After they struck their deal, Marco and Reina ate the beans that survived and turned in for an early night. Their story, at least for that day, was put to rest. Of course, a kingdom as large as Irelios is full of stories. Many threads that seem distinct but eventually weave together. It just so happens that a few of those threads were being pulled at even as our Hero and his Patron slept under the stars.
Not very far from them were the eastern farmlands of Irelios. There, a young man in a black cloak skulked through a hall of a modestly large stone manor. His only source of light was a weak flame he held in the palm of his hand. It was the only magic he could cast at the moment.
He heard footsteps coming down the hall. Heavy steps accompanied by the slight clang of metal. A guard. The young man quickly snuffed out his flame and stepped to the right. The statue of a woman was there, one tall enough to keep the young man hidden while the guard passed.
Once the loud steps went around a corner and faded, the young man tiptoed down the hallway to a door at its end.
The manor's armory.
He didn't need to conjure another flame to know where he was, or how to get to where he was going. The layout of the armory was so familiar to him as was the wooden cabinet he made his way to. He ran his fingers along the doors of the cabinet and found them. The same lock, the same chain.
He smirked as he fished through the pouch on his belt for a rusty old key.
"Oh M'lord, will you ever learn?" he said as he used the key to open the lock and pulled away the chain.
The cabinet's contents were laid bare for him, and he hungrily reached inside.
"Nothing?"
"Yes, nothing."
The young man whirled around so fast the hood of his cloak brushed past his curly brown hair and fell down. Torchlight appeared to reveal his round face, and his green eyes that were now wide with shock.
Two guards with torches and the lord of the manor himself were there!
"Did you really think you could keep stealing from me, Greene?" asked the lord, a slender fellow with fair features and black hair tied in a ponytail.
The young man in the cloak, Greene, stood up straight and said, "Is it really stealing if it belongs to the people?"
"I am the lord of this manor, of the entire province of Whitland. That includes your little village. If I decide to cut off your supply of Godsblood, I am well within my rights," said the lord with a sneer.
"The people have a right to water! You're killing us!" Greene shouted.
The lord rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. Your farms have weathered a dry season before, they will do so now."
"It's the longest dry season in a hundred years!" Greene said. "You know how badly this drought is affecting the village. Every farm in your jurisdiction is suffering! If you just let me use my magic–"
"You already tried that!" the lord said as he pointed an accusing finger. "I hear your village is still recovering from the damage. You must be insane to think I would give you Godsblood, and willingly sponsor your use of magic. I should have you hauled off to the dungeon right now. In fact, I think that's what I'll do. Guards."
The two guards closed in on Greene, their metallic footsteps echoing in unison. He put his hands out defensively, giving the guards pause.
"If he needs Godsblood so badly as to take it from me, he must be out of magic. Don't fear, take him," the lord said with a smug grin.
The guards advanced, and Greene uttered a curse under his breath. The lord had him figured out. He held out his hands, pleaded with nature, but it would not heed his call. He really was out of magic.
Everyone was counting on him. Greene thought of his family, of their pathetic harvest. The entire village barely had enough to eat, and yet this lord still took a healthy share. The image of Lisa crying filled his mind…
Shirk.
He felt it, the slight shift of two stones rubbing together. He leaned into that feeling, putting the tiny shred of magic he had left into it.
Boom!
A chunk of stone in the floor, a very piece of the castle itself, flew up. The unfortunate guard who was standing on it was swept off his feet and send crashing to the ground. The stone crashed into the ceiling and shattered, sending bits of stone everywhere.
The lord threw up his hands and backed away from the rain of stone, and the second guard dropped his torch in the commotion.
Greene took the opportunity to run as fast as he could. As he escaped the manor, he heard the ring of bells and shouts of alarm.
He managed to get all the way out of the manor and to the safety of his village. But he knew he couldn't stay. They would most definitely come looking for him.
****
The sun rose on another hot summer day in Irelios. Marco and Reina ate breakfast, got into the carriage, and embarked on the final day of travel.
Meanwhile, in the quarries to the south, another pair hadn't slept a wink.
"You must rest Nissa," said Leo Baldew as he leaned against a rock. "If it catches you in a weakened state, it will kill you."
"Same to you," Nissa said, shaking her head to fight off the weariness. Her tight brown curls bounced as she did. "You got even less sleep than me."
"I don't have a child waiting for me at home."
Nissa looked distant for a moment, then stood up to peek at the cave in front of them. "Just come out soon, stupid beast. Then we can finish this."
Leo joined her in standing up and peering over the boulder they had been using for cover. The rocky land around them descended into the entrance of a cave. A cave that had colored wisps of smoke leaking out of its mouth. And in that cave was the...thing that had terrorized the mine and killed many of its workers.
"Every moment that beast lives is another moment lives are at risk." Leo gripped the pommel of his sheathed sword. "We should be going in there."
"Into the dark cave with a beast that can see in the dark? We made that mistake once. Trust the plan, Leo. The boss never steers us wrong."
Leo knew she was right. First Prince Benjamin was a man of great intellect, taught by the kingdom's top scholars. If there was a topic that had been written about, the prince was well-versed in it. So if he thought lighting incense in the cave would smoke out the beast, then that was the best thing to do.
Besides, Nissa was also right about them already trying to rush in. He looked at the gash in his armor, a mark of shame on his otherwise perfect white chest plate. He remembered the claw that left it, like a specter's scythe in the darkness. And that specter might have taken him if the First Prince hadn't shown up to pull him away just in time.
Yet another thing he owed the First Prince for. Leo sighed. He was a Hero, sworn to serve his Patron. And yet his Patron had done so much for him, saved his life several times. He cursed his dependence. If he didn't get his act together, he might end up a crook like Marco!
"No."
"What?" Nissa looked at him.
Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Nothing."
"Leo you should really–"
Grrrrrr.
A low rumbling echoed out of the cave. And instantly following it was a plodding, thunderous noise.
"Footsteps?" Nissa said in alarm.
Leo drew his sword. "Ready yourself. We must not fail our prince."
"Getting out alive would also be great!"
The two faced the cave, sword and spell at the ready, as the shape of something huge emerged.