Chapter 3:

Following Through

Benjamina's crumpled form lay on the ground, black smoke rising from her body. Reaver, Garth, Page, Ben, stood over her, all frozen from shock.

"I knew she would play a part in this war, but I did not see this." Garth said, folding his arms and shaking his head. He looked at Reaver and saw genuine sadness in the man's face, though more likely from his misguided hatred of life-debts than over the loss of life.

"You know, I just don't think there was any other way for her to die." Page said. Ben nodded in support. Garth turned to King Louis, who was now holding Gaston's dying form in his hands. The heroic Francian reached up and touched King Louis's face, then grabbed his neck and whispered something in the king's ear, then slumped to the side, foam dripping from his mouth. King Louis stood slowly and covered his face with his hands, tears escaping from behind his fingers. Garth closed his eyes, seeing all of his family, many of his friends, all of them dying, then looked up. These sounds were too real, too meaningful. Then he saw it. Their fight with the Dueler had pushed them far to the east, but the Millfields outside of Bowerstone was still caught between dark monsters and the soldiers of the First and Fifth Corps.

"They…are still…she's not…" Garth could not say another word before Benjamina, with pure white eyes, fangs, and long claws bounded past him, striking his face. The mage cried out as he fell to the ground, and it was only a moment before the woman was on top of him.

"Benjamina! Stop this!" Garth yelled.

"I…I can't…its…arrgh!" Benjamina raised her hand and tried to kill Garth, but the two Heroes of Skill shot the woman back into a retreat, each reloading their weapons quickly and taking aim again.

"Come here, Reaver…you're the only thing I want in the world" the Dueler said through Benjamina in a mocking tone. The woman jumped high into the air, and then crashed in front of Reaver and Ben with a bloodcurdling scream. The woman knocked Dirty Harriet from Ben's hand, and tried to jump on the Alban soldier, but he drew Kieran's Pistol and shot several times, sending her reeling back.

"We have to stop her!" Page yelled. Benjamina jumped high again, and landed behind Page. The heroine turned around just in time to see the possessed woman bounding toward her like a wild animal. The Hero of Strength held out her sword and in one beautiful flourish sent Benjamina flying. Blood leaked from her possessed form, but she would not yield. She recovered, then tackled Page and threw her into Reaver and Ben, roaring at Garth the whole time. The mage summoned fireballs and launched them at the incoming corruption of a woman. It dodged each attack masterfully and would have struck Garth again, had King Louis not jumped in his way. The monarch twirled his swords and slashed the woman's face then stabbed her in the back. The woman cried in pain, and struggled to rise. King Louis drew his sword out of her as a killing blow but even then, she would not be slain. She dodged another attack from the king and rushed past Garth, and onto Reaver. The immortal simply stared at her in shock, as she raised her hand to strike him, the woman froze.

"No…no I won't!" The woman's pupils returned momentarily, but then they returned to a white, wild, evil stare.

"Kill him! Finish him now!" Benjamina lowered her hand slowly, then weakly, pulled Reaver's sword free from the cane. She suddenly lost control and cried out. Reaver quickly pushed the sword through her, and the Dueler from within her roared in defeat. Garth went to the woman and put his hand on her back.

"Be rid of him Benjamina!" Garth's hand released a burst of light which created a shockwave that sent most soldiers and men flying. The darkness started to fall back and cry in pain, and the men were re-inspired as the dark minions, sentinels, crows, and shadow soldiers seemed to retreat or fade. Soon, the golden bodies of the minions and sentinels collapsed into lifeless piles and the great wave of the darkness was almost sucked back, releasing most of the plains of Millfields. The people cheered in triumph, feeling themselves victorious. Benjamina screamed and fell to the ground, breathing gently. Reaver moved quickly to hold her head up, and created a scene which Ben and Page found reminiscent of the dramatic death of Sir Walter and the Queen's final goodbye to him.

"Reaver…"

"Benjamina…I'm sorry that…you had to go like this…"

"But…my sacrifice was worth it, you are safe…and the world you inhabit is too. That thing, that monster possessed me. I fought it, and now it's gone, thanks to you..." She touched his face, and he leaned down and kissed her deeply. She was released from the kiss and fell back in his arms; her eyes glazed over, and she was free of the darkness Garth had seen in so many.

After a few moments of silence, Reaver stood, holding her body and pointed toward Bowerstone, looking back to Gaston and King Louis.

"We must bury our fallen, come…" Garth nodded and ordered the soldiers to begin to clean up the dead. He was about to start back to the castle when Page grabbed his shoulder and pointed worriedly.

"Look, incoming!" She yelled, holding her sword up. Ben took aim, and Garth squinted as he summoned a fireball. However, he then saw a man on a heavy horse riding very fast. The man slowed as he reached the two, and as the horse came to a stop, he fell off its side. Page ran to him and quickly recognized him.

"Captian Corada! Quickly, we have to take him back to the castle." Page said. Garth grabbed the man and ordered a soldier to take the horse, then started toward the capital.

"NO!" The woman yelled, grabbing the mirror and hurling it. The Queen could only smile as she saw Deresa throw a fit.

"Not now! Not again! Damn! How is this my fate? Every damned…Argh!" Deresa turned to the Queen and scowled at her with true hatred in her eyes.

"Maybe now, it should be clear to you that you can never suppress human will! Albion will live forever, protected by its Heroes!" The Queen yelled. Deresa's face turned to an incredibly ugly scowl.

"Hmm…Suppress human will? You have only seen a fraction of what I am capable of." Deresa raised her hand suddenly and electricity flowed through the Queen's body, making her scream in anguish. She dropped her head, and as she tried to lift it, lighting struck her again. She thought she would die, the electricity was so strong and the shock so powerful. She was suddenly released, and as she lifted her head again, she saw that none of her flesh was seared, or damaged. Deresa moved close to the Queen, and spoke is a sickly seductive whisper.

"I can make you feel pain like you'd never imagine, and it won't even leave a mark on you. I will break you and your people's will and destroy Albion, once and for all." Deresa summoned a fire in her hand, which began to burn the Queen skin, making her cry out and writhe in pain, then moved it away to reveal her arm was unsinged.

"You…can hurt me all…you want…but I'll still raise my head in defiance." Deresa was about to shock her again when a dark tone reverberated throughout the room.

"Lady Deresa. Would you speak to me?" A dark shadowy creature appeared behind the woman. The queen could only faintly see it, but it seemed to be swaying dramatically.

"What Ombra?"

"Something is greatly the matter…we must speak to you about…it…"

"It's no doubt furious, as am I. I will return Queen, and then you will know the meaning of pain." Deresa yelled, then stomped away, leaving the Queen to hang, struggling to breath.

"Garth…Reaver…come soon…Elliot…be safe."

Garth glanced up quickly, holding a pipe in his hand. Reaver was leaning against a wall to his right with Page and Ben. Jasper was nervously wringing his hands across from him, and Sabine and Elliot were standing to his left. King Louis was pacing the floor, and Drusus sat in a chair with Kalin and a few provincial governors with her. Saker was leaning on the map of Albion and Aurora, and Captain Corada was also in a chair, breathing heavily. Garth grunted in disgust at their poor state then turned his attention back to the ground, trying to consider options. Few came to him, and those that did had high cost of life. The Dueler's defeat was an achievement, but it now appeared meaningless as the darkness continued to assault Albion, Francia and now, Castile.

"What, exactly, do you have to report Captain?" King Louis asked, obviously still on edge after witnessing the death of Gaston. Captain Corada sucked in a deep breath then began.

"Shadow troops are pouring over the Mistpeak Mountains and overwhelmed our men. All three armies in Castile have broken, and are retreating back to our capital, and the Francian ships arriving in our port city are suggesting the same thing for their nation. The Darkness has not yielded, and it almost seems to have renewed its war, like it is under a new leader or something of the like. Alban troops are moving to try to blunt the assaults into both territories, but…"

"But we ourselves are still under siege in several key areas, including Southcliff. I've got to get to my city. I've got to protect my home." Drusus yelled, trying to stand. Reaver moved forward and put his hand on the general's shoulder, forcing him into his chair.

"Hold on, friend." Reaver said, "You aren't in any condition to go to the bathroom, much less to war."

"Reaver's right. You stay there, Drusus." Kalin said, leaning onto the map herself. Small waves of darkness were moving along the magical map, but they were mostly avoiding Aurora, which Kalin was watching intently. King Louis, after gazing at the map for a few moments himself, turned to Garth with a deadly scowl on his face.

"My people are being slaughtered, and my nation is on the verge of collapse! We must go to Parigi with all the troops we have."

"We cannot waste anymore of our precious resources trying to keep your capital free!" Hobson interrupted, entering the palace war room from the treasury. He had a large book of accounts in his hands, and he seemed very concerned.

"Francia and Albion have an alliance!"

"We must face facts, King Louis. We have gone through much of the money Sparrow left to us, and this darkness seems content on fighting a war of attrition, a war we can't afford if we continue to dump our resources into battles we know we cannot win."

"My people are dying. You would see them slaughtered like pigs so that Albion could last a year longer?"

"Silence!" Garth barked, his voice magically amplified, quieting the room suddenly. This was a benefit of being a quiet person: when he did speak, people stopped to listen. He took on long draw of the pipe, then spoke, "We could stand here all day arguing about the finances and logistics of helping a distant and weakened nation stay on its feet, or we can try and solve a more immediate concern."

"Oh, and what would that be old mage?" Reaver said somewhat suggestively, smiling in anticipation. Garth rolled his eyes and moved to the map. The darkness was moving in waves around Western Albion, Francia, the Eastern Border of Aurora, and around the Mistpeak Mountains moving toward Castile. It was now effectively squeezing the life from Albion, even without the big dramatic battle at Bowerstone which had now been stopped twice.

"The Dueler is gone, but his army remains. This did not occur in the War of the Crawler or in Samarkand. That must mean that the Darkness or whoever is controlling it is getting desperate. It is time we faced this person. And the best way to do that…is to find the Queen."

"But we have no idea where she is! She just disappeared from the Reliquary, and that doesn't tell us anything!" Jasper said with great concern. Page touched him, and he suddenly seemed much calmer, before looked at Garth. He could see the small cloth wrapped around her arm but it was meaningless to him.

"We may not know now where she is…but if you release your mind and heart and begin to trust in me Garth, we can find the truth of the matter," Page said, her eyes lacking focus as she spoke.

"Sweet Skorm, we send you on a task of alliance building and you come back with a degree in philosophy. Speak plainly woman." Reaver rebuked. Garth shook his head as he watched the immortal. Reaver was genuinely concerned, though probably with his own life more than anything else.

"I mean to say that I have access to a great seer, one who may be greater than Theresa. The seer of the Southern desert." Garth suddenly jumped to his feet and knew immediately who she was taking about.

"Take me to him now!" Garth said, grabbing her arm. His hand wrapped around the cloth on her shoulder and they were both suddenly transported in a great burst of sound and light. They seemed to have their very forms shifted before they finally reached a large desert land and flew up a huge sandstone tower to the top. Garth suddenly fell onto a platform at the top of the tower. He lifted himself up slowly, meanwhile seeing Page gracefully float down to the tower top and land gently onto the platform. She had a full blue and white cloak on and appeared almost heavenly.

"Are we…on the Mnara?"

"Indeed my son. The ancient heroes of Samarkand built this tower to watch over the people of our country. It now stands as a testament to the will of the people of our land."

"Yes, it is, isn't it, father?" Garth asked. The bald, thick bearded, dark skinned man turned and smiled at his son.

"Garth, my only remaining child. To see you again…is…" Garth grabbed his father and held him. After a few moments, he let him go slowly.

"And I see you've met your granddaughter."

"In fact, she was the one who called to me. Other than you, I am the only one remaining who could define her lineage, and she discovered me in the tower."

"Grandfather…" Page started, "I need your power. We are at a lost. Albion is besieged and we know neither where the Queen has been taken nor who is behind it,"

"The Queen of Albion. Let us see." with a grunt, he raised his hand. The tower almost trembled and appeared to shift. Suddenly, an orb burst from the stone floor and floated over where they stood, glowing dramatically.

"Here…" the Garth's father whispered. The orb glowed and suddenly revealed the Queen, hanging weakly and suspended in mid-air. The view suddenly zoomed out until they saw, in full view, Albion's spire, standing in the middle of the sea.

"Dear Avo…"

"The queen is alive, and she is in the Albion Spire. She is held by a seer of great power, though who exactly, I cannot tell." the man said. The orb suddenly melted into a liquid which slipped through the stone cracks and disappeared. Garth turned around and crossed his arms.

"I know exactly what I have to do…send back to Albion there at once." The old man waved his arm and a guild seal appeared on the edge of the tower. However, it was slightly different, distinctly Samarkand.

"Thank you father. Once the dueler is defeated, I will return to Samarkand…and to you."

"I look forward to it." the man said. Garth walked onto the seal and teleported away. Page was about to go when the man grabbed her arm.

"Page. I must answer the three most pressing questions when you come here. The first was where the Queen was. The second was who was holding her. Now the third must be told." Page swallowed hard in response.

"Okay…My life with Ben Finn."

"If you marry him, you will have a happy and prosperous life." The man said, turning around and returning to the place where he'd been sitting before. He dropped down to a cross-legged position, away from the Samarkander sun.

"…that's it? No hardship, no struggle?"

"Of course there will be hardships and struggle, for that is a part of life. But you will be happy and prosperous. And children, oh your children will do great things. It is your choice of course. But you question is answered. Good luck, my son's daughter." The man said, obviously moved on from the present discussion. Page walked slowly to the guild seal and suddenly was back in the room. Had Ben not caught her, she would have fallen face forward.

"Well, good of you to join us. Now that you two have returned, would you like to…" Reaver was interrupted by Garth who grabbed a map out of the charts piled on the side of the room and threw it onto the table.

"This is where we need to go," Garth said, pointing at a small tower in the middle of the ocean on the map. Reaver looked at it and swallowed hard himself.

"The…the Spire…"

"Yes. I believe she is in a part of the Spire known as the Dreamscape. Lucien used it often to imagine his new world order. I believe Theresa is using it to create what was known to the Queen as the "Road to Rule." That's where she is being held. We have to get to there quickly before the Dueler's army regroups and attacks Bowerstone again."

"Well if she's there we're in dire straits. The Cullis Gate giving the Queen access to that is silent. The attack of the darkness has closed it from use; there is no way to get to the Dreamscape!" Jasper added.

"What about access to the Spire through any other gates?" Page offered.

"If that one is closed then all the others probably are too. It is the most effective way to prevent us from rescuing the queen," Garth stipulated.

"Then what do you suggest?" Reaver said. A smile flashed across Garth's face as he looked at King Louis.

"Tell me, how many ships have you lost, King Louis?" The King leaned back and thought for a moment.

"The Darkness hit us from the South, and completely ignored our navy."

"Ours have barely been touched as well. In addition, most of the darkness has struck the Sand Dweller villages, and not yet moved to our cities. We do have a small army, though it will be useless against most of the darkness, it might help… if your intention is to assault the Spire," Kalin said, waving her arms wide, then pointing at Garth. The mage nodded gratefully at the Auroran and looked back to the map.

"Then we sail for the Spire. Prepare every ship of Albion, Aurora, and Francia,"

"Hold Garth, a point. If we go to Spire, what will we find? You and I both remember who commands the Spire, though there're plenty of evil creatures who could have theoretically have seized control of it," Reaver suggested. Garth sighed.

"I understand your concern, Reaver. If we find Theresa…then we'd be turning on one who'd done so much…"

"No, if we find Theresa we'd need a plan of action to so much as hit that witch, much less stop her. And if she commands monsters like the Crawler, Dueler, or Life-Eater out of hand enough to waste huge armies on them left or right, who knows what she might summon," Reaver said very matter-of-factly.

"This is a fair point. We'll need to attack the Spire with heroes, and we'll need to exploit any advantage to its greatest extent."

"Perhaps…" Ben started, rubbing his chin, "we could consider our attack from a different angle, specifically, the purpose of the attack on the Spire…"

"What are you implying?" Garth asked.

"I do believe the lad is on to something." Reaver said, tapping his cane. He used the cane to pointed to man, "His suggesting a small team go for the witch."

"Right, the siege will not be a full attack but a diversion, so that one of the vessels could dock with the Spire and get the heroes up through its floors."

"Yes, and if we used Kalin's flagship, it would be fast enough that they might not even suspect anything." Ben said, holding out his hand to Kalin, who nodded proudly. Reaver tapped his cane on the table, a broad smile on his face.

"Oh, there is no need for Kalin to shoulder this burden. I have a vessel which might as well have been built for this endeavor."