145 - Subordination

Arielle eventually told Vittoria about the talk she'd had with the dean and her struggle to accept that she might have to turn in Riorke's family if they were wrongdoers.

Vittoria sighed. "I thought that might be difficult for you. It's why I wouldn't have asked you this if I didn't need to."

"I know. I want to do it also," she said. "The dean's story helped me see that. But I also wanted to use this opportunity to check on Riorke, and make sure he's doing okay."

Vittoria responded with a disapproving frown, but didn’t attempt to talk Arielle out of it.

Instead, she said, “Be careful. Talk to me every step of the way, and as much as possible, let me know of any plans you might have conjured in that head of yours, before you act."

Arielle nodded. That much was easy, and it was a relief that Vittoria wasn't angry at her planned insubordination.

"And don’t sever our bond in case I need to get you out of there. Understood?”

Arielle didn't agree instantly. She pursed her lips, considering it carefully.

“I’m serious, Arielle,” Vittoria stressed. “Attempting to sever our bond will hurt far more than it did last time, both for you and the portal bird. Understood?”

Arielle nodded slowly. She could take the pain, but she was more reluctant to hurt the portal bird that was now developing its own consciousness.

“Good,” Vittoria said. “This collaboration between us is about trust. I’m going to trust you to do the right thing, so I won’t pull you out unless I absolutely have to. I also hope you trust that when I am pulling you out, it’s because I need to. Alright?”

“Okay,” she said, reluctantly.

“Good. Now let’s get ready.”

Vittoria attired Arielle with the invisibility pill, and she donned her usual assassin disguise. It occurred to her belatedly that her attire was something Celie might wear for her missions. She wondered what her sister would think if she knew what Arielle was doing with Vittoria.

Would she be proud of her? Or more so worried?

Ari bit her lip. She missed her sister. In fact, she missed her entire family, so it was good that she would be seeing them soon.

Once they were done reviewing what they needed to do one more time, Vittoria transported her into the compound.

She hovered about thirty feet in the air, inside her invisibility capsule, surveying the fortress all at once. From above, it really was precisely like Vittoria had drawn, except that she had not adequately prepared her for how hot it would be. It was hotter even than the desert, and almost as hot as the volcanic island they'd visited, which was what made the training she witnessed more brutal.

In the distance she could see people, men mostly, in the moat, chanting as they trudged across, mud clinging to their lower bodies and dragging them back.

Yet as they clambered out, they didn’t break their formation, nor dull their voices, continuing to repeat in yelled staccato:

"Do not melt!

Do not moan!

Well-forged steel!

Has no foe!"

The training looked severe and clearly showed on their skin. They were mostly shirtless, and their upper bodies were visibly sunburnt and bruised. On the other side of her, in a large arena, there were even more men sparring in shiny armor that probably magnified the heat and made it feel like they were being fried.

She instantly felt sorry for all of them. Arielle wondered if one of those people was Riorke, but she couldn’t check right now. She had to fulfil her mission first, and only once that was satisfied could she go after Riorke. That was what she had decided on with Vittoria.

"Camhanach Castle is sometimes called the Castle of Eight Walls,” the portal bird said. “Do you see why?”

Arielle nodded. The central castle was fortified by eight concentric high arches made of polished white marble, and each arch was separated by several feet of land containing moats and steel cages that the warriors had finally reached and were now scaling.

Arielle didn’t envy them.

“Is this how all soldiers train?” she asked Vittoria.

“Sometimes,” Vittoria said. “Depends on whether we’re in wartime or not. Though I’m not sure there’s anything currently going on here that warrants all this, the Camhanachs have always been particularly disciplined and more than a little heavy-handed with their methods.”

"I see."

"However, to the best of my knowledge, they're not conscripted into fighting," Vittoria said. "Everyone who's in that field chose this life for one reason or another."

Arielle didn’t know why anyone would choose this or why Riorke in particular found this easier than learning magic. But she supposed, as a warrior clan, this was the life most of them knew. It was similar in Fenway. It was expected for everyone to become a warrior by default, and only those who didn't have talent for it, like Arielle, were made a reserve or had to think of some other trade to learn.

Arielle tore her gaze away from the poor souls and drifted up to the window that Vittoria had pointed out on the map, peeping through it to observe a study with a man pacing at the other end.

He was talking to someone else, another man in armor and a thick scarlet cape, whose back was turned to Arielle.

The window was closed, and she couldn’t hear exactly what they were talking about, at least not without enhancing her senses.

In any case, it seemed that their conversation was just about over anyway. The pacing man was opening the door and walking out of the office, his stride still angry. The other man watched the closed door for a few minutes, and then he turned around, regarding the window.

Arielle's eyebrows jumped.

The armored man looked startlingly like Riorke. Well, not really, she thought as he came closer. He had Riorke’s stocky build and his red hair, though his was streaked with grey. His jaw was harder, his eyes more shrewd and a lighter blue. His skin was tanner, and his lips were drawn in a straight line.

However, they had a similar gait, and they had the same mole on their necks, which she observed as his head leaned closer to the window.

Arielle realized with a start that he was looking straight at her.

She nearly jerked back, but Vittoria’s voice said, “Don’t move.”

She stilled her body.

The man stayed in place, his eyebrows furrowing and a frown drawing deep grooves into his forehead.

Can he see me? she wondered.

“He can’t see you,” Vittoria’s words were in Arielle’s head. “What he senses is a shift in the wind caused by your presence.”

He can sense that? Arielle attempted to project her thoughts to Vittoria the same way she did to her. “I thought the bubble rendered me intangible as well as invisible.” It was meant to be soundproof as well, but Ari wasn’t taking chances.

She didn’t know if Vittoria actually heard her, but she did manage to answer her question with her next statement.

“Lord Camhanach has excellent perception, and even the slightest drift in wind path caused by our bubble is enough to raise alarm bells. I'm not sure how it works, but there's something almost spiritual about his ability." Ari noted that Vittoria sounded particularly admiring when she spoke. "Luckily, his heat detection is only slight. He might be able to detect your signature, but only if he opens the window. We better stay as still as we can so he’s not tempted to do that.”

Arielle’s heart jumped in her throat.

She held her breath as she waited for Riorke’s father to make a move. In hindsight, it was pretty stupid of her to place herself in clear view of the window, despite her invisibility. She hadn't thought his perception was that good.

She couldn’t believe she was this close to getting caught, and the mission had barely even begun.

Yet she stayed still as Vittoria advised, and eventually he began to back away. He rubbed his hand over his face tiredly and then faced the door as though a knock had come from there.

Another man, in full armor this time, came in and closed the door behind him.

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They engaged in another short conversation as Arielle crept to the side of the wall, out of view.

She allowed herself a full breath, and curious about their conversation, she was about to activate [Sensate].

However, Lord Camhanach suddenly began toward the door, opening it and walking out. The Knight followed him, the door swaying into a gentle close.

"Now's your chance," Vittoria said. "Move."

Ari drifted through the walls, remaining suspended above the floor even in the study.

She could already see the magic-cancelling components in the seemingly inconspicuous details of the room, like the lion's head handle of the book cabinet, a bronze door stopper, and a wooden quill holder. Other notable aspects of the room were the invisible script traced into the red, patterned rug, and the etchings into the base of the walls.

It smelled like wood and smoke, and Vittoria said, “The safe is behind that bookshelf. Move quickly and listen well to warn yourself of his return."

Ari nodded. She used [Sensate] on herself to enhance her hearing and then approached the bookshelf. First, she tested if there were hidden detection spells in the wood by bringing her magic orbs close and seeing what would happen.

Nothing.

It was not a perfect method of knowing, but she doubted that the Camhanachs had such complex magic.

She used [Bound Mute] to ensure quiet as she located the lever that would move the bookshelf out of the way. She also used [Mirror Mirage] to create an illusion in its place, only to give her the dimensions so she would remember where everything was, and would only have to superimpose the image on the shelf to ensure everything was back in the position she found it.

The safe was significantly more protected than the bookshelf. It had a list of complex spells with a similar ancient technique as the demonic sect’s treasure room, meaning that it was created at around the same magical era as that protection spell.

It wasn’t quite as complex, though, and Arielle figured out the kinks of it within seconds, dismantling the spell and using her phantom limbs to open the safe.

“Nice,” Vittoria said as Arielle cleared a path through the spells in the safe, while holding them in place.

There were more touch-sensitive items there, including the crest Vittoria spoke about, but she slowly removed the spells on them as well.

"Done," she said.

"Great job." The portal bird formed on Arielle’s shoulder, and it sent a light beam out to the crest lying within the safe.

Arielle leaned back on her heel as Vittoria’s spell scanned the totem, and her anxiety grew.

Riorke was going to be devastated if anything happened to his father. Probably.

On second thought, she didn’t really know what his relationship was like with the man; however, she did know that he had already lost his brother and wasn’t over that loss.

She didn’t want him to lose anyone else.

“Done,” Vittoria said, interrupting Arielle’s anxious thoughts.

“And?”

“The totem wasn’t used to summon the giant.”

Arielle’s loud exhale made the bird give her a warning look.

“Sorry,” she said. "I’m just relieved.”

"Yes, well, that might be premature. Just because they didn’t assist in trapping the dragon does not mean they didn’t know about it, nor does it mean they didn’t benefit from it." Vittoria’s bird scanned the environment. "I don’t see the weapon’s log here, so it should be somewhere else. My guess is the weapon’s master, in the eastern wing. We’ll have to go there.”

“Alright,” she said, and her sensitive ears picked up footsteps, distantly. Lord Camhanach was returning.

Arielle worked as quickly and quietly as she could, putting everything back together and aligning them perfectly with the mirage she'd created.

She also slipped out through the window, and out of view, a second before the door opened.

She watched as Lord Camhanach stopped at the doorway. He sniffed the air a few times and glanced around, following the path Arielle had travelled to his bookcase.

And then he stared at it for a long time.

Arielle held her breath once more, wondering if she had made a mistake, if she had left something out of its proper place.

His shrewd eyes narrowed, and she was almost sure she had missed something. What could it be? She'd thought she had it all.

Yet she remained still. She tried not to breathe too hard even within her bubble.

Luckily, it worked.

Eventually, Lord Camhanach walked to his desk and sat down, and Arielle backed away completely.

"It should be there,” Vittoria said, and Arielle swept toward the direction that Vittoria’s portal bird led, up into another tower. The topmost room looked to be a war room, multiple seats arranged around a circular desk with a giant map on it and small daggers used as locators. No one was sitting, though.

Three men stood, one of whom was much older and as large as Arielle's father. He was yelling at a man of medium height and build, whose face was angular with a hooked nose and downturned mouth.

“He’s been in there for days," the older man, who had his chain mail on, was saying. "Is it not enough?"

"No," said the hook-nosed man in full armor. "He will spend days more until he learns compliance.”

"Oh come now, Artis," the first man said. "You're just trying to throw your weight around, and you know it. You won't break his spirit this way."

"He made a threat on my life."

"I've known that boy since he was a squalling babe. If he wanted you dead, there are smarter ways for him to go about it."

Artis met his eyes and didn't blink once. Instead, a cruel smile curled his lips. "Is that a threat?"

“What he’s trying to say," the third man said in a much calmer tone, “is that we know Riorke is hotheaded. The punishment was warranted, but it's a little lengthy, no?"

“No," Artis said. "I am his general. I'm under no obligation to coddle him as you have coddled him his entire life. His father is not here advocating for his release, so why are you?”

"Because you overstep," the first man accused.

"I overstep?" the man said. "Fine. Let's have it your way then."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Artis did not respond. Instead, he walked around them and swept out of the room.

"What have you done?" The third man hissed at his companion in chainmail.

"I told him what he needed to hear," he said. "We can't let him continue to run amok. He might be the hand of the Empire, but we're Camhanach warriors. Why should he treat our Lord's son as he has?"

Arielle's ears had perked up at the sound of Riorke's name, and now she was paying even more attention, enraptured by their conversation.

The third man went closer and hissed. "We should have avoided drawing his attention. At least not until we can convince–"

"Yes, yes, I know." He threw his hand up and said, "Let's just go. I have a feeling that the bastard has something sadistic planned for poor Rory."

“Yeah, and that would be your fault.”

They both hustled out of the room as Arielle put the pieces of conversation together.

She concluded that Riorke was in trouble and it was Artis' fault.

"The log is in the room behind there," Vittoria announced, alerting Ari to her presence once more. She had almost forgotten she was there, as drawn in as she was by the conversation.

She moved into the space and through a door at the back, which led into another chamber, with a desk and a large window. There was another safe, behind a mounted map. She undid the layer of security before the safe opened again.

This one revealed plenty of scrolls and folders within. Vittoria started to scan, and Arielle waited beside her until she heard a noise from the courtyard below.

She drifted to the window, where she had an excellent view of the sparring soldiers.

Except they were not sparring anymore.

They had stopped and circled two people who stood at the center of the arena.

Riorke.

And opposite him was Artis, who Arielle now figured was the man Lacey referred to as General Pissguzzler.

They were about to spar.

Riorke was at a disadvantage already, shirtless, healing bruises on his body, and a rusted sword in hand. His lips were dry and his face blotchy, but his eyes were narrowed and focused and furious.

Arielle had seen an angry Riorke before.

This was more than just anger. This was hatred.

There was dissent amongst those surrounding the fighters, including from the other two men who had been talking in the war room. The bigger one was being restrained by the smaller, but most of the warriors were quietly watchful.

The general stood still as Riorke circled him. He held out a hand and crooked his finger.

Riorke charged without warning, a moving blur that was instantly in front of Artis, his sword slicing toward his neck.

The general's magic pulsed out, lashing Riorke, sending him flying. He landed on his feet and charged again, this time weaving around the general at the last minute to land the blow.

The pulse attacked from two angles, blocking his escape and slamming him onto the ground.

Arielle winced.

“He’s a bit more brutal than I would like,” Vittoria said. "But given what we heard, I would likely do the same for insubordination."

"No, you wouldn't," Ari disagreed. She had disobeyed Vittoria several times, but she had never punished her like that.

Vittoria chuckled.

"You never met that side of me," she said. "I'm old now and don't have the energy I used to. But back in the day...Anyway, there's something here in these documents."

Arielle turned around, hope deflating. "Meaning...they had something to do with the demons?"

"It looks like it. They certainly know about the flame swords. There's a coded word here referring to it. I'm going to go through more of their files to see what else I can find."

"Okay," she said sadly. In the meantime, she watched the battle from above.

The man was turning Riorke into a rag doll, tossing him around, knocking him down before he had the chance to get up. Yet Riorke refused to stay down. He continued to rise, despite the loud protests of those around him.

Despite the fact that he had no hope of defeating the General, he kept attacking again and again, an unstoppable force meeting constant resistance.

And the general laughed as he inflicted harm.

"You see?" he called out. "You see the difference between us. Between me and that dead brother of yours that you insist was comparable to my skill."

The words seemed to inflame Riorke. He managed to dodge one of the energy pulses, but another followed and struck his stomach.

Riorke was strong, but the man was both strong and fast, and also had magic, automatically putting Riorke at a disadvantage.

The last blow had Riorke on his knees, as he coughed blood onto the sand.

"Enough!" the man in chainmail from earlier shouted. "Stay down, Rory!"

But Riorke was already struggling back up, and the man was activating a spell on his feet, probably to increase his speed.

Riorke did not follow the advice, standing shakily once more.

"Don't talk about my brother," he bit out between bloodied teeth. "You bastard."

The general merely smiled.

"Vittoria," Arielle said.

"Yes?"

"I'm about to do something."

She felt Vittoria's pause as Riorke leapt towards the general, who clearly expected the move.

“[Rush].” He activated his speed spell to escape, but Arielle reversed it, slowing him down instead.

Ultimately, her act kept him in the perfect position, just in time for Riorke to switch angles at the last second and his knee to meet the general's face.