Chapter 35: A New Advance

Castle Melgen, the Munster District, Jugdral

Grann. Year 776

A rapid knocking on the guestroom door startled Ashe out of his chair. On instinct, he grabbed for his bow and Felix grabbed for his sword, the sudden noise putting them both immediately on edge. They eyed the door in silence, fingers tensing around their weapons as a clap of thunder rumbled just outside their window.

Another set of knocks sounded against the door, more urgent.

"Ashe? Felix?" a hurried voice called from the other side. Lord Seliph's voice. Ashe sighed in relief, bow-arm relaxing to his side. Thank the Goddess—he was half-expecting a swarm of undead soldiers to come barreling into the room, sent to finish them off after their narrow escape from Valla.

"Please, if you're still here," Seliph continued, "open the door. I need to talk to you about what we discussed earlier." A pause, then, "About the dead."

Ashe and Felix shared a wary glance. Slowly, Felix nodded and lowered his sword, though he kept a tight and steady grip on its handle as Ashe began to nudge the door open.

Seliph and one of his advisors—the one with the mustache; Oifey, if Ashe remembered correctly—stood on the other side, shoulders stiff and faces taut with a grim tension. A crumpled piece of paper hung from Seliph's closed fist, torn and wrinkled at the edges.

Before Ashe could ask what had happened, or what they had seen, Seliph said again, "Might we speak with the two of you?" His eyes darted up and down the hall under furrowed brows. "Alone?"

Ashe fought down the panic clawing at his chest and nodded, pulling the door open just far enough for Seliph and Oifey to quietly slip into the room. As soon as they were inside, Oifey pushed the door closed and locked it shut, then began to flit around the small space to inspect every crack and corner he could find in the walls.

"Something wrong?" Felix asked slowly, back visibly coiled and tense. Ashe tried to make himself look more relaxed, but the fit of nerves twisting about in his stomach made that an impossible feat.

"We need to make sure no spies are listening in," Oifey said, feeling along each stone crevice. "You can never be too sure whose eyes and ears belong to the empire."

"…Right…" Felix shuffled his feet, which did nothing to dispel Ashe's own apprehension. "And what exactly is this secret meeting about? Just the dead? I thought you didn't believe us."

"I didn't," Seliph admitted. "But I don't think I have the luxury of doubt anymore."

He laid out his wrinkled parchment paper over the guestroom's lone end table. Ashe and Felix had been using it to strategize their next moves and find a way home, but, unsurprisingly, they hadn't gotten very far on either front.

"My sister has been having visions," Seliph said. He smoothed out the paper's edges as best he could, then tapped on the picture drawn in charcoal in the middle. A woman with long hair and pointed ears. "She claims Naga and the Divine Dragons have been trying to warn her about dead soldiers rising up to terrorize the living, about the existence of other worlds beyond our own, and about…"

He pointed to another drawing: a black orb littered with sharp, sinister eyes, trapped within a set of jagged teeth.

"The dragon at the center of it all." Seliph glanced up. "All the things you also tried to warn us about. That's a lot of strange similarities to chalk up to mere coincidence."

"I…see…" Ashe took a hesitant step toward the table, eyes stuck on the picture beneath Seliph's finger. That's what they were dealing with? Some kind of creepy, evil orb monster? It didn't look like a dragon at all.

"Your sister drew this?" Felix asked.

Seliph nodded. "Julia copied down everything she could remember from her visions, but she's not sure what it all is meant to represent. Besides Naga and this malevolent dragon, of course." He gestured down at the picture, watching them expectantly. "We were hoping you might recognize something we can't, as you seem to be…well-traveled, when it comes to other worlds."

Ashe frowned down at the parchment. Around the woman Seliph had identified as Naga, there appeared to be a feminine figure outlined by a swirl of white feathers, and a set of six red eyes drawn in blood over Naga's head. Ominous to be sure, but none of it was anything Ashe had any familiarity with.

Felix crossed his arms and shook his head, indicating that he had no ideas, either.

Seliph sighed and folded up the paper. "That's all right. Perhaps it will come to Julia later, after she's had time to sort out her thoughts, or…" His voice dropped into an uncertain whisper. "If we can find her that tome…"

Ashe tilted his head. "A tome?"

"The Book of Naga," Oifey said, closing the shutters of the window. "The most powerful of the twelve holy weapons of Jugdral, bestowed upon the Crusaders long ago by the Divine Dragons. The legends say that Naga crafted the tome using pieces of her dragonstone and imbued her very soul into its pages, allowing its wielder to channel the entirety of Naga's divine might."

"Only those born with Naga's major holy blood, like Julia and our mother, can attune to its power," Seliph added. "The same goes for any of the holy weapons. They only hold power in the hands of those who have inherited a compatible bloodline."

"Sounds familiar," Felix muttered.

"Julia believes that we'll need the Book of Naga if we want to stand a chance against the enemy and his undead army." Seliph rapped his knuckles on his chin. "The tome was designed to counter the Dark God's powers, though, so I'm not sure what exactly it's supposed to do against a dragon hidden in another world…"

"But it can't hurt to have such a powerful weapon on our side, right?" Ashe said. "Especially one that's connected to the soul of one of these Divine Dragons."

Felix leaned his palms on the backrest of one of the chairs circling the end table, still poring over the picture. "And that Azura woman did mention something about that special Yato sword needing other divine weapons to unlock its full power…"

"Special Yato sword?" Seliph asked.

"It's a long story, milord," Ashe said, glancing nervously to the closed-off window. The howling of the wind and the harsh pattering of the rain against glass and stone seemed to haunt the room. An ever-present warning of what was lurking around the corner. "For now, we need to focus on finding that tome. If it really is supposed to help us against the army of the dead, we need to get it to your sister before they have a chance to strike."

Seliph frowned at the floor, shoulders slightly slumped. "And therein lies the problem…"

Felix's fingers tightened around the chair. "I swear, if you say you don't actually know where it is, or that it's trapped in some deserted location at the edge of the world…"

"It's worse than that." Seliph balled his hands into fists and drew in a slow, steadying breath. "We have reason to believe it's in the empire's possession, along with Tyrfing—the holy weapon Arvis stole from my father after murdering him."

Ashe felt his heart sink into his stomach. Great, the book they supposedly needed in the fight against the invisible soldiers, a weapon that could potentially be used to empower the sword forged to slay the Silent Dragon…was in the hands of Seliph's sworn enemy.

Nothing could ever be easy, could it?

Felix just huffed out an exasperated laugh and said, "I don't suppose we can kindly ask this emperor to hand the tome over to you."

"Arvis freely gifting the leader of the Liberation Army—the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Grannvale, whose very existence threatens his seat of power—a holy weapon?" Oifey scoffed. "Not a chance."

"Even if we were able to, somehow, convince him of the severity of the encroaching threat?" Ashe asked. "I know it's probably a long shot, but is he really that unreasonable that he wouldn't even consider doing the right thing in the face of—"

"Trusting Arvis to do the right thing is the mistake that cost my father his life." Seliph's face hardened, his blue eyes as dark and cold as a frozen sea. "A mistake I will never repeat."

"Well, if diplomacy is out of the question, how exactly do you plan on getting your hands on this tome?" Felix asked. "You don't mean to march your army to wherever he's hiding and fight him head-on, do you?"

Seliph's stiff expression slowly fell away as he ran a hand over his face. "If we had the numbers to confront him directly, I would have done so long before today."

"And our intel says Arvis and the bulk of the imperial army are currently stationed at Velthomer Castle," Oifey added, "the center of his family's power, and his true home outside of Grannvale's royal palace. We would be foolish to send our army there, where he would have every advantage against us."

Palm still pressed to his forehead, Seliph began to pace up and down the room. "Not to mention Leif and the forces of Leonster, who are still in desperate need of our military support. If I were to divert my army toward Velthomer, my cousin would be quickly overrun by Bloom's forces." His jaw visibly tightened. "And, perhaps, overrun by this supernatural invasion of the undead, too. I can't leave him to face both threats alone."

"So, what?" Felix pushed away from the chair and impatiently tapped his foot, tensing as another blast of thunder rumbled outside. "We can't talk to the emperor, we can't rely on an armed confrontation to force our way to the book…what can we do?"

The room fell silent. Seliph continued to pace on light feet, wringing his hands behind his back, under Oifey's concerned and watchful eye. Felix grumbled something incoherent under his breath, and Ashe…

Ashe ground down on his teeth, fiddling with the small pouches fastened to his belt. He had an idea swimming around in his head, a risky, dangerous idea that made his nerves spike and heart race merely thinking about it. But if all other options were off the table…

Desperate times, desperate measures.

"You don't need an army to steal a book, milord," Ashe said. "You just need a few sticky fingers, and…"

He pulled out a pair of long, thin needles from one of the pouches and twirled them around in his hand.

"…a lockpick."

Seliph paused in his pacing, narrowing his eyes at the floor. A few moments of consideration later, he raised his head and arched a curious eyebrow in Ashe's direction.

"What do you have in mind?"

—

"You're going to try to steal from Arvis?" Azelle asked, eyes wide and incredulous. "The Emperor of Grannvale? One of the most powerful, cunning, and ruthless of men in all of Jugdral? That Arvis?"

Seliph sighed and leaned forward in his chair. He swept his gaze over the three new faces he had invited to be part of this secret strategy meeting: Julia, who was gnawing nervously at her bottom lip; Lewyn, who stared back at Seliph with a blank, unreadable expression; and Azelle, who looked like he might pass out from shock, or worry, or both.

"It's a gamble, yes, but this is our best—and perhaps only—chance to take the Book of Naga for ourselves," Seliph said. "We're not ready to face the imperial army in the field of battle, and we can't exactly walk up to the gates of Velthomer and just ask the emperor to hand the tome over to us."

"But that doesn't mean sneaking into his castle and trying to steal it is any better of an idea," Azelle countered. "We don't even know where in the castle he might be hiding it. He could be carrying it on him, or—"

"It's locked in a chest located in the royal treasure hall," Lewyn said, his face still vacant and unmoving, "enchanted to repel dark magic and Loptrian sorcery. The chest's key rests within Empress Deirdre's circlet, which Arvis currently has stored safely in his private quarters." He squinted, as though he were looking through the wall at something no one else could see. "Tyrfing is also in the treasury, if you care to know."

Azelle swiveled his baffled expression around to him. "And how can you be so sure of that? Your spies really have access to all that specific information?"

Slowly, Lewyn's unblinking eyes slid to Azelle. The measured movement was almost unearthly, and Seliph swore the temperature of the room dropped a few degrees under the weight of Lewyn's stare.

"I have my ways," was all Lewyn had to say.

"Lewyn's intel has never been wrong before," Oifey said, tilting a grateful nod toward the former king. "If he's confident about the Book of Naga's location, then we will build our plan around that knowledge."

"…Even so…" Azelle sunk back into his chair, frowning. "Knowing where Arvis is hiding the book is one thing, but successfully sneaking into both his treasury and his quarters is a whole other story. You would have to somehow get past all his guards, possibly some Loptrian mages, and all the locked doors that protect the castle's interior, all while evading Arvis's notice."

"Our thieves won't need to sneak past any guards or mages," Seliph said, waving Oifey over to his side. "They need only blend in with them."

Oifey carefully set a basket down on the end table. Inside sat red-threaded tunics, chipped armor plating, and several visored, steel helmets—the standard-issue uniform of the empire's foot soldiers— all stripped from the men the Liberation Army had taken prisoner after freeing Castle Melgen from imperial occupation.

"Because they are the least likely here to be recognized by anyone loyal to the empire," Seliph continued, "Ashe and Felix have volunteered to serve as our primary thieves on this mission. They will infiltrate Velthomer Castle disguised as imperial soldiers and, once inside, will work their way into the treasure hall to swipe the enchanted chest holding the Book of Naga."

"Ashe can take care of any locked doors we come across," Felix added. "I've never encountered a lock he couldn't pick open."

Seliph nodded and patted the clothes piled in the basket. "Which just leaves us with the circlet's magic key. Ashe and Felix could try to find both the chest and the key, but it would probably be faster—and thus, less risky for them—if someone else were to—"

"I'll do it," Julia said softly. "I will find Mother's circlet."

Seliph's gaze snapped up to her, eyebrows drawn together in a sharp indent. "What? No, you need to stay here, Julia. It's too dangerous for you."

"But—"

"Manfroy and the Loptr Church are still looking for you, Princess," Lewyn said. For a moment, a twitch of concern—or, perhaps, fear—cut across the otherwise empty void that had taken hold in his expression. "They will stop at nothing to keep you away from the Book of Naga. If someone were to recognize you, or if you were forced to reveal yourself, I doubt you would ever be able to step foot outside the castle again."

Julia bunched her hands into her skirts. "I-I know the risks. But…I…" She swallowed a shallow breath and lifted her chin up high. "Naga bestowed this task upon me. It would not be right for me to sit idly by while others put their lives in danger, not when I have the potential to help."

Still, Seliph shook his head, worry wrinkling the corner of his mouth. "I'm not sending my sister into the enemy's castle—"

"My father's castle," Julia said. "My memories of my life before meeting you are still hazy, but I once called Velthomer Castle home. I remember the basic layout well enough, and, most importantly, I remember the silver circlet Mother loved to wear." She scooped up one of the steel helmets from the basket and creaked the visor open. "I can help direct Ashe and Felix to the treasure hall for the chest, and I can slip into my father's room to retrieve the key."

Seliph leaned on the armrest of his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose to stave off the headache brewing behind his eyes. Why couldn't anything ever just be easy? "I don't know, Julia…"

"Well, think about it this way." Julia shrugged her long hair behind her shoulders and fit the helmet over her head. "If Manfroy and the Loptr Church believe that I am doing whatever I can to hide from them, then one of the last places they would expect to find me is right in the heart of their territory."

"And what of Arvis, milady?" Oifey asked. "If he happens to be in his quarters when you try sneaking in, or he spots you and recognizes his daughter beneath your disguise, what then?"

"I…" Julia frowned into her lap. The front of the helmet slipped over her eyes, and she nudged it back upright. "I can…talk to him? Maybe he would—"

"It would be best if you just avoided him all together," Lewyn said.

"Maybe we could set up some kind of distraction?" Ashe suggested. "Have something hold his attention for long enough that we can quietly slip into the castle, get past the locks, and steal what we need to steal. The more eyes it can draw away from the treasure hall and the emperor's quarters, the better."

"A distraction…" Seliph hunched forward, elbows digging into his knees. "Perhaps we feed them a few false reports about our army's movements. Make them think the storm has slowed our march north to Leonster, as a way to tempt Arvis into launching a surprise attack on us while we are, seemingly, in a vulnerable position."

"Doing so could also buy us some extra time to travel our true route west, without having to worry about additional imperial interference," Oifey said, a short, proud smile settling over his face. "A clever strategy, sire."

"Clever," Azelle mumbled, "but if your goal is to keep Arvis occupied, it won't be enough. At most, he would send out one of his generals, or possibly Ishtar, to investigate the false lead and do his dirty work."

"Do you have something else in mind, then?" Seliph asked.

Azelle hung his head in his hands as though the weight of his thoughts threatened to drag his body down to the ground. "How badly do you need this book?"

"The universe is doomed to fall to ruin without it," Lewyn said.

The dire implication of Lewyn's words were underset by the thunder rolling just beyond the window, warning them of what was coming, and what was at stake.

"So, pretty badly." Azelle chuckled, but the sound was hollow and mirthless. "Well, if you really want to draw Arvis's attention away from this heist, you need your distraction to be personal. Something he would want to see for himself."

Azelle let his hands fall into his lap.

"Or, someone."

"…Lord Azelle…" Seliph started, slowly shaking his head, "you can't mean…"

"Arvis may be a ruthless bastard, but—for better or for worse—he's also my brother. Underneath all that scheming and cruelty is a man who cares deeply for his family, even after…" Azelle's breath hitched. "Even after the massacre of Belhalla, even after I cut ties with him and House Velthomer, he has tried many times to bring his little brother back home. I've spent almost two decades running from him and his soldiers, trying to protect my wife and my children from the horrors of his empire…"

"Yet here we are," Lewyn said, his empty gaze hardening as it dropped back to the floor.

"Yeah." A single tear slid down Azelle's cheek. "Here we are."

"Are you sure about this, Azelle?" Oifey asked. "If you turn yourself over to the emperor, he might not let you leave."

Azelle smiled something broken, then shrugged. "My freedom isn't worth much when pitted against the rest of the universe, right? If getting the Book of Naga is really that important, I will gladly submit myself to a life bound by my brother's chains—figuratively or otherwise." He looked to Seliph. "All I ask, my lord, is that when you reach Leonster, you help my daughter Tine escape from Bloom's army. Arthur can identify her for you."

A painful tightness tortured Seliph's chest, but he forced himself to say, "Of course."

"Then it's settled." Azelle pushed himself out of his chair. He hid his fingers in the fabric of his well-worn tunic, but he couldn't hide the small tremble in his hands. "I will deliver myself to Arvis's doorstep and distract him in whatever way I can, while Ashe, Felix, and Julia maneuver their way through the castle to swipe the chest holding the Book of Naga and the magic key you need to open it."

"And if something goes wrong?" Seliph asked before he could stop himself.

"We will be fine, brother." Julia smiled and leaned forward in her chair to clasp her hands around Seliph's. "I have this feeling that…I am meant to do this. Naga is with me, and with her book in my arms, she will guide us all to safety. I know it in my soul."

Seliph tried to return the smile, if only for his sister's sake, but he couldn't muster anything but a pathetic quirk of his lips.

The gods had never stopped Arvis from hurting the people Seliph loved before. Why would they start now?

"And I will wait along the outskirts of Velthomer Castle with a handful of our most talented mages," Lewyn said, "ready to pull Julia and our new friends out should the situation become too dangerous for them to continue. Azelle, too, if we can manage it."

Azelle offered him his resigned smile. "Thank you, old friend."

A burst of wind kicked at the window, throwing splats of pelting rain against the glass. The storm's lightning flashed white through the shutters, and Felix said, "We shouldn't waste any more time. The sooner we get this book, the better."

Without another word needed, the room began to move. Some went for the imperial uniforms to prepare their disguises, others quietly slipped out of the room to collect any additional supplies they might need, while Seliph…

Seliph remained in his chair, frozen, as though he had been struck in the chest by a blast of Blizzard. Is this what his father would have done? Let his sister, his allies, his friends, all risk their lives and potentially sacrifice their freedom without doing anything to aid them himself? When the fate of their country, their world, rested on their success?

"Sire," Oifey leaned down to whisper into Seliph's ear, but Seliph barely heard him. "We must get you saddled for the ride to Leonster. Shannan and the vanguard have already begun their march west, and the rest of the army is soon to follow."

Seliph's eyes flicked down to a steel helmet poking out of the basket.

If something were to happen at Velthomer Castle, and he wasn't there to help them…if he wasn't there to help Julia…

"Oifey?" Seliph asked, keeping his voice low. "Have Larcei and Scáthach left already?"

"No, sire. I believe they still reside in the castle, awaiting your orders."

"Good." Seliph grabbed the helmet for himself. "I need to speak to them about assuming command of the army. Between your tactical genius and their natural leadership skills, I trust you all to help Leif defend his homeland."

"…Sire?"

Seliph watched his distorted reflection through the battered, weathered steel sitting in his hands. Then, his mind made up, he clenched his fingers around the helmet's edges.

He had lost his father to Arvis. He had lost his mother to the Loptr Church.

He wasn't about to lose his sister, too.

Character Bios:

Nothing to report.

Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I've been incredibly busy over the past few weeks, both with traveling a bunch for work and working on another ongoing series on AO3 I wanted to update (and finding time to play Three Hopes, too!). I should be able to get back on my ~2 week update schedule for this fic, now that things are settling down.

Next chapter: Risks and reunions.