After the base was secured, and all the bandits were dealt with, we found a mineshaft. It stretched for as far as the eye could see. After following it for a few hours, we found ourselves in a stable inside the city belonging to the guard.
The stable was filled with more of the drug and more corrupt soldiers. The following fight was brutal and fast. The corrupt soldiers refused to be taken alive. They put up a fight that nearly destroyed the entire stable. All that was left afterwards were a few corpses and one detained survivor. Even two of the horses had died after they were spooked from the fighting and tried kicking or charging the nearby soldiers.
After some interrogation, we learned that the woman who created the drug was gone. She had disappeared weeks ago when people started falling sick. Most of the bandits wanted to find her just as badly as I did, but no one knew where she was.
I slammed my fist on the wall angrily. If only we had come to the city a little sooner, I could have caught her. Unfortunately, I knew how impossible that was. All I could do was use her description and begin a search for her, but I knew the city guard would never be able to bring her in even if they found her.
We rounded up as many prisoners and evidence as we could and prepared to meet with Otto. This was a major blow to the drug syndicate and he would need to be informed.
Only my father, mother, and I went to meet with the chancellor. Donte was currently under the care of a skilled healer in the noble district. Though his situation was not serious, I did not want to leave anything to chance. Charly did not want to come. Even after talking with our parents, he was still not doing well. Only time could help him.
Otto’s mansion was still as empty as it was the first time, devoid of almost all staff and servants that should have been in a mansion of this size. We were led to the same office as last time. The same never-ending mountain of paperwork around him. It might have grown even bigger since the last time we met.
Otto’s eyes were completely bloodshot and had dark bags under them. He looked up as we entered the room. He did not even try to hide the annoyance painted on his face.
“I do not have time for polite chatter. Two fools who refused the quarantine turned into Demonkin today. A lot of people have died, and now I am behind in everything else. The messenger said you have good news for me. What have you found?”
“We have captured the manufacturing base of Lot twenty-three as well as enough of the drug to drown most of the continent,” I replied, “Is that good enough news to disturb your work?”
“You… that is glorious!” Otto shouted as he sprung to his feet. “With no new supply of the drug we can focus all our efforts on containment of those already infected. It is only a matter of time now before everything is back under control.”
My father handed a written report to the chancellor. He spent quite a bit of time with a few of the captains compiling everything we found. Otto skimmed through the first pages.
“So, it really was Dead Men’s Maze?” Otto exclaimed, “How did you get inside? I have tried for years without success.”
“I spent quite a bit of time dealing with the Corvus empire back when it ruled the continent. I know a few of their tricks and weaknesses,” I replied dismissively, “More importantly, I want to know about the woman who created the drug. Can you put out a search for her?”
Otto laid down the report with a sigh. “I do not have to. I know who she is. Her name is Irene Ultio, right hand of king Sebastion.”
I barely contained the flames welling up within me. “Sebastion is working with that maggot’s spawn?”
“You know her?” Otto asked in surprise.
“I know of her,” I replied after taking a few breaths, “Maybe you can tell me more.”
“Irene Ultio appeared almost immediately after your death. The kingdom was still new back then and we were more than happy to have a powerful mage at our side. She gave us powerful knowledge and in exchange, we gave her a position on the king’s council. If only I knew back then what I knew now.”
Otto stood and grabbed a file out of one of the many crates in his room. He handed it to me before returning to his seat. The file detailed years of reports on the woman. Every move she made was written down with precise detail.
“A few years after she joined us, I began to notice something was odd. Other chancellors were slowly being eliminated from the council as various scandals came to light about them or for some personal reason they no longer wanted to be involved in the council. One or two of us leaving the job was expected. Ruling was difficult work, more than we ever thought. No one had died or been poisoned so we just assumed it was just their own faults, but after three years more than half the council was gone. I started an investigation, but it was too late. I tried to tell the king, but I had no proof it was her. The resulting arguments lasted years and eventually led to me defecting from the kingdom and creating the Free Cities. Now there is no council, only Irene.”
“So, the council fell to basic politics. Is there a romance between Sebastion and Irene? The idea of killing his wife a second time leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
Otto coughed, surprised by my bluntness. “I do not think so. King Sebastion never escaped the memory of his late wife. He has yet to remarry or give the kingdom an heir to the throne. I doubt anyone could seduce that stone heart.”
“That is something at least,” I mumbled with a nod, “Well then Otto, I discovered a cure and even found the source of the lot twenty-three. I have more than upheld my end of the bargain. Now it is time for yours. I want my Chronicle and you are going to help me get it.”
“About that…” Otto said with a grimace, “I did send a message to King Sebastion back when you first agreed to help, but he refused to hand over the book. He said he did not trust anyone, let alone a traitor, with the Empress’s greatest weapon. I can put a bit of political pressure on him but I doubt it will amount to anything. we are already rival kingdoms. A trade embargo is the closest I can get to influencing him.”
I cursed under my breath, I knew it would not be easy to get back the Chronicle, but I always hoped. I could not even prove if Otto really sent that message or not, but it did not make a difference. The king’s reply would likely have been the same.
Without being at my full power there was little I could do to prepare for Envy’s attack. I considered a few plans to get me inside the palace, but most of them were suicide missions for anyone helping me. Someone like Otto would never agree to that. Looks like my teacher’s pawn was my only hope.
“Alright, I understand. Let’s change the conditions of my favor then.” I said after contemplating for a moment.
“What do you want?” Otto asked skeptically.
“For you to prepare seriously for Envy’s attack,” I replied, “Do not give up your emergency powers. Start recruiting soldiers, especially those we treated with the second division's techniques. Their partial mutations will give even an inexperienced soldier the ability to hold their own against a weaker Demonkin. We will need that power in the war to come.”
“The council will eat me alive if I do not relinquish my emergency powers…”
“And the Demons will literally eat you alive if we do not have the power to fight them.”
Otto paused, realizing I was not kidding. “Alright, I will do it. I cannot promise miracles, but I can hold off the council for a year at most.”
“You will be lucky if we have that much time,” I replied, “Also if you have not done so already, start sending your scouts to look for any disturbances. Opening a doorway between realms is not a quiet thing. Any tears you can close will buy us more time.”
Otto nodded. “Consider it done. Just out of curiosity, what will you be doing to prepare? Do I need to prepare more of the army for your family to command?”
“No. I will be leaving the free cities soon enough. There are a few places I need to go before the invasion starts. I need to check something in the far north, and I need to see if any of my old installations are still working. I left quite a few secrets hidden across the continent during my rule. Now is the time to use them.”
“The far north?” My father asked. “Why are we going there?”
“I will explain later,” I replied with a smile. There was no reason to tell them everything in front of Otto. I still had my doubts about him, but hopefully, he will act to save his own neck if nothing else.
My father and Otto ironed out details for a potential alliance with General Arthur. I had yet to meet the man and I had no idea why my parents trusted him so much, but any allies were better than nothing. If he was willing to fight Envy, that was all that mattered.
After leaving Otto’s Mansion, we started our walk back home. Each of us had thoughts weighing heavily on our minds. Everything we had done here in the Free Cities was done in the hope that Otto would be able to help me regain my Chronicle. While thwarting Envy’s plans with the drug was a big win for the coming war, I was still no closer to that goal.
Contemplating all the wasted time here left me in a sour mood, but I always knew it would be a long shot. At least our secondary goal of gaining allies had been accomplished at least, but as things stood, I would have to work under the assumption I would not be able to regain my power before the invasion.
I know of a few puppets similar to Nox. There were plenty of left-over remnants of a time when I was much more powerful. The problem was that I did not know if I could control them or not. Nox was a simple house cat, but I could barely bring him under my control by sealing most of his power. A more powerful undead would probably kill me before I had the chance to do it again.
“Wren, why are we going to the far north?” my father asked, breaking my reverie, “There is nothing there but barbarians and ice.”
“I need to find a man named Svend. I do not know who he is, but I know he is the key to fighting off the coming invasion,” I replied.
“Svend? As in Svend the Bear?” My father remarked in surprise.
“Do you know him?” I asked.
“Know him? Your mother and I spent the better half of our adult lives fighting against the maniacs he calls soldiers.”
“What do you mean by better half?” My mother asked with her hands on her hips.
My father coughed. Unsure how to respond he decided to power through and ignore the question. “Also known as the Frozen King, Svend commands the entirety of the lands north of Novus kingdom. He is an absolute dictator in his lands and worse, a psychopath. If our only hope is that man, it might be better to let the demons win.”
“Is he that bad?”
“Worse,” My mother replied, “The entire Kala kingdom under his command shares his madness. The people worship death. For their religion, death is not the end, but the next step in life. These ideals make them fearless warriors and merciless butchers. They see corpses as great prizes and parade their kills through the cities.”
“Every year, thousands of innocents die at their hands,” My father continued, “Any person living in the upper half of the continent could become a target for their bloodlust. We have tried to force peace talks with King Svend, but he called us weak and laughed at our attempts. All assassinations have failed. Even an alliance of nations together could not bring his kingdom down. Svend is a plague on this land unlike any other.”
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“Why do you think a monster like Svend will help us against Envy?” my mother asked.
“Apparently, he is an agent left behind by my teacher,” I said with a sigh, feeling a headache forming. My teacher’s choice in people never failed to cause problems. “He was sent here for the sole purpose of preparing for an invasion.”
“Then he has done a horrible job,” My father growled through clenched teeth.
“All the same, we need to meet with him,” I said shaking my head, “Even a crazy ally can be useful if pointed in the right direction. If nothing else we could always put his men on the front lines as a meat shield.”
“It is a fine idea if it works, but how do we get there?” My mother asked. “The free cities are quite far from Kala’s capital. This time of year, it would take three or four months by ship to circle around the continent. If we took a horse carriage and cut across the continent it would still take us two months of travel.”
“Could be worse if we hit a storm.” My father grumbled.
I thought about the problem for a moment, then smiled. “What if the carriage was pulled by horses that could sprint all day and never tire?”
My mother realized quickly that my innate talent would completely change how a carriage traveled. She did the math in her head for a moment before nodding. “So long as the weather is good, we could reach the capital in three weeks.”
“We would be better of charging into King Sebastion’s castle than going into that pit of vipers,” My father said, stomping his foot, “You know how these people are! We will be dead or enslaved before they let us into the capital.”
“Do you have a better plan?” My mother asked.
“Yes! we meet up with general Arthur and use his resources to prepare. We do not need help from a bunch of barbarians!” my father shouted. His face had turned red.
“Dad,” I spoke, grabbing his hand, “Do you trust me?
“Yes… I do but- “
“Then trust me in this. For as much as I despise him, my teacher knows more about war than any other person alive. He has fought against demons for well over a thousand years. His strategic abilities are among the best in the divisions. If he says we need to meet with Svend, then we have to go.”
My father pulled at his hair with his free hand for a moment, before surrendering. “Fine, but do not expect me to play nice with these people. If they do anything I do not like, ally or not, I will cut them down.”
After a short detour, we stopped back at the stables we found this morning. Guards were still carrying evidence and supplies from the maze. With a few commands from my father, all the soldiers left the area.
The carnage from this morning’s battle had not been cleaned yet. The drugs and prisoners were the first priority. Blood still coated the walls, and bodies still laid on the floor. Among the bodies were two that I was looking for.
Two great stallions lay dead on the floor. They had been an unfortunate casualty from this morning’s battle. They were giant warhorses of excellent breed. One had a pure brown coat, completely free of any blemish. The other was almost completely black except for its back hoof. That one boot was solid white.
Raising two at once would be exhausting with my current power, but for these two it was worth it. I started with the brown stallion. A green wisp of flames ignited in my hand. Gently, I placed it on the stallion’s body. The fire seeped through the skin. Focusing, I closed my eyes and controlled the flame.
The flames burned through the stallion’s body. Its wounds healed at a rate visible to the naked eye. The blood in its body was replaced with flames. With a thought from me, the flames moved to the stallion’s heart. A moment passed, and then there was a beat. One beat, two beats, the heart started pumping faster. Propelled by the heart, the flames spread through every part of the body.
The stallion awoke with a start. It scrambled to its feet in a sudden rush. I took control of the stallion, and for a moment I could see the world through its eyes. The stallion looked at me and bowed deeply. I was suddenly forced to abandon my direct control as my headache intensified. The pounding in my head was a pain worse than any dagger.
Away from my direct control, the stallion stood from its bow. He flared his nostrils. Before I could react, he bit down. A handful of my hair was in his mouth.
“Ow, ow, ow, stop it this instant!” I commanded, but the stallion did not care. It started chewing on my hair like it was hay. I was only able to force it to release me once I took direct control again.
“I am naming you Mordere!” I shouted, trying to get the dozens of new knots out of my hair. The stallion stomped its hoof angrily, kicking up dirt and hay. “I don’t care if you don’t like it! You should have thought about that before ripping out half my scalp.”
“Amazing!” My father shouted, sprinting over to the stallion. “I have never seen you raise anything before. It is incredible! Even all of its injuries are gone. Your innate talent is truly one of a kind.”
“Careful, he is a biter,” I said, glaring at the horse.
Mordere flared his nostrils again. rather than biting my father, he lowered his head and rubbed it against my father’s arm. Meanwhile, its eyes were looking at me with contempt,”
“Once we get to the north, I am making horse stew,” I grumbled.
“You can eat them?” My mother asked in surprise.
“Normally no, but for this one, I will make an exception,” I replied before moving on to the other stallion. Mordere stomped angrily, but I ignored him.
I repeated the process on the second stallion. Flames flowed through its veins and once again a horse was raised. This one however did not get angry with me when it awoke. Instead of scrambling to its feet, he simply laid his head in my lap and closed his eyes. I brushed the black mane with my fingers.
“I think I will name you Mitis,” I said with a gentle smile.
I was too exhausted to stand after raising the two stallions so I simply sat there, combing Mitis’s mane. almost every shred of flame was gone from my body making me feel empty and weaker than I ever had. My headache had grown exponentially, making every second agony.
Raising two without a break might have been too much. I had not been this drained since my rebirth. Together with the spitting headache, all I wanted to do now was sleep.
“Do you always name every creature you raise?” My mother asked curiously.
“That is stupid. I never name any of them. It would be a waste of time,” I said, clutching my head.
“But… you named Sylvie, Nox, and even these two... Wren are you ok?”
I collapsed to the ground as my headache grew unbearable. I could hear my parents shouting, but it was all distant, white noise drowned out by the drumming in my head.
Names… when did I start naming them… I… I don’t…
It hurts so much…
Something is wrong…
Help! Mom! Dad!
My eyes shot open. The pain was gone! I looked up at my mom and smiled brightly. Both my mom and my dad had shocked expressions on their face, but I could not understand why. I just knew I was all better now.
“Mom, hug!” I shouted raising my arms.
“Wren… your eyes…” my mother gasped.
I tilted my head, I did not understand why she was not hugging me, but it seemed important.
“what’s wrong mom?” I asked curiously. I still wanted a hug. Why did she not hug me like she always does?
“Your eyes are blue!”