by Rae Brooks
To his dismay, there was another commotion outside his door. The voices that he heard before any granted entry, only these were more subdued, which meant that Lavus wasn’t near the door. Perhaps Claudia, though Calis hadn’t seen her for some time, and she had seemed rather upset with the situation. He hadn’t expected to see her again.
Calis leapt up, waiting as he glared at the door, trying to find an opening to run out. His teeth pressed against one another as he glared at the unopened door. The shackles on his wrists felt heavy, and he clenched his fists.
More voices, and then there was a strange silence. The door creaked open, just barely, though no one showed themselves. Calis moved towards the door, slowly, carefully. He heard the faintest of noises, and as he continued to creep towards the door—it opened, and there he was. The traitor himself. Lee’s eyes were tired, as though they had kept secrets for far too long, and his face was pale—far paler than Calis had ever seen it. And none of it mattered—all that mattered was what Lee had done to Taeru.
Without a word, Lee stepped forward and grabbed Calis’s shackles, and with a small, silver key, he unlocked them. They fell to the floor, and Calis could see the marks from where he’d tugged against them. His eyes widened, and as he stared at Lee, a thought formed in his mind. Still, he reared back, and his fist collided with Lee’s jaw without forgiveness. Lee staggered under the impact, and then he shook his head and stood to face Calis. His eyes weren’t angry or surprised in the least. “I deserved that—but I had to do this. You can beat me up later, but they are going to hang him…”
The entire world collapsed around Calis, and any anger that he’d had for Lee vanished in that single instant. Whether Lee betrayed him or not no longer mattered. “What?” his voice was choked, hoarse. “When?”
“We have a shift,” Lee said quickly. “I’ll explain on the way, but we have a whole castle of guards to get through and hardly enough time to make the trip.”
“The guards outside?” Calis asked, feeling his insanity disappear in favor of a side of him that had a chance to stop something that would end his world.
Lee stared blankly at him, as though he’d asked a strange question. “I killed them,” he said, as though he spoke to a daft child. “I would have done so earlier, but without your father’s permission to enter the room—I couldn’t get in—I didn’t know how they were opening the door. It was some sort of hidden device.”
“That’s why you told them,” Calis said flatly.
“Yes,” Lee answered. His voice was weak, and from the haggard expression on his face, he had not dealt well with selling Taeru out to the monsters in this castle. “I know that is no excuse, and I don’t expect you to forgive me…”
Calis’s teeth gritted. “When we save him, I will forgive you—but I will kick your bloody ass before I do.” Lee smiled grimly. Calis couldn’t be mad—he couldn’t feel anything, other than the pressing urge to get out of this room. Taeru could not die—and if he did… no. He wouldn’t. Lee’s eyes moved to the amulet hanging around Calis’s neck, and oddly enough, his smile got a little less grim.
“That belongs to him.” Lee’s voice still sounded less confident than Calis was accustomed to. He sounded as though he wanted to collapse, and Calis knew the feeling—though his desire to do so had vanished.
With a nod, Calis affirmed Lee’s guess and started towards the door. The more time they wasted in this Light forsaken room, then the longer Lavus had to do precisely what he wanted to Taeru. Why was he hanging Taeru now, though? He wasn’t, Calis reminded himself. Lavus would not kill the only creature Calis had ever loved—the only thing in this world that Lavus’s ill treatment and corruption had not stolen from Calis. Not now—not ever.
Calis pushed out into the hallway. The change in lighting was strange, as he had sat in the darkness of his room for too long—with strips of light only coming through when the soldiers gave him food or one of his Lightless family members had come to visit him. As his pace set, Lee hurried past him. “Calis, here,” Lee said. With a quick tug, Lee pulled Calis into his own room.
Lee’s bed looked like it had not been touched recently. So, Lee never had betrayed Calis, after all—though, Calis found it difficult to be anything but angry with Lee considering the circumstance. Then, Lee nodded his head towards the suit of armor in the corner. “Your armor,” Lee pointed out. “And your sword.”
The coloring registered itself in Calis’s mind, and he realized that Lee spoke the truth. Somehow, Lee had managed to obtain the prince’s armor and weapon and stow it in his own room. Calis hurried to his belongings, immediately beginning to slip the armor on over his dirty clothes. “Have you seen him?” Calis asked warily, as the question refused to give him peace.
The grim expression in Lee’s eyes made Calis’s heart drop to his feet. His jaw clenched, and he tried not to think too hard about Lee’s expression. After all, Calis had seen the rag covered in blood—he ought to know that Taeru was hurt. Hurt, and it was all Calis’s fault. Letting out a shaky breath, he continued putting on his armor. “Why are they hanging him now? Did you orchestrate it?” Calis’s breath caught at the inkling. Surely even Lee wouldn’t… Calis worked to contain his anger.
“No!” Lee sounded as horrified as Calis felt. Their eyes met, and Calis saw the sincerity in his friend and advisor’s eyes. So long as Taeru was safe, Calis knew he would be able to forgive his friend—despite his dangerous plan. “No! I wouldn’t. I never meant to hurt him—not at all. I didn’t want to have to tell them what I told them. But I did… and Tareth, he…” Lee floundered, as though he were choking on his thoughts. “Hurry, Calis.”
At last, Calis strapped his belt on, connected the sheath, and slid his sword into its proper location. They wouldn’t have much time before the dead guards in the hallway, which Calis’s mind had scarcely bothered to perceive, were discovered. They exited back into the hallway, and Calis was aware that pushing Lee past his limit right now would only slow them down. The hallway that Calis stayed on had been deserted, likely by Lavus’s order, and that meant that for a bit of walking—this would be simple. “I ought to find Tareth and kill him myself,” Calis snapped.
For the first time since Calis had been reintroduced to his advisor, Lee’s voice sounded a little like itself. “I fear that might be a waste of effort, my lord—there isn’t much point in killing a blind man, anyway.” There was a dangerous glint in Lee’s eyes, though Calis wasn’t sure he wasn’t just pleased that the device had been used.
In fact, Calis was feeling a bit excited himself. They continued to walk, but Calis’s mind became consumed with the idea that Taeru had trusted him enough to use the amulet—if Taeru had triggered it. “Taeru?” Calis asked desperately. “He used it?”
Lee nodded, and Calis could feel a twinge of hope surging through him. If Taeru had been well enough to remember and use the amulet, then he had to be okay. So why did the color flee from Lee’s cheeks at the question? Even now—Calis’s advisor was pale, as though he were reliving memories that he couldn’t escape. Calis swallowed the worry that accompanied Lee’s expression.
There was obviously a large piece of information that Lee was not going to inform Calis of—perhaps because Calis would be pushed over the edge by it. Good, then, Calis decided, I have to focus now—I can worry later.
The first guard that they ran into was alone, which was a rarity within the walls of the Telandan castle. Without thought or consideration, Calis unleashed himself forward so that the blade of his sword plowed through the armor with little resistance. Calis’s hand was without sleight, without reservation, and the armor buckled and caved—lending the sword to flesh in a matter of moments.
A choke of shock from Lee, and then a choke of pain from the guard, ended the moment. Blood bubbled from the man’s lips, and Calis narrowed his eyes and used his foot to slam the man backwards, off his sword. He sheathed the weapon without emotion. “I suppose they forewent any mercy from you when they touched Taeru.�
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“When they took him, they took any semblance of a soul I had.” Calis’s words cut the air between the two of them. Lee’s eyes widened, only infinitesimally and then he nodded his head. Calis spoke the truth—Taeru had become his everything, somewhere in the few phases that they had known one another.
They continued forward, and Lee let out a weak laugh. “Ever dramatic,” he said, and though he was trying to be humorous—there was a blackness in his words. There was very little light in this situation, and Lee knew that as well as Calis. Still, Calis could appreciate Lee’s attempts to keep him calm.
Only when they reached the grand hall did several of the guards notice them. The daft men took several moments, staring at the two of them without thought, before they knew that anything was amiss. In fact, Calis had already jumped forward and lanced his sword through another man. After the first murder, Calis felt his mind disconnect from reality. The thoughts of Taeru, the ones that had been rooting him there, abandoned him as he stared into the faces of the men who had willed this. These men followed Lavus, and by association, they had condemned Taeru to his fate—to whatever horrible atrocity that made Lee grow pale. The detachment brought with it a release, and Calis’s sword moved without worry.
He swung it, putting blade to flesh, through armor and weapons. He parried the blows, instinctively prepared for them before they struck. A blind rage fueled him, pushing him forward and nearly controlling him. He tore through throats and other limbs, and when a blade would catch his own, his sheer force would send its wielder stumbling backwards. A grand hall filled with guards, and yet Calis noticed nothing but the various men that his sword broke. They all fell, and he scarcely heard them.
Even as a few of them dropped to their knees, he couldn’t see their faces. He swung his sword before his eyes truly registered the men that he killed. Blood soaked the floor beneath him, and he could smell it, feel it, and the rage grew. Rage grew as he remembered the rag that he’d left on the floor of his room—and it grew as he felt the amulet humming against his chest.
With a final swing, his sword tore into the skin of another man’s throat. The blade cut with precision and the man collapsed without so much as a gurgle. The silence that reigned over the room brought Calis out of his trance temporarily, and he gazed around the grand hall. As he panted, he realized that he’d actually exerted quite a lot of energy. So much that his entire body seized with spasms for a moment.
Only after the spasm ran its course did he glance around the grand hall again. A red canvas, along the walls, coating the floor, and coating the bodies that lay across the floor. He hadn’t realized that so many men had run to greet them once they had been discovered. He stood in a pool of blood. However, he would have been hard-pressed to find a place without a pool of blood since the splatters along the walls were scarce compared to the ones of the floor. Certainly, though, the ones on the wall weren’t scarce, some of the red liquid seemed to have reached up to the banister across the upstairs. Statues and pictures were smeared with it, and glancing down at his own body, Calis realized that he too was covered in blood—his sword gleamed red.
Realizing that he hadn’t seen any movement, there was a growing worry echoing through Calis’s mind. Lee! His head snapped about, and he turned to find the movement in the room. Lee was drawing his knife out of another downed man—covered in spatters of blood of his own. A long gash ran from Lee’s shoulder to his arm, and another dent ran down his light armor. Concern lit onto Lee’s face as Calis stared blankly at his advisor’s blood-soaked knife. Lee had always been enough of a match for Calis in sparring matches, though Calis had never seen Lee drive a knife into a man’s throat quite like he had now. Somehow, given the situation, Calis found that he was impressed, rather than frightened.
“Calis, your face—are you alright?” Lee’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. His face? Calis noticed further that Lee’s hair was matted to his forehead with blood that didn’t appear to belong to him. How long had they fought for? Calis moved his hand to investigate his face—as Lee seemed concerned.
Immediately, he found that it was also coated in blood, but as his fingers moved to the center—stinging made him wince. His skin had torn to the side, a large gash straight down the center—starting on one side of his nose and crossing at the bridge, stopping at the left corner of his mouth. It hurt, or rather, it should have—Calis found himself unaware of it aside from the sticky and loosened flesh underneath his fingertips. “I’ll be fine,” he declared.
“Well,” Lee said, though his eyes remained on the gash for a few more moments, “we ought to go to the execution cell. I doubt we’ll run into very many more guards.” His words were so flat that it was nearly humorous.
Calis surveyed the room. So many guards were dead, and yet he felt nothing but satisfaction at seeing the bodies—and some limbs—spread about the room. A grin eased onto his face. “Indeed,” he said and then started to the execution cell.
Lee followed him swiftly, and within moments, Lee was walking next to him. “That was frightening,” Lee said warily, “watching you was frightening.” Calis supposed he had done most of the killing then, though looking over Lee, the advisor had clearly not been idle.
For some reason, Lee’s words amused Calis, and he laughed. “I’m not sure what happened before—I’ve never felt so angry. I just wanted all of them dead. I’ve never been unable to feel those around me, and just then… I couldn’t. I couldn’t see or hear anything from them—all I could do was predict their movements, know how to kill them quickest.”
Their pace didn’t slow, but Lee was obviously considering what Calis had said. If it concerned him, he gave no indication. “You were unstoppable,” Lee finally said. “Focus your anger when you fight—though I would warn against losing control.”
As they turned the hallway that led to the dungeon, Calis took the first step before he managed a response. “I won’t,” he said quietly. “I won’t… unless…” No, he didn’t want to think like that—and if he did, then he could feel control slipping already.
“We’ll save him,” Lee said without hesitation. The dungeons held very few guards as well, and Calis couldn’t help the prickling sensation that ran through him at that. Even though there had been a large fight in the grand hall—the dungeon guards wouldn’t have noticed it. There should be some of them here.
At last, another man revealed himself. His eyes widened, no doubt at the sight of blood covering both Lee and Calis. A hard line came over Calis’s face, and he prepared to use his sword again, but this time, Lee was the one who stepped forward and jammed his dagger into the man’s throat. As the man fell, Lee gestured with his head for Calis to hurry.
Hurry they did, until they reached the room where the execution cell was held. The top level of the dungeon—Calis remembered, and he entered with a clenched feeling in the pit of his stomach. The room, though, was empty. There was nothing, and no one behind the bars in the room. The shackles attached to the wall hung empty, and the wall was smeared in blood. Calis’s eyes widened.
“Lavus must have…” Lee choked the words out.
Calis shook his head. No, they couldn’t stay here—not for another moment. They were already out of time. “Hurry, Lee!” Calis cried, and with that, he sprinted back up towards the castle exit.
“The destiny of a hero is one that he chooses for himself.”
-A Hero’s Peace v.ii
Chapter lii
Taeru Lassau
The pain of their dragging and pushing, along with the agony his legs had put him through, came to culmination as Lavus tore the blindfold from Taeru’s eyes. A whimper escaped him, though he tried to pull it back. The light of the sun pierced into his vision, and the entire world was white for several moments. He could see the sparkling buildings first, and he knew that he was in the Shining District. His hands were still bound behind his back, and his knees finally buckled. He fell, resting on them.
He could hear murmurs from pe
ople, and he opened his eyes again—trying to investigate where he was. As his head began to move towards the sound, though, a hand seized his chin and forced him to stare forward. Lavus was glaring down at him, and within his eyes anger the likes of which Taeru had never seen pulsed. “Taeru Lassau,” the name, his name, rang in Taeru’s ears.
The murmur of the people continued, even as Lavus consumed all of Taeru’s senses. The king was furious, and the hatred was vibrating from him. It didn’t feel natural. This wasn’t natural, and Taeru knew that. This was due to Aleia—the Magister who had plagued him in dreams for the past two cycles. She wasn’t gone, though, and if Taeru died here—as seemed likely—he would have failed to stop her. Or maybe not.
Don’t fool yourself, fallen prince, she whispered, as if acknowledging that she had been absent from his mind for such a long time. Taeru quivered at the feel of her voice—like an ice cold hand at his throat. Your death would certainly ensure that I’d won this battle. You cannot beat me, and I will laugh as you hang from that rope. First, though… Lavus intends to make an example of you…
Taeru winced, trying to push the words from his mind. Lavus was speaking again, and Taeru knew the words ought to be important. “For your deceit, and your crimes—you will hang—but first, I will show all of Shining District just how weak Cathalari are. You are going to squeal like the rat you are.” An example, he realized—he ought to not be surprised at the Magister’s knowledge of events before they happened, but he was.
For some reason, Taeru felt compelled to speak then. He had one last chance to convince Lavus that this was madness. “Lavus! I did nothing to harm Telandus! I came here with no intention of harming anyone. I was here for five years—and I did nothing!”