Chapter 88: F.

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The world had stopped.

All that they had fought for had been for nought. They had dodged death, skirted the most terrible of violence, and arose, they thought, victorious in the morning gloom. They had made it all the way back the Fort Lazerpail without so much as a bruise or a cut that Amelie could not heal anyway. Everything had been right with the world, but now this.

“Marlon!” Cried Amelie. She cradled his head in her arms, as his tongue lolled out of his mouth. His eyes were partly open and stared blankly at the ground.

Alex had kneeled down to place an arm around Amelie, and there was not a dry eye to be seen. Even Claire, normally stoic and reserved, had to turn around to wipe her face of the tears for her friend.

“But…but what happened?” Said Thomas. “I can’t believe it! I joked about him dying and now this happens!”

“Don’t worry, Tommy,” said Chase, shaking his head. “You could not have known. Don’t blame yourself.”

But Thomas was inconsolable. He huddled down beside Marlon’s body and held him legs tight to his chest, and rocked back and forth whilst muttering, “I-I-I-I…”

“It can’t be true,” said Brent heavily. His shoulders sagged and his head hung low. “After everything we went through. Escaping Xemnara, then Markon, and then losing at the tournament. All of that stuff just to come back home and find this. AION is cruel to put us through such things.”

“What happened to him?” Wondered Amelie, staring up at Chase.

Chase nudged an empty bottle with his foot and sighed. Then he bent over to pick it up. It smelled sickly sweet and familiar, like a long lost bitter memory.

“Must have been whatever was in here,” said Chase. He emptied the rest of the contents onto the ground. It was blue colored and splattered on the ground at their feet. “Poor guy must have mixed the wrong berries or roots or something.”

“We ever should have left him here,” said Brent. He rose his head and there was fury in his face. “He should have been with us the entire time. It was stupid to leave him here.”

Chase spread his hands before himself.

“You’re right, Brent.”

“That’s it?” Said Brent hotly. “I’m right? Of course I’m right. You’re the leader you should never have let him stay behind!”

“Brent,” said Claire gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. “This isn’t Chase’s fault. He could never have known this was going to happen.”

“So?” Said Brent angrily. He shrugged her hand away and crossed his arms. “Look at Thomas, Chase. This is going to bother him for years.”

“Oh woe is me!” Wailed Thomas. He covered his face with his hands and cried loudly. “I’m the worst guild mate in the world!”

Rather dramatic, thought Chase, but he did not say a word.

“He looks peaceful, at least,” said Claire, kneeling down beside the old man. She gently stroked the side of his face. Marlon’s bearded had grown longer since they had left, and the slight breeze in the fort rustled his facial hair.

“I don’t think he suffered,” said Chase. He took a long look at Marlon’s face again. “He looks so…hang on.”

Despite the cries of protest Chase bent down and placed his hands on Marlon’s chest.

“What are you doing?” Said Amelie. “Leave him alone!”

“Relax,” said Chase. “I just want to check something.”

He began to massage Marlon’s sides.

“Chase!” Cried Brent.

“What are you doing?” Said Claire.

“Looking for money?” Said Alex, his eyebrow cocked.

Thomas giggled, which caused Alex to turn his head sharply and frown at the little boy.

“What?” Said Thomas. “It’s not a bad idea. Chase, I’ll help you.”

Suddenly Thomas reached up to Marlon’s face and pinched his nose shut, to which Amelie stared in horror.

“You two have gone mad!” She hissed.

“Have we?” Said Thomas with an evil grin. “Maybe so, maybe—.”

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Marlon gasped awake.

“Good AION!” He cried. “Stop it now! I can’t…can’t…hahahahehehe hoo hoo hoo ow!”

Marlon slapped away Thomas’ hand and also Chase’s and sat up to the shock of the others. Amelie’s mouth hung open and Brent sat down, his face in his hands. Claire spat on the ground and swore.

“You were alive?!” Said Brent angrily. “We thought you were dead!”

“Dead? Me?” Said Marlon, placing a hand against his chest, his face in puzzlement. “Not in the least, lad. I must have drank a bit too much of my potion, is all. What, did you all think I had passed on or something?”

Claire looked as though she was torn between wanting to laugh with joy and strangling the old man, and instead joined Brent on the ground, shaking her head.

“I can’t believe you, Marlon,” was all she said.

Alex actually chuckled.

“I had my suspicions,” said Alex.

“And you didn’t tell us?” Said Amelie with shock. “Why?”

Alex shrugged his massive shoulders.

Thomas rolled back on the ground laughing.

“So did I!” He said. Between his laughter he managed to say. “I knew it…from the…beginning!”

“Stellar acting,” said Chase. He looked at Marlon who was blinking in the afternoon light. He soon saw the bottle in Chase’s hands.

“Any left?” Asked Marlon. “Oh, and welcome back, everyone! I have so much to show you all!”

Despite the general mood of almost losing a guild mate, the courtyard of Lazerpail soon turned cheery as the reunited guild welcomed Marlon back into the fold. Soon, each of them were talking over each other to tell Marlon everything that had happened since they went away.

“You won’t believe it!” Said Brent, helping Marlon to his feet. “We ran into a—-.”

“Powerful NPC?” Said Marlon.

“Yes,” said Brent, frowning, “how did you—?”

“And we did the tournament!” Said Alex, speaking over Alex. “We did pretty good but—.”

“Everyone lost?” Said Marlon, sounding slightly smug. “Let me guess, Brent here got to the final round.”

“Yeah, I did,” said Brent, his eyes wide. “How do you-.”

“And Thomas here was a right old git the entire time, eh?” Said the old man, ruffling Thomas’ hair.

“Yeah, he was,” said Alex, staring at Marlon. “Hang on, how do you know all this?”

“And you lot got kidnapped but saved by a beautiful young woman?” Said Marlon. He was now rubbing his hands in glee at the expressions of the Banes.

Chase then placed his hands on Marlon’s shoulders and forced him to face him.

“Marlon!” Said Chase sternly. “Who told you this?”

Marlon’s eyes widened and then he looked sheepishly at the ground.

“None other Christie of the Old Guard. Who else?”

“She was here!” Said Chase. He let go of Marlon’s shoulders and his arms went limp. Was the entire thing up? Was it over?

“Chase, relax,” said Marlon, raising his hands. “Yes, she stopped by. But she doesn’t know anything! Trust me.”

“We have to leave,” said Chase, not listening to Marlon. He turned around and saw Moonshine. “Everyone grab your things. Moonshine is already ready to travel. We leave in twenty minutes!”

“Chase!” Said Marlon. “It’s okay! She doesn’t know—.”

He already had the Moonshine’s reigns in his hand.

“If we leave now there is another place I know we can go,” said Chase quickly, his heart in his throat. “It won’t be as good as Lazerpail but she will never find us.”

“Chase!”

“What?”

Marlon sighed and crossed his arms.

“Listen to me, lad.”

Chase looked at the faces of his guild. They look confused and slightly worried but nowhere near the level that he felt.

“Fine,” said Chase, trying to slow his breathing. “Talk.”

Speaking slowly so as to calm Chase down, Marlon explained his meeting with he Old Guard member. She had arrived days ago to see who was in the fort, and, finding only Marlon, had surprised him when she reveled that she had already met the rest of the guild. Chase did not feel himself start to relax until Marlon said she had left after promising to not tell Solomon that she had found them there.

“Not only that, Chase,” said Marlon. He seemed to be enjoying the attention as the rest of the guild was staring at him wide eyed. “But she claimed to know the other Old Guard members are the ones who tried to murder you. She didn’t have any part in it.”

“Really?” Said Amelie brightly. “I knew it! Christie is too sweet to ever sully her hands with such a thing.”

I wouldn’t count on that, thought Chase.

“Surely that is good news, right?” Said Marlon happily. “You’re old flame never tried to kill you!”

“I never thought she really did,” said Chase absentmindedly. “But it doesn’t change the fact that she can never know. If the others found out—.”

“Yeah, yeah,” sighed Marlon. “We could all die. I got it. But I’m telling you that when she left she said Solomon will never find out about us here.”

“Do you trust her?” Said Alex, looking up at Chase. He was on the ground once again plucking grass from the courtyard ground.

“Trust her?” Said Chase. “I mean, sure, a bit. But she answers to Solomon and the others. Even if she didn’t want to turn us in a few questions from the right people could have us in deep trouble. Marlon, did she say why she was here?”

“Solomon thought someone was in Lazerpail,” said Marlon.

“How would he know that, Chase?” Asked Amelie. She looked around the courtyard worriedly. “Are there some enchantments around we don’t know about?”

“Um, well…”

“Chase!” Seethed Brent. “Are there?”

“No,” said Chase quickly. “Not really.”

Brent slapped his face and Alex moaned.

“What does that mean?” Said Alex.

“Maybe,” said Chase, raising his hands. “There is an enchantment on the door alerting Solomon to whoever opens it…he may have such an ability.”

The courtyard was silent, and the guild stared dumbly at him. Even Thomas gave him a look he reserved for whenever Alex said something out of sorts.

“I said MAYBE,” Chase insisted. “Don’t look at me like that, guys! I would never lead you guys into danger, would I?”

“So he’s known the entire time we are here?” Said Claire angrily.

“I mean, it’s possible that he was aware the door was being opened. But if he sent Christie and she goes back to tell him that it’s nothing, then no harm done, right?”

“I dunno, Chase,” said Thomas, shaking his head. “Maybe you’re first idea was right. We should leave.”

“Marlon,” said Claire, rounding on the old man. “What exactly did Christie say?”

“Well, it’s been a few days,” said Marlon, stroking his beard. “And I was, shall I say, a bit gone when she came round. But she knew who I was, she knew who you guys were. She really didn’t seem that bothered we were here.”

“And you’re sure she said she would not tell Solomon?”

“Right,” said Marlon, nodding his head. “She promised.”

“Well,” said Amelie, coming to her feet and wiping her pants free of the dirt. “I for one trust Christie. She saved our lives from Xemnara and Markon. If she told Marlon Solomon would never know, then that is good enough for me.”

Claire scowled at her.

“Amelie, didn’t you hear Chase? Solomon knows that the door is being opened.”

“I said maybe,” said Chase.

“Yeah, well, he sent her didn’t he?” Said Claire. She then rubbed her face and when she dropped her hands her scowl was now directed at Chase. “And how is this any of our problem? You’re the one they want, right?”

“That’s not fair, Claire,” said Brent. “We knew who he was when decided to form the guild. His problem became our problem that day.”

Claire sighed and then turned away. Chase really did not fault her for her comment, but definitely had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Did the whole guild feel that way? Judging by their faces it was certainly a concern. No one spoke for a few moments and the first one to break the silence was none other than Thomas.

“Executive decision,” said Thomas, clapping his hands together twice. “Food. Then we can discuss the rest of this over a meal. I think we will all function better with some vittles. Unless Marlon hasn’t eaten everything.”

“I certainly have not,” said Marlon, trying to sound cheery. “My meals while alone were mostly liquid, actually.”

“Why am I not surprised,” chuckled Brent, shaking his head. “That sounds like a fine idea.”

Just as they were all getting up to go to just that, a loud booming sound echoed across the fort.

BOOOOOOM

“What’s that?” Cried Amelie, clutching Thomas tight to her. The little boy squirmed in her arms.

“Lemme go!”

BOOM BOOM BOOOOOM

“Against the wall!” Shouted Chase, pointing near Moonshine’s stall. “Now!”

The guild scurried away as fast as they could. The fathers all drew their swords and Chase his bow. The banging was not stopping.

BOOM BOOM BOOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

“Someone is trying to break in,” said Chase, aiming his bow at the entrance.

“Is that possible?” Said Alex, his sword before him. “I thought the entrance was magic.”

“Concealed in magic,” said Chase. “But it can be knocked down.”

“What should we do?” Said Claire.

BOOM! CRACK! BOOOOOM!

Dust poured out of the tunnel and Moonshine, still near the front, neighed with worry and clopped her heels against the ground. The sounds ended, and in their place was the sounds of a dozen running footsteps coming down the tunnel.

“Get ready!” Said Chase, aiming down his arrow. “What ever that is isn’t looking to make a visit.”

A dark chuckle filled the courtyard as the first figures emerged from the dust.

“Chase,” said Markon, his eyes gleaming. He was massaging his fist. Astor Briggs and Ethen the Incorrigible flanked him on either side. “I hope you’ve been expecting us.”