by Jason Kenyon
‘Yes, well I had the idea to hand it to Tharanor,’ Archimegadon said.
‘And what a journey that was,’ Obdo said. ‘So what’s the thoughts on Valia then? That was a surprise for me at least.’
‘If she’s fighting on our side, that’s something,’ Anjilo said.
‘I don’t trust her,’ Tharanor said.
‘I am steadily coming to fear that I was wrong to spare her,’ Archimegadon said.
‘Oh come on now, Sir Mage,’ Obdo said. ‘She tries to kill us all with Marr at her back, and you think she can get better. Then she springs everyone out of imprisonment and saves the Fallen Blade, and now you think she should die!’
‘She has an army of demons!’ Archimegadon said. ‘I want her to improve, yes, but I highly doubt that leading a force of demons is a particularly valid proof of personal enrichment! Unless you didn’t notice, she’s immensely unstable and violent to boot! My intention upon Thorn’argen was for us to take her captive and help her, or at least find her some help.’
‘Think she’s going to attack Arenfel?’ Obdo asked.
‘She would have to be mad to attack the entire city,’ Ithalna replied. ‘The paladin force that took Ferrina is nothing compared to the army they have at their disposal in the capital.’
‘That’s our Valia,’ Obdo said. ‘Mad as anything.’
‘It is not something for us to be proud about,’ Neurion said. ‘Valia was our companion, and now it is our responsibility to stop her.’
‘If we even want to stop her,’ Obdo said. ‘So what if she’s going to attack the Supreme Commander? Good riddance, I say.’
‘Valia doesn’t care too much for who else gets hurt,’ Archimegadon said. ‘That is the problem with her. And she changes her mind with the wind.’
‘Either way, Archie and I promised to take princess here over to Arenfel,’ Mellara said. ‘If we run into Valia on the way, I’m sure we can talk about it nicely.’ She patted her bow.
‘So Arenfel’s our next target?’ Obdo asked.
‘Indeed, we’ll drop Ithalna off with the Knights of Valanthas and then take a ship to somewhere less paladin-filled,’ Archimegadon replied.
‘Sounds great! When do we leave?’
Chapter Seventeen: Last of a Kind
Night fell over Stornis Hold. While the gates were not fully repaired, Diojin’s men had worked fast, and put up a sturdy barrier that would at least dissuade assault on foot. Small pockets of light illuminated disparate areas of the hold, and now the walls themselves were patrolled by Blade guards, who bore the vistarium-enhanced weaponry of the Order’s mining operations. Some had predicted the return of the Order in the night to retake their hold, but Diojin had been confident that there would be no immediate repercussions. They’d tallied the Order’s dead, and it seemed that Valia’s demon assault had been devastating to their numbers.
The general opinion towards Valia at the hold was one of wary respect. Some remembered the reputation of the traitor knight who served Marr, though they were not certain it was the same person. Diojin was not eager to clarify the matter, since it was obvious to Archimegadon that the crime lord knew it was a bad idea to rile people up against Valia while she held such a powerful card in her hand. For now, the Blade was told that the rogue knight Valia was their ally and a saviour of sorts, and that her quarrel lay with the Supreme Commander.
As for Archimegadon and his band, they found their own side chamber in the hold, where they set up a rough sleeping area for the seven of them. Discussions over the day mostly focused on their adventures since they’d been split up in Ferrina. Two mysteries troubled them all the most.
Firstly, there was the matter of the Blade’s capture in Ferrina. Tharanor, Obdo and Neurion all confirmed that there’d been something beneath the waters of the harbour that had brought down the ships, but that led to the inevitable suspicion of more remnants of Marr’s demons. Archimegadon recalled what Valia had said to him back at the forest outside Ferrina, when she’d dismissed the idea that the paladins had cast spells to bring down the ships. He didn’t share the information with the others, since he still didn’t want them thinking him in league with the unstable knight, but it made him wonder if Valia had been responsible for the disaster. If so, though, then what exactly was her intention?
The second mystery related to the dark attacker at Anjilo’s mountain. There’d been no other incident of that nature since the mountain, and it was possible that the matter was resolved, but either way it left the question of what it had been, and why it had attacked the group. Was it with the paladins, or Valia, or another faction entirely? Was it the same power that brought down the ships in the harbour?
Archimegadon had no answer, and the more he realised he was clueless about the current problems the party faced, the more irritable he became. Just to add to it, Obdo and Neurion told him about Valia’s warning that Salestis and her paladins were going to do something even worse soon, but what, and where? It was clear to Archimegadon that this Salestis was one fire short of a flamebolt, but as to what her ambitions were beyond the throne he could not guess.
Before he entirely exploded from frustration, he’d excused himself from the group, and gone to wander the cold grounds of Stornis Hold to clear his head. It was mercifully peaceful out here this night, as most of the freed prisoners who weren’t on guard duty had sensibly hidden themselves away within the hold proper.
Archimegadon found himself by the well, which was lit by a solitary torch. The sickly tree next to it looked like a distorted ribcage now that it was night, with the glow of the flames playing over it, and he allowed himself a shudder now that his companions were not here to see. He idly inspected the trunk, which was smooth and pale as a corpse, not helping his morbid imagery much.
‘Grob for your thoughts,’ Mellara said behind him, and Archimegadon nearly jumped up the tree.
‘Good gracious me, Nightshot, must you always abuse your powers so?’ Archimegadon asked.
Mellara’s crimson eyes glittered in the torchlight. ‘As long as it entertains me,’ she replied with a grin.
Another shadow loomed in the darkness, and Archimegadon raised an eyebrow as Tharanor joined the two of them, still limping slightly. The former guard sat on the well and looked over at Archimegadon.
‘We need to talk,’ Tharanor said.
‘Nothing good has ever followed those four words,’ Archimegadon said.
‘Don’t worry,’ Mellara said. ‘He told me you’ll be fine. You’ve done nothing wrong, this once.’
‘I don’t feel as much at ease as I should,’ Archimegadon said.
‘I always act rashly,’ Tharanor said. ‘It’s pretty obvious that’s how you all feel. So this time, I am going to be careful about what I do, and I decided to talk to you two.’
‘Why us?’ Archimegadon asked.
‘You two are pretty much the leaders these days,’ Tharanor replied. ‘Mellara’s probably the most competent in general, and you get things done, somehow. So you’re the ones I trust.’
That meant a lot, coming from Tharanor. He and Archimegadon regularly argued about decisions, and Archimegadon had spared Yuriath’s murderer, after all. As for Mellara, she’d once betrayed the group for Diojin’s ambition, though that was before she’d really come to be one of them. If Tharanor would share whatever he was about to reveal with her, then he must have come to trust her more than Archimegadon had realised.
‘Sir Malthanes was the paladin who led the campaign in Ferrina, up until Salestis came and forced them to drive us out,’ Tharanor said. ‘He took me aside for questioning, which is why I’m in the state I am now. It seems that he’s the leader of a group called the Shield of Lut’yis, which is an inner circle within the Paladin Order itself. They do the dirty work of the Supreme Commander, or get things done, as he put it.’
‘He struck me as an arse back when he gave that first speech of his,’ Archimegadon said, leaning back against the tree.
‘While que
stioning me, he was mainly interested in a couple of things,’ Tharanor continued. ‘For one, he wanted to know more about who the Godslayers are, so I told him the descriptions of a few of the Clerics, and Valia.’
‘I think that’s the actual reason why you’re in the state you are now,’ Mellara said. ‘Thanks for sticking up for us, though.’
‘You owe me one,’ Tharanor said with a grin. ‘So before I go into the second thing, Valia and I looked around his office after he’d run away during her attack. He had a couple of communications from the Supreme Commander, which mentioned the name Zillon.’ Mellara tilted her head at this. ‘It seems they’d hired him for a specific target.’
‘Zillon?’ Archimegadon asked.
‘He’s a rumoured shadow hunter who was supposed to be hiding in the forests outside Ferrina,’ Mellara replied. ‘There’s a lot of fairy stories about him, but even Lord Diojin wouldn’t touch him.’
‘The letters are written as if the man is just some scout,’ Tharanor said, ‘or simply too vague to convince someone outside of our group, so I don’t think we could use them to pin anything on the Supreme Commander. But anyone aware of his reputation knows that Zillon is an assassin who is apparently trained in the use of dark magic.’
‘Oh!’ Archimegadon stood upright and raised a finger. ‘So you’re thinking that the assailant at Anjilo’s workshop was this Zillon fellow?’
‘That’s what it sounds like, yes,’ Tharanor replied.
‘But he’s dead,’ Archimegadon said. ‘I blew him apart personally.’
‘Yes, and I’m glad for it, as he was dangerous,’ Tharanor said. ‘Sadly, we’re not out of the woods yet, though. There was a reason they hired him.’
‘Oh yes, I suppose that makes sense,’ Archimegadon said.
‘The second thing that Malthanes was interested in repeatedly was about the Godslayer who is also a mage,’ Tharanor said. ‘He was specifically interested in the mage. When Valia saw one of the letters about Zillon, she told me I’d understand more when you arrived, and I’m starting to piece it together.’
Archimegadon felt a cold shiver. ‘So Salestis, all this time, has wanted me dead?’
‘No,’ Tharanor replied. ‘I don’t think they even know or particularly care who any of us are. But members of the Blade who talked to Malthanes told him all about our activities over the month we were holed up in the docks, and that’s what misled him.’
‘I’m not sure what you’re getting at,’ Mellara said.
‘There’s someone who has Malthanes and Salestis frightened,’ Tharanor said. ‘This mage went and holed up in Ferrina to try to escape Salestis. It’s also the reason the Order is killing cultists everywhere – they want to make sure that this mage is dead, no matter how many innocents get murdered in the meantime. And I believe this mage is the only one other than them who knows what happened in Arenfel on the night that the King was assassinated, and also the only one who can reveal their plans.’
‘I don’t know that I want you to finish this,’ Mellara said.
‘You’ve worked out what he means?’ Archimegadon asked. ‘I haven’t the first clue what he’s babbling about.’
‘How did you work out this stuff about the King?’ Mellara asked. ‘Are you sure that’s what’s going on?’
‘I’m pretty sure,’ Tharanor replied. ‘Along with everything else I heard from Malthanes, in one of the letters Salestis said a bit too much. Here you go.’
He fished a crumpled sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to Mellara. Archimegadon peered over her shoulder and read it under the orange torchlight, feeling his sense of dread grow.
Word on Zillon? Progress on daughter? She’s still doing his work. Think hair dyed, description close, likely seeking protection. Ask about Godslayers.
‘Ah, dammit, I don’t believe this,’ Mellara said.
‘This means absolutely nothing to me,’ Archimegadon said. ‘There’s not a word about the King here.’
‘Not directly, but there is if you look hard enough,’ Tharanor said. ‘Along with everything else Malthanes asked me about, I think this letter refers to their target. She’s a famous cultist, and daughter of another one who was killed three months ago. She ran for cover with the Fallen Blade, and then sought someone else’s protection, which caused Salestis to hire the hunter Zillon to go and track her across Valanthas.’
‘I don’t follow!’ Archimegadon said. ‘Just say what you want to say and be done with it!’
‘Don’t you see?’ Mellara asked. ‘The reason Zillon hunted us is because Ithalna isn’t Ithalna at all – she’s Unette Alhamis.’
Archimegadon blinked. ‘She – what?’
‘She’s the last Cleric,’ Tharanor replied. ‘Orgus’s daughter, the wife of the King, the cultist who must have seen what really happened in Arenfel. She wants you to drop her off with the Knights of Valanthas, she said? I bet she’s not interested in that at all – she’s probably going back to take care of Salestis once and for all for her father. She’s still doing his work.’
‘But she’s all noble and such,’ Archimegadon said.
‘Exactly,’ Mellara said. ‘She’s a queen, right, and pretty bad at hiding her accent, so I guess she gave up even bothering. I’ve never heard of a noble called Ithalna before in Ferrina, or the Tyrfell family either, for that matter, which did seem a bit odd at the time looking back.’
‘But I hate Clerics!’ Archimegadon said. ‘How can Ithalna be a filthy cultist? An assassin, a murderer, a fiend? This is absurd!’
‘So why was there some dark magic hunter tracking you?’ Tharanor asked.
‘Because I’m a Godslayer!’ Archimegadon replied. ‘I am the Hero of Arranoth and Ferrina both.’
‘I doubt Salestis has even heard of you,’ Tharanor said.
‘Ridiculous,’ Archimegadon said.
‘So what are we going to do about this mess?’ Mellara asked. ‘Should we just dump her here and leave?’
‘If she does know something about the Shield’s plans, I would like to hear it,’ Tharanor replied. ‘Then we’ll have cleared up what one of our current enemies is up to. And perhaps, if Unette’s willing, she can tell us what she’s planning to do herself. At least we’ll be sorted on two of the mysteries then. Though that leaves the question of Valia’s intentions, but one thing at a time, I guess.’
‘This is absolutely preposterous,’ Archimegadon said. ‘I don’t want to think of Ithalna as an assassin of Kings. She taught me spells, healed Mellara here, fought with us against paladins… heavens, she even cooked us food!’
‘Just because she’s a Cleric, it doesn’t mean she only goes around cackling and doing evil,’ Mellara said with a smirk.
‘I don’t want to confront her about it unless we can be sure she isn’t going to blow us all apart,’ Tharanor said. ‘From what I’ve heard, she’s pretty skilled in several schools of magic.’
‘No more than me,’ Archimegadon lied.
‘The paladins probably have plenty of anti-magic shackles,’ Mellara said. ‘I’ll get hold of some of those and we can use one on her.’
‘But how will we get it on her without provoking a fight?’ Tharanor asked.
‘I wouldn’t want to try it while she’s sleeping in case she notices,’ Mellara replied. ‘What I’d really like is some way of stopping her from casting at all before she tries.’
Archimegadon blinked. He had an idea of what to do. Finally, he had a contribution to bring to this meeting!
‘Ah, Tharanor, Mellara, I have a splendid plan. We can get this done tomorrow, and I know just the way to do it.’
*
‘We are setting out so soon?’ Ithalna asked, yawning as Mellara woke her the next morning.
They’d all settled down to sleep on the uncomfortable rugs in the chamber they’d requisitioned, which was normally some sort of small meeting room for the Order. With all the usual chairs and desks moved to one side of the room, the companions had dozed in the middle,
in spite of Obdo’s snoring. Archimegadon had barely slept, though that was mainly down to the various worries on his mind. With the door locked, they’d not bothered to set a guard for once, which had been a relief for Mellara in particular, since she was always first choice.
‘Valia makes for Arenfel with her demons,’ Archimegadon replied. ‘Whatever it is she plans, it is our duty to catch up with her and put a stop to them.’
‘I suppose that makes sense,’ Ithalna said. ‘Oh, I think that I could happily sleep for another day.’ She rubbed at her eyes.
Archimegadon glanced at Mellara. Was this really a deceitful Cleric, bent on some sinister plot for her dark cult? He only hoped they hadn’t leaped so far in logic that they’d landed somewhere in the territory of total stupidity.
Much as Archimegadon was eager to get the unpleasant business over with, he supposed that they’d better stick to a normal schedule. Not that it particularly mattered what he thought; Mellara insisted that they had a proper breakfast before setting out, and she also delayed them while she spoke with Diojin after that, when they met him in the courtyard.
‘Best of fortunes with your journey,’ Diojin said to them all after Mellara was done. ‘The Supreme Commander, if you see her – be sure that you are giving her my regards.’
Archimegadon supposed that his group would have a reasonable chance at assassinating the Supreme Commander, given that they had someone experienced in regicide with them now. All the same, he had no particular idea what their end goal was, yet. With Salestis, Valia, and Unette as potential enemies, he had his hands full.
The road was clear, and Archimegadon wondered if this would last. Would Malthanes return with a force to retake Stornis Hold, or was he going to run back to Salestis with his tail between his legs? Archimegadon liked the mental image of the unsavoury Shield Commander cowering, and decided to assume that was the most likely scenario.
‘Nice to be back on the road, isn’t it, Sir Mage?’ Obdo asked.
‘I’ve been on the blasted road for the past few weeks,’ Archimegadon replied. ‘I would be quite glad to sit still for a bit.’
