NOVEL NEXT Chapter 153: The Lord
"Daughter," he said with unmistakable warmth as he caught sight of her. Then he turned to Jamie with the same grave composure. "And you. James."
Jessica responded with a brief nod, lowering her head in acknowledgement. Jamie, for his part, said nothing. However, the tightening of his hands betrayed a surge of mixed feelings.
"He wouldn't dare attack me here. Right?" Jamie thought, worried.
Jamie hadn't forgotten his first memory in this world. Maximus had tried to strangle him, pinning him against the wall upon discovering that his son wasn't a paladin.
His father drew closer, but before he could speak further, the side gate groaned on its hinges and swung outward, revealing a cramped corridor within the wall. "I shall wait for you all in the lord's hall," he said. Then stalked off without waiting for a reply.
Darius and Lyra followed behind him, each pausing briefly to offer Jessica a curt nod of respect. They paid no heed to Jamie at all, as though his presence did not exist. Jamie watched them go, their heavy armor clinking until they vanished beyond the gate.
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath.
Jessica sidled closer, her expression subdued. "We don't have any other siblings," she said, speaking low enough that only Jamie would hear.
"As far as we know," Jamie replied.
Jessica shot him a questioning look. "You don't- He wouldn't-." She spoke but cut herself off before finishing.
Jamie shook his head. "It feels a lot like our original family… but there are differences," he explained.
As the group climbed a set of worn stone steps leading to the ramparts, they noticed an officer descending two steps at a time, breathless with urgency. Spotting Serana near the rear, he approached her at once. "My lady," he huffed, sounding both deferential and rattled. "The Lord of Frostwatch requests your audience at once."
"Already?" Serana asked, her voice tight with weariness. "We've only just returned from the expedition. There are soldiers still out there with—" She paused, it was obvious she was thinking about her brothers.
"Yes." The officer's fingertips twitched as if he was barely holding back. "He said it's imperative."
Serana's brow furrowed, a flash of frustration crossing her face. She drew in a long breath, considering whether to refuse.
"Cousin," Jamie said, reminding her of their ties. "If he's summoning you, that makes it a command."
Jessica offered a small shrug. "He's not known for his patience."
Looking every bit as tired as the rest of them, Serana exhaled, giving in at last. "Fine," she said, glancing between Jamie and Jessica. "But you're both coming with me. Let's settle everything at once."
Maria watched them as she walked behind. However, even though she was witnessing them talk about their family issues, she didn't have time to bond. She still had her own family problems to deal with.
Reaching the top of the wall, the small party came to a halt. The stone battlements stretched out to either side, and from this vantage, they could see the city inside the fortress.
As they arrived in a safe spot, Serana addressed the Frosthell soldiers who had accompanied them.
Though they'd marched and fought bravely, the strain showed in every hollow-eyed stare and ragged breath.
"You've done all we asked," she said. "First, help bring our fallen in from beyond the gate. After that, consider yourselves relieved. Take your well-earned rest and return to your families."
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Meanwhile, Maria conferred with her contingent from Hafenstadt, speaking in a quiet but firm tone. "We're still far from home, but the worst is behind us. Our road back to Hafenstadt grows shorter every day. For now, head to the tavern, regroup, and rest. You've earned it."
Even the most stalwart among them, who might typically protest an idle moment, offered no resistance. Weariness ran deep in their bones. After witnessing the nightmarish horde and surviving the brutal combat, sleep would be a godsend.
The guards soon dispersed, walking towards the city. Drifting off to find solace in the arms of loved ones or in whatever simple comforts Frosthell had to offer.
Now only the four remained. Serana paced forward like a woman on a mission, Jessica a half-step behind, then Jamie and Maria further behind. They made their way down from the keep and passed through the city streets.
Citizens had begun to emerge from their homes. Shopkeepers opening shutters, children peering around corners, and townsfolk sweeping charred debris from the streets. Every gesture seemed an attempt to restore dignity and normalcy in the aftermath of the Monster Rush.
Jamie's gaze flicked from the bustling citizens to the towering walls. "Hafenstadt would've fallen to dust under an onslaught like that," he remarked to Maria in a low tone. "We wouldn't have lasted an hour."
Maria glanced back at the city's fortifications. "Even with our Arcane Tower," she admitted, "we'd never withstand such numbers. The defenses here are on a completely different scale."
"Arcane Tower, Imperial Academy, and cannons," Jamie remarked, his tone tinged with resignation. "None of that would have meant much against a force like this."
Maria exhaled, running one hand over the hilt of her sword as they walked. "In the end, the power of people made all the difference," she observed, a flicker of awe in her eyes. "Makes me wonder if mere equipment will ever be enough."
Jamie shrugged, the movement just enough to dislodge a few flecks of dried blood from his leather armor. "It's hard to say. But for now, it's the only path open to us. We can't exactly produce more people on Maximus's level out of thin air."
Curiosity kindled in Maria's gaze. "What level is he, anyway?"
Jessica, a few steps ahead, was listening to them. "He's Unique Class, Level Nine."
"Nine?" The astonishment in Maria's voice was unmistakable. "He's a monster. The books in Hafenstadt said Dragon Slayers are typically Level Nine. So he's at the point where he can stand toe-to-toe with a dragon."
"He's still 'only' Unique," Jamie pointed out, a hint of cynicism slipping into his voice. "What kind of power would someone at a Legendary rank have?" He shot a rhetorical question.
Maria shook her head. "I've never come across anything concrete in the books. There were only rumors about Legendary Classes. But they invade the domain of the gods."
Their conversation tapered off as they reached Frosthell's grand manor.
Serana paused at the base of the broad stairs. Her breath curled around her face in stark puffs of condensation. "How in the world am I going to tell Father that his two heirs are dead?" she asked softly, voice almost trembling.
Jamie stood behind her, matching her gaze at the silent doors. Though he wanted to offer reassurance, the words stuck in his throat. Lord Varric despised him, and worse, Jamie had struck the final blow to both of his children, Andrik and Theren. Guilt gnawed at him. But he did what needed to be done.
Serana stopped and took a deep breath in front of the mansion's entrance. She seemed to be gathering confidence for what she was about to do before stepping inside.
Together with the group, they moved through the hallways toward the main hall, the same one where Jamie and Maria had announced their wedding.
Serana entered the corridor and pushed open the two large doors with confidence. However, from the hallway, Jamie had already noticed that something was off. There was a peculiar smell in the air, one he knew all too well.
When they stepped inside, the scene that lay out was more horrifying than any of them could have expected. Maximus sat upon the seat that Lord Varric had used days before, occupying it with the calm authority of someone who believed it rightfully his. At either side stood his two children, flanking him like sentinels.
Sprawled before the makeshift throne was Lord Varric, his body slumped against the polished tile. A pool of blood was spreading around him, and his severed head lay a short distance away, eyes frozen in a final, startled stare. Jamie heard Serana inhale sharply, her hand instinctively flying to her mouth. In merely two days, she had gone from part of a prestigious lineage to its last living member.
"Serana Frosthell," Maximus intoned, his voice heavy with command. Soldiers and servants in the hall shrank from the thunder of it. He rested both hands on the hilt of his gargantuan sword, the blade's tip pinning the floor like a stake driven into the earth. The expression in his eyes was glacial, delivering silent judgment upon all who stood before him.
Serana managed a few halting steps forward, her knuckles white on the staff she held. Jessica, Maria, and Jamie followed, stopping behind her.
It was impossible for Serana to tear her eyes away from the decapitated remnants of her father.
Maximus's gaze fell upon her like a physical blow. "Explain," he said. "Why did your father stink of dark magic?"