Fritz’s eyes are eerily blank for a second. “I can take care of it. I’ll go tell Nimby too.”
“I don’t want to disturb Nimby with this,” Luke politely declares. “He deserves a few days away from this kind of stuff.”
“It's best to let him know, kid. Last thing you want is for Nimby to feel like he’s being left out,” Fritz says, his voice suddenly mellow and soft. “He’s helped us out so much on this trip that he has a right to know about this. I know where the halfling is staying, so I can find my way pretty easily.”
“Are you okay, Mister Warrenberg?” Luciana asks with concern. “Your eyes go blank every few seconds.”
“I’m fine, my dear,” Fritz assures her with a lecherous smile. “I'm just exhausted from all of the excitement. My age is catching up with me. Now, I must get going.” He walks to the stairs before Luke can say anything.
“That was strange,” Luke whispers.
“He is a gnome,” Luciana reminds him as if that explains everything.
“True, but something isn’t right,” Luke says, still staring in the direction Fritz went. “I’ll have to talk to Fritz about it later. Let’s find your father.”
Luciana follows Luke to the first floor of the mansion and they are immediately faced with the sound of screaming. The noise leads them to the foyer where several guards stand near the marble staircase. The armored spearmen are patiently watching Lord Gideon yell at Sebastian. Luciana sighs and ducks into the nearest open doorway before she is noticed. Luke sneaks behind a column and quietly tries to figure out what has the lord of Silverstar Manor angry enough to make a public scene. The half-elf sees a few guards look in his direction and tighten their grip on their weapons until he obediently walks out into the open. Sebastian notices him right away and glares at him.
“Look at me when I speak, child!” Lord Gideon roars as his face turns bright red. “I have put up with your womanizing and your tavern antics for years. Now, I find that you went to the guards and attempted to have one of our honored guests arrested.”
“You don’t understand, father. She disrespected me,” Sebastian whines, turning his attention back to his father.
“I can only imagine what you tried to do to her,” Lord Gideon says, his temper continuing to burn. “Do not think I am blind to your love potion collection. I checked it earlier and I found a freshly emptied bottle. This is disgraceful, Sebastian!”
Sebastian stares at his father in a state of childish shock. “You checked my room? That is an invasion of privacy.”
“This is my house and I am to be notified of everything that happens. Are we clear on that?” Lord Gideon asks, his eyes narrowing.
“I still believe she deserves a punishment after what she did to me. You can’t ignore the fact that my nose is broken,” Sebastian cries, pointing emphatically at his nose. It is curved to the side at an odd angle and a few specks of dried blood remain on his upper lip.
“That does look painful,” Lord Gideon admits with fatherly concern.
“That is why-” begins Sebastian. His words are cut off when his father backhands him in the face. The impact resets his nose with a loud crack and Sebastian’s yelp of pain echoes through the entire hall.
“Sorry to have wasted your time, dear sirs,” Lord Gideon says to the guards.
“How dare you strike me?” Sebastian erupts in a sudden display of primal rage. “I swear I will make you and that wretched caster pay for ruining my face.” He glowers at Luke before shouldering past his father and storming out the front door.
“I am sorry that you had to see that, Lord Callindor. Is there something you need to speak with me about?” Lord Gideon politely asks. He pulls out a handkerchief to clean his hand of Sebastian’s blood.
“May we go to where Nyx is resting?” Luke requests with a small bow. “I have some urgent news to share with both of you.”
Lord Gideon nods to Luke and beckons for the forest tracker to follow him up the stairs. A sudden chill running up his spine makes Luke stop and turn back to the mansion’s entrance. A nagging feeling in the back of his head, that he cannot get a clear sense of, starts to gnaw at his nerves. There is something wrong in the air and he strains his thoughts to figure out what it is. Nothing comes to him and he pushes the paranoid feelings out of his mind. It never occurs to him to look at his sheaths where words have magically appeared. The illusionary message is gone before Luke reaches the top of the marble stairs.
It is unclear if the half-elf was ever meant to see the message, but it helped put the one who cast it at ease. The message is clear and simple; a final good-bye from an old and loyal friend.
*****
Shadows crawl across the evening streets of Freedom while children are called in for dinner. Tavern windows flicker to life as loyal patrons wander in from work. The slow dissolve from day to night goes unnoticed by all except one. Once happy and cheerful, he has become a torn individual who fights to push his emotions away. His task is both simple and complicated, which weighs heavily on his soul as he crosses the Scar River. It isn’t a surprise that he fails to notice the lone figure standing on the other side of the bridge.
“You can still turn away,” Fritz claims, dismounting Bessaria.
“I really can’t,” Nimby callously whispers.
“Give me one good reason why you can’t come back to us,” the gnome demands.
Nimby tries to walk around him, but is blocked by a magic barrier. “Don’t do this, Fritz. I only have to kill Luke. You can live if you stay out of this.”
“I’m surprised that you find it so easy to turn on us,” Fritz admits, tucking his hands into his pockets. “After all, it was you who brought all of us together at the academy. How can you betray us?”
“Did you ever consider that I put everyone together to get to this point?” Nimby contends, continuing to avoid looking directly at Fritz’s face. “My orders were to kill Luke when the time was right. I had to keep him alive until then because there were some things that he needed to do.”
“You’re dodging my question.”
“I am not.”
“Why are you betraying us?”
“I don’t have to answer you.”
Fritz leaps at Nimby and grabs him by the shoulders. “Why are you betraying us, Nimby? Why are you willing to kill Luke?”
“Because that is my job. It has always been my job,” Nimby angrily rants, fighting back tears and swatting Fritz’s hands away. “I’m the one who resurrected the Lich after Selenia killed him. I’m the one who told the Lich where Kellia was going to school. I’m the one who leaked our route to Trinity. I’m one of your enemies. Everything I have done has led to this night where I kill Luke. I was born and bred to kill him. That is my purpose!”
“More lies. You make your own purpose. Stay with us,” Fritz softly says.
“That is the most ridiculous request I have ever heard,” the halfling swears with a condescending laugh. “Do you know what would happen if I stayed with you? The monsters sent after us would be ten times worse than the Hellfire Elf. My true master has little tolerance for traitors. I would be hunted down with more hatred than any of you.”
“You don’t think Luke could protect you?”
“Luke should be more worried about his own hide.”
“We both know he would protect his friends before protecting himself.”
“Shut up and stay out of this, Fritz,” Nimby furiously demands, flashing the gnome a cruel sneer. “Everything that is coming is bigger than you. You should forget about Luke and go on with your life of women and inventions.”
“Who made the stupid request now?” the gnome snaps, smiling proudly. “We both know that I’m not one to leave a friend when he’s in need. That goes for you and Luke.”
“That’s just sickening and pathetic,” Nimby grumbles.
“I’ve lived long enough to be entitled to moments of being pathetic,” Fritz jokingly claims. He watches Nimby carefully and sighs when he realize
s the inevitable is nearing. “We could spend the entire night arguing over this. So, why don’t you tell me what is going on? Why do you have to kill Luke and who is your true master, Nimby?”
Nimby draws his shortsword and spins it in his hand before sheathing it again. “Stop making me repeat myself! My purpose is to kill Luke. It’s why I have stayed with him for so long. I’m the only one who is able to take him out.”
“That is a false statement,” Fritz points out.
“Why is that?” the halfling asks, his curiosity growing.
Fritz clears his throat and rocks on the balls of his feet. “If you were the only one who could kill Luke then there would have been no other attempts on his life. So far today, the Lich has sent zombies after him and Trinity tried to assassinate him in person.”
“What?” Nimby growls through teeth clenched.
“It appears that your allies think that they can do the job and leave you to accept failure at your mission,” Fritz claims, openly taunting the irritable halfling. “Once they kill Luke, they can easily go to your true master and point out that you’re no longer needed. A nice band of backstabbers you’ve allied yourself with. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that they had a plan to kill you after you killed Luke. That’s the way people like them operate.”
“I’m just like them. I would have killed Trinity or the Lich if I could,” Nimby swears. He starts fidgeting with the vial of poison in his pocket. “There’s a big flaw in your attempt to make me doubt them.”
“Which is?”
“They keep failing.”
“True.”
“So, there’s no reason for me to doubt them.”
“It wasn’t my intention to make you doubt them,” Fritz politely admits. “My intention was to make you realize that you’re on the side where assassins like yourself are seen as expendable. I want you to doubt your own decision.”
“I never doubt myself. You should know that by now,” Nimby declares, a cocky sneer playing across his face.
Fritz shrugs nonchalantly. “You can’t blame me for trying.”
“What’s next? You’re going to ask me not to kill Luke again?” Nimby asks with a bored yawn.
“It’s basically all I have without getting drastic,” the old gnome sheepishly admits.
“I don’t see why you should care,” Nimby says, stretching his arms. “Heroes are not uncommon. Luke goes down and another will rise to take his place.”
“Any heroes who step up to take his place will not be Luke. They won’t even come close to him,” Fritz declares with a hint of anger in his voice. “Do you honestly believe that killing Luke makes no difference and another hero will be identical to him?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. Get out of my way,” Nimby snaps. He takes a step and touches the magic barrier again.
Fritz shakes his head and defiantly announces, “I won’t let that shield down.”
“Don’t make this any harder for me!” Nimby exclaims, drawing his shortsword and pointing it at Fritz’s throat.
A smile of victory crosses Fritz’s face as he points out, “You’re just one big contradiction tonight, Nimby.”
“Don’t push me, gnome,” Nimby growls.
Fritz slowly draws a handful of gnomish combat disks. “What about Nyx, Aedyn, and Fizzle?”
“They are not my targets,” Nimby swears, his breathing getting heavy.
“You make it sound like they won’t get involved,” Fritz laughs.
“Trinity will be taking care of them,” the halfling reveals to him. “It isn’t like they will be a danger to me during the few seconds that I need to pounce and strike. Nyx has no powers, which forces Aedyn and Fizzle to protect her more than the always capable Luke.”
“You still believe that you’re the only one that can kill Luke?”
“Of course.”
“I doubt that you could.”
“I’m stronger than you think, Fritz.”
“That isn’t what I meant.”
“Then, what do you mean?”
Fritz leaps back and throws several razor-sharp disks at the halfling. Nimby dodges all of them with ease before flipping onto the stone railing of the bridge. He watches the gnome carefully from his perch as Bessaria begins to get nervous and calls out to its master. Fritz pulls out more combat disks from his pockets, waiting patiently for Nimby to move.
“Stop fighting me, Fritz!” Nimby shouts, his voice quivering.
“I fight a friend in order to save a friend,” Fritz declares, his breathing becoming labored and raspy. “By the end of the night I hope you come to understand that sacrifices must be made in such situation.”
“You’re already winded,” Nimby points out, hoping his friend will surrender.
“I can still get my job done,” Fritz proudly swears.
Nimby rolls to the river side of the bridge and clings to the railing’s edge as combat disks blur through the air. He flips back up to the bridge to make a diving charge at Fritz. The gnome launches high into the air to avoid the slash, which catches Nimby off guard. He can feel two combat disks slam into his back and he stumbles forward. The halfling catches his breath as he spins to block more projectiles. He runs at Fritz again and makes a low slash at the gnome’s knees, which is easily avoided by another incredible leap.
“You’re only trying to maim me, Nimby.”
“Once you stop jumping around like that, I can kill you.”
“I still doubt that you can do it.”
“I’ll show you!” the halfling screams. He rushes at Fritz who fades away at the touch of his sword. Nimby is unable to slow his attack when he realizes the Fritz he was fighting was an illusion. The real one appears in front of him just as his shortsword drives through the smiling gnome’s chest.
“About time,” Fritz gasps, sinking to the ground. He puts his shaky hands on Nimby’s wrist and pushes him away. The sound of the sword slipping from between his ribs is nauseating to both of them.
“You . . . you never moved . . . you used your illusion to bait me into stabbing the real you,” Nimby stutters, his mind struggling to make sense of what happened.
“That I did,” Fritz admits, a spray of blood flying from his mouth and hitting Nimby’s boot. “I can feel my heart slowing instead of stopping. Looks like you were still going for a crippling wound instead of a death blow.”
“Fritz, why are you doing this to me?” Nimby asks, refusing to clean the splatter on his boot.
“Because I still doubt you,” the gnome declares before he coughs up another dribble of blood.
Nimby falls to his knees next to Fritz. “I don’t understand.”
“I knew that this adventure would be the death of me. I’ve known since I stepped foot on the River Scout and I never understood why. Now, I know,” Fritz says weakly. His eyes begin to glaze over as Nimby lifts his head. “Luke must live to face his destiny. My death is to ensure that he lives.”
“I still don’t understand what you doubt about me,” Nimby mutters, fighting back tears.
“I doubt that you could kill two friends in your lifetime much less a single night,” Fritz whispers, spasms coursing through his body. “Better it be this old gnome than the young hero who dies. I’ve lived my life for eighty years and my affairs are in order. Luke still has a lot of road to wander.”
“You’re wrong. I can . . . I can . . . I have to . . .” Nimby uncomfortably starts.
“The only thing you have to do is think,” Fritz assures the halfling. “We’ve all seen what happens when you think things through, Nimby. You’re the most cunning of us when it comes to solving these kinds of problems. Give yourself time and I bet you will find a way out of this mess without killing Luke.” Fritz laughs until his breathing turns to liquid-filled coughs. Bessaria finally wanders over to begin licking at Fritz’s face.
“I can’t stay with Luke if I betray my old life.”
“Then, you have a sacrifice to make.”
“I
should get you to a healer, Fritz.”
Fritz puts a weak hand on Nimby’s forearm. “It’s too late. I can feel my lungs filling with blood and my heart is slowing down. I can barely sense the world around us. The wound doesn’t even hurt anymore. Approaching death is oddly peaceful near the end.”
“I hate you for doing this to me, old gnome.”
“I’d ask what you’re going to do, but it isn’t my business any more.”
“I guess so.”
Fritz reaches up a quivering hand to pull Nimby’s face down to his. Bessaria bends in as well to nervously lick Nimby and Fritz. The gnome rolls his eyes before weakly pushing the sheep’s head away from them.
“There’s one last thing I have to say,” Fritz whispers, his voice faltering.
“What is it?” Nimby asks, leaning close.
“I’m the fountain dunking champion,” the gnome gloats. His eyes slowly close as he smiles and chuckles to himself. It isn’t long before his gentle laughing stops and his chest is no longer moving.
“Guess I was never able to beat you,” Nimby whimpers, gently placing Fritz’s head on the ground before getting to his feet. The halfling staggers back like a terrified drunk and stares at his blood-soaked hands. Tears stop falling when he turns away and leaves Bessaria and Fritz’s body on the bridge. He carefully pulls out the vial of magical poison and holds it in front of his face. It feels like hours before he pockets it again and continues walking toward the mansion.
Nimby looks to the darkening sky and takes a deep breath. “A sacrifice. I think I know what I have to do. I’m really sorry it has to end like this, Fritz. You were the best friend a wretched halfling like me could ever have. I hope you can forgive me for what I’m going to do.”
*****
“Did Aedyn tell you why he wanted to meet us here?” Nyx asks, pacing outside the front door of Silverstar Manor. She shivers and adjusts her cloak as a cool breeze whips off the roaring ocean.
Legends of Windemere: 02 - Prodigy of Rainbow Tower Page 44