NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28: United Against
The king's hardened features softened as he looked at his daughter for the first time in years. Queen Hilde gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Her eyes were focused on the otter pendant hung around Nia's neck. No one spoke, no one questioned the validity of Nia's claim. It was clear by her features that she was related to the king and queen. People had suspected their relationship for weeks, now it was confirmed for all to see.
Only Trafford showed any emotion other than surprise. He was so red I wouldn't have been surprised if he started steaming.
"My daughter…" King Eero took a step forward, then hesitated.
Nia didn't turn to look at her parents. "Father."
King Eero straightened up. "Adherent Valna, please begin the ritual."
"No," sneered Trafford
All eyes turned to the fuming sunset elf. His hands were balled into fists. He had a smile on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes. A shiver went down my spine. Thrig stepped out of the shadows, his axe held lazily in his hand. The guards standing to the side of the platform readied their weapons to protect their king.
"No?" asked King Eero. "You forget yourself, Councilman."
"You forget yourself, Your Majesty," replied Trafford. "I own you."
King Eero laughed nervously. "Own me? What are you talking about?"
"I own you!" yelled Trafford, like a spoiled child who had been told no for the first time. "My company funds your feasts, your towers that scrape the sky. The food you eat, the wine you drink. I own all of it. I own all of you!"
Nia walked up to Trafford, her knuckles turned white as she gripped her own axe. She towered over him, casting a shadow over his figure. I couldn't see her face, but I could imagine the cold fury on it. Now was her chance for revenge.
Before she could take another step forward, Thrig blocked the way. The two of them stared daggers at the other. Veins appeared on Thrig's forearms as he gripped his axe. Nia relaxed her grip on hers, casually holding it in her hands. It wasn't a sign she was submitting to Thrig, it was a sign that she didn't even see him as a threat.
Trafford laughed maniacally. "Shall I tell the people of Adelbern how I came to own you, my dear king? Shall I tell them what you did?"
Rumors spread through the crowd like wildfire. I tried to ignore them, but it was difficult not to fall prey to the frenzy. Everything from killing the old king to dyeing his beard was theorized. Nia glared at her father, while a shadow fell over his face. He sighed.
"I killed my son," he whispered. The crowd fell silent.
"Say it for those in the back," said Trafford, cupping his ear with a wide grin on his face.
"I killed my son!" yelled King Eero. "I struck him down in the middle of the night. My daughter's face was blemished by my blade while she tried to protect him."
Nia touched the scar running down her face to her neck. Her fingers traced the scar down to her necklace. Anger flashed in her eyes.
"And why did you kill him?" asked Trafford, delighting in the king's torturous confession.
King Eero glared at the sunset elf. "For money. Your money."
"That's why?" asked Nia. She looked at her mother, whose gaze was turned away. "Then what you told me was a lie?"
The king gave a pained nod.
Trafford laughed. "Do you hear that? Your king killed his own son for greed! For only one thousand gold pieces, he murdered his only son. People of Adelbern, if he did not care for the life of his son, why would he care for you? Why would he care for this kingdom's laws and customs? Its great culture and populace?"
"You told him to kill his son, my brother!" yelled Nia. Thrig took a step closer to her.
Trafford turned toward her. "If you think I find the death of your brother to be a tragedy, you are mistaken. I would never mourn the loss of a druid. Still, even I would find it hard to murder a family member. No matter how much money was on the line. Though our dear king does not share that sentiment."
"Regardless of what I did, I am still king. The ritual will continue," said King Eero.
"Do none of you understand?" yelled Trafford, stomping his feet into the stage. "I'm doing this for you. All of it! There is little time left to prepare. If you would all stop pretending to have power, I could—"
"I have power!" shouted King Eero.
"Not any more," said Trafford, calmly. "Richard, restrain the king and queen. Thrig, deal with Norman's friends."
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Ghostly chains wrapped around the king and queen, binding their hands and legs. Advocate Richard stared at them, mouthing a prayer to his goddess, as he cast his spell. Nia tried to help them, but she was knocked unconscious in one strike from the blunt edge of Thrig's axe. In one swift motion, he recovered from hitting Nia and grabbed Valna's mouth. He slammed her onto the stage, sending splinters flying through the air.
Two arrows flew from the crowd, aimed directly at Thrig's head. I held my breath as I watched them land directly into him, one in his ear through his head and one just below it. He pulled the arrows out and tossed them to the side. Three more pierced his skull directly after.
In the chaos, Trafford walked off the stage and into the cathedral. I thought about giving chase, but there was little hope of me getting past Thrig. Instead, I scanned the crowd for Zadona, hoping to aid her in stopping Thrig's rampage. She had jumped onto a nearby roof to get a better angle. Crouched low, she loosed arrow after arrow with consistent speed, accuracy, and power.
A wolf's howl pierced the air. People ran away from the stage, creating panic as more people left. I pushed my way out of the crowd, hoping to get closer to Thrig. After our last battle, he made it clear that he was holding back. Even so, I was sure that a lightning bolt to the head would be enough to disable him. All we needed was a few minutes to escape.
A huge wolf jumped onto Thrig, seemingly appearing from out of nowhere. It gripped onto his flesh with its fangs. Thrig grabbed the wolf's neck and tore the animal off of him. The wolf squirmed in his grasp, chunks of skin and muscle dangled from its jaw. Immediately, his body began regenerating. He threw the wolf as if it was made of paper, sending it flying toward me.
I dodged out of the way, pulling a few bystanders to safety with me. The wolf bounced with a disgusting crack as it rolled across the ground. Now that it was closer, I could tell that it was Greenspring using his wolf totem to take on the form of a massive wolf. He skidded to a stop, slowly getting to his feet as he took a few seconds to recover.
Like Thrig, Greenspring could also heal his injuries.
In the fight between the two of them, it came down to who could recover faster. Thrig's healing abilities were outstanding. In the few seconds it took for Greenspring to come to his feet, Thrig's injuries were already healed. Meanwhile, Greenspring was still disoriented and damaged. There was nothing I could do. None of my healing spells were powerful enough.
"Voitto…"
Nia balled her hands into fists and smacked them against the wooden stage. She sat up and glared at Thrig, whose full attention was on Greenspring. As quietly as she could, she stood up and snuck behind Thrig. A fire burned in her eyes, a wild look on her face. As Greenspring slowly walked up to the stage, Nia readied herself.
I swung my mandolin around and placed my fingers on the appropriate strings. Aiming the head of my mandolin at Thrig's face, I began playing. Lightning bounced on the strings, electrocuting my fingertips as I played. Gritting my teeth, I tried to focus on playing the right chords. We had one shot, I didn't want to be the one to mess it up.
Greenspring pounced. Zadona let four arrows loose. Nia grabbed Thrig around the waist and held him up. I fired off my spell. He elbowed Nia in the face, causing her to falter back a step. It wasn't enough to make her drop him, but it was enough to make Zadona's arrows miss. My lightning spell flew past his head, only lightly scorching his skin. Of course that healed within seconds. When Greenspring was close enough, Thrig kicked him back.
While all of this was happening, Richard stood idly by. He kept up his spell on the king and queen, holding them captive. His golden blindfold was discarded nearby. There was a great sadness in his eyes, especially when he looked down at the unconscious body of Valna.
"Richard!" I yelled, startling the clergyman. "Now is the time to choose. Your goddess or Trafford."
He hung his head. "I am choosing my goddess."
Thrig broke out of Nia's grasp and flung her to the ground. Before he could smash her head into the wooden stage with his foot, two more arrows landed in his chest. One of them appeared to pierce his heart. He pulled them out and tossed them to the side. Grabbing Nia's axe, he aimed at Zadona and threw it. It scraped her shoulder, but otherwise she was able to dodge the thrown weapon.
I walked closer to Richard. "He's using you."
"You don't think I know that? This is what the Lawmaker's Assembly needs."
"They need you! Now more than ever."
He balled his hands into fists. "They need him. We're bleeding money and followers. We can't survive on our own."
"Does justice mean nothing to you? Restraining the king and queen, what laws have they broken. What would your goddess think?"
Richard looked down at Valna and gave a weak smile. "If I am to be a transgressor, then it is well and good that I am a transgressor for my church."
I heard a voice inside my head. "We need to retreat." It was Greenspring's voice. He was in the middle of fighting Thrig, but through the power of his wolf totem he was able to speak to me through our minds. "I will take Nia and Valna into hiding and help them recover. Zadona will find Beth and take her with us. Meet us outside of town."
The barrage of arrows pelting Thrig stopped as Zadona abandoned the fight. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop as she ran back to Valna's mansion. Vines grew out of the stage, wrapping around Valna and lifting her into the air. Greenspring charged at Thrig, who easily dodged out of the way. Of course, that was the plan, as Greenspring grabbed Nia and threw her onto his back.
"I can still fight!" she yelled as held onto Greenspring's back.
Jumping into the air, Greenspring plucked Valna off the stage and held her like a mother wolf holding her pup. Then he ran into the city streets, disappearing around the corner. Nia's complaints continued for some time until they faded away into the distance. Thrig's eyes turned toward me.
It was too risky to help the king and queen or convince Richard to let them go. The best course of action was to follow Greenspring's plan. For now, I turned away from Nia's parents and ran away. We had lost.
But the Mad Joker had not won. Not yet.
He jumped from the stage, shaking the ground as he landed. Picking up his own axe, he balanced it on his shoulder as he watched me run away. Behind me, I could hear the sound of his footsteps as he gave chase. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw him keeping pace with me.
No matter how hard I ran or how much I tried to evade him, he kept the same distance from me.
Leaving town would lead him to everyone else. Returning to the mansion risked bringing him to Beth. With nowhere else to go, I slipped into an open storm drain and hid inside the city sewers. The smell overwhelmed my senses, disorienting me as I fought through the sewage waste.
A loud splash from behind me made my skin crawl. He was still behind me. Still following me. I was being hunted.