Of all the twists and turns this conversation could have taken, Julien had certainly not expected these. "It is our duty, yes," he stammered slightly, trying to gather his thoughts, "but it is also our duty to slay people like you... Why are you trusting me with this task?"
Agerkunde’s smile softened, taking on a warmth that unnerved him. "Why would you?" She asked, her tone gentle yet probing, "why would you go on killing us? I’m not ‘corrupting’ anyone or anything. In fact, you could argue that I’m making your mission easier, by teaching people with arima how to prevent it from altering the world around them." She reclined in her chair again, but her intense blue eyes were still fixed on him. "Every single devilish act we've ever committed was under the vile influence of Akerbeltz. Slay it, and my brothers and sisters would live peacefully. We’d continue trading and exchanging favors with regular people, just as we do now, but that would be the extent of it. No more sacrifices made, no more blood spilled."
He mulled over her words: On the surface, what she said made sense - but the reality gnawed at him. She was still an Elioud, still tainted by iric energy. It didn’t matter that her energy was controlled, glistening rather than corrupting, her very existence was still a danger to everyone.
His thoughts were interrupted by Agerkunde’s sudden question: "Is Robert an Enochian too?"
"No," Julien answered quickly, "his situation is... complicated."
"And the envoy?" She pressed further, her gaze sharp.
Julien hesitated before answering, but ultimately realized there was no reason to hide the truth. "Yes, he is," he replied cautiously.
Agerkunde’s face brightened with excitement, her blue eyes gleaming. "Well, that’s perfect! Two of you - exactly what I need." She leaned back even more, her smile widening, "why don’t you go and fetch him so we can talk properly? I have an idea - something you’ll both want to hear - and it would be best to share the details with you both at once."
…
With a brisk pace, Julien made his way back toward the camp, where he spotted Urraca emerging from her tent, yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her hair was still tousled from the night’s rest as she waved at him lazily from a distance. "Good morning, Julien!"
"Good morning," Julien responded simply, his mind still occupied with Agerkunde’s unsettling request as he drew closer. "Urraca, have you seen Tariq? I need to speak with him urgently."
"Oh," Urraca glanced around the camp, still half-awake, "I just stepped out of my tent to be quite honest, but it seems he’s not here, huh?" She rubbed her eyes again and looked back at Julien with concern, "is everything all right? Should we start packing up?"
He shook his head. "No need for that. Actually, you might want to hear what I have to say - or rather, what Agerkunde has to tell us both. Why don’t you come along? We can search for Tariq together."
Urraca hesitated for a moment, then stopped before following. "Julien," she began slowly, her voice more serious now, "since we’re alone, I need to ask you something." Her eyes searched his, revealing a depth of worry that caught him off guard. "Tariq... he seems dead set on getting rid of the Sorginak after dealing with the source of the corruption. He told me I was being naïve, that iric energy can’t be controlled, not for long anyway," she bit her lip softly before continuing, "Julien, be honest: What do you think is going to happen to me? It took me forever to fall asleep last night because of how much I worried. Can you assure me I’ll be safe here with you?"
I wish I knew what was going on in Tariq’s head right now… "Tariq is not a monster, Urraca," Julien finally managed to say, though heavy with uncertainty, "he’s focused on his mission, yes, but he’s never raised his sword against someone who didn’t deserve it."
"Am I someone who deserves it, though?" She asked softly, "do they deserve it?"
Julien decided to meet her gaze, trying to remain composed. "If he wanted to kill you, wouldn’t he have done it by now?" He reasoned, "I’m not sure about the others," he admitted, "but don’t worry about yourself, okay?"
Urraca nodded slowly, though it was clear she wasn’t reassured in the least; her eyes screamed of a burden she simply wasn’t ready to let go of. "Let’s go, then," she finally whispered.
Julien sighed inwardly, knowing he had done little to calm the storm inside her. He didn’t know Tariq any better than she did, and the truth was that Julien himself had wondered more than once if killing Urraca would be the right course of action.
With a deep and uncomfortable silence hanging between them, Julien and Urraca set off in search of Tariq. The investigation, however didn’t take long: not far from their camp, they found the experienced Enochian standing by a quiet part of the meadow, staring intently at the edge of a grove. His gaze was fixed, almost trance-like, as though something unseen held his full attention. Julien and Urraca called out to him from a distance, but Tariq remained oblivious, lost in whatever odd activity he was engaged in.
When they were within arm’s reach, Julien gently grasped Tariq’s arm. "Tariq," he called.
The man recoiled sharply, startled by the sudden touch, but quickly regained his composure. "Oh, apologies, Julien," he said, his attention finally turning to him, "is everything all right?"
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Everything’s fine," Julien reassured him, "but I need to talk to you about something important."
Tariq gave a slight nod, his intense eyes entirely focused now on Julien, patiently waiting for him to continue.
The young Enochian, then, began to relay everything Agerkunde had told him, recounting her words in full detail except for one omission: the reason behind the Sorginak’s relocation. He instinctively held that information back, feeling it wasn’t the right time to share it yet, though he knew it might come up later.
"Well, that’s… better than expected," Tariq replied, a faint hint of excitement creeping into his voice, "if she’s telling the truth, it’s an almost perfect outcome. Did she tell you her plan yet?"
"Not yet," Julien admitted, "but considering she’s the one who knows Akerbeltz best, I’m inclined to trust her opinion more than anyone else’s in this settlement. Though, I should mention she seemed completely unaware of terms like Elioud and Nephilim. She struck me as sincere, but we’d be wise to stay prepared for any kind of double-cross."
The man’s lips curled into a sly smile as he casually rested his hand on the hilt of his curved sword. "Double-cross or not, Mazars, what matters most is that we meet this powerful being face-to-face," he said, his tone almost too calm, too sure, "what happens before or after that encounter is secondary. If her plan leads us to Akerbeltz, then it’s a good plan. If not, it’s useless. As simple as that."
…
The small group found Agerkunde seated at the same desk as before, her expression more stern this time. She appeared to be passing instructions to Uxue and two other sisters, who promptly scattered to carry out their errands the moment Agerkunde’s gaze met theirs.
“Oh, the envoy! Tariq, isn’t it?” she exclaimed with a welcoming smile, gesturing toward the now-vacant chairs, “you’d be more than welcome to join us in this talk too, my future sister,” she added, turning her attention to Urraca.
As they approached, Agerkunde’s demeanor shifted to one of urgency. She began speaking quickly, almost as though time itself was slipping away: “I assume Julien has already briefed you on the situation - my intentions, and what I expect from both of you, yes?” Her determined smile didn’t waver.
“He did,” Tariq confirmed as he sat down, “ and I must admit, I’m curious to hear the details of your plan. I imagine it’s quite complex, given the need to fool such a powerful figure.”
Agerkunde let out a soft giggle, a glimmer of amusement in her otherwise serious expression. “Not as intricate or multilayered as you might think,” she replied, straightening her posture, “Akerbeltz is powerful, yes, but I’ve never had reason to believe he’s particularly cunning.”
“Does it involve the sisters who just left the table?” Julien asked soon afterwards.
“Oh yes,” the sorgina continued, nodding, “as I mentioned to you before, advancing our winter celebrations might be the perfect opportunity to act - though now with a different goal. We will hold the festivities tonight. Everything will be as it usually is: decorating our homes and public spaces, worshipping Akerbeltz with songs and dances. It will be as beautiful as always... with one notable difference.” Her gaze sharpened, locking onto Julien and Tariq. “Our human sacrifices - those poor souls meant to meet their doom deep in the grove - will be you two, my dear Enochians.”
One of Julien’s eyebrows raised as he prepared to ask for more details before committing to such a plan, but before he could speak, Tariq interrupted in a calm and unwavering manner: “That sounds good,” he said, dismissing the need for further explanation, “just tell us when to arrive and what to do. We’ll be your ‘sacrifices.’ Anything else?”
Julien shot Tariq a look of utter confusion, struggling to understand why he was being so nonchalant about the plan. “Tariq, don’t you think we should-”
“Anything else, Agerkunde?” Tariq repeated, cutting Julien off and signaling with a glance for him to stay quiet.
Agerkunde smiled knowingly. “Leave the rest to us, dear Enochians,” she replied, “we’ll take care of everything. Just make sure you’re alive by midnight, and be prepared to enter the grove when the time comes. As for you, Urraca,” she added, turning to the young woman, “you’re welcome to assist us in the preparations.”
Without another word, Tariq stood and walked away, not even glancing back to see if Julien and Urraca followed. Agerkunde stood next. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a celebration to prepare,” she commented before swiftly departing to her errands.
When Urraca made a move to follow Agerkunde, Julien gently grasped her arm, urging her to sit back down. “Wait, just a little longer.”
Surprised by his sudden intensity, she immediately sat back, her eyes locked on him. His expression was a mixture of concern and urgency that she just wasn’t used to seeing from him. “Is something the matter?” She asked with an uneasy voice.
“Urraca,” Julien began, choosing his words carefully, “I’ve changed my mind about something: Tariq’s behavior during this whole conversation... it was strange, to say the least.” He shifted in his seat, as if bracing himself. “I can’t for the life of me figure out what his true intentions are, and God only knows what he plans to do after we deal with the Akerbeltz. That’s why I need to ask you to do something.”
Urraca’s heart skipped a beat. The directness of his words, the determination in his tone - it unsettled her; Julien was rarely so forceful. “What is it you want me to do?” She stammered.
“Escape,” he said bluntly, locking eyes with her, “and convince the Sorginak to flee with you. I don’t know what Tariq has planned, but if he decides to eliminate them all, Robert and I wouldn’t be able to stop him. As soon as we step into that forest, I want you to run. Leave everything behind but the essentials. Tell Agerkunde they can return later for what they left. But get away while you can.”
Urraca blinked in shock, trying to process his words. “But, Julien… why?” She managed to ask, confusion clouding her tone.
“I simply don’t want innocent blood on my hands,” he said, the weight of his own doubts heavying his voice, “I’ve realized how little I know about Enochians, about what they really stand for. I’ve only been a part of this world for a few months, and in truth, I’ve known Tariq for as long as you have in the end. How can I be certain of his motives?” He sighed, “I can’t live with myself if innocent people die because I told you to trust something I barely understand myself.”
Urraca’s eyes widened in surprise. “But where do you want me to go? How am I supposed to convince Agerkunde to abandon her new home?”
Julien smiled softly, the warmth in his expression contrasting to the seriousness of his words: “I trust you, Urraca, more than anyone here in Iberia, actually. And I trust that Agerkunde will listen when you tell her what I’ve told you. If she understands the threat – and I believe she will - she’ll know what needs to be done.”
For a moment, they simply exchanged a long, unreadable glance. It was a quiet but potent acknowledgment that this could very well be the last time they saw one another if she heeded his warning. Julien finally broke the silence. “Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe this is all unnecessary, but -”
Before he could finish, Urraca leapt from her chair and embraced him tightly, tears spilling from her eyes and trailing down her cheeks. Julien’s words faltered, his arms wrapping around her in return. He closed his eyes, allowing the moment to linger, and soon Urraca did the same.
When they finally opened their eyes again, the sun had moved past midday, shining brightly in the sky despite the cold breeze, casting brief shadows over the now increasingly busy settlement.