"Well, he likes drinking, doesn't he? Maybe we could bribe him with extra rations or something," Ed replied in Batch's stead.
"Do you really think he's going to accept that as a worthy trade?" I sighed, watching his face immediately sink in dejection. "I just want him to spill the beans on what they talked about," he said, finally understanding what I meant.
"Well, well, well. There goes Ed's innocence. Never thought I'd hear that bribery was on the table coming from you," Batch said with genuine surprise. "I'm not saying he would accept the bribe, but if he did…" Ed trailed off with a shrug.
I looked at him and nodded. "It would be very helpful to understand the situation. However, all we can do now is wait for them to be done," I concluded, patting Edryd's non-injured shoulder twice.
Just as I said that, Bernar was shutting the door behind him and subtly gestured for me to follow him. It took me a second to understand what it was he wanted from me, but after he repeated the gesture, I finally understood.
"Ed," I whispered out of the corner of my mouth as I subtly flicked my head in the direction of the door. "Go on, I'll catch up with you later," he shot back quickly. "Hey, Batch, I've got a question," he said, trying to distract our mutual friend.
I followed my brother's direction and made my way to the Master's study. As I cracked the door open, I saw that he was leaning on his desk, looking over a few scrolls with the others. He heard my footsteps coming up the stairs, and looked in my direction before any other of the visitors had even noticed I was there.
"Greetings, Thoma. Nice of you to join us," the Master said, glancing up from the unraveled map before him. "Greetings, Master," I said shyly as I closed the door behind me. "Please, sit. We're about to start," he gestured toward a small wooden stool in the corner of the room.
Time for the adults to talk, right? I thought as I gingerly made my way to the stool.
"It's good to see you again, Anwill. I'd be lying if I said I was expecting you to visit us," he said, extending a hand toward the elf who clasped it firmly. "Indeed. I came as quickly as I could, when I heard the news," Anwill replied.
I thought they didn't like physical contact. Maybe it's only for a select few? I thought with a grin aimed at my brother.
"You couldn't have come all the way from Caegwen simply to give me news," the Master said conclusively. "No, truly I have not. However, I must attend to the matter at hand with haste, as time is of the essence," Anwill replied. "Please, take a seat," the Master motioned to the chair with the carvings.
"Master, I bring news of Coltend and something that will be of great interest to you. However, I must speak of Coltend first. A few days ago, Truls brutally murdered the young Harutian prince Bashaa over the accusation of having intercourse with his wife, Queen Leona," he began.
"Oh, shit," Bernar and I said in unison from the back of the room. "Indeed. However, after the murder, Bashir fled, and Truls sent a small party out to hunt him down. The very same day, Truls died at the hands of the very person whose honor he was trying to protect, or so his servants say," Anwill shook his head, letting his words hang for a moment.
"As it stands, she is the one ruling over her subjects at Coltend Castle. While Bashir's state and location are currently unknown, we know he made his way towards the Rhydian pass, which would be the logical choice. After all, it's the shortest and most direct road to take back to his home," he said. "He's always been a good rider, so I'm sure he made it," the Master said, digesting the new information.
"Well, so we think. However, I must now speak of Caegwen, where situations have arisen that may prove to be worth your while," Anwill said. "Another queen murdered her husband?" Bernar asked jokingly.
"If only it were that simple," the elf scoffed and shook his head. "Master, as you well know, the monsters only come out of their portals from the Underworld every full moon. However, three days ago, a portal opened during the daytime; an unprecedented event in and of itself," the elf said, leaning forward.
Wait, did he intentionally not use the Master's real name? It sounded like his tongue almost slipped. But that's not important, what's this about the portals? I shook my head, trying to organize my thoughts.
"During the day? That's not good. Not good at all," the Master said with a slight frown. "Truly. The Commander of the Myrdinian Synners, whom you know quite well, has managed to organize enough troops to hold shifts over the locations and slay the few that passed through the portal. Although the last one that opened was far too close to our capital for comfort," Anwill said with his head aimed at the floor.
"They are growing bolder by the day, or so it seems," he began once more after a brief pause. "King Elhael and Queen Aurae, as well as myself and others of the elven council, believe the Undergod to be attempting to make a move of some sort. As things currently stand, we still do not know what he's after," he said with a hint of anger in his voice.
"Your Synners," the Master began, rubbing his scar lightly. "What about them?" Anwill asked. "They didn't notice anything strange about the portal, did they? The Commander didn't put anything out regarding its composition?" the Master raised an eyebrow. "The reports said it was emitting dark tendrils of power that faced towards the North, but I fail to see how that is relevant," Anwill said.
The Master looked at his visitor with questioning eyes. "If you don't mind me asking, but how old are you exactly?" he asked. "Eight-hundred and eighty," Anwill replied with a curious look on his face. "Ah, so it was well before your time, then," the Master sighed.
Well before his time? How old is the Master anyway? I thought, caught entirely off-guard by the strange reveal.
"Excuse me, but what does this have to do with the portal?" Anwill asked, genuinely confused. "About fifty years before you were born, a citadel was discovered in the far northern regions of Hjalfar. They called it Valdis, which is derived from their language meaning the dead goddess," the Master began to explain.
Valdis? That's not a Hjalfarian name, is it? I thought, genuinely confused.
"The citadel was named as such, given the fact that all who attempted to explore it in the years that followed never returned. The fact that the tendrils were facing in its general direction could have something to do with the reason why it appeared in the first place," he continued calmly.
"You're suggesting that the Undergod is somehow connected to this Valdis place, Master?" Bernar asked. "Exactly," he replied with a slight nod. "I believe something is beginning to stir there, and it is anything but friendly," he continued.
"I know what lives there, and it would seem he's growing more powerful every day. It would stand to reason if there were a connection to the Underworld," Anwill said ominously. "You do?" the Master asked with urgent curiosity. "Indeed, Master. It's…" Anwill cut himself off the moment shattering glass came from the nearby window. All of us turned to look at Bernar as he picked up the stone that promptly rolled across the floor.
Portal. Monsters, I managed to read, my eyes opening widely as I snagged a glance at the scratchings on the stone.
Bernar quickly looked out the window to see Edryd and Batch pointing towards the south. His eyes widened when he noticed what they were pointing at. "What is it?" the Master asked. "You couldn't have come at a better time, Anwill, as it's been a while since we fought side by side. Guess what just showed up at our doorstep?" Bernar said incredulously.
The Master's eyes opened wide, as did everyone else's.
"Sound the alarm and be ready for battle. Have you got a sword with you?" the Master asked the elf as he rose from his seat. "What kind of Synner would I be if I didn't?" he replied with a grin. "Good. Be ready to use it. Thoma, you're coming with us, now!" the Master commanded, to which Anwill and I replied with a unified nod.
"Sound the alarm!" Bernar shouted out of the broken window to Ed. As I quickly looked out of the window, I could tell he was startled by my brother's mana-enhanced command and quickly sprinted over to the bell, signaling the alarm. There were still synners honing their skill in the training ground who heard the call as we raced down the stairs to the courtyard.
"What's this all about?" a senior asked his training partner, running toward the sound of the commotion. "Sounds like we've got trouble. Gear up, boys!" I heard Roburn shout to the others. "We've got a real fight coming our way! Time to put all that training to some good fucking use! Now, move unless you want to become a glick's suppository!" he shouted, and everyone scrambled to switch out training swords for real ones.
After a few precious minutes, each one had our battle-ready equipment secured to our jerkins. We quickly mounted our respective horses, when I noticed Irun running up, still fumble-fucking his gear as he moved towards us.
"I heard the alarm ringing, but what's the situation?" Irun asked. "We're under attack," I said. "A portal not too far south of here is spewing glicks out faster than I can piss. Where the hell were you?" I snarled.
"I was studying and didn't hear the bell until about a minute after it had begun ringing," Irun replied. "Well, get a move on. Things are about to get ugly," Batch said, prompting Irun to nod and mount his horse that Batch had fetched beforehand.
The Master turned his horse to face us as the gate opened behind him. "Our enemies are at our gates, and we must not let them breach our defenses. All of you have trained your entire lives for moments such as this one, and I expect all of you to know exactly what you're doing out there. Protect this fortress, no matter the cost. Is that clear?" he shouted, getting a clear roar in response.
"We ride!" he shouted as the gates swung open.