NOVEL NEXT 109. A Mercy Earned
Tucker stood motionless, bitterly gazing at Reynold, who had fallen to his knees. Around them, soldiers nursed their minor wounds. A few burns here and there. Nothing that would be long-lasting. Yet none of the soldiers dared to utter a word in the wake of the smoldering wooden beams crumbling in the area. They had failed to stop Nox from escaping. The air felt cold, like the night after a winter storm. The clouds above their heads were quickly shifting by. Yet Tucker felt his blood boil. A rage swelled in his chest as he tightly clenched his fists.
"Why?" Tucker took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, locking eyes with Reynold. "Why did you let him go?"
"I didn't let him go," Reynold muttered, rising to his feet. "He… just barely managed to escape my grasp."
"Bullshit." Tucker seized Reynold by the collar of his white uniform, dragging him closer. "We both know you could've stopped him if you'd tried."
"That's easy for you to say!" Reynold shouted, his voice breaking. "You weren't the one standing there! The only way to stop him would've been to kill him and what you're asking is for me to kill my best friend!"
"And you should've done that!" Tucker shoved him back. "He didn't hesitate to kill your men, so what makes you think he wouldn't do the same to you?"
Reynold stumbled backwards, fist clenched by his sides. He didn't know what to say, and all of his men were equally speechless. Tucker's words hung heavy in their hearts. They knew about the current situation and the devastating losses of the fourth bastion. Bodies were piling up in the open courtyards. The once proud gothic structures that lined their streets had been leveled, with smoke and debris bleeding out from the ruins.
Seeing their silence, their guilt, only made Tucker even more furious. He turned away from Reynold and his men, refusing to utter another word. Luka and Jones were still fighting. Only God would know how shitty their situation was, and now he needed to return to their side. It wasn't worth wasting another second here.
He broke out into a sprint, running by the soldiers of the Thirty-First. Some recognized the urgency in his eyes and followed without hesitation. Their footsteps hammered against the ground. Behind him were twenty souls quickly moving with haste back to the prison. The same stone scenery went by, then a stillness as they approached the entrance of the holding cells. Their hearts filled with a grim resolve as not a sound escaped.
Tucker glanced over his shoulder, staring at Liam and Luther, who held their shields before their chests. He gave a subtle nod, and with it, everyone raised their blades. They entered the last known location of their comrades. Not daring to make a single noise as they ventured down the stone steps. The only light came from a flickering magic lantern. A single one lining the wall just enough to illuminate what lay below. A lone figure bathed in blood and silence.
"Captain?" Jones weakly called out. "I see you brought the others..."
"Jones!" Liam rushed up and quickly took out a healing potion, dropping to one knee. He worked quickly, providing first aid to his friend while Tucker lowered his sword.
"Where's Luka?" Tucker asked, stepping closer.
"The vice-captain's further down with Captain Morgan," Jones replied, turning to the body of the fallen knight. "We were lucky. If Morgan hadn't shown up, both of us would have been dead."
Tucker knelt beside Jones and patted his shoulder. "You bought time. You did good."
Jones gave a faint smile. "I take it you managed to capture the advisor?"
Tucker shook his head with regret. "I'm afraid not, he managed to get out in time."
Jones slowly nodded. He was disappointed but not surprised. "It's alright… We'll get them next time."
"Without a doubt." Tucker rose while watching Jones clutch his side. He turned towards the cells that held the advisors. As he moved further down the rigid corridors, muffled voices drifted towards him. Tucker rounded the corner, coming face-to-face with Luka and Brian, who stood inside one of the cells. Both of them turned as he approached.
"Captain Welford," Brian said with a half-smile, "you look awful."
He gave a dry breath of laughter. "It's been a long day, but that's besides the point. Why are you two in this cell?"
"Well, you'd be surprised at what we found when we decided to check on these traitorous bastards," Luka said, pointing at the mangled corpse and then at the other advisor. "This one's still alive, barely, but still alive."
"Has he said anything?" Tucker asked.
"Cadwell has said a lot," Brian replied.
Tucker narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"Because those bastards abandoned me," Cadwell said in a low voice.
Tucker raised a brow, stepping into the cell. The advisor was chained to the wall. His wrists had red marks, signs that they were torn from the shackles. The blood soaked the fabric of his once blue robe, and the ornate embroidery was torn and caked in filth. Grey hair drenched in sweat clung to his face, and his hollow, charcoal eyes stared into the void.
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There was no telling why Nox had decided to kill the other advisor. Maybe it was to send a message, or a cruel joke of sorts. But regardless, it was a mistake and an opportunity. Tucker didn't need a priest to tell him that the advisor didn't have long to live. His limbs were twisted unnaturally, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. His bloodshot eyes and broken mana circle sealed the man's fate. There was no potion that would fix this.
"Can we call a priest to come take a look at him?" Tucker asked.
"He doesn't want one," replied Luka.
"Then what do you want?" Tucker turned to the advisor, watching him softly chuckle.
"What do I want?" Cadwell smirked, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "It's simple; I want you to screw over those assholes for me."
Tucker glanced over at Brian, exchanging a brief nod. "Alright then, let's start with this. Why is the Empire so focused on this bastion?"
The advisor let out a sharp breath while leaning back against the cold stone walls. "Because it's the cornerstone of their plans."
"The cornerstone? How so?" Luka asked.
"You watchmen are supposed to be the best, yet you couldn't figure something like this out?" His gaze drifted between them. "They're not trying to take the other bastions. At least… not yet."
"Then what are they planning?" Brian asked.
"They're planning to advance," the advisor replied.
The three of them froze upon hearing the news. Luka leaned against the iron bars of the cell while falling deep into thought. The idea clawed at his mind. It didn't make sense at all. If they planned to advance, it would be suicidal, insane even. But such an idea was a possibility. One that the men had to come to terms with and never thought of. The silence dragged on, causing Cadwell to smile.
Yet before the idea could dig further, Tucker broke the silence. "Next question, how do we stop the Empire's war machines?"
Cadwell leaned over, violently coughing as blood spilled from his lips. Luka reached into his leather satchel for a potion, but soon stopped once he saw faint purple veins crawling up the man's neck.
"There's no point in trying to cure me," Cadwell muttered, wiping his mouth. "Nox was never a person to make mistakes. Whatever he gave me… has already eaten at the core of my mana circles."
He looked Tucker dead in the eyes. "If I knew the answer to that, I probably wouldn't be here, but if I had to guess… those machines of theirs run on mana. Not just any source but something… pure. A crystal refined enough to act as a conduit to keep the whole thing alive."
"But how?" Tucker asked.
Luka slowly closed his eyes, thinking back to the footage they saw with the Nightfall Rangers. The creaking of metal. The grinding gears churned with a tortured screech. Every step the monstrosity took left a dull, seismic thud, followed by the sharp hiss of mana escaping the valves. Yet beneath the chaos, a vivid scene burned into his memories. A cylindrical device that was mounted on the war machine's back. Split open by the rangers who fought to take it down.
"It has to be that cylindrical device mounted on its back," Luka replied.
"You're telling me they managed to create a new type of crystal that's able to produce a tremendous amount of mana in such a small container?" Tucker asked.
"It's the only possibility. We both saw mana leak out from it."
"Then that means we just need to destroy it in order to stop the machine."
The advisor gave a bitter laugh, barely sitting upright. "Good fucking luck with that. Those things are highly mobile and protected with multiple layers of barrier artifacts."
Tucker stepped closer. "How many layers exactly?"
"How would I know?" Cadwell twitched in pain. His voice had grown weaker. "Now, if you three don't mind," he said, staring at the sword in Tucker's hand. "I've said what I know, so just do me a favor and end my suffering."
Tucker's eyes followed the purple veins inching towards the advisor's jawline. Blood was slowly filling his tear ducts, and despite the man's calm demeanor, it was clear that he was drowning in agony. And yet… a part of Tucker didn't want to grant him a merciful death, not after what this man had done to his men.
"Did he answer all your questions?" Tucker turned to Luka and Brian, who nodded. Then, gazed back at the prisoner before him. "I have only one question left."
Cadwell released a shallow breath, a trace of amusement on his cracked lips. "Go for it."
Tucker felt dryness in his throat. A slight hesitation that stabbed his heart. "Why?" He finally asked. "Why did you betray your nation?"
The advisor gazed back, with eyes filled with sorrow. He took a minute to collect his thoughts, searching for something in the cracks of his memory before chuckling bitterly. "I have served this kingdom my entire life. Dedicated years to its advancement and growth, but I never rose high enough. Never reached the level where I could bend the world to my will like the others. I failed to grow stronger, failed to reach the Fifth Circle. Despite my best efforts, the only fate that awaited me was one filled with ridicule and disappointment. So… I simply sought alternatives even if I had to dine with the devil himself."
Tucker clenched his fists. "You could've kept climbing. With time, I'm sure you would've reached those heights—"
"If that were true," Cadwell cut in, "we wouldn't be having this conversation, would we?"
The advisor grinned and leaned his head against the cold walls. "In the end, all I did was simply pick the side that promised me something more. Power. Recognition. A second chance at a life beyond my wildest dreams. But I was a fool. All I got was betrayal… from the very people I sold my soul to."
He locked eyes with the captain of the Thirty-First. "For what it's worth… I'm sorry for what happened to your men."
Tucker didn't speak right away. The silence hung heavy between them. The same hatred he had before was no longer there. Only pity for the man who had been deceived and discarded.
"If you could go back," he finally asked. "Would you have chosen differently?"
For a moment, Cadwell's expression softened. "Maybe if I had met you three sooner." He barely managed to ironically chuckle. "Believe it or not, this has been one of the more bearable conversations I've had, despite how much you all hate me."
Tucker closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. He didn't sense any deception or wickedness behind Cadwell's words. The man was broken, dying, but more importantly, sincere. Maybe in another life, they would've been on the same side. But after everything Cadwell had done… after all the blood he helped spill… forgiveness was out of reach. Even so, despite Tucker's belief in wanting the advisors to suffer for all they've done. Cadwell was the only person he would offer… mercy.
"Farewell, Cadwell," Tucker said quietly. "I pray that in your next life, you're surrounded by people who share your burdens."
Cadwell smiled faintly at his words, shutting his eyes right before a flash of silver sliced through the air. The blade pierced his heart in one smooth, merciful strike. Blood spilled from his lips as he let out a single sharp gasp. No words escaped him. Only a silence that stretched for moments as Tucker pulled his blade free.
Cadwell's body slumped lifelessly against the stone wall, and in that stillness, Tucker understood that the man had finally found the peace he'd been denied in life.