by Jason Kenyon
She threw on a dressing gown and stepped out from behind the curtain, and shook her head at Lyssina, who was still idly bouncing on the bed. Lyssina jumped to her feet, flushing with guilt.
‘Are they in your good books?’ Lyssina asked, trying to look all official again.
‘They’re a bunch of useless rich people, what do you suppose?’ Salestis returned. ‘Can I trust you not to damage my bed while I bathe?’
‘Your every word is my own heartbeat, Your Radiance,’ Lyssina replied with a teasing salute.
‘I’d better not stop talking then,’ Salestis said, grinning, and she slipped into her bathing room.
After a pleasant, lazy half hour, Salestis emerged again, and found Lyssina sitting by the window that overlooked the garden, quietly reading one of her books. Salestis slipped back behind the silk curtain with some fresh clothes.
‘Is it any good?’ she asked.
‘Hum?’ Lyssina said. ‘Oh! Oh, the book? Yes, Your Radiance.’
‘Come on, Lyssie, we’re not in company,’ Salestis said.
‘Sorry, habits,’ Lyssina said. ‘It’s a beautiful book, you should read it. It’s about a woman who falls in love with a soldier from a rival army.’
‘Trust you to like that sort of thing,’ Salestis said.
‘It’s really good!’ Lyssina said. ‘You could do with reading something pretty for a change, instead of all those horrible war philosophy things.’
‘You’ll find more truth on the battlefield than in the bedroom,’ Salestis said. She examined herself, and found her outfit acceptable. Stepping out from the curtain, she faced Lyssina. ‘Better?’
‘The best,’ Lyssina replied, smiling. ‘I haven’t seen that one before.’
‘One of the councillors gave it to me, would you believe?’ Salestis said. ‘At least one of them has taste.’
Salestis would rather have stayed there all day, but she supposed she’d made the Central Council wait long enough. She collected her entourage outside her chambers and marched on down to the meeting chambers, where she had two paladins open the doors for her and then strode on in.
The meeting chambers also served as the courtroom for any affairs over which the monarch presided. Now that the King had passed on, that meant that the Central Council tended to reluctantly arbitrate, except in some cases where they relied on Salestis’s superior judgement as the foremost soldier of the Light. Salestis always made sure to make a good show of it – after all, appearing to be the leader was most of the job. If people disagreed with her, she could simply call their morals into question and send them on their way.
Paintings of the former Kings and Queens of Valanthas lined the walls to either side, and overhead the ceiling was so high that it was lost in darkness. Salestis enjoyed the irony that her centre of law was presided over by quite the opposite of light, and left the chamber as it was since the thought always made her cheerful.
The Central Council were sitting at one of the long tables that faced the podium at the far end. Salestis gave them the paladin salute, which was to tap her chest twice with her fist, and then do a slight fist pump. The two beats on the chest represented the importance of the heart to the paladin faith, one tap to show her love for the people and another to show her love for the Light, and then the final fist motion was to represent the strength of the Order. It was the most absurd thing, and she’d once promised herself to get it changed if she made it to Supreme Commander, but it was steeped in tradition and her efforts had thus far failed.
The Central Council rose from their seats and all bowed to her.
Salestis smiled at them. ‘My ladies and gentlemen of the Central Council, the Light bids you welcome. I am delighted to return to you with news of victory to the south. We have secured the city of Ferrina from demons and criminals both, and the city can now begin its road to recovery.’
One of the councillors, a middle-aged woman named Aleks, nodded to her. ‘We have heard of your successes, Supreme Commander. The Council gives you its congratulations.’
‘I am blessed by the Light to have such staunch support,’ Salestis said. ‘Please, though, friends, be seated again.’
She motioned with a hand, and the councillors all resumed their seats. Salestis, meanwhile, remained standing, preferring to keep the advantage of height over the Central Council. Lyssina wavered nearby, uncertain whether she should sit as well. Salestis found it endearing, and left Lyssina in her confusion.
‘I was told that you wished to speak with me,’ Salestis said.
‘Yes, this is true,’ Aleks said. ‘There has been some discussion in your absence regarding the state of the kingdom at present.’
Salestis inwardly sighed. She knew it would have been better just to stay in her chambers. ‘What did you wish to address?’ she asked.
‘There are… concerns,’ Aleks replied. ‘We understand that we gave you permission… martial law, essentially… to set things right again. But while you have now made progress with Ferrina, the Knights of Valanthas are still estranged from us, and the mages are displeased with their current treatment.’
‘I see,’ Salestis said. ‘A shame.’
‘Perhaps, Supreme Commander, you have been too heavy-handed in your approach to matters,’ Aleks went on. ‘We feel that there could be more done on your part to open… more convivial discussions with the Knights of Valanthas.’
‘You remember that the Knights of Valanthas engineered the total destruction of the city of Aldrack, yes?’ Salestis asked.
‘I… yes, we do,’ Aleks replied.
‘Ah, I am glad,’ Salestis said. ‘Let me tell you a quick story. In our order there was a man who fought in campaigns around Valanthas and overseas in the service of the Light. His efforts freed villages, towns and even cities from the threat of cults and ruffians alike. When Lord Bartell attempted to start up his rebellion, this paladin commander gathered together his fellows and was the only one to fight back against Bartell. For his efforts, he was killed, and every brave man and woman who supported him was also heartlessly burnt out of existence.’
The Central Council members shifted awkwardly.
‘That is not the end of it, though,’ Salestis continued. ‘The battleground was a city, and it was not uninhabited. Civilians… children, babies, the sad and the happy, the rich and the poor, fighters and the weak alike – all of these were burnt to death. That is what the Order of Endless Skies brought about in Aldrack, with the assistance of the dark magic of their cult allies, the Clerics.’
‘We understand that, but…’ Aleks began.
‘I am not finished,’ Salestis interrupted. ‘There is also the city of Ferrina. Do you know what my faithful brothers and sisters found there? Streets lined with the dead, killed and unburied, their corpses rotting in the open. Foul, demonic creatures that were not even hiding in the shadows, but bold enough to wander the streets as people would normally, killing any who dared to show their faces. There was the threat of disease, starvation… even madness, trapped in their own homes.
‘This came about because we did not keep a proper eye on the Clerics there. The City Watch tolerated their presence, and do you know where those guards are now? They are dead – slaughtered in their own guardhouse, and those that did survive were killed like animals when the full demon outbreak took place.’
Aleks sat back, her expression grave.
‘And then, because we stood back – because we believed the words of that snake, Unette Alhamis – we allowed the Clerics to cut into our hearts again, and kill our own King,’ Salestis went on. ‘I do not like to force control on people, but sometimes the people need it to be done. Both for the mad, who do not understand the cost of what they do – and most importantly, for the innocents, who suffer by the hands of the former.
‘When I have ensured that the Knights of Valanthas stand with us, and that the powers of mages, sorcerers, and their kind are safe for the people at large – then, dear councillors, I will take a softer approach
to administration. But we are not at that stage.’
‘I see your point,’ Aleks said. ‘However, Supreme Commander, we are also concerned that… we also wished to re-establish the monarchy whenever possible. We hope that this process has not been forgotten.’
Salestis affected a look of surprise. ‘I’m sorry, councillor, but there seems to be a misunderstanding here. I am not the leader of Valanthas, nor am I pretending to be. Indeed, the kingdom did not lose its leader when the King was murdered.
‘You see, the leader of Valanthas is and has always been the Light, and as the King was the Light’s representative, so am I that now. We are all merely servants of the Light, best aspiring to meet the duties we have been given.’
Aleks cleared her throat. ‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning that I will, as I always have done, follow the will of the Light,’ Salestis replied. ‘Will that be all?’
Aleks looked like she had more to say, but her bravery did not last. She nodded her head, and Salestis smiled.
‘I have duties to attend to, as I have been absent for a while now,’ Salestis said. ‘We can speak more again later, councillors.’
Once back in the safety of her chambers, Salestis tossed her ceremonial sword to the floor and swore. Lyssina rushed to retrieve the sword, picking it up gently and dusting it off. She looked questioningly at Salestis.
‘Those Light-cursed old bastards,’ Salestis said. ‘I don’t have the patience to deal with their kind. How dare they question how I run things? Don’t they see what a mess they’ve left me?’
‘They don’t understand their own folly,’ Lyssina said.
‘No, they don’t,’ Salestis said. ‘It’s because of them that I have to do what I must.’
‘I know,’ Lyssina said. ‘I wish you did not have to.’
‘It makes no difference either way,’ Salestis said. ‘It might as well mean something.’
‘It breaks my heart,’ Lyssina said, sitting on the bed.
Salestis gave her a sad smile. ‘Sacrifices must be made, Lyssina. That is the way of the world. But look - I’m going to need to meet with the Shield later to get things sorted out, so you can come along and get to know them. I expect it’ll be a few more weeks before the Syrakh gets here, so we can get you up to speed on the operation. Sound alright?’
‘Yes, I would like that.’ Lyssina bowed her head. ‘Would you like your sword back?’
‘I don’t know, I think you look good with it,’ Salestis replied. ‘Bring it along, though – you can never trust people these days!’
Chapter Nine: Dark and Light
Obdo wiped the sweat from his brow, and hefted his pickaxe. It was tough work down here at the quarry, where lines of prisoners chipped away at an unforgiving wall of dark stone. Whether there was a specific purpose, nobody knew; the stone was loaded into carts, that were in turn taken away to an undisclosed location somewhere else in Stornis Hold.
The hold itself had been built into a towering cliff face that bordered the realm of Malthair. Far, far above Obdo, the topmost reaches of the hold soared even above the clifftop, so that someone approaching from up there might have mistaken the upper reaches for a small guard tower. Within the hold itself was a perplexing series of circling corridors and stairways, and the prisoners were held in separate groups of cells that were spread around the hold from the base up to the very summit.
Perhaps ten days had passed since the disastrous escape attempt at Ferrina, and they’d spent roughly half of that time at Stornis Hold, working here at the paladin quarry. Obdo, Neurion and Tharanor had managed to sneak together at times, since the paladins mostly only paid attention to their prisoners when moving them in and out of their cells. Apparently the Order had no shortage of space, either, as many prisoners had been graced with their own individual cell.
‘Obdo,’ Tharanor said.
Obdo looked over at the black-bearded former guard. ‘What’s up?’
‘Rather than just staring at the pickaxe, why don’t you come over here and help out?’ Tharanor asked, glaring.
Obdo was lying against a loose boulder, and the extent of his tough work so far today had been lifting the pickaxe so he could idly look it over. He lifted himself to his feet and stepped over to the stone wall, which glittered mysteriously.
‘You’re such a suck-up,’ Obdo said.
‘Tharanor is just being sensible,’ Neurion said, striking at the stone with his pickaxe ineffectively. ‘The guards are serious about their threat. I heard they hung some of the others upside down from the battlements for an hour the other night.’
‘Ahh, you two are doing a great job anyway,’ Obdo said. ‘We’ll get their quota of stone.’ He tapped the wall with his pickaxe, and admired the slight blemish he’d left.
‘No, like this,’ Tharanor said, and he struck the wall a mighty blow.
Obdo admired the ease with which Tharanor chipped away at the wall, and was slightly jealous. Then again, he wasn’t too sure he wanted to go to that much effort just to be useful.
‘We might not need to deal with this for too much longer,’ Tharanor continued as he kept up his assault on the stone wall. ‘Word is that Diojin’s started getting things moving with his people. I think they’re planning something.’
‘Good for them,’ Obdo said, tapping again at the wall. ‘Doubt they’ll want us near their plans.’
He stepped back and admired his handiwork, which was a series of dents in the wall that created the resemblance of a smiling face. The image was ruined a moment later as Tharanor struck the spot with full force, sending stone chips flying everywhere. Obdo stared at Tharanor in horror, and Tharanor just grinned back.
‘I can’t believe you’ve done this,’ Obdo said, looking at the cracked hole where his smiling face had once been.
‘Just helping you along,’ Tharanor said. ‘And yeah, Diojin’s an uncertain area, but if it comes to some sort of rebellion here, I’m up for fighting.’
Neurion let out a sigh. ‘I wish it didn’t have to be this way.’
‘No good wishing any more, Sir Shiny,’ Obdo said. ‘We just have to make the best of things as they are.’
*
Archimegadon was fed up of walking. It was all they’d done for over a week now. Some might have considered it a good thing – after all, he’d covered mountain ranges, beautiful lake regions, and flourishing pine forests. He didn’t give a toss about all that. As far as Archimegadon was concerned, staying in an actual bed for a week was what he deserved and needed right now.
Instead, under the command of the stern Mellara, the little band of companions had slept under the cover of trees each night, staying far from settlements where possible. While paladins had been scarce since their visit to Luthiran, Mellara wasn’t taking any chances, favouring being too careful over being too lax.
Ithalna, to her credit, had not complained in the slightest. She’d taken whatever punishing daily march Mellara had forced upon them, pausing only for food or drink. Archimegadon actually found himself missing Obdo – he knew that the reliable farmhand would have ensured that they took a plentiful supply of breaks from all this infernal walking.
‘Well, we’re getting a bit short now,’ Mellara said as they neared the shape of a town in the distance.
Archimegadon, who was short on breath, agreed.
‘We are running out of supplies?’ Ithalna asked.
‘Got it in one, princess,’ Mellara replied. ‘We’re gonna need to stop at this place up ahead and restock, or I think Archie’ll die.’
‘I’m… I’m fine,’ Archimegadon lied.
Mellara and Ithalna shared a rare look of agreement.
‘Guess I’d better stay out of town,’ Mellara said, handing her satchel over to Ithalna. ‘Until they catch Valia, I’m not getting us in trouble again.’
‘I will sort out the supplies, do not worry,’ Ithalna said.
‘Don’t go ripping posters down either,’ Mellara said to Archimegadon.
&nbs
p; ‘Balls,’ Archimegadon replied, lacking the breath to expand further upon his retort.
Leaving Mellara a short distance away, Archimegadon and Ithalna ventured, at a mercifully more relaxed pace, into the town. It wasn’t altogether different from Luthiran, with a fairly free-form structure to it. Where it differed was the paving, which was quite lovingly maintained, though Archimegadon disliked it for being too hard on his poor, suffering feet. After Ithalna headed into the general store to get their supplies, it occurred to Archimegadon that he had no real purpose in coming to the town anyway, and he swiftly became distracted by looking around instead.
He was checking around a tailor’s front window when he noticed more posters nearby. Frowning, he headed over to see a variety of different faces on display this time. One of them was a more accurate depiction of Valia, with her brown hair, red eyes and even a scowl that matched her usual expression. To Archimegadon’s bemusement, there was a wild-haired grey-bearded man displayed, with the description that he was an accomplice to Valia but his identity was unknown. Next to that poster was another with a blonde-haired lady, whose description was almost identical to his own, albeit with the gender changed.
‘Not bad, are they?’ came a voice from behind him.
Archimegadon started, and turned to see the last person he’d expected to stand so boldly next to these posters.
‘Valia,’ he said. ‘Erm, what on earth are you doing here?’
Valia stood with her arms folded, smiling mysteriously. ‘Things,’ she replied. ‘Word travels fast these days. The paladins have messenger pigeons going all over the place, trying to get some progress on catching me so they can make a big show of executing me. It’s nice of them to care so much, don’t you think?’
‘Are you following us?’ Archimegadon asked, ignoring her question.
‘Of course I am,’ Valia replied. ‘I’m interested to see what you bunch are up to, since we’re on the same side this time.’