╚╩╩╩╝ Hamil ╚╩╩╩╝

Gathered in Lord Renae’s study, we took special care to make sure that nobody was around to hear us. We had a lot to discuss, and it would be bad if anyone overheard our plan.

“Before anything, we have something important to take care of.” Damian announced.

Walking around behind the large desk, he dragged out a large bundle, wrapped in a thick cloth. Gently unwrapping it, he showed Pert’s body to his family. It was ashy and blue from the cold spell that Astrid had cast over him.

Walking over to the body, Licilia knelt down and embraced the body. Pulling back, she said. “I’d like to bury him somewhere.”

“Do we have time to?” Ayun asked.

“As long as it’s out of sight and on our way, then we should be able to.” Astrid followed.

Hearing this, Charlotte and I exchanged a knowing look. We told them about our little hiding spot in the forest. I didn’t know where exactly in the forest it was, since I relied entirely on Charlotte’s markings to get there. And she didn’t know either, since she found that spot after wandering through the woods.

“That does sound ideal. Especially since we can lose any tails on such a winding path.” Ayun nodded her head.

“Then we should head out right away.” Damian announced. “Gather all of your things and meet back here in five minutes.”

Most everyone dispersed at Damian’s words. Licilia and Veria stayed back with Astrid since they’d already gathered all that they needed. I had nothing to bring with me that I didn’t already have on my person, so I stayed with Charlotte as she packed, helping her search for anything that hadn’t been stolen.

We found very little in the way of clothes. It had been trampled and kicked under the furniture that they couldn’t take with them. Wrapping it all up in one of the curtains that managed to stay in one piece, we went back to the office just as everyone was returning.

After everyone had settled down, I slipped around to the back of the desk where I’d stashed all of the money and hefted several bags of metal chips up from beneath it.

“You weren’t kidding.” Damian chuckled. “How much do you think is there?”

“There’s one whole bag of gold, two of silver and the rest is copper.” I said, gesturing to the bags.

“Whoa. That’s more than most people see in their entire life.” Astrid joked.

“And it’ll be enough for us to make a new life somewhere else.” Licilia spoke in a somber tone. “Are we really going to Farrol?”

“No.” Damian answered quickly, but quietly. “We’ve told everyone here that that’s where we’re headed, but it’s all to get the military off of our backs.”

“So where are we headed?” She asked.

“You, Ayun and the kids will head south. Your husband’s last words to me were south, and to look for an Arkan.” Damian explained. “Astrid and I will go west.”

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Veria asked, fear trembling in the back of her voice.

“If these guys think we’re heading east, then they’ll leave some people behind to try and find tracks to follow. If we give them an obvious trail to follow in the opposite direction, then they’ll never think to go after you.” Astrid explained.

“You can’t leave us.” Veria spoke in a quiet, sad voice.

“We won’t be gone forever.” Damian consoled her. “We’ll come back once we find Jaime.”

Veria’s eyes went wide as she started to look around. “Jaime…”

“She’s out there somewhere. She’s scared and alone.” Damian said, looking down at the floor. “We’ll find her. And we’ll bring her home.”

“But why did she leave?” Veria asked, tears filling her eyes.

Licilia pulled her daughter close and hugged her, rubbing up and down her shoulder. “We don’t know yet.”

We had a good idea of why she left, but it would be hard to say ‘she left because she feels guilty for killing your father.’

“So how do we split the money up?” I asked, looking down at the riches.

“We’re used to living cheap, so we don’t need much.” Astrid said.

“You’ll take some of the gold and silver, then a bag copper. That much shouldn’t slow you down.” I nodded my head.

“When do we leave?” Charlotte asked.

“Right now.” Ayun answered. She had Pert’s body in a bundle tied to her back.

Stepping quietly through the mansion, we stopped at the front door. I could feel eyes on us from several directions. After a short pause, we walked through the open doorway and stopped again on the front step.

Looking at the two Freelancers, I felt like I needed to say something, but never found the words. After a short time, though, I simply whispered. “Good luck.” The two turned back and waved before disappearing around the side of the house.

We left a short time after them, slipping around the opposite side of the mansion.

The trek out to the hollow tree was far slower than it had ever been. We had several others with us who we had to help along. The whole time we were walking, I was thinking of the two who had parted ways from us. It was worrying to not have them with us, in multiple ways.

Standing in the clearing, right in front of the hollow tree, Ayun untied Pert from her back and laid him on the ground.

“Would anyone like to say anything before we bury him?” She asked, looking at all of us.

Veria shook her head and Licilia looked like she was unable to speak, even if she wanted to. Charlotte stayed quiet and solemn.

Taking a step toward the body, I took in a shallow breath. “He taught me what a family truely is.” I said simply. “He was more of a father to me in these past two years than my real father was my whole life.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

No one said a word, but I could hear them shuffling and shifting.

Looking to Bark who stood at my side, I nodded my head.

The ground shuddered as the ground in front of the hollow sank several feet. Thick, brown roots lifted out of the ground, wrapping around Pert’s body before lifting it and moving into the pit.

“I’ll take care of things now.” I said, looking at the coffin.

All of us took turns dropping a handful of dirt onto the coffin before the soil started to fill it in. After it was filled, a layer of brown tendrils covered the ground and a tiny, green shoot sprouted from the center of the mound.

Walking over to the hollow tree, Ayun drew a small knife from her belt and asked. “What do you want for an inscription?”

After some deliberation, we finally decided on what to put.

Here lies Pert Irvine Wark. Husband. Father. Hero. He died protecting the ones he loved.

Taking one last moment of silence over the grave, I watched as the mound of fresh soil shifted as dozens of flowers bloomed. After a moment of awe, I recognized what the flowers were. They were the Prism Rain that Charlotte and I had planted in the estate’s garden. The light shone through their glass-like petals, reflecting a cornucopia of colors that covered the clearing entirely.

Taking in the sight for some time, I breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time in a long time, it felt like everything was going to be alright.

╚╩╩╩╝ Camparn ╚╩╩╩╝

From a distance, aside from the columns of black smoke that rose into the sky, the city of Renae looked almost peaceful. I knew very well how wrong that was, though.

For the first time, my men had accomplished something without my help. Of course, I had an entirely new army of followers, one of whom was probably more intelligent than the entirety of my previous group combined.

Seeing the standard of the royal ensign, every soldier that had been actively looting and vandalizing the wreckage stopped in their tracks and tried to act like they were doing nothing wrong. Truly, Igner had done a magnificent job at being as incompetent as I’d hoped.

He had no idea that I was the one to refer him for the position of inquisitor. If he did, then he probably wouldn’t have accepted the job. I’d done business with him in the past, only for him to betray me at the end, running with his spoils.

Surrounding himself with imbeciles and yes-men who would do anything for a good price. Of course these followers of his would neglect any effort to conceal their corruption. One inspection would probably have all of his men, along with him as well, executed.

Finally, we made it to the center of the largest commotion in the city. Hundreds of soldiers were all gathered around a wall of withering tree roots. They were hacking away at the base of each tendril, letting the towering column collapse and crush anyone underneath it. At least twenty people died because of this, but nobody batted an eye.

Behind the collapsed section of wall was a broken gate. Behind that gate was a home that more closely resembled a battlefield than anything else. Something had happened here, and it looks like we barely missed it.

“Have you ever seen something like this before?” I whispered.

“No, this is something entirely new.” The spectral voice echoed inside of my mind. Laughing to himself, he said. “Humans truly are wondrous creatures. For something like this to be possible. You all never cease to amaze me.”

Right as the horde of soldiers started to flood through the open gate, the ground shuddered and gave way under their feet. A deep trench, dug in a straight line, opened up, swallowing up a large number of Igner’s men.

The trench continued, passing underneath some houses that finished collapsing as they lost their footing. I wasn’t very familiar with Renae, so I didn’t know where the end of the tunnel could have been, but it we would easily find it if we followed the path.

Before that, though, this place definitely warranted investigation.

Turning to the prince as he stared, slack-jawed at the scene in front us, I calmly whispered to him. “We should order some men to follow where that leads while we search this place.”

Jolted to attention, the boy stood straight and loudly commanded some of our men to do as I had suggested.

Watching them leave for a moment, I turned back to what was in front of us. Shoving Igner’s men aside, I strolled through the open gate and looked around. Based on the state of the landscaping, it looked like a war had been fought between nearly a hundred men and whoever it was that put up those walls.

Snapping my head to the side, I ordered one of Igner’s men to come to me just as the prince rushed to my side. “Whose home is this?” I asked the man.

“This is the Wark’s estate, sir.” The soldier answered, red in the face. “One of the traitors.”

“Traitors?” Pierce asked.

“Yes. Lord Revan was in charge of investigating local kidnappings, and found that this family was guilty.” The soldier answered. “They were going to sell young, noble women to Farrol.”

“That’s terrible!” Peirce shouted.

“Where is your commander?” I asked.

“Lord Revan? He was in here when the walls went up.”

“Let’s hope that we find the body.” I joked.

“Yes,” the prince nodded his head, “such a noble man cannot be left a corpse on the ground.”

It didn’t take long to find Igner’s body. Around the back of the house, buried up to his head with spiked tendrils coming from his mouth, nostrils and ears, the man was somehow alive.

Crouching down beside his head, I met his gaze. He made some gurgling sounds, but no words escaped his mouth.

Stifling a laugh, I smiled wide at the man before turning to the prince.

“Your highness, I know this man.” I said, forcing my smile away.

“You do?” He asked, looking down at me.

“Yes, unfortunately.” I frowned. “He is a criminal. When my men found Lord Carson’s daughter, they found a series of documents connecting the criminals to this man. I hoped that this man and the one that I’d read of were different, but that is not the case.”

“So, you’re saying that this man is also responsible?”

“Most likely, yes.” I replied. “He probably turned in his conspirators so that he could take all profit for himself.”

“If this man is guilty, then…”

“Yes, your highness. All of his men are likely guilty as well.” I stood up and looked at the smoke rising into the sky. “The state of the city is also likely his fault. How many innocents have suffered because of his cruel plans.”

Turning back to face the men, the young prince shouted. “All members of the inquisitor’s militia are to be taken in for questioning immediately!”

“Your highness,” I whispered in the boy’s ear, “these men are pure evil. The blood of the innocent demands justice.”

“You’re right.” The boy growled, the veins in his neck bulging. “Kill all of them on sight!” He shouted, a new intensity in his voice.

Handing the boy my sword, I said. “You should be the one to end this evil man’s life.”

Without hesitation, the prince snatched the blade from my hand and drove it into Igner’s face, piercing through his eye. The man’s frantic groans came to an abrupt stop.

Breathing heavily, the boy turned and started toward the gates. Retrieving my sword, I spat on the man’s face before following after the young prince.

When we reached the gate, we were greeted by a tall, regal man with dark brown hair. One of our men stood beside him.

“Your highness, this is Lord Evane. He has come to testify of today’s events.”

“Speak.” I ordered the man.

The noble, shot me a dirty look before speaking in the accent of an islander. He explained exactly what I had assumed had happened. Igner and his men marched into town and ransacked everything, slaughtering hundreds. Their family managed to strike a deal with the man to be left out of the carnage.

Then a young woman stepped forward. Her story was far more intriguing. Kidnapping. A detailed description of the monster that Lord Gelling had become. Then, how a young girl transformed into a monster, devoured the creature and was beaten by a man with a white aura, a boy with wings and a girl who could spit prismatic flames from her hands. She described how she was then taken captive by these people, but managed to escape while they camped outside of the city.

“That’s what I felt! That girl in her story is what I am looking for!” The voice boomed in my mind.

Another of my men rushed to our side. “Your highness, we followed the trench to the Renae’s estate. The Wark’s held several hostages there. The family fled eastward when they word reached them of our arrival.”

“Send a platoon east and west. This may be misdirection on their part.” I ordered.

The soldier looked from me to the prince, confusion and worry spread across his face.

“Do as he says!” The young prince shouted.

The soldier nodded his head and ran away.

Looking down to the boy, I noticed that he had his gaze locked firmly on the Evane girl. Having someone who knew the appearance of the girl who transformed would certainly be beneficial.

“Your highness, perhaps a reward is in store for this honorable family. Someone needs to rebuild this city.” I whispered to the boy.

Startled to attention, he looked up at me, then back to the girl. “Yes, for a family as dedicated as yours, a reward should be given.” The boy nodded his head. “From today onward, this city shall be known as Evane, and your family’s standing shall be raised to marquis.”

“We are eternally grateful, your highness.” Lord Evane bowed his head.