Epilogue

I awoke in darkness to the sound of metal clanging on stone. I tried to stand but couldn’t. I felt as though I had been rolled through a mangle, my loosely connected bones feeling like powder.

“Hey you, you're finally awake.” Came Orlando’s voice in response to my pained grunting.

“What happened?” I slurred through the worst hangover imaginable. I felt as though I would be sick which led my mind to sluggishly ponder what a skeleton throwing up may look like.

“Is he alright?” A young woman's voice came from the darkness. My Life Sense began to return in a haze of swimming monotone. I vaguely remembered the woman’s voice and her plain white robe seemed familiar but I couldn’t place her. The sight of a dark elf similarly attired behind her set more bells to ringing and I was forced to squeeze my eye holes shut to stop the infernal clanging. I tried to block out more of the ever-brightening life out with a hand, but I was met again with the infamous sound of metal clanging.

I braved opening my sockets once more and looked to my left, only to see I was chained to the wall of a dank dungeon, the walls carved from the rock.

“I’m sorry about that… and the earlier incident.” The Paladin apologies sheepishly. Outside of others attention the man seemed to lack his large and confident persona. The words took time to penetrate my thick skull and as they did I looked blearily about the room, only able to focus on one thing at a time. As far as I could tell there were only three… maybe four people around me, all church members. I was trapped in a cell, probably underground. I might have seen more cells across an open cavern, each barred with iron, but it was hard to tell. If this was a prison then I was the only occupant judging by the relative quiet - which I was most thankful for.

“You decapitated me?” I half stated half questioned, finally recalling my last moments. The dark elf seemed uncomfortable at the semi assertion but neither of the younger clergy said anything, leaving what may be an interrogation to their senior. “Why?” I asked when no response was forthcoming.

“I didn’t.” he replied, surprising me not only with his sombre tone. He crouched to look me in the skull as I was chained in a sitting position. At that moment I just wanted to cast a spell to break free so I might meet the man eye to eye. Unfortunately I was beyond mana poisoning at this point, I was likely suffering from soul sickness. Even looking at mana may cause me to pass out.

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“Explain.” I instructed as the room continued to spin.

“I will,” he replied, not losing his serious heir, “but first I have to ask you; were you the one who summoned that dragon?” A moment passed where all I could hear was the young lady’s nervous fidgeting. I thought of lying but I really wasn’t up to the mental effort.

“I was testing a spell I’ve been waiting years to use.” I tried to explain. The woman gasped and the elf huffed as if to show that he had expected as much, although he wasn’t fooling anyone.

“I see.” Was all the Paladin said in reply, his tone flat. “Normally I would have you tried in front of a council, but the church would have too much sway and in this city I don’t trust them.”

“What about us?” The woman asked. Orlando's expression changed to that of a warm smile as he looked upon the pair.

“I can see into the hearts of people and I know that I can trust you.” He replied sincerely. The dark elf lad blushed at this and looked away.

“Anyhow,” Orlando continued, turning back to my sorry bones, “I shall have to keep you locked up until such time as you might have a fair trial. I have seen your magic and I have no doubt once you regain it you could break out of any jail so I’m sorry but I’ll be forced to dismantle you.”

I lowered my head in mild shame, it had been quite some time since I had felt so chastised for one of my experiments I had almost forgotten the embarrassment. The dark elf seemed annoyed at the stated outcome. “Why don’t you just judge him? You are a Paladin.” he said.

“I was getting to that.” Orlando replied without an ounce of annoyance at the young elf’s tone. “I can not trust myself to be a fair judge.” There was confusion on the faces of his followers. “My powers are great but they come with some small drawbacks.” This seemed to shock the pair, clearly it wasn’t common knowledge. “The Light inside me has a violent reaction whenever I look upon what I know to be undead. I can suppress it now but you caught me by surprise earlier, exhausted by the battle I was unable to quell the Light’s wrath.”

“Doesn’t that mean the Light wants us to destroy that thing?” The elf asked, heated.

Orlando placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder to calm him and replied, “You forget that I can see his true heart as well. From the first time we met in the forest I knew him not to be a villain. Although now I realise he may be working with a different moral compass.”

“What of Dante?” I asked groggily. My sight was again diming and I could feel the blackness once more creeping in. I hadn’t meant to utter the words but they had left my jaw of their own accord.

“Dante?” The pair of youngins asked in joint surprise.

“The Bard who kept trying to get you released?” Orlando asked rhetorically. “ He kept singing your praises at what remained of the party until the nobles grew sick of his voice and threw him out on his ear. Since then I haven’t heard of him; Why?” Orlando ended with suspicion.

“Hmm.” Was all I was able to muster in response through the growing lethargy. For some reason I felt happy, perhaps because my friend's true nature hadn’t been exposed. Unable to fight it off any longer, the darkness finally claimed me.