by D. S. Craig
“Ah, so that’s your plan.” The realization finally hit as I remembered the line Lani had drawn across the alliance lands. “Lord Gambriel and his allies will refuse to get involved and refuse passage through their lands. Since they basically cut the alliance it half, it’ll significantly cut down on the number of foes that can come after us.”
Lani smiled at me briefly before putting back on the stiff, serious expression she had been wearing this whole time and turning back to Lord Gambriel. “That’s right. So, what do you think? Will you lend us your aid?”
“I do have to say that I’m rather impressed. To think that you would have planned things out this far in advance, it’s quite admirable. Still, there’s one flaw in your plan.” Lord Gambriel turned his gaze toward Lesti. “Do you think you’ll survive long enough to make all of this happen?”
I felt Lesti tense a little under me. Looking up, I could see her mouth set in a hard line. “I see. You think they’ll choose to eliminate me as a threat.”
“Exactly. There’s already been some trouble within the council thanks to that Bestroff boy. Though, in his case, he has the backing of the most powerful and influential family in the alliance, so he should be fine. Your situation will be much more dire, though. Not only is your magic far more absurd than that brat who only has raw power, but you’re also from small backwater territory. I can only imagine how many people are going to try and have you assassinated from here on out.”
“Let them try.” I fixed Lord Gambriel with a stony glare. “I’ll rip anyone who tries to lay a finger on her limb from limb.”
“You really think it’s that simple? Assassins aren’t the type to just walk up and announce themselves. They’ll use all sorts of underhanded means to get at your master. They’ll befriend you and earn your trust, poison your food, or even take your friends and family hostage. Do you really think you can protect her from all that?”
I grit my teeth a little, frustrated because I knew he was right. No matter how strong I was, I wouldn’t be able to defend Lesti from everything on my own. Still, I was her familiar, and it was my job to keep her safe. Even if I had to take her and flee from the alliance, I would make it happen somehow. Just as I started to tell Lord Gambriel that, Dag stepped in and cut me off.
“Perhaps I could be of some assistance in this matter?” Still leaned back lazily in his chair, he glanced over at Lani. “The best way to counter assassination attempts is to keep a close eye on your enemies and their pawns. While Lani here has done an excellent job thus far on filling that role for you, it won’t be enough going forward. With my resources, I could make sure no assassins get within striking distance of you so long as you’re at the academy.”
Lord Gambriel looked at Dag, surprise clearly written on his face. “You intend to give her your protection? There’s no way the council will approve that.”
Dag merely shrugged. “So what if they don’t? The commander has ordered me to help her out if I can, and that’s what I intend to do. If the council has a problem with it, they can take it up with him.”
“I see. He never was very good at taking orders.” Lord Gambriel rested his chin on his hand, mouth set in a hard line. “Still, why would he go so far just for her?”
“If I could venture a guess.” Lani hesitantly raised her voice once more to offer her opinion, “I believe the commander has some concerns about the alliance’s ability to deal with the archdemon Thel’al. He may view Lesti as a valuable asset in that fight.”
“I see. That certainly is a possibility.” Lord Gambriel fixed his gaze on Lesti as if he were trying to assess her abilities. “Not only does she have a high-level familiar, but she also uses magic, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Yes, now that I think about it, I can clearly see why Commander Frederick would want to protect her.”
At Lord Gambriel’s last statement, Lesti’s hand, which had been gently stroking my fur, suddenly stopped. At the same time, a suspicion of mine was finally confirmed. Frederick’s military position, the unit banner in his office, the name of Dag’s unit, and several other smaller details finally came together like a puzzle.
“Wait, Frederick is the commander that you’ve been talking about?” Lesti turned her gaze toward Dag, “Then that means you work for him, right?”
“You’re just now figuring this out?” Dag stared at her with a slightly disappointed look. “I thought you would have realized that after I told you the name of our unit. Isn’t your familiar Skell’s apprentice?”
“Well, I had my suspicions, but I didn’t really have any hard evidence. Besides, I haven’t really seen much of Instructor Frederick since Thel’al showed up. Actually, why isn’t he here? We could have really used his help against that thing that Baron Arvis turned into.”
“He was on a separate mission.” Dag shrugged. “We got an anonymous tip about a group of demon worshipers holding up in a village near the city. The report suggested they were on the cusp of summoning several greater demons, so the commander went to take care of it personally.”
“Greater demons?” I cocked my head to the side, wondering if there was some sort of classification system I wasn’t aware of.
“Greater demons are the tier just below an archdemon,” Lord Gambriel offered me an explanation with a concerned look on his face. “They normally act as commanders or generals for the archdemons. The two demons that were guarding that man who gave Arvis the potion were greater demons.”
“They’re normally like commanders?” I thought back to my brief fight with said demon. Its strength definitely lived up to the title it was given. Still, something was bothering me. “If they’re so strong, why didn’t they just take us out themselves?”
“Yes. That was quite odd,” Dag said. “Based on what I’ve heard from you all, it seems like they were more interested in testing that potion than actually doing any harm. Normally, demons are all about destruction and chaos, so what gives?”
“I don’t think that’s quite right,” Lesti replied. “Most demons don’t seem to be simple chaotic beasts. They’re vile creatures, to be sure, but I think they’re smarter than you’re giving them credit for. Not to mention, they’re actively working with Ulrich, a human. We should be careful not to underestimate them.”
“Well said.” Lord Gambriel nodded in agreement. “Regardless, thinking about it too much won’t get us anywhere. We’ll need to gather more information before we can come to any conclusions. In the meantime, if Dag is willing to offer you his protection, then I would be a fool not to offer you my aid. I’ll play along with your plan, but don’t expect me to get involved if things go sour. You won’t be receiving any military aid from me.”
I felt the tension that had been present in the air since the beginning of our conversation finally start to dissipate. Lani released her spell, and Dag’s companion seemed to relax a little as well. Oddly enough, it felt like a pair of lead weights had been removed from my own body. Apparently, I had been tenser than I thought.
“Now, then.” Lord Gambriel walked to the entrance of the tent, looking back over his shoulder with a softer smile than I would have expected of him. “With that out of the way, I think it’s time that we return Rose to her family, wouldn’t you say?”
Rose stood, a mixture of excitement and nervousness apparent on her face. “Yes, my lord.”
* * *
Sometime later, we arrived at one of the Shadow Dragon Brigade’s safe houses on the other side of the city. It was quite a distance, so Dag arranged a carriage for us. Apparently, they had moved Rose’s parents there in case the demon worshipers had some interest in kidnapping them, but it had been unnecessary. According to Dag, it appeared they had utterly abandoned Baron Arvis. In the end, he had only been a convenient tool.
As I hopped out of the carriage, I paused. We were once again in the commoner district, but this time it appeared we were in an area dedicated to various types of craftsmanship. In front of us sat a rather sturdy looking building, smoke bill
owing out of the chimney above. From inside, I could hear the loud ringing of metal striking metal; by all appearances, it was a normal smithy.
“Are all of your safe houses random businesses, Dag?” I looked back at the masked man as he stepped out of the carriage.
“Not all of them, but quite a few.” He continued past me toward the entrance. “It serves two purposes. First, it makes the safe house less likely to be found. Second, it gives us some good connections throughout the city. For example, in case we needed some weapons or armor made quickly, we could rely on the smithy here.”
“A very convenient arrangement.” Lord Gambriel glared at Dag’s back as he stepped out of the carriage. “However, I was under the impression the council had already provided you funds and craftsmen to use?”
“Yeah. That was all fine and dandy until we found out the council members were getting kickbacks from those craftsmen.” Dag glared back at Lord Gambriel over his shoulder. “At any rate, we can save this discussion for another time. This is meant to be a happy moment.” Dag’s gaze softened as he looked over at Rose, who was waiting anxiously nearby. “Follow me. Your family is downstairs.”
After entering the smithy, we walked into a separate side room that looked like it was used for business meetings. Once everyone was inside, Dag pulled aside the simple table and the rug beneath, revealing a wooden door built into the floor. Pulling it open, he started down the ladder, signaling for Rose to follow. She began to take a step forward but hesitated. It was understandable. After all, she hadn’t seen her family in years. Anyone would be nervous, given the circumstances.
Seeing her hesitation, Lesti reached out and gave her a push on the back. “Come on. How long do you intend to keep your parents waiting? I’m sure they’ve been worried sick about you this whole time.”
Rose looked back at her for a moment before finding her resolve and heading down the ladder. I glanced up at Lesti as she went. She had been unusually quiet since arriving here. I got the feeling something was bothering her, but whatever it was, she wasn’t showing it on her face. Putting on the tough act again, huh?
Once Rose was down the ladder, we followed after. There was a relatively small space at the bottom, with a simple wooden door leading to another room. Once everyone was gathered, Dag knocked on the door twice. From inside, a voice called out, “The strength of our armor.”
Dag glanced back at us briefly before replying, “Is nothing before a dragon’s claws.”
There was a brief pause, followed by the sound of the door being unlocked from the other side. A moment later, it swung open, and a man I recognized from that night we had visited Dag at the bar stood before us. There was a brief flash of surprise on his face when he saw us, but he quickly recovered.
“Sir, I take it you’ve brought the girl?” the man asked.
“Rose? Is Rose here?”
From somewhere deeper in the room, a woman’s voice called out. The desperation, anxiety, and longing in her voice were nearly enough to break my heart. For Rose, it was too much to bear. Tears began to roll down her face, and her mouth opened and shut several times before she finally managed to find her voice.
Through the tears, she barely managed to squeeze out a single word. “M-Mom?”
A moment later, a woman bearing a striking resemblance to Rose pushed past the guard. Her blue eyes frantically scanned the unfamiliar crowd before her as her long pink hair swayed about. It only took her a moment to find her daughter, and there was no hesitation when she did. She ran up and threw her arms around Rose as she fell to her knees, sobbing.
Not a step behind her was another man who must have been Rose’s father. Unlike his wife, he was clearly trying his best to hold back his emotions, though losing the battle. Tears streamed down his face. For a long moment, he simply stared at his daughter in disbelief. Then, Rose looked up at him, and whatever willpower he had been using to hold himself back was blasted away by the sight of his daughter’s face. He threw his arms around the pair and began to quietly sob himself.
I watched on with strangely mixed feelings. I felt I should be happy, and I was, but there was also a tinge of sadness. As I tried to sort out my emotions, I glanced up at Lesti only to find she was wearing a similarly conflicted expression. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over as she fought them back.
Seeing her struggling made me realize what I was feeling was loneliness. While we were both happy that Rose had been reunited with her family, it was something we could never expect for ourselves. Neither of us would ever see our families again. In both cases, they were somewhere far beyond our reach.
The realization didn’t help me push those emotions down. If anything, it only made them worse. I rubbed up against Lesti’s leg and began to cry for the first time in a while. At the same time, Lesti broke down. Kneeling, she swept me into her arms.
We cried along with Rose and her family, our tears a mixture of happiness and grief.
Epilogue
“To think they would be able to take down a siege demon without any casualties.” Ulrich looked over the aftermath of the battle through the eyes of the imp he had left behind. “I can see why the master is so fixated on them.”
“Kyihihi. I must say, Master Thel’al does play around a bit too much,” a high-pitched voice that failed to match the body of the creature it came from echoed behind him. “The fact that such a weak familiar managed to wound him is truly amusing.”
Ulrich glanced back at the greater demon, narrowing his eyes in irritation. He couldn’t stand how arrogant these creatures were. Mere servants of an archdemon had no right to be so boastful. Still, it had a point. In the brief exchange from earlier, the Astral Cat hadn’t been able to even touch a mere greater demon. How in the world had she managed to put an archdemon like Thel’al on the ropes? The only answer Ulrich could think of was that the archdemon had been holding back.
But that seemed like far too simple an explanation. Mulling over the problem in his mind, Ulrich turned his attention back to the projection displaying what the imp saw, only to find said Astral Cat glaring right back at him. “She can even see through the invisibility spell? How?”
The projection cut out as the imp turned and fled the scene to avoid being captured. Ulrich stood from his seat and turned to leave the barren stone room he had been using. While the Astral Cat’s strange ability was annoying, it was a problem for a different day. The imp being spotted didn’t really matter at this point anyway. He had all the information he needed from their experiment.
“Well, what do you think? I delivered the results as promised.” Ulrich glanced over at another smaller presence that sat in the deep shadows of the room, only his yellow eyes giving him away. “Will you accept my offer?”
“If I’m being honest, I still don’t trust that you can do what you say.” The bright yellow eyes narrowed at him before an amused grin spread across the creature’s face. “Even so, you managed to free me from that wretched pact, so I’ll play along with you for now.”
“Excellent.” A smile of his own crept across Ulrich’s face. “I look forward to working with you, Zeke.”
“Likewise,” Zeke replied as his tail twitched in the shadows. The air behind him seemed to warp; in the next moment, he was gone. For a second, Ulrich stared at the spot where he had been before giving an amused snort. The Rift Stalker had a strong personality, but it was nothing Ulrich couldn’t handle.
That matter out of the way, it was time to put the next of his plans into action. Ulrich exited the room and walked down a dim stone hallway, lit only by the occasional flitting magic light. The two greater demons followed a step behind. Eventually, he came to a large, sturdy wooden door, guarded by two lesser demons.
Ulrich stopped before the pair. “I’m here to see our guest. I assume he’s awake by now?”
“Kyihihi. You’ll find the wretched little man shivering in the corner of his cell,” replied one of the guards while the other began to unlock t
he door.
Ulrich eyed the pair angrily. “I hope you didn’t do anything foolish. He’s a valuable tool that we need for our master’s plans.”
“Kyihihi. No, much as I would have loved to.” The demon smiled, imagining the horrible acts it wished it could have performed on their prisoner. “I just went to give him food and water as instructed. When he saw me, he shrieked like a little girl and huddled up in a ball.”
“Did he, now? This might be more difficult than I thought then.” Ulrich clicked his tongue before looking back at the greater demons that were following him. “You two, wait here.”
The other lesser demon opened the door, and he went in without waiting for a response. Inside was a single long row of cells. Ulrich slowly walked toward the end of the hall, taking his time as he thought about how to approach his target. He needed to find some way to convince the man to cooperate with them, despite being obviously fearful of the demons. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like his previous offer of power and fortune would be enough to convince his target as he had thought.
Unable to come up with anything, he arrived at the man’s cell. As the guard said, he was huddled in the back corner, hiding in the shadows. Ulrich fought the urge to gag as the strong scent of urine assaulted his nose. The man’s fear was worse than he had imagined. He certainly hadn’t thought him a brave warrior or anything of the sort, but this was far below his expectations of the proud Alandrian nobility.
“W-who are you? Are you with those horrid creatures?” The man finally noticed Ulrich standing there and hesitantly called out to him, voice cracking with fear.
“Calm yourself, my friend. I am no ally of demons.” Ulrich put on his most soothing voice and tried to ease the man’s fears. “My name is Ulrich, and I’m a researcher—of sorts.”
