The commander had stopped writing by the time I wrapped up my story. She sat still, frowning at the words she had written. Meanwhile, I shuffled uncomfortably on the ground. My legs had long since gone numb.
“This is certainly a grand tale, Shale Kadran. Grand indeed.” She pursed her lips and deposited the quill into the inkwell.
“It is the truth, I swear on it.” I stated.
“That it may be, but what exactly do you have to swear on? You’ve been very clear you have lost all your memory. You have no positions, no land, no family or friends. Your life, as it stands, is, was and always had been in our hands. It is not yours to do with as you please.”
She crossed her legs and leant forward towards me. “Don’t misconstrue my words. You do have value. Here, we all do. But your survival is contingent on your loyalty, and my confidence in your ability. Which is why we’re going to have to undergo some vital tests.”
She stood up and walked over to Olindar, the male mage. “Olindar here is an expert on all things exorcistic and spectral.” She smiled at the man and walked up with him, towards the detention cell pillars.
“Careful Olindar, that stone is highly charged and would give you a nasty shock if you touch it.” She emphasised the word shock plainly and loudly.
I leaned forward as they came towards me and attempted to stand up, but the length of my chains were too short. Halfway up, I awkwardly folded and smacked into the ground rather lamely. The sinister man in the back poorly tried to hold in a laugh. He wasn’t successful. The laugh came out scattershot, a series of stifled huffs and snorts. The serious soldier to my left gave him a stiff glare that shut him up.
After heaving my face off the floor again, I hastily settled back into a cross legged position and rather unsuccessfully tried to look calm and dignified.
The commander looked down at me. “Now, personally I’m rooting for your continued survival and fealty, Shale. You have a fair few things in your favour. Your takedown of the Stalker foremost. As well as your behaviour during your slumber under our watch bodes well. The wounds you sustained and endured during the course of last night’s battle lend a certain degree of credibility too.”
She reached into a coat jacket and retrieved a single match. “As it stands, these just barely manage to outweigh all the suspicious bullshit you’ve conjured up.”
The sudden change in her tone shook me. My hands, which were outstretched behind me, clenched upon the flat stone ground. It cracked and popped as my fingers sank half an inch into the stone.
“You see,” she resumed, “I cannot overlook a man who’s regrown a fucking eyeball over the course of a couple of hours. Certainly not one who died before three dozen witnesses and has now returned claiming amnesia.”
She passed the match to Olindar to her left. I slowly scooted backwards and sat over the imprints I’d made in the stone in an effort to hide them.
The commander continued. “Thus, we have a conundrum. Either you’re a very strange man. Far stranger than you’d previously let on. Which means a former Bastion veteran has been reduced to a loose canon in need for reeducation and discipline. Or, I’ve let a Revenant Puppet into my stronghold. I’m not particularly comfortable with either option, but we must make do with what life presents us. Isn’t that right, Shale?”
I nodded reflexively as I processed what she had said. A revenant. I had heard the male mage, Olindar use that word earlier. I looked up at his icy gaze, his deeply ringed eyes and then back down at the arcane circle I sat inside of. Something clicked, and it finally became clear to me what exactly these people were so afraid of.
Confirming my supposition, she elaborated. “To conclusively determine you’re not some deluded spirit or ghostly parasite sponging off the body of a once valuable man, I’m going to have to ask you to cooperate with Olindar here, in a Ceremony of Severance.”
“I have no clue what that is. I don’t know how I could help with that” I protested.
“That’s fine. I need your cooperation, not your comprehension. Just say yes, and we can progress.” She asserted unblinkingly.
“I refuse to agree to something unknown!”
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“I am sorry, but the only choice you possess right now, is to agree, or commit suicide.” The two soldiers rested their hands upon their weapons upon that note. In the back, the creepy watcher stopped leaning against the wall and stood upright, squarely facing forward.
The commander said, “Two men died last night, and I’ve risked a great deal letting you within the stronghold’s walls. So help me, and help yourself by agreeing.”
She stepped closer, her face almost touched the stone pillars between us. “I apologise. It will be painful. But provided you are indeed the human being Shale Kadran, you will endure it. There is no other way for us to be sure. We have already eliminated the possibility that there are any mid-ranged Revenants present. But we cannot rule out any lesser, weaker revenants that may have taken root.” She peered deep into my eyes, “Some small, pathetic wretch may have taken root beneath our noses. It's very difficult to detect such revenants after all.”
She paused on that note, and the group looked on at me expectantly. I stared blankly back. They waited.
I shook my head and threw up my hands in confusion. In response the mages leaned in and whispered something to each other.
The commander continued. “Or, there may be something stronger present. Something deeply insidious. We cannot be too sure. Which is why we must continue.” She observed my bewilderment and added in a whisper, “I apologise, that was just a little test. We often find the weaker revenants can’t keep a lid on their temper. They react very poorly to any disrespect.”
“I see.” I didn’t particularly. “It seems I am obligated to accept your offer then…” I lingered there, looking towards the commander.
“Lieutenant General Valerie Thornblood” Obliged the commander.
“Very well. I agree to your terms.” I said, and then muttered, “Not that I had a choice.”
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“Nothing.” I grumbled.
Valerie smiled brightly and stepped back from the detention cell. “Very good, your begrudged compliance is promising. I shall leave things in the capable hands of our expert Olindar.” She clapped him on the back, and then retreated to the back of the room.
Valerie gave the two soldiers a hand signal and in turn, they too retreated to the far wall, joined by the blue haired mage. All five looked on expectantly at Olindar, who stood before me. I observed him closely. His stance was wide, his face was sweaty, and he repeatedly flexed his hands over and over as he looked upwards in deep thought.
Swallowing nothing, I was suddenly all too aware of how thirsty I was. The back of my shirt clung to my spine, but that was all that was left of the water they’d splashed at me to wake me.
I spoke up before the mage began, “Excuse me, before you get started, I have been cooperative, yes? Could I please get some water?”
“A reasonable request.” Replied Valerie from behind. She looked towards the blue haired mage. She stood still, facing forwards towards Olindar and myself, unaware of her commander’s gaze.
Valerie thumped the woman’s back and she stumbled forward and looked back at Valerie with utter confusion. Valerie mimed drinking from a cup.
“Oh, Yes! Sorry.” She took a step away from the others, interlaced her fingers and began to slowly draw them outwards.
“Lieutenant General,” piped up Olindar. “It might be best that we hold off on providing food and water until after the ceremony.”
The little blue light glowing from between the other mage’s palms died down, and she crossed her arms. Valerie took note of her action, and nodded.
“We will heed your advice Olindar. My apologies Shale, I was preemptive.”
I stared hard into the frantic grey eyes of the man before me. He wiped his damp face with a loose sleeve and withdrew an array of trinkets, powders and dubious biologics.
“Why is it that I cannot drink water now, Olindar?” He frowned at my use of his name, but continued to rummage around inside his robes.
He spoke in monotone, without sparing me a glance. “The sanitation crew are busy enough cleaning up the mess outside. There’s no need to create more.”
“I’m sorry?”
He looked up at me and spoke with relief, “You are? That is good to hear. I will begin the ceremony then.”
He clicked his fingers and a spray of sparks flew into his other hand, lighting a handful of chalky leaves. They burned to ember instantaneously. He crept towards the stone pillars and gently chucked the cinders into the runed, pulsing ring around me. Its soft purple glow was spontaneously replaced by blood red flames which burned low to the ground. The flickering tongues of flame remained within the tightly scrawled engravings in the ground.
The flames generated no heat, rather a frost rolled towards me that chilled my bones. I tried to look up at Olindar and the others with a deservedly affronted expression, but the cold crept up my spine and pulled at something inside of me. It was my consciousness.
Before I could utter anything, my voice was taken from me. My eyes shut of their own accord and I slumped forwards into the ground.
I heard Olindar’s dry voice inform me, “You may feel a slight tug at your soul, but nothing insurmountable. Remain steady, and return here. Provided you have not stolen the body you now reside in, there will not be any significant effect. Other than pain of course.”