A strong, blustery wind blew through the western entrance of the coliseum, spraying it with sandy dirt. Still on my knees, I shielded my face as the angry gale destroyed a small portion of the basalt walls before subsiding. With the General and his subordinates gone, the fortress lost whatever magic was holding it together.

  Nora's gone, too...

  The Order of White evacuated their section, sprinting down stairs that dissolved beneath their panicked feet. A few tumbled as part of the structure gave way to nothingness. Their moans and groans brought me back to reality, a reminder that gravity remained an unforgiving constant.

  "We need to get everyone out of here," I said as I stood up, sheathing my sword.

  "Ngh—" My gauntlet skimmed my wounded side, leaving a smear of darkened blood.

  Animus?

  Or just deoxygenated blood from a vein?

  It's not bleeding too bad, and I don't feel much, so I'm probably—

  "Let me tend to your injury, Captain," Relias said, already stepping forward, hands glowing.

  "No." I covered the wound with Faith before anyone could get a good look.

  I'm okay. I can still walk, sorta. See?

  I gestured to the soldiers struggling to help each other up. "See to the injured like the other priests are. We don't know how long these walls will stand."

  The coliseum let out a long, dying groan as if on cue. The demons' side of the structure hissed and buckled, and black sand spewed between the pillars as the upper decks collapsed.

  Relias flinched at the sight and nodded, hurrying toward a group of soldiers trying to pry someone out of bent armor. I watched him momentarily, pretending my impaired gait was due to idle curiosity.

  I should have killed General Ragnerus.

  We could have stood a chance, perhaps struck in those early moments of shock. The demons would have been demoralized and outraged, and the Order of White would have taken advantage.

  But some of our allies would have died.

  Instead, Nora was the one to suffer for my mistake.

  What is Aziza going to do to her?

  "One wrong move, and you're done!"

  Tetora had cornered Taika, a squad of marksmen at his back, their weapons trained on her. Angrily, he stripped his sibling of her iron claws and anything else that could be used as a weapon.

  "Now march!"

  Taika didn't resist, at least outwardly. Her sweaty face remained calm as she passed by, though the shining whites of her eyes betrayed her internal consternation.

  Aleph fell into step beside Tetora, eyes locked on Taika's back as the squad moved forward, forcing her to take point.

  "We need her to show us the way," he reminded Tetora in a cold, clipped tone.

  Tetora let out a low growl. "My traitorous sister is ordered to solitary confinement. Constant watch. No exceptions!"

  "Need a shoulder to lean on, Captain?" Vernie murmured, ducking her head under my right arm to lend support. "That was some workout you pulled back there."

  With her help, I managed to walk a little faster, my feet no longer dragging. "Sorry…"

  "You don't have anything to be sorry about."

  Oh yes, I do.

  As the last to exit the fading fortress, Captain Sonea met us on horseback with a company of soldiers waiting to clean up any undesirables left.

  "The barrier finally dropped, but I'm told that the General… escaped?" the Captain asked, her confusion and disappointment evident.

  I sighed. "It was all my—"

  "Plan!" Vernie interjected. "It was her plan all along!"

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  I snapped my head around to glare at her in astonishment, but she was already plowing forward. "Captain Lightbringer here's finally got the mysterious Mistress's attention—and invitation!"

  Captain Sonea's eyebrows shot up. "You're going after her, too?"

  "Of course she is!" Vernie replied loudly, slapping me on the shoulder to prevent my objections. "Have to stop those portals at the source, of course!"

  "What about Lady Nora?"

  Vernie didn't even blink. "She's complicit in the Captain's subterfuge," she declared with a nod, eyes sparkling. "Our secret weapon'll be just fine."

  "I see…" Captain Sonea murmured, turning to watch the last vestiges of the coliseum dissolve into the ether. "Let's head back to… execute the next part of your plan."

  As soon as Captain Sonea turned her mount, I rounded on Vernie.

  "Why are you lying?!" I hissed under my breath.

  "Uh… standard protocol?" she offered with a pathetic half-smile. "You know… damage control and all? The last thing you need is your supporters thinking you're vulnerable. That's why you're hiding your wound, right?

  I looked down at my side. "That's different."

  "Not really. Optimal Faith and Trust levels require physical and mental strength… or so I've been told."

  My eyes widened as I realized just what she was referring to. "Relias put you up to this cover-up!"

  "I told you, it's standard protocol!" She cleared her throat, trying again for a smile that never hit its mark. "When things go awry, say you know why! …Even if you don't."

  "And if we're caught lying?" I asked archly.

  Vernie shrugged, then started pulling me toward the barracks. "Blame someone else, of course."

  "It looks quite painful," Relias noted sadly after inspecting my wound. "I fear it will hurt much worse before I am finished. Animus congealed deep within the tissues, so it did not bleed much at the onset. Yet it must be abraded before I may heal it."

  "I barely feel anything," I disagreed, looking away. "So, no need to take your time or anything."

  We need to leave as soon as possible.

  "Please tell me if it becomes unbearable." He touched my side, and the light surrounding his fingertips swirled into the small fissure, pulling at the crust that had formed on its surface. "We can take breaks whenever necessary."

  I gripped my cotton robe tightly and nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

  Relias remained silent for a long moment, then exhaled slowly. "That… was her earlier, was it not? Captain Ironwrath."

  I flinched, casting my gaze anywhere but at him. "Yes. She—" I stopped.

  What do I even say?

  She's in my head?

  I didn't think it was important enough to tell you?

  "It's—egh!" I yelped, momentarily distracted by what was now a burning deep within my side.

  "Is… she in there now?"

  I grit my teeth. "No."

  "Forgive me. I should wait until you feel better to continue my inquiry," he said, his voice cracking with ageless sorrow.

  "N-no! It's fine. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I just… It's weird having them all just come and go as they please."

  "Them? You mean… even…" he gasped, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his hands tightly. "Even… Raela?"

  Shit.

  "No… No, she's not there," I murmured, bowing my head. "I definitely would have said something should she have made her presence known."

  "Oh… Yes. Of course…" He let out another heavy exhale. "You would have told me had she been…"

  "I'm sorry," I repeated, guilt pounding at my chest. "I'm so sorry I keep screwing everything up both between us. I was just—"

  Despite tears flowing from his eyes, he smiled gently. "You were trying to protect me. Of this, I am certain. I have benefitted from your empathy many times more than is deserved."

  Empathy…

  "Empathy's what got me into trouble in the first place today," I sniffled. "I must learn to be less forgiving—at least, toward my enemies. I lost Nora because of it."

  Relias silently withdrew his hand from my side, pulling the swirling light with it. Bright red blood began to fill the wound bed, but before it could spill out, he touched it again, this time with a light so bright it was painful to look at.

  "Perhaps a few weeks ago, I would have emphatically agreed with that statement," he murmured as the wound sealed itself, a faraway look in his icy blue eyes. "But I do not believe empathy is a sin in of itself. Rather, I think you may be holding yourself guilty over something that is not due to your actions. Who kidnapped Nora?"

  Why wasn't he blaming me?

  "I didn't stop—"

  "I do not believe that is the answer to my inquiry, Dear One. Please try again. Who kidnapped Nora?"

  He really has changed.

  "You sound a bit like Aleph," I mumbled, startled by the turn of our discussion and the fact that my side appeared without the faintest trace of injury.

  "He is a fan of dialectical inquiry," he agreed lightly as he clasped my hand. "And in times past, I have used the same method with him during many discussions. But thrice now, I gently ask for the answer of which you most certainly know."

  I almost groaned. "Ambrose and that Marquis, servants of the Mistress."

  He nodded and let go of my hand. "Then let our fury be kindled upon them, for they have cast aside righteousness and embraced wickedness. They have marked themselves anew as foes of light. Let justice be our sword, and may no mercy be shown to those unrepentant of sin."

  Okay, some things haven't changed, but his sermon feels strangely appropriate right about now.

  After all, it was demons who kidnapped her.

  "You're… worried about Nora, too, aren't you?"

  He frowned. "I do not know the extent of the Mistress's plans, but I do not believe she would jeopardize Lady Nora's life prior to our arrival. It is the only treasure she holds."

  That's a somewhat comforting thought—until the arrival part.

  I did have one last sin to confess. "I think General Ragnerus, given a chance, might have—"

  "Indeed," Relias declared. "He, too, shall bear the weight of our righteous wrath, for I hold no doubt that their treachery was woven together long before this day. His feigned anger was but a veil for deeper schemes, and I would not be astonished to find them joined in wicked accord at our next crossing."

  Even if Relias were wrong about that, any concessions I might have wrung out of him at sword point would be off the table now. He, too, was still my enemy—perhaps even more so now that I knew his weakness.

  Noting that I now truly felt no pain, I hopped up from the cot and flexed. "I'm ready to be that sword of justice you mentioned. Let’s go talk to Taika.” I snorted, feeling a cold, icy rage well up inside of me.

  "I wouldn't want my tea to get cold."

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