Chapter 13: River of Regrets Chapter 15: Last Hope
Chapter 14: Two Faces of Evil
Within hours, the scouts had picked up a trail leading north. There was little or no blood, but it was Lyon, for sure. Don’t ask how I knew. I was relieved there was no blood. There was still a chance to save him without killing him.
The main highway to Rausten was further to the east, but the trail led straight north, into the vastness of Darkling Woods. Everyone was on their guard, except perhaps Myrrh.
She flapped up to me at breakfast early the next day.
“Hello Myrrh,” I said, having seen her coming for once. “Is it good to be home?”
She nodded briefly. “I didn’t live here, exactly. But yes, it is home.” She looked around at the black trees. “It is a sad home…”
“Really?” It was certainly gloomy, but if she lived there…
She gave me a small smile. “I know it is a sad place to you humans, but it is also sad for me. …I’m not a very good guardian…”
“Oh, come on,” I said. “You’ve been protecting me ever since Renais. You’re better than Seth, and you know how Seth gets. Or maybe you don’t.”
She shook her head and fiddled with the hem of her cloak in an abstracted, childlike way. “No…”
“Well, when he’s worried about someone…”
“No, that’s not what I meant. But I can see his attachment to Princess Eirika as well as anyone…”
I stared at her. Where was the child? Today she was all dragon. “What did you mean, then?”
Abruptly, she dropped her hands and smiled charmingly at me. “I’d rather not talk about it.” And she skipped away, brushing the trees with her fingertips as she passed them.
Great, first Lyon was going crazy, now Myrrh was.
I watched her waltz up to Saleh, her guardian, and give him a big hug. I couldn’t help but smile.
She was back again, a day later, as we approached the volcano at the heart of the forest – Mount Neleras. The heat was terrible, quite different from Jehanna; stifling and pervasive. I wondered if stripping down to my pants would help at all, and I knew that it would not, and leave me completely defenceless, to boot.
The sun was beginning to set, disappearing behind the volcano, leaving glowing pools of lava to glimmer in the landscape around us. I wondered how cool it would be to be here in the dark, then figured that we’d find out later that night. Lyon’s footsteps were still plain in front of us. Either he was leading us into a trap, or he had no idea that he really ought to hide his footsteps. Probably both. And he was walking… how far did his teleportation spell go? Not that far, apparently.
I heard a little ‘hup’, and then there was a flurry of wings, and a small dragon-girl was sitting behind me on Lila. My horse started, but a calm hand on the reins quieted him. “Easy, boy. It’s just Myrrh.”
“He doesn’t seem to mind me,” Myrrh said. “Sometimes animals are afraid of me.”
“Well, he’s with me. And he’s trained to endure scary situations. But no, he doesn’t seem to mind at all. How are you, Myrrh?”
“I am well,” she answered.
“This place… have you been here before?”
“No, not really. This is a dangerous place. I would be worried for your friend, if he were only your friend.”
I grimaced. That was certainly the nicest way she could put it. “I’m sure he’ll take care of him.”
“It’s always been dangerous,” Myrrh said, as if talking to herself.
“Yes?” I said conversationally.
She seemed to shake herself. “Ephraim, I’ll protect you if anything happens.”
“Oh, thanks,” I said. “Please note, however, that now I’m expecting something to happen, so I don’t feel much better.”
“You weren’t expecting anything before?”
“No, I was.” I smiled. “I’ve been expecting us to get ambushed since yesterday. But if you expect something, I’m going to take it even more seriously.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” I twisted my head and smiled at her so she could see it. “I’m glad you’re here. It would be pretty tense if you weren’t.”
“Ah… Thank you. Um… I’m going to have a look around.”
“Okay. Don’t go too far.”
“I’ll stay with Saleh,” she chirped, and fluttered off.
As soon as she left, I was flanked by Innes and Seth. “Prince Ephraim.”
“Yes, Seth?”
“I couldn’t help but overhear what you said about ambushes…”
“You have your ear twigged for the tactical words, of course,” I interrupted him with a grin.
He blinked, then went on. “I was wondering if you’d share your thoughts on that.”
“If he has any,” Innes grumbled on the other side.
I snorted back at him. “Well,” I said to Seth. “There isn’t much planning we can do here, is there? The terrain’s pretty hideous for fighting in, particularly for mounted units. Flying units are going to be in their element here, as long as the volcano doesn’t erupt or anything…”
“In which case, we’re all fried, not just the flyers,” Innes put in.
“I think the system we’ve worked out for healer placement is going to be fine. We just have to be careful of Ly- of the Demon King in this kind of unpredictable landscape.”
“You think he can be saved,” Seth said softly.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Innes said. “I never knew him, and I’m one hundred percent suspicious of anyone possessed by the Demon King. But if he’s your friend, I guess he has a chance.”
“I know,” I said soberly. “I’m not expecting miracles. I know Lyon is probably beyond help. He’ll go on and on about how weak he is, but… he’s not. The fact that he did such crazy things to bring his father back is proof of that. He’s stronger than he thinks, and always has been. He’s just wildly outclassed.”
They had nothing to say to that, not even Innes.
“Well,” Innes said finally. “I was speaking with Generals Syrene and Duessel. They’re trying to predict what the situation will be like in Rausten.”
“And? We’ve heard nothing from the Rausten Knights since… Hamill Canyon, so many days ago,” Seth said.
“Lucky bastards, being isolated out here in the north,” Innes muttered. “Well…”
He outlined a few different situations, and I soon forgot about Lyon, partly, in the mental exercise of strategy.
Sometime later, I noticed Eirika coming up on my left. “Hello, Brother,” she said.
Her face was still pale, and her nose was red, as if she wanted to cry, but couldn’t yet. Seth and Innes faded back, giving us a little privacy. “Eirika? Are you all right?”
“I’m just worried about Lyon.” Of course she was. She looked around. “Do you smell something?”
I sniffed the air. Lila glanced back at me, and if horses ever rolled their eyes, mine just did. “You mean that sulphur smell?”
“Yeah…” she answered, distractedly. Suddenly, she pointed at a white-ish object about a meter tall. “Look! What’s that?”
Myrrh popped up, breathing somewhat heavily. “Ephraim, look out for the gorgon eggs… I don’t usually come here – it’s dangerous. If you get too close, they hatch and attack you.”
And after her were three scouts, creeping along – not near the deadly egg. “Sire, the enemy has retreated into this valley.” The canyon we were in morphed ahead of us into a narrow slot.
Well, this looked like a worst-case scenario. “It’s a trap!” I hissed. “Everybody, watch out for those eggs!”
Orders happened. There was a flurry and noise around us. If the enemy were mostly monsters, light magic would be invaluable, so I directed pretty much everyone in white to near the front. The pegasus and wyvern knights didn’t wait for anyone, but charged ahead through the air. I checked to make sure Eirika had the Sacred Stone – I wasn’t going to carry it into battle, that was for sure.
Everything settled to my satisfaction, I lightly spurred Lila and we galloped towards the rift. An arrow shot past me and penetrated the white egg; there was a muffled squeal and then it was still. But someone shot a fireball at it just to be sure.
I was worried I wouldn’t fit into the rift on horseback, but it turned out to be wider than I thought it was, and it grew wider and narrower randomly, forming little passages and chambers. It branched, too. This was going to be interesting.
There were two bishops behind me, and they created a flak of white magic that brought down several eyeballs peeking over the rocks at us. I grinned at them and twirled my lance before dashing off into one of the passages.
There were eggs, and eyeballs and… holy mother of Latona, what was that?
It was twice as tall as I was, all purple scales and yellow underbelly, with large clawed hands and… breasts. I didn’t wait to see more, but Lila made a sound as close as a horse makes to screaming. He obeyed my command to charge, though his head was lower than usual.
There was a strange black magic forming around me. The distance was closing too slowly, and around me I could hear eggs hatching. Maybe I should have waited for backup?
My lance plunged deep into the monster, and green-yellow goop sprayed out at me, hissing as it met the hot head of the lance. The monster shrieked and died, crashing to the ground. It crushed one of its own eggs, and with a blaze of white, I could tell the bishops were taking care of the rest.
“Be careful of those things, my Lord,” said one of them, with curly red hair. He was one of Eirika’s group, but I had no idea what his name was anymore. “I have read that they can turn people to stone.”
“Can the people be turned back from stone?”
“I don’t know,” he said, frowning. “My Lord.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “Pass it along.”
“Yes, sire!”
They left me, but were rapidly replaced by Knoll and Duessel. Knoll was stroking his new healing staff. I think he was appreciating it a lot.
“So, gentlemen, we’re in a bit of a pickle here,” I began.
“I disagree,” Duessel said. “There are a lot of monsters, it’s true.” He paused, as rings of black magic began to form around him, and threw his javelin at an eyeball trying to remain out of sight. The javelin knocked it out of the air, although it did not strike true, and Duessel grunted as he was hit by the spell. I offered him a vulnerary, as the eyeball sank into a black pit created by Knoll.
“As I was saying,” Duessel continued, as if nothing had happened, “there are a lot of monsters around here. But I don’t think they’re capable of dealing with an entire army. We’re seeing a panicked last defense here, relying as much on terrain and surprise and this blasted heat as much as it does on actually attacking us.”
“I agree,” I said. “But even if they can’t kill us directly, it’s going to be easy to isolate us and pick us off one by one. We don’t want the more fragile members of the army to get caught out.”
“We’re already fighting in pairs,” Knoll said. “And the monks…”
“The fighting’s going to get thicker, Knoll,” I said. “I just know it. This may be a clumsy last-ditch ambush, but it’s in a very good place to succeed. It won’t, of course. Let me think for a bit.”
After a moment, I looked back. I could hear fighting coming from all directions. “I need someone to co-ordinate in the air.” I looked up. “Tana!”
A flurry of white wings touched down on a cliff to my left. “Yes, Ephraim?”
“I need you to coordinate things for me. How’s the battlefield from the air?”
“You want to come up and look?”
“No, that’s fine. Just let me know where the monsters are, where our forces are.”
“Ah, okay.” She explained, and briefly I was impressed by how much she had learned since she chased after Eirika weeks ago.
“We should get back to the middle,” I said. “Tana, tell L’Arachel and Rennac to wait where they are until Gilliam and Kyle can reach them. Forde and Franz are to escort Tethys to the closest healer. Tell Marisa she should NOT be fighting alone… in fact, why don’t you go keep her company until she can retreat back to a group. I don’t care what monsters are in front of her; in fact, the more there are, the more she needs to get out of there.”
“Yes, sir!” Tana saluted cheerfully, and soared off.
“Well done,” Duessel said.
I shook my head. “I wish I could see better. These canyons are going to get someone kille- Yah!”
Another of those nasty Gorgon creatures had popped out from behind a rock, and another one behind it. Deussel and I charged forward, but I was in front of him. I got them both, he dispatched them after me, and then Tana returned.
“There’s a concentration of eyeballs to the north,” Tana reported. “They’re trying to overwhelm Artur and Colm and Neimi and Natasha.”
“Duessel, Knoll, we’re going to assist,” I barked, and pointed. “Well, as soon as I’ve heard the rest…?”
“No, that was about it,” Tana said. “Go on, Ephraim! You can save them!”
“Thanks,” I muttered, and turned to follow the other two as she flew away, but even as I did so, there was a crash, and a huge rock tumbled down in my path.
I looked up. There were a number of gargoyles, looking rather pleased with themselves.
“Prince Ephraim!” I heard Deussel’s voice from the other side of the boulder.
“Go on, help those people,” I said. “I’ll find another way around.”
“Prince Ephraim…”
“I can take care of myself, Deussel. Go!”
The gargoyles had just been waiting for Deussel and Knoll to leave, and they began to swoop down on me. That was fine. I had just been waiting for them to swoop on me so I could tear them to pieces.
There were rather a lot of them, though. Oh, there was an egg, and they were attempting to drive me towards it. If I turned to attack the egg, they would stab me in the back…
A gout of flame splashed over them, and they disappeared with a shriek.
Myrrh landed near me, a large sleek bronze form, which shrank swiftly into a small winged child. “Greetings, Ephraim,” she said.
“Hello, Myrrh. Thanks for the assist. How are you holding up?” I stabbed the egg.
“It is difficult to keep track of you in this battle,” she said. “But- oh, no!”
I looked up to see a pegasus – Syrene’s – get enveloped in a black spell in midair. After a moment or two, she came out again, upside down… wait, was that Innes? What was he doing there?
Syrene’s lance and Innes’ bow made glittering arcs through the air, and the pegasus wasn’t righting itself. Syrene and Innes, locked together, fell headfirst towards the rocky ground…
“Myrrh!” I shouted, but she was already moving. A flash of light, a rattle of stones as she leapt into the air, and she tried to catch them, first with her back, then with a claw. She missed.
I felt something sneaking up on me and whirled; it was another gargoyle. I batted its lance away and stabbed it through the chest. “I need a partner out here,” I muttered. “I’m too far from the action.”
Myrrh returned. “They are safe. I think Innes’ legs are broken, but L’Arachel is on her way.”
“That’s good,” I said. “Let’s head back towards the centre. I’m too far out on the edge. I was cut off…”
“Shall I carry you?” she asked, poised to transform.
“No. I don’t think Lila would like flying. Let’s go!” I touched his sides, and we sprang forward down the narrow canyon.
With Myrrh guiding me, I made it back to where I wanted to be. Surrounded by allies was much better. I could see more, hear more, give commands easier. From then on, it was a mopping-up action. I found Eirika. She was safe, with Seth close at her side. From the anxious glances she kept giving him, it was plain that he’d been in some sort of trouble. He looked fine now, though.
Myrrh turned to me. “That’s it, Ephraim.”
“What’s it?” I asked, peering down at her child form.
“The monsters are all gone.”
“Really? That’s great. Tana!”
“Yes?”
“Have the army meet here. The terrain is still dangerous, even with the enemy defeated.”
“You got it!”
I leaned forward to pat Lila’s neck. “Good job, boy! You weren’t exactly trained for volcanoes, were you?”
Eirika stiffened. “Lyon?” She dismounted and fled into a narrow passage, too narrow for her horse.
“Eirika!” I shouted. “It’s not safe!”
“Lyon’s back there! I have to help him!” I heard her call. I sighed angrily. Why was it, when it came to people she cared for, she lost all common sense? Or sense at all?
I dismounted, and fidgeted until people in our army began to arrive. There was Innes, looking relatively in one piece, and Syrene behind him. There was Seth. I handed Seth the reins and took off after Eirika.
She was difficult to find. The passages branched and twisted so much… I could hear her voice, and Lyon’s voice. But I couldn’t find them.
I arrived just in time to hear the second-worst words in the history of the world. “Ha, yes, this is the second to last Stone… Silly girl, have you still not figured out that Lyon is dead? He’s gone! Eaten! Destroyed! Well… I left a fragment of his consciousness alive, to do my bidding… And… for this favour, I am in your debt! And, as such, I will refrain from attacking you at this time…”
There was Eirika, fallen to her knees, and there was the Demon King in Lyon’s body, standing in the middle of a pool of lava, with shattered pieces of crystal spilling from his hand. He disappeared, leaving only useless glass shards melting into nothingness.
I put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Eirika.” What else could I say? She knew how foolish she had just been, how she might have just doomed us all. But she did truly care for Lyon, so much she would sacrifice the world for him.
Her heart must be broken.
She began to sob and I pulled her up and held her tightly. “I’m sorry, Eirika.”