Nightfall: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Fairhaven Chronicles Book 4)

by S. M. Boyce

  Cautiously optimistic, Victoria glanced around. “Where are they? The rebels?”

  Without answering, Lady Spry ran her hand along one of the walls, humming to herself as she fiddled with the protruding rocks. After a few moments of hunting, she finally pressed her palm against one and it flattened at her touch.

  The wall rumbled and the small group tensed as it slid open to reveal a massive, brilliantly-lit cavern. A glittering crystal shone overhead, giving off light so bright that Victoria lifted her arm to shield her eyes.

  “Welcome to New Fairhaven,” Lady Spry said as the rumbling wall came to a stop.

  Victoria peeked through her fingers to find a bustling city filled with stalls, makeshift homes, and at least two hundred elves and ogres. Everyone paused as the door opened, and they all stared at Victoria and her group with bated breath.

  “It’s Victoria!” someone shouted, breaking the silence.

  Slowly a roar of voices built, and the hidden citizens of Fairhaven flocked toward the door. Victoria hesitated, not certain she could handle strangers coming at her, but Lady Spry stepped between Victoria and the onslaught of people.

  “Back, please,” she said in a loud and clear voice.

  To Victoria’s surprise, the citizens obeyed. They kept their distance, but everyone continued to speak as Lady Spry led Victoria and her ragtag group of rebels into the hidden cavern. Once the last ogre had stepped through, the door rumbled closed behind them.

  The voices overlapped each other, and Victoria could only catch snippets of each conversation.

  “Mercy, it’s really her—”

  “—come to save us—”

  “—knew she would—”

  “—told you she wasn’t dead! You owe me ten denni!”

  She grimaced. Great, now they’re betting on whether or not I’m alive?

  “Miss Victoria?” a sweet little voice asked.

  Victoria stopped in her tracks and looked down to find a young elvish girl, maybe six years old, hugging a tiny stuffed snarx as she stared up with wide eyes. Her little ears poked from her hair, too large for her head, and she had a dirt stain on her cheek.

  Victoria knelt so that she would be eye-level with the little girl. “Yes?”

  “Mommy says you’re a hero. Are you here to help us, like she said?”

  Victoria briefly scanned the crowd, but she didn’t see any elvish women who looked like this kid. A twinge of sadness rocked her, and she wondered if her mother was in the dungeons, or worse. She forced as genuine a smile as she could muster and nodded. “I’m going to do what I can.”

  The girl sniffled, tears in the corner of her eyes, and Victoria panicked. Fuck, crying kids. She could take on a dungeon full of mercenaries and rip an enchanted door off its hinges, but she couldn’t handle this.

  “Hey, hey, cheer up,” she said a bit nervously. She frantically looked around for help, but Audrey just shrugged. Diesel chuckled, and Edgar crossed his arms as he lifted one thick eyebrow in curiosity.

  An idea sparked in the back of Victoria’s mind, and she smiled gleefully. She pointed at Edgar. “Do you know who this is?”

  Edgar stiffened. “What?”

  The little girl nodded. “He’s Captain of the Plits, your Berserk team.”

  “Dam…darn right,” Victoria said, careful to censor herself in front of the kid. “How about he puts on a little show for you guys?”

  “A what now?” Edgar asked dryly.

  Victoria frowned at him and mouthed, “Go with it.”

  The big ogre rolled his eyes.

  “A show?” the little girl asked.

  “Yeah,” Victoria said, standing. “The whole team will. We’ll show you what Berserkers do to stay in shape and keep our minds sharp for the game. Anyone up for an impromptu Berserk match?”

  The crowd roared, and the panicked faces relaxed ever so slightly. It was a distraction from the fear. A temporary one, but at least she could make them happy for a while.

  In these tough times hope was their most valuable commodity, more precious than food. Hope could carry the rebels through the war, and Victoria would do anything in her power to keep them happy.

  She grinned, scanning the crowd. “Who can show me to a decent Berserk field down here?”

  Chapter 11

  To be honest, Fyrn had to practically drag Victoria off the Berserk field. If it weren’t for the war at hand she would have stayed there for days, chasing the elf and ogre children across the field instead of fidgets.

  Gently, of course.

  Besides, there weren’t any bins on this makeshift Berserk field. She mostly just hoisted them over her head and ran around in circles for a bit before putting them down and chasing them again.

  Great fun.

  “Just five more minutes?” she whined as she followed her mentor to the designated war room. Two ogres stood at attention outside, their dented armor dull and lifeless, and both nodded to her as Fyrn pulled back the curtain so she could enter.

  “Victoria, we have a dictator to kill. You can play with other people’s kids later.”

  “Well, it’s kind of creepy when you word it that way.”

  Fyrn shot a pointed look over his shoulder, and all Victoria could do was roll her eyes.

  Ass.

  An enchanted fire flickered in an improvised fireplace on the opposite wall, but no smoke clouded the room. Sconces along the walls lit the space well enough to see a map laid out on a crudely carved stone table in the center.

  Several strangers lingered along the walls, including an elf who seemed vaguely familiar for reasons Victoria couldn’t fully articulate. Styx sat on the ground by the fire, taking miniature bites out of an apple slice. Lady Spry, Audrey, Diesel, and Bertha stood around the table, and everyone tilted their heads toward Victoria as she entered. She nearly blushed with embarrassment at holding everyone up, but deep down she wasn’t sorry.

  She had needed a break, and she had given the rebels a bit of fun and hope amidst all the fear and suffering.

  The familiar elf smiled warmly. “Thank you, Victoria, for giving them something to distract them from their pain.”

  “You did a good deed,” Lady Spry said with a nod.

  Victoria smiled. “My pleasure. Now, I believe we have a murderous Light Elf to kill?”

  Audrey tapped her knuckle on the table. “Before we begin, I want to share that I infiltrated his army the other day.”

  Everyone shifted their gazes to her, the stunned silence almost painful.

  “You did what?” Victoria snapped.

  “I shifted form and became an elf, donned their uniform and listened in on their meeting. They didn’t say anything useful, but I could continue doing it. You never know what we could learn.”

  Victoria gaped, sorting through too many angry retorts to pick one. “What the fuck were you thinking?” and “Are you completely insane?” were her current favorites.

  “Why?” was all she managed.

  Audrey lifted one eyebrow in confusion. “It’s called ‘spying.’”

  “But… But Audrey, this is dangerous. Someone will recognize you. You could get caught.”

  “I got out, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, but you went once.”

  “I’ve been three times, actually, and no one has stopped me. They’ve leered a little bit, but I can handle myself.”

  Victoria set her hands on the table in an effort to suppress the scream growing in the back of her throat. “Audrey, you’re going to get yourself captured, or worse, killed.”

  “He wouldn’t kill her until he had you,” Lady Spry said softly.

  “Thanks, now I feel better,” Victoria snapped.

  Audrey crossed her arms. “Victoria, we need to have spies in this city listening to everything Luak’s armies are doing. Lady Spry can only do so much. I’m helping how I can.”

  Victoria bit her cheek to keep from yelling at her best friend, who was only trying to help. “Please don’t do that again,
Audrey.”

  Audrey didn’t answer.

  “Has anyone stopped you?” Eldrin asked.

  Audrey shook her head. “Like I said, nothing but leering glances and a few snide remarks, but mostly I’m ignored. I listen in on the meeting and slip out after—easy. I blend in.”

  Her eyebrow twitched and Victoria caught the lie. With a frustrated sigh, she swallowed her pride. She would have to talk to Audrey about this later, since doing it in front of others would only make her more stubborn about it in the end.

  Eldrin tapped the map with a finger as he absently scanned the city. “Luak’s army must be growing more quickly than we anticipated if the captains don’t recognize new recruits.”

  Lady Spry sighed deeply—the first time she had shown anything other than composed grace to Victoria—and rubbed her jaw. “Most likely, yes. He officially declared himself king today, and I’m certain he mobilized quite a force before doing so.”

  Audrey frowned. “Any bodies?”

  “A few,” the senator said. “Some of the military men have disappeared, those I suppose he had hoped would be more agreeable once promoted. I’m grateful to see that Lieutenant General Eldrin is alive and well.” She nodded toward the familiar elf standing against the wall, who nodded somberly.

  “Wait a minute!” Victoria said as it clicked for her. “Didn’t I carry you out of the dungeon?”

  Eldrin crossed his arms, chuckling. “That you did, my Lady, and I am forever in your debt.”

  In the aftermath of finding Fyrn on death’s door, Victoria had admittedly lost track of Eldrin once they had returned to the house. He hadn’t traveled with her group to the rebel area, so he must have used his connections to find the hideout on his own.

  Diesel grinned. “Eldrin is an old friend of mine, and I couldn’t let him rot in those dungeons even if he does cheat at cards.”

  A few of the soldiers and politicians in the war room laughed, and to his credit Eldrin merely shook his head in annoyance.

  “We must focus,” Fyrn said somberly from his place by the wall.

  Everyone’s smile fell, and Victoria set her hands on her hips. “He’s right. How do we kill Luak?”

  “We don’t,” Lady Spry said.

  The room went silent, and every head in the room turned toward her. She, however, looked only at Victoria.

  “You do,” the regal woman finished.

  “Laying it on a little thick there, huh?” Audrey asked with a raised eyebrow.

  Victoria nudged her friend in the gut. “Audrey, come on.”

  “Well, she did.”

  Lady Spry frowned. “I apologize if my methods are dramatic, but I cannot stress this enough. Each of us hates Luak with a passion. He has stolen something dear from us all, robbed us of something beautiful, treasured, and irreplaceable. Each of us would like to be the one to deliver the fatal blow—whether via a sword to the gut or a spell to the head—but we can’t. None of us are strong enough. Only you are, Victoria.”

  Victoria hesitated, her gaze drifting to the floor. She didn’t bother looking at Fyrn, even though she could feel the heat of his gaze on the back of her neck.

  Maybe she wasn’t.

  “We need allies,” the senator continued, scanning the faces around her. “More fighters. More soldiers. More denni to buy weapons and armor. More potions. We need friends with deep purses.”

  “I’ll give what I can,” Victoria said.

  “As will I,” Fyrn added.

  “We all will,” Diesel interjected, apparently not wanting to be one-upped by his adversary.

  “However,” Victoria said sharply, “we will not buy mercenaries.”

  Low murmurs erupted in the small room, but Victoria held her ground. Beside her, Audrey crossed her arms and squared her shoulders, backing Victoria up without a word.

  “But Victoria, please—” Lady Spry began.

  “No ‘buts.’ No mercenaries. Luak will just offer them more money, and there’s a high chance they’ll betray us.”

  “She’s right,” Eldrin said.

  The room hushed, and Lady Spry stared blankly at the map. “But we need soldiers.”

  “I have a few ideas.” Victoria rested her knuckles on the table, eyes roaming the map.

  “The Berserk teams?” Audrey asked.

  Victoria nodded. “All of them are fierce, ready to fight, and used to pain. They’ll be valuable.”

  Lady Spry gestured to the curtain behind Victoria. “Most are here, but I’ve heard rumors of a few isolated pockets of rebels who haven’t found this place yet. I will reach out to them.”

  “Good.” Victoria tapped a familiar district near the outskirts of Fairhaven. “Out here, I have an old…friend, I guess you could call him. He may be useful.”

  Drefus, the Fairhaven crime boss she still owed a favor to. It was a risk, one she would have to discuss further with Fyrn. He knew the gremlin better than she did.

  “No promises,” she added.

  “That’s not enough,” Eldrin said, resting his hands against the table.

  Victoria smirked. She had saved the best for last. “I also have a friend in Lochrose. I believe the queen will join us.”

  The room went silent, every eye wide as they stared at her.

  Lady Spry was breathless. “We heard you freed Lochrose, but to think they would help us after so long underground…”

  “I can’t promise anything, of course, but I may as well ask.”

  The senator’s shoulders relaxed. “In that case, I believe we may stand a chance.”

  “I’m not convinced,” Eldrin said, pointing to the various entrances to the castle. “Each of these doors is wide enough for five ogres to walk side by side, and the moment we attack we’ll be swarmed.

  “Then we let the castle protect itself,” Lady Spry said.

  “What?” Victoria stared at the woman, wondering what the hell that was supposed to mean.

  “The castle’s defenses are still active?” Fyrn asked incredulously.

  Lady Spry shook her head. “Victoria, the castle itself is enchanted. It has a personality of its own, and it chooses its monarch. If its monarch is in trouble, it can cause a great deal of mayhem to whoever is trying to infiltrate its walls.”

  “If by ‘trouble’ you mean ‘death,’” Fyrn muttered.

  “How did I not know about this?” Diesel nearly shouted.

  Fyrn chuckled. “I suppose the king didn’t trust you with everything, hmm?”

  Diesel frowned and crossed his arms, pouting.

  Victoria chuckled. A grown man pouting. How attractive!

  Lady Spry pursed her lips at the bickering wizards but pressed on. “The king was bound against speaking to anyone about it, Diesel. I maintain it, as did Fyrn for a time before, well...”

  She glanced nervously at him, and the room went silent. Apparently Fyrn’s banishment from the Order of the Silver Griffins was still a tense topic.

  Lady Spry cleared her throat and continued, “We’re part of a select few who knew about it before even King Bornt. Luak not only discovered it, but he also found a means of draining the castle’s power to keep it obedient. It has been severely weakened, but I believe I can restore its strength. If not all of it, at least most.”

  “If you’re capable of doing this, why didn’t you do it sooner?” Fyrn asked.

  Lady Spry sighed. “I debated it, but I don’t think freeing the castle will be enough on its own. There are too many mercenaries, too much of the castle Luak still controls. I didn’t discover his plot in time to help the castle keep him out. As much as I hate to admit it, Luak is painfully clever.”

  “But coupled with an attack on the castle, reactivating its defenses might be enough?” Victoria asked.

  The senator shrugged. “Perhaps.”

  Victoria didn’t like it. True, a castle coming alive could cause mayhem that would help in her attack on Luak’s army, but she needed more. She needed something indestructible, something to draw Luak
’s attention without putting many—if any—lives at risk.

  If only she had a secret weapon.

  She tilted her head ever so slightly until she could see Fyrn out of the corner of her eye. He frowned, stiffening under her subtle scrutiny, and very slowly shook his head.

  “Let’s take a breather,” Eldrin offered.

  Diesel nodded. “Everyone, keep thinking about this. See if you have any other ideas.”

  One by one the attendees trickled out into the cavern, but Victoria gestured for Fyrn to stay. He walked over to the map, pretending to be consumed by it as everyone left.

  In a moment only she, Audrey, and Fyrn remained.

  “We have to, Fyrn,” Victoria said, trying her best not to refer to the golems out loud.

  He had sworn her to secrecy, after all.

  “They aren’t ready,” he said softly.

  Audrey laughed. “What? Do they need paint? This is an emergency!”

  Fyrn frowned. “If I turned them on, they would be mindless killing machines with no master. I can power them and give them life, but I cannot make them obey. They are hardwired by magic to destroy anything in their path, and only a connection to something profound can direct their rage.”

  Victoria perked up. “Something profound? Like what?”

  Fyrn sighed. “I don’t know, that’s the problem. The spell book says, ‘Only a connection to something of profound power and will may control the minds of these granite assassins.’ I’ve never found any more detail on what that could possibly mean.”

  Victoria groaned. Great, back to Square One.

  Chapter 12

  Victoria once again stood in Drefus’ lavish office. It hadn’t changed a bit since she had come to him seeking the map to Atlantis, and if she were being honest, she hated the fact that she owed him a favor for traveling to a kingdom that had tried to kill her.

  Assholes.

  The elaborate room contrasted starkly with the drug den out front. A mahogany desk sat in the middle with a luxurious red carpet, and a fireplace roared behind it. Despite the fire, the room seemed cool and comfortable, as though the heat couldn’t reach them.