Chapter 118: Sanctum XLIII

Chapter 118: Sanctum XLIII

So, you didnt like it then. Thaddeus leaned against the bar three seats down from me, seeming entirely unsurprised.

No. They simpered.

I didnt often keep company with him. In all honesty, I disliked him before there was even reason to. He was too smarmy, too slick. That wasnt uncommon, amongst nobles, especially those closest to the crown. What made Thaddeus stand out was how he was entirely without ego. He seldom bragged of his accomplishments, or made snide remarks belittling others. He simply had an air of superior precience about his manner that made him frustratingly poor company.

I hadnt even known he was there, until my friendsmostly acquaintances or social climbers or bothfiltered out to fawn over the arrival of some foreign dignitary, leaving only Thaddeus and I seated at the bar. And after the events that had taken Lillian from me, the only thing that kept me in my seat was the grim realization that I didnt trust myself to stand.

For a prince, I daresay you have a strange aversion to deference. Thaddeus gave a quick shake of his head to the barkeep when the burly man circled past. Despite the barkeeps burly appearance, he did not bristle at the dismissal, returning to his previous routine of pretending the rotund spymaster was not there.nove(l)bi(n.)com

I found it curious. For a person so slimy, ordinary, and insidiously disquieting, it was strange how easily Thaddeus could pass through any place seen or unseen.

I am a prince, not a god. And when I say they simpered, Im not exaggerating. Actually, that might be an understatement. They were almost predatory. Its a miracle I escaped that place with my soul intact.

An increasing topic of concern as of late. Thaddeus chuckled to himself, as if at some private joke. But some would argue that theres not much difference, between a prince and a god.

I smiled bitterly into my drink, and took a long pull. They are fools.

Undoubtedly. But you are set apart from them. That is what it means to be a son of House Gil.

With an explosion of sudden anger, I threw the mug, and it smashed into the wall behind him. Thaddeus didnt budge, didnt blink.

I sense that its not me youre upset with.

Its this stupid pageantry. My voice raised belligerently. Barkeep, how did you come to work here? Were you born into it?

The barkeep blinked and looked between us, then appeared to measure the distance to the nearest exit. No milord. The previous owner was sellin at a discount, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time.

He means, Thaddeus said dryly, That he made a not insignificant purse as a fighter in the Topside underground circuit, and caught the owner in the midst of somethingshall we say, compromisingwith someone of a noble house.

The barkeep stopped in the middle of his polish, his face as white as a sheet.

Dont be an asshole, Thaddeus, I growled, I like this tavern.

Thaddeus rolled his eyes and turned and spoke to the man directly. He also a frequent peruser of The Velvet Candelabra

The barkeep dropped his towel.

And will find his, frankly, alarmingly habitual visitations credited for this week, so long as he keeps his mouth shut about anything he might have overheard today.

As if reanimated by magic, the barkeep bent to retrieve his towel, refilled Thaddeuss mug unbidden, and retreated to the other room.

My mind wheeled in a drunken stupor. I whispered to Thaddeus. Really? Velvet Candelabra? Isnt that where

Thaddeus held up a hand. Whatever the second part of that question is, the answer is yes.

I put a hand on my head, absorbing that. What were we talking about?

Before or after you uncovered Lorsens nightly activities?

Before.

Roles. Or at least, I think that was where you were going.

My mind snapped back into focus. Right. Right. My point was, regardless of methodology, the barkeep wasnt handed this tavern. He earned it. Hells, you worked to get to where you are. You have no noble house. No one knew who you were until my father appointed you spymaster.

It took some doing, Thaddeus said, in the same tone of nostalgic amusement.

And then theres me. Crown prince. Leader of the realm. I held up my mug in a slow, sarcastic arc. Appointed to my position because I was born.

Youve known this all your life.

Were supposed to be better. My lip curled. More. Elite warriors, honorable, chosen by the blood of the gods.

Ah. This is about Stiltheia.

My mouth twitched, as I recalled the event. Yet another skirmish my father had dragged me along for, despite his clear displeasure with me. A ragtag collection of dark elves were attacking remote villages. They had built up decent defenses around a nearby fort with excellent sight-lines always a nightmare when there were elves involvedbut King Gil had settled for the tried and true tactic of cutting off supply lines and simply waiting them out. The woman who came out to negotiate was all skin and bones, her muscle wasted away to almost nothing. And of course, as he had so many times before, my father went back on his word the moment the advantage was his.

Honor is a fiction. The only thing that separates a noble from the garden-variety topside bandit is that the bandit is at least honest in his intentions.

Thaddeus fiddled with the signet ring on his finger. You know, this line of thought isnt exactly unique. Id wager a minor fortune that similar conversations are happening right now, in a dozen taverns not unlike this one. All that makes this conversation different from the others are the individuals partaking in it.

Youre calling me trite.

You are, but that is not my point. Amongst the nobles, you have a unique gift, my lord.

And what is that, spymaster?

Self-awareness. Thaddeus popped the ring off his finger and tossed it to me. I caught it, fumbling a few times before it finally settled, trapped in my left hand. The buzz of alcohol cleared somewhat as I studied the ring. It was a dark silver, surprisingly weighty, and somewhat crudely engraved with the outline of a sun.

What kind of metal is this? I wondered.

Wraithbond, a little known composite found only in the depths of what your people call the dark continent.

Youve been there? I was shocked.

Been there? No, dear prince. I was born there.

I almost didnt believe him, if not for how outlandish it sounded. Youve climbed quite high for a foreigner.

I have, but that is not my point. Life there was not easy. There were countless threats, constant death. Menor beings that approximated menfought and warred and died over honor. But they didnt call it honor, there. They called it pride.

And bloodlines?

The only blood they cared for was how much they could spill.

So youre agreeing with me, I said.

That honor is a fiction? Thaddeus raised an eyebrow. No. This is something the king understands well. The foundation of a civilized society is establishing ideals to aspire towards. Thus, honor is a construct. A tool to tame wild men.

So again because we were born noble, we exist outside the societal norm. My father can simply make promises and overturn them, slaughtering captives whenever he chooses.

I will deny having said what I am about to say until the end of time, Thaddeus spoke slowly. But King Gil is not the example you should be drawing from in your sophistry. There are times when a leader should lie. But ever since King Gil broke his blood oath to the elven queen, marrying your mother instead, his reputation for oath-breaking never corrected. A mans word is important, and he broke his, over and over, and now, it means practically nothing.

It just gives him the excuse to turn to war.

That is perhaps true. But you should be looking to the opposite.

The opposite of my father.

I had lost.

Thoth staggered towards me. In her left hand, she held one of the ruined daggers, snapped off at the hilt. She waved her right hand over it in a ragged motion, and the dagger began to glow sickly green, the same deathly color it was when she first killed me a lifetime ago.

Desperate and unable to move my lower body, I swung diagonally towards her neck. She didnt dodge so much as shift, her upper torso bending backwards as if she had no rib cage. It spoke to her state of mind that there was no gloating, no pontificating. Nothing readable in her gaze but rage and hatred.

Thoth was going to kill me. And Maya was going to die. Over and over again. Panic washed resolution away as I realized there was no way out. No escape.

Time slowed down. Thoth pulled the dagger back, and with an animalistic grunt, plunged it home.

I heard the knife slide into flesh. But I felt nothing.

No. Thoths voice. Surprised. Understated.

Thoth recoiled, retreated a few steps and fell. The energy flowing from the pool overcame her and she began to thrash uncontrollably. An invisible net held her.

There was a cough, and a sputter. I looked down into the sea-blue eyes of a little girl. Her hands were wrapped tightly around my neck. It only took a second to recognize her as the child who spoke to me outside the Sanctum. She smiled, as one might if woken from a pleasant dream.

Aethro.

Then she hacked, guttural and deep, coughing blood onto my shirt. Her fists clung to me tightly.

It hurts

In a moment of realization, I lifted her back in a panic, checking for damage. Thoths dagger had pierced straight through her. If the dagger had been an inch longer, or the girl a hair thinner, it would have killed me. The girl had shielded me.

The angel passed by us, clearly prioritizing its disabled master now that we were no longer aggressing, but I could feel the hate in its gaze.

You foolish girl! Thoth roared. For him? Hes worthless! Hes always been worthless. Gods dammit!

Not to me. The girls voice was barely more than a whisper.

The Decarabia busied itself, freeing Thoths from the magical binds the girl had somehow applied.

Put me down.

We can heal you, I insisted, my throat dry.

The girl indicated the wound on her chest. Cleansing this is beyond you and her both. Go made a deal with Infaris. The way is open Will not be for long. You have to go. The girl whispered.

We can talk about it later. I took a step forward to pick her up anyway, but impacted an invisible wall.

No. Though small and quiet, her voice was fierce. Dont waste this. Dont try to save me. I always die here. Have always died her. Will always the girl trailed off.

At least tell me your name, I pleaded. Im not certain why, but it felt important. Maybe so I could offer a prayer for her, or at least know the name of this tiny person who had reached out her hand to set me on the right path, not once but twice.

Sorry. The little girl forced a pained smile, and said in a voice centuries too tired for her appearance. Im hoping if I dont maybe you wont bring me back this time.

That statement left me with too many questions to count. But I could see Thoth in the background, beginning to free herself from her restraints with the aid of her demon.

Ill find you. Thoth tore her gaze away from the girl to glare at me with hateful eyes.

I know.

With that, I turned and fled, hauling Maya up by the shoulder.

Maya summoned Kastramoth, both of us scrambling up his back. Jorra clasped Bells arm and hauled her up behind us.

Who was that? Bell asked me over Jorras shoulder.

No idea, I said. Because who she was seemed less important than who she looked like. The way her sandy hair had formed a halo around her head. The way shed smiled. It all seemed too familiar. I was jerked out of the thought as Kastramoth began to sprint, his movements far more jarring than a horses gait.

Talk later! Maya yelled, The mausoleum is collapsing! She kicked her heels into Kastramoths sides and he was off.

The countless bodies in our wake seemed to whisper and laugh, a reminder of the bloodshed to come. A piece of rubble fell from the ceiling, striking Kastramoth in the head and sending the rest of us flying. We staggered through the gaping entrance, passed the torn-open gate.

Cairn! Thoths scream resonated from deeper within. There was a terrible noise, as if the mausoleum itself was being torn apart stone by stone. The grass and dirt itself flowed inward to the mouth of the mausoleum, hindering our progress.

Over there! Look! Bellarex had reappeared a small distance from the gate. The panic in my chest subsided as I saw what she found. Infariss portal was open at the mouth of the graveyard. I didnt know how the girl had convinced the goddess to aid us. Maybe Infaris just hated Thoth. Perhaps there was a greater plan at play. Either way, at that moment it didnt matter.

The ringing in my ears came back, stronger than ever before. Thoth was right behind us. I felt a gust of her as she rushed up behind me, her fingers grazing my neck.

We pushed through the portal and landed hard. Once the nauseating mix of inertia and disembodiment faded, I recognized the location instantly. It was the site of the last loop, where we were first ambushed. I fell to my knees panting on the spongey ground. Maya was already beside me. Jorra landed roughly a few feet away.

The only sound was the chirping of birds.

She looked like you. Maya said quietly.

My attention snapped to Maya. Her hair and face were all wrong.

I didnt see much of her. But she had your eyes. What did she call you?

Aethra, I said. The word felt heavy in my mouth.

I do not recognize it. Maya said. Neither did I.

Jorra started to laugh.

Brother? Maya pushed herself up and tentatively moved forward.

I cant believe it, Jorra said.

I sat back on my knees, still winded, watching Jorra with caution. Cant believe what?

The four of us just got in caught up in knife-fight involving the leaders of two demonic legions and a stupidly powerful mage, and we actually made it. Jorra laughed harder.

I wasnt really ready to see the humor, but the laughter was infections. Maya started chuckling. A smile tugged at my lips. We might all be dead soon. But for the moment, we were alive.

I cant believe you actually caught an arch-fiends magic with your gauntlet. Jorra wiped his eyes.

I nodded. And then you tried to drown him.

That was so much water, Jorra. Maya held a hand over her mouth.

Too much. I shook my head. Youre lucky the ceiling was so high.

Jorra shrugged, as if he too, was surprised by how much water there was. I thought I was a goner. If Bell hadnt saved me, I would have been in torn to pieces

He trailed off. We all went silent as the realization dawned. Bell wasnt with us.