by Jason Kenyon
‘So you get to spy on anyone who lives or stays there?’ Obdo asked. ‘That must be interesting.’
‘You have that right,’ Ithalna said, smirking. ‘Salestis is quite a naughty girl for one.’
‘Er?’
‘Well, let us simply say that if you are one of her close aides, then you will probably get to know her inside and out,’ Ithalna replied.
‘Nothing wrong with that,’ Mellara said.
‘Perhaps not, but she does tell each one rather different stories,’ Ithalna said.
‘You shouldn’t be spying on people anyway,’ Tharanor said.
‘I never pretended to be moral,’ Ithalna said.
‘Yes, you did,’ Archimegadon said.
‘You spent almost the entire time we’ve known you doing that,’ Mellara said.
Ithalna looked off to one side. ‘Fine, you have me there. So we spied a bit on the dealings of the kingdom – who cares now? It hardly got us anywhere.’
‘There’s so much wrong here that I don’t know where to start,’ Anjilo said.
‘Alright, so we have the tournament and the palace to deal with,’ Archimegadon said. ‘What else do we need to sort out while we’re in Arenfel?’
‘There’s the small issue of Valia and her demon army,’ Mellara replied.
‘Erm, right,’ Archimegadon said. He swallowed hard. ‘Not much we can do about her until we know what she’s after, though.’
‘I’m sure she’d love to have a reasonable chat about it,’ Mellara said.
‘If only everyone was as lazy as Sir Mage,’ Obdo said. ‘Then nothing evil would get done.’
Offended as Archimegadon was, he could not help but agree.
*
Zillon’s death seemed to be heralded by the world at large, as the sun pushed aside the clouds and casts its rays upon the sodden kingdom. While most of the group gathered supplies before tackling the last stretch to Arenfel, Mellara distracted herself by trying out Zillon’s old bow. She first had Anjilo double-check it for any curses, and once she had the all-clear she spent a few minutes taking experimental shots.
‘Yup, this is amazing,’ Mellara said eventually, and she handed her other bow to Obdo. ‘Here, take this in case I need it later.’
‘Excuse me, miss, but why do I have to?’ Obdo asked.
‘You’re the pack mule, of course,’ Mellara replied, patting him on the head. ‘And besides, I saved you all from Zillon, right? It’s only just.’
Archimegadon wasn’t certain he’d been proffered any similar bonuses after defeating any of their previous major opponents, but decided not to argue the point this time. Besides, it was hardly his concern if Obdo had to carry any extra weight.
‘Can’t we rest a bit longer anyway?’ Obdo asked, looking out over the still-damp plains that remained to be traversed. ‘Last night was pretty bad, even by our standards.’
Obdo wasn’t far wrong. Archimegadon had barely slept at all, and had been given the unfortunate duty of standing watch for a third of the night. Tharanor and Anjilo had shared the rest of the watch, giving Mellara a rare night off – another benefit she’d been given for defeating Zillon, Archimegadon mused grumpily.
‘You can get some proper rest once we’re at the city,’ Tharanor replied.
‘Not sure we’ll get much rest on the enemy’s doorstep,’ Obdo said, snorting.
The enemy’s doorstep presented itself to them not too much later. It was mid-afternoon when they came within sight of Arenfel, as they left the cover of a sombre forest and rejoined the Central Way. It was an immense relief in some ways, bringing an end to their journey across Valanthas after weeks on the road since Ferrina. However, it also meant that they were about to come up against Salestis and the Shield of Lut’yis.
Archimegadon regarded the outer walls of the city as they followed the Central Way across a wide field that surrounded Valanthas’s capital. Aldrack had been an impressive place for sure, but Arenfel had clearly decided to outdo its smaller sibling in every way. Salestis had been fortunate with the city architecture, as it seemed to have been inspired by the Light, from the ivory outer walls to the flowing golden designs that decorated the pillars at the gates. Where Ferrina had been guarded by a small contingent when Archimegadon had travelled there before the Marr business, Arenfel was furnished with a small army of guards, both regular soldiers and the more imposing paladins.
The group paused a small distance from the gates.
‘Very well, I suppose this is where we must split up,’ Archimegadon said.
‘We’re doing what?’ Obdo asked.
‘We talked about it half an hour ago,’ Mellara replied. ‘Guess you weren’t listening. I’m going to be going it alone for a bit, since my red eyes get me in trouble with guards. Anjilo, Neurion and Tharanor, since they’re normal, are going to be in one group.’
‘Doesn’t Malthanes know what Tharanor looks like?’ Obdo asked.
‘I can deal with him,’ Tharanor replied. ‘We’re not going near the palace or the Shield, though. Our job is going to be to scout out the tournament itself.’
‘But I wanted to!’ Obdo said.
‘Nah, you’re in group two,’ Tharanor said. ‘That’s Archie and Ithalna, if you didn’t work it out.’
‘We shall be visiting the royal palace,’ Ithalna said. ‘Ah, it shall be nice to return to my beloved home after such an extended absence.’
‘You’re going back to the palace?’ Obdo asked. ‘Are you crazy?’
‘Do not panic, Master Obdo,’ Ithalna said. ‘I know the secret tunnels my fellows placed around the palace and, indeed, the rest of the city. We shall sneak around under Salestis’s nose and find out where the Shield conducts its business. In this way, we shall locate their demon pet and put an end to it.’
‘So what’s Mellara doing?’ Obdo asked. ‘Sunning herself out here?’
‘I’m going to try to speak to the Knights of Valanthas,’ Mellara replied. ‘It’s a long shot, but I’ll see if I can get any assistance from them.’
‘You think they’re going to believe a story about demons?’ Obdo asked.
‘Nope, but I’ll try to get some info on what they’re up to, and perhaps they’ll be able to lend us some help or advice,’ Mellara replied. ‘We’ve been on the road for a while, so it’s worth checking out what the current state of Valanthas is. Judging from the paladin presence at the gates, I’m guessing that Salestis is still in power.’
‘Can I… uhm… stay at an inn all day, instead?’ Obdo asked. He gestured down at himself. ‘I’m not exactly built for stealth work.’
‘Blame Archie,’ Mellara said. ‘He wanted you on his team.’
‘Oh! That’s very nice of you, Sir Mage.’
Archimegadon tried to look innocent.
‘I believe that what Master Forseld actually said was that we could not leave both incompetents on one team or it would be unfair,’ Ithalna said. ‘So Neurion was put with Anjilo and Tharanor, and we took you.’
Neurion flushed but said nothing, and Archimegadon immediately regretted his sharp choice of words, and wished that Ithalna hadn’t shared that. Obdo, meanwhile, shook his head.
‘Well, if we get caught because of me, then you can take all the blame,’ Obdo said.
‘I have absolute faith in you,’ Archimegadon lied.
‘Look on the bright side,’ Anjilo said. ‘Doesn’t seem like Valia and her demons are here. Otherwise I’d have expected to see the gates shut.’
‘I’ll keep an eye out for Valia as well,’ Mellara said. ‘If I get any good info, I’ll come find you guys.’
‘Try not to murder Valia until we know exactly what will happen to her errant demons without her around to direct them,’ Archimegadon said.
‘You worry too much,’ Mellara said with a grin. ‘Oh, and Obdo, I’ve also arranged to meet Anji and Archie out here at four each day, so we can keep up-to-date on what’s happening.’
‘What if something comes up, and four i
s no longer possible?’ Obdo asked.
‘We have a few contingencies sorted out,’ Mellara replied, ‘but I’m gonna let Archie and Anji handle those – not you.’
‘Good thinking!’ Obdo said. ‘Well, glad that’s all sorted. So what’s next?’
‘Group one will be heading in through the front gates,’ Ithalna replied. ‘I, meanwhile, shall be leading our group into the city through another route – one where we should not be quite so conspicuous.’
‘It had better not be the sewers,’ Archimegadon said.
‘It is not the sewers,’ Ithalna said.
Archimegadon stared at her.
‘…It runs close to the sewers, but the scent does not fully carry over,’ Ithalna said.
‘We’d better get started,’ Anjilo said, before Archimegadon could start arguing. ‘You guys, uh… it’s been pretty cool, meeting up again like this. I was kinda at a loss being stuck there in the mountain by myself after Gelenn, Morty, and Terrill left, and I had to leave the Order, so I’m glad you brought me along.’
‘You enjoy being hunted by crazy dark magic people?’ Obdo asked.
‘You know that’s not why,’ Anjilo replied. ‘I have a purpose now – I believe in what we’re here to do. If we can do anything to stop Salestis from hurting Valanthas more, then none of this has been wasted.’
Archimegadon looked over at the city gates, bristling with lances, spears, swords and other tools of death, as the paladins kept solemn watch over their capital. He thought back to watching the ships being destroyed by the Syrakh in Ferrina, and how the paladins had brought ruin to his victory over Marr. If Salestis was in this city, then he wanted to meet her, and bring her to account for what she’d done, whatever the cost.
‘We’ll get this fixed,’ Tharanor said. ‘And don’t worry, group one has this covered – you guys can relax and leave it to us.’
‘Tush, we shall be the ones to solve this matter entire,’ Archimegadon said. ‘You’ll be going to the tournament anyway when it starts, so you might as well sit back and enjoy the proceedings!’
‘Does this mean I have to solve it by myself as well?’ Mellara asked.
‘Salestis has no idea what doom awaits her,’ Obdo said. ‘Let’s go make it happen!’
Chapter Twenty-Five: News Over Tea
Salestis got up early after a pretty rotten night, and since she didn’t have any formal events to attend until the late afternoon, she just tossed on her night robe and left her hair down. Lyssina was the one who always braided her hair anyway; she was no good at doing that herself. She pestered a servant to bring her some of her favourite Crowntown tea, and once it was ready she decided to get around to actually working on something. Lyssina had left one of her romance novels on the table, perhaps hoping that Salestis might give it a try, but Salestis slid it off to one side and gathered a few papers for mundane kingdom matters and sorted through those instead.
She enjoyed this sort of thing, if she allowed herself a serious moment. Once she got into organisational tasks, she could easily lose herself in them for several hours at a time, and would get irritated if anyone interrupted her and pulled her out of her trance. Today’s letters were not anything too exciting, though; they were mostly smile-and-nod letters from settlements around Valanthas that were introducing their champions for the tournament, which required no actual decisions from Salestis.
A gloom settled over her as she considered the tournament. Normally, she’d have happily taken part in the event, but instead it just reminded her that she was going to die on the third day. The thought gave her a slight shiver, but then, all things considered, it was better than going through the alternative.
Besides, she thought wryly, she wouldn’t exactly put up much of a fight any more. She occasionally played at some sparring, mostly with Lyssina who went easy on her, but she was certainly no champion these days, like she had been in her youth. It felt so distant now, thinking back, that it almost felt like several lifetimes away, or even something she’d read – this caused her to glance at Lyssie’s book, and she softened a little and picked it up.
Salestis wasn’t particularly one for attachments. She’d lived for most of her life expecting to pop out of existence at any time, and had tried to avoiding taking anything too seriously as a result. Most people had taken this attitude positively, seeing her as carefree and living in the moment. The latter might have been true, but she’d certainly had her share of worries as time had gone on.
As such, she’d not been particularly eager to get stuck in anything serious with Lyssie, but she’d got careless. It’s not like she didn’t have feelings for Lyssie, but it just made things more difficult – and awkward – when it came to enacting their plan. Then again, it was going to be the same whatever she did anyway.
A knock at the door jolted her out of her thoughts, which was probably just as well. Salestis glanced over at herself in the mirror, noting the shadows under her eyes and how tangled her hair was, and felt much less than radiant this morning. She then rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the door.
‘Come in!’ she called, setting Lyssie’s book down in front of her.
Lyssina poked her head around the door. She had tied back her blonde hair, which was already fairly short to begin with, and had put on her smartest ceremonial armour. Salestis blinked; Lyssina had no formal duties today, beyond just following along at her side for the menial tasks later today, so why on earth had she bothered wearing that? It also made her feel even more slovenly, and she unconsciously started straightening out her tangled hair.
‘Your Radiance, good morning,’ Lyssina said. She looked up and down Salestis, and her eyes danced. ‘Ah, sorry to interrupt you when you’re just waking up.’
Salestis glanced over at the clock, and noted that she’d been up for over an hour.
‘Uhm, yes, exactly,’ Salestis said. ‘What is it, Lyssie?’
Lyssina stepped inside the room and gave the paladin salute, though she seemed to be holding the door just slightly open with one foot. ‘You have a visitor, if you would like to see him now?’
‘It’s Mal, isn’t it?’ Salestis asked, her eyes narrowing.
‘It is indeed, Your Radiance,’ Lyssina replied, and she flashed a smile.
Salestis rubbed her forehead. Ignoring how much of a screw-up the idiot Shield Commander was, if Lyssina was enjoying herself this much then it probably meant that Malthanes had made even more of a mess than expected. And it had been such a comfortable morning, too, morbid thoughts aside. She took a deep breath.
‘Come in, both of you,’ she said.
Stepping aside, Lyssina held the door open and allowed Malthanes to walk in. Salestis suddenly felt a lot better about her own appearance this morning, and even allowed a short sound of surprise to burst through her nose. She looked over at Lyssina, who was bobbing from side to side like an over-excited child, and realised why she’d dressed up for the occasion.
Malthanes loved his appearance. Salestis had to admit that he was attractive, despite his lack of… well, pretty much everything else. Before he’d ‘discovered’ the Light, Malthanes had been quite the dashing rogue, but poverty and bad behaviour had eventually caught up with him, and the Order had picked him up and straightened him out, crafting him into a weapon fit to lead the Shield of Lut’yis.
Right now, though, he looked like he hadn’t slept for weeks. His blond hair, usually so perfectly-ordered, had been left to grow untouched, and tufts stuck up to either side, resembling comical wings. Beneath his eyes, his skin had turned a worrying shade of purple, and despite herself Salestis found herself thinking of wine, and pondered how long she’d have to wait before she could pour herself a glass without being judged. Mal’s cheeks had sagged in a most unflattering way, saved only by the light fuzz that concealed the lower part of his face.
‘By the Light, Mal, you look like you just came out of a demon’s backside,’ Salestis said.
Malthanes coughed, and Salestis noti
ced his head twitch to one side for a split instant.
‘Have you been drinking?’ Salestis asked. This was the first time she’d seen him since receiving news of the fall of Stornis Hold, and she’d initially planned to shout at him so hard that the force would blast him through the nearest wall, but this had completely stopped her in her tracks.
Lyssina made a face at her.
Salestis thought it over for a moment longer.
‘Oh!’ She giggled in spite of herself. ‘Ohh. The Blade stole your vistarium supply, didn’t they? Not doing well without it, I see.’
Malthanes scratched just below his nose. ‘Your Radiance. I offer my most humble apologies.’
His voice lacked its usual force, which almost caused Salestis to pity him. Now wasn’t the time for kindness, though, she reminded herself. Malthanes had managed to ruin her otherwise-perfect handling of the current Valanthas situation. The Central Council and even the Knights of Valanthas had stopped pestering her so much since she’d agreed to have their little friends-making session at the Grand Tournament, and then Malthanes had gone and caused some sort of rebellion and, worse yet, made the embarrassing mistake of leaving the hold in the hands of mercenaries.
Well, she supposed that was being a little unfair. After spending months running around Valanthas, Valia had certainly not seemed the sort to have demons at her command, so Salestis could hardly blame Malthanes for not expecting it. Indeed, Salestis had assumed it was a lie at first, until several other reliable witnesses who’d fled the hold had communicated the same.
‘Lyssie, come and sit down,’ Salestis said, tugging out a chair and wiggling it at her.
‘Thank you, Your Radiance,’ Lyssina said, stepping past Malthanes with ballroom grace. She sat demurely and watched Malthanes, not bothering to conceal her joy even in his direct sight.
‘My pleasure,’ Salestis said. She tugged at her hair. ‘Mal, talk me through it. What in the name of the Light happened over there?’
‘Those things,’ Malthanes replied. ‘We didn’t expect them to attack us like that. When we got to Ferrina they were just like animals. We cut them down wherever we found them.’
