Chapter 15

Juniper

It took time to get Gradius back in his coffin, thrashing like a petulant toddler, but Ragar managed to seal him up. It was almost dawn, yet with all of the smoke in the sky, there was no need to worry about the sun just yet. The Andromeda Estate had been reduced to ashes, though several of the underground portions had survived Gradius’s wrath. The question was how effective he had been.

“My Lord,” a bird-type fiend said as it landed beside him with Umbra.

“Any sign of them?” Ragar asked.

“I discovered fresh horse tracks leading away from the estate.”

“The smell was theirs. Elf, human, beastman, and dwarf,” Umbra added.

Ragar muttered a dwarvish curse. “What does it take to kill these people?”

“What do we do now?” Miasmarda hissed.

“I refuse to let them get away with this. We’re going after them,” Ragar replied.

“We’ll kill them all,” Helena muttered bitterly nearby. Duska’s remains had been discovered in the wreckage, with her severed head telling the story of her demise and the mark on her stomach pointing to the culprit.

“Even with Gradius, I fear we do not have the strength or numbers to defeat them, let alone the speed to catch up with them before they get back to Duravound,” Miasmarda argued.

“They’re not going back to Duravound, at least not yet,” said Ziradith, approaching. “They’ll first be heading into the Ashok Mountains.”

“And how do you know that?” Miasmarda growled skeptically.

“Andromeda was using fifer lilies,” Ragar muttered. “She’s right, and one of their group members was from the region.” Ragar then turned to the bird fiend. “You can endure sunlight, correct?”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Return to Curcio and tell him to send reinforcements. I need Tysinger and every fast-moving fiend he can spare. He was also working on parasites that would help boost our powers, and whatever he has ready, you need to bring back for me and Miasmarda. Once you’ve returned, we march on the Ashok Mountains. Helena?” She didn’t respond, lost in her grief and hatred. “Helena!”

“Yes! What?!” she snapped.

“It’s too late to go now, but once night falls, I need you to take Ziradith and fly her to Duravound.”

“What would you have me do there?” Ziradith asked.

“Zyrga’s remains will soon be arriving. I have my subordinates there making preparations, but I want you to supervise and ensure that everything proceeds as planned. As the former Liege, I expect I can trust you with such an important task. I will do everything in my power to keep the Wandering Spirit and his friends from getting in the way, but should we fail, the plan must succeed.”

“Understood.”

Ragar glared at the brightening eastern sky. “Don’t think you’ve won just yet.”

Noah and his friends raced south, seeking to return to Duravound and escape from Gradius. They were all tired after fighting the Profane, but they rode through the night without pause, not daring to stop until the sun had cleared the mountains and the smoke of the Andromeda Estate was beyond their sight. Everyone was grateful to get off their horses and eat and rest.

“Let’s get something in our stomachs and grab a few hours of sleep. We’ll set back out at noon,” said Noah.

“Roc, let me take another look at your wings,” said Sophia.

Roc slid off his horse with some discomfort, but Cynatas was always by his side.

“Aren’t you glad we brought an extra horse for you two?” Noah asked.

Roc simply grunted and nodded while Sophia examined the damage. “It doesn’t look too bad. Your feathers took the brunt of the damage. There is some searing of the flesh underneath, and signs of Profane contamination, but I can fix it.”

“How does it feel to be a free man, Lupin?” Seraph asked.

“The air is certainly sweeter on the outside. It’ll be so great to return home, even if Colbrand is being rebuilt after its total destruction.”

“When isn’t it?” Cyrilo laughed.

Lupin sat down on the ground, sighing in relief from the feel of the grass. “I never thought I’d make it out of there,” he said softly. “By the way, Cynatas, I haven’t had the chance to properly greet you. Considering our betrothal, I must apologize.”

“It is good to see you, Lupin. I’m glad you’re alive and well. But, unfortunately, I’m afraid I must end our engagement. My position as princess has all but been revoked, and besides...” She turned to Roc with a smile. “I’ve found someone whom I truly love.”

Lupin gave an exhausted chuckle. “I must admit that it is a bit of relief. After everything that’s happened, a royal wedding is the last thing I want to think about. I’m not in the right state of mind to be marrying anyone, not for a while. Still, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping to rescue me, and I wish you two the best.”

There was still work to be done, such as tending to the horses, preparing food, and scouting the area, but soon everyone was free to sit down and eat.

“Aside from Gradius sending us running off with our tails between our legs, I have to say that mission was a complete success,” Daniel announced as they sat around a campfire.

“We finally did it. We struck back against the Profane and delivered a decisive blow,” Alexis said softly. Though things between her and Noah were still sour, the significance of their achievement was not lost on her. What they had just done was no small feat.

“It’s not done just yet,” said Noah. “We still have to get back to Duravound and stop whatever they’re planning there.” Alexis flashed him a look. She knew Noah had more information than he was letting on, likely coming from Bella and Duska. She couldn’t help but wonder what else he was hiding from everyone, and for how long. Still, it wasn’t worth bringing up.

“I’m pretty sure that’s what we just did,” said Foley. “Their plan is in ruins, just like that mansion.”

“No. Ragar and some of his allies are still alive. Until they’re all wiped out, we can’t be sure that the danger is truly gone. Besides, we need to devise a way to deal with Gradius. The man was a walking cataclysm before, but now, as a Profane ... he may be beyond our ability to stop.”

“Look, we just saved my brother, and we managed to get out of there in one piece. Whatever is going on with Gradius and Duravound can wait. For now, let’s just celebrate a job well done,” said Seraph.

“I agree,” said Cyrilo. “I think this calls for a victory drink, and I happened to have been saving my last bottle of Knight’s Ambrosia for such an event.”

She pulled the bottle out of her ring, and everyone scrounged around to find cups. They poured the fine liquor and raised their cups.

“A toast to our victory,” said Noah.

“To victory!” everyone replied. They all drank deep, savoring the wonderful nectar.

“Oh fuck, that’s good,” said Foley.

“Reminds me of the Knight’s Sheath,” said Sophia dreamily.

“By the gods, this is incredible!” Cynatas exclaimed. “If you had just offered this to the king, he would have come out to see you the moment you arrived!”

“I never had the chance to try this, but my God, this is divine,” said Seraph.

“Noah’s the one who created the recipe,” said Cyrilo. “I could’ve charged a fortune for a bottle, and people would have stolen the jewelry off corpses just for a glass.”

“Right, I remember. You made this for that special party. That was a fun night,” said Roc.

“This is truly what freedom tastes like,” said Lupin. “Is there any more?”

“Just a little bit,” Cyrilo answered, holding up the bottle. “Enjoy, Your Highness. You deserve it.”

She emptied the last of it into his cup, and he drank it gratefully, only to enter a coughing fit. It seemed to have gone down the wrong way, and Seraph had to slap him on the chest for it to ease, but he was still left with some difficulty breathing.

“Sorry about that,” Lupin said, in between coughs.

“This is the last time you’ll be able to do that,” said Noah. “Once you’re back in Uther, it’ll be back to political theater with micro-managing nobles scrutinizing everything you do.”

Lupin chuckled. “Maybe we should take the long way home.”

With the sun and Noah’s wards protecting them, everyone took a much-needed nap, and when midday arrived, they woke up and continued riding south. However, a problem began to manifest itself. As they traveled, Lupin’s coughing grew worse. At first, it seemed like he still had a tickle in his throat from drinking the Knight’s Ambrosia the wrong way, but as the day went on, it became more and more persistent, and as night fell, it was impossible to ignore. They set up camp, with Shannon and Noah preparing medicinal teas and elixirs to alleviate Lupin’s cough, but his breathing was just getting raspier and raspier.

“What is going on?” Sophia murmured as she applied her healing energy to his back. Her magic was proving ineffective at clearing his lungs, but she was able to lessen his pain and the building soreness.

Sitting around the campfire, everyone watched with concern, unsure of how to help. Seraph was the most worried. He had finally gotten his brother back, and now there was this ominous cloud hanging over his head. Roc was staring at Lupin intently, and then finally spoke.

“I think I might know what’s causing this. Lupin, were there any flowers in the room where they kept you?”

“A b-bowl ... of flower petals...” Lupin paused to cough several times. “There was a bowl both in my room and the dungeon where I stayed.”

“Fifer lilies,” Roc muttered.

“Fifer lilies?” Seraph asked.

“I’ve heard of those. They’re an ingredient in runecraft,” said Cyrilo.

“They grow at the base of the Ashok Mountains. They’re safe once they’re properly dried, but very deadly when they’re fresh.”

“I have antidotes prepared for such events,” said Noah, conjuring bottles from his ring.

“It’s not like that. Once you start breathing in their pollen, you can’t stop. It’s like potion poisoning. When you take too much of it, your body forgets how to function without it. They must have kept it in his room so that he’d die if he managed to escape or was rescued. It’s evil and brilliant.”

“How do we save him?” Seraph asked desperately.

“We need to get him to my village. There is a medicine that can save him, made using the lilies, but only the elders know how.”

“Can we get there in time?” Noah asked.

“It’s coming on really fast. He’s probably been breathing in the pollen for months. Looking at him, he may only have a day or two at most, maybe three, before his lungs stop working completely. I’d have to fly him there myself, and you follow on foot, but my wings still aren’t healed.”

“Sophia, do whatever it takes to get him ready to fly by first light,” said Noah. Sophia nodded and moved behind Roc to continue his treatment. “Until then, I’ll try to buy him as much time as I can.” Noah pulled out a bottle and a syringe. “Lupin, you’re going to really hate where I stick this, but I need you to trust me.”

It was a restless night for everyone, as they wondered if Lupin would survive this new ordeal. After everything they had gone through to find and rescue the prince, it was possible that he could die long before getting back to Colbrand. Seraph was the most stressed, pacing back and forth because he was too worried to sit still. Noah shrouded Lupin in his mana to conceal the sound of his continuous coughing while administering various medicines to alleviate his symptoms, but that didn’t help anyone sleep. Hearing him cough meant he was still alive, while silence gave the impression he had already died. Sophia was also busy healing Roc. His wounds weren’t severe, but regrowing feathers was a lot trickier than simply mending flesh, and the burns that Gradius inflicted were very stubborn, like an oil stain that could not be washed out.

Finally, the sky began to brighten, and Sophia sat back with a sigh of exhaustion. “There. I’ve done everything I can. Only time can heal the rest.”

“Roc, how do you feel?” Noah asked.

Roc stretched his wings. “I’ll make it. I promise you that.”

Noah looked down at Lupin, struggling to breathe and exhausted from a hellish night, and helped him to his feet. “I hope you’re not afraid of heights.”

Everyone got ready to see him off, and Seraph hugged his brother. “Don’t you dare die on me, not after all this.” Lupin could only nod, unable to speak.

“Now, I’ll be honest, I don’t have a lot of practice in carrying people. I’m not sure how it will affect my flying, and it might be a bit painful,” said Roc.

“I’m coming with you,” said Cynatas.

“Yeah, I might need your help if something happens. Ok, Lupin, hold out your arms.”

Everyone stepped back, and Lupin held out his arms to his sides. With Cynatas clinging to his arm, Roc jumped into the air, using his wings to attempt to hover like a hummingbird. He moved over Lupin and grabbed his arms with his talons, careful to avoid cutting him or squeezing him too tight. With a secure hold, he started to rise in elevation like an eagle with a fish in its grip.

“Keep him safe!” Seraph shouted as Roc set off towards the northeast.

“Do you think he knows where he’s going?” Daniel asked. “I mean, all these mountains look the same. What if he goes too far north or east and shoots past his village?”

“I bet he knows these mountains like the back of his hand, and can probably sense the planet’s magnetic field and use it to navigate like the swallows returning to Capistrano. Frankly, I’m more concerned about us reaching the village. We can track Lupin’s location, but getting to him will be tricky.”

“That sounds like a problem for later,” said Foley. “Might I suggest we all go back to bed and get some real sleep?”

“I agree,” said Alexis with a yawn.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I’m running on fumes,” said Noah. Seraph didn’t say anything, just continuing to stare as Roc and Lupin became a faint speck in the sky. Noah patted him on the shoulder. “Lupin will be pretty miserable for a while, but I’m sure he’ll survive this. Right now, the best thing you can do is recover your strength. We’ll go after them once we’ve rested up.”

“All right,” Seraph said softly.

Just like the day before, their departure was postponed, with everyone given the chance to get some much-needed sleep. At noon, they set out, following Roc’s heading out of dwarf-controlled Vandheim and into the Ashok Mountains. For three days, they navigated the rocky cliffs and steep ravines, with a great deal of time being spent looking for paths the horses could traverse. These lands weren’t mapped and filled with roads like the dwarven territories, as the various tribes that called these lands home strived not to infringe on nature and leave any scars upon her face. Monsters and wild animals remained a persistent nuisance, but after the fighting at Andromeda’s mansion, dealing with the local fauna was child’s play.