The Red Glaive

It was the sound of water dripping onto wet stone somewhere in the distance that made Aeria realize she was awake. Somewhere, someone was speaking softly. The ground was cold damp, yet lying still felt better than moving her extremely sore legs. Worse yet, she could barely move her arm, it just felt a numbness stemming from her shoulder all the way down. When she looked she saw a crude poultice on the bite on her shoulder.

“She’s awake.”

That made her nearly jump to her feet. She had heard it, clear as day, yet there was no one near her. In the cell opposite to hers Telfer stared blankly at the night sky through his tiny window.

“Telfer,” Aeria called softly. The dead quiet made her whisper despite there not being any real reason to. “Are you. . .” He turned to look at her and that vile malicious gaze was no where to be seen. It was Telfer as she had come to know him.

“Don’t worry Ariel, I’m me again.” he said, then as a joke added, “I think.” Aeria didn’t laugh. Telfer’s hair looked darker than normal, probably from the dirt and grime he had accumulated from their journey. Dark circles hung heavy from his eyes. Aeria probably looked no better.

“How long have we been here?” Then remembering that night again added, “Fable, what about Fable? Where is he?!”

“I think he’s alive.” Telfer said. “I overheard one of the sages saying how they were wasting stable space with your beast. I assume they mean your horse. It’s been three nights now, including the first.”

Three nights? That meant two days. She needed to heal Fable and needed to take Telfer to Elyon, but she couldn’t do anything behind the bars of her cell.

“What’s happened? Has anyone come?”

“We were in the city guard prison the first day, until the King’s sages decided we posed too much of a risk and demanded our immediate execution. Of course, our Glaive brethren interceded on our behalf. This was the compromise. We got our wounds taken care of but we’re in the sage tower dungeon right now. They’re waiting on Jago to return to speak to him face to face on what happened during the blood moon.”

“And I was asleep during all this?” Aeria said.

“Like a rock.” Telfer said, then lightheartedly added, “Pretty sure they dropped you a few times too.” Aeria still didn’t laugh.

That exhaustion she felt throughout her body still hadn’t faded, all she wanted was fall asleep again. Even worse, she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Telfer, I’m sorry.” she said. Jago was right, she should’ve stayed at the campsite. Everything could’ve been averted. “I was too impulsive, I shouldn’t have-“

“I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.” Telfer said coming up the edge of his cell and pressing his face against the bars. “I just wish we weren’t stuck here.”

Aeria wanted to cry. Had Telfer always been this level headed? She never really gave him a chance. No, she couldn’t cry not in front of him. Especially not as Ariel.

“When do you think they’ll let us out?” Aeria said remembering Caius’ long imprisonment. She missed that idiot and wished she could speak with him, he could make her laugh one way or another. She couldn’t sense Arsene anywhere to send a message. Usually he always returned to her as his black skull, he had yet to make an appearance. She felt strangely silenced.

“I’d say you’d better make yourself comfortable.” Telfer said.

Aeria numbly walked around her cell. There was a bucket in the corner along with a small itchy looking cot which she realized was what she had been laying on earlier. Resigned, Aeria sat down trying to get into the mindset of waiting but her eyes felt heavy and the stone beneath her felt much more comforting.

“Telfer?” Aeria called as she laid on the floor.

“Hmmm.”

“Were you talking earlier?” Aeria said.

“No.”

She must’ve been dreaming.

It didn’t even feel like she had been asleep very long, before the loud clang of her cell door awoke her. Jago stood at the opening looking just as disheveled as Telfer. There was light coming from the windows. “The sages are releasing you so long as you march right up to them and tell them exactly what happened when you go here and if you receive due punishment decided upon by The Red Glaive.” Jago said. “It was the compromise.”

Numbly, Aeria stood. Nothing mattered so long as she got more sleep later. That sentiment lasted all of two seconds when Jago turned to leave after releasing her.

“What about Telfer.” She said.

For the first time since arriving, Jago turned to look at Telfer who also awoke at the sound of Aeria’s cell door. “Sages and Glaives hardly ever agree, you bringing him here and both of you claiming all well. That’s never happened. When a glaive gets corrupted they are killed on the spot or they flee into the forest and vanish before causing as much damage they can. We don’t know if what you did actually worked or if he's pretending to be well right now.”

“He’s not.” Aeria wished she’d sounded stronger.

“The Sages are a bunch of paranoid book obsessed old men, but I agree with them on this one. He stays until we can all know for sure he’s safe.”

Aeria didn’t say anything, she sauntered over to her cell and shut the door.

“I told you the sages want a word with you.”

“No.” she said simply. If she knew anything about the sages is that they fed of knowledge like parasites and she was the only one conscious that night when they arrived. They must be dying to know what happened in the Silver Oasis. She could use that was leverage to get Telfer out too.

“Ariel just go, I’ll be alright.” Telfer said but Aeria remained defiant.

“Damn you wo-“ he caught himself but the glare remained fierce and his teeth gnashed together. “You brought this on yourself.”

“Don’t.” She heard Telfer say, his eyes wide, before her ears got blocked like being underwater. A split second later she couldn’t move, every time she managed to move her wrist it’d snap back to how it was without her control. Then she felt her body lift from the ground and she felt a stabbing pain in her chest and it became very difficult to breathe but she couldn’t even scream. Warm blood slowly leaked out of poultice on her shoulder as Jago pulled her out of cell and out the dungeons.

They must’ve traveled for a few minutes but with that horrible pain it felt like hours. Jago forcing her body to move unnaturally and painfully as he pleased. Then as suddenly as the pain came it left and Aeria dropped to the floor. She could feel her heart beating wildly as she gasped for air and she had to swallow the metallic taste in the back of her throat.

“There he is.” Jago said and walked out of the room without a word. Aeria could only think of one other person who she was more disgusted with.

At her back, a line of sages sat behind a long table. Seven of them, not counting their younger apprentices that sat behind them silently writing onto their pads. They couldn’t all be writing the same thing. She knew some of these very same sages from Caius’ trial but their names escaped her.

“Your name is Ariel correct?” one of them said looking at a set of papers before him.

“Release my friend from your dungeon.” Aeria replied.

“Is your name Ariel?” he repeated.

“Yes!” She said. “What else would it be?”

The sage paused and stared at her. There was a deep scar along his temple and vanished right above his ear. He didn’t say a word but Aeria stared right back. Without breaking contact, he slid a paper away from in front of him. “What happened that night Ariel?” he said.

“I’ll tell what you everything want to know as long as you let my friend go.” Aeria said standing firm.

“Very well.”

“You thi-, wait what?” Aeria said stumbling over her words. She didn’t think it would be this easy. Even the other sages looked a little unsettled by it. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

“You have my word.” he said. When Aeria continued to stare skeptically he added, “We are all King’s men here, honor binds us all to our word. I said your friend will be freed in front of all these witnesses, I gave my word, you think it won’t see it done? Not doing so will tarnish my honor and my word would mean nothing to any of my colleagues. I will not suffer that humiliation.”

“You swear it.” Aeria said. She needed someone on her side, Jago most certainly wasn’t.

“On my honor as a sage, I swear you friend will be released.” he said and their apprentices scribbled away.

Aeria told them everything that happened that night starting with their arrival at Mineti’s grave. She told them everything that was said, and what she saw when Telfer was put into the Reflection Pool and what came out of it. She tried to add as many details as she remembered.

When she was done a few of the apprentices handed their pages to some sages and began to look over them.

“What made you think to go to the Oasis?” one of them asked. Outside there the guards were getting loud.

“I’ve never seen magic flow stronger than I’ve seen there.” Aeria said. Lots of people went to the Oasis during the daytime to pray, so it wasn’t strange for her to know about it. “I figured something so brilliant had to do something.” She couldn’t say that she knew of the pool’s power because she had used it herself. Surely they’d ask what for.

“The pool only shines during the night, are you saying you willingly went there at night?” Even though Lux Aeterna was the safest city in the kingdom, many people were still very weary of traveling at night. There was were always rumors of devils lurking in the darkest alleys.

“I stumbled on it by accident after a night out.” She said, if she admitted she was drunk maybe they’d more easily believe she was a drunkard than a lier. “Thought it was a garden or something where I could pass out.”

It seemed to work, a few of the sages smirked at their perceived superiority over her. Outside, there were shouts now. Though if it was an emergency surely the guard would come in and warn them.

“Did you go during a full moon?” Another sage asked.

“Does it matter?” Aeria said dismissively. Last thing she wanted was place herself at the Silver Oasis during a full moon.

Suddenly the gemstone around her neck started to get hot. Blazingly hot. She tried not to look phased as she glanced down the table. The first pair of sages where whispering to themselves, could they not believe her. A few looked at the pages that was handed to them by their apprentices, it couldn’t be them. No. It was the scared sage who stared her down. What was his name?

Aeria didn’t have time to think because the door to the room was busted open. Caius came charging in like a bull seeing red. Visible outside the doorway, standing over two knocked out guards, stood Niko looking utterly horrified.

“Ariel lets go, you don’t have to talk to these hacks.” Caius said as if he hadn’t just broken down the heavy oak door.

“Well, if it isn’t Reimar’s bastard son.” The scared sage said condescendingly.

“I’m not your damned hostage anymore Lorin,” Caius spat. The animosity clearly was not past them either of them.

“Caius everything is fine, he-“

“Ariel let’s go.” Caius snapped at her. Despite knowing the glare wasn’t for her, she still flinched when he looked at her.

“You’ll let him go, like you said?” Aeria said.

“I’ll see to it that it gets done, you have my word.” Lorin said thoroughly ignoring Caius’ glare.

“Worthless word if you ask me.” Caius said.

“Don’t you try me boy.” Lorin replied this time matching Caius glare with a look so stern it made Aeria shrink back, but Caius didn’t even flinch. Instead, hot embers sparked into existence in the palms of his hands.

“Caius lets go.” Aeria said calmly placing a hand on his arm. If he was going to react it would happen there. Thankfully, he looked at her, really looked at her, calmed himself, and allowed Aeria to lead him out the room. She only looked back once at Lorin, hoping she had not made a mistake.

She didn’t realize until they were well outside of earshot, that she had been holding her breath. Niko, who had followed them said, “I thought for sure he’d incinerate them all.” he said.

“Just him.” Caius said lowly. “Arrogant piece of shit. You stopped me Ariel. Thanks.”

“Hmph, thought you were gunna murder me for a second there.” Aeria said. Caius chuckled and caught Aeria in a headlock. “Why?!” She shouted into his thick arm though he wasn’t squeezing particularly hard.

“You’re my best friend Ariel, I’d never murder you.” Caius laughed as Aeria managed to wedge herself free straight onto someone.

Jago stood next to the person Aeria had bumped into. Both Jago and Overseer Rector stood with the grimmest of looks of their faces.

Aeria sighed. “Here we go. . .”