Path of the Traitors

by Charles E Yallowitz

  “You’re definitely proving that you’re related to Casandra. If it helps, my castle back on Shayd looks like something an old world vampire would design,” the other channeler states while tying her ebony hair into a ponytail. She takes a seat and chooses an apricot to eat, making sure not to get any juice on her clothes. “I take it you, Timoran, and Fizzle are the only ones who I get to talk to this morning? I know Luke is in bad shape, but I was hoping the other champions would join us. It’s very important.”

  At the mention of their names, Timoran Wrath and Fizzle snap out of their thoughts. The red-haired barbarian nods to Queen Trinity and quietly scratches at the three scars on his shoulder. He grabs a handful of bacon and jams it into his mouth, the warm meat helping him stay awake. Feeling a rumble through the table, the large warrior hands an apple to Fizzle and pats the purple-scaled drite on the head. The cautious dragon continues to quietly stare at Trinity, who has given him very little attention since her arrival. His red dragonfly wings are constantly fluttering as if he is about to dart into the air, the movements only slowing when he has a mouth full of food. Not wanting her to take his food, he wraps his long tail around the bowl of apples and pulls it closer. Fizzle gives up trying to intimidate the calm chaos elf and flies to the railing where he can get a clear look at the grounds.

  “Two is better than none,” Nyx points out while adjusting her crimson robe. Returning to the table, the half-elf settles for tea to avoid upsetting her stomach, which is twisting from worry and stress. “Dariana is still tending to Luke and Sari is refusing to leave him and Kira. All three of them are in bad shape even with the Neberith followers healing them. As for Delvin, we thought it best that he keep an eye on your former friends. I don’t want them wandering my castle without supervision. They are former, right?”

  “I’m not sure, but I will say that calling them my friends is a stretch. We were barely allies back in the day,” Trinity replies as she leans back in her chair. She glances at a window that is blocked by a thick curtain, which is occasionally moved from the other side. “The unsettling fact is that we need those three to make sure you don’t get killed. I was surprised when I received a message from the Lich about this problem. Needless to say, I was very suspicious as well, but I became too curious for my own good.”

  “Do you believe he is on our side or, at the very least, against his former master?” Timoran asks with a yawn. He runs his thumb around a ring of bone, his wedding band feeling warm against his skin. “The Lich always struck me as the most loyal of the Baron’s agents. Unlike you, he joined willingly and with no ulterior motives. That makes it hard to believe he would turn to this extent. Perhaps sharing a body with Nimby has changed his perspective, but that sounds like wishful thinking.”

  “No trust rotting man or bad friend,” Fizzle interjects from his perch. He snorts out a puff of rainbow smoke that is taken by the wind and carried over the fiery castle. “Fizzle think trap. Not sound right. Friends heal then fight. End of prophecy.”

  Leaning over the table, Trinity draws a thin scroll out of her pocket and holds it open for the others to see. They can see a faint map of the land that runs from Ralian’s eastern coast to where Hero’s Gate currently sits. Strange runes have taken the place of cities and landmarks, the dark symbols fading whenever they are stared at for too long. Six shields are stamped on the top of the parchment, but the centuries have made their designs impossible to decipher. Unable to make any sense of the document, Trinity rolls it up and places it in front of her. She has a gust of wind shake the table and knock over two of the glasses, but the scroll remains in place. When the spilt water reaches the ancient map, the parchment turns blue and absorbs the liquid before turning it into a mist that flows out of the sides.

  “It does the same to fire and dents any weapon used on it,” Trinity says as she puts the scroll away. Sitting down, she swings her legs onto the balcony and waves at Fizzle, who is back to watching her like a hawk. “To be completely honest, I thought the Lich was trying to trick me into returning to the Baron’s side. The idea that there are six crests needed to make sure you have a chance of winning the final battle is still ridiculous. Why would Gabriel put the champions through so much, but not include these items with the temples? Unless they were there originally, but one of the Baron’s agents removed them at some point. Doesn’t help that nobody knows what they will do. Still, I found this scroll in the collection we’ve been amassing from those who have been wandering Windemere. Sebave and the Snow Tiger shamans checked it before I left. The document is authentic and speaks of the crests as well as noting a location that would be present day Gaia.”

  “This really doesn’t make any sense,” Nyx agrees, the thought of their trials being for nothing making her angry. Lines of flame run through her hair and gather at the ends to create an inch of fiery tresses. “At least one of the guardians should have known about this. If not that then we should have seen a temple drawing depicting these crests. I really hope this doesn’t mean that Gabriel wants the Baron to win and we’re actually tools to break his curse. Then again, there’s enough evidence to prove they despise each other. Could another god be involved here?”

  “It is possible that this is a piece of the prophecy that even Gabriel forgot,” Timoran suggests before whispering a prayer of apology to the Destiny God. The Snow Tiger King waits a few seconds in case the deity decides to appear, his muscles relaxing when nothing happens. “I remember reading in Delvin’s temple that the original prophecy was created by the previous God of Destiny. Gabriel took it over and changed what he could to fit the new situation. What if these crests were important then, but he felt that they were no longer important after the Baron had become a sealed immortal? This reminds me of how previous champions never claimed the Compass Key or had even heard of its existence. We could be looking at a similar situation, which means we are in danger.”

  Slumping in her chair, Nyx watches a cloud pass overhead and wonders if it is a curious god in disguise. “We could die if this is true and the crests are needed. Same thing could happen if this is a trick by the Lich or Nimby. There’s simply not enough information to make a clear decision. Either way, we need to do something. Trinity is the only one able to follow this path and stop those three from betraying us. I assume you can read the map. It didn’t make any sense to me.”

  “The whole thing is gibberish to me too.”

  “What? Then, how are you supposed to be of any help?”

  “On the plus side, Nimby, Vile, and Tyler can’t decipher it either.”

  “So, who can read it?”

  “You need a mapper and there happens to be one in Spellstream who will happily help his beloved Queen.”

  “That sounded sinister.”

  “Sorry. Old habits and such.”

  Everyone becomes silent when Dariana walks out of the castle, the silver-haired woman looking exhausted. She strips off her blood-covered top and drops the garment on the ground, her sleeveless undershirt revealing deep wounds on her arms. The telepath stumbles as she approaches the table, her ivory eyes nearly closed by the time she crosses the patio. Timoran helps her sit down and listens to the faint voice in his head, which is requesting warm tea with lemon and a pinch of herbs. When Nyx reaches out to deliver an energy spell, Dariana puts up a weak hand and stops her friend from casting. She forces a smile that threatens to collapse from physical and emotional fatigue.

  “I’m sorry to join three rulers looking like a chewed up bone,” the immortal jokes, unsure if this is the time or place. She lowers her gaze when nobody laughs, her assumption that she made a mistake. “Luke’s body is nearly healed, but his mind will require at least a week of work. I’m keeping him in a coma to avoid more damage. The things the Baron did to him were . . . I don’t even know how to describe them. My father is a cruel man, yet I never expected him to commit this level of torture. I apologize for sounding dire, but the Luke that awakens will not be the one we remember. With Cessia’s blessing,
he will be able to fight again. If not then all we can do is take him along and hope for the best.”

  “That means I have a little more than a week to find these crests,” Trinity mentions, grabbing a pencil and paper. Not having adventured much, she does her best to create a list of supplies she will need and hands it to Timoran. “You and I can go shopping then I’ll head out after lunch. If Luke is in as bad a shape as Dariana says then you don’t want this problem hanging over your head. Let me be the one to handle it. It’s the least I can do for everything you’ve done for my people. Now that I think about it, do you know anything about this surprise, Dariana?”

  “No, but I have a theory,” the telepath replies with a yawn. She remains silent until everyone coughs, the sound jolting her awake. “Sorry about that. My father controlled destiny for a brief amount of time. He wouldn’t have been able to erase the prophecy, which would have continued even with his ascension. These crests might have been added by him as a contingency plan. Done correctly, Gabriel wouldn’t have known about them and it means all of his plans were doomed to fail. It would have changed the prophecy from one of destroying a great evil to unwittingly releasing it upon the world. As for the creation of the crests, I know my father wiped out six families in his early years as a warlord, so these probably belonged to them. This could also be why six champions and temples were created.”

  “Part of me doesn’t like this at all,” Nyx admits as she waves her hand at the garden. The hedge maze disappears and is replaced by a towering willow tree that she is confident will glow at night. “Stay alert, Trinity, because you’re the only one we can trust here. I wish one of us could go with you, but we need to travel to Shayd and face the Baron. Last thing we want is to give him time to hurt more of our loved ones. Please contact me or Dariana if you learn anything important.”

  “You trusting me is something I have to get used to. Still, I promise to come through for you and I refuse to break my word,” the chaos elf replies while stuffing one of her pockets with pastries. She grabs a bushel of grapes to eat while in town, pausing when she remembers something she forgot to take with her. “By the way, I’m broke. Being a visiting noble, I assume my gracious host would be nice enough to pay for my supplies and lend me some money. It would go a long way with our future diplomatic negotiations and-”

  “I’ll put a bag of coins and gems together for you.”

  “You have the eternal thanks of the-”

  “Spellstream gets exclusive trading rights for two of the valuable ores that are only found on Shayd.”

  Trinity hurries to catch up to the departing half-elf and shouts, “You’re a lot better at this Queen thing than I expected! Though, you might want to loosen up! That much tension can’t be healthy!”

  *****

  Delvin tries not to laugh at the bizarre sight in front of him, he gloved hand covering his mouth to hide a smile. Standing in the middle of the unfurnished room, Nimby is bent over to glare at a figurine of the Lich. The toy has its arms crossed and is defiantly facing down the brown-haired halfling, the stiff sleeves of its robe hanging down to its knees. Whenever one moves, the other steps in the opposite direction, but the thief’s longer stride forces the possessed object to run into a suitable position. Not to be left out of the argument, Nimby’s boney arm remains elevated and tries to twist in a way that its palm faces the others. The real Lich laughs from the skeletal limb, the sound always cut off by the halfling smacking it across the knuckles. Having been at odds since dawn, none of them remember what they are fighting about. All each one knows is that they refuse to back down and lose face with the others.

  “And you three are supposed to help with whatever this important mission is?” Delvin asks with a sigh. Tossing a banana to Nimby, he watches the fruit get caught by the rotting hand and turn to mush. “You might want to let your host eat, Lich, or he’ll get you killed again. Unlike you, Nimby needs food to maintain his energy and skills. Pretty sure him dying would ruin your plans. I should point out that this infighting is exactly why Trinity is going with you and being put in charge.”

  “I have no problem with that,” the halfling replies as he pulls some trail rations out of his pocket. The fact that they do not rot in his skeletal hand makes him uncomfortable, but his hunger is too much for him to be picky. “From what Tyler has told us, we need a chaos elf on this journey. Who better than the Queen? Besides, I don’t even trust myself thanks to this parasite. Don’t even get me started on my old man.”

  “I am an honorable warrior and would never betray my allies. Unlike a worthless thief who came from my loins,” General Vile declares, his waterstone body angrily tapping its foot. The robed figurine’s eyes glow from a mild enchantment, the useless light a blunt reminder of his situation. “If there is anyone who should be distrusted, it is my son. Not to mention the Lich’s trickery. As for Queen Trinity, chaos elves are notorious pranksters, so do you honestly think she will stay on your side?”

  “This is why I suggested having the channeler melt him down,” the Lich says, his voice coming from a bronze ring on Nimby’s finger. The arm swings down to grab the toy and tosses him at the closed window, the impact causing no damage. “I regret putting durability and strength enhancements on him. Made sense when we needed his help. Now, I have a question, King Cunningham. Do you think it’s a good idea to lock us in the castle dungeon before all of you go to your big battle? Nimby’s skills and my magic would make short work of any cell, which means your precious guards would be at our mercy.”

  “I agree, which is why we never intended to lock any of you up. Closest suggestion to that was Nyx wanting to kill all three of you and have Trinity work alone,” the brown-haired warrior replies with a smirk. He runs a finger along the bird-shaped brand on his chest and waits for the unwanted guests to calm down. “As I said earlier and you keep forgetting, you’re being sent out with Trinity. Needless to say, trusting any of you isn’t something we want to do. Nimby, you tried to kill Luke after being his friend. Sari has told us that you’re attempting to earn redemption by helping us, but you’re carrying the Lich. We can’t be certain if your actions are your own or influenced by him. General Vile may be in a weak body, but he’s the one who killed Sari’s clan and tortured Timoran. Then there’s Tyler . . . Do I have to explain why we have misgivings about even having you in Spellstream?”

  A whimsical cackle erupts from the ring before the Lich states, “I don’t like being here either. The magic is too clean and sweet. My attempts to have Nimby vomit on my behalf have failed. I take it you want us out of your precious city as soon as possible.”

  Annoyed by the necrocaster’s tone, Nimby opens the nearby window and slams it shut on the skeletal arm. The lack of pain is still unnerving, especially since he can feel anything that the hand touches. Receiving a laugh of mockery, he draws a dagger from his belt and puts it between the bones. Rattling the weapon causes the Lich to roar in frustration, the vibrations breaking his spirit’s sense of equilibrium. While it is not as effective as the bar he once carried, Nimby earns a few seconds of peace.

  Turning around to speak to Delvin, the halfling is suddenly wrapped in the curtain, which Vile has managed to throw over his son. Drawing a toothpick from behind his back, the figurine climbs up the thick fabric and stabs at the thief’s legs. A flailing foot knocks the toy with enough force to send it bouncing across the room. Nimby gets himself free as his father charges back at a top speed that is embarrassing to watch. The halfling is about to deliver a running kick when his skeletal arm smacks him across the face. Stunned by the blow, he falls to his knees, which makes him an easy target for Vile. The tiny warrior is almost within stabbing range when he is plucked off the ground and dropped in an empty fish bowl.

  “This isn’t looking good,” Delvin says to himself. He puts his shield over the container to prevent Vile from escaping before turning to the others. “Let’s stop playing around. The world needs you to succeed and fighting amongst yourselves will get eve
ryone killed. Not much of a threat to the ghosts, but I doubt either of you would get very far without your hosts. Especially if the Baron finds out you’ve already betrayed him.”

  “Like he would ever find out!” General Vile shouts from his glass prison. His eyes light up when he sees the cold look on Delvin’s face, the champion’s stubble appearing to darken as his intentions become clear. “Dariana has the power to reveal all of this to her father. They may be enemies, but she can still deliver a message when his guard is down. You short-sighted, worthless, moronic worm! Why didn’t you think of that, Tyler?”

  “I did, but I assumed she would either be busy or reduced to a rotting corpse,” the Lich casually replies. The boney arm jerks up to offer a handshake, which Delvin refuses. “Fair enough. Our promises mean nothing to you, so I won’t waste your time. Know that all of us stand to benefit from this mission succeeding. I get revenge while Nimby gets redemption. Vile will gain his freedom, which only I have the power to grant. Betraying you would not be in our best interests. Besides, a thief with the power of a necrocaster is useful to have when tackling the unknown.”

  Delvin rubs his ice blue eyes and looks out the window to see that the others have left the patio. “None of that puts me at ease, but we don’t have a choice. Our final battle needs to happen soon, which means we go to Shayd after Luke is healed and awake. Trinity alone might not be strong enough for this and you three are our only other options. Just know that you will suffer if you betray us.”

  “Heroes like you never have the stomach for real torture.”

  “I’d leave it up to Nyx.”

  The tremor up Nimby’s spine catches the halfling by surprise, the thief whirling around to see if someone is behind him. He gets the sense that the Lich is scared, but the necrocaster’s real thoughts are blocked. For the first time since they merged, the pair finds themselves unable to communicate. Not wanting to reveal their sudden weakness to Vile, Nimby wanders over to a corner for a nap that he plans on faking until he can hear Tyler once more.