Chapter 28: Slander, Schemes and Bargains

As I entered the throne room for the second time I looked up and as I expected the court was still shrouded in shadow. There was mumurring echoing out from the stands as we walked towards the middle of the middle of the circular area. I could sense something was wrong, there was a kind of unease amongst the court. No doubt the reports have come in and they now know what kind of enemy they were fighting.

Then I saw the braziers near the throne ignite and I saw the king on his throne. On his right stood the prince and on the left was Princess Filianoreh. As I looked at her she flashed a sly smile in my direction. She’s up to something…

Well then again, it’s not entirely unexpected. Someone like her wouldn’t just sit idle while we were away. I narrow my eyes and I watch as her smile widens.

“Greetings heroes.” the king said as we turned to face him.

“Greetings your grace.” Charlotte said with a graceful curtsey.

“I have heard news of your exploits. The reports have come in and I must say I am both impressed and troubled. A bold strategy to use the rest of the soldiers as bait while you went for the throat. Then again I heard it was your idea Dark Hero.” the king said as he turned his gaze to me.

“Yes, I will do anything to achieve victory.” I reply coldy.

“Hmph, I suppose that isn’t particularly surprising for the Hero of the God of Darkness, Sin, Madness and War to view lives as just another disposable resource.” the king replied coldly.

“The knights took heavy casualties and we even lost High Priestess Liana. You treat loss of life too casually Dark Hero. High Priestess Liana was an extremely talented and capable Priestess, the loss of one such as her will be sorely felt.” the king said.

“High Priestess Liana was a close friend, I will confess myself displeased and concerned by this outcome.” a voice said.

I looked up to see the Cardinal of Life seated along with the other cardinals sitting at the row right in front of the throne. Even bathed in shadow I could still see the cold anger in her eyes.

“She volunteered to stay behind. High Priestess Liana knew what was at stake and she gave her life in service to the greater good. I wish things had played out differently and I regret her death.” I reply as I glare at the Cardinal of Life.

“You expect me to believe that one such as you regrets the death of another?” the Cardinal of Life snapped in response.

“There are no easy choices in war. I don’t care if you believe me. The truth does need your approval.” I reply coldly.

“She is dead by your plan, your feelings on the matter will not change the fact that her son will now grow up without a mother. Her blood is on your hands Dark Hero.” the Cardinal of Life retorted.

“It wasn’t just his decision.” Jacob said from the side.

“Yes it was a group decision. High Priestess Liana left us a letter and Katsuro has her forgiveness. I feel it would be disrespectful to her sacrifice if we continue to debate who is to blame for her death.” Charlotte said.

“Katsuro didn’t kill her, the demons did. That is all, we must press on or we disgrace her memory. The dead can no longer suffer, we must now tend to the living.” Ivan said. His curt tone gave a clear message to the court that we have no interest in continuing this line of conversation.

I feel a surge of warmth in my chest at their words and I watch the king and Cardinals pause as they look at them. Filianoreh on the other hand had her eyes alight with mirth. I could tell she found this very amusing.

“The reports say the Dark Hero made the decision. He proposed the plan, none of you gave any input into the plan.” the king said slightly jarred by our show of solidarity.

“We had nothing else to add. It seemed like a good plan at the time.” Ivan said.

“At the time? Do you no longer think it was a wise decision?” the king asked, clearly trying to bait them to condemn me before the court.

“We still view it as a wise decision with the information we had at the time. It was the best course of action with our limited information. That is our collective opinion.” Charlotte said, easily parrying the veiled accusation towards me.

“Then what have you learned? What made you change your opinion on the matter?” the king asked, it seems he will drop the subject… for now...

“The demon that was guarding the Rift, it used the souls of all the surviving demons to generate a barrier and revive itself after we defeated it for the first time. We determined in the next Rift it would be prudent for us to cull the demons before we attacked the Rift itself.” Charlotte said.

“Hmm, that would mean that we would have to mass our forces which would leave the Rift open for longer periods of time.” the King said.

“Or you could have them massed from the start.” I reply.

“Meaning?” the king asked his tone changing to one much less cordial.

“Keep the army centralised at areas that would allow them easy mobility, places like ports and highways. That way they can respond easily to the locations where the Rifts are.” I say.

“Do you even know the consequences of what you are suggesting?” the king asked coldly.

“Yes, towns and cities will be sacrificed. Getting your army picked off in bits is not going to change that eventuality.” I reply calmly as I cross my arms.

I know the rest said that the people won’t be happy about this but I wanted to see what the king thought on the matter. Afterall we don’t know much about this guy, what reason will he give to deny me? Will he say that I’m morally wrong? Or will he use a practical reason. I can think of a few reasons off the top of my head to shoot down this plan. Let’s see which one he picks…

“The towns and cities are filled with citizens of this nation Dark Hero. The towns and cities have responsibilities and functions. For example your companion the Errat, is of the great house of Gailles. They rule the domain of The Golden Mile, which is the economic heart of this nation. The domain controls the banks and the goldsmiths. If we give up The Golden Mile the economy of Regus will collapse. Unlike you, the rest of us have to try to make this nation last after the end of the Rifts.” the king said coldly.

So he viewed the towns and cities based on their utility. So much for being a man of the people. This attitude can be useful in a war, sentimentality can make you weak at a crucial moment. Still what he said reminds me awfully a lot of those commanders back home...

“I think with demons tearing at your gates, coin is not that big of a concern.” I reply dryly.

“Soldiers fight for coin Dark Hero, there will be no army without coin to pay them.” the king said.

I was about to retort but I saw Charlotte walk forward so I held my tongue.

“We do not claim to fully understand the complex inner workings of this kingdom, your grace. We are merely just suggesting a possible solution to a pressing issue we have observed. After all with the Rifts threatening every soul on the continent we would be remiss if we did not do everything in our power to help end this crisis.” Charlotte said cordially.

Immediately I sensed the tension in the hall start to dissipate.

“Does the Dark Hero speak for you as well Lady Charlotte?” the King asked.

“He does, although he speaks harshly but I have found more often than not he speaks truly. I know this proposition will condemn many to the grave and I know you are wiser than I. For you have lived through many winters and know this land better than I could ever hope to. I hope with our words perhaps you may be able to provide a more suitable solution.” Charlotte said, her graceful voice carrying over the gathered lords and ladies.

The king pauses at those words as he looks down at Charlotte. I see the eyes of every lord and lady fix their gaze on her. I am so glad Charlotte is here. I have a feeling when it comes to the leadership of this world they will hear me, but they will listen to her…

“You do not give yourself enough credit Lady Charlotte von Holstein.” the King said, his voice calm and gentle.

“I am but a naive girl, unfamiliar with the cruelties of this world. But I know enough that though the crown is light on the head, it is heavy on the heart.” Charlotte said.

“Hmm very well I confer with a war council and discuss the proposal. As of now I would say it is unlikely that we would be able to follow the proposal as you have suggested but perhaps a compromise can be made.” the king said.

“Thank you, your grace.” Charlotte said as she gave the king another curtsy.

“Very well now onto other matters. I have thoughts on hosting a ball in celebration of your victory. I plan to have it two days from now, if all of you would attend I would be grateful.” the king said.

Though it was phrased like a request, anyone with two brain cells to rub together can tell it's just a thin veiled command. Still the next wave supposed to arrive in five days and the king was hosting a ball? Does conservation of resources mean nothing to him?

“It would be our honor, your grace.” Charlotte said. Though to the casual observer Charlotte was just being her graceful self.

This ball suggestion is stupid. How long before the Rifts cause a food shortage? The king just said that the army fights for coin and he wants to spend money on something as pointless as a ball?

“Excellent! Rest for now Heroes, you have certainly earned some relaxation after the sealing of the Rift.” the King said with a smile.

With that we were dismissed and we headed back to the room. Well that was a giant waste of time. So they called us there just to try to accuse me and use me as a scapegoat. Failing that he decides to brush past the issue and invite us to a party? Now? In the middle of the fucking apocalypse?

I hate these people so much…

When we returned to the room I realised that the whole thing only took an hour. We still had quite some time before dinner was brought up. I guess we could take a break, I mean a bit of RnR is good after a tough fight. It wasn’t the worst idea but I would rather get back to training…

As soon as I sat down on the couch I heard a knock on the door. I look over at the door along with everyone else.

“Who could that be?” Charlotte asked quizzically.

“It’s a bit early for dinner.” Ivan said with a frown.

Jacob opened the door and did a double take.

“May we come in?” I hear a voice say. I know that voice, that’s Filianoreh, what does she want now? Hang on... she said we?

Jacob stepped back and in stepped Filianoreh and a pair of mages entered the room. I recognised one of them as the Archmage Scilla, the other was an older woman looking to be in her fifties. The older woman had a gaze sharp like a hawk and I could see an iron in them that I have only seen in the most battle weary soldiers.

“Princess, Lady Scilla.” Charlotte said formally as she curtsies.

“Heroes.” Filianoreh said as she returned the greeting with a nod.

“Lady Scilla, what brings you here? I thought you would still be in Northedor.” Charlotte said curiously.

“I returned to Regus as soon as the situation in Northedor was remotely serviceable. I needed to return to give my report to magus council.” Lady Scilla said calmly.

“I see…” Charlotte said as she turned her gaze back to Filianoreh.

“I am here to introduce you to someone you should meet.” Filianoreh said with a smile.

“May I introduce Councillor Anna Errat, one of the Magus Council’s eight councillors.” Filianoreh said as she gestured to the aging women.

Anna Errat? A bastard is one of the most high ranked mages in Regus? Huh I thought this kingdom isn’t so big on social mobility…

Hang on she said eight? There are eight gods and only seven cardinals, but there are eight councillors on the Magus Council?

“Greeting heroes, your reputation precedes you.” Anna said evenly, her voice sounding just like a wise matriarch.

“Reputation? We only sealed one Rift so far.” Charlotte asked quizzically.

“Indeed you have. I was referring to the reputation of the heroes. There have been many before you. As the nation's rose and fell the Magus Council endured. We have endured the advent of four Dark Heroes, four empires fell but we remained.” Anna said as she walked forward until she was face to face with Charlotte.

“The nations are the center of authority, the nobles are the centre of commerce and culture, the churches are the centre of the faith, but we the mages are keepers of knowledge. We know more about this world than any noble, king or priest could hope to.” Anna said as she peered at Charlotte as if examining her.

“The Heroes of the seven are predictable, the same personalities types, the same gender, the same magic type affinity, the only variation is their preferred fighting style. The Dark Heroes however…” Anna said as she turned away from Charlotte and approached her piercing gaze locking onto mine.

“Unpredictable, nothing is constant, I have studied the records of the past Dark Heroes. They are chaos made manifest, nothing is constant, a wild card in the truest sense of the name. Gender, personality type, fighting style nothing remains the same. All except…” Anna said as she trailed off. She narrowed her eyes as if examining a new specimen in a lab.

“Except?” I ask uncomfortably, I don’t usually get spooked this easily but this woman rubbed me the wrong way. In the back of my mind I thought of those crazy Nazi scientists from a hundred years ago.

“Your function. The Dark Heroes heralds the end of empire, yet it is never their intention when they arrive. Curious don’t you think? Or will you be the outlier, do you wish to destroy this nation? I wonder what bargain you struck with the Dark God? So many questions that will surely lead to more questions if answered…” Anna said softly as she tilted her head slightly as she gazed at me.

“No, I don’t want to destroy this nation,'' I reply as I take a step back from her.

Most people are either compassionate or malicious, this woman was different. I sense neither of those from her, all I sense is a sterile academic curiosity. Like a doctor who is about to cut open a corpse to see what killed the person on the table...

“Hmm order in chaos then? Is there a method to this madness? Constants and variables… give a single pattern in a sea of chaos and watch us as we writhe to understand his intentions… how very much like the Dark God…” Anna said as she turned to look at the rest of the heroes, her eyes glazed over as if she was lost in thought.

“Ahem, why have you come to see us?” Charlotte asked uncomfortably, obviously unnerved by Anna’s odd behaviour.

“To learn and to teach.” Anna said as her eyes refocused.

“What do you want to know?” I hear Jacob ask.

“Many things, but I know knowledge isn’t free. In fact it is the most valuable resource of all. So I will give you some of mine as a sign of good faith, in return I wish to ask only a single question from each of you. Do we have a bargain?” Anna asked.

“What kind of questions?” I ask cautiously. I don’t wanna make a promise I can’t keep. I have a feeling this woman is smart, is she as smart as Charlotte or Filianoreh? I have no idea, but I have a feeling she’s smarter than me…

“Nothing too personal, I know asking those won’t net me an answer anyway. It would just be a waste of words. I just need some simple information to help me with my theories. I will make it worth your while, you have my word.” Anna said.

I don’t reply, I just stare at her. I still don’t think I can trust her…

“Fear not Dark Hero, I am an Errat. Believe me when I say I have seen my fair share of abuse of power. I assure you I have suffered no less than the Errat in your company. I know what unchecked power can do. I will not do to you what you imagine I might.” Anna said.

Still I remain silent as I narrow my eyes at her.

“Very well, I will give you the information, all I ask is that you answer if you are willing.” Anna said.

This seemed better, this would mean that she is sure that we would answer her. Or perhaps would our refusal to answer be answer enough? Still if that was the case she could just ask right away…

“Alright.” I say.

“Excellent. First thing’s first I am sure you are wondering why I say the Magus Council has survived the fall of empires. The reason is simply that we are valuable, our libraries hold knowledge spanning back to time immemorial. Only we can predict the Rifts and this skill is passed on through our order from Mage to Mage. Even if someone were to seize our archives they would not be able to learn the ability without the guidance of a mage who is proficient in the art.” Anna said.

“Predict the Rifts how exactly? The Rift comes at a precise schedule and the army needs to fan out to search for it anyway. So what exactly are you predicting?” I ask, confused.

“The rough location to a decent degree of precision.” Anna said calmly.

“Huh? Then…” I begin to say but Anna raises her hand to silence me.

“The court doesn’t know we can do this. We have been feeding them the wrong information for decades. We hold the monopoly of the records on the Rifts. It is an agreement we sign with every new nation that comes to power. All the information of the Rifts comes from the Magus Council, it is our prerogative what we disclose.” Anna said.

“Why?” Charlotte asked clearly as bewildered as the rest of us.

“Do you think our order has survived the collapse of multiple nations because we gave out information so freely? Withholding information gives us power to influence the state of the world.” Anna said.

“So why are you telling me this?” I ask.

“Because we know when a Dark Hero is arriving decades in advance. This world works in cycles, a civilisation rises, evolves, flourishes then collapses. The same patterns of evolution and the same patterns of dissolution. Before a Dark Hero arrives the outworld roils with storms as if the demons can sense your impending arrival. We peer into the outworld with our magic and sense where the demons are congregating through this we see where the Rifts will be and also the state of the outworld. Everytime a Dark Hero appears the Rifts grow more dangerous. Without the Dark Hero the Rifts are but simple thunderstorms, but when a Dark Hero arrives the storm becomes a maelstrom.” Anna said.

To be fair I was wondering why the information we got from the people here to be so inaccurate. They say the first Rift is supposed to be easy yet it isn’t. They say the average soldier can kill your weaker demons yet the forces we fought with were clearly outmatched. I thought it was because of the numbers difference but something I noticed that was off was that the demons were growing more powerful a lot faster than I expected. Three days was all it took for those ranged demons to show up and they decimated the soldiers.

If what she says is true… what she says is true… if she lied to Regus how can I be sure she isn’t lying to me…

I look up at her and narrow my eyes, if I have been operating on false information then how can I trust her information.

“You doubt me... Good, it means you aren’t a fool. I know my words can’t make you trust me so I will do something simple. I will provide proof.” Anna said as she smiled.

“Proof?” Ivan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes the next Rift will be at Alvuan. When it appears there then you will know I am telling the truth.” Anna said with such confidence that I was almost inclined to believe her. Still this doesn’t seem like a good bluff, if she is proven false then we will never trust anything she says from that point forward…

“You get your questions after we get the proof.” I say.

“Fair enough Dark Hero. However, in truth this is not the only reason we are here…” Anna said as she turned to face Filianoreh and Lady Scilla.

“Meaning?” Charlotte asked.

“We are also here to inform you of something that will eventually come to pass.” Filianoreh said with a sly smile.

“This realm will be divided soon. Regus is in the midst of a succession crisis. Both the military and court are split into two camps.” Filianoreh said.

“Your camp and your brothers.” Charlotte said.

“Indeed, I have the support of the Mages, a good portion of the Knight Orders and the eastern and northern domains.

My brother has the church of the seven, my father, the Guardsmen army and a few domains for himself. His domains are all centralised in one area, the south.” Filianoreh said airily.

“You want our support as well. If the mages and the heroes support your claim, you would be more likely to inherit the throne.” Charlotte said.

“Exactly, this nation has several centers of power, the crown, the Magus Council, the Church of the Seven, the domains of the north, east and south and of course yourselves.” Filianoreh said calmly.

“So it seems you are at a stalemate, neither side has a clear advantage over the other.” Charlotte said.

“No, my brother has the advantage as it stands the laws of succession favour him, I will need an overwhelming support base or undeniable reason to wrest the throne from him.” Filianoreh said with a light laugh.

Ok… why is she telling me this? You don’t show your vulnerable spot unless you know the opposition has no way of touching them. Well I could always take the bait and find out…

“So why the hell should we back you?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“A few reasons, first of all I have plans for this nation when I take over. I plan to abolish slavery in this nation.” Filianoreh said as she paused.

Huh, that IS a good reason. It would mean that the three girls could walk free, maybe go back to their people and live out their lives in peace after all this over. I looked over at the other three I could see that they were now interested in what Filianoreh had to say. Not surprising, Jacob is from a land of Liberty and Freedom so of course he hates slavery, Charlotte’s world is kind and gentle I know the slaves bother her and as for Ivan? Well his relationship with Volva is reason enough…

“The second reason is I have the tools to easily swing the power struggle in my favour, I am picking a fight that I stand a good chance to win. The first is our past arrangement…” Filianoreh said as she looked at me hungrily and I felt my skin crawl as she sized me up like a piece of meat.

“The second is that the southern domain is controlled by a certain house known as Gailles…” Filianoreh said with a wide smile.

Gailles... the king just said that Gailles was Amethine’s house...

“Amethine, she’s a blood heir… you want her to take that title…” Charlotte said first, catching on before any of us did.

“Indeed, do you think little miss Amethine Errat ended up in front of you in the arena by chance? Do you think she ended up in the same squad as her half sister by coincidence? The house of Gailles fears her, fear drives people to erratic and rash actions. Like trying to break little miss Amethine…” Filianoreh said with a smile.

“You… you put her there? You planned for those things to happen to her?” Charlotte asked in outrage. She wasn’t alone. I could tell the mood in the room change to hostility. Still however, Filianoreh was unfazed.

“Do you truly think that she would escape this fate if I did nothing?” Filianoreh asked with an eyebrow that was raised in amusement. This calmed us somewhat, I mean it made sense, no matter what Amethine had to suffer through it could have honestly been much worse…

“Tell me how many times did they use you like a broodmare?” Filianoreh asked calmly as she turned to Amethine who flinched at the words.

“A year…” Amethien said softly before any of us could interrupt.

“Yet you never got pregnant, curious don’t you think? Girls become fertile at the age of around thirteen to fifteen. I have a pair of eyes and I’m not stupid so I can assume you are older than that. ” Filianoreh said.

I admit that was true, if someone wanted to force you to get pregnant over the course of a year it would take some amazing luck to dodge it for that long…

I knew the rest of us were thinking the same thing as we all turned to face Amethine who seemingly wilted under our gaze. Without a word she raised her shirt slightly and pressed her finger to spot where her womb would be. There was a flash and a red tattoo appeared. It was the shape of a womb but as I looked closely I saw a symbol of a lock in the middle of the tattoo.

“A sterility brand, commonly used on slaves that masters didn’t want to get pregnant. It’s the only contraceptive option available to women, the other methods require the man to drink a potion. ” Lady Scilla said softly from the side.

“Her half sister is an imbecile, plain and simple. She is a mage and she still didn’t realise what was happening. She went around in circles for a year and was none the wiser. You got lucky little Errat. If your eldest half brother was handling you. You would be chained to a wall in a dungeon somewhere with a swollen belly.” Filianoreh said with a laugh.

“Why didn’t you just tell her about the brand? Wouldn’t that make her stop?” Jacob asked, eyes wide.

“Because it’s illegal, the brand is mostly permanent. For one such as her to sterilise herself is a crime under the Regus laws. Individuals of high level cap are expected to sire offspring. The punishment for such an act is execution. That and of course the shame, it would be like wearing a dog collar in public.” Filianoreh said.

“Mostly?” I asked.

“The only person to have ever removed a fertility brand was the Life Hero. For the Life Hero has healing abilities beyond mortal means.” Anna said.

“That’s why you were so happy to be chosen…” Charlotte said eyes wide in shock.

“That’s why you fought like your life was on the line… it essentially was… you gambled everything on the fact that you might be chosen…” I say as I start to see Amethine in a new light. From the outside she looked like a simple timid girl but she had quite a bit of guts to even dare to attempt such a thing…

“And she didn’t even have any guarantee that a Life Hero would even show up. Right?” Jacob said as he turned to Anna who calmly nodded in response.

“If you got pregnant you would lose your claim to the title, I doubt your half sister would let any half decent man use you. You bet it all on a one in a million chance of victory…” I say softly.

It’s strange to feel respect from something so horrific, but this level of guts is something I respected greatly. Amethine was willing to fight to the last for her future, not many have been tested as she has, few would even attempt what she did, fewer would have succeeded…

“We’ll remove it once Charlotte’s strong enough.” I say in as kind a voice as I could manage.

“Just one more thing to look forward to.” Charlotte said as she walked over and gently took Amethine’s hand. Amethine bit her lip and nodded mutely her eyes glistening with tears.

“Why tell us this now?” I ask as I glare at Filianoreh.

“Because she is now sworn to you. You will care for her more and more as the days go on. Tell me will you rather she rule a domain or end up as a broken toy? Our interests align now more than ever my dear.” Filianoreh said with a smile.

“The third reason is that my brother is quite infatuated with you Lady Charlotte and I know you and Katsuro here share a… close relationship. My brother is also a brute and is used to having his way. Afterall who would dare deny him? On an unrelated note, he has also been calling blue eyed blondes to his bedchamber recently. I wonder why?” Filianoreh said innocently though her lips curled into another sly smile.

“So tell me who would you rather inherit the throne? If my brother becomes king, slavery remains, your sworn attendants will suffer a fate worse than death and he will find someway to get in between your legs Lady Charlotte.

If I become queen, slavery is abolished, your companions go free, the four of you will be free to do whatever you wish as long my dear Katsuro holds up to his end of the bargain…” Filianoreh said as she batted her eyelashes in my direction.

“There is one more reason…” Lady Scilla said from behind as we all shifted our gaze to her.

“We do not know when this political situation will explode into civil war. I don’t think you want to deal with a civil war at the same time as the Rifts.” Lady Scilla said.

“If we support you, then the civil war will be averted or at worse a minor secession incident.” Charlotte said.

“The choice is yours Heroes.” Filianoreh said as she extended a dainty hand towards me.

Do we have a bargain?