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Part Nine
Mokuren sure likes to talk…doesn't she?
That was the only thing Daunte could really surmise about the eccentric girl. They rode all night and into the dawn. They crossed the Bridge of Faith without incident and steered back towards the Liberation Army's headquarters.
And not once did Mokuren pause in her babbling. From what he could gather from the information she shared with them was that she had known Surya virtually her whole life. She kept mentioning something about "family obligation" but she never once referred to her family by name. And she liked talking about how "cute" of a big sister Farrin was to Signe.
Daunte glanced at Felicity and saw that the other girl looked exhausted from the nonstop babbling behind her. Everyone else looked equally exhausted…except for Surya. His expression showed that Mokuren's behavior was in no way out of the ordinary, and he didn't look bothered by it. Freyr looked mildly annoyed however, but Daunte could also tell by his expression that the boy was used to it.
They stopped for a brief rest, and Daunte was relieved for the silence. Then they were back on the road to headquarters.
It was late afternoon when they finally arrived. Both Mokuren and Freyr actually looked charmed by the somewhat dilapidated castle, but Daunte was very eager to go down and check on Arin and see how his brother was doing.
He'll be upset he couldn't get to go to Baltas, but I'll take him with me when everything cools down. He smiled at this thought as he grabbed his things from his horse.
"Lieutenant!" an Army soldier frantically ran down the stairs towards them. "Lieutenant, please hurry! The Lord Commander wants to see you immediately!"
"Oh, great," Gunther huffed, shrugging his bag onto his shoulder.
"You did disobey a direct order," Surya reminded him quietly.
"Ah." The soldier looked at Mokuren and Freyr. "D-Did you bring back more recruits?"
"No, this is the prince we rescued from Baltas," Gunther said, gesturing to Freyr. "Kid, welcome to the Liberation Army."
"O-Oh that reminds me!" the Army burst out. "Falenans! Falenans just arrived an hour ago!"
"What?!" Surya shouted. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?! Where are they?!"
"I-In the war room. But—"
Surya took off running up the stairs, quickly followed by Mokuren and Freyr. Felicity laughed and looked at Daunte. "We'd better hurry after them, huh?"
"Right," Daunte said. I guess I'll have to put off seeing Arin for a little while longer.
The rest of them hurried after the three Falenans. Daunte heard the castle chatter around them as they ran up the stairs. The soldiers and civilians seemed rather excited about the appearance of the Falenans.
Maybe it's more Queen's Knights. Or even better, maybe it's the rest of Surya's cousins!
Though this hope diminished somewhat with the conversation Daunte picked up.
"—so handsome, polite, and so eloquent with his speech! He's the perfect package!"
"—haven't seen one of those in years!"
"Lord Bearyl seems annoyed with all the Falenans, though—"
"—just keep popping out of the woodwork, don't they?"
They managed to catch up to Surya right in front of the war room, just in time for Surya to tap on the door with an open palm. "Lord Bearyl?" he called out.
"Come in," came the reply.
Surya quickly pushed open the doors and hurried inside. Daunte followed, eager to see who was inside.
"Perfect timing," Bearyl Lutis called out to them from the table in the back. Daunte recognized Varnaz standing with Bearyl, along with Caesar, but there were two strangers standing with their backs to them. "Some of your friends have arrived, Prince Surya."
"Prince Surya." A tall dark-haired man in his late twenties turned and hurried towards them. He had a white bandana around his head and he was dressed in a rather elaborate outfit that looked loose on his body, but he was wearing lithe body armor that was visible underneath his silver overcoat. The hilt of his sword was peeking out from behind his right shoulder, and Daunte saw that the scabbard was longer than the length of his body. "Prince Surya, thank goodness you're alive! Please forgive me for this inexcusable negligence that allowed you to be captured!" he bowed deeply.
"General Israfil, I don't blame you," Surya told the man. "It was a crazy situation beyond our control. It wasn't your fault at all!"
Israfil straightened, but there was still deep stress in his dark eyes. "I will still report my failure to the Her Majesty the Queen."
"Hey, my family isn't lost to us yet so you haven't failed!" Surya scoffed and scrubbed a hand through his hair before looking around Israfil at the second individual. "Silvano, are you okay?"
"No. But I'll feel better after I find Kaylani." A second figure slowly approached them. It was a man in his mid-twenties dressed in a dark green outfit. The tunic was long enough to reach his knees, and his tanned boots covered his green pants and were high enough to reach his knees. He wore a unique brown half-vest that had large shoulder pads that extended in either side of him. Daunte looked up at his face and started slightly. Silvano strikingly dark violet eyes, and a mop of long dark red hair on his head.
And his ears were…pointed.
"Let me introduce you guys," Surya said. He turned to face the group. "Guys, these two were in Mokuren and mine's group when we snuck into Nagarea." he gestured to the dark-haired man. "This is General Israfil Raulbel, Captain of Sable's Defense Corps back home."
"Thank you for keeping Prince Surya safe, and for rescuing Prince Freyr," Israfil greeted. He bowed again to the group. "It's a pleasure meeting all of you."
He was so proper and sincere with his speech that Daunte almost laughed awkwardly. But he shook it off and bowed in kind.
"And this is my cousin-in-law," Surya said, indicating the second man. "My cousin Kaylani's husband, Silvano. Er…" his brow furrowed. "I'm sorry Silvano, but I still haven't gotten the hang of your last name."
"Silvano Shana Ques Laviankaana," Silvano offered kindly. "I'm the son of the Chief Kirkis of the Elves of Lukiae Ende Towayo in the Toran Republic. It's nice to meet you all."
Daunte was embarrassed to still find himself gaping. I've never seen an elf in my life. So this means Surya's cousin, a princess, is married to an elf? And pregnant by an elf?
"I was surprised though, Silvano," Caesar said. He was smiling as he left the table and approached Silvano. "I'd heard that you had left Lukiae Ende Towayo in order to get married, but I never expected that you were able to nab a Falenan princess."
"Kaylani is technically a lady and not a princess, Caesar," Silvano corrected him. "It was a tough decision to leave the forests of the Toran Republic, but I understood the responsibilities she held in Falena and I didn't want to be parted from her. But even now I'm glad I made the decision to leave and go live in Falena. I love my parents and cherish my people, but I don't want to be anyplace else than by my wife's side."
"Well, at least you had the full blessing of your parents. Most elves are unfortunately not so liberal-minded as Chief Kirkis and Sylvina."
"These are my current companions," Surya said, introducing Daunte and the others to Israfil and Silvano before continuing. "But where are the others in our group? A-Are you two the only ones left?"
"…Yes," Israfil said reluctantly. "We're the only ones left. We were ambushed and overwhelmed by enemy soldiers. We got the upper hand in the ensuing fight, but then the soldiers drank a potion, and…" he shuddered slightly. "The two of us barely escaped with our lives."
That sounded suspiciously similar to Daunte. Surya noticed too, and pulled out the vial he'd taken from his own encounter with the Holy Army soldiers. "Did they drink from a vial like this?"
"Exactly like this," Silvano said, taking the vial from Surya. "It turned them all into violent, raving lunatics. The only reason Israfil and I even survived is because the soldiers dropped dead a few minutes after taking the potion."
"It must be Raging Nostrum," Caesar said. Everyone turned to look at him and the young man shrugged. "You might be familiar with the stories about it, Prince Surya. From what I've learned it surfaced on the black market here in Nagarea over thirty years ago. It started off small, like some sort of forbidden fruit people were curious to try. Never mind the fact that it can and it will kill you. But in the last decade or so it's become more mainstream."
"When I was a Cleric I'd never even heard of it," Bearyl admitted softly. "But not long after I was…dismissed, all of a sudden it became a popular topic of conversation amongst recruits in the Holy Army. Some people couldn't help their curiosity and took it, but all it did was kill them and kill anybody who was around them."
"But where did it come from?" Daunte asked.
"The Falenas royal family used to employ an assassin group called Nether Gate," Caesar supplied for them. "Nether Gate loved experimenting with drugs and potions in order to craft their assassins to be the perfect killing machines. Raging Nostrum was designed as a last-resort drug in case an assassin got cornered so they could kill as many people as possible before they succumbed to the deadly effects of the drug." Caesar shook his head. "Of course Prince Surya and Freyr, your grandmother Queen Arshtat abolished Nether Gate after a rather bloody succession crisis, and the assassins all scattered to the winds. Unsurprisingly a few of them took up residence here in Nagarea and have been selling their fine wares to unsuspecting fools looking to have more power."
"How do you know so much about the history of my country?" Surya asked him.
Caesar shrugged. "I wouldn't be very qualified for this job if I wasn't well-informed, would I? But in any case, if the common soldiers of the Holy Army have Raging Nostrum, then they've either found a reliable illegal source to purchase Raging Nostrum from…or the Theocracy has created a variant of their own to give to their soldiers."
So the Theocracy was not only using the Nagarist Religion to force people in submission, but they were also giving their own soldiers deadly drugs. But why would they have given Raging Nostrum to their own soldiers when they had no enemies to fight? Everything with the True Rune and the kidnappings of the royal family had all occurred within a short period of time!
They must be planning something big, if they're giving that awful stuff to their own soldiers in advance.
"But not everybody in the Holy Army has Raging Nostrum," Caesar continued. He looked thoughtful. "Only some of the lower-ranked units keep it on hand. So either the Theocracy is selectively giving out Raging Nostrum to who they deem to be expendable soldiers, or the Theocracy isn't even involved at all in the distribution of Raging Nostrum and these units are purchasing it on the black market."
"I can't imagine the Theocracy would voluntarily give out an abomination like Raging Nostrum to their own soldiers," Israfil said. "While it allows them to turn into killing machines, they also die after ingesting it. It would be counterintuitive of them to supply it to their own Army."
"One would think so, General," Caesar agreed. "However, the government continues to surprise us with their…methods."
"Excuse me," Silvano interjected. The young man had deep stress lines in his face. "I understand the seriousness of Raging Nostrum, but I want to focus on the task at hand. I can see that Surya and Freyr were successfully rescued—"
"Well, it wasn't really a rescue on my part," Surya said. "We just escaped from the Dark, Chasm, is all."
"But that still leaves four royals missing, including my wife." Silvano shook his head. "T-The healers at Lunas told us last week that Kaylani had roughly two weeks left at the very most before she would give birth. I need to find her before she that happens. But I know nothing about this country—I mean, it was pure accident that Israfil and I even found this place! Do we know anything about where she might have been taken?! Or where any of the others were taken?!"
"They all arrived in the town of Baltas together," Surya supplied for him. "Freyr was left in Baltas and the others were taken south. However, we don't know if they headed south to enter the Southeastern provinces or if they headed south to cross the Bridge of Faith to access the Northern provinces."
"There must be something else! Rumors exist for a reason, don't they?" Silvano wrung a hand through his hair helplessly. "I have to find her! If I don't get to her in time…"
Daunte felt bad for him. He'd never been in a situation like Silvano's so he didn't know what to properly say to the elf. But he didn't want to simply remain quiet while he was so distressed.
"Silvano," he said finally.
Silvano looked at him. Daunte gulped briefly, feeling a little embarrassed, before he continued. "We'll find her, Silvano. We'll find her, and we'll find the others. I swore to Surya I would help him find his family, so you have my cooperation. We'll find K—Lady Kaylani before she has her baby."
Silvano's features softened, but only slightly. "You said your name was Daunte, right?" he nodded and forced a sad smile. "Thank you, Daunte."
"I understand you mean well, but you have your responsibilities to the Liberation Army, Daunte."
Daunte looked up. Bearyl was staring at him with a look of disapproval. "I would rather you not make promises you can't keep, Daunte. I allowed you to accompany Prince Surya to Baltas, but I did not approve of any further action. For future reference, you need to clear any and all non-Army activities with me."
Daunte gaped at him and flushed. So…Bearyl was implying he only allowed Daunte to rescue one of Surya's cousins? But Daunte had been so sure that Bearyl had okayed him giving his full cooperation to Surya! Had he misunderstood what Bearyl's orders were?
"I give you permission to assist Prince Surya."
Daunte was sure that Bearyl had said that, and he was sure that he'd told Bearyl that he'd promised to find all the members of Surya's family. So then why was the Commander ordering him to stand down?
"…I apologize, sir." He kept his voice low and bowed. He didn't want to look at anyone. "I must have misunderstood your orders. But may I please assist Surya to find the rest of his family?"
"I understand how dire the situation is," Bearyl said. "But you're a Liberation Army recruit and you haven't paid your dues to my Army. I feel I've been very lenient with my handling of you, but I can't allow you to just do whatever you want, Daunte."
"Sir, I—"
"What exactly makes you think you're special enough to be of any use to the Falenans? Are you a seasonally trained soldier? Do you have combat experience? Can you even control the Rune on your hand? What special skill can you contribute to their cause that they can't simply find in someone else?"
His points were valid, and it infuriated Daunte. Is this how he speaks to everyone who serves beneath him? I honestly thought he gave me permission to see this through to the end. How was I supposed to know that he meant I could only participate in one mission?
"With all due respect, sir," Felicity spoke up suddenly. "I was here when we asked your permission to assist Surya, and I also thought you gave us permission to help him find his entire family."
"I said no such thing," Bearyl said. His expression hardened and he folded his arms over his chest. "Don't ever question my authority again, Felicity. Doing so in front of foreigners makes a mockery of my Army."
Felicity turned crimson and also ducked her head. "I-I…please forgive me, sir."
Bearyl focused on Surya. "If my soldiers made you false promises in my name, I apologize on their behalf. I will continue to open my headquarters to your family for safe haven. Have you received any word from your Queen yet?"
"No," Surya said. He was glaring at Bearyl.
Bearyl shook his head, seeming not to notice the glare. "Then I'm afraid my hands are still tied with the further help I can supply for you."
"W-Wait," Freyr sputtered incredulously, stepping forward. "You won't help us find my sisters?!"
"I hope you understand, young Prince," Caesar said. "There is too much uncertainty for us to move forward at this time. Our numbers pale in comparison to the Holy Army's, and we don't know what the Queen, your mother, will do next. She may ransom all of you. She may even forge an alliance with the Theocracy. Until we get more information, there's too many risks."
"I understand that," Surya said curtly. "But I still request the help of these four." He gestured to Daunte, Felicity, Roen, and Gunther. "Their help in rescuing Freyr was appreciated. I'm sure you can spare the four of them to assist the four of us." He gestured to Mokuren, Israfil, Silvano, and himself.
"Don't forget me," Freyr added. Surya ignored him. "We'll pay you for their services."
"Your potch is no good here in Nagarea," Bearyl reminded him. "I must put these three to work on Army matters, and Gunther has been suspended for the next month."
"Suspended?!" Gunther spat out. His eyes widened in shock. "S-Sir—"
"I told you that you weren't allowed to leave. I ordered you to stay put, and you disobeyed my command. You're lucky I'm not demoting you down to Corporal. Varnaz, confiscate the Lieutenant's weapon so he doesn't get any more wild ideas about leaving again."
Varnaz stepped forward and held out his hands to Gunther. "Your sword."
Gunther stared back at him for a long moment. Surya was giving Gunther a look that clearly said "I told you so". Once the moment passed, Gunther scoffed and quickly unstrapped the talwar sword from his waist. He slammed it into Varnaz's unflinching hands and stormed out of the war room.
Surya huffed and looked back at Bearyl. "Well, since you're offering us the bare minimum help would you mind if I ask if you've heard anything about my family."
"There was commotion at Tenaga this morning," Caesar offered up. "The main unit of the Northeastern forces rode to Tenaga for what was rumored to be a…"pick up". However, they left empty handed."
If the main unit went to Tenaga, then that explains why we had no problem crossing the Bridge of Faith again, Daunte surmised.
"They didn't pick anything—or anyone up?!" Surya said. He looked at Mokuren. "One of my cousins must be in Tenaga then. Which direction is that in?"
"Tenaga is southwest of here," Bearyl told them. "It's not as fortified as Sheikh Umed's Garrison, it's still a city with tight security. Be careful."
"We've wasted enough time," Silvano said, turning towards the door. "We need to get going and find out who's there."
"Absolutely," Israfil said.
Daunte knew his hands were tied, but he didn't want to leave things as they were. "M-My Lord!" he marched in front of Bearyl and bowed again. "I know I'm not a soldier! I know I'm not anything special, and my being chosen by this Rune was probably a fluke! But I've come with this far with Surya and I want to help him see this through to the end! Please, allow me to continue assisting them!"
His plea caused everyone in the room to pause, including Silvano. Daunte kept his eyes on the floor and silently prayed. Please Nagar! Please allow me this chance!
"Daunte, I can't do that," Bearyl told him flatly. "I already have an assignment for three of you. I can't just—"
"Let me do it."
Daunte looked over his shoulder. Roen was staring at Bearyl with a leveled look. "I'll take on both Daunte and Felicity's responsibilities here, and work hard enough in their absence. So please, Lord Bearyl, allow them to go with Surya."
Bearyl looked surprised by his offer. "I don't think you realize the workload you face."
Roen didn't even flinch. "Whatever you throw at me can't be any worse than what I've already suffered in the Dark Chasm."
"Excellent point," Caesar spoke up suddenly. "You have to admire the resiliency of these kids, my Lord. All things considered, their absence will hardly be detrimental to the Army."
Bearyl looked at his strategist. "Caesar—"
"Remember that they're not special and lack the skills of other recruits," Caesar told him. "So what does it matter if they leave? The Army won't fall apart without them here, will it?"
"…Of course not." Bearyl looked back at Daunte. "All right, then. Daunte and Felicity, I give you permission to assist them. And Roen, go downstairs to the lower levels and see Jantu. He's already been informed about what you'll be working on."
"Roen, are you sure?" Felicity asked softly, turning around to face him. Daunte was also surprised by Roen's offer. Roen had been the most reluctant of the three of them to join the Liberation Army.
"It's fine," Roen said to them. He offered them a smile. "Besides Felicity, you still want to get that Kite Rune, right? The runemaster in Baltas said it was in Tenaga, so you should definitely go with these guys and get it. Just stay safe guys, okay?"
"You too." Felicity gave him a quick hug. Daunte didn't like the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach as Roen hurried from the room. After being around Roen for so long, it felt strange to be apart from him.
We'll make it back, though. We'll find whichever of Surya's cousins is in Tenaga and bring them back with us.
"So it will be the six of you heading out," Caesar surmised, looking them over. "Silvano, I hate to tell you this but I would recommend you cover your ears before leaving."
"Cover my ears?" Silvano asked. "Why?"
"Twelve years ago there was a Plague that ravaged the Southern provinces near the Red Tundra, most predominantly the town of Farna," Bearyl told him. Felicity flinched at his words. "There was quite a loss of human life, but the elven population that naturally inhabited that region was virtually wiped out."
Silvano's eyes went wide at this news, and his mouth hung open in shock. Daunte was equally horrified. He'd known what the Plague had done to the town of Farna, but never had he heard what it'd done to the elves. Bearyl continued. "Of Nagarea's elf population, which twenty years ago was just over three hundred elves, it's estimated that less than ten elves are still alive today."
"What this means is that no human in Nagarea has seen an elf in over a decade," Caesar added. "The elves that survived the Plague went into hiding. The minute the people of Tenaga set their eyes upon you, Silvano, you guys are going to be mobbed. Since you're going there with discretion, I'm sure you don't want draw attention to yourselves."
"Silvano, if you—" Surya began.
"I'm not staying behind," Silvano said sharply. "I've come too far to be scared of such things! I will find my wife, and nobody can stop me! I'll put on a hat or wrap a scarf around my head if I must, but I will go to Tenaga!"
"A scarf might be better for your ears," Caesar said quietly.
"I don't understand why you guys won't let me go with you," Freyr protested. "I won't be a burden to you!"
"I understand, Freyr, but you can't come with us because you were a target." Surya rested his hands on the boy's shoulders. "They only kidnapped me at the last minute, but you were always an intended target. I can't put you in the kind of danger that will get you captured again."
"But I have no value as a hostage!" Freyr fumed, wringing a hand through his hair. "They only wants the girls, I know it! So you don't need to worry about me!"
"You have enough value though that they kidnapped you anyway," Mokuren pointed out. "Please Prince, we ask that you remain here while we rescue your sisters and your cousins."
"Besides," Surya said. "We have to go get identification books for Mokuren, Silvano, and General Israfil. The forger is a bit…crotchety, and if we bring too many requests to her at once she will think we're antagonizing her."
"Identification books?" Silvano echoed.
Surya quickly relayed the importance of the books and Silvano scoffed. "That sounds unnecessarily complicated."
"But it will probably be the only way any of you get into Tenaga," Caesar said. "Make sure to see Gizli before you, and be careful all of you."
"Yes," Bearyl added, going back to the table. "Do be careful."
While Mokuren, Silvano, and Israfil went down to see Gizli for forged identification books, Daunte took the opportunity to go and see Arin. He felt he could trust Clara to take care of his brother, but he couldn't stop the worry from eating away at him.
Please be better!
"Hello, Daunte."
Daunte let out a shaky breath of relief as he entered the infirmary. Arin was sitting up in bed, fully awake and looking completely alert. The color in his face looked even healthier than when he suffered his relapse. Daunte rushed to his side. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better," Arin said, smiling brightly at him. "The doctor said I'm not fully healed yet, but it doesn't hurt to breathe anymore, and I'm not coughing as much as I was before."
"The cleaner air and the more sterile environment of this infirmary has helped to clear his lungs," Clara said as she approached them. She pressed her palm to Arin's forehead and held her other palm to her own head. "He still has a light fever, but my Flowing Rune has been sufficient in nursing him back to health."
"Thank you," Daunte said. He stood and bowed. "Thank you for everything, Clara."
Clara waved a hand. "I'm just doing my duty as a doctor. But speaking of which, can I ask who Arin's primary physician was before you arrived here? He was in very poor health, but there doesn't seem to be scarring on his lungs from his illness. Whoever provided for him didn't utilize a rune, but I do detect remnants of powerful potions that were administered to him."
"Dr. Yulin," Daunte said. "He was the doctor of the Dark Chasm. A-And he couldn't have used a Rune because they confiscated his Water Rune."
Clara's eyes went wide. "D-D-Doctor Yulin? The Dr. Yulin?!"
"Yes."
Clara shook her head. "I-I had heard rumors that Dr. Yulin volunteered to work at the Dark Chasm, but I didn't know if those were true or not! I-I mean, he's one of the best surgeons in the country—m-maybe even the best surgeon Nagarea has seen in years! His work is what inspired me to go into medicine!"
"He helped us escape," Daunte said grimly, sitting back down. "I…I hope they didn't hurt him for doing that."
"I guess I was very sick," Arin said softly. He looked at Clara. "I-I don't think there was a lot Dr. Yulin could've done for me, but are you saying I could've been much worse if it hadn't been for him?"
Daunte was also surprised. The Dark Chasm had really limited Dr. Yulin in the care he could provide for the children, but he'd really given it everything he had. And knowing that Arin could've been even worse without his help…Daunte clenched his hand into a fist. No matter what, I'll liberate that place and I'll rescue the other children and Dr. Yulin!
"Sometimes I wished I'd also volunteered there," Clara said softly. She put her hands behind her back. "I pledged myself to the Liberation Army's cause because of government policies such as this. But sometimes I feel like I don't do enough to make a difference."
"You've done enough," Daunte told her. "And we're grateful to you for it."
Clara managed a small smile. "Thank you."
"All right, we're all set!"
Daunte stood up as Surya and the others entered the infirmary. Daunte saw that Felicity was smiling humorously and reflexively smiled back. "Did you get your books?"
"Yes, we did," Surya said. "And I managed to distract Freyr with an arena pit on the lower level, so we can head out at any time."
"Ms. Gizli is…very eccentric," Israfil said slowly, flipping through his book.
"I'm use to eccentric people," Silvano added. He'd found a light green scarf and had wrapped it around his head to cover up his elven ears.
"What a rude woman," Mokuren huffed, shoving her forged book into her waistband. "She really says what's on her mind, doesn't she?"
"Gizli isn't very tactful," Clara admitted. "But all of you please keep your voices down. We have patients recovering in here."
"I'm glad to see you're looking better, Arin," Felicity told him softly as she hurried over. She then leaned in to whisper to Daunte, "Gizli gave Israfil and Silvano their books for free. Israfil because he was "polite and handsome"." She giggled softly. "And Silvano because she'd never seen an elf before. But she made Mokuren pay 1,000 bits."
"One-thousand bits?" Daunte echoed just as softly.
Felicity laughed again. "She originally asked for 500, but then she kept raising the price because Mokuren wouldn't stop talking."
"That's still better than the 5,000 bits she originally quoted us," Daunte muttered.
"But we should be all set," Surya said. "So the six of us can head out whenever you're ready, Daunte."
"Head out?" Arin echoed.
"We went to Baltas to rescue Surya's cousin, but now we have to head to Tenaga to rescue another one," Daunte told him.
"You went to Baltas without me, Brother?" Arin looked hurt.
Daunte ruffled the hair on his head. "Once you're fully recovered I'll take you on a trip there. I promise."
Arin pouted, but he nodded. "All right. Please be careful."
"Roen is staying behind this time," Felicity told Arin. "But he's going to check up on you whenever he has a free moment until we get back."
"And we'll be careful," Daunte promised his brother. "We'll be back before you know it."
Nightfall was approaching as they saddled their horses. Daunte briefly pondered if they should get a night's rest before leaving for Tenaga, but ultimately he said nothing. Silvano definitely didn't seem to notice the time of day, and was still in a hurry to get to Tenaga and see if the missing princess there was his wife.
I'm hoping that at least one of them is in Tenaga and we're not chasing a false lead. But since Lady Kaylani is due to have her baby soon, I do hope we find her first.
Having a full six-member party made up of seasoned fighters did make traveling much easier. The further west they headed, the greener the landscape became and the tougher the monsters became as well. The wild boars were much larger here, nearly the size of an adult cow, and instead of fighting ant armies they were fighting wasp armies. There were also the occasional holly leaves that made a nuisance, sometimes led by a holly elf. Probably the most troublesome for Daunte though were DoReMi elves, who sang to them to cause damage. The first time one attacked him, Daunte was too busy gaping stupidly at the unbelievable sight of music notes flying at him to properly defend himself. The notes stung, but didn't do much damage and they were able to dispatch them easily enough. But these type of elves were very quick, and usually managed to sing two to three times each before finally being taken down.
Surya and Mokuren kept utilizing their unite attack, and Israfil wielded a powerful nodachi that was indeed as long as his whole body. But he swung the sword effortlessly in battle, and sometimes utilized the power of a rune Surya called a Titan Rune to increase the power of his blow. But Daunte also noticed that the Rune had limited uses, and Israfil seemed to only be able to use it once per encounter with monsters.
Silvano kept a measurable distance during combat, but Daunte was amazed by how quickly the elf was able to fire his bow and arrow. Oftentimes when they found themselves surrounded by multiple monsters, Silvano called upon the power of the Hawk Rune on his left hand and attacked the enemies that surrounded them. There was blatant desperation in his method of attack; wanting to wrap up a battle as quickly as possible so they could keep moving. Daunte couldn't blame him.
They rode into the morning. Daunte had started developing a headache a couple hours before, and he wondered if he was feeling lethargic from constantly riding around. They saw Tenaga on the horizon and Surya suddenly announced they would stop.
"We'll need to be rested up if we expect to storm the city and rescue my cousin," he rationalized. Daunte was glad for it, though he saw that Silvano was antsy. But the elven prince ultimately said nothing in protest.
Once everyone was rested up (and Daunte's headache was gone), they rode for Tenaga again. It was late morning, and the group had their identification books ready. The city looked completely fortified from a distance, surrounding by dark gray walls that stood at least six meters tall. Ahead at the gates, there was already a large group of travelers there, waiting in line to have their books checked by the guards. Daunte was a little relieved to see the line ahead of them, as it meant they wouldn't be as fully scrutinized by the guards than if they'd been the only ones in line.
Just keep playing it cool. You've come this far already, so you have to make sure you can see this through!
The guards at Tenaga were definitely more thorough than the guards at Baltas. One accepted Daunte's identification book. He read it, looked at Daunte's face, and then read it again. After a moment he closed it and handed it back to Daunte. "Welcome to Tenaga."
"Thank you, sir." Daunte passed the gate and waited for the others to hurry on through. The guard checking Silvano's book paused for a lengthy period of time, but luckily he didn't question Silvano further and handed the elf his forged book back. Once they were all through they tied their horses to a waiting post along the interior of the walls and headed into the city proper.
For a city that was so heavily fortified, the populous had a laid-back demeanor. The streets around them were packed with people and everyone was shouting and laughing. It'd been such a long time since Daunte was in such a large city that he felt a little claustrophobic.
But he could hear various conversations around them…and they all virtually had the same topic.
"Isn't the Sheikh wonderful? We're so lucky to be living under his command!"
"He's still so young and handsome, but he isn't yet married! What a waste!"
"I heard that the baker's daughter accidentally bumped into the Sheikh when he came by the other day! But the Sheikh actually apologized to her and sent her on her way with some bits! What a kind man!"
"We're so lucky to be in Nagar's good graces! I have a good feeling that many wonderful things are coming our way!"
"Of course they are! The Cabinet speaks to Nagar directly, don't they? So their actions are guided by His will!"
"I'm going to assume this city has a mayor," Surya said softly after they wandered the town square. "And one of my cousins is most likely at the mayor's mansion, like in Baltas."
"I agree, Prince," Israfil said softly. A small group of women cat-called to him and he flushed and tugged at his collar awkwardly. Daunte noticed that most of the girls had thin veils, but at least one had a solid veil. "This city however is very large, so the wisest course of action would be to use discretion and to figure out where the mansion is."
"C-Can we make a stop at the rune shop?" Felicity asked, pointing to the shop in question. "I-I know we're in a hurry, but I wanted to see if they had a Kite Rune I could buy."
"Oh, there's an armory beside it!" Mokuren perked up. "I have a Counter Rune equipped so I don't need to stop by the rune shop, but I could definitely use some better armor!"
"My armor is still in pretty good shape, so I don't think I need to buy a replacement at this time," Felicity said.
"Hopefully we all have enough money," Surya said, checking the bits they'd received from their battles. "I'm still get use to this currency."
"I'm okay with runes, but I do need new armor," Silvano admitted softly. He still looked like he was on edge. "My encounter with those crazed soldiers shredded my other armor."
Daunte wanted new armor as well, but he also debated sharpening his tekko and raising its level. But he didn't know how much more expensive that would be, so he ultimately decided on getting armor.
"Welcome!" the man behind the counter greeted them. He was younger than the armorer in K'alak'i Patieba, but he looked so jovial that Daunte couldn't help but smile back. The man looked to be in his thirties and was heavyset, but his brown hair has neatly kept and his blue eyes were friendly. He wore a dark blue shirt and white vest and waved them in. "Welcome to Gusoku's Shop! Everything here is made from the best materials!"
"What are your rates?" Surya asked as he closely examined a leather breastplate on display.
"The prices vary based on customer size, but I offer a seventy-percent discount to soldiers of the Holy Army!" Daunte's heart dropped into his stomach as he heard this. Gusoku continued. "If you all happen to be recruits, then just hand me your identification books for confirmation of your ranks, and I will apply the discount to your purchase!"
"Seventy percent?" Mokuren looked at him with shock. "That's certainly very generous of you, sir."
The smile faded from Gusoku's face and he lowered his head. "I wish I could say it was my own curtesy, but unfortunately I'm required by law to such a discount to soldiers. But that's not so bad—we merchants are required to give a ninety percent discount to Clerics!"
Daunte's eyebrows raised from this proclamation. Ninety percent discount? At that rate, you might as well give Clerics your wares for free!
"It's all part of the Merchant's Pledge." Gusoku patted a notice on the wall behind the counter. The page started at the ceiling and was long enough to touch the floor and go out of sight of the counter. "The Merchant's Pledge has 78 parts, and we're required yearly to memorize and recite it in the capital before the Cabinet of High Clerics. If we're unable to, we lose our license." He laughed. "Luckily I read the Pledge every single day, so I know it by heart. But it gets difficult when they start adding new parts to the pledge. It's really no problem," he added quickly, looking at them. "I'm lucky my shop is here in Tenaga, and I serve under a Sheikh like Keiran Umed. I could ask for no finer man to pay tribute to."
"That's…quite a doozy," Surya said softly. He gestured to the breastplate he'd been looking at. "How much for this?"
"Here, I'll help all of you get fitted into your armor and then I'll tell you the prices." Gusoku dropped his voice low. "If you promise not to say anything about what I just told you, I'll give you all a twenty percent discount."
It was a tempting offer, and Daunte looked at his companions for their thoughts. At the same time though, it didn't sit right to accept a discount because Gusoku was afraid for himself because his spoke his mind. Luckily, Daunte saw that Surya and the others weren't exactly jumping at Gusoku's offer so he turned back to the armorer. "Thank you for the offer, but we'll pay full price. We'll also keep quiet about what you said."
Gusoku looked touched by his statement. "You're a very generous young man. If only if more people your age—and older even—were as generous as you…"
Daunte didn't understand why everybody reacted to his kindness and generosity as though his actions were somehow saintly. Anyone who was in my shoes would react the same as I. Or is it that not enough people act the same way I do? No wonder our country is in the shape it's in.
They got fitted into armor and their combined total was 15,000 bits. It felt very steep to Daunte, and he was concerned they wouldn't have enough to spend at the item shop. But he paid what was due, and Gusoku was kind enough to show them to the door. "Stop by anytime you like!"
"I got a Kite Rune!" Felicity cheered, showing off her right hand. "This is great! Now my throwing accuracy will get much better!"
"You were doing just fine on your own," Surya said. "But yeah, the Kite Rune should help with your throwing."
"So we just have to get some supplies and then figure out where the mayor's house is and who's in it," Silvano said. The more time they spent getting ready for the upcoming onslaught, the more apprehensive he looked.
"Mokuren and I will hit up the item shop," Surya said, gesturing to the shop in the question. "The rest of you can try and find out where we're supposed to be going."
"Sounds good," Israfil said. He looked around as Surya and Mokuren hurried towards the store. "With the amount of gossip occurring around us, we're bound to pick up something."
"I wish I could pick somebody up and shake the information we need out of them!" Silvano shook his head as they wandered around, discreetly listening in on various conversations. "I just feel like there's more that I could be doing…"
"We'll get in," Daunte told him. "No matter what, we'll get in and rescue whoever's there."
"Psst!"
Daunte stopped in his tracks at this sound. The others stopped in confusion. Daunte was surprised he'd been able to hear the sound with the commotion around them. "Did anybody else hear that?"
"Hear what?" Felicity asked.
"Psst!" it came again, the sound from the darkness of an alleyway nearby. "You there! The boy with the True Rune!"
The hairs stood up on the back of Daunte's neck. He looked at the others and saw from their expressions that they'd heard it too. Israfil had reached for the hilt of his sword, and he was gesturing to them. "We must go! Quickly!"
"Wait a moment!" the discreet but rather loud whisper came to them. It was impossible to tell if the keeper of the voice was a man or woman. "Come to me! I may have some information that will be useful to you!"
Daunte looked towards the alleyway warily. He saw a silhouette moving around in the darkness, but he couldn't see the person's face. There was a huge risk approaching a stranger who knew he had a True Rune. But…but he was curious to see what information this person had. And how they'd known that Daunte had a True Rune.
"Let's see what they want," Daunte said softly.
"I don't believe that's a good idea," Israfil said.
"I agree with Israfil, it may be a trap," Silvano said.
"But I don't hear anyone else down that alleyway. It probably wouldn't hurt to hear what they have to say," Daunte said.
After a moment Israfil reluctantly nodded, though he kept his hand near his sword. "I will advise you to keep a distance, Sir Daunte, just in case it is a trap."
"I will." The four of them carefully approached the alleyway. Daunte didn't like that he still couldn't see the mysterious person in the shadows, even as they drew closer. He finally stopped at the mouth of the alleyway, three meters from the strangers. "Who are you?"
"I cannot tell you my name yet," the stranger replied softly. Even while closer to them, Daunte still couldn't tell their gender. "But I speak truthfully when I tell you that I'm your ally."
"How did you know I had a True Rune?"
"Because the High Clerics released a bulletin in the capital that a boy matching your description had stolen "something valuable", which happened to be a True Rune. Although, it looks like the bulletin hasn't reached here yet." The stranger paused before continuing. "Either that, or the populous here is completely indifferent to the bulletins."
Great. Daunte shook his head. "So, what do you want? Why did you call out to me?"
"You're hear looking for something, aren't you?" the stranger asked. "And judging from the three Falenans and a Toran elf in your party, I can imagine it has to do with the missing Falenan royals."
Daunte was immediately on edge. Surya and Mokuren were still at the item shop, so the only way this stranger had known there was three Falenans in the party was if they were following his group. He also looked at Silvano, whose head was still wrapped up with the scarf to cover his ears. The elf had pulled out his bow and had his hand on an arrow. "You seem to know many interesting things for someone claiming to be an ally," he said hotly.
"I am the best at what I do," the stranger responded blithely. "So I hope that, with everything I already know about you, that you can trust me to give you a hand."
Daunte didn't know if he could trust this person. The fact that this stranger knew so much made him more self-conscious about being out in the open.
But…but the stranger had readily admitted the information they'd known about the group. So maybe…maybe they could trust them?
"Yes," Daunte said finally. "We're here for looking for Falenan royals."
"Daunte!" Felicity hissed warningly.
"And we heard a rumor one of them was here in Tenaga. Is this true?"
"A black coffin arrived here in town several days ago and was taken straight to the mayor's mansion," the stranger responded back. "The coffin contained a beautiful young lady, between the ages of twenty and twenty-five, who was with child—"
"Kaylani!" Silvano hissed, startling Daunte. He surged forward. "Where is she?! She's still here, right?!"
"She is still here," the stranger confirmed. "Sheikh Keiran Umed arrived yesterday to take custody of her and to escort her back to his Garrison, but he left without taking her. Rumor has it that he saw her condition and refused to take her with him on morality grounds."
"Well, is she all right?! Has she given birth?!"
"According to the information I gathered, she is still pregnant."
Silvano surged forward into the darkness of the alleyway, but the stranger jumped back and raised their hands. "She is still at the mayor's mansion, which is to the northwest of this position. Keep following the street north of the rune shop and you will find the mayor's mansion in no time at all."
Silvano left the alleyway without another word and hurried off in the direction of the mansion. Daunte bowed to the stranger slightly. "Thank you for your information."
"You're welcome," the stranger said. "If you should need anything else…I will be around."
The alleyway suddenly felt empty, and Daunte quickly looked up. The stranger's silhouette was gone. They'd left without making a sound.
They quickly collected Surya and Mokuren at the item ship and hurried after Silvano. The elven prince was quick on his feet, and it took quite some time for them to catch up to him. In the meantime they quickly filled Surya and Mokuren in on the information they'd received.
"So it's Kaylani that's here," Surya said. He nodded. "I'm so relieved we've found her so quickly! But can we trust the information that was given to us?"
"Do we have any other choice?" Felicity asked.
"…No, we don't."
They finally caught up to Silvano alongside high walls almost as high as the walls surrounding Tenaga. Daunte had a feeling these walls guarded the mayor's mansion. He looked up the length of them with the others. "I have a feeling if we tried to storm the place that we would have more trouble than if we snuck in," Surya said. He looked up and saw a tall tree with branches hanging over the side of the wall. "Silvano, can you fire an arrow up at the tree? If we find some rope we can hopefully climb up over the wall before we're spotted."
"Here's some." Israfil quickly ducked into an alleyway across the street and came back with a bundle of some coarse rope. "Will this do?"
"Of course," Silvano said. He took one end and tied it around an arrow. Then he quickly fired the arrow at the tree. The arrowhead impacted into the trunk above the branches. "Okay, let's go!"
They moved quickly. Daunte was the first to go, and his anxiety surfaced again as he climbed the rope. His grip around the rope was terrible and he kept sliding down it, burning his fingers and palms. It was embarrassing and frustrating. I'm not exactly showing how useful I am when I can't even climb, can I?
He finally reached the tree branch however and slid down the trunk to the ground. Silvano was next, and Surya quickly followed. "Do you need a potion for your hands?" the prince whispered to him.
"I-I'm fine," Daunte answered back, trying not to notice the rope burns.
By the time Israfil, the last person, made it over the side, they got the notice of guards. "INTRU—" one started shouting, but Daunte punched him in the face with his tekko and he went down before the alert sounded.
The mansion was even more heavily guarded than the one in Baltas had been. There were guards stationed every three meters, and since it was still daylight out there wasn't much cover to sneak around. They walked nearly the entire perimeter of the mansion before Mokuren hissed, "There!"
It was a window into the cellar. It was small, but it looked big enough for them to squeeze into. Most of all it was open.
"Okay," Surya said softly. There was only one guard within sight, and another guard was approaching. It looked like they were doing a shift-switch. "Now!" while the guards were distracted, they darted across the lawn towards the open window. As they ran though, a part of the conversation between the guards floating over to them.
"—should we do?"
"We can't just keep her! Even if she is an infidel, she's still preg—"
The window was thankfully wide enough for most for them to slide through into the basement. Only Silvano and Israfil had a bit of trouble squeezing through, but with some help from the others they managed to get inside before they were spotted. The basement of the mansion was filled with crate, and some displaced furniture.
"Okay, we're in," Surya said. He drew his tri-nunchaku. "But if there's as many guards in here as there is out there, we're probably going to have a few battles on our hands."
"I'm ready," Silvano said, also arming himself.
In addition to the crates, there were three treasure chests down there. Daunte wondered if they should take them before he shrugged. We're already stealing a kidnapped princess, so what does it matter if we take more?
In one treasure chest there was an old book with a green cover. It looked so old that Daunte couldn't read the title. After a moment he shrugged and stashed it into a bag. The second treasure chest was a rolled-up scroll that was sealed shut with a seal in the shape of wings. Daunte was about to break the seal and open it when Surya stopped him. "That's an escape scroll," he told Daunte. "And we don't want to use that yet."
"Those generally only work in non-residential settings," Silvano added. "So it probably won't do us any good even when we find Kaylani."
Daunte stashed the escape scroll with the book and opened the last chest. To his shock there was a bag of money inside—10,000 bits, to be precise!
"I think we're good to go," Surya said. They made their way towards the stairs. "Let's go rescue my cousin."
Sure enough, they opened the door leading out of the basement and to the first floor to find themselves face-to-face with six guards. "—long are we supposed to keep her?!" one guard was complaining.
"Intruders!" another shouted.
They surged forward to engage the guards. Felicity made good use of her new Kite Rune and her knives found their mark. Within just a few short minutes the guards were writhing on the ground in pain.
"Well, so much for sneaking in," Surya said.
"We made quite an entrance, though," Mokuren said amusedly.
"Kaylani?" Silvano shouted, looking around.
"There they are!" three more guards rushed towards them, but like their comrades they were quickly dispatched. One however was left standing, and Surya had him by his collar. "You have someone we want," he told the guard savagely. "Where is Kaylani?"
The guard's eyes went wide, but he furiously shook his head. "I-I don't know what—"
Silvano slammed his foot into the guard's sternum, knocking him out of Surya's hold, and pinning him to the wall. Then while the guard gagged for breath, Silvano quickly drew his bow and arrow and pointed the arrowhead at the man's face. "You have five seconds to answer our question. Where is my wife?"
The guard sputtered and trembled with fear, his eyes crossing as he stared at the arrowhead. "I…I—"
"Where is my wife?!" Silvano bellowed out. It was the first time he'd raised his voice and it startled Daunte. "This is your last warning!"
"Upstairs!" the guard finally cried out. "T-The princess is in a guest room upstairs! T-The fourth room to the right of the stairwell!"
Silvano lowered his foot and relaxed his bow. But then he swung the longbow and cracked the man across the face with it, sending him sprawling unconscious to the floor. "Let's go."
"We're probably going to face more guards upstairs," Surya warned as they ran towards the stairwell.
"I have plenty of arrows," Silvano answered back.
Indeed they ran into six more guards the minute they climbed the final step, but the desperation in the group gave them an aggressive advantage. Silvano led the group, which left him at an extreme disadvantage as a long-range weapon user, but the elf made quick of the guards with his bare hands as they followed the directions they were given to get to Kaylani's room.
They reached the fourth door but the knob didn't turn in Daunte's hand, indicating that it was locked. Silvano gave the door two swift kicks and it burst open. "Kaylani?!"
"Silvano!" came the immediate reply
The elven prince rushed into the room. The group immediately followed, and saw Silvano embracing a beautiful young woman near the bed. He pulled back and gave her a full kiss on the mouth. Daunte was surprised at seeing such open affection and looked away slightly.
"Are you all right? Did they hurt either of you?" Silvano looked her over carefully. He pressed a hand over her pregnant belly.
Kaylani shook her head. "N-No, we're fine. But I…" she hissed slightly in pain and ducked her head.
"Here, sit down for a moment." He directed her to sit on the bed. Daunte saw her condition and immediately felt alarm. Kaylani was still pregnant but her complexion was pale. She also looked like she was sweating profusely.
Is she going into labor?
"Kaylani, we found you!" Surya rushed over to the bed. He pressed a hand to his chest and heaved out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad we got to you when we did!"
"My Lady, are you well?" Mokuren asked worriedly. She wrung her hands slightly.
"S-Surya? Mokuren? You guys came f…" Kaylani broke off again with another quiet gasp of pain. "H…Were all of us taken?"
"Yes. But we've found Freyr so we just need to find Farrin, Signe, and Archana."
Kaylani's eyes went wide. "M-M-My sister. She—" she suddenly pitched forward, almost falling out of bed, but Silvano caught her and held her steady. "We're going to get you out of here. We'll take you somewhere safe before we go home."
"You're here for the princess?"
Daunte quickly turned around, and Silvano stood up and stepped in front of Kaylani. Everyone was reaching for their weapons as Tenaga's mayor calmly entered the room, followed by six guards.
Silvano pointed with his arrow. "If you don't get out of our way, then I'll force you to move!"
"Please, take her," the mayor answered softly.
"Wait, what?" Surya burst out. "You keep her captive and then you ask us to take her away?"
"I wasn't supposed to be the one who kept custody of her," the mayor replied. "But Sheikh Umed refused to take her back to his Garrison on account of her condition. He claimed that my city would be better equipped to handle her giving birth."
"…But?" Felicity added.
"But the High Clerics are aware she is pregnant and I've been instructed to send her baby to Mlkwt Alsmwat as soon as it's born."
Kaylani cried out in alarm, but then gave a huge wince. Silvano pulled back on his bow, ready to release. "You have five seconds to tell me why I shouldn't fire this arrow at your head."
The guards drew their swords, but the mayor gestured with his hand. "My own wife is pregnant. I know the lot of you are infidels and heretics and are naturally beneath a Nagarean believer like me, but I cannot in good conscience separate Princess Kaylani from her baby. We are aware she is close to due, so we will not stop you from taking her."
Silvano relaxed his arm very slowly, but Israfil stepped forward. "If you're letting us go, then why did you bring your guards with you?"
"Because I need all of you to fight."
"Eh?!" Mokuren exclaimed.
"I'm going to send word to Mlkwt Alsmwat tomorrow that the Princess was taken from us by heretics," the mayor said. "However, I will not be able to convince the High Clerics that she was plausibly taken from my mansion unless there is evidence that we put up a struggle. I'm aware that you defeated nearly all of the guards in Baltas—and have injured over ten of my guards already—so I need you to keep engaging my guards with that same enthusiasm."
"Y-You're asking us to beat up your own guards?!" Surya said incredulously.
"We're aware of what the consequences could be if we can't convince the High Clerics that you invaded my mansion, beat my guards, and spirited the Princess away. I've spoken with my men and they've agreed not to aggressively engage you. All I ask is that you do as you did in Baltas and not kill any of my guards."
Daunte looked over his shoulder at Kaylani. She was slumped over slightly and her breathing was labored. They needed to get her out of there as soon as possible. He looked at Surya and nodded, and the prince nodded in kind. "If you insist, sir, then we'll fight your guards."
"We were going to do it anyway," Mokuren added cheerfully.
"There is a wagon at the northwest back side of my home," the mayor continued. "It will probably be safer to transport the princess in that than on horseback. It's yours for the taking. You can get out of Tenaga through a secure exit not far from here. The guards there are aware that you're leaving, but I will have to ask you to fight them as well before you depart."
"…Thanks," Daunte said.
Silvano approached the mayor, his expression hard. "Are you included amongst those you wish us to assault?"
"Yes," the mayor immediately replied.
Silvano swung his fist and punched the man in his solar plexus with what looked like all his strength. The guards reflexively twitched as the mayor collapsed to the floor, dry-heaving and groaning in pain, but ultimately they stood their ground and did not attack.
"That is for the worry you've caused me," Silvano told him darkly.
The mayor was gagging in pain and seemed incapable of verbally responding, but he waved his hand as though in acknowledgment of Silvano's words.
The guards had their weapons drawn, but they did not swing their swords as the group engaged them in a one-sided fight. Daunte felt a little sick to his stomach to throw punches at individuals who were doing nothing to defend themselves, and he tried his best to avoid doing too much damage to their bodies. Since Surya was armed with his tri-nunchaku it was easier for him to land non-fatal blows. Mokuren ended up striking the soldiers with the non-bladed side of her naginata, and Israfil struck at them with the flat side of his nodachi. Keeping to the back were Silvano and Felicity, and both were supporting Kaylani and helping her to walk.
From the second floor down to the first floor they were engaged by guards who did not fight back. They were left writhing on the ground groaning in pain, and Daunte felt a little sorry for them. Hopefully their injuries DO convince the Clerics that they tried to stop us from leaving.
They followed the mayor's directions and found a wagon with two horses already tied to it, ready to go. Daunte was very surprised to see this. Wow. He really meant it when he said he wanted us to get her out of here.
Israfil and Silvano lifted Kaylani into the wagon. Her breathing was becoming more and more labored, and she looked faint. Daunte was truly concerned she was going into labor, and he hoped—he really hoped—that she didn't end up giving birth before they made it back to headquarters.
"We still have our horses tied up at the front of town," Surya said. "I think we should split up into two groups. Three of us will steer this wagon out of here and engage the guards. The other three will rush back to the main entrance and get our horses. Does that sound good?"
"Sounds like a plan," Felicity said. She looked at Daunte. "Who's going to stay with the wagon, and who's going to go to the front gate?"
"I won't leave Kaylani's side," Silvano answered automatically. "I must stay with the wagon."
"Wherever Prince Surya goes, I must go too," Mokuren said.
"I'm all right with whichever group I'm in," Israfil said.
"I would like to stay by my cousin's side, but I'll do whatever I can to get us out of here in one piece," Surya said.
"We'll need to decide quickly," Felicity said. "What do you think, Daunte?"
Daunte quickly gave it thought before he decided. "Surya, Mokuren. Please stay with Silvano and Lady Kaylani and get the wagon out of here. Felicity, General Israfil and I will get out through the front gate."
"Got it." Surya jumped up into the front seat and grabbed the reins. Mokuren climbed up to sit beside him. Silvano was directing Kaylani to lie down in the wagon. "Be careful, all of you."
"Let's meet northwest of here after we escape the city," Israfil said. "Then we'll work our way back to the Liberation Army headquarters."
"Sounds good. We'll see you guys later!" Surya snapped the reins and the horses took off. The wagon looked very jittery, but otherwise steady as they left the grounds of the mansion and disappeared out of sight.
"Right, let's get out of here before the guards at the main gate figure out what happened," Felicity said. She stretched her arms over her head. "I don't think the mayor told them about our plans."
"With any luck they won't notice we're short three people, and taking three extra horses," Israfil added.
It was still busy within the town, but Daunte didn't want to draw attention to themselves by sprinting down the streets and past shops and houses. Their group hurried to the front gates, though Daunte felt his heart pounding in his throat. Please let us get out of here without problems!
They found their horses and untied them. They each grabbed the reins of Surya, Mokuren, and Silvano's horses and steered them towards the gate. Daunte kept his breathing calm and tried to look as unassuming as possible. The last thing he needed was for them to be stopped! Luckily though, the guards still had their hands full processing people into Tenaga that they didn't give much thought to those who were leaving. They calmly led the horses on a trot until they were far enough away from the gates that they wouldn't be noticed, and then they took off in a gallop.
They rode hard for ten minutes, giving significant distance between themselves and the city. They rode to the area they promised to meet Surya and slowed their horses down. Then they waited. Daunte looked in the direction of Tenaga anxiously. Please hurry!
Fifteen minutes later, the horse-drawn wagon lumbered towards them. Surya had a look of irritation on his face as he reached them. "Apparently he told his guards we were coming," he said curtly, bringing the wagon to a stop. "But not all of the guards got the memo! We wasted ten minutes because they were too busy arguing about whether or not they were supposed to arrest us!"
"But you guys made it," Daunte said. He steered his horse towards the wagon. "Are you all right, Lady Kaylani?"
She looked no better than she did at the mansion. She was pale and sweating profusely. She was resting her head against Silvano's chest, but she opened her eyes to look at him. "Y…Are you Daunte?"
"Y-Yes," Daunte said, surprised she knew him by name.
Kaylani smiled at him. "Surya told me about you on the way here. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for being so helpful finding my family."
Daunte looked at Surya, but the prince was talking quietly with Mokuren. He talked to her about me? Me? But why? "I-It's not just me. Roen and Felicity have been helping a lot, too."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, your Highness," Felicity said, bringing her horse over. "I'm Felicity. We're going to help you guys any way we can in order to find your family."
"Than—" Kaylani sucked in a sharp breath. Silvano looked up at the others. "Can we stop here for a short while? This wagon isn't very stable, and the rough motions have caused her discomfort."
"I think we all need to rest," Surya said, hopping out of the front seat. "We'll rest for a couple hours and then keep riding until we reach the headquarters. It should be northeast of here, so…" he pulled out his compass and turned his body around until he found the direction he needed. "So we ride that way."
"I kept track of our surroundings, Prince," Israfil offered. He unlaced one of his boots and shook it out. "I'll keep us on the right path."
"Good."
It was still the middle of the day, but Daunte was exhausted from the running, riding, and fighting. The minute he rested his head against his bag, he was asleep.
"Kaylani?"
Silvano's voice broke through his slumber and Daunte blinked. He didn't sleep long. He knew that from the position of the sun in the sky. It was still directly overhead.
"…I think my water broke."
That had Daunte flying to his feet. Silvano was inside the wagon leaning over Kaylani, who was out of sight, and Surya was looking in the wagon. Everyone else was slowly coming around when Surya shouted, "We need to go!"
Less than five minutes later they were riding quickly in the direction of the headquarters. Daunte kept looking over his shoulder at the wagon, but he still couldn't see the princess. But he saw Silvano, and the elven prince was pale. Surya looked grim, and Mokuren looked very worried.
Please! Please let us get there before the baby comes!
Kaylani cried out in pain. She was clearly in labor now, and the rattling wagon was probably not helping matters. They rode all day and into the night. The sun had slid beyond the horizon and a full moon rose in the sky when they finally spotted the familiar grove of trees.
"Damn!"
But they forgot how uneven the path was. They only traveled a quarter of the way to the castle when one of the wagon wheels got hitched on an overgrown root and caused it to snap clean in half, causing the wagon to fall and nearly capsize.
Daunte jumped off his horse and checked on Silvano and Kaylani to see if they were all right. Thankfully they didn't look injured, but Kaylani was still visibly on pain. "Give me a horse, please!" Silvano grunted.
Israfil brought over a horse and Silvano climbed on top of it. Israfil and Surya lifted Kaylani into his arms, and Surya grabbed the horse's bridle to guide it on the uneven path. Given the seriousness of the situation, Daunte realized they didn't have the time to bring all their horses down the path as well. He signaled to Felicity and Mokuren and they began tying the reins to logs and even to the wagons. They would have to come back for the horses later.
"W-We'll go on ahead and tell them we're coming!" Daunte told Surya. The prince nodded and Daunte took off running down the path towards headquarters. He heard Felicity and Israfil running behind him and he tried not to think of the worst. No, the baby was going to be born healthy—they both were going to be all right!
They reached the front of headquarters, and an Army guard approached them. "Hey! It's Daun—"
"Get Clara!" Daunte shouted, barely pausing for breath. "She's in labor!"
The guard's eyes filled with shock and his mouth hung open. "C-C-C-Clara is in labor?!"
"No, the princess! Princess Kaylani! She went into labor, get Clara!"
"R-Right!" the guard took off running. Even though it was nighttime, there were still people about and the commotion Daunte had caused drew attention. Daunte collapsed in a heap on the ground, panting for breath.
"I-Is Clara coming?!" Felicity panted, falling down beside him in the grass.
"Y…Yes," Daunte said. He looked down the path but saw no signs of any of the others. "W-Wasn't the General running behind us?"
"He d-doubled back for them," Felicity said. She wiped at her brow.
"I'm here!" Clara rushed down the steps, pushing past the people gathered around. Behind her were two soldiers carrying a foldable gurney. "Where is she?"
"S-She's coming," Daunte said, standing up. As he said this, the others finally came into view. Silvano was holding Kaylani steady on the horse, but even then the princess looked like she would fall off it. Clara ran over to them. "How far apart are her contractions?"
"About a minute or so," Silvano said, easing her off the horse. Kaylani was directed onto the waiting gurney. "I-It started six hours ago."
"Six hours?!" Clara shook her head. "Then she's close. Bring her in, quickly!"
There was loud conversation all around them as Kaylani was carried up the stairs and into the castle. Most everyone was excited or even amazed to see a potential birth, while others were panicking. Daunte didn't pay any attention as he followed the others inside.
"—very inconvenient."
Daunte paused in the main hall when he heard these words. The others didn't seem to because they were hurrying after Clara down the stairs towards the infirmary. But Daunte held himself still…and listened.
"This is my Army's headquarters. This is not a civilian hospital." The voice was coming from upstairs and out of sight. "It was a mistake to allow them to bring her back here."
Daunte's stomach lurched. Bearyl Lutis?
"My Lord, you gave them your word," came the reply. It was Caesar. "You told them you opened this castle to the royal family as a safe haven. And it wasn't exactly a secret that Princess Kaylani was pregnant. I mean, that was basically the first thing Silvano said about himself when he arrived! You must fulfill your word and allow her to have her baby here!"
"…Yes. I know what I promised and I will keep my promise. But I can't be responsible for the safety of a newborn babe, not when I have the lives of the men and women who serve under me to worry about."
Daunte didn't want to hear any more. He ran down the stairs to the infirmary, but he was grinding his teeth. So…Lord Bearyl feels inconvenienced by the princess and the baby. Then why invite them back here in the first place?
As upset as he was by Bearyl's words, Daunte knew that he needed to keep them to himself. If Surya or Silvano knew what he had said, well…losing an alliance with Falena would be the least of Bearyl's worries.
At the door to the infirmary, Daunte met up with Freyr. "Is it Kaylani? I-Is she having her baby?"
"It looks like it," Daunte said. Freyr hurried inside and Daunte followed. Arin had woken up from the commotion, and Daunte waved to him before hurrying over to the isolated section of the infirmary where Kaylani had been taken. Gunther was seated on an empty bed, looking grim, and Daunte saw Allise joining the group. Freyr was standing just outside of the area, looking too nervous to peek. The princess let out a scream of pain that startled Daunte, but he moved forward. "W-Will she be all right?"
"She's dilated to nearly ten centimeters," Clara said. She was signaling to orderlies dressed in white. "There's too many people over here. I'll need all of you to leave."
"I won't leave her side," Silvano said darkly.
Clara huffed. "Fine. I'll need some of you to assist me but the rest of you have to leave. Allise, will you assist me?"
"Of course," Allise said. She hurried over to a washing basin to wash her hands.
"And…" Clara looked around before her eyes settled on Felicity. "You."
"M-Me?!" Felicity cried out.
"I need you to help me."
"B-But I've never delivered a baby before!"
"Now's as good of a time to learn as any. Go wash your hands with Allise."
Felicity looked at Daunte helplessly, but Daunte honestly didn't know what to tell her. Felicity's shoulders drooped in defeat and she trudged over to where Allise was.
"But the rest of you, out of here," Clara said sharply.
Kaylani bucked slightly, her eyes half-lidded. Daunte was standing directly beside her bed and the sudden motion startled him. "W…Wait. Wait!"
"Kaylani, please don't worry," Surya said, though his expression was strained. "Everything will be all ri—"
"N-No! You don't understand!" Kaylani reached out and grabbed Daunte by the arm. She squeezed it hard. "Please…you have to hurry! You have to hurry!"
"My Lady, please don't be distressed," Clara reassured her. "I've delivered babies before. Your child will be fine."
"Y-You don't…" Kaylani furiously shook her head. "M-My sister! You have to save my sister!"
"Lady Archana?" Daunte was startled by Israfil's sudden shout. The General quickly stepped forward. "My Lady, did something happen to her?"
Kaylani shook her head again. "Y…Yesterday. I overheard the m-mayor talking about her. A-A-Archana…she was taken someplace."
"Where, Kaylani?" Surya implored her. "Where did they take Archana?"
"Can this wait?" Clara demanded. "What's most important right now is the wellbeing of the mother and child!"
"She…I h-heard." Kaylani was struggling to get the words out between her labor contractions. Silvano was holding her hand and speaking into her ear softly. "They originally sent her to a city I c-can't pronounce. It starts with a 'U'."
"Uaminifu," Allise said softly. She looked like she was in deep thought.
Kaylani nodded. "But yesterday…yesterday I heard. I heard they m-moved her somewhere else. Someone went and t-took her. They moved her out of…that city."
"My Lady." Israfil knelt at her bedside. His expression was full of worry. "Were you able to find out where Lady Archana was taken?"
Kaylani was starting to look delirious from the pain, but she nodded and forced an answer out. "T…They called it the 'Great Cistern'."