Chapter 5 part 5
After what looked felt like an hour-long battle inquisition defenders were slaughtered and Lomu's forces gained pyrrhic victory. Twenty-four men out of hundred were left standing on the side of victors. Lomu ordered them to hold the position as he continued ahead. He entered the Cathedral and walked up to his father's coffin; men who kept vigil when Sarah had passed were all gone, people that were praying inside had also scattered to other parts of the cathedral, chapel felt like a mausoleum. He knelt and paid his respects, long had passed since he had seen his father and not once since he had perished, had he dared to look inside the casket as he was being transported. Only now he saw his father through eyes hazy with tears. He got up and walked to where Archbishops throne was by the stained-glass windows, overlooking the see. He scraped his blade on the marble as he circled the thrones back to face Dim, the old man sat with his hands clasped in prayer with his head down.
Lomu- Bless me father for I shall I now.
He drew his blade back and pierced the old man, piercing the back of the throne as well, but Dim did not flinch, Lomu stepped close and raised the old man’s head and saw that his throat had been cut.
Edna- superfluous don’t you think?
Lomu turned to face the old crone.
Lomu- who did this?
Edna- I’d say suicide by overzealousness. He overstepped, He overreached and his dog's assault on Quaz fleet have brought war and death to our realm.
Lomu- And....
Edna- oh! Do you really care? The city is about to be engulfed in flames; your brother ousted for his indolence and your line condemned to oblivion. And I’m told old Cardus has taken all his secrets with him as did poor Reza. Such a waste of a young man.
Lomu- how do you?
Edna- Oh we saw you rowing a long time ago, we have already captured Reza’s ship. It’s in the cavern down below. So far you haven’t saved a single spirit, but isn’t there someone you can still save?
Lomu- You. You planned all of this?
Lomu digs his blade out of the carcass and starts walking toward Edna who is looking out the window. Edna did not pay attention, only smirked.
Edna- I am ancient, next cough can be my last, what grief could your blade give me or anyone else. Go little pup, Save the girl and convince Vera to leave with you and maybe you will salvage a modicum of bliss out of all this misery.
Fuming, Lomu backs away from the throne and heads to the back of the cathedral, gets out and mounts the stair he had followed hundreds of times in past years and thousand times in his dreams before. In pitch black, but unmistaken, he reaches the field and sees the light in the small house behind the tree. As he moves toward the house a figure emerges from behind the tree.
Lord high inquisitor is imposing in a lit room in pitch black he is a stuff of nightmares.
Ybagin- You are finally here, how long has it been.
Lomu- Get out of my way!
Ybagin- Well that’s just discourteous. Are you really going to just rush past me?!
Lomu- Dim is dead, your order is finished! Your plot is done!
Ybagin- You should have stayed a sheriff lothario; with such deduction you would have gone far.
Lomu- What are you implying?!
Ybagin- that you fuck stick are responsible for all that has happened here.
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Lomu- I stopped Amir, I killed Reza and I…
Ybagin- got in my way at every turn. But it doesn’t matter anymore. My duty is fulfilled, yours remains to be seen.
Lomu- I will pass by you or through you, but I will pass.
Ybagin- Oh you couldn’t pass through me when you tried, I don’t think you would want to leave without your prize.
Ybagin throws something he’d been holding in his hand over to Lomu, it’s the signet ring that he entrusted to Sarah with the letter.
Ybagin- I am sure of it.
Lomu flies into frenzy and rushes Ybagin.
Ybagin nimble avoids most of Lomu's thrusts and deflects all of the slashes.
Ybagin (while fighting)- Say you manage to prick me with that blade? Then what? You are just going to ignore the fact that you have been used over and over? That you were so dense that you couldn’t see what your friends were doing! Why do you think I killed Amir’s men at the monastery? I hated that we had to keep Amir unpunished, just so Reza and his patrons would not realize we were on to them. But you? You allowed a child molester to trot around you for years and liberate children from danger and put them into abject hell.
Lomu intensified his assault forcing Ybagin to begin fighting back.
Ybagin- You allowed your other friend to give people who ran from war hope, only to end up as slaves, to be bought and sold as meat. And you allowed your father’s murderers to storm his city and sack your birthright on pretext that they came here to support you.
Lomu’s attack gained even more ferocity.
Ybagin- Who do you think opened the gates for Mikelle’s vanguard? Why Edna’s cronies of course. The witch is older than the cathedral. She was here when your father brought Dim here and ousted Cardus. Hah! And Cardus... gentle soul you protected so long. Why did he send you here?! Did he tell you why he was exiled from everywhere? That he was caught buggering young adepts and little flame keepers?
Ybagin catches Lomu's sword with his grieved hand, propelling himself forward and delivering a headbutt to Lomu plopping him into the pond.
Ybagin- To think you wasted so much effort to save a man that ravaged your adolescent love, repeatedly, Dim’s crusade against those vile creatures was an unguent.
Lomu flies out of the pond and Ybagin finally matches Lomu’s earnestness.
Ybagin- what will you do now? Will you stop Mikele's conquest, you know he will get rid of Edna the moment he takes the throne? I don’t think she sees clearly enough to realize that, but evidently that runs in the family! So, what will you do? Redeem yourself or continue to be a disappointment?
Ybagin grabs Lomu by the hair knees him and slaps him down. Lomu red in the face jumps back into it.
Ybagin-Tell you what I’ll make it easy for you! see that brazier? All you have to do is light it and it will carry the flames and with necessary powders all the way to your father’s casket bursting the whole temple with him, Edna and all. Their plan was good, why not use it against them? My gift to you, so you can then rebuild the kingdom with your fair new betrothed!
Ybagin’s words gave rage to his otherwise meticulous swordplay allowing Lomu to finally tilt high inquisitors blade twisting his wrist and spin it around disarming his adversary. Using the momentum, he lunges forward knocking Ybagin against the olive tree and impales the high inquisitor to it with his own blade.
Ybagin (coughs out blood)- well now…You managed to prick me after all.
Lomu without skipping a beat brings down his blade and decapitates the lord high inquisitor.
Lomu- SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!
Ybagin’s helmeted head flies into the pond, Where the helmet sinks while his head slowly floats to the surface.
But Lomu is already at the cabin, he sees movement inside and smashes through the flimsy wooden door. He takes the hinged torch and approaches tied down woman and rolls her over revealing Sarah. He removes the gag and cuts her loose after which he sits next to her looking around in the cabin like a confused pup. Sarah gets up and removes the quilt on the wall revealing a cave entrance.
Sarah- thank the gods, let's go. We need to leave. I overheard what the others were discussing, Mikele is going to massacre everyone in the cathedral to restore order.
Lomu- not without Vera. I can’t, did you give Vera the letter?
Sarah- No Lord Ybagin caught me before I could do anything, Lomu focus! if Mikele’s forces overrun us, we will not be able to escape, He is behind all of this! He was Reza’s partner! There is a harbor at the end of this tunnel, we can get back to our ship, it was brought into it.
Lomu- I must have missed something, Edna! that old crone! she will know! Go, I’ll find Vera and catch up!
Lomu jumps up and rushes out with a torch in his hand heading back to the cathedral. As he passes the pond he freezes in place, save for his eyes that have darted towards the pond. He slowly turns and brings the torch light over the pond. There in the middle of the pond is a floating head, golden haired with red ribbons dotted around.
Lomu drops his sword and stands immobile, behind him more and more people are packing into the cathedral. Cheers are heard and screams are followed. The city is split between jubilee in the parts that have already been taken over and chaos in the palace district where Vance keeps the resistance going. Alas Lomu hears nothing, he stands immobile as he watches his lover’s head bobbing in the middle of the pond like a gilded lily pad.
End of part 5