Chapter 119 Pt.3:

Terill sat on the cold, hard ground, his feet tucked beneath his knees as he idly played with the small embers that passed for a fire. A faint drizzle rained, only lowering their spirits further. Princess Lila sat opposite. She too stared into the flame, losing her thoughts in the few flickering flames.

Terill had lost count of how many days they had spent roaming through the countryside. His body creaked and groaned, protesting at the numerous hills and gullies they had to cross to avoid the main roads. While he had no way of knowing if Abeau had soldiers patrolling the roads he wasn't going to take that chance. He didn't want to die yet. And neither did Lila. The journey had been tough on her too but in different ways. Her early enthusiasm quickly faded when she realized how well she had been living. She had never had to go without meals or water. Neither could hunt or knew what was safe to eat. An attempt to raid crops from a small farm almost ended their lives when dogs were set upon them. They had to settle for trading for their food. Lila sacrificed everything of value that she wore. The once beautiful dress now lay in tatters, all of her fine jewellery traded for food at exorbitant prices. Even her shoes had to go for another day's worth of supplies.

"How much further?" Lila mumbled. She ran her dirty and matted hair over her ears. Terill was disappointed that the once long blonde hair had been reduced to such a state. It probably was easier just to cut it off and save it from becoming entangled on every branch.

"We just passed the town of Huttpen." Terill laid another small log on the fire. "So we are very close. Should be sometime tomorrow morning."

Lila grumbled and continued staring into the flame. She spoke less with each passing day.

"How much did you know?" Her eyes were empty yet pierced through his soul. "About what was going to happen? How much was your doing?"

Her hand gripped around something hidden in the darkness. Terill knew it to be a blade, something one of her maids told her to keep on her person in case a man got too close. Given their relative age, Terill didn't like his chances.

"Almost nothing." Terill sighed. "I didn't-"

"Liar." Lila hissed, her hand gripping tight on the handle. "There's no way you didn't know."

Terill said nothing and poked the flames again.

"I didn't know that was going to happen." Terrill continued. "If you recall I was just as shocked as you were."

"Easy to fake. To pretend." Lila shrugged. "We've all been taught how to lie and see through them. But...But you still wanted my father gone."

Terill nodded faintly. "I did. I did want him out of the way. But not dead."

"So you could put yourself at the top?" Lila chuckled. "But that fat little dumpling got to it first."

"I can't deny that. But I didn't want to sit on the throne. I didn't want there to be a throne at all. A council, of enlightened people, would guide the Kingdom to a better existence."

"For all the good it's done."

In some of the smaller villages they skirted around he saw the beginnings of radicals springing up like weeds. Denouncements, lynching’s, public beatings and humiliation.

The ability to do whatever rots people’s morals so quickly. Or it just brings out the worst in us. Simply lets out what has been buried.

"Yes...I was so focused on bringing it to reality, so ready to take any opportunity to further it no matter how noble or vile, I lost track of those around me. And what they were planning."

Lila relinquished her blade and placed another branch onto the fire. There was little good in arguing or becoming enraged by what he had done. Lila was smart enough to understand that, not that she wouldn't be furious at him for his blindness to Abeau’s activity.

Lila rummaged through the cheap small cloth bag that contained what little food they had. Thankfully they had stopped for the night near a stream but that didn't alleviate his rumbling stomach. Terill didn't know how to fish and yet food was right there. A truly frustrating feeling. Lila began to nibble on a piece of dried bread. It was of poor quality and Terrill's nose ran after eating it. But it would have to do.

"What about my brothers?" Lila threaded the bread onto a stick before holding it over the flame. It would make it more difficult to eat but the mould would burn away. "Do you know what happened to them?"

"Why are you asking now and not before?"

Lila shrugged. "I thought we wouldn't make it. So I knew I couldn't get distracted. Now that we're close I want to know."

Terrill stretched out his tired legs. "Leo managed to escape. Giles is dead and Harold is King. With your mother as his Queen."

"Wait." Lila raised a hand while the other covered her mouth. "What did you say about mother and Harold?"

"They are together," Terill said flatly. "They kissed very passionately even while Giles blood soaked into the carpet."

Lila began to turn green.

"By what Harold said it had been going on for some time behind Lambert’s back. And now he was gone they didn't have to hide it anymore."

Lila darted into the shadows and retched loudly. There was little, since they were always hungry, but it was enough to hear the splattering onto the grass. Lila stood hunched over, only her rear faintly illuminated by the weak flame, as she spat out the last vestiges of vomit. When she sat down her face was still pale and exhausted.

"I..." She looked to be on the verge of vomiting just thinking about it, Terrill didn't want to remember their madness induced lust for one another. "What happened to Giles?"

"Seems he was just a pawn. After Valérie said Harold was king, Giles questioned it, some previous plan had them ruling together. Valérie swiped at his throat and he started bleeding. Just like your father."

"Do you know of a weapon that could do that?"

"No. But it could be an enchanted blade, so it's invisible. But that would cost a fortune."

"My mother had all the money my father did and the Church's money too." Lila clicked her tongue. "She was always too close to them. To people like you."

Terill found it difficult to refute her. But a few days ago he too had near unlimited wealth. Now...If they had to go much further he would have to sell his shoes.

"Since it seems like I'm in a talking mood." Terrill found it odd she spoke about herself in such a manner. "What about those strange things Abeau brought. Stitch soldiers, or whatever they're called."

Terill scratched his head. "Some...Some time ago we experimented trying to create very powerful soldiers. Other races, like the Wood and Desert Elves, have large creatures to aid them in battle but humans do not. We-"

"Maybe that's what Beastkin are." Lila shrugged. "I saw some in Bebbezzar. They looked quite big and strong."

"Yes..."

The thought of the Beastkin’s very existence made Terrill's blood boil. However, with his faith battered beyond repair, that thought was nowhere near as strong.

"Yes. But we wanted a human. Anyway, the Stitch Soldiers, as you call them-"

"Abeau called them that too."

"Please stop interrupting." Terrill coughed. "The Stitch Soldiers were a part of that. They are strong and very resilient. Though their intelligence and concept of free will falls apart. It was halted when every soldier, after five days, went berserk. Attempting to kill anything in sight, even other Stitch Soldiers, before ripping their bodies apart from the sheer force. Everyone on the ruling council agreed that it was a bad and dangerous idea. I thought it was all destroyed and forgotten."

"And who was sent?"

Terill chuckled. "Abeau. He was young, and it was his chance to prove himself. He did well. But it seems like he simply took everything and started again. And he found a way to deal with the insanity."

"Is that why The Church helps so many young orphans? Are they needed for it?"

"No. We don't take in children for that."

"But you do for other reasons. I remember one if the Knights, called before my father to explain the Clansmen and Orc Invasion, seemed quite handsome. Anyway, he said something that made Abeau fluster. Saying that he knew young boys very well."

"Abeau, though effective, had his vices."

"And you? Do you go for the little boys?"

"No. I-"

"The little girls then?"

Terrill fell silent, a memory of searing flesh and screaming filled his mind. By the time he returned Lila looked at him only in disgust.

"You actually did it?" Her face drained of what little colour was left. "I'm travelling with a child rapist."

"I..." Terrill cast his head down. "I haven't actually done it."

"But you tried? Didn't you?" Lila almost spat out her words.

"I tried." Terrill held his head in his hands. "I did try once."

“You’re disgusting.” Lila spat at the fire. “A piece of filth that got everything he deserved. No, not bad enough. An old man, poor and starving wandering through the forests isn’t enough. Now it seems like I’m here to suffer with you. What did I do to deserve this? I hope that your god rips it off so you can never touch a child again.”

Terill sighed, stood up and began to unbuckle his belt.

"What do you think you are doing?" Lila demanded, her hand gripping tight to the blade. "If you think I'm going to let you do that to me-"

Terrill dropped his pants. Lila shrieked and covered her eyes, only daring to peak through the tiny cracks in her fingers. Her fear and anger faded away, so too did her hands.

"W-What." Lila looked straight at him. "Where...Where is it? It's-"

"It's gone." Terrill pulled up his pants. "I haven't had it for most of my life."

Lila kept the blade close but now appeared intrigued rather than frightened. "How?"

Terrill slumped onto the dry grass. "I was young. Very young. Really a boy instead of a man. We were visiting a city to the northeast, I forget what it was called and...I tried to force myself onto someone. They were seeking refuge in the local church so..."

"So you raped someone that was, what, trying to hide from a storm?" Lila looked at him with derision and utter contempt. "You deserve what happened to you."

"I did." Terrill threw another branch onto the fire. "My brothers...talked about it. All the time. How enjoyable it was. To have total power..." Terill shrugged. "And I was bored. I wanted to know what it was like. Her...Father, caught me doing it."

Lila continued to stare in silence.

"I don't think you can guess what happened next. Suffice to say that all they could do for me was to remove everything. Not even healers could restore my manhood to any semblance of its original form."

Terrill still had many nightmares about it. He could feel a phantom limb most nights, a constant reminder of the crime he had committed.

"And then what happened?" Lila asked. "You eventually became an inquisitor. Don't tell me you just left them alone."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Terrill chuckled, something that only disturbed Lila. "For the longest time, I hated what he did to me. Every night for...for ages I planned out everything I would do, every excruciating detail. One day I woke up and realized it was all pointless. Even if I did get my revenge it would accomplish nothing. And I was the vile person, not them. I took my revelation as a sign from The Holy Father, to amend my ways and fix the ills of the Kingdom and Church wherever I could. I will admit that our current...circumstances shows that I have failed, but I could only do my best to make amends."

"And that's why you wanted to remove my father."

"I wanted to do the right thing. To make amends, to the people.” Terill sighed. “For all the good it’s actually done."

Terill brought his knees up underneath his chin and wrapped his arms tight. He had been so distracted trying to remove the royalty in the correct way that everything else had simply slipped by. If he had checked his fellows if he had checked those far beneath him for wrongdoings would things have turned out this way?

Blinded by my goal I let everything fall to ruin. Quite possibly the entire Kingdom. And I was supposed to make things right.

Lila laid on the ground, pulling a rough cloth over her body and shutting her eyes. She kept the blade gripped tight in her hands, not that Terrill even had the capacity to do something.

Terrill stared blankly into the flame, waiting for his turn to sleep. What else could be said?

---[]---

The morning sun did little to raise either of their moods. Terill led the way through the thin woods, as best he could, while Lila followed close behind. Not a single word had been spoken between them all morning, not surprising considering what he had told her. He half expected her to stab him in the throat and leave him to die. Whatever her reasoning he wasn't allowed the tranquillity of death just yet. Through the noise of scraping through the forest and the occasional squeak and grunt from Lila, Terrill heard something. He raises his hand for Lila to stop.

"What is it?"

"Screams," Terrill spoke softly. "Two people. A man and a woman."

"Should we help?"

Terill had no weapons and Lila only had her blade. Neither were built for fighting nor had the stomach for it. Lila had killed a maid, only by accident, and Terrill had never held a weapon in anger.

"No." Terrill pushed deeper into the forest. "We'll simply get killed. Or exposed. And after all this, I don't want to die when we're so close."

Lila didn't object and followed closely behind.

The screams came from the last village, more of a town before they reached their destination. As the forest rose above the town's walls they could see everything. In the centre, where market stalls and bustling people had once plied their trades, two great piles of timber lay stacked in bundles. A man and a woman were bound to the poles. They could barely move and the previous screams, pleas for help, had resulted in a broken jaw for the man and a bloody nose for the woman.

"I'm sure this isn't what you wanted." Lila rested a hand on Terrill's shoulder.

"No."

Between the two piles of wood, a priest strode between them, shouting at the gathered crowd but inaudible from their distance. Terill knew exactly what was about to happen.

"The man." Terrill began. "He looks like the Mayor. And that's probably his wife."

"So what happened?"

"I think the priest wanted to take control. The mayor refused and now...Look." Terrill pointed at the inner edges of the gathered crowds. "Those look like soldiers. See their weapons and armour?"

"They don't look like soldiers that I know," Lila mumbled.

"If all you have is a cheap wool shirt and a pitchfork you aren't going to fight someone with a sword and shield, are you? At least if you can avoid it."

Lila looked at him and then back to the town below.

Fear. A great motivator. But when it runs out you'll face the wrath of those you sought to control.

"There's nothing we can do." Lila withdrew her hand. "You don't need to tell me again."

Terill followed her as she led them through the forest.

"Aren't you worried about where we're going?" Lila asked without looking back. "Since it's so close to this..."

"I am," Terrill admitted. "But we don't have much of a choice. We can't keep wandering like this. The only thing you've got left of value is that blade. That and..."

Lila stopped. "And what?"

"If it comes that far we might as well go into that town and hand ourselves in."

Lila instantly understood. She spared a single glance towards the town before moving forward.

---[]---

By the time they reached their destination, the sun was almost over their heads. It wasn't that it was far from the village, they were simply too tired and hungry to move quickly. Terill led them from skirting the forest and onto the compacted dirt road. His initial fears were dispelled instantly as no one recognized them. Not only were they too occupied with their own business but they looked like vagabonds, a grandfather with his daughter. Lila relaxed as well, though she kept her hand firmly grasped on her blade.

A monastery lay before them, the largest in Qaiviel. The buildings were nowhere near as grand as the cathedrals to the west but it was in no way inferior. A large stone wall surrounded the entire monastery, large fruit-bearing vines draped themselves over the top, allowing anyone to pick the generous abundance of ripe fruit. There was only one way into the monastery, protected by a few idle guards, where a small but constant stream of people came and went. Those passing by had carts filled with barrels. Barrels of beer. The monasteries had a near monopoly on the manufacture of beer in Qaiviel, other spirits they wouldn't touch, which provided the main source of income. They could also sell it far cheaper than anywhere else, those that tried found their stills and crops mysterious destroyed. Terrill didn't like that aspect but the beer was so cheap no one but the odd merchant complained.

Terill stopped before he advanced further. Two thin smoke lines floated upward from the village. He said nothing and continued walking along the road.

"They're dead," Lila said softly, not looking back once. "Aren't they?"

"Yes."

"I see."

Terill caught the look on her face. She stored that memory, those emotions, deep within her. She was never forgetting it.

As they approached the monastery entrance the guards only paid them a momentary glance. They really did look like vagabonds which they presumed were looking for some sort of shelter.

This is where I may or may not die.

"Excuse me." Terrill waved at the guards. His body groaned from lack of good sleep, his actions slowed by his hunger.

The guards finally noticed them. "Welcome to the Chalais Monastery travellers. How can we help?"

"Is Bishop Wiciloth still leading the monastery?"

"He is." The guards spoke politely but were also very curt.

"Could you tell him...Tell him that Inquisitor Terrill needs to speak with him immediately."

The guards looked them over with disbelieving eyes.

"It has been an extremely rough journey. But he will recognize me the moment he sees me."

"And who is she?"

"An aide," Terrill answered. "Could you please get us Bishop Wiciloth? It will be so much easier to explain everything to him."

A guard shrugged lightly and entered the monastery. While Terill was almost certain they could enter he did not want to appear to be presumptuous. Terill moved Lila to the side and allowed the light traffic to flow unimpeded.

As time trickled away nervousness only built inside Terrill. Had this been a tremendous mistake? Were they stalling so they could properly surround and take them prisoner? To run now would be more than suspicious and ruin any chance of talking to Wiciloth on a level field. Lila did not share his obvious worries on the surface at least.

Finally, the guard returned with someone at his side. Bishop Wiciloth was a tall, lanky middle-aged man with a receding hairline. Despite his appearance, Terrill knew he was a smart and kind man, hopefully just the sort of person they needed.

Wiciloth looked at Terrill. For a moment he struggled to recognize him underneath the layers of filth and grime. His eyes squinted tight before a smile graced his face.

"Bring them in," Wiciloth said loudly to the guards.

The guards motioned for them to enter. Lila kept the flat edge of the blade pressed against the inside of her wrist and hidden from view. There was little either could do but it made them both feel a little safer.

"I'm shocked to see you alive, Terrill." Wiciloth smiled awkwardly. "Everything that I've heard from the south is terrible. Word was that you were dead."

"Not quite." Terrill felt the pains in his joints ever more clearly. "Though some mornings I wish I was. Is there somewhere we can speak in private? A great many things have changed over the past few days."

Wiciloth looked to the twin smoke trails to the south. "Yes. Yes, it has."

"Was that your doing?" Lila asked, the blade turning in her fingers. "All those horrible things..."

"No." Wiciloth frowned. "They are not from here. But they wanted our support to run amok. I told them no and sent them away."

"They'll be back," Terrill said. "And it won't just be rabble."

Wiciloth shrugged. "This monastery has survived every calamity thrown at it, from Clansmen to Centaurs, and everything in between. This place has stood defiant. And that's not going to change."

"This time might be different. Can we please head inside?"

---[]---

Wiciloth sat in complete silence as Terrill recounted their tale. He kept his thoughts to himself and allowed the story to flow unimpeded. When Terrill had finished he collapsed his head into his arms, a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders simply from retelling his tale.

"So it's even worse than the rumours." Wiciloth sighed. "I thought some of the merchants were exaggerating, trying to spin an alluring tale to entice eager listeners."

"Yes. I wish it wasn't true too."

"So those people I sent away weren't imposters?"

"No. If anything they have the backing of Cardinal Abeau."

"Cardinal...May the Holy Father preserve us." Wiciloth clapped his hands together in a simple prayer. "But you have yet to explain who this young lady is."

Terrill feared this part the most. If Wiciloth had truly fallen in with Abeau and his ilk this would be where everything fell apart. The amount of power and prestige he would receive from handing them both over...

"This is Princess Lila," Terrill said flatly. "She escaped the initial carnage and we escaped together once the situation deteriorated further. She is not some simple assistant or attendant."

Wiciloth bowed his head so low it almost hit the table. "It is an honour to meet you, your highness. I merely wish this honour occurred during happier times."

Lila's back straightened. Despite her condition, she held herself with more pride than Terrill had seen even before fleeing the capital.

"I wish it were so too." Lila smiled faintly. "But such a thing cannot be undone."

All that training kicked in when you needed it the most.

"I wish it were so too, your highness. You and Terrill are safe here, for the time being. There isn't a soul in the kingdom that will recognize you two dressed as you are now."

Lila, for all of her momentary regal bearing, fell back into her previous state. It wasn't just the matted and dirty hair, but everything else about her. There was no way she was a princess.

"Those guards know who I am," Terrill said.

"They understand the importance of secrecy. But I will stress it to them nonetheless." Wiciloth frowned lightly. “But…What will you do now? You are safe here, for now. At least from discovery. I can easily let you both stay but you will need to work with the other nuns.”

“The nuns?” Lila’s blonde brows creased.

“Yes. We cannot have a woman living here for free.” Wiciloth smiled awkwardly. “Even if it is a princess. If anything it will attract attention.”

Lila looked at the table for a long time.

“Perhaps we should have something to eat first.” Terrill felt his own rumbling stomach. “Then we’ll be able to think more clearl-”

“The mayor and his wife weren’t able to do that,” Lila mumbled, silencing Terrill. Wiciloth crossed his hands in a silent prayer for their departed souls. “If…If Harold and that Abeau are allowed to continue more people will suffer.” She turned to Terrill, her eyes searching for something. “Is it not the duty of the Royals to keep their people safe?”

“It is,” Terill said softly.

Lila looked at the table again. “Then…Then I must decline your sanctuary.” Wiciloth raised a brow. “I will not allow my brother to destroy the things it has taken generations to build. And my mother…” She repressed the urge to gag. “I’ll discover why she killed my father.”

“I am no warrior.” Wiciloth began. “But Harold has the Royal Army at his disposal. And warriors from The Church of the Holy Father. And you have…two people?”

Lila looked at Terill. She hardly thought of him as a man, doubly so after his confession the night before.

“I will find a way to stop them.” Lila gripped her fists tight. “No matter what I have to do.”

“There…” Terill began softly. “There might be some help that we can get right now.”

Lila looked to him.

“There’s a small castle, to the north, belonging to a Knight Order. They would know of you. If you were to get cleaned up they would believe that you are a princess and likely follow your orders. No Knight Order would support Harold after he killed their representatives.”

Lila slowly nodded.

“And there’s also the Red Salamanders to the west. Of the Knight Orders, they have the largest force in the west. And I know that they will gladly aid you.”

“Their commander was in the throne room,” Lila said.

“He was. Before I fled they were complaining that he had managed to escape. I think there’s a good chance he could already be back at their main castle. He would certainly rally to your cause and provide you with thousands of good soldiers.”

“Wouldn’t that leave the border exposed?” Wiciloth asked. “I’ve been hearing rumours that the Centaurs had already started attacking the outlying settlements.”

“It’s too close to winter for them,” Terill replied. “They’ll have to wait until the beginning of spring, especially if the snow starts to fall early. Which it looks like it will. The larger forts and castles won’t fall to the Centaurs, though they will have to take in the surrounding people.”

‘Let us hope it doesn’t get that far until spring.”

“Are you saying that’s how long I have?” Lila asked.

“I cannot say,” Terill replied. Lila’s face fell. “But every day Harold and the Church grow stronger. You cannot be indecisive if you want to reclaim the throne.”

Why am I even talking like this? I never wanted one person to rule a country and yet…

He looked at the young woman before him. Though she was covered in dirt and grime, having lost everything and hunted by those that would pay fortunes to see her dead, she had not succumbed to despair. She could still hold her head high.

Lila tapped the table. “How far away is the Knight Order castle to the north?”

“Less than a day,” Wiciloth replied. “Far less if you take a horse. Which we can provide, if you wish.”

“I don’t know how to ride,” Lila grumbled. “Women aren’t allowed to learn.”

“I know how,” Terill said. “I learned when I was younger, though it has been some time since then. If we are going to ride may we have the most docile one you have?”

Wiciloth nodded. “You’ll need more than just the Knight Orders. They are simply too few and too many of the enemy.”

“If…Do you think the people of the village would join us if we removed the priest?” Lila asked Terill.

“I…I honestly don’t know. Perhaps? They aren’t soldiers, most are just simple peasants with no combat experience or weapons.”

“This area is rich in animals.” Wiciloth continued. “There are many hunters and trappers that live nearby. And each has a bow and a good eye. Though it won’t be an army it’s a decent start.”

Terill nodded. “Those forces can harass the enemy, whittle them down before the Knights strike. It’s a good start.”

“And I can win this way?” Lila asked. “I know nothing of strategy or tactics, nothing of economics nor how to wage a war. But…I need people that do.” She turned to Terill. “Will you help me?”

Do I want to help her regain the throne? But, really, what choice do I have?

“I will, your highness.”

A faint smiled graced Lila’s face. “Wiciloth. I humbly request a bath, even a simple one will do. I need to look respectable when I meet these Knights to the north.”

Lila turned to the south, obscured by the walls. “And they are going to be the first to pay for what they’ve done.” Lila’s face darkened. “The first of many.”