Poison and Betrayal

The Black Ark thundered through the night, fleeing the chaos of Zion City.

Within the carriage, the atmosphere was thick with tension.

"Pursuit confirmed," Luna reported, her amber eyes scanning the darkness behind them. "Cavalry—approximately fifty riders."

"Can we outrun them?" Altrelis asked.

"For now. But they know the terrain better than we do."

"Then we make a stand." Isana cracked her knuckles, flames flickering at her fingertips. "I've been itching for a proper fight."

"No." Altrelis's voice was firm. "Not here. Too open, too exposed."

'There's a bridge ahead,'* the Wisdom interjected. *'The Crossing of Thorns. Narrow. Defensible.'

Altrelis relayed the information.

"To the bridge. We'll hold them there."

The Crossing of Thorns earned its name from the massive thornbushes lining both approaches—ancient magical plants that made flanking maneuvers impossible.

The bridge itself was stone, wide enough for two horses abreast.

"Perfect," Luna observed. "They cannot bring their numbers to bear."

"Positions!" Altrelis ordered. "Luna, guard the bridge approach. Isana, find high ground. Tor, stay with Elise."

"What about you?" Tor asked, worry clear in her golden eyes.

"I'll be at the bridge." He raised the Void Scepter. "Time to see what this weapon can truly do."

The cavalry arrived like a storm of iron and fury.

"There they are!" a commander bellowed. "Take them alive if possible—the princess especially!"

"You heard the man!" a soldier laughed. "The beast-folk first, then we'll have our fun with the women—"

His words ended in a scream as fire engulfed him.

Isana stood upon a rocky outcrop, death incarnate in white.

"Such vulgar creatures," she mused. "Allow me to educate you in manners."

Her next spell struck the vanguard like divine wrath, scattering horses and men alike.

On the bridge, Luna was a blur of shadow and steel.

Her twin blades sang their deadly song, cutting down any who dared approach.

And at the bridgehead—

Altrelis raised the Void Scepter.

'Concentrate your power. Aim. Release—'

The Wisdom's guidance flowed through his mind.

'—Void Impact!'

"BOOM!"

A wave of purple-black energy erupted from the scepter, sweeping away an entire rank of cavalry like leaves before a gale.

"What in the hells—?!" The enemy commander paled.

"Again!" Altrelis roared.

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

Each blast carved terrible swaths through the enemy formation.

The soldiers' confidence shattered.

"Monsters... they're all monsters!"

First the Fire Witch struck with surgical precision from above. Then the Dark Elf's blades proved impossible to overcome. And now the young Demon King wielded some terrible weapon that annihilated entire ranks at once—

"Retreat! RETREAT!"

The cavalry broke, scattering into the night.

Silence fell over the battlefield.

Altrelis leaned against the bridge railing, hands trembling.

The Void Scepter's gemstone still pulsed with residual power, a reminder of what had just occurred.

"You did well."

Luna's voice came from beside him.

"For a first true battle, you showed admirable composure."

"I..." Altrelis stared at his hands. "I killed people tonight."

"Yes. You did."

"Does it... ever get easier?"

Luna was silent for a long moment.

"No," she finally said. "It doesn't. And the day it does—that is the day you should worry."

'She speaks truth,'* the Wisdom added quietly. *'The weight of taking life should never be borne lightly. That burden is what separates warriors from mere killers.'

Altrelis closed his eyes.

He had crossed a threshold tonight.

There was no going back.

Within the carriage, Elise sat huddled against Tor, the cat-girl's tail wrapped protectively around her.

"Is it... is it over?" Elise whispered.

"For now," Tor assured her. "The young master and the others are very strong. You're safe."

"Safe..." Elise laughed bitterly. "I don't even know what that word means anymore."

The door opened, and Altrelis climbed in, weariness etched in every line of his body.

"We move at once," he said. "More may come."

"Altrelis..." Elise's voice was small. "What happens now?"

He met her gaze—and despite his exhaustion, his eyes were kind.

"Now, Princess, you make a choice."

"A choice?"

"My advisors will want to use you," he said bluntly. "Your knowledge of Paradise Valley, your public image—these things have value. They will ask you to speak against your father."

Elise's face went pale.

"But I won't force you." Altrelis's voice softened. "Whatever you decide, you'll have a place in Schwarzburg. That's my promise."

'You're being rather generous,'* the Wisdom observed. *'She could be a valuable political asset.'

'She's a person, not a chess piece. I won't treat her the way her father did.'

'...Naive. But perhaps not wrong.'

Elise stared at him, emotions warring across her features.

"You really mean that," she said wonderingly. "You actually mean it."

"I do."

Tears welled in her emerald eyes—but this time, they weren't tears of fear.

"Then... then I'll do it." Her voice strengthened. "I'll speak against my father. Not because you're making me, but because it's right."

She took a shaky breath.

"He hurt so many people. He used me like a tool. That stops now."

Altrelis smiled gently.

"Welcome to Schwarzburg, Elise."

Back in Paradise Valley, Axel received word of the failed pursuit.

"USELESS! ALL OF THEM!"

He swept a goblet from the table, sending it shattering against the wall.

"My lord," a nervous advisor ventured, "perhaps we should reconsider—"

"There is nothing to reconsider!" Axel snarled. "Send word to Lord Palras of the Ilston family. Send word to Lord Hirt of the Hilt family. Tell them... tell them the beast-folk have declared war by kidnapping my daughter."

"But my lord, the princess went willingly—"

"DID I ASK YOUR OPINION?!"

The advisor fled.

Alone in his chambers, Axel stared at a portrait on the wall.

It depicted a young man in noble attire—his grandfather, slain decades ago in a border skirmish with beast-folk raiders.

"I will have my revenge, grandfather," Axel whispered. "Whatever the cost. The beast-folk will burn for what they've done."

And in the east, unknowing of the storm gathering against them, the Black Ark carried its passengers home to Schwarzburg.

End of Chapter Three

—Next Chapter: The Oath of the Void Scepter