Part Six
"I'm sorry, but we're following orders. Lord Bearyl has told us to not allow anyone from Agameru on the premises."
"Then please just give him this message!" the messenger thrust the letter into the soldier's hands. "Please give this to him and tell him we need help! Sheikh Sloan Faakhir is coming after us, and unless we have the help of the Liberation Army then we will all surely die!"
"Why are you staying in Agameru to fight?" the second soldier asked. "What is Lord Lorik Varra thinking, making a stand like that instead of fleeing?"
"We're dead either way!" the messenger seethed. "Where in the name of Nagar are we supposed to go?! We're just a small hamlet, but that's still almost three hundred villagers! A group that size traveling the countryside?! Everyone will know who we are and everyone will come after us! Staying to fight may not be the best decision, but fleeing en masse isn't much better!"
"All right," the first soldier said. "I'll take this to Lord Bearyl immediately. If you wait here—"
"I can't wait for a response!" the messenger turned on his heel. "I have to get back and protect my family before the Sheikh's forces arrive! If the Liberation Army means to answer us, then send us a reply with troops!" the man sprinted back to his horse without waiting for a reply.
The two soldiers watched him leave in silence. Then the second one spoke up. "You took his message. Will you deliver it despite Lord Bearyl's order to burn all messages from Agameru?"
"Of course I will," the first soldier said gruffly, turning towards the stairs leading into the castle. "It's the right thing to do. I know I'm disobeying orders, but I won't have the blood of those people on my hands by following that idiotic order."
The second soldier watched him leave before hurrying after him. "I'll come with you. Hopefully Lord Bearyl will see reason, but if not I don't want you getting into trouble by yourself."
Caesar saw the soldiers enter the war room while the other lieutenants of the Army prepared for their meeting. He hurried over to them. "Is there a problem?"
"This just arrived." One soldier handed Caesar the letter. "It was from a m-messenger from…Agameru." His voice dipped low when he said the last word, and the second soldier looked away.
Caesar looked at the letter for a long moment before forcing a smile at the soldier. "Thank you both for your hard work. I will announce this letter during our meeting."
"Y-You're not angry with us for disobeying orders?!" the second soldier hissed. They both looked shocked.
Caesar's smile broadened. "I don't know what you're talking about. Now, return to your posts."
Both men stammered before saluted. "Yes, Lord Caesar! Thank you, sir!" they hurried from the war room.
Caesar opened the letter and swiftly read it. He revealed nothing on his face, and after finishing the letter he tucked it back into its envelope. He held onto the letter and deliberately did not approach Bearyl as they all took their seats at the table. "This meeting will come to order," Bearyl announced. "We have a pressing matter to discuss—"
"Yes, indeed," Caesar interrupted, standing up. He held up the letter. "We've just received word that Agameru is about to be razed by Sheikh Sloan Faakhir's forces. Lord Lorik Varra has humbled himself with this letter and has requested our assistance."
The table broke out into loud conversation from this news. Bearyl's face, however, was unmoving. "May I see that letter, Caesar?" he held out his hand.
"Certainly, my Lord." Caesar gave him the letter, even as a light feeling of dread suddenly swept over him.
Sure enough, Bearyl did not read the letter. He held it over a burning candle on the tabletop and the paper caught fire. Caesar did not react at all to this, but Gunther jumped to his feet. "My Lord!"
"I thought I was clear with my orders," Bearyl said. He held the burning letter between two fingers until Varnaz gestured with his hand and water splashed onto it. All that remained of the letter a charred, shriveled paper. "That the people of Agameru are not welcome here and we are not to accepted letters from them."
"But they need our help!" Gunther exclaimed. He didn't bother hiding his outrage. "The Sheikh will murder everyone in that hamlet!"
"That is not our concern. Lorik Varra made it no longer our concern when he resigned from my Liberation Army."
"S-So you're just going to abandon them all to die?!"
"How exactly are we abandoning them to die?" Varnaz spoke up. "Lorik Varra withdrew from the Army of his own volition. He is no longer our ally so we are not abandoning him. He knew the risks when he joined the Liberation Army, and he knew the risks when he left us. He should've realized the fate he was condemning his people to when he pledged himself to a cause he had no intention of following through with."
"To get back on track," Bearyl said darkly. "We've been having a serious problem of insubordination throughout the Army. It was too clearly demonstrated with your outburst—" he glared at Gunther. "And with your defiance of my orders." He then glared at Caesar.
Everyone at the table suddenly tensed with their commander's reprimand of his strategist. But Caesar remained calmly and bowed respectfully. "You are right, my Lord, and I apologize for defying your orders."
"…Fair enough," Bearyl said. Caesar sat back down, as did Gunther. "But this infighting is doing us no favors and must stop. I was assaulted by one of my own soldiers, and I cannot allow it to stand."
"Assault?" Gunther sputtered. "Daunte only shoved you down! It's not like he tried to kill you or anything! He lashed out at you in anger!"
"I'm the leader of the Liberation Army and he put his hands on me in an aggressive fashion," Bearyl retorted. "The Theocracy has punished people for far less offenses and I must make an example of him so that none of our other soldiers decide to attack me in a similar fashion."
"Daunte is a survivor of the Dark Chasm," Allise spoke up. "Making a public example of him may draw more backlash from our allies than support. I feel that we should confiscate his weapon and put him under suspension."
"We've already induced that punishment on him," Varnaz pointed out. "And that was for insubordination. Now he's facing assault charges. We cannot give him the exact same punishment we gave him for his previous offense!"
"Then what do you suggest we do? Scourge the child in front of the Army? What kind of message will that send to both our allies and the neutral people of Nagarea if we beat a boy who's already suffered considerable physical and psychological abuse? And for what—for acting childishly?"
"Allise is right," Gunther said. "Daunte may have behaved childishly, but we have to remember that he is a child! He's not a grown adult in full control of his emotions! We cannot handle his case as though he were an adult!"
"Are we really making this the center of our meeting?" someone spoke up sharply. "I think we have far bigger things to worry about than the minor infractions of a teenage boy!"
"Yet he put his hands on me with the intention of doing me harm," Bearyl interjected. "No matter what, he must answer for this!"
"What do you suggest we do, my Lord?" Caesar asked. "Will we suspend him or publicly punish him? Will we dishonorably discharge him from the Army?"
Bearyl's expression only grew grimmer. "He is a nuisance who has done next to nothing for my Army, and yet he is also a danger to us because of the True Rune on his hand. It might be in our best interests to hand him over to the Theocracy."
"WHAT?!" Gunther and Allise shouted in unison. The other lieutenants similarly exclaimed in shock.
"Turn him over to the very Army we're fighting?" Caesar said, not bothering to hide the shock from his voice. "My Lord, need I remind you what Daunte has already suffered at the hands of the Theocracy? And do you realize what they will do to him once they get ahold of him?"
"I'm thinking about the long-term effects," Bearyl said. "I thought Daunte could serve us with his True Rune, but he hasn't. He can't even grasp the Rune's power. We know that the Rune's first spell is a healing spell, so we know it isn't a weapon of mass destruction. The Theocracy cannot use it against us, so by giving them access to the Rune that will give us an opportunity to—"
"There must be another way."
The table immediately fell silent and everyone gaped at Varnaz. Bearyl's best friend was actually staring at him with open disapproval. "I don't deny that Daunte must be punished for what he did, but handing him over to the Theocracy is not an option. It cannot be an option. The Theocracy's reach covers the entire country, so even their possessing his True Rune will not make them stall. It will only invigorate them to crush us. Not to mention the fact that Daunte was convicted under Original Sin—they will surely kill him if they capture him again. I will not give the Theocracy any more power, and I will not have Daunte's blood on my hands."
"…Varnaz," Bearyl said quietly. "There might be a—"
"I will not support such an action, my Lord," Varnaz interrupted him. "So please do not ask me to."
A long period of silence followed Varnaz's proclamation. It was the very first time any of them had seen Varnaz speak against Bearyl. Bearyl himself looked at a loss for words but Varnaz's expression was unmoving. It was obvious he would not be swayed from his point.
"…All right," Bearyl said finally. His tone was low and full of obvious fury. "Daunte will be suspended. Again. And his weapon will be confiscated."
"Great," another spoke up. "Now can we move on to another topic? Like the issue with Agame—"
"I've already made it clear that I will not help them," Bearyl said harshly. "They sealed their fates when they left us! I wash my hands of them, and the rest of you will too! Is there anything else to report?!"
Another long moment of silence hung in the room before Allise slowly stood up. "Yes, my Lord. We've heard various rumors coming out of Tenaga…"
That evening the guard came down the stairs and unlocked Daunte's cell. "You're free to come out, but you've been suspended again. Your weapon will be returned to you after Lord Bearyl feels that you've served your punishment."
Daunte was very surprised with such a lenient punishment, and he was so relieved that he wasn't upset about not having access to his tekko. "I understand. Thank you."
Daunte's surprise only grew when the guard reached out and clapped him on the shoulder. "We've got your back, kid. We've seen how hard you've been working and how you've not reaped any rewards for it. We've also seen that you haven't complained once. It's incredible seeing someone so mature for your age."
Daunte was moved by his words and he smiled at the other man. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate it."
"I'm sure you want to see your friends, but it's pretty late. You should head off to bed."
"O-Okay." Daunte nodded and hurried up the stairs. Some of the relief he felt ebbed a little bit once he was upstairs, however. He saw soldiers standing around, and several of them silenced when they saw Daunte. But Daunte didn't see derision or disapproval in their expressions. Perhaps they were talking about him, but…maybe it was with positive words?
"We've got your back, kid."
It was hard to believe that these soldiers would have his back, especially after he disobeyed orders so many times. But Daunte did like having someone look out for him for once.
Daunte debated going to look for Roen and Felicity, but he also remembered he'd asked Oboro to look for new recruits for the Army and wondered if he should go and visit the detective. As he debated however, he was startled by a shout. "I see they let you out!"
He relaxed slightly when Caesar approached him. The strategist was wearing his usual lazy smile. "H-Hello, sir."
"Come on, no title for me Daunte." Caesar shook his head. "Well, I'm sure you're aware of the extent of your punishment."
"I've been suspended until Lord Bearyl feels I've served my punishment."
Caesar shrugged. "I'd say give it a week and you'll most likely get your weapon back. Don't sweat it, kid."
Daunte shifted a little where he stood. "I-I…I wanted to apologize for my behavior. I shouldn't have put my hands on Lord Bearyl. It won't happen again."
Caesar looked surprised by his words. "That was very mature of you, Daunte. It's a pity most adults can't humble themselves this way."
"C-Can I see Lord Bearyl? I wanted to apologize in person."
"I…don't think that's a good idea, kid." Caesar put a hand on his shoulder and steered Daunte towards his room. "His Lordship isn't in the best of moods this evening. But I will pass along your apologies to him."
"Right, thank you."
"Also…" Caesar's voice trailed off as they walked along. The strategist looked over his shoulder as though to check and see if they were being watched. Daunte almost looked as well, but then Caesar drew his attention again. "I wanted to give this to you." He reached into an inner pocket and pulled out some paper. The paper was heavily wrinkled, and it was shiny, very shiny. It glimmered in the lamp light in the hallway. "I'm sorry for invading your privacy, but I needed to read this thoroughly in order to get it right."
Daunte accepted the paper. It was three sheets that were folded. They crackled loudly when he unfolded them. He saw smudged handwriting on the pages, and it looked uneven. At the top of the first page he saw the words, "Dear Daunte—"
Daunte's head snapped up and he gaped at Caesar. The strategist stared back at him bemusedly. "C-Caesar. You…" Daunte held up the pages. "This is my letter, isn't it? The one from Surya? The one that got ripped up? You—"
"I'd love to take all of the credit, but Gizli gave me considerable help," Caesar told him. "It took us a long time, but yes. We were able to salvage the letters written to the four of you and reassemble them. Roen, Felicity, and Arin got their letters already so I thought it was appropriate for you to receive yours no—GUH!" Caesar choked as Daunte suddenly crushed him in a tight hug. "Okay, okay kid. You're welcome, now let me go."
"Thank you so much!" Daunte released him and looked at the letter. "I'm going to read this right now!"
"I hope you enjoy it." Caesar took his leave with a slight wave.
Daunte quickly entered his room, glancing up briefly to see Arin buried in the old blue book Surya had given him. "'—wardrobe was covered in chains and locks and looked very for-for-for-body—oh!" Arin brightened when he saw Daunte. "Brother! They let you out?!"
"Yes, but they still have my tekko." Daunte walked over and ruffled Arin's hair as he glanced down into the book. "You're enjoying Surya's gift?"
Arin made a face. "Surya's letter was easy to read, but this book is much harder! How do I pronounce this word?" he pointed out the word in question on the page.
"Foreboding," Daunte said, enunciating the word for him. "Just take baby steps with this, Arin. There are some adults out there who don't know how to read so you don't need to push yourself so hard."
"But I want to learn how to read! I want to be able to read many different books!" he paused when he saw the letter in Daunte's hand. "Oh, is that Surya's letter to you? Will you read it out loud to me?"
"Ah, I think I'll read it to myself first. He did write us two different letters after all." Daunte headed over to his own bed.
"I'll let you read mine!" Arin held up his own letter.
"We'll see, Arin. Let me see what Surya wanted to write to me first."
"Oh, all right." Arin huffed in disappointment, but he didn't stay disappointed for long. "Can we go to Sol-Falena someday? Surya wrote about so many amazing things about the city in his letter to me!"
"Someday, Arin." Daunte focused on the letter he held in his hands. If Arin said anything more, Daunte didn't hear it.
"Dear Daunte,
"I'm sorry for the poor quality of this letter, but I guess this is what happens when I make split second decisions like this. Mokuren is gesturing to me now. I think she wants me to tell you she said 'hello'.
"I never thought I would miss Nagarea so much after everything I've been through, but I do miss you guys. Sometimes when I'm walking around the Sun Palace I find myself looking for you guys as if I expect the four of you to be right here with me. I wasn't kidding when I told you guys that you were welcome to come and live in Falena. My aunt the Queen has already said it was okay, and she's taken great pleasure in teasing Farrin about her new "fiancé"." Daunte twitched when he read that one line, but continued reading. "Uncle Shoon is far less amused by Aunt Lym's teasing, but I don't expect him to treat you with anything but respect during your assembly.
"To be honest, I'm writing you this letter because Father and Aunt Lym have requested that I limit my association with you dignitaries. However they hasn't outright forbidden me from seeing any of you, which is the main reason I'm writing this letter to you now. I wanted you to know that Aunt Lym will not consent to an alliance with the Liberation Army."
Daunte stiffened, and his fingers tensed around the paper. Queen Lymsleia had already decided to not forge an alliance with us? Then why invite us at all?
Sure enough, Surya answered his question with the next sentence. "After we receive the emissary from Bearyl Lutis, Aunt Lym felt compelled to invite him here to hear him out. She knows, Daunte. She knows Lutis did next to nothing for us and launched a futile campaign instead of aiding my uncle in rescuing Farrin. But she still wants to give the man a chance to speak his mind and to prove her wrong. And she realizes that though Lutis did little for us, she knows that people within the Army still helped us. But from my own association with Lutis, I can already predict how the assembly will go."
So the assembly had been less an attempt at an alliance and more of a test of Bearyl Lutis's character. And Bearyl Lutis failed it. Daunte shook his head furiously and continued reading. "I have a feeling that Aunt Lym will reject the alliance proposal, but I want you to know that it's not because of the Liberation Army, or because we're isolating ourselves from Nagarea. If the Parliament ends up voting against the alliance, it will be strictly because of Bearyl Lutis. Aunt Lym doesn't trust him, and though we know the rest of the Army is not like him he is nevertheless the leader of the Army. If we cannot trust the leader of a potential ally, then any sort of alliance would be doomed from the start. So no matter what happens, I want you to know that Falena isn't going to forget what you did for my family. If we vote against you, it is a vote against Lutis and not against the Army itself."
"I don't think Falena rejected an alliance with us for selfish reasons. They clearly rejected an alliance because of you!"
Daunte didn't think Gunther would take any comfort at this point at being proven completely right. He closed his eyes and let out a harsh breath. So, Falena's Parliament rejected an alliance with us solely because of who's leading our Army. How many other alliances are we going to lose for this same reason? He opened his eyes and saw a final paragraph on the last page.
"But I don't want you guys to be worried. If Aunt Lym rejects your alliance proposal now, that doesn't mean her rejection is permanent. The Parliament can be swayed in the right favor in any number of different ways. However, since this alliance hinges on the actions of the Liberation Army leader, he would need to be the one who can steer us back on the path to an alliance. And if he can't, well…then I think your Army is smart enough to find somebody who can."
Well, Surya was never a subtle person. He was basically telling Daunte that Bearyl needed to be removed from power if an alliance between Falena and the Liberation Army were to move forward. But what could Daunte do with this information? He wasn't a general or a lieutenant. He had no standing in the Army! Who would listen to him?
"I'm sorry for invading your privacy, but I needed to read this thoroughly in order to get it right."
Daunte snapped his head towards the closed door and his breathing turned ragged. Caesar. Caesar read this letter. And if I understood Surya's message about kicking Bearyl Lutis out of power—then Caesar definitely understood it.
Daunte woke the next morning to shouting and loud arguing. A sickening feeling filled his gut, and he knew something terrible was wrong. He shoved back the covers and looked over to Arin, who was huddled on the bed frightened. "Stay here," Daunte told him softly.
"Daunte, don't leave me alone," the child whispered to him.
"I'll be right back, I promise." Daunte quickly got changed and opened the door. The arguing only increased in volume and he stared down the hallway. Several groups of Liberation Army soldiers were huddled together, shouting and gesturing angrily.
"We did nothing! We did nothing!"
"We weren't given the orders to move out!"
"But that messenger came yesterday! We could've done something and we didn't!"
"The message said the Sheikh would attack in three days, but the Sheikh attacked last night! We would've never made it in time even if we all left immediately after the messenger did!"
"But we STILL could've done something! We abandoned them to die!"
"Felicity!" Daunte shouted, catching his friend. He raced over to her and saw that her face was ashen, and she looked on the verge of tears. "Felicity, what happened?"
Felicity opened and closed her mouth silently for a few moments before she finally spoke. "Agameru…is gone."
"WHAT?!" Daunte shouted, gaping at her. "Gone?! What do you mean gone?!"
"Sheikh Sloan Faakhir led his main forces to the hamlet," Felicity said softly. "They'd thought he would arrive in three days, but the Sheikh surprised everyone with an ambush last night. And they…they k-killed everyone. Men, women, children—they slew everyone they could find. Nobody was spared."
Daunte thought he was going to throw up and he covered his mouth. His knees weakened and he felt light-headed. It was too horrible to be true, but he knew it had to be true. Oh Nagar…he killed everyone? There's nobody left alive?! Lord Lorik and Tala and all those people…
He couldn't stop the sickening guilt that consumed him. Even though he knew he couldn't have made much of a difference himself, he couldn't help but feel that he had abandoned those people to die. I saw them. I saw them all and I left them to their fate. I should've stayed behind. I should've done something for them! I'll never forgive the Sheikh for this! Never!
"T-They think there may have been survivors," Felicity continued. "I guess the scouts reported they didn't find Lord Lorik Varra's body, so he must've escaped somehow with a group of survivors. But they said…" she quickly shook her head. "They said Agameru was flattened to the ground. There are no buildings left standing, and they just left the bodies lying in the ruins. H-How…" tears were now spilling down her cheeks. "How could this happen? How could the Sheikh conceive of doing such a horrible thing?"
Daunte didn't know how to answer her. The news that there could have been survivors was uplifting, but not by much.
"Guys."
Both Daunte and Felicity jumped as Roen approached them. Felicity quickly wiped the tears from her face. "R-Roen. You've heard?"
"Can we talk?" he didn't bother hiding the fury from his face.
"S-Sure," Daunte said. "Let's go to your room, though. I don't want to alarm Arin with news of what happened."
The trio quickly headed off for Roen's room, leaving behind them the violent arguing that still occurred amongst the soldiers.
Roen slammed the door shut behind him. "Can you believe this?!" Roen demanded. "We had ample opportunity to give aid to Agameru, or to least help evacuate the town, and we did nothing! What was Lorik Varra thinking, trying to make a last stand against the Sheikh?! What made him think he could stand a chance?!"
"He probably thought he had no other options and didn't know who he could trust," Felicity said softly. "That many people on the road would've drawn so much attention…"
"So they just remained like sitting ducks waiting to be slaughtered?!" Roen scrubbed a hand over his face. "And the Liberation Army—what a joke! Bearyl Lutis ought to be ashamed to give his Army such a name when he doesn't do anything to help anyone!"
Daunte couldn't argue with Roen about Bearyl's total inaction, but he let out a sharp breath. "Lord Bearyl didn't kill the people of Agameru. Sloan Faakhir did, and we should be directing our anger towards him."
"They said that the Sheikh was monstrous," Felicity said. She took a seat down on Roen bed. "T-That he used a Rune to summon monsters and to strike people down. I-I guess an eyewitness said his ferocity grew greater and greater every time he used the Rune. By the end of it all, he was covered in blood—"
"Enough, please," Daunte said, shuddering. He clenched his hands into fists as best as he could. "I will make that man pay for this. I don't know how, but he won't get away with this! I swear he won't!"
Roen slowly paced the room before turning back around to face Daunte. "I really think we need to leave, Daunte. It was a mistake to come here."
Anger snapped through Daunte quickly and he advanced upon his friend. "And go where exactly, Roen?! Do you want to run away to Falena?! Do you want to forget about the children suffering in the Dark Chasm?! Or how about the people suffering everywhere else in Nagarea?! What about the people of Agameru, huh?! If you want to leave, Roen, go ahead! But I'm not running away!"
"Daunte, Original Sin—"
"Is a damned lie!" Daunte hollered. His raised voice startled the other boy. "I told you that Nether Gate assassins took over the government, Roen! They're the ones who invented Original Sin! They're the ones who've been oppressing us this whole time! They're not our true leaders, or even true believers in the Nagarist Faith! They've perverted our religion to force us into submission! So I don't want to hear you say another word about how we all deserve to suffer in the name of Nagar!"
"Daunte, I deserve to suffer!" Roen shouted back. The other boy looked stricken. "Daunte, what I've done—what my father did—I deserved my punishment! Original Sin isn't to blame for it when I deserve it!"
Daunte looked at him for a long moment. "…What are you talking about, Roen?"
Roen looked like he was on the verge of tears. He wiped at his mouth before speaking. "I didn't go with you when you went to Kõrkus, but you heard the stories didn't you? About Kõrkus's Chapel?"
Daunte raked over his memories of that day. So much had happened during their trip to Kõrkus—meeting Nash and Sierra, rescuing Princess Signe, and witnessing Sheikh Keha Hale trying to murder Allise—that he almost couldn't remember gossip he'd overhead. But—
"I can't stand looking at it. I loved the old Chapel. I still can't believe a heathen used the power of a Rage Rune to blow the old Chapel up. We lost so many people that day."
"I-It was blown up with a Rage Rune," Daunte said softly. He looked at his friend as realization dawned upon him. "Roen. Did—"
"It was me," Roen said, his voice suddenly meek. "That was my fault."
Daunte gaped at him in horror. He tried to formulate words, but couldn't. He looked at Felicity and saw that she was also at a loss for words. He stammered for a moment before speaking. "You?!"
"More precisely, it was my father." Roen slowly sat down beside Felicity on the bed. He looked like he was in so much pain. "B-But I knew what he was going to do and didn't tell anyone. H-He told me it was for the good of the country, and I believed him. I-I mean, what kid wouldn't believe their parent?"
"Roen, you were just a kid—" Felicity began.
"Felicity, I was thirteen years old when it happened! I was old enough to know right from wrong and I did nothing! I convinced myself that what my father was doing was right, and so I didn't tell anyone and I didn't stop him! I-I…" he shook his head. "I even went with him the day he did it."
"Roen, if you told anyone you still would've been convicted under Original Sin," Felicity said softly.
"But all those people wouldn't have died. Father told me that the Chapel was empty, but it—it wasn't. It was full of people for a special service when he used his Rage Rune. H-He…" the boy was trembling as he recounted the memory. "T-There was over a hundred people in the Chapel. There were no survivors. I could hear their screams from where we hid, and we were thirty meters away! Father told me the Chapel would be empty, that nobody was going to be hurt! But he—" he looked at his friends. "I saw it in his face, guys. He did know people were going to be in there! He knew, and he still did it!"
This revelation had a sobering effect on Daunte. Roen, more than Kass or Felicity, had always believed they deserved to be punished. That they needed to repent to Nagar for their sins. It had bothered Daunte because it made Roen seem like a closed-minded believer blind to the suffering around them.
But this—this was different. Roen wasn't talking about them collectively when he spoke about their repentance. He was talking about himself. He felt he was just as responsible for those people's deaths as his father, and so he suffered because he felt he deserved it. And he didn't speak badly against the Theocracy because his father had committed a heinous act on the belief that it was "for the good of the country".
"They executed everyone in my family." Roen was now looking down at his hands. "Nobody was spared. T-They didn't execute me, but they forced me to watch their executions. My father, he—he laughed during his execution! And I couldn't understand it because he'd damned us all with his actions, but he didn't care! How…" Roen looked up at Daunte. "How is this Liberation Army any different than men like my father? Bearyl Lutis may not have killed those people, but he might as well been swinging his sword cutting them down along with the Sheikh's forces! We cannot follow such a man anymore, guys! We need to get out while we still can!"
Before either Daunte or Felicity could respond, there was a sharp knock at the door and a soldier poked his head in. "Lord Bearyl Lutis just called an emergency meeting outside. He's ordered everyone to come outside."
Roen gave them a look of disapproval but they all nodded. They left Roen's room and followed the flow of Army soldiers outside. Most of them were still grumbling in outrage. Daunte caught a glimpse of Arin, who was clutching his figurine to his chest, and he rushed over to his little brother to take his hand and guide him along.
The bulk of the Army grouped outside at the bottom of the steps. Daunte caught sight of Jantu, Liron, Oboro, Gunther, Allise, Cairoh, Gusoku, and Gizli spread out amongst the troops. He didn't see Clara, but he had to guess that the doctor was still tending to patients.
Bearyl Lutis stood at the top, with Caesar and Varnaz at his side. Varnaz had a stern expression on his face, but Caesar's face was expressionless. Bearyl stepped forward and looked out over his Army. "I know you all must have heard by now," he began. "And I understand the outrage you all feel. What Sheikh Sloan Faakhir has done to the people of Agameru is heinous and inexcusable. I wish with all my heart that Lord Lorik Varra had not quit our Army, for I feel this could've been avoided had he stayed with us."
The soldiers around Daunte stirred. While some murmured their agreement with Bearyl, others were still angry. He pulled Arin closer to himself.
"But we must take this tragedy as a reminder of why we must succeed," Bearyl continued. "And we must remind ourselves how committed we must be to this cause! Lord Varra was not committed to our cause, and unfortunately his people suffered greatly for his indecisiveness. We must learn from Agameru that we must be vigilant, and we must keep fighting!" He drew his sword and pointed it towards the sky. "We will succeed! In the name of all those who lost their lives, we will avenge them and we will never let this happen again!"
Soldiers around them cheered, and Daunte felt incredulous. He's blaming this entirely on Lorik Varra! But HE was the one who refused to help Lorik and punished anyone who even associated with Agameru! Lord Bearyl is just as much as to blame as Lorik is!
Daunte felt a tug on his hand and he looked down. The sorrow in Arin's face was heartbreaking. "Can we go back to our room?" he asked softly.
"Sure," Daunte said. He looked at Roen and Felicity. "I-I'll catch up with you guys later."
"Right," Roen said, nodding.
"I'm going to check with Gunther and see if I can go out on a mission," Felicity said. "If I just stay here and do nothing I'll go crazy."
Daunte wanted to get out of the castle too, but he knew that was impossible so long as he remained suspended. He nodded to his friends and led Arin back into the castle. The mood in some of the soldiers around them had improved, but Daunte didn't take comfort in it.
"Were there any survivors in Agameru?" Arin asked softly.
"T-They believe so," Daunte reassured him. "I'm sure some people got out of there."
Arin shook his head. "It shouldn't have happened at all, Brother."
"I know, Arin."
"—can't just leave!"
Daunte skidded to a halt as they reached the floor with their room. There was a group of twenty Army soldiers in front of them. All of them were arguing.
"Oh yeah? Just watch me!" one soldier barked. "I refuse to serve such lowly scum as Bearyl Lutis!"
"Do you know what happens to deserters, soldier? They are put to death!"
"I don't care! Working for that bastard is a death sentence! If he abandoned one hamlet to die, just imagine how easily he could abandon any of us to die! I did not join the Liberation Army to just sit on my hands and do nothing while innocent people are being murdered!"
"He's right!" another shouted. "The bigger this Army has gotten, the bigger his Lordship's ego has gotten! And why are we even calling him 'his Lordship' anyway?! He's not a lord, just a defrocked Cleric! He doesn't know the first thing about running an Army!"
"He has Varnaz and Gunther—"
"Yeah, and when has he even yielded either of their advice, huh?! Or the advice of his damned strategist?! He just does whatever he damn well pleases, the hell with the rest of us! This is not a person I'm willing to die for!"
Daunte knew what was going on. Several of these soldiers were planning on deserting the Army. He couldn't blame them entirely, but he still developed a sick feeling in his stomach. He wanted to say something, but was also afraid to speak up. Ultimately, he hung onto Arin's hand and impulsively moved forward. "What's going on?"
The soldiers flinched at Daunte's question, but relaxed when they saw him. "It's none of your concern," a soldier said harshly.
"Daunte, we cannot stay here," another suddenly interjected. "You've experienced firsthand just how Lord Bearyl is abusing his position of authority and is completely bungling this war! We're on the losing side because of that man, and he's going to get us all killed!"
"So you're going to desert?" Daunte asked. He looked at each soldier. "You made an oath to the Liberation Army. We all did. We're the only ones fighting to make things right. If we don't persevere, the children in the Dark Chasm are going to die! So many more people are going to die because of the corrupt Decrees the Theocracy keeps instituting! We must do something, and we won't accomplish anything by running away!"
"Unless Lord Bearyl wizens up, we're not going to succeed anyway," another soldier quipped.
"Guys," Daunte said. "We must keep fighting. We have to take down the Cabinet of High Clerics!"
"They are just clergy—" another began.
"No, they're not," Daunte interrupted him harshly. "They're assassins from Nether Gate. They murdered the previous High Clerics and took their positions! They're using the Nagarist religion against us to force us into submission! They don't give a damn about us or our beliefs—they're using twisted methods to turn us against each other and in order to maintain more power! So we must keep fighting, if for no other reason than to ensure that they are gone, and that we can stop this insanity!"
The soldiers gaped at Daunte in horror, and Arin also looked horrified. "T-The High Clerics…are just assassins?!" the main deserter breathed.
"Yes," Daunte told him, inwardly shocked that Bearyl Lutis never divulged this information to his own soldiers. "So no matter what you may feel about Lord Bearyl, he at least understands our religion and would never, ever do what those assassins have done! We must have faith and we must keep faith or else this will never end!"
"Daunte speaks the truth." Oboro suddenly approached. Daunte started, having not heard him walk up. "Everything you believe in has been perverted by cruel, calculated monsters. It is imperative that you stop these monsters. All of you are necessary for this fight, and we cannot be fighting amongst ourselves."
"How do you know so much?!" someone snapped. Daunte was also curious about how Oboro knew so much.
"Because I'm a detective," Oboro answered, handing him a small card and smiling. "It's my job to know."
A long period of silence followed. Arin stepped closer to Daunte and hung onto his hand tighter. Finally, another soldier stepped forward. "Why do you defend Lord Bearyl so strongly, Daunte? He's brought you a lot of embarrassment and unnecessary discomfort. I think you have more to complain about than the rest of us, and yet you encourage us to stay? Why?"
Daunte knew he could answer them many different ways—to tell them to mind their own business, to tell them what he really thought about Bearyl, to be really haughty, and to be humble and speak his mind. Finally, he said, "I want to make things right and I believe the Liberation Army can do that."
Surprisingly, the soldiers seemed to accept this and nodded amongst themselves. "Then we'll stay and fight. But only because you're giving us reason to fight, Daunte."
Daunte was shocked that he, a seventeen year old boy, brought inspiration to men and women who were easily over ten years older than him. He nodded shakily. "T-Thank you."
"I will stay too!" Arin declared. "And I will stay because of Daunte!"
The soldiers burst into laughter and Daunte managed a soft laugh as well. Despite his own misgivings, he'd prevented soldiers from deserting. Hopefully they won't end up dead for staying.
"Very impressive, my Lord," Oboro spoke to Daunte softly. "Gunther may have had a point about letting you be the spokesperson for the Army."
"Thank you for your help, Oboro," Daunte told him.
Oboro bowed slightly. "Anytime."
Sleep did not come easily to Daunte in the following days. He was still anxious about everything that had happened. Felicity had found Gunther, who was more than happy to take her out on a supply mission, and Roen decided to join them. Daunte also wanted to join them, but he could not do so without a weapon.
Two nights later he found himself sitting on the front steps of the castle, mentally drawing constellations in the sky. Seeing the stars reminded him of Leknaat, and what she had said to him. "Of the 108 Stars in our sky, of heaven and earth, you have been enveloped by the most important star of all."
He couldn't properly count the stars in the sky to determine if there were exactly 108 stars, and he wondered which one of them was the Tenkai Star. It was, after all, the Star that was supposed to be guiding him. She said I was guided by the most important star in the sky. But if I'm so important, then why am I not doing anything to make a difference?
He heard a rustle in the grass below and he quickly glanced down. His eyes went wide as he saw a body hunched over a worn-out horse. The sky blue hair on their head was dirty and messy, and his clothes looked singed. Daunte saw by the person size that they were a teenager—maybe Daunte's own age. Daunte bolted down the stairs and caught the boy as he fell. A crossbow fell from a strap on the boy's back and clattered to the ground. "A-Are you all right?!" he shouted.
"…H…" the boy's voice was weak and his breathing was shallow against his arm. "H-Help me. Help m-m-m…" he slumped against Daunte and said nothing more.
Daunte twisted his head back towards the castle. "HELP!"
"He's exhausted and dehydrated," Clara said grimly, checking the boy's vital signs as he lay in the infirmary bed. After casting a spell from one of her Runes on the boy he looked much better, but he still looked terrible. "Judging from his appearance, I don't need to guess where he came from."
"Then he's from Agameru," Bearyl said, folding his arms over his chest as he stood at the foot of the bed. "And once again, you've defied my orders." He glared at Daunte.
"Well, technically there is no longer an Agameru so Daunte didn't defy your orders," Caesar spoke from Bearyl's right. "We should hear the boy out."
"Really, we should let him rest—" Clara protested.
"Wake him up," Bearyl commanded. "He came here for a reason and he will tell us now what it is."
Clara was trembling with visible fury, but said no word of protest as she produced a small bottle of smelling salts from a drawer. She gently waved it under the boy's nose, and boy awoke with a start, violet-colored eyes going wide. "W-What—!"
"Your name," Bearyl said, glaring at the boy. "Tell it to me now."
The boy looked at everyone with confusion. Daunte wanted to reassure him that he was safe and that everything would be all right, but he wasn't entirely certain of the truth of such reassurances. So instead he said, "Don't move around so much."
"Your name, boy," Bearyl barked at him. "Who are you and why have you come here?!"
"I-I must speak to Lord Bearyl Lutis," the boy stammered, struggling to sit up. "I must speak to him!"
"I'm standing right in front of you. Or do your eyes not work?" Bearyl leaned over the bed. "I won't ask again. Who are you, and why are you here?"
"A-Ah, my name is Zander and I'm from Agameru. I-I was sent here by Lord Lorik—"
"So Lord Lorik lived!" Allise gasped, pressing a hand over her heart. "What a relief!"
But Zander shook his head. His expression became haunted and full of sorrow. "W-We…there's barely twenty of us left from Agameru. My p-parents were—" tears quickly filled his eyes but he furiously shoo them off and pushed back the covers. "L-Lord Bearyl." He moved into a kneeling position and bowed full kowtow before the Liberation Army leader. "My Lord, I'm here on behalf of Lord Lorik. He wishes to extend to you his deepest apologies for his disrespect of your position. Lord Lorik has told me that he would anything that you ask, and even offers you his life, if you would give us refuge."
Daunte looked between Bearyl and Zander. Bearyl's face was unmoving, and it was difficult to tell how the leader would react to Zander's words. Caesar leaned forward and quickly whispered to Bearyl. Daunte heard nothing that Caesar said, but Bearyl nodded curtly to his words. Daunte breathed out a sigh of relief. He's going to help the people of Agameru. Good.
Bearyl stepped closer to the bed. "I'm not impressed with Lorik Varra sending a child as a means to gain sympathy from me and to appease me."
"W-What?" Zander sputtered, quickly looking up. Daunte shot a glance at Caesar, but he stilled when he saw the shock in the strategist's face. "N-No, it's not like that my Lord! I-I'm the most able-bodied—"
"Your leader made the stupid decision to abandon my cause," Bearyl snapped. "And you made the stupid decision to follow him instead of following me. You will get no sympathy from me, boy."
"H-How—" Zander looked at a complete loss for words and wrung his hands. "M-My Lord, it wasn't—it wasn't like that! Agameru was my town, I couldn't simply abandon it!"
"So you followed an idiot who knows nothing of warfare and real politics, and you come here to my castle insulting my intelligence by trying to trick me into letting you all come back." He waved a dismissive hand. "Dr. Clara, finish healing him and then send him on his way."
"Lord Bearyl!" Daunte burst out before he could stop himself.
Bearyl glared at him. "Do you have anything to add, Daunte?"
Daunte opened his mouth to object further, but then he saw Caesar shaking his head at him from behind Bearyl. The strategist's expression spoke more than words could. "Say no more. It will do no good, and you will be cast out along with this boy."
The words choked in Daunte's throat, and he found he could say nothing. Zander was looking at him with pleading eyes and Daunte looked away. W…What can I do? What can I do?
"My Lord, I must object to your order," Clara said softly, squaring her shoulders. "This boy has been through a terrible ordeal and needs a hot meal and a lot of rest." As the lone doctor of the Army Daunte knew she would have greater sway than Daunte, but she still did not have high enough standing to make any difference.
Sure enough, Bearyl moved to stand toe-to-toe with Clara. "Then use your strongest healing spell on him and send him on his way. This is an order, soldier."
"I'm not a soldier," Clara snapped, glaring back at him. "I'm a surgeon, and I must do what I can to save my patients! I won't let you cast out this boy!"
"Then you can leave as well," Bearyl told her curtly. "I have had all that I can stand from insubordination!"
"My Lord!" Allise cried out. "We have many sick and injured here, and Dr. Clara is our only doctor! If we throw her out, who will care for them?"
"Yes, Doctor?" Bearyl asked Clara instead. "Who is going to take care of these patients if you sacrifice yourself for this one insignificant boy?"
Clara looked so angry that her face was turning purple. Daunte was certain she might strike Bearyl in anger. After a moment she spun around and held out her hand to Zander. "Kindness Rain."
A rain spell more powerful than Kindness Drops engulfed Zander, and the last of his injuries were healed. Clara stormed away without another word, leaving Zander gaping in bed.
"Like I said," Bearyl said, turning back to Zander. "Go report back to Lorik Varra and tell him that he made his bed so he can lay on it. None of you are welcome here."
"My Lord!" Zander wailed. He scrambled off the bed and grabbed Bearyl by his trench coat. "My Lord, please! We have lost everything! We have nothing—no food, barely any weapons! We're completely lost and have nowhere to go! You mustn't abandon us!"
"Then maybe Lorik Varra shouldn't have abandoned me first," Bearyl snapped, pulling his trench coat free. "You have your message, now go."
"Zander." Caesar suddenly knelt down so that he was eye-level with the boy. He forced a smile at him. "Would you mind telling Lord Lorik that we wish to see him in person?"
"Caesar!" Bearyl snapped.
"No." The sorrow had left Zander's face and he stood up. He now looked furious. "You've made your message clear. You're not going to help us. I'll tell my lord exactly what you've told me." He glared at Bearyl. "I won't forget this, sir."
"See that you don't," Bearyl told him, missing the underlining threat in Zander's tone. "One of my soldiers will escort you out." He waved to a soldier, who stepped forward.
Daunte looked between Allise and Caesar, and even Varnaz who had been silent, as Zander was escorted out of the infirmary. "I think it's time we all head off to bed," Bearyl announced. "Varnaz, Allise, and Daunte, so on to bed."
"Yes, my Lord," Varnaz said, saluting. Allise saluted in silence and followed Varnaz out. Daunte however did not salute Bearyl. He stormed out of the infirmary after the other two.
I can't believe this. Bearyl really is uncompromising, isn't he?! No wonder Falena didn't want to make an alliance with us?!
"How dare you speak against me, Caesar?"
Daunte almost closed the door shut, but Bearyl's sudden shout caused him to pause. "You are my strategist! Your support of me is supposed to be unwavering! Yet you undermine me to some punk?! I told him that he was not welcome! That Lorik Varra was not welcome! And yet despite these words that I said, you still extended an invitation to him?! Do you have any idea how this makes me look?!"
There was a long moment of silence. "Answer me!" Bearyl yelled. His shout startled several sick and injured soldiers awake.
"My Lord." Daunte stiffened as he heard Caesar's voice. It was calm, but very cold. And very angry. "My Lord, I have stood by you through some very perilous times. I have given you nothing but my unconditional support. You in turn have greeted my aid with scorn, hubris, and very stupid decisions. I made a commitment to you and I intend on seeing it through. But…"
"But what?"
"But your costly mistakes have worn me too thin, my Lord. I will give you one—just one—more chance to make this Army work and to humble yourself into being a proper leader. If you don't…"
"If I don't?!"
"…Well if you don't, then I will simply have to take my services elsewhere."
Daunte gasped, and quickly closed the door. He didn't bother waiting to hear Bearyl's reply and hurried away from the infirmary. Caesar was threatening to quit?!
Bearyl Lutis has lost allies, and now his most important ally is threatening to leave him. Is this because of what Surya wrote in the letter? With this much turmoil in the Army, I don't know how we're going to recover from this.
There was no moon in the sky, only a sprinkle of stars. Zander couldn't see where he was going.
Panting heavily, he reached out and stroked his horse's mane. But he couldn't stop the tears from spilling from his eyes and he looked skyward. "W-Wha…" he gulped on the words he tried to formulate. "What am I supposed to do now?"
A loud whistle ripped through the air. Zander turned around and his stomach clenched with fright as he saw the familiar uniforms riding towards him. No, NO!
Zander tried to motivate his horse to move faster, but the poor beast was already exhausted from the constantly riding. It could barely maintain a steady gallop before the Theocracy's soldiers were upon them. Zander shrieked as a soldier leaped from his own and horse and tackled off his. He saw stars as they both slammed into the ground.
"Search him! Confiscate any weapons he may have! Find his identification book!"
"He's got a crossbow!" the first soldier shouted, yanking it from Zander's back. "But he doesn't have his identification book on him!"
The lead soldier surveyed Zander as two soldiers pulled him to his feet. "Boy, what is your name? Where is your identification book?"
Zander ducked his head. He knew where his identification book was—in the charred remains of his house. Where everything he owned had been. All he had left were his crossbow and the clothes on his back. "I-I-I don…" he shook his head.
"Your clothes are singed," the leader pointed out. "Were you attacked by a fire spell? Or are you from Agameru?"
Zander flinched, but he kept his mouth shut. Unfortunately he saw in the soldier's expression that he'd guessed his origins. "This boy is from Agameru. In the name of Sheikh Keiran Umed, we hereby place you under arrest."
Zander bit down hard on his lower lip, willing himself not to cry. How can this get any worse for me?
Investigations
Secret #1
Name: Roen
Age: 17
From: Kõrkus, Nagarea
Position: Liberation Army soldier, former Dark Chasm prisoner
Secret #2
As you already know, Roen is one of your best friends. He was sentenced to the Dark Chasm a year before you were, convicted under Original Sin for the Kõrkus Massacre. Over a hundred people lost their lives that day, when Roen's father utilized the power of a Rage Rune to set fire to a Chapel. Roen's father had been part of a radical liberation group called New Dawn, who did not shy away from collateral damage so long as their message got out. New Dawn was crushed into oblivion two years ago, but unfortunately their actions have caused many in Nagarea to believe the Liberation Army is no better.
Secret #3
Roen is deeply religious and believed he needed to be punished for what his father did. He still believes he needs to be punished, and part of him feels guilty he is out free when the other children of the Dark Chasm are not free. Despite your telling him the truth about Original Sin, he is convinced of his guilt and feels he must atone. He reminds me strongly of people that I know personally. Speaking from experience I can tell you that simply telling him he's not guilty won't help him. You must give him his full support and don't make him feel worthless or guilty. With time, he should feel right enough with himself to forgive himself.
Secret #4
Roen has grown fond of the Dragon Horse's from Falena. He's a little embarrassed to admit it because of how the Nagarean Faith teaches that they are demonic, but apparently he'd asked Prince Surya in his letter to send him a Dragon Horse egg. Or at least that's what I overheard from Caesar and Gizli when they were reassembling his letter. They got a good laugh out of it because Prince Surya had to refuse him. Next time you go to Falena, why not take Roen with you? I'm sure he would enjoy seeing the Dragon Horse's again.