I love them. Truly, I consider every single man, woman, child or living being within the domain of Elneshe my own. And I will protect my own, despite how difficult the task may seem.

Legosia may think it impossible for me, but I’ll prove him wrong. Neither he, nor any other man, will take this country from me.

-From The Recently Deciphered Notes of King Arneshal, 3rd Grouping

Galeon crouched low, shuffling inside of the opening in the wall. He moved slowly, feeling his way with his hand on the walls. The dirt gave way to something more solid, and Galeon ran his hands across it.

Bricks, he realized with a pause. Galeon would’ve lit up his thrusters for light, but he needed the bewl more than ever. Instead, he kept a bewllan crystal in his other hand. He kept crawling, until the space started sloping downwards. Galeon’s heart beat in his chest, the only sound aside from light panting or grunts.

Galeon found a skeleton halfway through his crawl, moving past it and further in. Cobwebs and bugs were abundant in the space, and they didn’t treat him any different from their surroundings.

Galeon would’ve thought the hallway continued forever, until he saw a light shining far away. Light blue, like an azure drink. Bewllan, Galeon realized and smiled to himself. He stuffed his own crystal in his pockets, hurrying his pace. The blue light grew in size, until Galeon finally came out of the hole and into a large room.

The light had been coming from bewllan lamps, set in sconces along the walls in a style not too dissimilar to what they used now. The room itself was spacious, which made him wonder who had taken the time to build it. A large cloak covered something in the corner of the room, and Galeon feared it to be someone hostile.

He quietly approached the cloak, heart pounding as he ripped the cloth away. But it only gave way to a fiercely unpleasant stench and the cadaver of someone long past expiry. Galeon recoiled, holding his nose as he backed off. The man had long white hair, sunken features and looked relatively youthful. His arms and chest were bloodied, and in his hands, he clenched a note.

Galeon cautiously picked up the note, unravelling it to reveal writing.

Though the ruins are treacherous, I wouldn’t consider them above my level. Only tired tricks and traps keep me from exploring the city. Though I won’t need to, now that I’ve gotten the final clue.

It was in the writings of the late king. Apparently, the weapon he made isn’t even in the city anymore. He must have taken it to Dephoni, though the city is now called Deyfo.

This will fetch me a nice price from the kings of Phasgoria and Ravenishtan, surely.

Galeon folded the note back up, looking at the corpse in front of him. He must’ve been some kind of treasure hunter, an unfortunate one. And he’d found such a discovery too! Galeon felt almost sad that the man had never gotten to show it off.

The news, though grim in its delivery, raised Galeon’s hopes. If they didn’t need to stay here for the weapon, then Phagoria could leave! And that would mean that the war would finally end. Galeon turned to the corpse, the man who had made it all possible, and closed his eyes.

May Seraphas lead you somewhere better, and that you’re rewarded for this great deed. Galeon prayed softly, pocketing the note and moving away. Apart from the body, the room seemed to be blocked in. The only other exit was flooded with rocks and boulders, and Galeon didn’t have the time to push those aside.

The last thing of note was a stone table, in the middle of the room, that showed a map. Galeon had no sense for those, but he could recognize some areas by familiarity. It was a rough outline of the continent, and the map was large enough that it went into detail on each country. There was a mark near the bottom of the parchment, where a city was named.

Galeon would’ve thought that it’d be unintelligible, but the city clearly read as Dephoni. He could tell the importance of the parchment from a single look, and rolled it up. The Grand Duchess knows a bit of archaeology. Maybe she can help me decipher it.

Securing the note and the map, Galeon then proceeded to drain the bewllan in the room, plunging it into darkness as he left. The crawl back was filled with tension, as Galeon heard noises growing closer every moment.

But when he recognized the tune of Stele and Janel, he redoubled his efforts. Huffing, Galeon pulled himself out of the crawlspace and greeted the both of them with cheer.

“Galeon?” Stele asked, confused at the dirty visage that greeted him.

“What are you doing there?” Janel asked. Galeon looked himself up and down, and recognized he wasn’t the prettiest sight at the moment.

“Taking a dirt nap,” he quipped, before raising himself out of the space and dusting his clothes.

“That was the stronghold?” Stele asked.

“It’s bigger on the inside, and the only people are mostly decomposed,” Galeon replied.

“…Decomposed?” Janel asked, floating away from Galeon as she did.

“Never mind that. I’ve found some documents. We need to get these back to the camp as soon as possible. Are you guys good to go?”

“Stele lost his sword, but he can get another one,” Janel said.

“It was a family heirloom…” Stele muttered under his breath.

“What about that Necromancer I sent flying your way? He didn’t cause any problems for the both of you, did he?” Galeon asked.

Janela and Stele looked at him like he’d crawled out of a hole.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“What Necromancer?” Stele asked.

“The one with the chain? Janel, you know the one, right? You must’ve encountered him or…” or his body, but Galeon couldn’t accept that. Hallowmancers were nigh unkillable. Something like what Galeon had done couldn’t possibly have ended the man’s life… could it?

Janel shook her head.

“The vine automatons were the most we fought. I don’t think we even saw someone like that,” she said. Galeon breathed out in relief. If nothing else, at least he hadn’t taken the man’s life.

“He must’ve gotten away pretty easily,” Galeon told her.

“We should leave soon too. He might come back with another army,” Stele said.

Galeon and Janel agreed, and they took flight. Only a single person was there to see them leave. He was missing an arm, but barely cared for the distraction. That could be taken care of later, when he returned back to base.

****

Leane waited in the rooms of the King’s palace, feeling herself foreign in the environment. Everything was so clean, so pristine, exuding extravagance. Even the cups they served her water in was covered in jewels.

The only other person in the room besides herself was Noviselle. Leane had gotten her name out of her, as well as the fact that she was a Countess. She looked like she was about to blow, as if there was something inside that she wanted out. She kept tapping her finger on a table, counting down ten times for a second.

“Novi, why are you tense?” Leane asked. The bluntness of it shocked the young Countess, and she turned to face Leane.

“You’ve a meeting with His Highness, you realize?” Noviselle asked.

“He’s an important person, isn’t he?”

“The most, Leane. So, you better compose yourself.”

The way Noviselle spoke about it, she looked afraid of even facing the man.

“Is he a cruel king?” Leane asked, but Noviselle shook her head.

“Busy, is the better term for it. All that work makes you forget how to be… courteous,” she replied.

“Does it?” Leane asked, turning her head.

“Leon would say so. Emile and Isil? never,” Noviselle chuckled, staring off.

“Where are they right now? Couldn’t they join us here?” Leane asked.

“Emile and Isildan are soldiers, like anyone else. They can shirk their responsibilities for only so long,” Noviselle said, though it looked as if she wanted it some other way.

“And what about you? Don’t you have responsibilities as a Countess?” Leane asked.

“Whatever the King has me do, yes. And he wants me here with you. Said you could use someone around your age to talk to.”

“Wow…. You look really young for being forty.”

“Yes, well, I d- forty?” Noviselle said in mock offense.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Leane chuckled, and Noviselle joined in.

The both of them wanted to continue further, but a knock came at the door.

“His Highness wishes to see the both of you now, if you would please,” a woman’s voice sounded from the other side.

“We’ll be ready in a moment!” Noviselle answered for her, and Leane rose up from her bed. Noviselle looked her top to bottom one last time, nodding once she was finished.

“Dainty, but not weak. Maybe you were some sort of traveller before losing your memories?” Noviselle suggested.

“Maybe…” Leane muttered and Noviselle felt bad for her. The woman had lost everything about her life. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time to bring it back up.

“Don’t think about it. Come with me. If you thought your room was luxurious, the court’s going to leave you gasping!” Noviselle said, trying to cheer her up. She grabbed Leane by the hand, and gave her a reassuring smile as they left the room.

****

When Galeon landed on top of King Selerin’s palace, he expected a few Afterburners greeting him. What he didn’t expect was being escorted down into the stronghold itself, where he came face to face with His Highness. The King was resting on top of a large chair, with dukes and duchesses surrounding him on either side of a long table.

Galeon dropped to one knee in front of the King, greeting him.

“Your Highness. We’ve come back with something we think you’d like,” Galeon told him, keeping his head down. When he thought no one was looking, he peeked a look at Leane and Noviselle, who were sat beside the king, even closer than some of the other dukes. Noviselle looked just as tense as she ever did, keeping her eyes fixed on Galeon with a pleading look.

Do not ruin this! It shouted into his mind, and Galeon gulped.

“Good then. Rise up then, this isn’t an execution,” King Selerin jibed, and the three Afterburners straightened themselves.

“What have you brought me, Galeon?” he asked, and all eyes focused on the young man at the front. Suddenly, the weight of an entire army rested on Galeon’s shoulders, and he had to present it right.

“I found evidence, sir, that the weapon may not be in Sanasira after all,” Galeon spoke softly, though the words seemed to echo throughout the room. Noviselle’s eyes widened, and Leane looked more confused than ever.

The room erupted into conference, dukes and counts talking amongst themselves of the implications, while a fair few voices called for this so called evidence to be shown. All those who spoke quieted as soon as King Selerin raised his hand.

“No need to gossip when we haven’t even begun. Galeon, the evidence that you claim to have?” His Highness asked, and Galeon shuffled forward.

He walked around and towards the King’s side, where he laid out the map and the note both. The king was silent for a long while after that, observing the map intensely. He raised the note into the air, reading it front to back, before placing it back down and calling a servant towards him.

“Bring this to the cartographers. Ask them to determine where this is specifically,” the King ordered him. the clerk jogged away with the map in his hand, leaving the room and being replaced soon after.

“Where did you find this note, young hallowmancer?” King Selerin asked him.

“On the body of a white-haired man, your Highness. He was in the same room as the map, lying dead,” Galeon spoke curtly.

“White… hair? Was he old?”

“No, your Highness. Looked only a bit older than me.”

The King muttered something under his breath, something about thieves, before placing the note down in front of him once again.

“Your Highness, when was your last correspondence with that bastard?” Duke Lambre asked rudely. The king didn’t seem to mind, continuing on.

“Not even once since we first met. I thought the man dead… I suppose that’s now confirmed,” the King replied.

Duchess Arelia scoffed.

“Do you really believe all of this, your Highness?” she asked.

“What is that supposed to imply, Arelia?” the King asked, his voice cold.

“Only that it seems a bit too easy, does it not? How are we even sure that this girl,” she said, raising a finger at Leane in accusation, “isn’t trying to swindle you, just like the Thief!”

All sights landed on Leane, and she seemed to shrink under them. More muttering from the crowd of nobles, until King Selerin raised his hand once more.

“She’s my guest, Grand Duchess, and I won’t have you levelling base accusations at her,” the King replied, and Leane seemed grateful. They exchanged a nod, before someone else spoke up.

“The Grand Duchess poses a good point, though, your Highness. How can we really be sure?” he asked, and several voices agreed with him.

“If it would sate your minds. Lambre, if you would please,” the King ordered, and the duke nodded. A blue beam erupted from his shoulders, reaching to the ceiling. He stared intently at the girl in front of him, then dispersed the field a moment later.

“She’s telling the truth, as far as her heart says,” Duke Lambre told the rest of them. Leane, for her part, looked at the man like he was some sort of monster.

The duke shot back a disbelieving look. He’d just done as ordered, what was wrong with that! Yet Leane’s condemnation still made Lambre feel a bit bad.

“Is that enough for you, Arelia? Or are we to waste more time?” King Selerin asked.

“No, your Highness. I apologize for the interruption,” the Grand Duchess replied defeatedly. She sat back down in her seat, and Galeon watched as the procession continued. After a while, he began whispering over to Leane and Noviselle.

By the time the King called the meeting off, Galeon was glad to be let off. He gave Galeon only an intent filled stare before leaving. Something in that stare unsettled Galeon. It felt like the King was not looking at Galeon, but someone else in his place. A shadow of the dead.