Day 70, 9:00 AM

“Put two ships in the open sea, without wind or tide, and, at last, they will come together. Throw two planets into space, and they will fall one on the other. Place two enemies in the midst of a crowd, and they will inevitably meet; it is a fatality, a question of time; that is all.”

— Jules Verne

The heavy door slams against the wall as I stride into the dining hall, walking in like a cowboy owning the place.

“We will destroy them!”

The room is empty. I stand there, frozen like a statue, and Phill takes a step to see my face and stare at me.

“Why are you shouting?”

“To reassure Manuella.” I had it all planned out, the moving speech, the reassurances that everything will be all right, the arguments logical enough to sound true even though they aren’t. Some of it would certainly lift her spirits. But she’s not here.

“Why would she be here? She’s a ruler fresh back after several days leave. She’s in the audience chamber, greeting guests and listening to pleas and reports.”

The world spins around me. The assassin!

“Hey! Wait!” Phill shouts behind me while I sprint down the hallway.

The door to the throne room is open, a line of people waiting. Thankfully, I catch Manny’s voice, and I’m composed enough not to storm into the room.

She’s still safe.

“When did this happen?” she asks.

She’s all right. I can just be right there and help her. My intellect is through the roof. I can solve most of the conundrums she has, and I can probably spot who’s lying better than her.

I walk into the room, my steps even, subtle, the fear and anxiety gone from my face, but still gnawing at my heart.

I can do everything for her, and she can just— I recall the timid, little woman I shared a boat with down the Monona river. She was like that because she couldn’t contribute anything. If I help too much, I’m only stifling her.

Manny sees me, and a hint of dismay touches her calm, serious face.

‘Relax. You got this. I’ll wait in the corner,’ I mouth, still approaching the throne and the mercenary guard kneeling before her.

Manny’s eyes brighten as they meet mine, meanwhile the merc answers her question.

“Yesterday, after sunset, Carren the apothecary came to us, saying Horace, the lichyard caretaker missed his appointment with her. She went to see whether anything had happened to him and found his cabin broken into.”

The man shudders, still keeping his head low.

“When we went to check it, the hovel was a mess. The table was overturned, the splinters of a broken chair littered the room, and the beddings were torn and bloody. We—” He gulps. “We followed the trail of dry blood, which looked like someone had dragged the corpse, and reached a crypt, its door was open wide.”

The guard shakes, looking like he wants to curl up into a ball and cry, but he finds the strength to continue his story with a trembling voice.

“We didn’t know where we were, so we lit three torches and went inside to explore. We followed the tail of blood down the hallway and went down stairs. The place was covered in caked blood and thick dust, and by the end of the staircase, the long trail of blood became bloody footprints and we—” The man clears his throat.

“Caretaker Horace was there. I didn’t even step off the stairs before he attacked and got Timothy. I-I didn’t fully understand what was happening, and Rand stabbed him in the back. The old caretaker didn’t even turn around and just kept biting Tim. Then the other thing appeared and, and… we realized where we were, so we ran.”

Zombies? I stare at the trembling merc, and Manny nods. Her face is pale, but she’s not all that surprised.

“King’s men tried to release the evil during the siege as well. Have the devils left the lichyard?”

“We received three incident reports this morning. All from houses adjacent—”

Wait? Devils? As in Satan in person? Why didn’t you wake us last night if the Prince of Darkness himself has descended?

Manny speaks before I voice my thoughts, stopping the guard. “We must act quickly, before they propagate. They fear light and fire, so the best way to keep them detained is to light pyres outside the tomb, that’s what my great-great-grandfather did the last time they got loose. Is Tim quarantined?”

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My heart beats quicker. A zombie ate Tim. More importantly, this happens? If you have devils and can detain them, why didn’t you kill them already and why quarantine the guard?

I have a ton of questions, but I keep quiet and let Manny tackle the problem.

“We locked Rand in a cell,” the guard answers and Manny nods.

“We need a knight or someone of equal strength to handle this before the problem escalates.”

What? Why not just pump the crypt full of flammables and set the whole thing on fire? You just said they fear fire. I bite my tongue and stay quiet as Manny shifts her gaze from the merc to me.

“Aang, I am afraid you are the only candidate suitable for the job. We will discuss the details later, in a session with Gomer and Master Philligon. I am certain they will offer valuable insight. We need to handle this before noon today.”

“Yes, my Noble Lady,” old Phill says, and I repeat his words. The merc leaves, and I circle around the room before stopping to stand behind the throne.

“Am I intruding? Would you like to be alone here?” I lean over until my lips brush against her ear, keeping all my anxiety and questions bottled up for now. “I won’t say a word, I just want to be close to you and our baby.”

“Your desire is perfectly reasonable. A major problem just landed at our feet. The guard cut in line in front of an important guest, but I will explain everything later, once I welcome them. Keep your eyes peeled, I believe the assassin is behind this incident.”

I open my mouth to ask about the details, but a thin, gray-haired man enters the room, and I straighten up. He holds his head high, and his posture screams nobility and rigid military.

“My noble lady.” The old man bows, then stands, extremely vital for his age. “I am glad and relieved you are alive and well. Vatgord county, and all its vassals, offer you their fullest support. I did not come here with an army, but we can prepare a contingent of one thousand exceptional men at arms and have them here within a month.”

“Thank you, count Vatten. I apologize for what just happened.” Even though I can’t see it, Manny’s smile and familiarity are clear in her voice.

She must really like this old man.

“You stood by my father’s side ever since he succeeded his father and became Duke Eagleeye, and I am overjoyed to have your support today.”

Count Vatten grins, but his mustache and goatee give me a really bad vibe. Like he’s gonna tie Manny into a rope-cocoon and leave her on a train track for me to save.

“It was an honor fighting by your father’s side, and ruling the lands he conquered as his count. As you probably know, I have preserved Vatten’s independence, and neither Garacia nor Elisia dare invade us, fearing they would force us to join the other side.”

Manny nods.

“We have a great problem. One which requires our immediate focus, and I would appreciate your input on it.” Manny’s words come out a bit too fast, too eager.

Manny, you shouldn’t trust guys with goatees. It’s obvious he’s cooking something bad. Blunt’s burning to say something, but I bite my tongue and keep my thoughts off my face.

“I have heard, as has everyone waiting outside. The rumors of devils reappearing will spread like wildfire. You must handle the situation swiftly, lest the voracious dead escape the confines of their tomb.”

Wait, voracious dead? So this is something like zombies? OK, so it’s not Satan visiting in person, but just some random walking dead.

“Please close the door and announce I will resume holding audience in two hours. Then let scholar Gomer know we need his guidance on the subject of devils.”

The guards flanking the chamber door bow, and close the door, leaving only the four of us in the room.

“How’s life been treating you, Phill?” Count Vatten’s voice changes to a relaxed one, but his rock-solid stance remains unchanged.

“I’ve got another lug to shape into a man.” Phill points his chin at me, just as relaxed as the old count. “But he’s got the stuff it takes. I can let you beat him while he trains.”

“Is that Aang? The one little Manuella just mentioned?”

Phill nods.

“He can probably handle the devils barehanded.”

Why are you calling plain old zombies ‘devils’?

Phill turns to face me. “You need to be careful. There’s a lot of folklore mixed with truth about the devils, but folk songs say you can’t bleed them, otherwise you become one. You can’t let them bite or scratch you, otherwise you become a devil. You—”

“Phill, stop scaring the lad.” I’m not particularly scared, but Vatten’s words and tone give me the nagging feeling he’s the one who released the zombies. “If legends are to be believed, whatever you do to the devils, you become one. A hundred years ago our grandparents managed to confine them and survived. That means at least some of the stories about the devils are false.”

I glance at Manny, but she’s keeping quiet. She’s keeping one hand on her belly while absentmindedly staring at the two bickering old men.

“What do you think?” My question snaps her out of her daze, and she stares at me.

“We should refrain from guessing and check the accounts. Ancients should have made multiple documents with procedures and warnings on how to handle the reappearance of the devils.”

Manny kills the conversation, and after several moments of silence, Vatten addresses her.

“This young man, Aang, did he rescue you?”

I’m right here? Then again, you spoke of Manny as if she wasn’t in the room…

“Yes. Aang saved me, brought me here, enlisted hundreds of soldiers to our cause, and executed Gohen.” Manny’s voice is weird. Nervous and something else, a note I don’t recognize. I look down, and her face is awkward.

Vatten probably noticed it too. He glares frost at me, and I feel like giving him the finger, but I remain civil. He’s an important man. An ally, who runs a country big enough that two kingdoms left him alone for the time being. And he’s gonna stab us in the back one day.

Should we ally with someone I’m certain will betray me one day? Warfare certainly insists on temporary alliances, of making use of them to achieve maximum gain, and not to obstruct the other party, as long as their actions aren’t detrimental to our side or my own personal agenda. As for what happens tomorrow, a competent leader and strategist fears none.

That’s a load of overconfident bull, but I will trust Manny. If her decisions lead us to become a king and queen, so be it, if we have to flee and live in a cottage in deep forest, so be it.

But can I really abide by that? That’s how it was yesterday. Today, fucking around is over, soon we will have a child.

I look down at her, her lips pursed, ready to defend me if Vatten says anything, but the old count remains silent.

Thankfully, Phill starts a chat about the old times with Vatten, and minutes trickle by before the chamber door creaks open.

“My apologies for making you wait. I had to bring several tomes with me.” Gomer enters the room, holding four thick, leather-bound volumes.