THE RING

What hint remained of the sun's presence in the sky had already long faded. Clouds rolled in front of the swollen autumn moon, leaving the belfry black as wrought iron. Monte's hand rested on the hilt of his blade. He guessed pulling it now would do little more than rob him of another one of his senses.

"Whatever has happened, whatever trouble you're in, I'm sure you can get out of it." Monte spoke quietly, listening for any sound to orient him in the room.

"Trouble I'm in? You obviously don't understand anything. Figures. They told me you were dangerous, but I was right. You're just a hard-headed fool who lets what's in his pants lead him around. You're just like any other man." Orna said.

"Who is 'They', Orna?" Monte said, ignoring the insults.

"That's how you convinced my mother to tell you so much, wasn't it? She was so lonely down there all the time. A nice young man finds his way down and takes advantage of her… No wonder she told you so much." Orna said. Monte could sense pain in her voice.

"She knew my fathe--" Monte started to speak.

"Enough!" Orna's voice rose up to cut him off.

"Enough lies, Monte. I know what you are. I know you're in no way related to the genius my mother worked with. The one who came up with all of this." Orna spoke. Her voice had come back down. Monte heard her hand brush against something near him. She was close.

"The genius I was always told was my father." Orna said, speaking quietly now.

Your father?

"But he wasn't. Kieran is your father." Monte said.

"I said enough!" Orna said, coming a step closer.

"All those journals, everything he left behind to be found. I knew it was for me. I wanted it to be for me." Orna said.

But it was for me.

"Then you show up and ruin it. One talk with my mother and she was smitten, one. She wanted you to know about everything." Orna said.

"But I couldn't let that happen." Orna spat the words through gritted teeth, choking back tears. Monte could feel her, she was very close to him now. He held his breath and waited for her to take another step closer.

"You. You nearly ruined everything." Orna said. Monte could smell her breath, hear the sound of her mouth moving.

Without a hint of warning, the belfry once again erupted in noise. Monte had been listening so close for anything at all, the first peel of the bells felt like a knife through the side of his skull. He was startled for a moment then remembered where he was, took a step forward and grabbed for anything he could.

One hand swept through empty air, finding nothing. The other landed on an arm, and he gripped down hard. Any sound at all was indecipherable as the bells continued their task.

There will be nine tolls.

Monte only had a few precious seconds to gain the upper hand. He felt a groping at his side, and a tugging. Orna was reaching for his sword. Monte used his free hand to grab at hers. They struggled, locked in a deaf and blind duel for what felt like an eternity. Orna was strong.

Without being able to see her next move, Monte was helpless. He couldn't reach for his sword without a free hand, and even if he could, what good would it do in the darkness. Monte nearly lost grip as she attempted to pull her hand away. He released his other hand to grab hers with all his strength as she tried to pull away. She was too quick, and she slipped her hand out of his grasp. Monte felt the ring slip off her finger as she pulled back.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Nine bells had come and gone, but the room still hummed with reverberations. Monte thought he heard the tinkling of the gold band as it hit the floor. He fell to the floor and reached around, hopelessly trying to find it. If Monte could slip the ring on, maybe he could understand Orna. Maybe he could finally get a clear idea of her scheme. Maybe he could save her, and save himself.

Suddenly the clouds parted for a moment, and the cool light flooded in through the openings around the tower. A glimmer of gold caught his eye, just feet from where he was, and he dove for it. Monte slipped the ring on immediately.

I can't hear anything.

Laughter erupted from across the belfry as the clouds blocked the moon out once again.

"Are you disappointed Monte?" Orna's voice pierced the darkness again.

"It's just a gold ring. I forged it myself. Nothing has the power to read minds. You really are a fool." Orna said.

"If this is just a ring, how did you know about the plot against Padrig?" Monte asked.

"Because I killed him, obviously." Orna hissed.

Kieran was right.

"How did you do it? You were with me." Monte asked.

"I was with you, conveniently, when they found him. Lucky for me, your desire to be the hero made you so easy to manipulate. Bring you here with some official looking letter, have you talk to my men, I could have you be anywhere, anytime I wanted." Orna said.

Your men?

"What I didn't expect is that you would actually tell my men how you killed their partners. I assumed you would lie. That little worthless ring was all a ploy to get you to tell the truth, but you did before even knowing the ring existed! What luck I had." Orna said.

"Don't you mean the Guard?" Monte asked.

"Everyone in a uniform in this town works for me now, Monte, how can you not have figured that one out?" Orna spat. Monte suspected as much, but had a hard time truly believing Guard could be so fully corrupt.

I've spent too much time with Karth.

"When you told them how you let the bell throw their former leader from the tower, I knew how I could kill Padrig. These infernal bells the genius built with my mother kept working even after I made sure she didn't." Orna said.

"You killed him and placed his body hear to be thrown at the top of the next hour." Monte said, finishing her thought.

"I didn't expect you to get their own your own, well done. His body was still warm when the big one there tossed him." Orna said. Monte couldn’t see what she was indicating. Orna was now halfway across the room, and she seemed to be getting further away from him.

"I confess I thought more of you, Orna. I thought maybe you were my half-sister with your talent and wit. You've managed to manipulate me twice. But now it's clear to me you're not my father's daughter at all." Monte said.

"Half-sister?" Orna spat.

"The Genius is not my father, nor is he yours. How you came by that sword… I can't say. But we will have it now. Now that you've proved me right, that it's the key to this device. The leader will be so pleased to finally have it." Orna said, still on the other side of the belfry.

"You're wrong. There is still hope for you. Tell me who this leader is, who wants my father's sword so badly he would ruin lives and kill for it." Monte said, conjuring confidence to his voice. A silence filled the room.

"We don't have a leader. The Company is just that." Orna said quietly.

No.

"It was you? You were the one behind the Final Tolling. You manipulated the mayor, just like you did… me." Monte said. Suddenly the reality of the situation washed over him.

Slow claps filled the belfry.

"Well done, Monte, well done. You must have forgotten that I told you as much last time you were here. Who else could have been behind it? The most difficult part was convincing my mother I wasn't behind it all, and I failed. She knew all along, but the old fool kept believing in the goodness in me, just like you. So, I had to off her." Orna said.

"You'll never get out of this. People will learn the truth, it will catch up with you, Orna. Speak it now, let me go, and this can still be repaired. You will serve your time, but you'll be allowed to live." Monte said.

"You are so thick. Does your need to be the hero every cease? In mere moments, my men will be here to kill you and take that forsaken blade for The Company. Finally we will learn the secrets of the Genius and make coin that will convince the rubes and hayseeds in this town, the pests. The Company will grow its power from my town, I will be revered as the first Company leader, and a martyr." Orna said.

"A martyr?" Monte asked. Moonlight filled the room again. Monte could see Orna standing in an opening, looking out over the edge to the Square.

"At some point there may have been a better way, but your actions have led me here. I would sooner die than stand trial in front of the gossips and bumpkins here." Orna said.

"Don't do it, Orna." Monte said. Orna turned toward him. Her jaw was set as though holding back something.

"I am the master of my fate. And I am already dead. You killed me. Now prepare to die." Orna said.

Without a hesitation, she turned back and leaned over the ledge until she was falling. Just as swiftly as she moved, she was gone. Monte heard nothing for some time. Then came the sound of heavy boots chiming against the wrought iron staircase to the belfry.