Chapter 34: A Dark Bargain

The echoes of the recent battle began to fade, and a heavy silence settled over our group. The absence of Era, who had become an integral part of my team from the start, was palpable. We stood there, staring at the spot where she had vanished, our hearts heavy with grief and frustration. The realization that we had failed to protect our friend weighed on us like a crushing burden. Quinn, having just regained mobility, was the first to break the silence. "Lucius, we should get started. We need to go after her as soon as possible." I rose to my feet, still staring at the spot where she had been, my heart still beating loudly. I nodded, "You're right. We can't stand around moping. Every second we waste is another second those scum have Era."

I turned behind me to my party. They seemed winded, and we could use a quick rest, but we needed to start searching right away. The king was ordering his soldiers, and I heard him say, "Secure the girl. She will be used as an example after we get information out of her." They had Yuna seemingly bound in chains, and Altaria stood by, just in case she had some hidden skills to escape. Yuna was resisting as hard as she could, kicking the guards and yelling, "Unhand me! Dammit, stupid goddamn snake Avaris, leaving me behind! I swear I will have her head for this!" I walked forward, and with Era gone, we were down a major player in our party; she often served as one of our main attackers. I calmed my head down and thought of the plan that gave us the best chance of success here.

Without hesitation, I walked over to the King and immediately knelt. "My lord, a word, please." The King, sitting on his all-white horse, looked down at me with an air of authority. He commanded, "You may speak." I suggested, "King Whiteford, I propose a solution that maintains both our ideals. My rune contract enables me to handle Yuna safely and effectively. I can bind her to myself, and we can use her to provide us with information. We can also use her as a guide to get into the heart of the covenant." The King furrowed his brows. "I have seen you fight, boy. I think we have better warriors in Everglint. We will handle this criminal, and you will just wait for the good news." He turned to leave, but Altaria stopped him with her staff. With no honorifics, she stated, "Corwin, my friend, give the boy a chance. What if we have a wager? I will get him and his party up to par in two days' time." The King, seemingly on close terms with Altaria, sighed. "You and your whims again, Altaria. I see no reason to have this young man handle what my knights can do. However, I also understand that you always have a plan. Goddamn it, fine. Do what you will with her, but if they fail, it's your status on the line. Remember that." 

I can't believe how easily he conceded to Altaria, but she seemed casual about it as the King turned away. The King said, "Two days, you will set out. I expect you all to be ready by then, young man. Remember what is at stake here; I will not permit failure." He continued solemnly, "My kingdom and my soul are weary. I am not an adventurer anymore. I will trust my old friend here knows what she is doing." He paused, and I couldn't see his face, but it almost seemed like he was holding back a lot of emotions. "Please. Please, find a way to ease the pain of a broken father's soul." He began to trot away, and I could feel his grief from here. Altaria said sadly, "He was under their control before as you know. His task was to send adventurers to their deaths via the cave here. He would have organized another hunt had I not set him free of his curse."

Yuna, still tied up on the floor, began to laugh. "The covenant is all-powerful. We controlled an entire massive city like this from the shadows. We did the same in Veilstead by providing that Samuel man the means to gain power. All we had to do was control King Whiteford and make him fuel that Samuel fellow's hatred, and he was like putty for our control." Lysandra dug her foot into Yuna, who grunted in pain. Lysandra mocked, "Well, that worked out for you, didn't it? Crawling on the ground like a worm. Shut up, or I will keep that mouth closed." I knew something was off, so the Covenant was puppeteering Samuel in Veilstead. I mentioned one of my pressing concerns. "You said we would be training for two days? We need to leave right away! Era could be killed or injured any second by those creeps!"

Altaria gave a reassuring pat on my shoulder. "Listen, Lucius, if they wanted her dead, he could have killed her right there in front of you. In fact, they would have wanted you to see her die to potentially fuel your rage. However, they didn't. That is because they want to use her. I think they will likely want to control her or use her for some other purpose. If you still doubt that, ask your friend here." Quinn nodded. "I read their minds before they left. Cyrus was thinking of branding Era with the same brand they used on the king. I think they will want to control Era to do their dirty work." I nodded. "So we have time then?" Both of them nodded, and Altaria said, "Your training starts today, boys and girls. You will be enrolling in my school for a little bit!"

I turned towards Lulith, Quinn, and Lysandra. "Before we do that, I need to ask you three something important." They all turned their eyes to me as I stated, "Listen, we have only been together for a short time, and I will be pursuing a highly dangerous organization. They are known across Eldoria as one of the most ruthless and vicious groups who target innocent people just because they possess magic. They have pacted themselves to strange gods and will kill us on sight if they can. They've got Era. I haven't known her for long, but she is one of the first real friends I have made ever."

I cleared my throat as they looked at me intently. "Not all of you know, but the Grin Reapers is a guild I just started. We have only been around for half a day, but I intend to make that many, many more days with a full party. I need to know right now who is with me and who would rather split here." Quinn opened his mouth first. "I haven't known you for long, but my ability makes me feel more connected to you than you realize. I have no idea what has happened to my species after being locked away for so long, but right now I have someone I can trust right here. Count me in. I will follow behind you as I try to find my purpose after so many years of silence."

Lulith was next. "Listen, Lucius, I have always felt that I was weak, that I was worthless. My own parents cast me out when I was young because I lacked any magical affinity. I ran away from home, I did what I could to survive, and honestly, you were nothing to me – just another pawn to be used. But I think I want to try, for the first time, to trust someone. I think I want to follow you. I want a place where I can belong. I want a family." She said, blushing. "I'm not going to lie to myself all the time; it's tiring. I will join you."

Finally, our attention rested on Lysandra. "What? Me?" She seemed to ponder for a moment. I could tell she was the type to decide things on the spur of the moment. She sighed. "I sent word to my brother earlier. I told him I wanted him to take over operations back at Astralum. I really don't know why I did that. I do know I've been longing for change, and I believe this is the right moment to let my brother take the reins in Astralum while I try something different. You showed me there could be other possibilities for myself, ones that don't involve smashing in heads for a living. I also want revenge on those covenant freaks; this is the second time they almost killed me now. I think in following you, I will find something I never knew I wanted or never dared to pursue."

Under Lysandra's foot, Yuna muttered, "You just think we are mindless killers, don't you? We stand for a purpose; we stand against the evil of magic. You could never understand the greater purpose we represent! You won't ever be able to touch the covenant with your weak group." I looked down at her with slight anger on my face. "I don't know your story, but I don't care about your threats. We will take Era back; that is a promise. Starting with this." I took a marker out of my pocket and drew the symbol of a dark X in a semicircle on a sheet of paper. I showed it to Yuna, and she whispered, "What is this!?" I smiled. "Your salvation." Her hands were tied with chains, but she could still use her hand to sign the contract should she agree. I suggested, "Listen, sign your name here on the bottom. Do that, and we will let you go. Deal?" Yuna frowned, "You're kidding, right? You'll just let me go, no questions asked? What is this, some kind of trick? Do you take me for a fool?"

My face darkened as I continued, "We both know that your capture will lead to your execution. Signing this contract is your only chance to escape with your life intact. Sign and be freed, or die and accomplish nothing for the covenant. The choice is simple: be known as the failure they clearly thought you were, or sign this and you have a chance at redemption." Yuna looked at the contract, her face pale. It seemed that she understood that she really didn't have a choice. Everyone, no matter how fearless they are, always has a mental block when it comes to their survival; it's an instinct. She took the marker and signed her name at the bottom of the contract, biting her lips, her face filled with contempt. She said, "You better let me go after this, you bastard." The mark glowed black as a brand formed on her neck – the X with the semicircle, branding her – as she cried out in pain. Once the brand simmered down, I undid her chains immediately. She grabbed her sword close to her, trying to slice my head clean off, but the blade came centimeters from my neck and stopped.

She exclaimed, "What is going on? What have you done to me, you little bastard? I can't move my arms!" I gave her a devilish grin. "Insurance." Altaria applauded, "Nicely done. I really liked the vigor of today's youth. That's enough excitement for one day, don't you think? Now, let's return to the city, my young apprentices. We've got work to do!"