by Andrew Rowe
“Might know an expert who could help, if we can summon her here.”
Hannah gave me a slow nod. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“You should definitely talk to Soulbrand’s wielder as well. I think he knows more about this whole situation than any of the rest of us.”
Hannah nodded. “I will, when the crown princess is done with him.”
“Good.”
A moment of silence passed between us.
“Back to Valor?” I asked.
“Back to Valor.” Hannah confirmed.
We got back to our game. It was still fun, but the underlying tension didn’t fade away. If I hadn’t confronted her, I think we could have been easy friends — but I didn’t regret pushing her for answers.
A portal opened.
The crown princess stepped through. “Your turn, wielder of Dawnbringer.”
I felt a little sad I was leaving Hannah’s company with some awkwardness still in the air between us, but I gave the royal guard a wave. “See you later, Hannah.”
She gave me a firm nod. “Later, then, Keras.”
We got odd looks from the crown princess, then she simply shook her head and waved for me to step through the portal.
I stepped inside.
***
I appeared in a near-identical room, alongside the crown princess and her single other royal guard.
It took me a moment to realize what she meant — Diamantine.
I could still sense it.
That was...odd. Were the interrogation rooms simply near each other, meaning that my initial suspicion of Hannah having Diamantine had been faulty?
Or was something stranger going on?
Yeah, I still sense the sword.
Could they have split it into two separate swords?
I got the feeling of a chill from her. She apparently didn’t like the image of splitting in half.
Okay. Well, we’ve got a bit of a mystery to think about later.
I didn’t have more time to chat. The crown princess waved a hand, a small chair appeared. “Sit.”
I sat down as directed.
Another, larger chair appeared right behind her, and she sat in it.
The guard remained standing nearby, watching me carefully. I gave him a nod. He didn’t return it.
The crown princess spoke. “Keras Selyrian, Wielder of Dawnbringer. You will speak honestly and provide me with any information I ask for. Is that understood?”
“I understand.” I nodded.
“Good. We shall begin. Tell me everything you know about this ‘Akadi’.”
***
The most surprising thing about the crown princess’ interrogation is that it remained largely on topic. She didn’t pry into any personal matters, like where I was from, how I’d obtained Dawnbringer, or anything about Reika.
She wanted answers about the threat to her empire, and I provided what I could.
I encouraged her to seek out resources on ruinshades and shade magic in general, as well as any information on Rendalir and the Sun Eater she could find beyond what I already told her. She acknowledged my advice, but gave no commitment to comply.
I also warned her about the scythe in more detail. I asked if I could assist with the crystal, and mentioned I had some past experience with similar items, but she told me she’d need to wait until her guards evaluated the item first. I was disappointed by that, but unsurprised.
Honestly, I was sort of impressed by how taciturn she was. She gave virtually no hint of any emotional reaction during the entire exchange. The level of professionalism didn’t strike me as common for the type of nobility I was used to dealing with, although admittedly, that was a pretty small sample size.
I didn’t learn much of anything new from the talk. She gave very little away.
And when it was over, she gave me an ultimatum. “You will be allowed to remain in the tournament — for now. If you prove to be indiscreet about what happened here, that privilege can be swiftly revoked. Is that understood?”
“I understand.” After a breath, I asked. “If I may, what will other people be told about what occurred?”
“You fought a terrible battle against Xiaofan, but ultimately prevailed.”
“And her death?”
“No one needs to know about that.”
I paused for a moment. “She has a sister.”
The crown princess gave me a hard look. “You said you didn’t know her.”
“I didn’t know Xiaofan. I’d never met her before. But I do know her sister.”
The crown princess exchanged looks with the guard, then looked back to me. “I will inform this sister of the regrettable events that occurred personally. You will not contradict my version of events.”
My eyes narrowed. The guard tensed, but didn’t move. “She deserves the truth.”
“My word is the truth. You would do well not to imply otherwise.” She snapped her fingers. A glowing portal appeared in the air behind her. The guard shifted to an attention position. “We are done here. Do not give me cause to regret giving you the freedom to leave.”
I stood up to leave.
No, I replied in my mind. She’s a powerful and confident one. That’s far more interesting.
***
When I stepped out of the portal, I found myself in the arena waiting area. The arena worker looked startled to see me, and even more so when a royal guard walked out behind me.
The portal closed. The crown princess apparently wasn’t coming.
The royal guard approached the attendant. “This is Keras Selryian. Finish processing his match and award him his points.”
“Y—yes. Of course.” The attendant nodded hastily.
The royal guard marched out of the room. The attendant and I exchanged awkward looks.
“W—wait just a moment, please. I’ll need to go check your score.” The attendant rushed out of the room. I waited. He returned a few minutes later, holding a piece of paper. “Sorry for the wait! Here it is.” He glanced at the page, then looked to me. “Congratulations on defeating the Pale King, Master Selyrian. You earned five hundred and ninety-four points for the match.”
I couldn’t feel happy about the congratulations or the score. Someone had died, and I’d failed to prevent it. Still, I didn’t have to take out my frustration on the poor guy who was just doing his job. “Thanks. Here.” I gave him my identity sigil.
He processed my point value — twelve hundred and fifty-seven — and gave my sigil back. “Your, uh, next match will be sometime next week. I don’t know when. Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to just appear in here...”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’ll check at the counter later. Thank you.” I gave him a little wave and left the room.
“Keras!” Reika threw herself at me when I came outside, pulling me into a tight hug. “Where have you been?! I was so worried!”
“That...” I pulled her tight, wincing at the still-lingering pain in my ribs. “...Is a bit of a long story. And one I’ll need to tell you elsewhere.”
We headed back to the Study of Iron. There was a lot she needed to know.
***
Meilin wasn’t at the Study of Iron when we returned, which was a little worrying. Reika and I went up to my room to talk, and I filled her in on everything that had happened.
“...Poor Mei...” Reika turned her head downward, sadness in her eyes. “I...losing family is hard. We should talk to her.”
“I’ll do it as soon as she’s back. You don’t have to be there.”
Reika shook her head. “Mei and I are…close. I want to be there for her. I have a feeling she’s going to need some help for a while.”
I ga
ve her a nod. She knew Meilin better than I did.
I had another important question for her, though. One that I hadn’t felt comfortable discussing with Hannah or the crown princess.
I slipped on my mask. I didn’t know if the anti-divination properties would work against someone like the crown princess if she was actively monitoring me, but it was better than nothing.
“Do you think you could do anything about these possessions? Your spiritual senses have been getting sharper, and maybe with that bond of yours...” I asked her.
“I don’t know.” Reika shook her head. “Like you said, shades aren’t quite the same as spirits...but I can try. Do you know where we can find more of these monsters?”
“No,” I shook my head. “But I have a feeling they know where to find me.”
***
Reika and I talked a bit more after that, discussing potential options for dealing with these creatures.
I spoke to Lia briefly, requesting some books on spirit magic, shades, and possession. She didn’t know what had happened, but she did know I’d been investigating Akadi before, so she wasn’t too suspicious. She said she’d look into the books, but that it could take some time. Like Hannah, she didn’t seem to know what “shades” were, so I didn’t expect to find much on that subject.
It was some hours before Meilin returned, and we went to her room to talk to her.
Why would I open like that?
That’s unkind, Dawn. While my fists technically are blunt, my aura is sharp and sword-like.
I heard a snort from the sword.
Fine, I’ll be gentle.
I took a deep breath as I approached, trying to figure out what exactly to say. I had not adequate way of expressing my regret. Words just seemed…woefully insufficient to express what had happened.
Reika took the decision away from me by speaking first. “Mei, hey—” Reika opened the door.
Meilin looked at her, her eyes red. “Go away, Rei.”
Reika recoiled as if struck. “We just wanted to—”
“I know. I know what happened.” Meilin turned to me. “I know it wasn’t you that killed her. I won’t seek revenge. Not against you, at least. But you were involved, and I can’t forgive you for that, either. Leave.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
She gave me a sharp look. “Leave.”
I looked to Reika briefly, then nodded to Meilin and walked away.
I heard it from down the hall. “I’m sorry, too, Mei. Can I—”
“Leave, Rei!” Meilin’s voice was louder than I’d ever heard it, completely devoid of her usual calm.
“I...I’m sorry!” Reika rushed down the hall toward me, her own eyes filling with tears.
I grabbed her hand. “Come on. She probably just needs some time.”
Reika turned her gaze downward.
I took her for food.
For once, she didn’t seem to be able to enjoy it.
***
Days passed.
Meilin still wouldn’t speak to either of us.
And, to my great shame, I didn’t even think to try to comfort Ari. I saw him around, of course, but I didn’t mention what happened. He seemed uncharacteristically quiet, but didn’t mention it, either.
I wish I’d paid more attention, but I was too preoccupied with the tournament to see some of the things that truly mattered.
I took a trip to the reward counter to get them to identify the pieces of the Pale King’s regalia that I’d picked up. They explained that while the items were valid tournament rewards, they hadn’t actually expected the Pale King to be defeated, and thus they didn’t have a written record of the functions of each item.
After some discussion, they offered to identify the items for free if I left them at the counter for a week or so. Grudgingly, I agreed.
I also asked them if they could repair the damage to the items. The amulet and crown were both clearly broken, and I couldn’t tell if they’d function at all. The attendant told me that they could evaluate that during the identification process, but that any repairs would cost me points. They would tell me the number of points after the identification process was over.
I didn’t relish the idea of spending points on repairs, but if the items were as powerful as I suspected, they were probably worth the cost.
Next, I sent a letter to Hannah to inquire about what happened to Xiaofan’s scythe. If I was right about it holding the last of Vendria’s aspects within that broken crystal, it needed to be kept safe. If the crystal itself had been corrupted, it might have been how Xiaofan had been taken over in the first place. I made sure to warn Hannah to ensure no one touched the crystal. I didn’t get an immediate reply.
After that, I paid a visit to Lia Shay.
Lia found me a few books on spirit magic and possession, but nothing on shades, as I’d suspected. Reika and I began to read through them. As an actual spirit mage, I think she got more out of them than I did, but I suspected most of the information on possession was inapplicable for our situation.
We needed a real expert on shades.
We needed Wrynn.
I wrote to Hannah again to ask about summoning Wrynn, but I didn’t get an immediate reply on that topic, either. I considered trying to track Hannah down in person, but I decided to wait a little while before taking that step. I didn’t want to get on her bad side.
When I asked around about human summoning magic, I got mostly laughter in reply. It wasn’t strictly impossible, but apparently, it was Citrine or higher level Summoner stuff, and even then, most people could only get a few miles of range. Wrynn was very likely on a completely different part of the continent.
I did have one more person to look for that had a potential knowledge of shade magic, though.
Each night, I went hunting for the Phantom Thief Ravenshade.
But as befitting a phantom thief of any kind, she left no trace of her presence, save for a feather.
When those methods failed, I took another approach — I put out posters for her.
Wielder of Dawnbringer seeks meeting with Phantom Thief Ravenshade.
It sounded a little scandalous, but it was the best way I could think of. I didn’t leave a contact location — I trusted that she could find me.
If she did, she didn’t reach out immediately.
And as the days passed, I had something more pressing to focus on.
It was finally time to figure out who had wagered a thousand points to fight me.
***
I was feeling pretty confident when the day of the match finally rolled around and I approached the arena entrance.
“You can do it!” Reika cheered at me as I approached the arena entrance. “I know you can beat whoever that mystery opponent is. I mean, unless it’s the Green Guardian, since he’s invincible. Or maybe another wielder. Or the crown princess, she’s got like a million attunements—”
I snorted. “Reika. Enough. I get the idea.”
“Just...be careful in there, okay? I wouldn’t want you to be too hurt to put up a good fight against me in the next match.”
“Don’t worry.” I grinned at her. “I don’t intend to give my opponent a chance to hurt me at all.”
I’m feeling pretty comfortable, actually. I mean, I’ve got you watching my back, after all.
What can I say? I like this sort of thing. I’m in my element here.
I was still grinning as I walked into the arena building. A couple arena workers escorted me through the building to wait at my entrance to the ring.
“Just stand here until they call your name, then walk to the middle of the stage.”
&nbs
p; I nodded to the arena workers. I’d done this sort of thing before.
I waited until I heard the announcer’s voice calling out to the crowd, enhanced by sound magic. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the match you’ve all been waiting for. The rules are simple — the contestants will fight until one of them is incapacitated, surrenders, or is knocked out of the ring.”
There was a brief pause for cheering, then the announcer continued. “First, let me introduce the man who issued our challenge. He’s the wielder of Dawnbringer, the legendary Sacred Sword of Light. Entering now, it’s Keras Selyrian!”
The gate opened, and I strode forward, grinning and waving to an applauding crowd.
I could get used to this.
I stopped near the arena’s center as instructed, continuing to wave while I analyzed the arena itself. It was a pretty simple one — a huge circle, maybe a hundred meters in diameter, ringed by water. The ground was solid stone, and at a cursory push of my senses, it felt like the kind I could manipulate easily.
Not a bad setup. Only a metal floor would have been more advantageous, really.
“And now, I know you’ve all been waiting with bated breath to find out the identity of our mysterious challenger who put a thousand points on the line. He’s a brave warrior from a faraway land, a dark continent ravaged by the Tyrant in Gold—”
I froze.
What?
“—a swordsman who wields blade and sorcery from the pre-attunement period with equal skill! A dashing champion, fearless and fearsome, with his true power known only to the goddess herself!”
I narrowed my eyes at the other entrance. I stopped waving to the crowd, my hand drifting instead to Dawnbringer’s hilt at my side.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your mystery challenger — Taer’vys Ironthorn!”
And upon hearing that name, I knew I had made a terrible mistake.
Chapter XVIII – Unchained Blades
When Taer’vys Ironthorn stepped into the arena to tremendous applause, he paid no attention to the people in the arena cheering for him. His eyes focused straight on me, and his lips twitched into a wolfish smile.
He was an impressive sight. He was about a half-head taller than me and several inches broader, with a dark goatee and the first hints of silver showing in his short hair. He wore a suit of pitch-black brigandine armor and carried a solid steel shield that an ordinary man would have had trouble lifting. With the shield, he concealed the placement of his sword arm, but I knew it’d be hovering somewhere near the sword on his hip.