Heroes Gone Rogue

by Jason Kenyon

  ‘I have already caught wind of your plan to murder the Central Council with your pet demon,’ Ithalna said.

  ‘We thought as much,’ Lyssina said.

  ‘So you’re really planning to unleash a demon to slaughter innocents, just to consolidate your seat of power?’ Archimegadon asked.

  ‘That’s right, yes,’ Lyssina replied. ‘It’s not a plan I’m proud of, and I definitely don’t want that madman Malthanes in charge after… after it’s carried out.’

  ‘There’s one thing I don’t really understand - does Salestis actually mean to die fighting the Syrakh?’ Archimegadon asked.

  Lyssina looked down at her lap, and suddenly seemed years younger. ‘I… she… yes, that’s her plan.’

  ‘But why? Is her faith that fanatical?’

  ‘It is, but not quite in the way you think,’ Lyssina replied. She looked back up at Archimegadon, and he noticed to his surprise that tears had formed in her eyes. ‘Salestis is from the de’Cirana family, from Deyna. I don’t think you’d have heard of it much in Valanthas, but the family was quite famous in Deyna, which meant that they also made powerful enemies. A few generations before Salestis, a member of the family was a powerful paladin, and he destroyed a really nasty cult there. However, they managed to put a curse on him, supposedly, and it’s lived with the family ever since.’

  ‘What sort of curse?’ Archimegadon asked.

  ‘It’s called the Eld Rot,’ Lyssina replied. ‘It’s a slow-acting curse, almost like a disease. It starts by killing your sense of taste, and eventually your tongue begins to… to rot in your mouth. But even when you can no longer eat, you remain alive in pain, for weeks, sometimes months, until you finally die.’

  ‘Well, that’s vile,’ Archimegadon said.

  ‘It is,’ Lyssina said. ‘And it’s passed from generation to generation over the years. Each time, they hope it’s gone, and each time it comes back.’

  ‘So, Salestis…’

  ‘She thought she was rid of it,’ Lyssina said. ‘Her parents bore her, only to find that her father had the symptoms near the end of the war, so they threw their lives away deliberately out of fear of what was to happen to him. Even her mother did the same, and she didn’t even have the curse. Salestis was left alone, in the shadow of their sacrifice, and didn’t know at the time about the family curse. I didn’t even know about it, and I fell out of touch with her for years. When we met up again more recently, though, she confided in me.

  ‘In her teen years she asked the Light to show her what had happened to her parents, and it shared with her exactly why they’d fought their losing battle. It also told her of her predicted fate – that in her early thirties, she would lose her sense of taste, and slowly after she would succumb to the disease and die in agony. She was determined not to let it rule her, and she moved away from her martial pursuits and followed the path of a healer, seeking to put a stop to the curse once and for all. So fervent was she in the faith that she outdid all others and her talents were sought across the Order.’

  ‘I had not realised,’ Archimegadon said. Indeed, he’d just assumed she was another block-headed fighter, far different from a kindly healer who had actually helped people.

  ‘But it did not work, did it?’ Ithalna asked.

  Lyssina sighed. ‘Her early thirties passed, and she was fine. She told me how happy she was that she’d purged herself of all darkness, and that she’d overcome the curse that her family had been too weak to control… that her parents had run from “like cowards”. But it happened. Oh Light, it started just over a year ago. She’s losing her sense of taste, and she can feel her body weakening, no matter what she does.’

  ‘So now she is copying her parents,’ Ithalna said. ‘Instead of suffering the agony of this Eld Rot, she is going to die a hero’s death – make her demise “mean” something. Right?’

  Archimegadon felt a chill run through him as he understood it all. Why Salestis would throw her life away… why she would rush to consolidate her power base rather than rule wisely. She wanted to be remembered, and she wanted to fix everything before she suffered her painful death from this curse.

  ‘I… I want you to know,’ Lyssina said. ‘It isn’t something I think I should share, but I want you to understand. I love her. I always have, even when we were parted for so long. And I cannot bear to see this happen to her.

  ‘But what she’s doing is wrong. The Shield of Lut’yis and their leader Malthanes – they just see an opportunity to control Valanthas, and they’re happy to take advantage of her weakness. I’m not like them, though, and I know that it has to be stopped.’

  ‘Then go speak to Knight Champion Terrek,’ Ithalna said. ‘Or the Central Council.’

  Lyssina reddened. ‘Well, I want this plan stopped, yes, but… you have to understand…’

  ‘If everyone finds out, your Order is ruined,’ Ithalna said. She smirked. ‘I see little drawback to this result. Perhaps I shall speak to them myself – there is a good chance that Knight Champion Terrek will be interested in what I have to say.’

  ‘Please, no!’ Lyssina said. ‘I can help you – that’s why I’ve been stopping by here for the past few days. I even set some spells to let me know if anyone visited. Please, I’m begging you – Salestis and the Shield have done it all wrong, but the Order, at its heart, loves Valanthas – it loves all the people who live in it. I’m begging you, Unette – please help me stop this plan. But don’t destroy the whole Order.’

  ‘Calm down,’ Ithalna said. ‘You are hard to understand when you babble that much.’

  Lyssina sniffed and dabbed a handkerchief at her eyes, but she sat back and tried to compose herself. Archimegadon found himself frowning at Ithalna – he wasn’t used to her being so cold-hearted, even in her snarkier moments. Then again, given what the Order had actually done in Valanthas, it was difficult not to snort at the notion that the paladins ‘loved’ the people in the slightest.

  He felt a twinge of shame as he thought of Neurion and Anjilo, and even felt some slight empathy with this stranger Lyssina, who had apparently risked everything coming here and being so honest with them all.

  ‘I say that we give it a try,’ Archimegadon said. ‘We do not need to publicly ruin Salestis – we merely need to put a stop to the Shield’s plan with the Syrakh, which we can do in secret before the tournament even takes place.’

  ‘You do not actually trust this paladin, do you?’ Ithalna asked.

  ‘We’re taking enough of a chance on you, ma’am,’ Obdo replied, causing Ithalna to look around in surprise.

  ‘I thought that you were long asleep,’ she said.

  ‘Thank you,’ Lyssina said to Archimegadon meanwhile. ‘I know… I know that my Order has a long way to go to fix what’s happened. But we can get things started here.’

  ‘Madam, I am a hero of two long campaigns,’ Archimegadon said. ‘I shall most assuredly see to the defeat of this Malthanes fellow, and the elimination of his demon pet. So, let’s get started with the most obvious question – where are they keeping it?’

  Lyssina froze in the midst of wiping away a tear. ‘Uh… I don’t know.’

  Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Rope Tightens

  Archimegadon glared at the city gates on his way out of Arenfel. While it was a least a lot easier leaving the city this way rather than via the tunnel he’d had to use when arriving with Ithalna, he disliked being on show under the watch of the faceless guards here. Unlikely as it was that they’d recognise him specifically amongst the hundreds who passed through each day, Archimegadon still suspected that some accursed guard might get lucky and notice the Order’s number one threat.

  He also associated these gates with the inevitable disappointment of Anjilo, and of course the delightful irritation of Mellara, who clearly took things too seriously. Well, today they would both be eating their words, because Archimegadon had single-handedly made more progress than either of the other groups. Not that Mellara was technically a group, but a
ll the same he had obviously outdone her anyway.

  Mellara always met with him and Anjilo a few minutes away from the city gates, under the cover of the nearby forest. Much as Archimegadon was sick of the sight of trees after sleeping amongst them for the past few weeks, he decided to pick his battles and let Mellara have her little hiding spot. He did make a point of glaring at the insolent foliage as he passed it.

  He was not surprised to find Mellara already at the meeting spot, but there was no sign of Anjilo, which was unusual. Mellara was adjusting the string on Zillon’s old bow as Archimegadon arrived, and he took a moment to admire the sinister weapon despite its associations. Much like Mellara’s glaive Uldraxios, or Tharanor’s magic blade (which didn’t appear to be named, something Archimegadon felt must surely be breaking some sort of rule), Zillon’s bow had obviously been crafted by a talented person indeed, the jagged ripples giving the impression that arrays of dark knives had been lashed together to form the arc. When closer to it, Archimegadon could see that the bow was in fact simply carved wood, though it was an unfamiliar silvery-black variety.

  Mellara didn’t look up from her work, but a slight smile appeared as Archimegadon drew close. ‘Hi there, Archie! You’re first. Good work.’

  ‘Evening, Mellara,’ Archimegadon said. ‘No Anjilo yet?’

  ‘Well, yes, or you’d be second,’ Mellara replied.

  ‘Much as I appreciate being declared the winner, wouldn’t you be first, technically?’ Archimegadon asked.

  ‘That would be no contest,’ Mellara replied. ‘I usually finish off my day’s activities early… it’s pretty boring out here, I’ll tell you that much.’

  ‘I would gladly have you accompany us into Arenfel,’ Archimegadon said. ‘Valia’s notoriety has not given us much room for that, though.’

  ‘I know,’ Mellara said. ‘Still want to complain anyway.’

  Anjilo joined them not much longer after that, carrying a large satchel that seemed to be bulging at the seams. She set it down next to her as she seated herself on one of the handy rocks that they’d picked out for their little meetings, and Archimegadon heard the sound of many metallic objects rubbing against one another.

  ‘Hi guys,’ Anjilo said.

  ‘Afternoon, Anji,’ Mellara said. ‘You’re late… I had to entertain Archie today.’

  ‘Sorry!’ Anjilo said. ‘Got held up.’

  Deciding to ignore Mellara’s slight, Archimegadon raised an eyebrow as he regarded Anjilo’s satchel. ‘Is that the reason?’

  Anji noticed his look. ‘Hah, yeah – I did a little shopping today. We’ve got a bunch of days until the tournament so I thought I could do some work in the evenings when we’re finished for the day.’

  ‘What sort of work are we discussing here?’ Archimegadon asked.

  ‘Experiments!’ Anjilo replied, with a conspiratorial wink.

  ‘Are you making more arrows?’ Mellara asked, shifting her attention away from her bow for the first time.

  ‘I was actually thinking about that!’ Anjilo replied. ‘Haven’t tracked down a supplier of explosive powder, though. Bit difficult with all the restrictions my Order put in place, but I bet I can find a dodgy market somewhere. Then I can get to work on blessing it.’

  ‘Blessed… explosives?’ Archimegadon asked.

  ‘Yeah, you think a normal exploding arrow would do that much damage?’ As she spoke, Anjilo began making gestures to show what she was talking about, and Archimegadon became concerned that she might detonate herself with this much enthusiasm on display. ‘No, I bless the arrows, and mix in Light power! It sorta multiplies the effect of the powder, so it has a wider range of impact, and a good amount of force too. Since we’re thinking of slaying the Syrakh, I figured we might want something more large-scale to take it down.’

  Archimegadon swallowed. He’d not really thought about tackling the demon head-on.

  ‘Uh, Anji, you didn’t see that creature when it was guarding Ferrina,’ Mellara said. ‘It’s easily as tall as the gates of Arenfel. It took an army of paladins to bring it down!’

  ‘Well, yeah, you guys were saying before,’ Anjilo said. ‘That’s why I’m working on boosting our firepower! The old man might be good in a fight, but we’re gonna need some extras!’

  She reached into the satchel and started pulling out all sorts of random wires, springs, and metal plates, arranging them around herself in what seemed to Archimegadon to have no discernible order. Anjilo began humming as she sorted through her collection, and Archimegadon wasn’t certain if he was more impressed or frightened by this cheerful explosives expert.

  ‘So I was thinking, we can put these bits around one of the Lightstones and mix in some of the powder,’ Anjilo said, picking up certain parts and dropping them back faster than Archimegadon could keep up. ‘If you get this coiled round and activate it at the same time as the impact of this, then that’ll set off these two parts – look here – and then you’ve got five times the normal area! Isn’t that awesome?’

  Mellara and Archimegadon exchanged glances.

  ‘Erm, are you going to be able to work on these things without demolishing the tavern you’re staying in?’ Archimegadon asked.

  Anjilo just grinned, her face flushed. ‘This is only theory at this point! But I think it’s sound, so if I prepare the individual bits now I just need to drop in the Lightstones and powder later and we’ll be able to get things going even in the field! And that’s not the last of it – see these bits here, if we coil them up and attach them here… and here… yup, you see? You’ve got a chain going! We can make it ten times better! What d’ya think?’

  ‘I’m gonna take your word for it,’ Mellara replied with a grin. ‘You sure love your toys, don’t you?’

  ‘They’re amazing!’ Anjilo replied. ‘I hadn’t even thought about trying this until now, but I was just wandering around the market and I saw these bits and then it seemed obvious that if I just found something like… this… and this, actually… you’ve got some real potential to work on!’

  ‘So Anji’s been having fun today,’ Mellara said. ‘Did you find anything out, Archie?’

  ‘Hah, I did!’ Archimegadon replied, and he struck as mighty a pose as was possible while seated.

  He detailed their run-in with Lyssina, and shared the information from their discussion. While they’d continued to talk with Lyssina after she’d admitted to not knowing where the Syrakh was actually being stored, they hadn’t learned much extra, beyond her repeatedly begging that they not make the plan public, and that they didn’t hurt Salestis if possible. Lyssina had also shared that she thought there was a paladin tunnel that had its exit somewhere in the surrounding forests, under some old ruins, allegedly, but she wasn’t certain where they were, or if they even existed.

  ‘Well, that’s a shame!’ Anjilo said. ‘We could’ve got this whole thing sorted out tomorrow. Still, gives me time to work on making my Anji Bomb.’

  ‘You are not allowed to call it that,’ Archimegadon said.

  ‘But…’

  ‘No!’

  Anjilo pouted.

  Mellara was looking sour, and Archimegadon scowled. Wasn’t she happy that he’d made such progress with the investigations? Was there no pleasing her?

  ‘What’s the problem, Mellara?’ he asked her.

  ‘Look, this is all well and good,’ Mellara replied. ‘But listen here: you revealed to Salestis’s aide that Unette is back in town, confirmed that your intentions are to stop their plan to kill the Syrakh, and basically just gave away every last secret that we have. If this Lyssina of yours is telling us lies – and bear in mind that if she’s telling the truth, then that makes her a turncoat already – then you’ve all thrown away every last advantage we still had.’

  ‘I… oh.’ Archimegadon didn’t have much of a counter to that.

  ‘I’m not saying that’s the case here, but we have to be smart, and careful,’ Mellara said. ‘I don’t know how I’d have handled finding Lyssin
a. Actually, chances are that I’d have cut her throat before she even got to speak to me.’ She smirked. ‘Unless I lost the fight, but let’s not be silly. All the same, I wonder… if she is being honest with us, then she’s a powerful ally.’

  ‘How is Ithalna, anyway?’ Anjilo asked.

  ‘Oh, she’s fine,’ Archimegadon replied. ‘Her usual dreary cultist self.’

  ‘That’s how you see her?’ Anjilo asked. ‘She always seemed quite happy to me.’

  ‘She’s been a lot unhappier since we got inside the city,’ Archimegadon said. ‘She’s nastier, and talks about gloomy things.’

  ‘Well, it is where her husband was murdered,’ Anjilo said.

  Mellara snorted. ‘That one doesn’t care about the King – you just have to watch her eyes when she talks about him. No love lost there, I can tell you.’

  ‘Aside from that she is fine,’ Archimegadon said, not wanting to think about what Mellara had said. ‘She was playing cards with Obdo when I left them.’

  ‘She has plenty of relorans for him to win,’ Mellara said. ‘You know she’s walking around with ten thousand of them, yeah?’

  Archimegadon nearly fell off his perch. ‘You didn’t steal them?’

  ‘Trust me, I’ve wanted to for some time now,’ Mellara replied. ‘Until I know what she’s after, though, I didn’t see there being any benefit to robbing her.’

  ‘Think of the components I could get with that!’ Anjilo said. ‘She is sure taking a risk carrying around that sort of money.’

  ‘It shows that she’s ex-royalty at least,’ Mellara said. ‘Only a dumb, pampered, rich girl would run around with ten thousand relorans on her.’

  Archimegadon was lost in a dream. Yes, he’d said before that he could hardly spend those riches in a country where he was no longer welcome, but… but ten thousand… ten thousand relorans. What a world it would be, free of his concerns and fears, living rich with all those coins, glittering in the sunlight. He’d sit upon a throne of gold and line the red carpet with mighty guards, and if any of his friends chose to visit him, they would be announced by a herald, and then be forced to approach him along the carpet. Perhaps he could have a suit of arms designed for himself, and have an enormous banner behind his throne proclaiming the glory of his household for all to see! And…