The stench of human excrement permeated the stone room they were in, and Cheval had not even opened the manhole that led into the sewer beneath yet. Sarah was lying on a stretcher with John and Udoriol milling about nearby. Grimald stood nearby, supported by a pair of crutches. He had only managed to begin walking a few days ago himself.
“I still think it would be prudent if we waited a few days,” Udoriol remarked, “She’s still not quite ready.”
“As I’ve said, the White Cloaks and the Red Robes are likely to tear the gates down if we make them wait any longer,” Kurt pointed out patiently. He looked down at Sarah and bowed his head apologetically again. “It shames me that the saviours of Corrington have to make such a shameful departure from my city.”
“It’s not your fault,” Sarah managed, still feeling weak.
“Besides, we’ve been more than adequately compensated,” John added, his eyes gleaming. The Marquis had promised that a wagon would be waiting for them on the outskirts of the city together with a considerable amount of gold.
“Are you sure this is safe?” Grimald asked Cheval.
The taller dwarf nodded. “My boys finished digging the basic tunnel a couple of days ago and it’s stable enough to do any Vilnergian dwarf proud.”
Sarah looked at the manhole with trepidation. It wasn’t just the prospect of having to travel through human filth that was getting to her. She had made a difficult decision, and the time when she had no choice but to share it was close at hand.
Loud voices could be heard from above and Cheval, who had been standing ready next to the manhole prised it open and the noxious fumes flooded into the room.
“Hurry,” he hissed, but it was too late.
Before Udoriol and John could lift Sarah’s stretcher, the door to the waste room they were in burst open and Hicham stormed in. The effort of kicking the door open was too much for him and he staggered and would have fallen if Kurt had not caught his arm to steady him. The Marquis’ other hand relaxed his grip on his sword.
“Ah, it’s you,” The relief was clear on Kurt’s face. “Are you supposed to be out and about?”
“I just had the most incredible revelation,” Hicham gasped. His voice trembled as he spoke, and his face was taut as he looked around frantically. The youth relaxed when he saw Sarah was still there. “I… The Divine, Treto himself, spoke to me.”
Udoriol gave his former pupil a dubious look. “Are you sure it wasn’t just a dream? You have been exerting yourself rather hard lately.”
“It’s not,” Hicham panted as he leaned against the wall for support.
Both Sarah and Grimald had required intense healing over the past week, most of which was done by Hicham, who also had to tend to those who were seriously wounded in the defence of the city. He had spent almost every waking moment tending to them and was now utterly drained.
“This vision was real,” The dark skinned youth insisted. “I found myself in an empty Church speaking to a statue of Treto Himself.”
“That does line up with my experience,” Sarah offered in support.
Udoriol rubbed the side of his face and gave Hicham a concerned look. “So, what did He say?”
“That the time for him to intervene with Ratri’s Chosen is soon at hand. He thinks that Agni was foolish to intervene as he did,” Hicham replied, and his eyes flicked to Sarah. “He was also surprised to see someone regain control after becoming one of the Pantheon’s Avatars. He thinks it’s because of Agni’s loss of worshipers that He has become weak enough to allow that to happen.”
Sarah felt a wave of anger from the other presence and broke out in a cold sweat. She felt it try to wrest control, but it was a half-hearted attempt, and she easily pushed it aside.
“Are you alright?” John asked, looking concerned.
Sarah swallowed and had no doubt in her mind that she had to go through with what she had decided. “I’m fine,” she said, “But the sooner we get out of here, the better.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” John glanced at the manhole scrunched up his face with distaste. “I just wish there was another way.”
“Does he think Ratri’s Chosen is still alive?” Udoriol ventured when he had finished digesting what Hicham said.
The dark skinned youth shrugged. “I did ask but received no answer.”
“There’s no way anyone could have survived that cave-in,” John said confidently, “And even if he did, he’d be trapped down there for eternity.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Udoriol said and bit his lip. “I only wish I had the chance to speak with Lucy again.”
“Perhaps you will when all the furore has died down,” Kurt offered, “But I must advise you to stay away from Corrington for the time being.”
“I will, don’t worry,” Udoriol sighed, “I have no desire to be caught by the Inquisition.”
“Perhaps one day you’ll tell me what it is you did,” John sniffed.
“Perhaps,” Udoriol said and leaned over to ruffle the young man’s hair.
Grimald took a deep breath as John shot the elf a dirty look. “Well then,” the dwarf said to the room, “Shall we get going?”
Udoriol and John exchanged looks. “Well, I suppose there’s no sense in delaying it any longer,” John sighed.
“Until we meet again, master,” Hicham said.
“I feel that we won’t be apart for long,” Udoriol said as he embraced the youth.
Cheval was first down the ladder. Kurt helped Sarah to her feet while John descended into the sewer with Udoriol. Grimald was helped down the manhole first, and then the stretcher was passed down.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Farewell,” Sarah said to everyone who remained. “I won’t forget any of you.”
Hicham took her hand gallantly and flashed a brilliant smile. “Don’t worry, I get the feeling we’ll be seeing one another very soon.”
Together, he and Kurt helped Sarah down the manhole. John and Udoriol helped Sarah down the rest of the way and onto the stretcher.
“Well, I suppose this is where we part ways,” Cheval beamed.
“If you ever see Roldo again, punch him for me, would you?” Grimald grinned.
“I might just do that,” Cheval laughed as he stroked his beard, “He did hang the lot of us out to dry, didn’t he?”
He paused and gave Grimald a sideways look. “So, are you done with him, then?”
“I suppose I am,” Grimald admitted, “I’ve had an offer from another employer, and I think I’ll take him up on it.”
There was a twinkle in Cheval’s eye. “Have you now?”
“I’ll tell you about it sometime.”
The two dwarves hugged one another, and Cheval took his leave from the others before climbing up the ladder. The manhole closed with a clang that echoed down the sewer.
“It is remarkable what Cheval and his crew achieved in just two weeks,” Udoriol said with wonder in his voice.
“The Marquis spared no expense,” Grimald grinned and shook his head. “Cheval and his boys are probably rich enough to retire several times over now.”
“And so are we,” John beamed as their voices echoed down the narrow tunnel, “What are you going to do?”
“Perhaps we should save the discussions for when we get outside,” Udoriol suggested softly. “The last thing we want to do is alert the people above us to what we’re up to.”
Grimald nodded and put his finger to his lips and Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted was to have a conversation on what was to come next while being carried through a sewer.
Their pace was slow, and they had to stop to let Grimald rest frequently, but the atmosphere was convivial, despite their surroundings. Except for Sarah, who could only stare blankly at the ceiling as she rehearsed the difficult conversation she would have to begin in her head.
All too soon, they arrived at a steel grate that led out into the river roughly two miles downstream from the city walls. It led to a sheer drop into the river and was hidden by vines that dangled from overhead. They exited the sewer through a temporary manhole that would be sealed shut by Cheval’s crew later that day.
Outside, it was a moonless night and Sarah could barely make out the outline of a wagon nearby. Also present was a horse, and her pulse quickened.
“I can walk,” Sarah said as she stepped forward gingerly.
“Good,” John winked at her before hurrying over to the wagon while Sarah shuffled over to the horse.
“Are you leaving us?” Udoriol whispered.
Sarah jumped and looked up at the elf in shock.
“You’ve been fretting about something over the past few days,” Udoriol pointed out, “That much has been clear to see on your face. It was an easy conclusion to come to when I saw the extra horse.”
“It’s all there,” said the wagon driver remarked dryly as John tried shifting the small steel bound chest on the back of the wagon, “The Marquis is a man of his word.”
“He doesn’t know, does he?” the elf remarked. His question was punctuated by a grunt from John as he tried to shift the chest.
Sarah shook her head.
“Perhaps you should try the key,” the driver offered.
John sheepishly took the key from him and unlocked the chest. He flipped the top open and gold glittered under the stars. The young man whirled around and grinned at Sarah.
“With this, we can return in glory to Golton,” he beamed. “Defenders of Corrington, that’s a name, alright.”
Sarah swallowed. “John, about that…”
But he wasn’t listening. The young man turned to Grimald excitedly. “What are you going to do now, Grimald? This is surely enough for you to retire on.”
“Nay lad,” the dwarf replied, “I left my share in Corrington with Cheval. Udoriol and I have a job to do in the Southward Expansion.”
John arched an eyebrow. “A job? For whom, and why?”
“There’s some skulduggery going on to the east in Darnos,” Grimald said, “My employer has heard whisperings that the servants of Ratri are involved and wants to get to the bottom of it.”
“That sounds dangerous,” John remarked, “Why are you sticking your neck out? For more gold?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Grimald answered with a wry grin. “I’ve done many things that I’m not proud of while working for Roldo. Doing something right back at Corrington made me feel like I’d atoned in some way.”
He paused and his grin broadened. “The pay does help as well… So, will you join us?”
John opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Udoriol cleared his throat. “Before you answer, I think the young lady has something to say to you.”
The young man looked over at Sarah and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think we have done enough to go back and fulfil our dreams?”
Despite having spent days preparing for this moment, Sarah burst into tears. “We have,” she sobbed, “But this thing inside me… It swore it would kill you first the next time, and I don’t know if I can hold it back forever.”
“But you can,” John said as he moved towards her.
Sarah shook her head and backed away. “I’m sorry John, but until I can be sure I can truly control this thing, or banish it from inside me… I can’t be near you, I’m sorry.”
John looked anguished, which made Sarah feel even worse. “Sarah, what are you saying?”
Sarah took a moment to compose herself and gather her courage. She had rehearsed this moment in her mind many times. “I’m going to find a way to seal this thing away or banish it. Until then, I’m afraid we must part ways.”
It looked like it was taking everything John had to stop himself from crying while Sarah was weeping openly. “How long will that take?” he asked as tears welled in his eyes.
“I don’t know,” Sarah admitted helplessly. “Lucy sent me a letter telling me that I should seek Findendor.”
“That’s a legend!” John cried.
“No, it’s real,” Udoriol said quietly.
John shot the elf a dirty look, who continued, undeterred, “However, it is closely guarded by the elves of The Eternal Watch. They are unlikely to grant you entry.”
“Lucy said they might let me in when they see who I am and hear what I’m after,” Sarah said, “Because they’re the followers of Varuna and have no love for Agni.”
“That’s a dangerous line of thought, given that they are likely to shoot humans first and ask questions later,” Udoriol warned.
“I’ll take my chances,” Sarah said and chanced a look at John, willing her to be strong enough not to cry. “This is the only way we have a future together.”
“Then let me come with you,” John said.
Sarah shook her head. “No, it’s too dangerous… The other thing would have killed you had Hicham not been there. Don’t you remember?”
She was reminded of the fear in John’s eyes flashed before her and a tear rolled down her cheek. “No, John, I must go alone. Once I have defeated this… thing, then we can resume our lives together.”
John looked at her and when he saw that her mind was made up, let off a frustrated roar.
“Come now laddie, I understand you’re distressed, but you’re going bring half the city down on us,” Grimald warned.
“Fine!” John cried, “Leave, see if I care!”
His words stung, but Sarah could see how distraught he was. She brushed away a tear and struggled to rein in her emotions. “When I beat this, I will come looking for you in Golton,” she said as she climbed on the horse. “I hope you will be there waiting for me.”
She dug her heels into the side of the horse, and it bore her away quickly. She didn’t dare look over her shoulder for fear that seeing John again would break her resolve.
John watched Sarah’s horse disappear into the night and sank to his knees. Then, the tears came freely. Soon, he felt a hand on his shoulder and then came Grimald’s voice. “I know you’re hurtin’ laddie, but we need to go.”
“We?” John asked between sobs.
“Aye, I want you to come with us, laddie,” Grimald said, “We could use another hand…”
He paused before adding, “Unless you want to sit here and weep until she does what she needs to do.”
John peered into the night where Sarah’s horse had disappeared. He couldn’t believe she was gone just like that, leaving him alone for the first time since they’d left Golton. No, she was doing her best for their sakes. He’d take on this job, make an even bigger name for himself and wait for her return. If nothing else, it would take his mind off her for the time being, and the last words he had said to her, which he regretted as soon as he had uttered them.
“Fine,” he said as he brushed away a tear. He looked around and saw a shimmering circle fade out of existence. He shot Udoriol a dirty look.
The elf winked back at him. “All I did was give you some courage. You decided that on your own.”
“Right then lads,” Grimald said cheerfully, “Shall we embark upon our next adventure?”