Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
IMPORTANT: If anyone has a copy of the game script for Talons Alight and can send it to me to otherwise prevent me from having to play through it again, I would be greatly in your debt.
[/IMPORTANT]
I just realized that Erk doesn't show up in this chapter. Don't worry, he's there. The reunion with Erk would have pushed this chapter to be much longer.
As always, enjoy!
#38 – Expendable
"Unhand me!" Mark heard the noble snap. "I am no one's prisoner!"
"Oh, do shut up," Hector grumbled, hitting Erik over the head with his mailed fist. Marquess Laus' son sank to the ground, moaning. "Someone, tie him up. I don't want him regaining consciousness and stabbing us in the back later."
Guy took a length of rope from Lowen. As he knelt to tie Erik's hands, he winced. "Gah…" he muttered.
"What's wrong?" Mark asked.
"Oh, Mark! There's nothing wrong," Guy said, gritting his teeth as he tied the rope tightly. "Why would you think anything was wrong?"
"Maybe because your arm has started to bleed again?" Mark asked, noting the stain that was beginning to spread across Guy's sleeve. The myrmidon sighed. "I could have sworn I patched it up with a vulnerary."
"And then went right back into battle, putting stress on the skin," Mark pointed out. "I'll go find Serra."
"No need." Mark turned to see a red-haired girl on a horse holding up a staff. Slowly, a healing light enveloped Guy.
"Who are you?" Mark asked as soon as the girl stopped the spell.
"My name is Priscilla," she said. "I was staying at a village south of the castle, and the knight who visited there said it would be all right if I journeyed with you. That…is all right, isn't it?" she asked anxiously.
Who did I send down there again? …Marcus, I think. If he thought that she could be dangerous towards Eliwood or become a liability, he wouldn't have said yes. "It's fine," Mark reassured her.
"Mark!" Eliwood called. "Let's get to the castle. The sooner we get answers out of Lord Darin, the better."
"We're coming!" Mark yelled back. He glanced around. "Priscilla, if you could tell our merchant, Merlinus, that we're going into Castle Laus? He's in the blue tent by the shore. Guy, go with her – I'm not sure that all of those pirates we saw are gone." As the two moved off, Mark ran to meet Eliwood and Hector.
"As soon as we get in, everyone head for the throne room," Hector was saying. "Marquess Laus decided to send soldiers after us: I don't see why we can't repay the action. Disable his bodyguards if you can, but don't kill them unless it's you or them."
"Where's the throne room, for those of us who've never been inside Castle Laus?" Mark asked. Matthew gave him a strange look.
"It's almost directly a straight path from the entrance," Eliwood told him. "You won't be able to miss it."
"Lord Eliwood!" Oswin said from his spot near the gate. "We have raised the portcullis."
"Let's go!" Eliwood ordered. The group rushed in, and Mark noticed the castle's similarity to that of Castle Araphen and Castle Pherae as he moved. Apparently, Lycians had similar tastes when it came to architecture and interior design.
"Lord Darin!" Hector yelled as the group barged its way through the doors to the throne room. "We have questions for…you…"
The throne room was empty, devoid of even servants tidying up. Hector swore and, striding up to the throne, kicked it. As the chair toppled backwards, no secret passage was revealed, nor was Lord Darin revealed when they searched the room.
"Check the whole castle," Eliwood said. "Lord Darin wouldn't just abandon his son as a ploy. He has to be here somewhere, and probably with soldiers, so stay in groups."
He might not want to abandon his son, but given Sealen's suspicions of Ephidel, he might be talked into it. We're not going to find him, Mark thought glumly. "Perhaps we should talk to our noble prisoner?" the tactician asked after an hour had passed.
"That's not a bad idea," Hector said. "Let's see what the rat has to say. Maybe he'll spill the locations of a few secret passageways." He strode back to the main gate, Mark and Eliwood following.
Although Priscilla, Guy, and Merlinus had finally caught up and were taking shelter in the castle, Erik had been left directly outside in the rain. Hector nudged him with a toe of his boot after he had been brought in. "Come on, Erik!" he yelled. "Get up!"
"Peasants!" the noble raged. "You can't treat a proper noble like this!"
"It's too late for niceties!" Hector sneered. "Be thankful you're still breathing!"
"Erik," Eliwood cut in with a disapproving look towards Hector, "You must tell us. Where is your father?"
"Milord," Matthew said, popping up out of nowhere. "The entire castle's been searched. Marquess Laus is nowhere to be found."
Erik paled. "D-don't be ridiculous! My father would never…abandon…" A fire lit up behind his eyes. "Ephidel…" he hissed.
"Ephidel? Who's that?" Eliwood asked. As Erik turned away, Hector grabbed his axe meaningfully. "Speak, cur!" he yelled, lifting the axe. "Do you want to die here?"
"Hector!" Eliwood yelled as Erik blanched. "Erik, please. You must tell us everything you know. I…I just want to know where my father is."
"…Ephidel…" Erik hissed. "He appeared at the castle one year ago. He came...and my father changed. Ostia's position had always bothered my father...He felt Laus deserved to rule all of Lycia. But he'd never gone so far as to speak of rebellion."
"Rebellion?" Mark murmured. Not war, but rebellion…it makes more sense now.
"Ephidel had something...With it, he convinced my father to set this plan in motion," Erik continued, ignoring the tactician's interruption. "My father then sent envoys to several other marquesses. Marquess Pherae, he had approved of the idea."
"What?" exclaimed Hector as Eliwood cried "Never!" at the same time. "My father would never agree to such a thing!" Eliwood continued.
"Believe or disbelieve," Erik sniffed. "That is your choice. First was Marquess Santaruz. Then Marquess Pherae's reply arrived. Marquess Pherae visited here six months ago to seal his approval."
As Eliwood stammered a denial, Erik went on. "My father and yours argued vehemently that day. Marquess Pherae always distrusted Ephidel. He tried to convince my father to sent Ephidel and the Black Fang assassins out of Lycia."
Black Fang? The name sounds familiar… Mark mused as Erik went on. "My father would not be persuaded, and Marquess Pherae left the castle. As you know, he then disappeared. I doubt he's still alive."
"Shut your mouth!" Hector snarled, backhanding the other noble.
"Eliwood said he wanted to hear everything," Erik sneered, spitting out blood. "My father... He is but Ephidel's puppet. He'll listen to anything that villain says. Even watch his own son... die... Those are the sort of people you're dealing with. Marquess Pherae betrayed them. They would not let him live!" He began laughing as Eliwood fled the room, closely pursued by Hector.
"So," Mark said, "Ephidel considers you to be expendable." The knowledge that he had caused Lord Elbert's disappearance, more than the suspicion had done, nagged heavily at him. "Why should we let you live? Reason dictates that you'll follow in your father's footsteps."
"Why," Matthew said brightly as Erik paled, "you're quite ruthless, lord tactician. Killing nobles in Lycia is as bad as regicide in Bern and Etruria, but I doubt you'd let that stop you, either. I wonder why it's so pressing that we should kill him?"
"It was a suggestion, Matthew," Mark sighed. "If Lord Darin doesn't consider him important enough to stay behind for, then his death will accomplish just as much as leaving him alive would." He left the room.
Matthew followed him. "You know, Mark, I'm telling you this because we're friends," he said, smiling. "And friends don't let friends operate under false pretenses."
"False…pretenses?" Mark asked. "Matthew, are you referring to when I decided not to out you as a spy to Lady Lyndis?"
"Oh, that too," Matthew agreed. "You know, you had a fascinating fall and winter last year. It was extremely difficult keeping track of where you were, but friends are worth the effort, weren't you?"
"What?" Mark demanded, innards freezing.
"You know, lord tactician," Matthew commented, grasping his shoulder, "Ostia has many tacticians. Take care that Lord Erik isn't the only one considered…expendable." With a pat that was meant to look reassuring but was anything but, Matthew disappeared into the shadows.
…Yune take it, I'm stuck no matter which way you look at it.