Chapter 50
The wagons were now facing south again, the horses drawing them closer at a cautious pace as Lilith and Kevin jumped to within 30’ of the lead cart. It soon came to a stop next to them the Sergeant pulling back on the rains as Duke Rarington leapt off followed by the more subdued militiaman.
“We saw the giants go down. I can’t believe you did that! You two are crazy!” The Duke yelled as he pulled his tricorn hat off his head pointing with it in the general direction of the giants.
“Well that's our Demon for you. Necromancers one day, Giants the next.” The sergeant said trying to sound unimpressed.
“Well Kevin got one of them while I kept the others busy. It actually might not have gone so well if he wasn’t there.”
“Um… ya…. you looked like roadkill there for a second Lilith.” Kevin said as he gave her a grim expression.
“Yes it wasn’t my best moment. Now lets get going we need to make it to the keep, right?”
“I think we should inspect that merchants cart and see if we can get it moving. There might be some valuables inside.” the Sergeant suggested.
“You would steal from what is likely a mans grave?” Duke Rarington asked sounding offended at even the thought.
“Well if we give him a proper burial then the cart isn’t his grave no more, now is it?”
“Fine. Fine. We can try to salvage the cart. Besides it would be a bit of a waste to leave it here. Hmmm, I’ll try and get the horses.”
The convoy moved forward, Lilith and Kevin jumping every now and then to keep up. At low speeds it was way easier than physically moving. Soon they went past the giant pile of ash arriving at the cart. Lilith helped the men right the cart using her weight to counterbalance it from the far side so that it wouldn’t fall suddenly. They then began the process of inspecting the wheels and mending the harnesses and yokes. Once Lilith understood how they worked she used Fabricate to fix the broken and torn bits of leather. Duke Rarington it seemed really did have a way with animals returning with the two horses that were soon and hitched back up to the cart. It was a large wooden fully enclosed cart made to withstand bandit attacks. The cargo seemed to have been completely secured inside the large cargo bed so it was possible that a lot of it was still intact.
Meanwhile, the rest of the men dug a grave and buried the merchant. Wanting the man to be at peace Lilith said a few words casting a minor blessing upon the soil. Two crossed giant clubs marked his grave, a grim reminder of how small humans were in this world. Even Lilith and her new massive body felt a bit smaller after being spiked into the ground like a football.
With the man buried and the cart salvaged, the convoy now consisted of four wagons Ten militia men One surly Sergeant a Duke, a future Duke, a Divine Demon and two snakes. Now with the merchant cart in the rear they set out again for Cromm’s Hold.
After another 30 minutes of travel they turned off the main road heading West on a smaller two track path that wound between a mix of scrub brush and small trees. Then the brush ended revealing fields of crops and some fenced in horses. Beyond them in the distance was the silhouette of the keep its ruined visage making it clear to everyone that something tragic had happened.
Lilith had been here less than a week ago at night on her rescue mission. Even in the dark all the buildings were square and well constructed, guards posted at regular intervals. Now, however, the place was a wreck the stone broken and in pieces. Crows could be heard arguing with each other while in the distance their black forms hopped around the walls and in the buildings pecking at the burned corpses of the keeps defenders. Wherever a body lie, the surface was blackened and charred. In this moment Lilith was very glad that she had spared Celeste from having to see this again while at the same time she couldn’t look away. Kevin held his nose as the smell hit him while the wagons pulled into the courtyard then circled around so they were facing the entrance again to allow for an easier exit when the time came.
Duke Rarington discussed the camp and his plans with the sergeant before he barked out orders at his men. With everyone in motion, besides Kevin, Lilith, and Karl, the Duke began walking the walls passing several of the burned corpses. Lilith watched him as he began his investigation silhouetted against the blue midday sky. Meanwhile, guards were posted on the walls above the entrance while the rest of the men setup camp and started a fire.
Knowing her duty, Lilith followed Karl helping to move rubble and open any locked doors that still remained intact. As they went deeper into the keep they found a hole dug by the attacking beast. Large stones were cast aside from the exterior wall but the destruction continued inward. Surrounded by claw marks a hole was made in an interior wall too. The path giving direct access to the Baroness’s chambers. Tapestries and books lie on the floor burned and charred. Furniture was tossed into corners some mangled and broken. Four bodies stood close together at the opening seeming to have died in a defensive formation. Their shields melted into misshapen forms as their bodies lie blackened and still. The smell was overpowering for both of them. To Lilith it smelled like burnt popcorn her eyes watering slightly at its sting. Continuing their search, they found something off to the side of the Baroness’s chambers. Against a bare stone interior wall was a smaller room that looked like some type of vault except there was no door, just bare hinges. Instead the door was behind them, the large slab of solid steel lay crumpled against the far wall as if it had been pulled off by a giant hand a hand with claws. The claw marks could be clearly seen piercing into the door’s surface leaving behind 5 dented holes. Here like some unearthed secret, a hidden vault in a once opulent bedroom the vault lie empty only a few scattered coins remained.
Duke Rarington stood there silent his hand over his mouth at the violence and totality of it all. An entire human settlement destroyed and looted in a single night without a single survivor. Now only the exterior wall and a few unused buildings were intact the rest was in ruin.
“What could do such a thing as this? This seems to be the work of some crazed monster not that of a metalic dragon. What could have possessed it to go to such lengths?” He asked seeming a bit puzzled.
“We have reason to believe that Lady Cromm was working with the Succubus Pencheska. After all she was holding Lady Morwen prisoner here while the Succubus was impersonating her in Daggerford.”
“Yes I read Sir Tanel’s report but I still find it hard to believe. Why would she betray her neighbors what did she stand to gain?”
“Perhaps she was bargaining with an infernal power for some type of immortality, or eternal youth. We did see a necromancer leaving her hold here, escorted by the orcs that attacked our city only a day later. But does her motivation really matter?” Lilith asked as her tail tapped in frustration.
“Yes I need proof. Solid proof. Especially if I am going to discredit her line and see her assets seized by the Lord’s Alliance.”
“What assets?” Lilith said with some sarcasm as she waved a hand around at the destroyed room and the empty vault.
“Ha, Ha. I mean the remains of the keep and the surrounding lands.” Duke Rarington said as he pocketed two of the remaining coins from the floor. “Can you help me find any physical evidence that the Duchess was being held prisoner here?”
Lilith sighed thinking for a moment before she replied. “I doubt she left a paper trail of any kind, and half the paper here is burned to ash anyways. You want eye witnesses? She had her kept in a dungeon alone specifically to prevent witnesses. She was attended to by only one person and that person too, is burned to ash.”
“I can see that, but I still need something or else this land will go to her son and he has already made claims that a demon from Daggerford burned this keep and killed every man and woman here.” He paused looking Lilith over his gaze settling on her glowing eyes. “Once he establishes a court as a member of the nobility you will be subject to its justice. Tell me where were you the night before the battle while this keep was purged with fire?”
“You can’t believe I did this? You have seen the marks, the missing gold, this was clearly done by a dragon. Just look at this door!” Lilith said with a bit of anger in her voice. She thought he was a smarter man than that.
“Of course I know it was a dragon! Your report even stated that you saw a golden dragon the day before with your own eyes and it fits. But since you are also the accused it is inadmissible. So I need something physical that I can document or transport to a court of law.”
With that her expression changed from frustration to understanding. She knew she wasn’t wrong about the man. He was under pressure to get something definitive not just hearsay. Lilith wracked her brain trying to think of what evidence would be left. Then she remembered the only thing that still existed was the jail itself. “I’ll show you how I got in. The cell is still there it will tell the story.” she said while looking directly in his eyes.
“Fine show me.” he said, motioning for Lilith to lead the way.
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Coiling into a ball she pushed herself in a new direction, back out the way they came. The Duke gave her a wide birth letting her go ahead as she moved with deliberate speed. Soon they were back outside having exited through the dragon sized hole in the building. It only took them a few minutes to walk around to the other side of the inner keep. There the tallest structure stood, its tower also torn open with large stones littering the yard in between the keep and the walls. Lilith went over to the spot where she had found Lady Morwen and there plain as day was a section of loose dirt filled in by hand.
“Here, you see the loose dirt. This is where I broke into her cell. It is attached to that window there. That is all the light she had for a year. Now watch.” Lilith said pointing at the only patch of soil that wasn’t covered by grass. She cast Mold Earth revealing the staircase down to the dungeon’s outer wall she had made four days prior using the same spell. The two of them exchanged looks and then Lilith cast Stone Shape on the wall creating a door with a handle and a hinge. Pulling on it the door came open and the two of them stepped inside.
Much to Lilith's surprise the shackles were still there attached by chains to the wall. The two buckets were outside the cell. Both were empty but the ladle for the drinking water was still resting in one of them. After looking around Karl, went over to examine the shackles. “These are small they are sized for a woman.” he said looking at them closely. “There is no sign of damage how did you get them open?”
“Magic.” Lilith said simply.
“And these markings.” Karl asked pointing to the scrape marks on the stone floor. Lilith bent over pointing to a corner of the shackles. It had been worn down, this corner having a rounded edge instead of a square one. It was clear that the prisoner had spent months grinding it against the stone just to do so little to her restraints. “This is it. I can take these with me. The marks on the shackles will line up with the marks in the stone. The length of the chain will match as well. Can you remove this in a way where the ends will match up so we have a solid way of linking it to this place.”
“I would suggest only taking this one Shackle and leaving the other in place. They were obviously made as a pair and materials and length will match up. It is a chain so no matter how I break it there will be a link missing. But maybe if I pull it out of the wall. The base plate will roughly fit back in. Also if they tamper with the wall there would be signs of repair.”
“Please go ahead.” Karl said as he moved away to give her space.
Lilith pulled on the base plate with her fingers and it soon came loose from the wall including the four rivets that had been pounded into it. The plate and the holes matched up in a way that would be difficult to imitate. She folded up the chain carrying it out in her arms. Once they were back up the earthen stairs Lilith canceled the magic and the stone door disappeared behind them.
“Here I hope that is enough.” Lilith said as she handed the chain and shackle over to the Duke.
“It should be a good start but lets look around some more.” Duke Rarington said as he began to walk away Lilith said something that got him to stop.
“I was with Kevin.”
“What?”
“The night before the battle while the dragon was destroying this place, I spent the entire night with Kevin Demura so I have a witness as to my whereabouts. You can tell them I had no opportunity and no motive.
“Thanks, but they may just say that a demon doesn’t need a motive to destroy a keep.”
“Well in that case why wouldn’t I destroy something in Daggerford? Instead, I have done just the opposite.”
“Ok you’re right about that. Hummm. I might be able to find character witnesses in Daggerford too.”
“You may also find a cleric willing to cast Zone of Truth who could settle this matter in moments if I am able to face my accuser.”
“A guilty person would just refuse to talk and we can’t use silence as evidence. But I like the idea. In fact, so does our Open Lord too, apparently. You actually remind me of her some times the way you both attack a problem head on and usually with magic of some type. Its too bad, if it wasn’t for your… um….. lower half you might make a good ruler some day.”
“Well I don’t want to rule over anyone else. I just want to be the master of my own destiny.”
“And how is that working out for you.” He asked as Lilith brought a bit more of her coils into the room.
“Well I was kidnapped from my home and asked to fight an orc champion in a place I had only read about in books. I have been given a divine mission to which I don’t know the objective. Had to fight a necromancer, orcs and then undead orc. I’ve been tossed by giants and worse, now I have been falsely accused of a genocide.” She breaks eye contact shaking out her only to smooth it back behind her shoulders in frustration. “So about fifty fifty I would say.” Lilith joked, shaking her hand in a ‘so so’ gesture.
“Well I have no idea why Weston Voss would make these false accusations against you, except maybe it could be a vain attempt to maintain hold of his inheritance. Now come on, lets set this in the wagon along with that damaged door from the vault.”
“Fine, fine. But can we have lunch after that?”
Lilith placed the shackles in the back of the first covered wagon before returning to the keep to retrieve the damaged door. With the evidence stowed she then went to join the men around their makeshift camp.
Around the fire the Duke was already seated his hat and gloves resting beside him on a few pieces of stone that had been repurposed as seats. Seeing that the food was in short supply she settled for just a single serving of stew. Really, she didn’t need to eat but she enjoyed the smell and taste of food so much that she hadn’t missed many meals since finding herself in this strange body. The only times she truly got hungry was when she was low on pact energy but she hadn’t used any since the day before last. Mostly it was a common human experience she could engage in. Lately it seemed more and more she was struggling to cling to anything that made her feel human.
For a reason she didn’t understand she dismissed her armored gauntlets revealing her bare hands underneath. With a bare finger she ran it inside the bottom of the bowl collecting what little was left only to lick her finger clean. Seeing that she was done one of the men came by to take the wooden bowl from her saving her the effort of moving. She had spent a while coiling her tail behind her after all so as not to trip anyone else. Still she sat there looking at her hands the only parts of her that were completely human. Around her the group of men talked about various inane things, the scene having a familiarity that gave her comfort.
A sudden sensation on her back brought her out of her contemplation as two somethings climbed upward coming to rest on each of her shoulders. The noodles had been watching her deciding to come over once they saw she was staying for a while. Lilith wasn’t sitting on anything she had just lowered herself down to where her femurs attached to her first segment. The reduced flexibility in this area made it easier for her to support her weight while balancing with fewer muscles. Smiling to herself she spoke into their minds greeting them before they asked if they could explore the keep as it looked very interesting. Lilith told them no but she would try to find them something else they could do. They obviously weren’t happy sitting in the back of the wagon. Thinking of her options Lilith came up with an idea calling over to the sergeant.
“Sergeant!” She called waiting for him to come closer before she continued. “You know I am a Wizard right?” Lilith asked looking up to him waiting for his confirmation.
“Yes, all those fireballs and lightning bolts earlier would make one think so.” he said to a few cheers from the men.
“Have you ever seen a Wizard with a familiar before?”
“Well Master Wendel used to have that ice rabbit that would hop up on the table chilling people’s drinks for them, but he doesn’t seem to use it any more.” The Sergeant said seeming to get lost in thought before he looked back at her with an odd expression.
Lilith didn’t recall ever seeing Wendel with a rabbit, ice or otherwise, but she continued to press her point. “Well I have a couple of familiars that could help your men stand watch. They can see in the dark and send signals without making a sound.”
The sergeant looked Lilith up and down before speaking in a whispered tone. “This familiar its not a snake is it?”
“No, don’t be silly. Its two snakes.” She assured him only to see his expression go sour. “But they don’t bite. They just ask a lot of questions.”
“I don’t know. Some of the guys might not like that but I can ask them.” he started to wave his arms to get the other militia-men's attention before Lilith interjected.
“Well they might be more tolerant if we had a formal introduction, they can introduce themselves actually.” She said with no small amount of pride.
“I’ve never met a snake before.” One Militiaman said looking a little nervous.
“Me either Sarge. How are they going to shake my hand?” Another one said seeming a bit more confident.
Behind him a few of the other men shook their heads no while looking at the sergeant with pleading eys.
“Why do you want to summon these things we don’t really need a couple snakes running around here. Wait how big are they?” he asked trying to keep his tone even.
“Oh, they’re only about 10’ long and weigh maybe 20 lbs. So pretty small compared to me.” Lilith said with a knowing look.
“Well that's a relief, but still why do you want to summon them now? We have enough men for a proper watch and I don’t know what kind of help a snake would be really.” he asked again seeming to want a real answer this time.
“Yes Lilith, why do you want to ‘summon’ them now?” Kevin asked in a sarcastic tone as he came over to join the conversation standing between the sergeant and Lilith.
“Because they are already here alright! I couldn’t just leave them in my closet back at the castle so I brought them.” Lilith admitted as she moved around left to right in what would be pacing if she still had feet.
“You spoil them too much Lils.” Kevin said with a laugh.
“Wait they have been here the whole time? Where are they now?” The Sergeant asked while looking around nervously.
“They have been sitting on her shoulders mostly, otherwise they have been staying in the cart.” Kevin said pointing at Lilith and the cart in turn.
“Well I can’t just leave them in the wagon. That’s just a closet with wheels.” Lilith said trying to rationalize her decision.
“So if they have been here the whole time why haven’t we seen them?” The sergeant asked while gritting his teeth.
“Magic.” Lilith said with a sigh, before she canceled the invisibility spell revealing the two jet black King Cobras on her shoulders. A couple of the grown men got up and left the camp fire deciding they would rather do work than be near two large poisonous snakes. The rest were either curious or seemed to have some trust in Lilith as most of them had seen her fight the Orcs and giants on their behalf.
“Hey Noodle Two, come on over here.” Kevin called out before he soon had a snake standing next to him hooded up with his head 3’ off the ground. He simply looked up at him as his head swayed slightly. “Hey Sarge why don’t you introduce yourself.”
“Really to a snake?” he asked as he looked towards Kevin and the obsidian colored serpent. Then it came over to him, keeping its head at waist level stopping some 4’ away only to looked up at him expectantly. Not wanting to be rude he started. “Hello.. I’m Sergeant Avery and I am in command of this detachment.”
“Greetings, I am Noodle Two.” He swayed his head side to side mimicking the way people wave their hands in greeting. “I was told you fought orcs yesterday, What do they look like?”
“Well they are bigger than a human, and they have green skin and tusks.” He said as he held his hands up to his face with two fingers extended to make the shape of tusks.
“How much bigger, like the size of those giants?” asked Noodle One who moved to stand next to Noodle Two. The pair of them looking like twins at this point.
“No nothing close to a giant. Orcs are about a foot taller than a typical human.” he said with a smile sensing only curiosity from the two snakes.
Noodle One lowered his head down to look at the Sergeant’s foot, examining it from in front and then from the side. “Oh like the length of your boot?”
“Ya exactly.” he said in surprise. Lilith too was surprised the demon picked up a new concept so quickly. ‘That's my boy’ she thought, before cringing outwardly.
This went on for a few more minutes the two snakes asking questions of each of the militiamen usually starting with their name and how many orcs they killed. Eventually Duke Rarington came over telling Lilith that he wanted to search the castle again but in more detail this time.
“Hey Kevin can you watch the Noodles?” Lilith asked as she was being led away by the Duke.
“Uhh sure?” he said not fully understanding the task but also not seeing a reason to say no.
Lilith then mentally told both of the Noodles to stay within eye sight of Kevin unless he gave them permission to leave. She then went with Duke Rarington back towards the large destroyed buildings in the keep as he led on.
Once again they searched for hours. Even so, there was so much damage, mostly fire damage, that evidence was proving impossible to find. They tried the library but there were so many books that even if she had something on Orcus they would be unlikely to find it given the collapsed shelves and piles of half burned and fully burned books that were now lost to the ages.
Then as they searched the Baroness’s room for the third time, Duke Rarington noticed a scuff mark on the floor that looked like something had been drug across it in a curved path repeatedly. Soon the two of them were searching the room for the trigger that would make a false wall rotate out. After some time Lilith found the button underneath the vanity. The section of wall swinging open revealing a passage down to a sub basement that predated the current structure. The stairs went down a full twenty feet below ground level as they could feel the moisture and temperature change. Descending a steep set of stairs, the passage was only 3’ wide causing Lilith to move slowly as she didn’t have room to propel herself nor turn around. With her head so close to the walls she noticed some small intricate runes etched into the stonework. Oddly enough she recognized the runes. It was a ward against scrying just like the castle had on its baths. Karl was in front carrying a hooded lantern and his sword while Lilith followed a few feet behind. After they were quite a ways in, the passage leveled out briefly before it turned going down even further. Lilith then heard the secret door at the top slide closed latching as it shut. “Meh” she muttered figuring she could just break out or use a spell if she really needed to. Then something caught her attention. Around the next corner she heard a sound. It was an old woman’s voice and she sounded very angry.