LOCATION: THE CRUCIBLE, 100TH FLOOR
PLANET: LAPIS DIVINUS, ORION LUMINARY INSTITUTE
YEAR: ? | DAY: ?? | TIME: ??
It took Kaela several minutes to shake off the sight of what she had seen. But once she was past that, the words the specter had whispered into her mind lingered.
It called the guard “tribute” and was clearly asking for more. But most importantly, it claimed she could walk the aether realm safely. A thousand possibilities danced in her imagination, but she pushed it all back. For now.
The members of the royal guard in the cells nearby, including Ellister Rowan, were still locked up and moaning in pain. Kaela stood and began opening the cells.
One by one, she checked over a guard, administered poultices or other healing measures as needed, then moved on to the next cell.
She told each of them to remain in the hallway, as they would need to leave as one group and would likely need to fight their way out.
She got to Rowan’s cell. He was still asleep, unaware of everything that had happened just a few dozen feet away.
She covered the open wounds on his back with an herbal remedy she had learned from Aveline way back in Greyhaven. The mercenaries had used whips dipped in acid that left open festering wounds which made it impossible for the prisoner’s natural regeneration to overcome it.
As soon as Kaela’s salve neutralized the acids, Rowan’s body took over, and he was up and conscious in minutes. His wounds were far worse than anyone else’s, so clearly the mercenaries had worked hard to extract information from him in particular.
He sat up and stared at the healer who had brought him back from the brink. His eyes took a bit to focus, but even then, it was as if his mind was trying to reconcile the vision with the fact.
“Princess Kaela? How—”
“It’s me, but do not speak my name aloud,” she whispered. “Stay here while I free the others. Do you have anywhere we can hide out once we leave the prison? We need to regroup and come up with a plan.”
Rowan’s eyes lit up.
“So you’re planning to retake the throne?”
Kaela thought about it for a moment. She had been hell-bent on making the usurpers pay, but only now realized she hadn’t thought beyond that. Then it all snapped together in her mind, and once she saw the solution, she couldn’t let it go.
“Yes, I am. I will unite Caerwyn, Goldenvale, and Seraph’s Hold under a single banner.”
Rowan chuckled, but then grimaced and reached for his ribs.
“You are the only heir left. The people would be overjoyed to see you restored as Queen Kaela.”
She smiled and waited patiently as he spoke through cracked, parched lips.
“Okay,” Rowan continued, his voice hoarse. “We have a hideout on the west end of town. All the guards know it. We should escape the prison together and then go in different directions. I’ll tell them to meet up there in the morning, as soon as the curfew is lifted.”
Kaela finished administering healing to the others, and when they were ready, she and twenty-six members of the royal guard burst out of the wing of the prison with the holding cells, and into the torture chamber.
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Ten mercenaries were quickly overwhelmed and dispatched. Kaela didn’t intervene, as the guards had plenty of anger to vent.
She healed those on the tables, adding more to their force. In the end, thirty-two guards and Kaela escaped the prison and quickly disappeared into the night.
Rowan gave her directions to the safe house, and Kaela returned to her lodging to lay low for the night. It was the first chance she had to check her pockets.
The other Scout had dropped a heavy coin along with a folded note when he brushed by her earlier. The note was written in a coded script that took her System interface ten minutes to crack.
---
System Message
Encryption protocol engaged.
Intelligence of 90 required to decipher.
Stand by for translation.
...
…
…
Code decipher complete.
---
“That must be an incredibly complex cipher,” she muttered. “Thank goodness I put extra points into Intelligence.”
The symbols and letters on the page slowly rearranged themselves before her eyes, and the message appeared.
---
Lioness
Apologies for the difficult cipher. We couldn’t risk this falling into the wrong hands. This is a consolidated report on all we have learned so far.
- Three noble families have joined together to usurp the throne. One is from Caerwyn and the other two are from Hillstead to the south.
- The nobles have hired mercenaries from three different factions to police the streets and enforce their iron rule. We believe the mercenary factions do not mix well with each other.
- Conspirators carry a challenge coin, similar to the one I just gave you. If you show it in conversation, you will be considered one of them.
- The noble family from Caerwyn minted these coins and is the chief conspirator who put the entire scheme together.
This is all we know for now. We will be ready to support you when you make a move on the palace. There is a flat stone outside the door of your lodging. Turn it upside down if you need to discuss anything and one of us will be there. Be safe, Lioness.
---
It was a lot to take in. But at least Kaela now had a clearer picture. She had heard of Hillstead. Despite the country’s innocuous name, Kaela knew their leadership to be an ambitious and conniving bunch.
It didn’t surprise Kaela that they would take advantage of a weakened Caerwyn to make a move like this.
But the report also said that it was one of the Caerwyn noble families who was the most responsible for opening the door in the first place. Perhaps Rowan would have a guess as to who that might be.
She had a plan in place now, and it was time to rest.
Early the next morning, she slipped out the back door of her lodging, wanting to arrive at the safe house as early as possible.
She turned a corner, attempting to stay in the shadows, but bumped right into a giant of a man.
He reached for his sword, but then stopped when he saw it was just a young woman.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” he said. “Curfew isn’t up yet. How about you come with me, and I can—”
Kaela reached out, taking his head in both of her hands. She pulled him down toward her. The mercenary closed his eyes, thinking she was going to kiss him.
She gently touched her forehead to his and activated Phantom Step. This time it was effortless, as the man wasn’t fighting her. He didn’t even notice until she pulled her head back.
He spun around, immediately panicking. She could see his mouth moving, but couldn’t hear any sound.
The banshees were waiting this time.
Their red eyes hidden deep within their hoods of shadow, they closed in on the man and quickly enveloped him.
She heard no screams, and the look of confusion on his face haunted Kaela. One of the banshees bowed its head just a bit, and as she phased back to reality, Kaela heard a word of thanks echoing in her mind.
As she made her way to the safe house, she encountered nobody else, but that expression on the man’s face stayed with her.
What am I doing?
That man was just doing a job.
He may not have been innocent, but he likely wasn’t evil…
She determined to be more discerning with her tributes in the future.
Hiding in the bushes across the road from the unmarked warehouse, she checked her surroundings. Nobody was around. She waited several minutes to be sure, and then she crossed over and entered the building.
Rowan and three others were already there.
“Your Highness,” he said, dropping to one knee. He grunted with the effort, as he was clearly still exhausted and healing.
“Please,” Kaela said reaching down to pull him back up. “Please stand. We must keep a low profile. You have all been very brave. Now, I received a report. Let me tell you what I know, and you can fill me in on whatever else you have.”