be? Her son will grow up, forever trapped in that forest’s southern end, unable to leave for fear of turning into a monster when the moon turns. She wishes he didn’t have to live this life, that he had a chance, but there’s nothing to be done. I think she never asked me to send word to Mark because, although her son is a werewolf, part of her hopes Mark will come and take him away.”

  Emily let her heart hang heavy while she reached for her pack. She pulled out the letters that had traveled the world with her, the ones written by Belen and Mark, and placed them on the table.

  “You still have them?” Adelpha said, stunned.

  “She deserves to know,” Emily nodded. “Mark rejected her, the bastard. I made her a promise, too, and if I were her, I wouldn’t want the truth hidden from me just because it’s unpleasant.”

  “I can’t believe you still have them,” Adelpha repeated. “It’s been years!”

  “Emily.” Abe spoke up suddenly, his voice serious and mournful. “There’s something else you should know. The colossi are gone.”

  Emily was about to smirk and brush his words aside until one stuck out.

  “The colossi?” She lowered her chin. “As in all three of them? Not just one?”

  Abe held his tongue, and Emily looked from Adelpha to Gavin. They both avoided her gaze and looked back to Abe, and Emily focused back on her brother. He withered under that gaze, suddenly regretful for being the one to bring it up.

  “One is missing,” he said. “One morning, nearly a year ago, it just stood up and left. It terrified most of the city and caused a lot of uproar. It hasn’t been heard from since, not even rumors. They dragged the bay for it, but nothing was found. It’s just . . . gone.”

  “The other two,” Emily said swiftly. “What happened to the other two?”

  “They never moved,” Abe began. “The other one—”

  “I know,” Emily yelled. “Tell me what happened to the other two.”

  Adelpha and Gavin looked to Abe again, but Emily’s older brother lowered his head without a word. He stuttered a few moments and looked for help from Adelpha, but she just eyed him coldly for lacking the strength to finish. Finally, Gavin cleared his throat.

  “Sir Mark had them destroyed,” he said. “They are nothing but rubble outside the city now. It’s one of the reasons I resigned.”

  The table went silent as Emily’s head drifted down until her chin hit her chest. She thought she’d been prepared for bad news, but the churning sickness in her stomach told her she hadn’t been ready at all. How could Mark do that? Those colossi he’d killed were the work of the angels, given life by them. What purpose could that serve? But then again, this was the same man who’d betrayed the angels in the first place.

  I could have used those two to fight the coming invasion, she thought. Now I only have one colossus, instead of three. That scum! He’s doomed this whole city.

  “As if I needed another reason to kill him,” Emily muttered. “What else has he done?”

  “He’s employing ogres,” Gavin said, “but you’ve probably seen that.”

  Emily nodded.

  “He uses knights, too,” Gavin went on, “but also ogres, lots of ogres. In fact, most of the ogres in the city are now employed by him. It comes at a heavy cost, too.”

  “Is he borrowing from the leprechauns again? Are they helping him control the city?”

  “No to both questions,” Gavin said. “He earns money through taxation alone. It’s crazy to think that the worst of both worlds occurred. The angels taxed the wealthy, but not the poor, and then Count Drowin came along and tried to change it by taxing the poor, but not the wealthy. Sir Mark taxes them both. Some would say it’s only fair, but I think it’s his intention to bleed this city dry. He’s employing so many now! The Knights’ Order has swelled. There are more humans than when you left, Emily, plus a new wing of ogres being trained and set loose to enforce his laws, and even others. Any creature—whether minotaur, orc, or gnome—that comes along can petition to join the Order now. It’s disgraceful. Anyone can petition to join. The Knights’ Order used to choose its members. There used to be honor, and oaths, and so much more. Now? Any scum off the street with an able body can put in their name and receive training and a title.”

  “Weren’t you scum?” Adelpha asked.

  “I was,” Gavin responded coldly without balking, “but I didn’t get to petition. I had to show my courage. I had to earn it. That’s not the Order now. It’s a joke, and a terrifying one at that. Just what exactly do you think Mark is going to do with all these forces? Hm? Anyone? Anyone at all? Care to take a stab at what Mark needs so many enlisted mercenaries for? Let me spell it out for you: tyranny. Sir Mark is smart. He watched his predecessor, the infamous and immortal vampire Count Drowin, die to a small squad of young knights, two minotaurs, and a single amazon.” G
avin stared into the bottom of his soup. “He won’t make that same mistake. No one will ever oppose him now, not even you, Emily. He wields an army.”

  His voice had grown progressively quieter until it was barely above a whisper. Neither Abe nor Adelpha raised a word in opposition, Emily noticed, and she wanted to tell them about the colossus she controlled.

  The words would not rise, though. Like the time she’d made her deal with Jarl Valgrith, it seemed prudent to hold that secret close. These were her friends and family, and she could trust them with almost anything, but not the colossus. Nicholas knew, but there was no way to avoid that now. She was just thankful that he was keeping his mouth shut. She’d tell them soon enough, but with the colossus still at least a week out, she had to stall for at least that long until she could confront Sir Mark. Then he could pay for his crimes, and the angels would be avenged.

  Hopefully Jabbar won’t invade before then.

  “Well, let’s not stay in the city then,” Emily said. “We should leave as soon as possible. Nicholas and I are both eager to see Mother and Father.”

  Nicholas jumped in his seat and gave Emily a stare, his teeth clenched so tight it was wonder they didn’t break. To Emily, his discomfort was so obvious it was comical. To Abe, his discomfort was blessedly invisible.

  “Yes, home! Mother and Father will be so happy to see you two! Let’s leave now! Right now! Adelpha, my love, will you come?”

  “And spoil your family reunion?” Adelpha narrowed her eyes. “I think your mother would be happier if I stayed.”

  “Nonsense!” Emily spoke a split second before Abe could. “Trust me, Adelpha, she’ll be far too excited to even notice you exist, and it’s not fair to Abe. He only gets to see you once a year, but Mother sees him every day. You should spend every moment with him. Also, it’ll make things easier for Takeo and Fritjof, which I’d be very happy about. You have the time, don’t you?”

  Grudgingly, she admitted she did, and the argument was settled. They left, but not before Nicholas downed another mug of mead.

  Chapter 21

  Gavin went his own way, mumbling where he could be found, but Emily intentionally ignored it. As cold as it sounded, the truth was that he was no longer important to her though a part of her had wondered what might have become of him. Now that she knew, though, she wanted to forget it. Gavin had turned from the light-hearted, easy-to-laughter man she’d once enjoyed into a perpetual cloud of sullen regret. Despite being a hopeless romantic, Gavin held just enough pragmatism within him to realize that all his waiting for Emily had amounted to nothing.

  She would never be his.

  Emily wished him well, though. If he ever needed a hand, she knew she would not hesitate to assist if she could. A part of her felt indebted to him, remembering that, not too long ago, Gavin had been one of the young knights to come to her aid against Count Drowin. Her love for him might have died in Takeo’s arms, but her respect for his deeds still breathed life.

  Emily glanced at Takeo, who watched Gavin leave with a thoughtful stare. The samurai was practical in nearly all respects, including the ability to realize that jealousy was a useless feeling. Takeo knew why Gavin was drawn to Emily because he himself had experienced the same pull.

  It was horrible to realize, but it was true. Not a single person in the group felt anything but pity for Gavin. So when he left, no one raised a voice to stop him.

  Abe fetched his unicorn from the tavern’s stables, and together the six left for the Stout farm. Emily had expected everyone to be in high spirits, but she was brought back to sobering reality when she realized only she and Abe shared that sentiment. Takeo was nervous; Emily could see it in his eyes. So were Nicholas and Fritjof, and Adelpha was weary because all she could think about was the lingering animosity between herself and Mariam. Their trip out of Lucifan was marked by a silence at odds with the bustle and noise of the city around them.

  And then Emily’s high spirits diminished completely for right outside the city lay the ruins of the angels’ greatest work.

  The colossi were too large to be reduced to pure rubble; it would take years of labor done by hundreds to do so. As such, Sir Mark had taken a practical approach in his destruction. Workers had chiseled the colossi apart at the joints, leaving behind a scattered graveyard of severed stone limbs, ranging from human to ship in size. Emily saw hands here, a finger there, one forearm leaning up against a calf, and the chest resting amidst it all. The feet were likely in the mess somewhere, too, but the heads had been broken off and rolled away. They lay on their sides, staring expressionlessly within their helmets at the annihilation of their once beautiful bodies. Emily knew they felt no pain or emotion, but that did nothing to lessen the grip of anger and loss that seized her heart.

  The people trailing into and out of Lucifan ignored the pile—heads down, eyes averted—as if passing by a funeral to which they had not been invited. Those few who saw Emily gasping at the colossi pursed their lips and sighed. Emily had never known anyone entering Lucifan to be exceptionally chatty, but the level of silence that filled the air was palpable.

  As they climbed out of the basin that held the city, Emily finally gave in to the compulsion to tell her family and friends everything.

  From Abe and Adelpha came shock and disbelief—both that she knew where the remaining colossus was and that she could control it—but they were quickly won over as Takeo, Nicholas, and Fritjof gave testimony. After that came excitement for the possibilities, but Emily waved their enthusiasm down. She had more news to tell.

  The first blow she struck was of Sir Mark’s part in assassinating the angels. Takeo bore witness to that tragedy, and all happiness at Emily’s newfound power was lost in the realization that they’d been not only betrayed, but used. Thanks to Emily, Adelpha, and Abe, Mark was in control of Lucifan, basking in the sanctuary of his position and immortality. He lorded over the city in a way Count Drowin had only dreamed of. Were it not for Emily’s colossus, all hope might have seemed lost.

  “I can’t believe Ephron hasn’t returned,” Abe said. “He watched his siblings killed. Surely he’d want revenge? He’s an angel. He could kill Mark just by looking at him.”

  “He won’t.” Emily shook her head. “That will never happen. He’s the only surviving angel, but everyone believes he’s dead, and he wants to keep it that way, remember?”

  “A lot has changed since you’ve been gone, Emily,” Abe pressed. “Ephron didn’t leave in total secrecy. The minotaurs who sheltered him know he’s alive, we’ve seen him, and I know Gavin saw him, too. All those who helped betray the angels know the truth that Ephron escaped, as well—not to mention that Ephron’s white gown was never found. Rumors fly fast, and many speak that he still lives and will return one day. He could return, and no harm would come of it. Lucifan would accept him with welcoming arms.”

  “He’s not coming back,” Emily grunted in frustration. “Do you not remember what he told us? He wants everyone to believe he’s dead because he doesn’t think angels should rule Lucifan. He’ll stay away because it’s what he thinks is best. And besides, even if he did return, it wouldn’t be for revenge. Angels are beyond such an idea. They can’t inflict harm so willingly, or at least, I know Quartus couldn’t. He had a chance to destroy Count Drowin, but chose not to. If Ephron is anything like his brother, he won’t return to Lucifan with murder on his mind. Mark’s demise will have to come from me.”

  “Maybe Ephron doesn’t know,” Adelpha suggested. “Perhaps he doesn’t know Mark betrayed his siblings. He didn’t say anything to us, which makes me think he didn’t know. If he did, he would have stopped it, surely. Remember how surprised he was to learn he’d been betrayed and his siblings killed? Maybe if we found Ephron and told him what Mark did, he’d be willing to return to power.”

  “And where is that, hm?” Emily asked. “Where is Ephron hiding?”

  No one had an answer. Abe said he’d heard rumors, but went silent immediately after suggesting th
em. Rumors were always terrible, and there was no consistency between any he’d heard anyway.

  “Besides, we can’t go find him,” Emily went on, “because we don’t have the time.”

  That’s when she broke the last bit of news, that a rakshasa named Jabbar was raising an army to destroy Lucifan and that he could arrive at any moment. That one took a little more explaining.

  Emily and Takeo told their story, explaining whom Jabbar was and also what he was. They explained their history, his intentions, and everything they’d learned since they’d realized he was alive. It was a wicked tale that captivated Abe and Adelpha and even Nicholas and Fritjof, who had heard it once before. It was a frightening prospect, and when the story was all finished, the first words out of Abe’s mouth demonstrated how seriously he took Emily’s tale.

  “Should we tell Mother and Father?” he asked.

  “No,” Nicholas spoke quickly. “They’d try to stop us.”

  “Or worse,” Emily sighed, “they’d join us. There’re already too many of us, in my opinion—too many people to watch and keep track of, especially if we have to leave Lucifan in a hurry. Also, our farm is a day away from the city. They’ll be safe even if Jabbar’s army is successful and burns the place to the ground. We keep everything I’ve said hidden.” She paused and looked at all of them, waiting to see if any voiced disagreement with her order. “Nicholas and I are returning home together because we miss our family, but we’ll need to return to the city as soon as possible. I’ll need as much time as I can manage to dispose of Sir Mark and deal with the fallout before Jabbar arrives.”

  By nightfall, they reached home, two wooden structures that stuck out like massive beacons in a sea of yellow. The house was older than Emily’s father and looked it, but thanks to Abe’s gunslinger career and the wealth that came with it, there were recent repairs, including a new roof and a few replaced boards, though the home was no bigger. With only three people living in it now, no extra space was needed.