Some people managed to get a glimpse of her face.
“Is that the Black Smoke?”
Before anyone else could speak, the chancellor shouted, “May I have silence!”
His voice silenced everyone. Mara’s face returned to normal as she loosened her grip on the priest. Father Vernon yanked his arm back and held his wrist.
Davis scowled at the priest. “I’m very disheartened to know Kallikratés would commit such atrocities. I wonder if the Faith even stands for what the gods represent.”
Mara heard his words and wanted to say something, yet chose to stay quiet. If only Davis knew the gods were as fake as the Faith worshipping them. The chancellor gazed at Mara and her friends.
“You and your friends may go, Miss Ashwood. Once again, thank you for helping Ardana in her time of need.” Davis glared at the priest. “Guards, arrest Father Vernon and his lackeys. Mirahyll will no longer allow the Faith to do as they please.”
Still, the priest had one last thing to say while the guardsmen apprehended him and his men. “When the Dark One awakens, this city of heathens will be the first to go!”
Mara shook her head. “Not if I get to her first,” she hissed.
The priest looked mystified while she turned her back and walked out. James and Aspen, who placed her visor back on, followed after her.
***
A couple of hours had passed since the three left the Council Hall. On the way home, Mara spotted Talon standing before Edwin’s workshop. He was knocking on the door with ferocity.
“Open up!” Talon yelled, “I know you’re in there!”
Mara watched the old blacksmith in confusion. “What are you doing?”
Talon turned and saw her. His flustered face was red from anger. He stormed up to her with a crumpled note in his hand.
“Oh, I’m so glad I found you,” Talon said in a frantic tone.
She looked concerned. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”
Her two friends also gazed at him.
“Well… I… I went to—”
“The Ashwood Workshop?”
“Yes, I went there and it… it’s on fire!”
She froze. It took a while to process those words, though the shock hit her hard.
“What?” She shot a glare at the old blacksmith, then noticed the black smoke rising beyond the city. It came from the same location where the Ashwood Workshop stood. Before she could do anything, Talon handed her the crumpled piece of paper.
“I swear I didn’t do it!” Talon told her, “It was already on fire when I got there. I saw Edwin running away and chased him back here, but he locked himself inside.” He gestured to the note. “This was found near the burning workshop.” Talon looked at James. “Help me open this.”
“Okay.” James helped Talon open the door.
While they were trying to break into the workshop, Mara read the crumpled note.
“The Blackthorn Guild will transfer Edwin of Mirahyll weapons from other blacksmiths and workshops, as long as the terms and conditions are upheld,” she read out loud. “For every weapon sold, half of the profits will go to the Blackthorn Guild. A representative will come by and collect payment every month. If payment is late, the Blackthorn Guild will demand full compensation. If full compensation is unable to be paid, the Blackthorn Guild will expose Edwin of Mirahyll for the fraud he is.”
Mara grew numb. This was a contract. She recalled Corlin cutting ties with Ardana due to the rampant attacks on transports carrying goods. Weapons were the main targets. The thefts were also a massive issue for any blacksmith who didn’t have a shop in the city, forcing many to close up and quit. Even Dad’s workshop fell victim. She snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing Talon and James break the door down. The huntress stormed inside.
“Mara?” James asked.
She ignored him as her eyes fell upon the weapons on display. Mara recalled flipping through Dad’s diagram book earlier. Five of those weapons were right here in this workshop. Put on display by a crook along with a hefty price tag. The last time she was here, Mara was shocked by the abhorrent prices. Now coming back here, she grew disgusted. Edwin didn’t forge these weapons! To make matters worse, some of these belonged to her father. How many of Dad’s weapons did this crook sell?
She heard a click from another room. Mara dashed towards it and saw a trap door in the floor close. She tried to open it, but it was sealed tight. Talon, James, and Aspen entered the workshop. Mara emerged from the small room, shaking her head.
“That bastard got away!” Mara cried.
“Hey! What’s going on?”
They all heard an unfamiliar male voice call out to them. Two guardsmen came by and noticed the busted door. It looked suspicious.
“Okay, everyone. Out!”
The four came out of the workshop.
“We’re not thieves,” Mara said as calmly as possible. “If you’re looking for one, you just missed Edwin.”
The guards gave a peculiar look.
“That’s quite the claim you’re making there,” the guardsman told her.
“It’s no claim,” Talon responded. “We have proof!” He glanced at Mara.
Remembering the contract in her hand, she passed it to the guardsmen. One of them took it and began to read. After a few seconds, his eyes widened in response.
“So, Master Blacksmith Edwin has been selling stolen weapons? This doesn’t look good.” He looked at the four. “Where did you get this?”
“I found it during my visit to the Ashwood Workshop as it went up in flames,” Talon said. “I saw Edwin flee from the area and followed him here. I tell you, he was the weasel who set fire to the workshop to get rid of the evidence!”
The other guardsman questioned, “Why doesn’t he get rid of the weapons instead?”
“Weapons are valuable!” Talon exclaimed. “They will never betray you!”
“He might’ve been after the diagrams,” Mara answered. “Whenever my father forged a weapon, he made a diagram in case he needed to recreate it, or pass on the knowledge to another blacksmith. I have the book, and it can identify the weapons made by Dad.” She pleaded, “Please, let me get it. It won’t take long.”
The guardsmen agreed to let them retrieve the book. Talon stayed behind to keep watch in case Edwin returned.
***
It didn’t take long for Mara and her friends to return with the book and prove their claims. Of all the stolen weapons, five were identified to be an Ashwood original. Further investigating the workshop, the guardsmen were able to pry open the trap door. It was a passage leading out of Mirahyll through the sewer system. There was also a huge stash of weapons within the passage, all identified to be stolen. The more the passage was investigated, the more it became clear Edwin used it to transport stolen weapons without anyone knowing.
However, Edwin was long gone. The slippery weasel took all the gold he could carry and ran, leaving everything else behind. The greatest blacksmith in all of Ardana was now confirmed to be a liar and a thief.
The guardsman declared, “We’ll have to report this to the chancellor’s office. We will also send out a notice to the rest of Ardana. If Edwin is found, he’ll be arrested without question.”
They went to retrieve a wagon to transport the weapons out of the workshop. Many people arrived and watched as the guardsmen cleaned out the place. Some came to see the blacksmith, but discovered the truth. Now the truth was bound to spread like wildfire.
Mara saw Dad’s weapons being loaded into the wagon. “Excuse me, but what about my father’s weapons?”
“I’m sorry,” the guard said, “all weapons here are considered stolen. We’ll have to process them first, but we promise to return your father’s weapons within the next few days.”
While the guardsmen took them away, Talon walked up to her.
“Hey, you don’t mind if I could borrow your father’s book?” Talon inquired.
Mara and her friends looked at him.
“If I study those diagrams, I can reproduce the Ashwood Weapons,” the old blacksmith explained.
“You can do that?”
“It’ll take some time, but it is possible,” he said. “What do you think?”
She glanced down at the book, feeling hesitant about parting with one of her father’s possessions, but decided to hand it over to Talon. “I guess it can’t hurt.”
It seemed right to give him Dad’s diagrams. Talon had been a great help to her by providing reliable weapons.
Talon was thrilled as he looked at the book with a twinkle in his eyes. “Thank you. I promise you’ll not regret it. I’ll be able to forge weapons never seen before. Weapons you’ll be worthy of. Come by my workshop later.”
With that, he left. As soon as he was out of their sight, Mara gazed back at her friends.
“I suppose we should get back and continue our search for Aazalith?”
James smiled and nodded in agreement. They headed home.
***
After a long day, Mara returned to the Ashwood Workshop with the urns containing her parent’s ashes. She had persuaded her friends earlier to let her come here alone because this was a very personal matter. It was already snowing by the time she reached the burned down building. Mara intended to make this her home since it meant something, but Edwin made sure nothing remained. After putting down the urns, she walked inside to survey the damage. A lone family picture somehow survived the fire. It was a little burned around the edges, yet intact for the most part. She picked up the picture and looked at it. It was of Mom and Dad. A younger version of herself stood in front of them. They were all smiling. To Mara, it was a distant memory of a happier time. Tears formed in her eyes as she gazed at the image.
Mara swore to avenge them by defeating Kallisto. She would make sure everyone involved would pay. Tears rolled down her face as she took the picture with her. Mara went outside and dug a deep hole. Placing the two urns inside, she buried her parents together. After she was done, she created two mounds of rocks—makeshift gravestones representing Mom and Dad. She stood there in silence before the gravestones.
“Hi Mom and Dad…” Mara paused. She glanced down at Nightingale strapped to her belt. She took the sheathed weapon and held it tight in her hands. “I want to thank you for the birthday present. It’s really beautiful.” She breathed in the frigid air, then exhaled. Watching her own breath, she wondered what good it was to talk out loud. Could her parents even hear her? Taking another breath, she spoke again.
“I… I’m sorry.” She closed her eyes. “I did love Karl and wanted to save him, but I don’t know anymore. Now I lost Allen forever. It’s just… I wish I never met Karl, or said yes to marrying him. And you… I never got to say goodbye.”
At the corner of her eye, Mara thought she saw two people. A man and a woman stood together, smiling at their daughter. She turned her head to look at them, but the image of the two vanished. Beams of the afternoon sun shone into the charred remains of the workshop. Chickadees sang in the distance. She glanced around, sensing a calmness within her heart. Mara had a feeling they heard her.
“Goodbye, Mom and Dad,” she said, then strapped Nightingale back onto her belt.
After finishing what she needed to do, Mara returned to Mirahyll. The snow fell like sparkling crystals from the sky.
Chapter Fourteen
The Discovery
On the morning of December 21, Mara woke up and joined James for breakfast. It was a quiet morning. Today was her birthday, yet she never said anything. No one else said a peep about it either. It was possible her remaining friends forgot, but it was okay. She missed thirty birthdays. With her family and close friend gone, it wasn’t worth celebrating. Mara’s birthday also coincided with the Winter Festival, but due to the impending apocalypse, such events were cancelled. Then again, a cancelled festival also meant very little to Mara since she wouldn’t be able to celebrate with family. Instead, they were searching for Aazalith so they could stop her from destroying Ardana.
Mara watched while Aspen meditated. The eyes on her visor glowed as she remained still. She stayed like this for a few hours. Mara turned away briefly, but James remained to watch. He was the first to know what Aspen discovered.
When Mara returned, she saw James approaching her.
“We have some good news and bad news,” he began. “Aspen found them.”
“That’s good,” Mara responded. “So, what’s the bad news?”
“Aazalith has partially awakened. The recent earthquake was her leaving the Dark Labyrinth. I guess it’s no surprise since two seals remained when it happened, but it does make me wonder if she awoke as soon as the seals began to fail.”
Mara remembered her previous encounter with the divine. While hunting the Siren, she came into contact with the creature. Aazalith opened her eyes and looked right at her. After thinking about the memory, Mara gazed at James and said, “I think you’re right.” Then, “Where is she?”
“She is deep in the ocean,” the Watcher said, rising to her feet. “As long as the final seal remains intact, she won’t be able to fully awaken.”
“Okay, but this is what we want, right?” Mara asked.
“That’s just the thing,” James murmured. His face grew solemn.
“The final seal must be broken,” Aspen revealed.
The huntress gawked at the two. “I thought we weren’t going to kill Morgan?”
“She’ll return to life as long as her soul is not absorbed,” Aspen replied. “She can still help us put Amara to rest.”
“This is risky,” Mara argued. “We don’t know what kind of destruction Aazalith will bring once awakened.”
“We’re running out of options,” James told her. “Even with our current technology, there is no way to reach her.”
“There has to be a way,” Mara said, returning to her room.
Looking to her father’s journal, she reckoned there had to be something about stopping the divine without awakening her. While going through her father’s notes, her eyes glanced at Nightingale. The hollow opening at the pommel made the sword appear incomplete. Her eyes drifted back to the notes. Turning the page, she began to read an entry titled, “Moonstone”.
“The Thoron Sages defeated the Dragon Goddess, Aazalith, using a mystical rock called moonstone,” Mara read. “Moonstone is a siphon for magic, which was used to remove Aazalith’s soul. Upon absorbing her soul, the stone crystallized and exploded, shattering into several pieces of varying sizes.”
She stared at the page with a questioning glance. Turning the page, she continued to read.
“Fearing the soul would fall into the wrong hands, we produced weapons for the Order of Aazalith. Enchanted daggers mounted with moonstone were given to keepers so they could protect the soul. Then there was Godstruck, forged by our… ancestors?” Mara never knew she was related to those responsible for the sword’s existence. Now everything became connected. “When used, the soul of Aazalith shall be removed, reverting the host back to a human.”
She snapped her gaze back onto Nightingale. The opening in the pommel—that was its purpose! Now she needed a moonstone. Reaching for her necklace, Mara took the moonstone off. She unsheathed her sword, gazing at the dark gold and silver blade. Taking the blue gemstone, she inserted it into Nightingale’s pommel. Not only was it a perfect fit, she sensed a change within the sword.
The dark golden fuller was a conduit that carried magical energy, spreading it throughout the blade. The gold etchings glowed in bright blue hues. She stared at Nightingale in shock while the sword came alive. Now she understood why Harold gave her a fake sword. Godstruck was just an ordinary sword. The gem mounted in its hilt gave it the power to defeat a god. She removed the moonstone and the glow disappeared; Nightingale became an ordinary sword once again. She stared at it with wide eyes. Now she possessed a weapon capable of defeating Kallisto.
Mara put d
own the notes, sheathed Nightingale, and placed her necklace back on. She needed to tell James of her findings, so she dashed out of her room in excitement.
“James! I—”
She stopped upon noticing James with a guest. She never heard him arrive. Looking at the short and plump man, Mara recognized the snow white hair, moustache, and beard. Mr. White stood with a frozen expression. As Mara gazed back at him, her anger began to flare.
“Mara,” Mr. White began.
“Why are you here?” Mara snapped.
James glanced at her. “Yes, even I’m surprised to see him,” he said calmly. “Let’s hear what he has to say.” He looked back at the former college professor with his arms folded.
The old man held his hands behind his back. “Hello, Mara. It’s been a while,” Mr. White addressed her.
She kept staring at him. Despite all the things he did to her, he still had the nerve to show his face. “I’m amazed you are here,” she said, “considering Father Vernon was arrested.”
“Yes, we are well aware of his incarceration,” the old man said, “but the rest of us were not involved.”
Mara and James exchanged glances before gazing back at him.
“So, you’re telling me the Faith had nothing to do with the Blackthorn Guild, or how forty women were sold to them?” Mara questioned.
“The Faith was never involved,” he insisted again.
She couldn’t believe he was willing to deny the claims. “They knew what the reincarnations looked like, yet they performed a mass arrest and killed several innocents. Or maybe you have forgotten what the Faith did to us? I lost my life and my family.” Mara gestured to James. “He lost his father and brother.”
“Please, I’m sorry! I never meant for any of this to happen,” Mr. White pleaded.
The Cursed Herald Page 15