Chapter Two

“Wait miss Sophia!” Xorvos pleaded. “She didn’t do it I was here with her the whole time.”

The irate librarian just wasn’t having it and continued to point towards Shuka accusatorily.

“Maybe she just tricked you with her magic. Or maybe you are in on it too. You are her friend after all.”

Xorvos was aghast at the suggestion that he had any part in recent wrongdoings. He had never been anything but law abiding, and he thought she would know better than to doubt that. Shuka on the other hand was absolutely terrified.

What was it that the witch said again? Something about people seeing nothing but evil in me? If the guards get involved, it won’t end well for me.

Already she could see a few armoured figures in the streets approaching to investigate the disturbance. Although now that she is looking at them, Shuka noticed that one of those figures was not like the rest. Most of the men and woman she saw wore the town guards’ uniform, a basic breastplate and a short spear. But there was one man who Shuka had never seen before who wore a full suit of armour minus the helmet.

It was made of a shining steel that shone brightly in the sun. Engraved and painted on the front was a bleeding hand, grasping a four-pointed star. It was the holy symbol of Humanus, the god of ambition. At the man’s hip was a sheathed longsword and a metal rimmed shield was strapped to his arm. Painted on the shield in a very similar manor to his chest piece, was a X made of rope with a sturdy knot in the middle. The holy symbol of Quansonax, the god of honor. The pale skinned man had blue eyes and flowing blond hair down to his shoulders. He made Shuka think of just about every storybook hero she could think of but for some reason she didn’t feel very safe around him.

“What is going on here?”

Sophia and Xorvos stopped their argument upon hearing the man’s voice. It was a commanding voice that attracted the attention of everyone who heard it.

“Oh, it’s nothing for you to worry about sir.” Xorvos told him “Just a small misunderstanding between my friend and the librarian here.”

“Misunderstanding?! This is no misunderstand, she robbed me and now you are trying to pretend it never happened!”

Seeing two conflicting opinions the newcomer decided to try to mediate between them. Seeing as the librarian was the loudest, he decided to start with her.

“Could you please tell me what happened? From your perspective at least.”

She was all too happy too.

“This little thief came into my library asking for a dangerous book that’s not open to the public. When I told her, she couldn’t have it she ran off in a fit. Not even ten minutes later and the I see her running out of my library holding a bag full of books after triggering the magical sensors set up in the restricted section. Now she is standing around here with the gall to say it wasn’t her.”

The man glanced at Shuka while he listened. It was a look that said he believed every word that was said. Even so he turned to her and had the curtesy to ask her the same question.

“And what is your side of the story miss?”

Shit. He already believes her, I bet he will barely even listen to my side. I can’t even say one wrong word right now.

“I did ask about a book but not for any bad reasons. And I didn’t steal anything I have been here the entire time.”

“It’s true.” Xorvos interjected. “I’ve been here with her, and she hasn’t left this spot since she left the librarians office.”

The man looked between the two women and considered his answer. He looked almost certain of his answer before but hesitated when Xorvos spoke in Shuka’s defense. Finally he looked back to the librarian and asked one last question.

“What was the book she was looking for?”

“A book on curses.”

And just like that something clicked inside his head. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword and although he didn’t draw it, he clearly looked ready to.

“I will have to ask you to come with me right now young lady.”

While before he was polite, now he dropped even that pretense. Now he was looking at Shuka like she was a convicted murderer.

“W-wait, hold on. You’re not an official guard right? I don’t think you can arrest me. And besides, I’m innocent and you don’t have any evidence anyway.”

“Ah, my apologies, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Validus Arcion, Grand Paladin of the Celestial Empire. I am granted the authority to punish and detain any evil doers I encounter by both Grand Priest Mervil and Emperor Rendalt.”

Grand Paladin?! What the hell is such an important person doing here in the middle of nowhere? And why is he so interested in a few stolen books?

“Hold on, she isn’t some kind of evil doer, this is just one big misunderstanding.”

Xorvos tried to intervene, but Validus was having none of it He just pushed his way past the Quanso and approached Shuka with one hand still on his swords hilt.

“Come quietly and I won’t have to draw my blade. Try to flee however, and I can’t guarantee your safety.”

He didn’t need the threat, Shuka was already frozen in fear. Any hope of escaping was quickly fading away with every step of the paladins’ feet. Then, out of nowhere a hand fell on Shuka’s shoulder from behind and pulled her backwards with a quick yank. As she was pulled, Validus drew his sword and slashed at the spot where Shuka had just been all in one motion. Looking behind herself to see who pulled her out of the swords path, Shuka saw nothing but an empty street. She did hear a voice though, whispering in her ear.

“Run back to your house.” Ralisdor told her “I made you invisible, but it won’t last forever. Pack up your things and I will meet you there.”

Looking back at the paladin, Shuka saw that he was now looking around in confusion, rather than following through after his first attack. Seeing an opportunity, she wouldn’t get again Shuka turned and began to run back to her house, and far away from the man who just tried to kill her.

If Ralisdor was just a second too late I would be dead right now. How is that alright for him to do? Just kill someone because he thinks they might be bad. That’s not right. Wait, shit, what about Xorvos? If I’m gone won’t that paladin go after him next? Crap, I just have to hope Ralisdor will help him too. Then again, Xorvos is pretty tough, he’s probably fine.

*

Xorvos was not fine. He had just seen a man he would normally revere try to murder his best friend not even ten minutes ago. Now he was hiding in the house he inherited from his father after Ralisdor helped him escape from Validus.

Oh gods am I a criminal now? All I did was try and help my friend. What do I do now? Ralisdor told me to prepare to leave Rainsburg and meet him at the north gate, but I can’t just run away, can I? Maybe I should just go back and explain myself.

As he thought that, Xorvos recalled the look Validus gave Shuka as he tried to kill her and reconsidered.

I might be able to convince the residents of Rainsburg, but not him. As long as he’s around I don’t really have a choice, do I? And whatever trouble I’m going through it’s gotta be worse for Shuka, I have to be there for her. Now where did I put my armour?

It had been months since he had a reason to wear the rather simple set of armour that he got for his eighteenth birthday. It didn’t help that each piece of the armour had somehow found itself in a different place in the house either. In the end he managed to find and put on all of his scattered pieces of armour. Other than his gauntlets which he rarely took off, he had a sturdy breastplate, on his chest and grieves on his feet. There were also several plates of metal covering his tail, from its base to around halfway down its length. He had no helmet and large parts of his arms and legs were protected by nothing but cloth. Compared to Validus who was covered in metal from the neck down, he was woefully under armoured.

How was I okay with leaving so much of my body unprotected? I should at least have a chain shirt underneath this to protect my arms. Although I guess I never thought I would be getting in any fights where I might die. Would chainmail even help me if I went up against the Grand Paladin? He is supposed to be the most powerful Paladin in the Celestial Empire, all I am is some kid who enjoys sparring with his father. And it’s been over a year since I’ve done even that.

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Xorvos started to panic again. He felt like he had picked the wrong path somewhere down the line and now all he could do was wait for everything to go wrong. He was too afraid to leave the house, but even more afraid of what would happen if he stayed. After all, most people in Rainsburg new where he lived as one of the towns few oddities, and it was only a matter of time before Validus asked them. But leaving was just as bad. It was a conundrum that left him paralyzed.

If only I was still invisible. Maybe I should just run to the north gate, and hope Ralisdor can save me when I get there. But that only works if I actually get there safely. If I stay, I will be alone though. And even worse, I won’t be able to protect Shuka. She has never needed more help in her life, and I can’t just sit around and do nothing because I’m scared. If I don’t help her, she might die, and that is not something I can let happen. I just wish it was a bit less dangerous.

*

It didn’t take long for Shuka to reach her small hunting cabin on the outskirts of Rainsburg. After all, she was running as fast as she could and was fuelled by fear. Once she got there, she started to pack everything that she thought might be useful, and barely even noticed when the invisibility wore off halfway through. A handful of minutes later she had everything that she needed. Admittedly she didn’t pack much, only some dried meat, her bow and some spare arrows, her bedroll, and a handful of silver coins. She already had her bow and hunting knife on her so that shortened the time it took to pack even further.

Is there anything else I might need? Oh I should probably get my amulet of Vondoom too. That is sure too help wherever there are orphanages, and there are orphanages everywhere. Although I guess asking them to help clear my name might be a bit much.

Shuka wasn’t a worshipper of the demi-god of orphans, but every child who grew up in his orphanages is given the chain necklace with a silver V hanging off it. Even several years after leaving to live on her own, Shuka was sure she could find help as a Child of Vondoom, believer or not. She would need to amulet as proof outside of Rainsburg though. Shuka picked up the necklace and put it in her bag along with all of the rest of her gear right when she heard a knock at the door and a voice.

“Shuka, it’s me.” Ralisdor called out. “Are you ready to go? We have to leave right now.”

Oh thank the gods it’s Ralisdor. I almost thought that paladin had caught up to me already.

Shuka opened the door and looked around nervously. All she saw was her mentor standing there with a travel bag of his own.

“What happened to Xorvos? Is he safe?”

“He is, I made sure he got away. I told him to meet us at the north gate. We should head there now too; I don’t know how long it will take for them to catch up to us and there is only so much I can do.”

“Let’s go then.”

There were more question she wanted to ask, but they could be asked on the move, so she just grabbed her things and followed Ralisdor. As she was leaving, Shuka glanced back towards her home one last time. It wasn’t a very impressive building, only big enough for one or two people to live in it, but for the last three years it had been the place Shuka had called home.

How long am I going to be gone for? Where am I even going? Will this even be my home when I return? No, I can think about that later. I can’t mess up now, so I have to focus on surviving, everything else can wait.

Leaving her home behind her, Shuka followed Ralisdor into the forest surrounding Rainsburg.

“So… what now? Are we going to chase down the thief to get the books back and prove my innocence?”

“Hmm? Oh, no we are not. He could be miles away by now for all we know, and even if we did catch him, I doubt it would prove your innocence with that curse on you.”

“But doesn’t he have the book on curses? If we can get that from him then we can just remove the curse before handing him in.”

“That is only if he actually has the book we are looking for. We don’t know what books specifically he stole and checking at the library is too dangerous at this point. Besides, I only said a book on curses would help, there is no guarantee that I would be able to successfully remove the spell with it’s help.”

Shit, he’s right. But if I can’t get that book then how am I going to remove the curse? Will I have to go find another mage to remove it? Or maybe I could find a powerful enough priest to help me. Ralisdor would know, he probably already has a plan.

“So if we aren’t chasing after the thief, then what are we doing?”

“Simple. We will travel to the city of Lancrin and find a suitable book or spellcaster there. It is the city of magic after all, if there isn’t a sufficiently capable wizard or cleric there then there won’t be one in the entire Celestial Empire.”

Lancrin? But that’s so far away. It’s halfway across the Empire from where we are right now. And I don’t own a horse either, so it will all be on foot too.

“But what about while we are traveling there? I can’t keep running from people like that paladin.”

Her voice was thick with fear and anxiety, but Ralisdor gave his reply as calmly as ever.

“You won’t have to worry about that with me protecting you. I may not be a good enough fighter to beat that man in a duel but tricking him long enough for us to escape is well within my capabilities as an illusionist. With enough practice, I imagine you will be capable of the same.”

How much practice is that going to take? A decade? I can hardly make any illusions at all let alone a good one.

With nothing left to say, the two individuals quickly made their way through the rest of the woods in silence. It wasn’t a long walk, Shuka didn’t live that far away from the north gate which was where they were headed. But it felt like much longer to Shuka who couldn’t go ten steps without looking over her shoulder or scanning the trees for people. Despite the paranoid hunter’s worries, they reached their destination uneventfully. And there Shuka found Xorvos already waiting for them. She knew it was Xorvos because despite the large dark cloak covering most of his body, his long gray tail was sticking out the bottom.

Well, that’s not the most… effective disguise I have ever seen, but at least he is trying. I just hope he didn’t go down the main streets looking like that.

Ralisdor had similar thoughts to Shuka but unlike her he didn’t keep them to himself. The moment they were close enough to talk with each other Ralisdor let loose. Quietly of course.

“By the gods, do you want to get caught? That is by far the worst disguise I have ever encountered in all my life. Not only do you fail at hiding your identity, but you somehow managed to draw more attention to yourself with that giant cloak of yours. It is a perfectly warm and sunny day, and yet here you are covering every possible inch of your body like an absolute buffoon. The one blessing that is to be gained from your horrendous mistake is the knowledge that your newfound criminal status hasn’t yet reach the entire town guard. You couldn’t possibly have made it this far otherwise.”

Holy shit, where did THAT come from? I don’t think I have ever seen Ralisdor that angry before. I guess he’s not as calm as he looks. It’s almost reassuring, knowing he is taking this as seriously as I am. Still, he went a bit too far this time.

“Give him a break Ralisdor, it’s not like he’s used to this sort of thing. And he didn’t get caught so it all ended up fine, right?”

He didn’t seem to agree, but Ralisdor kept silent at that. Xorvos wasn’t too happy either, but he knew this wasn’t the place to start an argument, so he let it go.

“So, what are we doing now? I’m sure a man as smart and amazing as you has a plan, right Ralisdor?”

…so maybe he hadn’t let it go completely. There was enough sarcasm in Xorvos’ voice to tip off even the densest of people.

“Well, Xorvos, I do indeed have a plan. I’m going to buy a few horses, as the only person here who isn’t a wanted criminal, while you two sit here quietly and wait for me to return. Do you think you can do that, or is that a bit too complicated for you?”

“We don’t have time for this!” Shuka interjected. “If you are going to fight do it later when we aren’t in mortal danger.”

They were still glaring at each other, but Ralisdor at least decided Shuka was right.

“Tch. Fine, I’ll be back with the horses soon. Just try not to get in trouble.”

And with that, Ralisdor left, going through the northern gate, back into Rainsburg. Shuka moved a bit away from the gate, and then sat down, leaning her back against the wall surrounding the small town. It was mostly for decoration at this point as all of the local monsters had long since been exterminated. There wasn’t even any guards patrolling the wall anymore which Shuka was grateful for. Xorvos sat down next to her while stuffing his cloak into his travel bag, still looking a bit disgruntled.

“Hey, uh… sorry about Ralisdor. He’s not usually that mean, I think he’s just stressed about the situation.”

“We’re ALL a bit stressed about the situation. I don’t get why you like him so much; he’s always been like this.”

Since when did Xorvos and Ralisdor have such a bad relationship? How did I not notice? Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t ever remember seeing them talk to each other. Xorvos works at the library and Ralisdor visits there fairly often, so they must see each other a lot, but I don’t think I’ve ever been there for it. May something happened between them that I didn’t see. I should probably just change the subject; I don’t want to accidently make things worse.

“So… that Validus guy from before. He said he was a Grand Paladin. It sounds pretty important, but do you know any specifics about that?”

“He is the Grand Paladin, not a Grand Paladin. There is only one, and it is a position granted to the most powerful Paladin in the Celestial Empire. Normally they go around solving any major problems that might pop up, so I don’t know what he is doing down here. He is supposed to be a paragon of justice but… I guess not.”

All of the anger from before was gone, and now all that Shuka heard in her friend’s voice was a sad disappointment.

Validus must have been something like a hero for Xorvos. It must hurt to meet him like this.

“Hey, it’s not his fault this happened. Blame the witch for cursing me. Everyone gets tricked sometimes, that’s why people play tricks in the first place. This was just a very bad trick played by a very bad person, and he got caught up in it, the same as us.”

“Would believing you stole a few books be enough to draw his blade on you? There is more to justice than death, but I guess that’s all he knows how to do.”

Shuka recalled the tip of his sword passing by her throat by inches and couldn’t argue against that. He was trying to kill her. Luckily, she didn’t need to continue the conversation, because she heard the distinctive ‘clip clop’ of hooves on ground approaching. Although, there was something wrong. Ralisdor was supposed to be buying horses for all three of them, yet she only heard one set of hooves. And by the sound of it, the horse was galloping at full speed.

Shit, that’s not Ralisdor is it? And even if it is, something has clearly gone wrong.

“Xorvos, we’ve got to hide right now.”

Shuka tried to get up and find somewhere out of sight she could go, but there wasn’t anything close enough and she was out of time. Xorvos was only halfway up when Validus burst past the gates into Rainsburg riding on an armoured stallion, with his sword already drawn. Shuka hoped he wouldn’t notice them and just ride onward away from Rainsburg. But those hopes were quickly dashed away as the Paladin pulled hard on his horse’s reins and turned to face them. He looked at Shuka with cold eyes, and when he spoke, it was with enough conviction that Shuka knew he meant every word.

“Your evil stops here, and your life with it. Justice will not be delayed any longer.”