Chapter 116

Wil leaned back against the rock wall of the cavern, the exhaustion he felt was so deep that even the stone floor he rested on was comfortable to his tired body. Letting out a deep breath, he stared into the flames of the small fire next to him, conjured to drive the cold from cave.

They had been traveling for a week straight, pushing themselves to get back to Ur as quickly as possible. Aside from a few breaks, this was the first time they had stopped long enough to rest for more than a couple hours.

Wil had been responsible for carrying the crate, which meant that he had to maintain the summoning of the Elemental for days on end, a task that left him with little energy to do anything else. As compensation for his efforts, he had been able to study the wards on the crate, furthering his understanding of the magic involved.

The others were spread out over the wide cavern they had found, protected by enchantments that ‘Phoenix’ had cast. Wil could see them, their own fires far enough away that their figures were only vague blurs against the light. He had wanted whatever privacy the cavern provided, being around the others for a week set him on edge.

Sighing deeply once more, Wil turned his attention to the crate beside him. He wondered for the thousandth time about what it contained. Something powerful, illegal, alive? His thoughts were muddled with sleep, the crackling fire lulling him to slumber.

From the shadows beside him, a woman emerged into the fire light. With blond hair and blue eyes, she wore a deep blue dress, made of fine silk, and cut in the fashion of an Illyrian Lady. The woman knelt down beside him, staring into the flames.

Wil recognized her immediately, somehow not surprised by her presence. She had come to him in dreams before, perhaps he was dreaming now?

“Hello, Mother.” Wil said, still leaning against the stone wall, his eyes locked onto the flickering flames.

“Hello, Wilhelm.” The woman greeted him, not turning her head towards him. The silence stretched between them. It was comfortable, the pair merely enjoying each other’s presence, no words were required between them.

“Do you remember when you were four, and your father brought us into town to witness a trial?” His mother spoke, breaking the silence. Wil sighed, a feeling of sadness welling up from within him at the loss of the moment.

“Yes. It was a trial for a murderer, if I recall correctly.” Wil confirmed, his eyes still on the flames.

He remembered the day. It had been cold, rare in the south. His mother had bundled him into the carriage with his sister, while his brother, Markus, had ridden his own horse. He recalled being jealous of him, the freedom he was given.

They had gone to the town square, their guards pushing their way through the crowds. Wil hadn’t known the purpose of their trip, he had merely been excited to leave the estate, to visit the town and see its people.

The excitement had ended when he learned the truth.

It had been his father himself who ended the man’s life, his sword separating head from torso. At least it had been quick. Wil knew now that there was some measure of mercy in that.

“Your Father wanted you to learn what it means to be a Lord, to dispense justice and enforce the laws.” His mother continued, and a frown appeared on her beautiful face.

“If that was his intention, all he succeeded at doing was making me fear him even more.” Wil confessed. Remembering the trial, the terrified look on the guilty man’s face when his father had him executed. He had been confused when everyone cheered. How could they celebrate a man’s death?

“Why are you telling me this, Mother?” Wil asked. He tried to look directly at her face but found he couldn’t pull his gaze away from the flickering flames.

“I want you to always do what is ‘right’, Wil. The laws demanded that man’s death, but was it ‘right’ to take his life? He had been defending his family against a wealthy man’s son who had wanted to take liberties with his daughter. The death had been an accident, but the law demanded blood for blood.”

Wil thought back to that day. There had been a woman and her daughter, their faces streaked with tears as they watched. He hadn’t known at the time the details of the trial, he had only been four, more interested in the gathered crowd than the trial itself.

“There will come a time soon when you must do what is ‘right’, rather than what the law demands. Can you do that, Wil?” His mother said, finally turning her eyes away from the flames and looking directly at him. He felt the intensity of that gaze, the piercing stare, the power it held.

“You aren’t my mother, are you.” Wil said, a statement rather than a question.

“No, Wil. I’m sorry, but I’m not.” She confirmed, and the sadness within him grew stronger. Wil let out a deep breath, pushing the feelings aside. With an effort, he tore his gaze away from the flames, focusing on the woman beside him.

Now that he could focus on her, he found that she looked nothing like his mother. The hair and eyes were the right color, but the shape of her face was wrong. She was beautiful, but she wasn’t her.

“Secundus?” Wil guessed, certainty in his voice. The woman responded with a smile that seemed to brighten the entire cavern. Wil felt the warmth from her, a comforting feeling that drove away the last of the cold.

“Remember, Wil. Do what is right.” She said, her voice echoing around him.

With a start, Wil came awake, the fire burning low. He was leaning against the stone wall, the darkness thick around him. He was alone, the others at the far end of the cavern. Running his hand through his hair, Wil thought about the dream.

On impulse, he pulled the Gold Coin from his bag, running his hand along the etchings. On one side was the three wavy lines of Aruna. Flipping it over, he was surprised to see the seven-pointed sun of Primaris was now replaced by the perfect circle symbol of Secundus.

Gripping it in his hand tightly, he leaned back against the cavern wall once more. It took a long time for him to fall asleep, his dreams filled with memories of his past.

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It took them over two more weeks to arrive at Ur, despite pushing themselves and their horses to near exhaustion. The suns had returned with vengeance, driving away the darkness and bringing back the warm temperatures of the Wilds.

The journey could almost have been pleasant, if it wasn’t for the frequent encounters with beasts and monsters. They had a few close calls, several times they had been unable to flee, resulting in battles that drew in more beasts.

The return of daylight had brought the chaotic magic of the Wilds under better control, allowing their mages to use their spells once more, although the failure rate of magic made it too unreliable to place all their faith on it during a life and death encounter.

For Wil, nearly half of his spells fizzled, resulting in him fighting hand to hand than relying on his magic. The Dragon’s Tooth caused too much damage to his body, and with healing unreliable here, he pulled out the sword that he obtained in the foreigner’s port, inferior as it may be.

Thankfully, the journey was at an end, with Wil and the others making their way through the mountain pass and to the north gate of Ur. The guards, bribed to allow them entry, simply waved them through. They even ignored the elemental carrying a large, black crate in its massive arms.

‘Gold’s money at work.’ Wil thought as they passed through the gate.

They made their way through the town, sticking to side alleys and back roads, until they reached the safety of the abandoned warehouse, the rendezvous point with Gold.

Commanding the Elemental to drop the crate in the center of the room, Wil had it return to its emerald, placing the gemstone back in his bag before leaning wearily against a support pillar. The guards should be informing ‘Gold’ of their arrival, they only had to wait for the man.

“Home sweet home!” ‘Elf’ shouted, throwing down his gear and stretching his back with exaggeration. His ‘brothers’ followed suit, gathering around the crate and joking with one another.

“I can’t wait to deliver this lousy piece of crap and get paid! First round is on me! What are you going to do with your share?” ‘Elf’ asked ‘Orc’ after kicking the crate. The wards flared briefly, absorbing the blow, before fading once more.

“Brothel. You?” ‘Orc’ asked ‘Dwarf’, who guffawed loudly at the question.

“A round at the Brothel, what else?” He joked, joining the others as they discussed the evening. Wil shook his head, ignoring the talk.

‘Any moment now…’ Wil thought, waiting for the show to start. He could feel the presence of others, just outside the warehouse, waiting for Gold to arrive. They had concealed themselves well, but he had spent every waking moment in the Wilds keeping his senses honed for danger. They could hide from the others, but not from him.