Here we are, back to another chapter of everyone's favourite wish-granting abomination. It's magical wish-granting girl Salem-chan! Yatta! Terms and conditions apply, wish may not appear as advertised, side-effects may (will) include death.
"Wait, what was that last part?"
"Oh, nothing…"
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Dishwasher1910
Book 7: Chapter 15
It was incredible just how quickly everything had spiralled out of control. I'd thought I had it, back when I agreed to infiltrate the Greycloaks on the orders of Ozpin and the King. I'd thought I was ready. Now, Qrow lay dead, as did thousands of innocent people, and Salem was here, atop a tower in the centre of Vale for everyone to see. Worse, Crocea Mors was still in Raven's possession, leaving me unarmed. Swallowing the fear that threatened to overwhelm me, I stepped in front of Lisa. She couldn't move due to Salem's oppressive aura.
"No words, Jaune Arc? It has been a while since we saw one another."
Not long enough in my opinion. I watched Salem's face and tried to place her thoughts and feelings, only to balk at how impossible the task was. This was no human. Who was to say a smile on her face spoke of happiness instead of despair or rage?
"I thought my name was Deceiver."
"Deceiver once. The name no longer fits." Salem cocked her head to the side, allowing her unnatural ashen hair to fall beside her smooth, alabaster face. "Do you think my use of your name a measure of respect? Perhaps it is. Or simple curiosity. Never have I seen a single human as many times as I have you."
"Not even Raven?"
"The one who lurks in the shadows? I have felt her presence at many of my recent summonings. But as for us meeting eye to eye?" She chuckled. "That happened but once, and I made quite the impression on her. I think that she has been hiding from me ever since. Now, Jaune Arc, you realise what comes, no?"
I tensed. "You kill me?"
"Oh?" Salem looked surprised. For a moment, she recoiled as though genuinely appalled by the suggestion. "No, no, no. I am here to grant a wish. Where did you come by this suggestion?"
"When last we met you said you'd kill me the next time." I wasn't sure why I was reminding her if she'd forgotten. Most likely a consequence of how drained I was both physically and mentally. Or, as Salem said, perhaps it was simple curiosity.
"I did, didn't I? Well, allow a being to change her mind. You surprised me. I reacted… let us say I reacted poorly. There is no need for it here. Now, should you not make a wish upon me? I have been summoned, after all."
"No." I shook my head, expecting rage but receiving little more than a serene expression from the being. "I won't make a wish. Not again."
"Would it be such a chore? You have already wished once upon me; your life is already forfeit. All that remains is for the time of your death. What is one more wish atop that? It is not as though you can die twice." Stepping to the edge of the building, or rather stepping on air towards the precipice, Salem looked down toward the crowds below, many of which stared back up towards her. "It is perhaps better you make a wish of me than one of these desperate individuals, no?"
The citizens of Vale. My heart skipped a beat. The fires were raging and people were running to and fro trying to put them out, while others were badly hurt or rioting still. How long would it be before one of them cried out for salvation? A simple wish of `I wish this wasn't happening` and Salem might destroy all of Vale.
This was Raven's plan as well. Rather than give us the time to carefully plan a wish and contain the situation, she summoned Salem into Vale where any person with a voice could make a wish.
"Why are you doing this to us?"
"Why?" Salem turned on me, hissing the word out as she leaned forward, almost as though she might take my neck in hand. She held back, but the strain was evident. "You ask me this with accusation on your tongue as though I were the one to summon me here, as though I were the one to create these circumstances. Your kind have done this time and time again. Ever have you failed to take responsibility for your own actions. If you humans did not long for my power so, I would not be continuously drawn here. If you did not selfishly seek to summon and wish of me, you would not be dealing with this situation."
Salem scoffed and turned away, floating back to the roof's edge. "Take a care for your own responsibility before you lecture me, Jaune Arc. I must be summoned. I do not choose to come here."
"Yet you choose to kill the people who makes wishes. And you take pleasure in the suffering!"
"Do you fault the cow for coming to graze on the food you provide? And you should thank me for killing those who makes wishes of me. Realise for a moment what your precious world might be like if I had let them all live."
Monsters like Merlot, Watts and even Tyrian. And without the threat of death, Raven would have already enacted her plan. No. I shook my head. Salem had a way with prose, a skill I lacked. There was reason in her honeyed words, but they were treacherous, nonetheless. She had taken pleasure in the passing of Merlot's Sentinel. She had basked in the death of Tyrian's faithful flock. She had laughed as Weiss was forced to face her reanimated mother and mocked the reveal of my deceit to the Guild.
Raven held the blame too, of course. As Salem said, she was the one to summon her, but Salem was not innocent of the crimes that fit her. Had she really wanted to only punish those who summoned her, she would not have turned Vacuo into a barren desert.
"Time passes, Jaune Arc. My patience, unlike my body, is not eternal. If you do not make your wish, I will seek out someone who shall." Her eyes slid to the fallen form of Qrow Branwen. "Perhaps those who loved him will have something they desire…"
"No! Leave them out of this."
"Then make your wish."
Damn it. There wasn't any time. I spared a glance backwards, hoping on my reinforcements, but of the large number of Heroes Ozpin had brought forward, only he remained oncoming. The others had fallen to their knees, subdued by Salem's summoning. I had to wonder how far that travelled and whether there were innocent people trapped in burning buildings unable to move for her presence. If so, every second I delayed cost more lives.
Make a poor wish, however, and I would only cost Vale more.
"I-I will make a wish," I said.
Salem's cruel smile grew.
"But I would ask a moment to think of one. Time." I almost asked her for time but realised at the last moment she might be capable of considering that a wish. How I might die by time I wasn't sure, but an image of my body ageing to dust passed through my mind.
"As you will," Salem said, turning away once more. "I shall grant you what little remains of my patience."
"Thank you." I bowed, unsure if the respect would do anything, but willing to give it a try. While my face was calm, my emotions were in turmoil. There was fear, of course. Terror of the most mind-numbing variety, but I pushed past it.
What should I wish for?
Raven's death came to mind. Not `Raven's death` of course, because I wouldn't put it past her to make every raven in Remnant drop out of the sky dead but leave `Raven Branwen` alive. I'd have to ask for her by name and perhaps even say `the Knight` to make it clear. Either way, killing Raven would surely solve a lot of our problems. Without her, the Greycloaks might not collapse, but they'd lose not only their leadership but Raven's portals, a powerful tool in their dominance. Even if Vernal took over – even if Salem's wish made Vernal kill Raven and gain all her Exp – she wouldn't pose the same threat.
It was tempting, I'll admit.
But the wish would kill me. It was not the thought of death itself which made me pause, though it did squirm about in my stomach, but rather the exact wording Raven had provided. Your wish will kill you. Not `you will die`, but `your wish will kill you`.
That, I realised, was important. Merlot died as a direct result of his wish. Tyrian died as a result of his. Watts was killed by Weiss' mother, who he had wished back to life. Even the story of the Starmetal involved the person making the wish being hit by the Starmetal as it came down onto Remnant. The actual wish that was made had to kill the one making the wish in some way. At the time, I'd thought them all instances of dramatic irony, maybe Salem taking some additional pleasure in their realisation when they died.
But what if it wasn't? What if they had to die by the exact wording of the wish?
Theoretically, if I were able to word the wish in such a way as to make that impossible, what would happen? Would Salem even grant the wish in the first place? Would she be able to? She had said to Merlot that she could not make him a God, so some wishes were beyond her. Was that because she didn't have the power to make him a God, or was it because a God would be immortal and therefore unable to be killed by his wish?
More importantly, what would happen if I asked for the death of Raven Branwen, the Knight, and there was no easy way for my death to be tied into that?
Would the shattered moon crash down onto Remnant, killing both I and her while plunging the world into chaos? Would Raven contract a virulent plague that she might bring to me in revenge, spreading it across all of Vale and killing everyone? What if Grimm rose from the sea to destroy Raven, but chased her through a portal into Vale, killing me and everyone else here?
There were many ways to ensure both Raven and I died, all of which were not only within Salem's power, but sure to cause untold casualties. Salem might just summon Raven here, forcing her to cut her way through Vale and die in the process. As the first to face her, I'd die, and as per the wish, Raven might die before she could escape. At the cost of untold lives.
"It is not so easy, is it?" Salem asked, sensing my dilemma or perhaps just knowing from experience what I must have been doing. "You are hardly the first to believe clever wordplay might allow you to bend the laws which surround me. I am sure you will not be the last. A word of warning I might give, however." She leaned forward. "I have been doing this a lot longer than you, mortal. I have become very adept at playing this game – and the more individuals try to trick me, the more I take pleasure in bringing their world down around their ears."
I flinched and looked away. What else had I expected? The Greycloaks had been summoning her over and over, perfecting their technique. If even Raven could not find a way to secure a wish without killing Salem at the same time, then what hope did I have? Perhaps there was no way out of it. Even if I wished to live to one hundred, she might achieve that by turning me intangible to the world around me, leaving me unable to interact with anyone until I was driven mad by isolation.
A simple wish, then. That was the answer. Something simple that would be achieved with little effort on her power, and one where I accepted my fate. That of a sacrifice for the safety of Vale. No. For the safety of my friends. I couldn't even wish for Raven's death because the manner of her death would be left open. If I gave her a specific cause, Salem would try her hardest to find a way to twist it to harm my friends as punishment. Ultimately, Raven must have known that. She'd no doubt had the Greycloaks figure it out.
My eyes closed. I thought of Blake at the end, of the better times we'd had. I clutched my amulet in my fist and took what strength from it I could.
"I'm ready." I was not. But someone had to be. "Salem. I wish-"
"DO NOT MAKE A WISH!" Ozpin hauled himself up the last few steps of the tower, bowed by Salem's aura but not having buckled. The Sage was panting harshly.
"You overstay your welcome, old man. Begone." A wall of wind rushed towards the Sage. He was buffeted by it and nearly launched from the tower entirely, but a wave of a hand brought forth a wall of emerald energy. The wind rolled against it, visible to the naked eye, while Ozpin stood behind, panting with a single hand outstretched.
"Do not make a wish on her, Mr Arc. She seeks to mislead you."
"I don't have a choice," I shot back, trapped somewhere between relief at having been interrupted and anger that I'd have to go through it all again. "A wish must be made or she won't leave. If someone doesn't do it, then she'll take one from any of the wounded or dying down there. It might as well be me," I added, voice cracking. "I… I already made one from her before. My life is already forfeit. I'm destined to die trying to become a Hero just like my wish said."
"Indeed," Salem agreed, smiling benignly. "You wished to be a hero and I gave you the possibility to become one. In turn, your ardent desire to become a hero will lead to your demise. There is, after all, more than one way of becoming a hero."
Perhaps if I'd asked to become a part of the Hero Caste she'd have changed me into a Knight for real, or maybe if I'd asked for that, but I hadn't. I'd always whined about becoming a hero with no thought given to the specifics. As she said, there was more than one way and I knew that now. Whatever my Class, if I died here preventing a tragedy, I'd be remembered as a hero.
The terms of the wish would be fulfilled.
"Better me than you, sir," I said. "Raven is at the Mirage Isles. If my wish doesn't kill her, you'll have to take care of her there. Lisa knows everything that happened. You can ask her for details." if I wished to be transported to Raven's side and for us both then to die, then the wish would be enough. I could only hope the fallout would be limited to Raven's stronghold, as my wish demanded.
"NO!" Ozpin yelled, and forced himself and his barrier forward. "You are not thinking straight, and she seeks to trap you. Do not make a wish upon her, Mr Arc. Your life is not as forfeit as you might believe."
Hope reared its ugly head within me. It tempted me cruelly. "But I made a wish by her."
"I do not dispute this, but one thing you must ask yourself is why she would be so eager to have you make a second wish now. What would motivate her to pressure you so if your life was already hers for the claiming?"
"A difficulty of killing him. He has proven capable of living as a hero despite my expectations to the contrary."
"Lies. The life of a Hero is dangerous and many fall in time. Against someone like my former student, Raven, this is even more true." Ozpin's eyes slid to Qrow's body and the headmaster sagged, looking for a moment ten or more years older. He forced himself to look away, back to me. "She seeks your death, Jaune. Your death specifically. Ask yourself why."
Why? It was something I'd never thought to ask. But then, she hadn't pushed this hard before. There had been a hint once, back when Tyrian fell, but she had let it go when I refused and even healed me. In Vacuo, she'd sought to kill me for harming her and yet this time refused to touch me. She'd cited forgiveness as a reason but knowing what I did of her… there was no reason to believe it.
Come to think of it, death in the desire of being a hero would be just as easily achieved if she killed me. She was a scourge to Remnant and the exact kind of thing a hero was supposed to face. Had she killed me in Vacuo, it would have satisfied the parameters of the wish entirely, which was perhaps why she was able to attack me in the first place. Though she'd tried to push Ozpin away here, she hadn't made to kill him. She had the power, surely, so something must have been holding her back.
The fact he had not made a wish. Obvious enough. But what had changed in the time since she tried to kill me in Vacuo, and her summoning now? What had changed to make it so that she could not finish me off as she'd so earlier desired?
"You harmed her in Vacuo," Ozpin said. "Your Skills proved capable of directly harming her as a direct result of her attack on you. Happen as it did while you were gaining multiple levels, your Path detected that you would need Skills to protect you against an entity like her. As such, you became the only being on Remnant with the ability to harm her."
"You meddle in things you do not understand, old man."
"I meddle in my student's lives because I must, because they trust me, and I will not betray that trust." To me he said, "Salem wishes you dead for the threat you pose, for the potential you hold and what you might become in time!"
Threat? Me?
"His life is already mine to take."
"Then why are you so insistent he make a wish upon you? If his life is yours to take, then take it."
Salem made no move to do so. Her eyes did not even glance towards me. In the silence that followed, I wasn't sure what to feel or think. Did I dare to hope that she actually couldn't kill me? But why? How? She'd had no problem whatsoever before and I'd only survived in Vacuo because of my Purify Object Skill.
Had I purified myself? No. I wasn't an object. The only things that had changed since then was my being kidnapped by Raven, the problems with the Guild and the end of the war.
My eyes widened. My hand flew to my heart. It beat quickly, evident of my fear, but more than what it did, I knew that it contained something it should not. Watts' sword, the sword that Cinder had run me through with.
"Cinder killed me." My heart beat against the palm of my hand. "Cinder killed me during the attack. My heart stopped. I died trying to save Vale. I died a hero."
And then, I'd come back.
But I had died.
I'd fulfilled the terms of the wish.
"Enough!" Salem roared. A crack of thunder split the sky and the dark clouds swirled inwards, forming an epicentre above us. "If he will not make the wish then another shall. And for your intrusion, old man, I shall wreak vengeance upon this city the likes of which none shall survive." Her eyes met mine. "Even if I cannot kill you, another's wish can." Her voice boomed as she looked out over the city. "Who would make a wish of me? Which of you has a desire that I might grant?"
"No!" I screamed, but my voice could not carry as far as hers. Not even close. "Don't do it!" I reached for the amulet around my neck, began to heat it up. But Salem, noticing something was amiss, simply floated out into the empty space off the side of the tower, far out of reach even if I were to leap.
"There is still time for you to make a wish, Jaune Arc. This tragedy can yet be averted."
"The only tragedy here will be if you die and she lives for time immaterial," Ozpin snapped. "Anything else is a necessary sacrifice, no matter how cruel. There is no one who can make weapons that affect her as you do! Whatever she might do here, she will do time and time again if she is not stopped."
"Does the world matter when I might take the lives of all you hold dear here and now?"
"Hold firm, Jaune. I shall make the wish." Ozpin stepped forward.
"I will take pleasure in ruining your life for your interference, old man." Salem sneered, her arms crossed. Where before she had appeared calm and in control, now the full extend of her fury was clear. Did she fear me that much? Or was it just the very fact I existed, no matter how unlikely it was I could ever kill her? Or had I given Raven the tools to do so already and she wanted to ensure no one else might have them?
"I-I have a wish," Lisa whispered hoarsely.
"Lisa, no!" I cried, turning.
Ozpin was already moving, though he shouted out, "Stop her!"
I'd only turned halfway, but it was enough to see her face. Red eyes, tear-stained cheeks and a broken expression that spoke of all the people below who had died. People who, as Vernal so cruelly hinted, were Lisa's responsibility. New Dawn had become something far worse and hundreds had died as a result. On Lisa's face, a resolute defeatism. A staunch despair. She had made her decision and I was too late to stop her, despite my best efforts.
"I wish for my voice to have the volume required to reach out over the city of Vale and no further."
The city of Vale. Not any city, not in such a way that Salem might intentionally mistake her. No further, so that the voice could not become so loud as to rupture ear drums or kill. A limit, both in terms of volume and in range. Lisa had thought ahead on her wish, even as she accepted that it would mean the end of her life.
"Lisa," I whispered.
Her smile answered me. "I'm sorry, Jaune."
"A simple wish. A dull wish." Salem waved her hand towards Lisa, who gasped suddenly. "It is done."
I stepped before Lisa and held both my arms out. "Then go. You've had your wish, had your fill and the terms have been fulfilled. Leave Vale and never return."
"I will leave, but my return will be determined not by my actions but yours. Yours and your pathetic species." The air around her darkened and shimmered as she stepped back in air, becoming incorporeal. "If you wish to see the end of me, spend the time to solve your own problems for once. You won't, of course," she said, slowly vanishing. "Time and time again, your kind will yield to the temptation of an easy solution to your paltry problems. This, I have seen. You are no different, Jaune Arc. Remember that."
With the last ominous warning, Salem disappeared entirely. The dark clouds that had gathered dissipated, allowing the sun's rays to shine through once more. The dappled light across my face did little for the despair I felt.
Behind me, Lisa staggered to her feet and walked to the edge of the tower. I reached out a hand towards her, but Ozpin's met my wrist and pushed it down. Sadly, he shook his head. The two of us watched as the Farmer made her way to the precipice and looked out over the burning city. Considering Salem's appearance, everyone was also looking back at us.
"New Dawn," she said. Her voice boomed. It echoed. The force of it, even directed away from us as it was, proved enough to have Ozpin and I clutching our ears. It could have been far worse. If she hadn't set a limit, it might have deafened us entirely. One thing was clear, however; there was not a person in Vale who did not hear her. "New Dawn, my friends, my family, my life's work…" Lisa's voice fell, tinged with sorrow. "What are you doing…?"
"This isn't what I worked towards. This violence, this rebellion, this fear. It's not what we dreamed of... together when we talked late into the night about the changes we wished we could make. This was never what we had in mind." She paused to draw breath. Her face was pinched, pained. "The Noble Caste sought to silence me, this is true. But it was because of the Hero Caste and one hero in particular that I survived." Her eyes met mine for a brief instance and she smiled. "It was not the Nobles who kidnapped me but monsters working against Vale. The Greycloaks. The Noble Caste and the King had nothing to do with that. If you believe otherwise, if you took to the streets to help me, then you have been misled."
We were too far up and away to hear the crowd, but I could see that the fighting had stopped. Salem had been the one to stop it, but Lisa's words defused what little remained of their anger. The push of bodies against the lines of Soldiers came to a halt. More and more looked towards her.
"Change can only come as a result of discourse, and discourse is only possible if both sides respect one another. I would ask you all that you prove worthy of that respect… and that you continue my life's work not through violent means, but through discussion. Please, I beg you, help those who are hurt. Co-operate with people of any Caste to quench the fires. Protect Vale. Our home. W-Whatever happens to me, protect the home we know and love."
"And to my father," Lisa croaked. "I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. And I love you."
Turning away, she stepped towards Ozpin and I and smiled weakly. The message was clear, even if she refused to say it for fear of harming us.
"Beautifully said, Miss Lavender," Ozpin stepped forward to take her arm and support her. "Now, let us return to those below."
Following, I knelt by Qrow's body and lifted the fallen Druid, an arm under his knees, another his shoulders. He was heavy but my Strength prevailed, allowing me to cradle his weight even as exhausted as I was. His body was cold, his eyes closed for the last time. I wondered if I couldn't have saved him. If there wasn't more I could have done.
As ever, the answers eluded me.
The city was quiet as we made our way down the staircase that led up the tower. The Guild waited below – I could see them – but the danger being over, they awaited our return. The nature of it became clear before I reached the bottom step, for Ruby dropped Crescent Rose to the floor and brought her hands up to her face. She rushed up towards me, hands touching her uncle's chest. Her body shook and she tapped his face, trying to wake him.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"U-Uncle Qrow. Uncle Qrow, please…" Without meaning to, she pushed him down, forcing me to kneel and lay him on the floor. Yang was beside her almost immediately, though the Brawler stood with her hands clenched at her sides, angry tears in her eyes.
"Did… Did she do this?" Yang asked.
I didn't doubt for a second who she meant. "Yes."
"Damn her." Yang's eyes closed. "Damn her…"
I stepped away to give them the privacy they deserved, sending one last longing look to Ruby, hunched over her uncle's body, hugging him against her as she rocked back and forth, heedless of the blood that stained her cloak. Yang knelt and took both Ruby and Qrow in her own arms. I had to look away lest it break me as well.
"Jaune…" Blake stood before me, alongside Pyrrha, Ren, Nora and everyone else. "Are you…?"
"Alive," I said. Not well, not unhurt, but alive. In the end, that was all that mattered. Blake seemingly agreed, looking me up and down to confirm my words before nodding her head once. There might have been more were it not for the armoured boots approaching, clanking against the flagstones.
Several armoured figures approached, each wearing the uniform of the Royal Palace guards, the symbol of Vale emblazoned on an emerald tabard lined with gold. At their head was a pudgy and familiar figure, Lord Samson, one of the Nobles who had spoken with me in the palace and offered his support in making me the de facto Lord of Ansel.
"There she is," he said, pointing to Lisa. "Take her. Arrest her."
The guards, ten in all, broke off and approached Lisa, who looked defeated and spent, leaning against Ozpin's side. For his part, the Headmaster turned her slightly away, subtly placing his own body between them. Glynda stalked forwards, ready to intervene, but neither of them could beat me to it. I pushed past Blake and stepped between the guards and Lisa, unarmed, dressed in tattered rags from constant fights in Raven's arena and the cell we'd stayed in. I was a mess unprepared and unimpressive, but I held my arms out firmly and refused to move.
"Lord Samson," I called. "What's going on here?"
"Jaune Arc." His eyes widened, though he managed to retain his smile. "Good to see you in fine health. I'd ask you to stand aside, however. Lisa Lavender is under arrest by order of the King of Vale. She is to stand trial for her crimes."
"What crimes?"
"Inciting revolt. Treason."
"Lisa was taken against her will by the Greycloaks, and unless you miss what just happened, she was responsible for defusing New Dawn."
"That does not change what occurred. Please understand." Samson looked to the guards who had paused before me. They knew my name, it seemed, and were more than aware that unarmed or not, I was not to be ignored. "Detain her."
"If you attempt to follow that order, I shall defend her," I threatened.
The guards stilled. At least until Samson responded. "He is but one man and has clearly been led astray. Or seduced. Arrest her." Emboldened by the reality of his words, the guards moved forward, four approaching me in case I tried anything while the other six flanked wide, three on either side. Gritting my teeth, I prepared to fight as best I could.
A dagger struck the flagstones in front of Samson. Expertly thrown, it lodged in a crack between two stones and pierced deep. The Noble staggered back in shock. I was equally surprised. No less so when Blake stepped up beside me with another dagger in each hand.
"Blake…?"
"He doesn't stand alone. Attempt to harm him or the girl and you'll have me to deal with as well."
The guards hesitated, hands dropping to their weapons. At that moment there was still only the two of us and I didn't look able to fight. It seemed for a second that they might try it anyway, and Samson clearly agreed. At least until a light dusting of frost sparkled in the air before us. In the heat of the midday sun left behind by Salem's departure, its magical nature was clear. It was quickly followed by Pyrrha, Ren, Nora and Weiss stepping up besides Blake and I, forming a wall of steel between the guards and Lisa.
"I'm afraid our Guildmaster has spoken," Weiss said. "Lisa Lavender is under our protection."
"I'd listen to her," Nora added. "We're not in the best of moods right now."
Shocked, I looked to them. "You guys…?"
"Causing trouble again, Jaune?" Ren asked quietly, smiling. "You have a knack for it, even if you've been back for less than an hour."
"It's his personal charm, I think," Blake said.
"Considering how poorly he tried to flirt with me when Beacon started, I'd certainly believe his Charisma low enough to incite violence," Weiss said with a snort.
"Either way, the Guild stands as one," Pyrrha said. Her voice was raised for the benefit of the guards and Lord Samson. "I would not advise trying to break through us. I cannot promise you will be unharmed, though I will naturally do my best not to break any of you unduly."
Samson scowled. "Y-You fools. Do you even know what you do?"
Looking between my friends and earning a nod from each of them in turn, I looked back to the Noble. "I think we do, Samson. And I think we're prepared for whatever consequences there are."
A dark and hooded figure appeared behind the noble. I recognised the face, even as Saren, the King's Assassin, leaned one arm on Samson's shoulder, placing his chin on the man's other. "I, too, would be interested to hear what authority Lord Samson believes he speaks with. I do not recall King Galan ordering the girl's arrest, though I believe he does wish to speak with her."
"S-Saren. I was merely collecting her for the King to speak with."
"Oh, how diligent of you. Of course, I'm sure Lord Ozpin has no other thing in mind and can look after her in the meantime. He holds the King's trust after all." Saren winked in my direction. "Thank you for your hard work, Jaune. You've done Vale another service this day. Allow me to handle things here if you will."
Watching the terror dawn on Lord Samson's face, I could imagine how Saren might handle this. I felt no sympathy for him. "I'll leave it to you, Saren."
"Ah. Your faith is appreciated."
"MR ARC!" Ozpin suddenly called. It was the panic in his voice that had me running over, abandoning my post and leaving the Guild to hold back the palace guards. Ozpin was down on one knee, Lisa sitting slumped beside him on the floor supported by the headmaster's hand. There was blood on the front of her clothing.
"Lisa…" I gasped, kneeling. "Already?"
"The human body is not made to speak across a city," Ozpin explained. His hands were bloodstained but he continued to hold her. "Her lungs, I believe, were altered. She cannot survive like this. No one can."
Lisa agreed with a wet gurgle, spilling blood from her lips that ran down over her chin and down her neck. When she drew in her next breath, it was raspy and sent bubbles spilling out the side of her mouth. Salem's price. There was always a price.
"No," I whispered, taking hold of her. There was nothing I could do. Nothing anyone could do. A healing spell or a Priest would be no use because her body had been fundamentally changed. They might heal the immediate damage, but her body would collapse again, and in a matter of minutes. "Lisa, I'm so sorry…"
She shook her head. No words, either because she couldn't or because she feared deafening us. Instead, she smiled up at me and mouthed through bloodstained lips `Thank you`.
"Thank you? For what? I didn't do anything. I couldn't save you."
`You did save me,` she mouthed.
"No. I-" I couldn't believe this. Not now. Why did it have to be immediately? Worse, why did Lisa have to look at me with such happy eyes? When I'd lied to her. "I didn't tell you the truth," I said. "I was told to spy on you, to pretend to be an ally. I betrayed you. I lied to yo-"
Lisa pressed a finger to my lips.
`It's okay,` she silently said. Her eyes were dull, but she managed a smile still. Her touch seemed to say it didn't matter, that it had never mattered to her. `I forgive you.` Her hand brushed up the side of my face and I cupped it there. Lisa managed one final smile and closed her eyes. Blood dribbled from her lips and down onto her top, staining the thin material.
I held her for another minute still, trying to process what had just happened. In death she looked peaceful, content. Her smile tore a hole in my chest and left me bleeding out on the floor. Her blood had seeped into my pants. Her hand on my cheek already felt cold and heavy. As I let it go, it fell limply to her side. She was gone, just like that. Without so much as a chance to say her final words. She'd saved the city and this was her reward, dying on the flagstones surrounded by strangers and guards.
"I am sorry," Ozpin said, laying her gently down. "There was nothing I could do. Nothing any of us could do. You should not blame yourself."
"Then who?" I whispered, voice hoarse. A tear fell from my face to land on hers. Lisa and I had survived Raven together, worked together and been through that hellhole together. It felt almost unreal for her to die now, not an hour after we'd finally escaped. It was some cruel punishment. It had to be. "Who do I blame for this, Ozpin? Who do we blame? Salem? She may have killed her, but she didn't summon herself. We're to blame."
"Raven is to blame," Ozpin said, gripping my shoulder. "And for both Lisa's life and Qrow's, she will pay. Believe me on that, Mr Arc. She will pay dearly."
Behind us, Ruby and Yang wept over the body of their beloved uncle.
One last chapter for Book 7 to wrap up the loose ends. And it turns out that Cinder technically saved Jaune from Salem, granting him his death as a hero. So, Raven gets away with her plan for now and we're actually leading up to the end of Forged Destiny. My expectation is that there will be nine books total.
Nine…
A nice… not round number… Damn it. I'm going to develop an OCD about that.
Next Chapter: 28th January
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur
