Chapter 103 - Knight of Honour

I don't remember struggling with a chapter as much as this one in ages. Went through so many versions before I finally found one I was happy with.  Sorry for the delay but hope you enjoy!

Bud stared at Hestia’s Star, racked with indecision. The gateway had opened, and it was time for him to act on his promise. This was the only way he could think of to change things. The only way for him to make a difference.

He was in Wizard Vivienne’s laboratory, surrounded by all sorts of artefacts and contraptions that he knew nothing about. Dylan was outside preparing their gear, while Celaine and Vivienne were downstairs hiding the dragon egg.

There was no time to waste, yet still he hesitated. Still, he questioned if what he was doing was right. But he had made a vow. A vow that he would do everything he could to save Hump and the townspeople that had been captured. If he backed out now, he would be condemning them to die. Yet once he took the star, there was no turning back. He would have Chosen his path, whether for good or evil.

“Kelisia guide my hand,” he whispered, then snatched the star from the countertop before he had time to convince himself not to. He pocketed the crystal and slipped out the laboratory door in a hurry, fumbling with the handle in his nervousness. Rushing down the stairs, he almost tripped as he reached the bottom, his heart hammering. His stomach twisted into a knot at what he’d done. Footsteps echoed up from the cellar and he idly adjusted his sword belt to try and appear busy.

When Celaine appeared from the cellar, she eyed him suspiciously. “Everything alright?”

Bud nodded. “Yes. All ready to go?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, frowning for a moment before saying, “Yep, all good.”

He forced himself to smile, cursing how perceptive she was. Even when she wasn’t searching, Celaine never seemed to miss a secret.

“Stop looking so worried,” she said, walking past to collect her bow. “It’ll work out. You’ll see.”

“Thanks.” He felt even more guilty as he said the words. Celaine would hate him once she discovered he’d hid this from her, but he wasn’t about to let her get involved in his offence. To be consorting with monsters… it didn’t bear thinking about.

The church bell chimed out its warning—Lady Astida’s signal for everyone to prepare for the incoming attack. For the townspeople, that meant getting to the safety of the church, or the now reinforced inn, thanks to Wizard Vivienne’s additional charms. For them and the other defenders, they were to gather in the town square and away orders. At least, that’s what they were supposed to do.

“It’s time for us to go,” Vivienne said.

They headed outside where Dylan was already waiting. Bud couldn’t help but stare as he turned to face the lake. Shadows streaked beneath the clouds, stark against the moonlight. The shades were on their way, and for tonight, Bud would need to entrust the care of the town to other adventurers. They had their own plan.

The docks were empty when they arrived, though lamps and firelight reached them from the town square, just enough for them to make their way. Dylan prepared a dinghy while the rest of them waited, listening to the orders in town, and watching the sky.

“Wait,” Celaine snapped, searching the nearby shadows for something. Following her gaze, Bud could see little but the vague shapes of crates and barrels. Yet after a few moments, it seemed she’d found whatever she was looking for.

Celaine let out a sigh. “Get out here.”

There was a tense moment of silence, before a figure appeared silently from the shadows to the left, hopping silently from where he’d been sat on a crate. “You really are good. I thought I’d concealed my aura perfectly.”

“What are you doing here, Skander?” Bud said.

“I could ask you the same question.”

Bud frowned.

“Oh relax. Randall suspected you were up to something and asked me to keep an eye out for you when you reached town. What do you plan to do?”

Vivienne didn’t hesitate. “You can tell your lord that the plan has not changed. We’re going to stop this at the source. Defend the town until we return.”

“If you return,” Skander added jovially.

“Yes. If. And you better pray we do, or it shall be you that must figure out a way if we fail.”

She boarded the ship behind Dylan, not sparing Skander another look. Bud watched the rogue awkwardly, fearing that he might try to stop them or send work back to town.

“We’ll do it,” Skander said. “He suspected you would try something like this, and told me to wish you luck. We’ll keep the town safe.”

Vivienne looked at him then and nodded. “I’m counting on it.”

“Try not to get stabbed this time,” Celaine said, hopping down from the wooden walkway into the boat beside her.

“Believe me, there are few things I want to avoid more strongly. I’ll tell Helen that you’re occupied at the lighthouse. She’ll figure it out eventually, but it’s not like there’s anything she can do about it.”

“You’re a good man,” Bud said.

Skander waved him off. “Just following orders. We want to see everyone back safely too. Helen’s not wrong in her method, but abandoning everyone that was captured doesn’t sit right with us.” He nodded toward the boat. “Better get going.”

“Be careful tonight, and send my regards to Randall.”

Bud dropped to the boat with far less grace than Celaine, almost losing his feet as the weight of his armour rocked it. Celaine scowled and grabbed him by the straps of his chestplate, steadying him. He dropped to his seat, the water splashing below. The dock connected the mainland to the small island beyond, a narrow canal to protect the ships from the weather.

Dylan untied the final knot keeping them from drifting, and pushed them off, paddling them out through the main channel. Bud glanced over his shoulder to see Skander still watching, before the rogue disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

And now they were truly alone.

As the shades grew closer, Vivienne whispered a spell to her wand. He felt the same strange disturbance in the air that he did when Hump used magic, and a stream of black mist swept out around them. It formed a sphere of shadow, distorting the world beyond so that he could only just make out the shades. He watched them fly by with a heavy heart, the weight of his vow heavy in his pocket.

It was a long silence as they waited for all the shades to pass by, made all the more bitter knowing that they would descend upon the town at any moment. Perhaps some had already reached it. When the distant cries and shouts of the town reached them, Bud clenched his fist around the star in his pocket. Once again, he felt doubt. He had failed to save his friend and the townspeople once already. If he was wrong about this, perhaps even more would die.

He noticed Dylan staring up at the sky with the same weariness he felt.

“Are you alright?” he asked the druid, as much to distract himself as to help his friend. “Want me to take over rowing?”

Dylan smiled. “Have you ever rowed a boat before?”

“No. I suppose I haven’t.”

Dylan chuckled. “I’m fine.” Then the humour left him, and his face turned serious. “I was just wondering how many people will die because we didn’t stay.”

“I’ve seen nothing but shades this time,” Celaine said. “That woman is a silver ranked adventurer. So long as another gateway doesn’t open in town, they’ll be fine.”

“I hope so,” Dylan said.

***

It took them a couple of hours to reach the island, sped on with the aid of Vivienne’s water magic. There was no sight of the town this far out, but for the occasional flash of light in the distance. They set about preparing for the return of the shades. Vivienne preparing her Spirit Binding formation to trap one of the shades, and the rest of them a place to hide beneath one of the few tree clumps spread out across the island. None of it took long, and once they were done there was nothing to do but wait, stewing in nerves and guilt.

Bud would have liked to speak with Hump in moments like this. The wizard had a twisted sense of humour, but he supposed everyone had their way of coping, and it was better than this.

Once Vivienne finished, she sat down on the grass nearby.

“It’s time for us to talk,” she announced. “Now that we’re away from any prying ears, I think we need to clear the air.”

“Mother help me, not more secrets,” Celaine snapped “What could you possibly still be hiding?”

Vivienne’s gaze fixed on Bud. “To begin with, Robert, I know you took the star.”

Bud’s heart all but stopped. His mouth dropped open, and the moment he realised he averted his gaze. He cleared his throat. “What are you—”

“Don’t think me an idiot. You call yourself a knight. Speak honestly.”

Bud paused. It was not in his nature to lie. Besides, he had nothing to be ashamed of. He’d considered this for a week and come to the decision that this was the only course of action he could take while maintaining his honour.

Taking a deep breath, he met Vivienne’s gaze once more. Everyone was watching him now, and he hardly dared to consider what they might be thinking. Celaine especially—she wanted them to be a proper party. To trust each other. He had broken that trust and he had done so purposefully. Unfortunately, Vivienne had left him no choice. She had made her priorities perfectly clear, and he wasn’t about to let Hump die without a fight.

As Vivienne had said. He was a Knight of Kelisia, he would die before he gave up on helping people.

“I’m going to offer Hestia’s Star to the creature in exchange for Hump and the townspeople.”

“You can’t be serious,” Dylan snapped.

“We have to try,” Bud growled. “I have to try. I can’t just let that beast have them. It is not the way of the Chosen.”

“Neither is negotiating with monsters,” Dylan said. “The church would have you locked up if they knew what you were doing. You’d be brandished a heretic.”

“I did not make this decision lightly,” Bud said. “I did what I believed was right, and I stand by it.”

“What makes you think it would even agree?” Celaine asked, far more calmly than Dylan.

“Priest Albry had the star for a reason,” Bud said. “There must be a reason the creature chose for him to open the gateway where he did, and I think the star is that reason.”

“I agree,” Vivienne said, surprising him. “I am unsure of its true purpose, but Hestia’s Star is functionally an extremely powerful essence stone. I believe the creature either wanted to create a permanent gateway, or use it as the core of a domain to create a place it could survive in our realm.”

“A domain?” Celaine asked. “You mean it wanted to create something like a dungeon?”

“Of a sort, yes.”

“Why did you let me take it if you knew all this?” Bud asked.

“Because I intended to bring it with me too.”

“I don’t mean to speak out of turn, Master,” Dylan said, “but do you really think it’s a good idea to give the creature what it wants?”

“Of course not,” Vivienne said. “There’s a fatal flaw in your plan Robert. It relies on the good faith of a monster. What I suggest is we lay a trap upon the star and kill the creature during the exchange. Once we take it out, the active force behind the gateways will be gone. Our mission will be complete.”

“What about Hump?” Bud asked. “What about all those villagers that are trapped in the other realm? Do you just want to leave them to die?”

Vivienne sighed. “If we have to. We cannot find them by aimlessly searching another realm, and I will not let you go.”

“And if I go anyway?” Bud growled.

Vivienne bit her lip. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let’s find this gateway and kill the bastard that’s been plaguing our town.”