The clash of steel thundered through the eastern stronghold as Aeron's forces pushed deep inside Vallius's defenses. On full siege, the once proud bastion of the Red Dawn turned into a battlefield awash with chaos and fire. Aeron was right in the front, his blade cleaving into the enemy ranks like a storm, his aura empowered by the Aether Crystals.
Yet in the chaos of such a moment, his mind was not wholly set on this fight. A part of him heard Kara's doubt, Lira's warnings, the whispers of betrayal within his ranks. He pushed it away; the stronghold had to fall.
"Push back!" Aeron bellowed above the killing din. The Ironborn knew their lord well; without a murmur they spread out to form a crescent line of raised swords.
A hundred feet away, Vallius stood on the stronghold's ramparts, peering toward the fight with grim determination. His crimson armor shone like bloodstained stone within the light of the myriad fires which ringed the fortress. His lieutenants whispered behind him, their confidences shaken in their own leader.
"My lord, the forces of Aeron are too overwhelming," exclaimed one, "we must fall back deeper inside the inner sanctum and re-consolidate.
Vallius wheeled on him, his face flint-hard. "Withdraw? You think Aeron will extend that courtesy to us-to regroup? No. We are going to fight here, and we are holding the line. If we fall, we fall like warriors.
The lieutenants met his gaze uncomfortably but nodded. Vallius was many things—ruthless, proud, and unyielding—but he had always inspired loyalty in his followers.
The Tide Turns
Within its walls, Kara fought Aeron's best, her blade flashing this way and that, deadly precision, yet her mind was not on the fight: The words Malthus had tossed at her feet the night before were seeds of doubt she could not turn from.
She had watched Aeron from afar in a sea of tangles in a continuous fight, his enemies falling at his feet like wheat beneath a scythe. Yet, it was difficult for Kara to completely avoid the dark clouds that lingered in his eyes, a coldness in his denouncement.
The fighting unceasing, a winded messenger suddenly materialized by Aeron's side. "My lord! Reports from the rear flank-the stores have been ambushed! A force of the Red Dawn has struck at the supply lines.
Aeron's eyes narrowed. "How many?
"Too many to handle for the reserve guard. They're calling for reinforcements."
Aeron cursed under his breath. This was no happenstance-this had been contrived by Vallius in full knowledge that it would split Aeron's forces.
"Lira," Aeron growled, and she was at his side nigh on instantly. "Take the Shadow Corps and secure the supply lines. I can't afford to lose them."
Lira hesitated but a moment. "Understood." And in a heartbeat, she was gone into chaos, her elite unit of wraiths right behind.
Coming for combat, suddenly Aeron had this queer feeling-a feeling of someone whispering in the back of his mind. His eyes scanned the battleground around him; nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Kara," he called, and in an instant, she was by his side. "Something is not right. Vallius is too serene. He is up to something.
Kara nodded, her hand tightening upon her blade. "What do you need me to do?
Find Malthus, Aeron whispered. He's been too silent in this fight. If he's involved in this somehow, I need to know about it.
Kara's stomach churned at the mention of Malthus, but she nodded. "I'll find him."
The Traitor Unmasked Malthus met, under a hooded cloak, far from any main fight, in the secreted area of the stronghold. The grim light of the torches dancing across stone walls lent an ominous tone to the proceedings.
"You've done well," the cloaked figure said, their voice low and distorted.
Malthus sneered. "Aeron's pride will finally be his undoing. He is so embroiled in Vallius, he cannot even see the grave threat standing at his very back."
The figure leaned in closer to him; the shadows on his face did not break. "And Kara? Does she suspect anything?"
Malthus hesitated, then nodded. "She's bound to Aeron, yet doubt has been sown. It's only a matter of time before she questions all things. When the time does come, she'll join us.or fall.
The figure nodded. "Good. Keep her busy. The Aether Crystals are the key to all, and Aeron's obsession with them is his own demise. Wait for the time to arise, then strike.
As they were discussing, Kara proceeded silently in the shadows, taken by instinct towards the place where the secret chamber was; she stopped outside the door and listened; her heart almost going like a drum as it struck her like a blow that Malthus had indeed betrayed them.
It was not just Malthus, for the hooded face seemed to point to a meaning so much greater, stretching beyond the bounds of even Vallius and the Red Dawn.
She took a deep breath and steeled herself. She had to take action, yet she could not handle it alone. She needed Aeron.
The Battle Within
Found on the battlefield, Aeron was hacking down the last of the Red Dawn soldiers who dared stand in his way, his blade red with blood. "Aeron!" she cried, her voice urgent.
He turned to her, his eyes narrowing at an expression. "What is it?" Its Malthus, she whispered, he is working with someone else. I overheard them. There is a larger play, and it is so much greater than Vallius. Aeron's jaw clenched, his eyes flashing dark. "Where is he? Kara hedged. "He is in a secret room beneath the fortress. But Aeron… whoever it is he's working with, they're after the Aether Crystals. They're using him to get to you. Aeron's knuckles whitened on his blade, and for a moment, Kara could have sworn she saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes. Then, in the next, it was gone. "Then we deal with him," Aeron said coldly, "and anyone else who would be in the way. Kara nodded, but a feeling that this confrontation was going to change everything wouldn't leave her mind as she followed him toward the chamber.