An intense amount of snow fell over the city. He pushed through the snow-covered streets as the wind tried its hardest to blow the hood of his cloak off of his head. Even with multiple layers of clothing, he began to shiver after being out in the elements for some time to reach his destination.
When’s this cold weather ever going to end? This bad weather was just the cherry on top of an already precarious position he and everyone else were currently in. There was but one positive he could think of and how it kept some of the people he knew to not wear such flagrantly revealing attire. But he knew that once it got hot again, they would go back to wearing that kind of clothing.
Kiran headed towards the southeastern parts of Liall where the buildings were so numerous enough and similarly designed to one another, that it would be easy to pick the right building. That wasn’t the only issue either. The streets were quite tight and overly windy. Whoever developed this part of Liall did so in a sloppy way compared to other areas and districts. In some ways, the underground parts were developed better. The overall layout and design of this area were done in such a way to maximize the limited space by packing in as many buildings as possible right up against each other. As a result, it was a bit of a disaster as he tried to remember the directions to reach the correct building.
While he thought this little venture of his would end in failure, he found himself able to find the correct building that Silvy had been moved to. When he reached the front wooden door with snow right up against the bottom of it, he slammed his fist against it to alert whoever was inside there. Someone began moving inside until stopping on the other side of the door. For some reason, they chose to not say anything.
Without having to ask, he said the secret password quietly and the door opened. A brown-bearded man inside greeted him and closed the door behind him.
“How’s everything been?” Kiran asked.
The man whose name escaped him began scratching their beard. “It’s been quiet here. Haven’t seen any patrols out there either.”
“Good. And how has Silvy been doing?”
“She’s been more than cooperative with us.”
Kiran nodded his head. I didn’t think she’d cause trouble. Although I imagine she might not like being attended to at all times and kept locked away during every moment of her existence. Even though Silvy was offering her hand to aid the coalition, she wasn’t given any membership or any real trust by the leadership. She was instead kept on a tight leash and hidden away in an area to keep a safe boundary between herself and them in case she was found somehow by the queen or her cohorts.
He walked towards the back of the main room hearing the floor creek as his feet hit against it. Very little light existed in here forcing his eyes to adjust to the darkness of this interior.
When he knocked on the back room door, it opened quickly without delay. A man with a shaved face welcomed him in and kept their hand near the sheathed sword at all times.
“You can go,” Kiran said.
The man didn’t argue and left leaving just him and Silvy who sat with one leg crossed over the other. He noticed that off in the right back corner of the relatively small room that didn’t have any windows in it or any other ways out besides the way he came in, an assortment of armor sat there with a neatly folded green cloak beside it.
“You look like you’re in a good mood,” he said half-jokingly.
With arms crossed, she began tapping her fingers against her arm. “Oh I’m in a great mood. I’m having the best time of my life being stuck in here with nothing to do.”
“It beats sitting in a cell all day.”
She puffed air out of her nostrils. “Hardly so. Although admittedly, this is a bit better than that dingy cell. I can actually move around a bit more although doing so always gets these constant watchers of mine a bit nervous. I swear they’re unfathomably paranoid, especially when I need to relieve myself. ‘Why what is it that you think you’re doing!’” she said in a gruff tone imitating one of her watcher’s voices. “‘Oh, I don’t know. Just trying to take a piss. Can I do that in private at the very least?’ I’ll try telling them my reasoning only to get them to gaze at me skeptically. They do know I’m human, right? I do have to relieve myself from time to time just like them.”
“Well to be fair,” he went on to say, “if you were to try something that’s when you’d want to do it.”
Even she couldn’t argue against that. “Sure, but I mean really? I don’t have a choice.”
“Other than that, have you been treated well?”
She leaned back in her chair at the back of the room continuing to tap her fingers against her crossed arm. “They’re treating me well enough considering who I am. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect them to love me or anything like that. It’s just that my willingness to help would get me, I don’t know, a bit better treatment.”
He ended up spotting a deck of cards just sitting there on the table. He decided to sit opposite from her and collect the cards into a full deck running the cards through his fingers that always felt satisfying to him whenever he did such a thing. She gave him a funny look as if wondering what the heck he was doing enjoying this as much as he did.
“Want to play a card game?”
“What, now?” she said.
“Sure, why not.”
“Uh,” she eyed the cards in his hands. “I guess I could. What game do you have in mind?”
“Why not a good game of poker? I seem to recall the rules well enough. Do you know the rules?”
“Sure I do. It’s a favorite pastime of mine.”
“Splendid,” he said eager to play a game.
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To his dismay, his ability to play was quite poor. She beat him the first time, the second time, the third time, and even the fourth time. By then he was about ready to toss the cards across the room and fall backwards in his chair to give up on life. Perhaps poker is better left to others. I may rather want to spectate in the future than participate. Yes, that sounds like a good idea to save myself from being humiliated. Just look at the smug face of hers.
“You’re not very good at this game,” she said with a chuckle.
“Yes, yes. I know that. May we not point out the obvious.” Fumes were practically ready to project out of his ears. Thankfully in reality that didn’t occur. He merely felt a bit of rage that losing multiple card games provided to him. Be easy Kiran, there’s no sense in getting angry over a game of cards.
“If I may,” she said, “is this what you came here to do?”
“No, but I saw the cards and thought why not play a little. Most of the day is still available to us and there may not be another opportunity upcoming.”
“You’re just as nervous as me aren’t you?”
“Nervous? Of course not. I’m not nervous at all.”
Her eyes narrowed towards him. “Well, I certainly can relate if that’s how you feel. We’re no doubt planning something quite absurd and quite reckless. Actually, I’d almost say it’s for sure reckless. You know another plan could always be devised over this one.”
Wait a second. I’m supposed to be the one checking to make sure that she’s sure about carrying out this mission of mine. Now she’s the one making me second guess. Snap out of it Kiran! Get your head on straight!
“I assume then,” he said continuing their conversation whilst he leaned forward, “that you’re for sure still willing to help me do this?”
She didn’t immediately respond. Her eyes focused on the table instead of him for a moment. Eventually, they came back to meet his while she breathed in and breathed back out. “I’ve thought long about it. I’ve second-guessed, triple-guessed, and so on countless times now. But at the end of the day, I feel that it is right. I’ve been questioning my loyalty towards her majesty for a while now and even before all of this. Truthfully speaking, it began not long after I first became inducted as a knight many years ago.”
Silvy put both of her hands on the end of the table. She tightened them together appearing somewhat sad about the reality of things. “I swore myself to her and I would’ve gladly died for her, but I’ve seen her cruelty countless times and despite all of it, I was willing to serve her. I picked up my sword and carried out her demands more than I would like to admit, even when I knew it was wrong. If not for you, I imagine I would still justify my unwillingness to reconsider my service to her.”
Somehow Kiran doubted that the queen was evil in every decision she made throughout her century-long reign. However, he had witnessed firsthand her unjust cruelty. She was responsible for Della’s slaughter and many others during that winter festival. She chose to take actions that no one of a right mind could rightfully consider right or at all tolerable.
Such a person needed to be dealt with and Kiran had steeled his mind for taking such action. As far as he could tell, Silvy appeared prepared to assist him in confronting the queen in a manner that she likely wouldn’t expect. He wouldn’t do it if he didn’t possess a few advantages that he felt would enable him to have the capability to defeat her. But success wasn’t inevitable. And he knew that. Still, he had to be willing to be brave and do what he felt was right.
“And what about you,” Silvy said. “Are you truly resolved enough to go through with this plan? Your life is on the line too you know. Confronting the queen isn’t some non-consequential decision one makes in life. It’s the sort of decision that can determine life or death. And even if you fail in carrying out your will to put an end to her, you may survive the conflict only to be tortured ruthlessly until the day your body finally gives up.”
“I am,” he said. “I’m glad to see you are as well. I believe our odds are better than what we imagine.”
It was no easy task to betray an oath, especially an oath to a highly esteemed order of knights who served Queen Luvia Aenveld. Silvy was also not just any knight. She was the queen’s flame-bearing knight who proved her own ability to him on numerous occasions. For her to forsake such an oath could not be taken lightly. He imagined that after everything was over, she would if she wanted to, receive an opportunity to join the coalition to have a new sort of brotherhood with them instead.
Since being in the coalition, he felt like he had truly found a movement of people who had each other’s backs and fought for a noble cause. He imagined that she would fit in just fine with the rest of them.
Since he had gotten what he came here to get, he stood up. “Well, our day to carry this plan out soon approaches.”
She smiled. “Indeed. I suppose before you go, may I make a small request?”
“Sure.”
“Can they perhaps give me something a little more appetizing to eat? They haven’t exactly been feeding me the best food.”
Well he certainly couldn’t afford to have that. “I’ll be sure to have them give you something better.”
“Thanks,” she said.
Her request was simple and he chose to make good by it informing them to feed her something better. Shortly thereafter he left and headed back to Rinas’s place. He thought it felt colder than earlier which was somewhat surprising since it was a bit later in the day. More snow kept falling filling the streets that needed to be shoveled away almost constantly.
It’s almost time, isn’t it? The day of our confrontation. His body felt a bit tense, even as he entered Rinas’s mansion and walked further into it. Such a peaceful environment did little to soothe his mind away from the swirling tense thoughts of the day soon to come.
It was quiet inside causing his mind to focus even further on the coming conflict. He hoped he could get enough rest tonight since he didn’t want to be unrested for such an important day but somehow he thought his mind would keep him awake anyways.
He’d likely just lay there in bed for hours on end if he went to bed now so he chose to wander around to see who might be around to keep him company for a bit of time. The mansion was practically empty besides Lar who appeared to be asleep in her personally granted chambers. Besides her, he ended up discovering that Noreko was inside the mansion in his laboratory. He apparently had multiple laboratories for himself throughout Liall. He had one here at Rinas’s place, his own place—wherever that was—and another location that he said he kept secret from everybody else.
Noreko spotted him as he mixed a pair of liquids in vials together into a much larger cylindrical device. “Ah, Kiran. There you are.”
“Mixing potions I presume?”
“You’d know something is wrong if I weren’t mixing potions in my spare time.”
“I was sort of curious about how you plan on powering the pillar yourself.”
“Have I not shown you the device that will allow me to do such a thing yet?”
“Unless I somehow forgot about you doing that, I’d have to say no.”
He swirled the concoction around. It changed from a bluish color to a yellowish one. He quickly put a cork in it, put the potion down on the table, and slammed his hands together. “Well then, I shall show you. It’s quite a fascinating device. I am if I say so myself, a little proud of myself for having created it. Come now, let me show you.”
Within his laboratory was another closed-off area. He muttered an incantation beneath his breath lifting off a ward from the double metallic doors near the back left side of his laboratory. With a simple gesture of his hand, the doors opened and he gestured for Kiran to proceed into the room. “Don’t be shy now,” he said with a smirk urging him to go in.