Chapter 31 - Z
"You must be careful not to lose yourself. Power is best used by someone with the strength of heart to wield it," General Athstar's words echoed through my mind. I sat up on the bed. This bed is a lot bigger than I'm used to. I'd been told to sleep in the castle from now on because 'I'd earned it', but really I knew it was because they wanted to keep an eye on me. And after yesterday I wasn't even sure if I could trust my own brother. How far in is he with the Count? What's his plan?
"I wonder… Did I do the right thing?" I asked myself, staring out of the window towards the sky. "I hope I did…"
Knock, knock.
"Yes?" I stood up and faced the door as a small maid girl walked in and bowed her head.
"Master Zael, there is someone in the courtyard who wishes to meet with you," she seemed tired.
"Okay, understood," I smiled, "Thank you," then walked out towards the bridge. Before I opened the doors I stopped. Is that… crying? I turned around and walked towards Calista's door. I knocked, but no answer. She stopped. "Calista, I just want to see you."
"Please… I don't want to talk to anyone right now," her voice was cracking. I hadn't stuck up for her the other day when she'd been hit by her uncle. It was wrong of me.
I sighed. "I'm here when you're ready," then I turned and walked out onto the bridge. In the main portion of the castle there was nothing but gossip and rumour. Never have I been so sick of hearing my own name. I'm already beating myself up, I don't need your input. One group of maids were at least talking about how attractive I was, so at least that was a boost, but still.
As soon as I stepped into the courtyard I heard a whistle. I looked around just in time to see a few men dressed in black jump down from on top of the arched walkway.
"Who are you?!" I pulled out my sword. "Who sent you?" I blocked as they surrounded me, silent as the night. "Answer me! Am I just gonna have to beat it out of you?" I attacked them one by one until they all decided to gang up on me. "Shit," I mumbled. Just then I heard another person drop from the pillars. Whoever it was was dressed in a green robe. "A mage? Who are you?!" They didn't say a word either, but started casting at the men in black. "You're helping me?" What's with all the silence… "We're gonna finish this, but then I want answers, you hear me?"
The first magic the robed person cast was a heal circle, but towards the end of the fight I saw yellow magic… That's Shining! (For those of you who don't know or have forgotten, Shining is a type of barrier magic handed down exclusively through the Arganon lineage. Calista tells Zael about this just before she is abducted by Zangurak.)
I hit the last one of them with the back of my sword before they all went running… including the robed mage. "Wait! Why is this happening?" I spun around and through my arms in the air hopelessly. "Damn it… was that?" I looked down and was surprised when I found a straggler assassin. I raised my sword to his throat. "Why are you after me? Who sent you?"
"Think I'll talk?" he smirked then bit down on something.
"NO!" I leaned forward and grabbed his collar as the poison did its job. "Shit!" I threw his lifeless body back down and stood up angrily, running my spare hand through my hair. "Now what?" I sighed and put my sword away then headed back into the main hall.
"What are we going to do…" a knight was pacing back and forth.
"Is something the matter?" I asked.
He rested his face on his hand. "That would be putting it lightly…"
"What happened?" I inquired again.
He looked around, "Well, I shouldn't be discussin' it out in the open, see? If I could ask for your help, though," he paused and I nodded. "Could you go talk to my colleagues in the castle depths? They'll tell you about it."
I nodded again. "Alright, I'll be there in a bit then."
"Thank you," he looked so relieved.
I walked back out to the courtyard and hurried down the steps. When I reached the bottom I found a group of knights all looking worried, one of which was also pacing.
"They haven't come back in a long time… Those idiots… what will I tell the Count if something's happened to them?!" he kept ranting and walking around the room.
"I have a really bad feeling about this… I hope they're alright, but…" one of the mages was telling another knight.
"What's wrong? Weren't all of the Reptids exterminated from this area?" I asked the two guarding the large door.
"Actually, when we started moving, the island's cave system was affected quite badly… Now it's linked directly to the sea. So the Count dispatched a party to investigate reports of monsters infiltrating the island, but the party hasn't returned."
"That makes sense, actually," I heard a familiar voice from behind me. "The moving island is disrupting the current structure of the sea. It's bound to piss off a few creatures here and there along the way," Yurick's arms were crossed. Behind him was the rest of the group.
"Will you help us?" the soldier pleaded.
"We'll bring 'em back, don't worry," Syrenne threw her arm around my neck, making me slouch.
He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Their fate is in your hands."
"So we're headed to the valley in the north?" Mirania inquired as we opened the doors.
"Uh-huh," I nodded, realizing where we were. It was the cave ruin that I'd originally come across the Outsider in.
Syrenne sighed just as loud as I wanted to. "Oh, bloody hell, we're back here, Zael!" but she didn't even remember that she died… I did… very well… "I'm so cold," she imitated a weak woman, "P-please just h-hold me."
"Here, hold my hand, dear. Is that warm enough?" Lowell extended a hand and tried to hug her jokingly.
She scoffed. "Eugh, get your filthy hands off me! That's well grim!" she threw him over her shoulder, which he tried to laugh off, but was actually a bit hurt.
"Keep it down! They'll know we're here!" Yurick whispered harshly.
"You what?!... oops…" she giggled a bit then stepped over Lowell to meet up with me. "But honestly," she rubbed one arm with her hand, "this place gives me the chills. I wonder why."
"So this is the place everyone was talking about?" Mirania looked around as we approached the wall that had given me this power.
Lowell put a hand on his hip. "Guess this is where it all started."
"We've come a long way since then. We've earned status and respect," Dagran said pridefully.
"Especially Zael," Syrenne added. "They don't call him the 'saviour of Lazulis Island' for nothing!" she teased.
I looked down. "But at what cost?" I mumbled. "I've not changed you know," I looked back at them. "I'm still here with you guys and I'm not about to leave," I glanced at Yurick, who gave me a brief smile. Then I walked over to the hole in the wall we'd made the last time we'd come down here. It was a bit collapsed, but easily cleared out. We followed the path out to where the bridge that we'd destroyed used to be. Now there was only ocean for as far as the eye could see.
Lowell whistled in amazement. "Would you just look at that view?"
"Hu-ah," Syrenne tripped over his leg.
"Crikey! Don't push me!" he snapped at her while catching her at the same time.
She recovered herself and pushed his hands away. "Don't get in my way then," she huffed.
I walked towards the edge blankly. It was a pretty sight, indeed, but it made me wonder about my recent decisions.
"Be careful, Zael!" Yurick grabbed my arm and I realised I was a little closer to the edge than I'd thought I was.
"Heh, sorry about that," I tried to laugh off my worry, but then I heard a clanking sound. "Did you hear that?"
We all looked around. "That?" Lowell pointed to the cliff side where a few Reptids were making their own caves.
"Yeah, that," I squinted and walked with Yurick back towards the others. "What are Reptids doing there?" The closer we got, the more annoying their laughs became.
"Zael, there are holes on this side, too," Dagran pointed out. "We should split up."
Lowell, Syrenne, Yurick, and I all ran out under the right side and tried to knock the Reptids off of the cliff. "Be careful. This isn't the safest place to fight," I warned my friends behind me.
Just then a few of the rocks fell out as the Reptids made a third hole.
"Watch out!" Yurick called out to me. I looked up and dodged just in time.
"Yikes! Don't wanna stay here long. We won't stand a chance if we fall," Lowell had grabbed Syrenne and thrown her behind him. She didn't say anything about it, though.
One of the boulders knocked another, larger piece of the cliff into the sea. "The land! It's dying!" Mirania's voice sounded like she was watching a friend get stabbed. It's understandable since she was raised by a forest. "Ah!" she slipped, but Dagran grabbed a hold of her waist and pulled her back towards the larger chunk of rock. "Thank you."
"Of all the awkward and nasty places to fight," Lowell complained as he knocked another Reptid into the sea.
"Better concentrate if you don't want to fall then," Yurick smirked and blasted the rest of the stragglers from one of the holes.
Lowell laughed. "See our courageous knight, so devoted to his duty," he mocked playfully.
"Well of course," I looked straight at him. "If there are people in trouble, then I have to save them."
He put a hand on his hip. "Well yeah, you're right, of course, but it's just that, you know…" he trailed off, but Mirania finished for him.
"Recently, you've been rather reckless. It's hard to bear seeing you act like that," she tapped me on the shoulder and healed the large scratch that I hadn't even felt getting.
"I couldn't have said it better myself, Mirania," Yurick agreed. I looked back at all of them. Syrenne, Lowell, Mirania, Yurick… they all cared so much for me and they'd been going along with all of my recklessness.
"We should get going," Dagran interrupted, pointing at the holes above our heads.
Yurick was already sitting in one of them. "Well, come on then," he crossed his arms. I looked around. There's 5 holes.
"Go with him, silly," Syrenne pushed me towards the hole that Yurick had claimed. "We'll be fine."
"Isn't it dangerous to split up?" I argued. It's not that I didn't want to be alone with him, it's just that I didn't want to lose any of them. What if something happened?
Lowell pointed up. "The holes are so close together, I don't think we'll be scattered too far."
"Shall we go?" Mirania smiled.
"Alright, but be careful," I gave them all concerned looks before climbing up to meet Yurick.
Syrenne let out a small laugh. "Didn't we just finish tellin' you that?" I smiled.
Yurick grabbed the back of my jacket and pulled me backwards with him into the darkness. "I hate these Reptid caves. They're all so dark and wet. How could anyone live down here?"
"Yurick! Watch out!" I pulled out my crossbow as we entered a larger section of the cave and a rush of Reptids came at us through another hole.
He ducked down behind a pillar and started casting fireballs.