CHRONICLE

BOOK ONE: LYDIA

PART TWO: THE FALL

Chapter Thirteen: Rogue's Trap

Laskig spoke personally with Notch as his mobs were attacking Kingshall, testing Herobrine's strength when he couldn't use his powers in preparation for a full attack. His plan was almost ready to put into motion, and if he could help it, he would have it completed long before his deadline of midwinter. As it was, time was already growing short.

He spied on Notch as the portal opened, thinking carefully about his next moves from here. All of them were risky and would require all of his power, so he could not afford any mistakes. His little talk with Notch had proven that.

The conversation before Herobrine had contacted had not been a pleasant one.

"He is a threat," Laskig hissed as Notch paced his council chamber, the massive round table empty but for a few seats, taken up by Laskig and the three other members of Notch's circle of advisers. Notch stopped and slammed his fist down on the table.

"He is my brother!" Notch roared. "What other suspects do you have? He cannot be the one- your so-called evidence is not conclusive enough.

"Our evidence-"

"Your evidence!" Notch snapped, cutting off Diadel, patron god of lovers and enemies, mid-sentence. "Your evidence is filled with holes. Every action that you claim has been his working for the enemy could very well be an action against it."

"Herobrine is very devious," Diadel said, but his voice held a defeated tone.

"My lord," Laskig spoke up. "My lord, the possibility is too great, but if you will not act immediately, I may have a temporary solution."

"Speak," Notch replied, not looking at Laskig.

"If he is the traitor, watch him. Predict his movements, as you know him best. If what you say about him now still holds true, it would be his nature to deflect attention from himself and onto another person right about now. He would then proceed with actions that seem peaceful and good- good enough that in the situation, they would be completely out of character. That is how we would know he is the traitor."

"And what do you expect me to do abut him if he does so and I am still not certain he is the traitor?" Notch asked sourly. Laskig inclined his head.

"I have thought about this myself," Laskig answered. "If you are still not sure, stretch out your senses. If he is in contact with dark forces, then there can be no doubt. If there still is, then instead of striking him down, remove his power before he can be given anything by the Void to increase it."

"If he is innocent despite everything?" Notch prompted, leveling his icy gaze at Laskig.

"He will be vulnerable, but not completely helpless. He would still be able to call on you, after all, and you could keep him from falling into Void hands."

Notch sighed, running his hands through his hair. When he looked back at Laskig, his glare had become even colder.

"Your plan is sound," Notch said, "But take care, Laskig. If you are wrong, and Herobrine is not the traitor, then who is? There are very, very few possibilities left."

Laskig stood suddenly, kicking back his chair and meeting Notch's eyes dead-on.

"If I were the traitor," Laskig began, "I would have run by now and sought to increase my power."

"No, you wouldn't have."

"What?" Laskig blinked as Notch looked away with a wry smile. But that smile never touched his eyes.

"You would stay here and whisper lies to distract attention from yourself, just as you say Herobrine is doing. You walk a dangerous line, Laskig. If you are wrong," Notch spun and slammed the table with one hand, and a thick crack opened down the center, throwing puffs of dust in the air. Laskig jumped back a little. "Then my wrath will fall on your head."

Laskig took several deep breaths before speaking again.

"I see, my lord." He ran a hand over his face, adopting a weary expression. "If I am wrong," he said slowly, lowering his voice, "then it would mean the end of us all. Frankly," he smiled in the same way Notch did, "Your wrath would probably be more merciful than the destruction of the Void."

Notch laughed humorlessly. "Perhaps you are right."

He left the council room.

Notch watched the figure through the blue light of the Aether portal with growing suspicion. Herobrine had not contacted him for years, and now he was using the portal as a means to speak rather than coming to him, or simply using his power.

What are you up to, little brother?

Either Herobrine was being cautious, or he was using a trick to make Notch think that they were already deep in trouble and being watched. As desperately as he didn't want to believe it, he already had too much evidence that Herobrine was working against him. Yet something in his heart told him otherwise, so he was willing to give his brother the benefit of the doubt.

Herobrine was, after all, the first one to realize there was a traitor. Why speak up about such a thing if he were the traitor himself?

"Herobrine," Notch said calmly, masking his thoughts. "It has been a long time."

"Indeed." Herobrine replied, his voice warped through the portal. He took a deep breath. "There is something I must tell you, and you are not going to like it."

The cold feeling in Notch's chest grew colder and began to spread. "What is it?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. He had been warned that Herobrine was going to say just that if he were guilty of treason. Notch knew Herobrine, and he knew vaguely what kind of plan he would follow if he were to betray the other gods. He had already proposed that a traitor existed, so the next step was to vanish and appear to investigate, and then to name the traitor as someone other than himself.

Before, Notch would have believed Herobrine was truly looking for the traitor, but the signs of sincerity were becoming fewer and further between. His most trusted advisors among the gods were pointing out all of the signs - Herobrine had vanished from even his sight, and refused to communicate fully. He had hidden things from Notch. Now what would he have to hide?

"I have narrowed down the possible suspects of the traitor, and all of them are on your personal counsel. I am sorry Notch, but it is someone close to you. Someone that can see everything within the hearts of men, and knows how to manipulate it."

"Herobrine," Notch began, "When did you figure this out?" Herobrine blinked, his image in the portal wavering.

"Just days ago. I've been trying to contact you about it, but I haven't been able to sense your presence anywhere. Where were you?"

"Unable to sense me?" Notch asked sharply. "Herobrine, that is a pitiful excuse."

Now to see if the truth would appear. He glared sharply at Herobrine, hoping to provoke a reaction that would give a real hint to Herobrine's loyalties.

Herobrine was taken aback by Notch's words. "Excuse? Pardon me, but for what?"

"What are you hiding, Herobrine?" Notch growled. "You have been avoiding me, and you are hiding everything from me. Tell me now." A small amount of power was added to the last sentence, adding compulsion to the command.

"Do not bully me now," Herobrine snapped. "Notch, this is war with a Void being, and we know it. You are the main target as the main creator, and if they get to me while we are linked, they get to you. If they get to you, then it's over. I'm hiding my plans from you for the reason I just told you: Someone on your innermost circle is the traitor. They would be able to overhear your very thoughts with the power they have been given by the Void."

"Is it?" Notch replied, his voice low. "Herobrine, my inner circle are not the only suspects."

"Are you-" Herobrine broke off, realizing what Notch was saying. "You are. You accuse me like the others. I thought we knew one another, brother." He put extra emphasis on the last word.

"There is too much evidence against you."

"Of course there is. I'm up to my elbows already in the enemy's webs. If I'm not at least partially fooling even you, I'm not doing my job correctly. Remember the time Before, Notch."

Notch sighed. "I remember, Herobrine. But the possibility carries risks that are too great." His head ached dully. It was too risky to leave Herobrine free if he was the traitor. He had to do something.

Laskig watched as Notch made contact with Herobrine from outside the walls, masking his presence as well as he could. He was the one that pointed out the signs that led to Herobrine as the traitor, and hopefully, it would be able to deflect suspicion away from him. By the time Notch realized the truth, if all went well, it would be too late. Laskig would already have the full power of the Shadow behind him, and he would be strong enough to take down the creator in battle.

"Notch. The risks are even greater if you are wrong. The traitor will still be there, and if you do anything overly sudden on your suspicion of me, then I simply will not be there to help you. You are being deceived."

"What do you propose?" Notch weighed Herobrine's statement, and decided he had a valid point. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was being deceived.

"I am going to lift the bans and blockades on my people here. I realize now that I was manipulated to put them there in the first place, and as much as I want to focus on protecting my people and domain, I must devote every resource I have now to confirming the identity of the traitor." Herobrine closed his eyes for a moment. "When I lift the bans, the enemy will realize what I have done and act quickly to ensure that I do not regain my bearings in time to retaliate. I anticipate a massive attack, and I will need to be far away from my people in order to protect them from the destruction. While I fight- and I am confident I can fight them off-, you must watch carefully in your realm for any sign of darkness or Void power. The traitor may give one little slip during the attack. You have to take it. It is our best chance at finding our traitor."

Notch pondered Herobrine's plan. It aligned all too well with Laskig's warnings, and he could not take a chance at this point. There was too much evidence against Herobrine now, but he had to give him some benefit of the doubt.

At least warn him of what was to come. If he was innocent, then he would still have a chance.

"I trust you," Herobrine continued when Notch did not speak. "I know you will do what you think is the right thing. But you must also trust me, brother."

Notch made his decision. He would use the plan his advisers had suggested, but on his own terms.

"Herobrine," Notch began, "You must understand something by now at least of our enemy's movements. Your plan aligns too well."

"What are you suggesting?"

"There is very little you can do now that I can trust. You have hidden yourself, vanished and neglected your people for long stretches of time, and now this. My advisers warned me of something like this- a plan like yours."

"I just told you that your advisers-"

"I know!" Notch interrupted. "I know what you have said about my advisers, and I know what my advisers have said about you. At this point, it could be either of you. I have to follow my heart now. And my heart tells me you are in too deep."

"What are you going do do?" Herobrine asked, his brow furrowed. "Notch, if you make a mistake now, it could mean our utter destruction."

"I am going to watch, as you have suggested. Lift the lockdown, but know that as I observe my counsel, I also observe you. If you make a single suspicious action, I will strip you of your powers and come for you." Notch's voice grew colder with every word. Herobrine blanched.

"Notch! Do you know what could happen if I am left powerless when the Void attacks?"

"Contact me if that happens. Call to me, so I come for you sooner rather than later."

"Something has been keeping me from being able to do just that all this time," Herobrine shot back. "Notch, you have to believe me. I am not the traitor, and if you do this to me when I am at my most vulnerable, I could be taken, and you would never know!" He stopped, as if he just realized something.

"I am finished speaking with you," Notch said coolly, waving his hand to dissapate the portal. "Prove me wrong, brother."

"Notch, wait! This could be what the enemy wants-"

The portal deactivated, and Notch made the frame vanish out of existence.

Laskig grinned wickedly from his hiding place, and drew out of the room, back into his own self.

Everything was going exactly as planned.

Hanna ran to greet Lydia at the castle gates. As Lydia dismounted and the groom took her horse to the stables, Hanna rushed in to hug her tightly.

"Hey," Lydia admonished as she struggled in her sister's grip, "I'm covered in sweat and horse stink. Wait until I've bathed."

Hanna drew back to look her sister up and down, and raised an eyebrow. "I'm a queen, not a sissy. I'm not afraid of dirt." Lydia smiled and shook her head.

"Don't ever let the other court ladies hear you say that."

The girls shared a laugh, and Hanna peppered Lydia with questions as they walked into the castle. What was the city like, what was really going on, and so on. Lydia remembered with a pang that Hanna, while she was born in Luminara, would barely remember the city. They were forced to flee when she was just four years old.

"I thought you said you would never go back to Luminara. What changed your mind?" asked Hanna. Lydia stopped in her tracks for a moment, brow furrowed.

"I got an invitation from someone I used to know," she answered. "He needed to talk about something important." She trailed off, her mind wandering back to her conversation with Herobrine. She was still confused about the situation, and knew it was something bigger than she would be able to fully comprehend. Herobrine's charge had been simple: Stay alive, and keep her diary going. It was supposedly some sort of key to averting destruction, but Lydia couldn't understand how that would keep the world from being torn apart in a war between gods. Somehow, Herobrine's reputation seemed to have very little to do with it.

"Lydia?"

Lydia looked up again, and realized that she had become lost in her thoughts. Hanna had asked her something else, and she had missed it.

"I'm sorry," Lydia said, shaking her head. "What did you say?"

"I said," Hanna repeated obligingly, "Who invited you?"

Lydia could see his face in her mind's eye. "Herobrine," she answered. Herobrine, the god she once served, and now in a way served again. "Listen, I can't say much about this, and don't tell anyone else about it. I wasn't ordered to keep quiet, but I have a bad feeling." Hanna nodded.

"I understand. Say, luncheon is about to be served on the lawn. Would you like to join us?"

"I would probably show up anyway, invited or not."

Hanna laughed, a light, graceful sound. "Knowing you, you probably would."

The sisters passed under the massive tapestries hanging over the doors and entered the castle arm-in-arm, off to eat lunch on the castle grounds and simply enjoy the day. The sky was blue and clear, and the autumn day was warm. Lydia smiled to herself. She could use the time to clear her head, and not have to think about celestial wars and world destruction. Even if she had to wear one of those silly gowns- and she would, as sister to the queen-, she would be glad to join her sister and the upper court.

Laskig tied off the thread and broke it on his teeth, lifting up his handiwork into the light to admire it. He held a dark leather mask in his hands, something that would conceal his identity well enough that a simple mind-spell would keep Herobrine from remembering who he was. The creator god could sense presences, but once the Thing was finished with him, he would have only images to rely on to restore his memories. And if Laskig wore a mask, Herobrine would never remember his face.

Tying back his matted hair half-plaited into dozens of tiny braids, Laskig slipped the mask on over his face and put his black chain coif over his head, securing the mask underneath in place with a strap that went around the back of his neck and an iron crown that went on top of his head. Only his glowing red eyes were visible through the cutouts, and Laskig whispered a short spell that turned them black. He admired his reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall off to the side, and deemed himself ready.

He wore a black cloak over his newly-engraved armor, one that flowed as fluidly as shadows and made him seem even more wraith-like. His hands were covered by gauntlets, and his sword, a wicked scimitar of obsidian, hung on the sword belt at his side. The mask was the face of a scowling demon, with a deeply furrowed brow and a deeply frowning, thin-lipped mouth. With his eyes dark, Laskig was barely visible in the shadows, and Herobrine would remember only a shadow of a tall being wearing a crown.

Flipping his cloak back off of his shoulder, Laskig took his skull-topped scepter from where it sat in the corner of his mountain hideaway and began to pace, tapping the floor evenly with the three-and-a-half foot scepter in its new coat of black lacquer.

He needed only to wait until Herobrine was alone, and then he would have time to strike. Notch would feel no darkness in the Aether- because the only one carrying the darkness of the Void would be in the Overworld, tailing Herobrine.

The gods, one and all, had fallen so perfectly into his trap. Now, he only needed the right moment to come.

Laskig's wicked chuckle echoed through the darkness.

Chapter finished. Explaining time.

I have been sick and out of school for the past few days, but well enough to type, so here we go again. (I know, I know. I have such fragile health, I should get over it, blah blah blah. But then how would I excuse my tardiness of updating?

Action coming? You betcha. Hold your horses- the next three chapters are going to be VITAL to the story. The point of no return is coming, and I'm just as excited as you are. Trust me. (Fight scenes are just so darn fun!)

REVIEW if you liked what you saw here, and don't forget to FOLLOW or FAVORITE me if you want more where that came from, so you never miss out on my updates. Because trust me, I'm completely unpredictable about updating. (And my excuses are even worse.)

Author's note over- time to get to work on your next installment.

Huntress out.