The Forsaken Hero

”So, as you can see, this changes nothing,” Undill said quickly, struggling to regain control of the conversation. ”Let us forswear this surrender and prepare ourselves to slay the demons.”

”I concur. There can be nothing productive to come from speaking with these deceivers anymore. If you permit me, I’d like to take them into church custody. We’d like to ask them about the nature of their plans for this empire and how they intended to betray you.”

I froze, my tail stiffening. I shot a wide-eyed look at Elise, my heart accelerating painfully. I wouldn’t let them take us, even if it meant retreating to Haven. I would never allow the church to take me again.

To my surprise, Elise didn’t seem fazed.

”You’d like to end this now, wouldn’t you, Father,” she said, smiling faintly. It was an expression I’d never seen her wear, a sort of sly, confident look, like how Jessia looked whenever she teased me.

Father Ithris stood, clasping his hands behind his back in a dignified manner. ”Come, Undill, let us waste no time here.”

She rose, but Elise’s next words stopped them in their tracks.

”I wonder, Grand Duke, how the church retrieved a crystal from the aftermath of a demon massacre. You said it was a ninth-level core, right?”

The Duke nodded. ”That is correct.”

Elise turned to Father Ithris. ”You expect us to believe the demons attacked, took the time to slaughter thirty thousand people, and then didn’t steal a ninth-level core? That’s a priceless artifact we’re talking about, one that could take a demon’s evolution to the eighth level. Something, I might think, you would know.” Her eyes narrowed. ”But I hardly think a greedy inquisitor would stop to think of that.”

Jessia burst out laughing, causing everyone to flinch and glare at her.

”I think you underestimated our little ambassador,” the apostle said, ”But even this isn’t all. Give me a second.”

She vanished in a puff of darkness, reappearing just quickly. She held a woman by the hand, semi-conscious and wearing little more than a nightdress. Her soul was seventh-level, but dozens of bloody lacerations crisscrossed her flesh, clustered tightly on her face and hands. The stench of blood was acridic, causing me to gag.

”By the gods!” Father Ithris breathed.

Undill took a tentative step toward them, eyes wide with horror. ”M-Marci?”

”What is the meaning of this, apostle?” the ninth-level mage asked, glaring at Jessia.

Jessia patted the woman on the head, not seeming to notice the blood matting her hair. ”I happened to come across her while finding that little treasure you’re holding. She was kind enough to tell me all about where it came from. Isn’t that right?”

She tilted the woman’s head up with a single finger. The woman’s dull eyes sparked with fear, and she let out a small whimper.

”Go on, tell them!” Jessia said cheerily.

The woman tilted her head to the side, biting her lip so hard blood dribbled down her chin. Jessia frowned, and with a flourish, a knife appeared in her hand. The blade glittered in the light crystal’s soft luminescence, casting a mote of reflected light into the woman’s eyes. She whimpered again; then, her shoulder slumped with defeat.

”W-we stole it...” she whispered in a hoarse voice. ”From the...the...I didn’t want to do it! But he said I had...I had to kill them...”

A sharp gasp went around, from the empire’s diplomats the attendants of the church. The woman bowed her head, weeping softly. Her tears streaked through the blood caking her face, running into the shallow cuts across her cheeks. She collapsed in a crumpled heap as Jessia let her go.

”You...you killed them?” Barther asked, slowly turning to face the church.

”D-Duress!” Undill croaked, backing up in shaking legs. ”She tortured her! We can’t trust that kind of confession. Right? Tell them it’s not true!”

She looked up at the father, nearly running into him, but the priest’s face was pale again, his lips clammy. His eyes, however, smoldered, locked on the now unconscious inquisitor.

”Breaking under this small amount of pressure?” Jessia clicked her tongue in mocking disapproval. ”To think you mocked my dear Elise for being pathetic. The difference is a worm and a dragon, and you, little church girl, are a worm.”

”Silence, apostle,” Grand Duke Barthen said, sighing heavily. He rubbed his eyes, shoulders slumping as if he’d aged several years. Slowly, he rose and faced the trembling church diplomats.

”I assure you, this is nothing but a tale. I don’t believe you would trust the word of that sick maniac over me, a respected Father of the gods,” Father Ithris said.

Barthen held out his hand. The ninth-level mage, his gaze still fixed on the Father, placed the crustal core in it. The Grand Duke rubbed his thumb over one of its smooth facets and grimaced.

At last, he said, ”The proof is undeniable.”

Elise took a short breath. ”You believe us?”

He nodded. ”The crystal alone was enough to condemn them. The confession, however cruel and unlawful as it was taken, cannot be ignored.”

”You would side with demons?” Undill asked, gaping at him.

Grand Duke Barther straightened, clearing his throat and declaring, ”As of this moment, and vested with the authority of the Emperor, I pledge the empire’s surrender. The terms shall be fully outlined later, but I accept the primary condition of allowing demons to walk our lands and claim our shards. In return, I expect the demon horde to refrain from harming our cities and towns and to spare any soul within our borders.”

”There is a price for betrayal, Grand Duke. It may not be less than what the demons would have taken,” Father Ithris said.

Barthen spared him a glance before turning his back on the church delegation. ”Guards, take them to their quarters and place them under house arrest. Until we are capable of investigating the matter, they are to be treated as political prisoners. They are not to speak with anyone, nor be spoken with.”

Father Ithris shook his head. ”This isn’t over, Barthen. The Gods will not be mocked.”

Barther didn’t reply as the sixth-level guards surrounded the church’s party. Father Ithris gave the Grand Duke an icy glare before turning and striding out ahead of them. Undill and the other attendants scurried after him, scrambling to keep ahead of the guards’ oppressive auras.

”As for you, apostle, I cannot overlook such cruel and barbarous behavior. You have transgressed many laws of the empire.” the ninth-level mage said.

Jessia shrugged, taking the seat Undill had sat at. She kicked a leg over the armrest, the dagger disappearing up her sleeve.

”I’m amazed you speak of crimes after learning the church murdered thirty thousand of your people,” she said.

The mage’s grip on his staff tightened. ”That remains to be seen.”

”Don’t tell me you still doubt it?” she gave a meaningful look at the inquisitor the church had abandoned on the floor.

”That’s enough, both of you,” Barthen said, sinking back into his chair. He waved his hand, and an attendant brought him a cup of wine. He gestured with it toward us. ”Bring them something, as well. The poor girls look terrified.”

I swallowed hard, glancing at Elise. She looked exactly how I felt. Pale and trembling, her hands clenched in the folds of her skirt. Instead of my dress, I gripped my tail, stroking it vainly in an attempt to soothe my pounding heart. Things had moved too quickly, and I still hadn’t fully recovered from Jessia’s second gift, not to mention the Father’s threats.

”N-no, thank you,” I stammered as a servant placed two glasses before us.

Elise shared none of my inhibitions, taking a long draft and washing the dust from her throat. It was half empty when she placed it back down, but her cheeks had regained color.

”Thank you, Grand Duke Barthen,” she said, lowering her head to him. ”I swear you won’t regret trusting us.”

”That remains to be seen,” the Grand Duke said, stroking his beard. ”But regardless of what the investigation discovers, it’s become clear we can no longer rely on the church.”

The doors swung open with a sharp snap, making me jump. I looked up, quivering, expecting to see the Father raging back in, but it was only Elaine. She looked around the room, frowning.

”What happened here? Why did I just pass a very angry Father?” she asked.

Barther offered her the crystal core. ”This was picked up by the church at the massacre sight. It appears the demons were not to blame.”

”So, it was the church after all,” she said softly.

The ninth-level mage raised an eyebrow. ”What makes you say that?”

Elaine shrugged, taking a seat beside Barther. ”It wasn’t the demons. Who else could it be?”

”So, you’re confident she’s not responsible for the shield?” he asked, nodding toward me.

”Yes. Contrary to my expectations, this little demonkin has nothing to do with cutting this city off from fate. In fact, judging by her demeanor, I’d say she’s even more affected by it than us. Which,” she said, raising a finger. ”Leaves only the church. No one else has the power or motivation to do something of this scale.”

The mage sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. ”Damn it all. If they really were responsible for killing the people of Corzinth, it makes sense why they would try and cut us off.”

”The sacrificial lamb,” she said with a shake of her head. ”But I trust that’s been avoided?”

”It has, for now, though the church’s threat lingers in my ears. I pray we haven’t chosen poorly, today,” Barthen said.

”They can’t move on us now that the demons are in our territory. It would risk too much,” the mage said.

”It does seem like an empty threat,” Barthen agreed.

”It’s not,” I said softly, shrinking back as they turned to me.

”What do you mean, child? I thought your vision was blocked?” Elaine asked.

I touched my chest, right over my heart. ”Just...trust me. There is worse coming than what happened at the border. They were willing to do that to stop discussion of your surrender. What more are they willing to do now that you’ve already agreed to it?”