“Just do it,” the first man begged. The two trailing guards shared a pained look before relenting to his wishes, and we soon had the trio’s weapons at our feet. “We’ve been under strict orders to kill you two on sight ever since the Gate fell,” the lead guard admitted, speaking directly to Lia. “But we’ve all heard the stories. You killed the Strength and the Sword, forced the Shield to betray the King, killed Savitz, and dismantled the Third all by yourselves. What are we supposed to do against people like that?”
Val did what? Lia and I were both taken aback by the claim. Our collective memories of Val flashed before us in rapid succession, from our first meeting in the throne room to our last encounter in the Lybesian forest. She wouldn’t betray Virram. Not for us. She already made that choice.
The talkative guard glanced at the nearby carcass of the beast Lia had slain. “I’d be dead if you hadn’t shown up,” he said, looking cautiously in my direction. “All of us would be, eventually. This is the fourth attack this month, and there were two of them this time. We lose a half-dozen men every time one of those Primes-damned things shows up.” He looked between the two of us and straightened his posture. “You killed them without a second thought. If you’re here to hunt Serathids, I’m not going to stop you. Even if you aren’t, you might kill a few while you’re here, and that’s enough reason for me to let you go.”
We noted the peculiar name he gave the beasts, but our curiosity was directed elsewhere. “We’re here to stop them,” I answered. “Is it true they’re coming from Shadowmine?”
His face lit up at my reply. “Yes! They just keep coming out of the mine, and nobody knows why. King Yorrell sent multiple scouting parties to find the source, but they all disappeared when they got near the mine, so he pulled all of our forces back to the capital and locked down the city.” A momentary scowl darkened his face, but he quickly wiped it away. “We’re running out of support here at the Gate. Most places already have. The only safe cities in Kaldan are Atsal and Yoria at this point.”
The unsurprising news of Virram’s abandonment of his people further fueled the resentment I held in my core, now freshly stoked after months of relative peace. “What about the King’s Shield? What did you mean when you said we forced her to betray the King?” Lia asked, taking a small step forward to lean her shoulder against mine.
The guard’s lips pursed as he looked into the snow. “Oh, I said that?” he murmured. After a long pause, he sighed, and his breath steamed in the winter air. “It’s just...stories, and conflicting official reports, and I’m sure it isn’t true, so don’t take it the wrong way because I don’t actually believe—”
“Tell us,” she interrupted him, not impolitely.
He looked between the two of us again, swallowed hard, and then continued. “Official reports state that the King’s Shield betrayed King Yorrell during the assassination attempt and allowed the two of you to leave in order to save her own life. When she was tried for her treason, she fled the capital in disgrace, stealing the Prime’s Shield in the process.” He gave a small shake of his head. “She’s considered an enemy of Kaldan, equal to the two of you.”
“None of that is true,” I snapped. “She was willing to give up her own life to defend your fucking King. She didn’t betray him; hebetrayed her and this entire damned country.” My anger sent one of the soldiers running back towards the Gate, and the other two recoiled from the outburst.
Enough, Lux, Lia scolded me. These men are trying to help us. They aren’t Virram.
I clenched my jaw until I thought my teeth would shatter and closed my eyes, breathing out heavily through my nose. I know. I know, I repeated in my head, angry at both myself and the Kaldanic king. We’ve been here for three minutes, and I’m already—
“I believe you,” the head guard spoke up in a timid voice. “We’ve heard rumors that the Shield has been building an army to rout Shadowmine and stop the Serathids at their source. If I had to choose...I’d rather believe that.”
Regret for my outburst immediately turned my stomach as the man spoke. The feeling echoed through our shared consciousness, and I felt a flood of reassuring warmth surround me as Lia took control of the conversation. “What’s your name?” she asked the lead guard.
“Allen.”
“Allen,” she echoed gently, “thank you for your help.”
“My help?” he asked, confused. “You saved us.”
“And, despite your orders, you didn’t attack us. I’d say that makes us even.” She gave him a friendly smile. “Now, we should really be going. There’s a lot of ground to cover between here and Shadowmine.”
He blinked at us for a long moment in silence. “Right,” he said eventually. “Uhm...good luck.”
She bowed graciously. “Primes watch over you.”
“Oh, uhm, and you, together,” he replied, bowing his head in turn.
I lingered as Lia turned to go. Allen and I locked eyes, and he stiffened as I held his gaze. “Don’t die,” I said eventually, giving him a small nod before turning to follow along behind Lia.
“You...too?” he called out after me as we left. Through my Detection, I watched as he walked back to the wall with his remaining companion, passed through the gatehouse to a small barracks room, and immediately collapsed onto a cot, where he remained until he and the Mountain Gate disappeared from view.
The sun had already begun to set by the time we left the wall, and we soon found ourselves walking under an overcast, moonless sky. Despite the snow, our path forward was easy to follow in the form of a well-plowed road that led east towards Atsal, where it would branch off to the
