Chapter 18
I leaned against a rickety wooden table in the corner of the room while Laine spun yet another one of his ridiculous tales. He sat beside our hostage, enduring his stories for the past two hours. Laine moved effortlessly from one story to the next. His current tale was about how he had 'once conned an entire town into believing he was a prince.' The smug grin on his face made it clear that he was enjoying every second, punctuating his words with dramatic hand flourishes.
"You should've seen their faces when I rode through the town square on a donkey decked out in stolen jewels," Laine continued. "Ah, the adoration. The awe!" He sighed wistfully. "Until the donkey threw me off and ran straight into the river."
Bound to the chair in the corner, the veiled man groaned in frustration. He had endured in silence until now, but his exhaustion showed in how his head drooped forward.
"Please, make him stop," he muttered, twitching slightly.
I smirked and walked up to the pair of them. "Alright, Laine, enough with the theatrics. We have business."
"But I haven't even told him about that time I fooled a nobleman into thinking I was his reflection," he complained.
I shot him a glare, and he silently backed off, retreating to lean against the wall. Taking the seat he had vacated, I turned to face the Duke's advisor and stared into his single, piercing eye.
"Where is Sara Baramund?"
The advisor's resistance finally cracked. With a defeated sigh, he muttered, "She's being held in the Temple of Erephi."
"Erephi? Is that another city?" I groaned, dreading another long journey.
"A Goddess actually," Laine corrected me casually. "I've heard of that place. Someone mentioned it while I was out in the city. It's been abandoned for many years now."
I turned to my accomplice. "Where is it then?"
"Right outside the city."
The veiled man snorted. "I doubt you can even leave the city. By now, the Duke probably has his men searching for me under the Council's orders. Even if you do get to the temple, you'll never see Sara Baramund. She's heavily guarded by mercenaries loyal to the Council of the Eye."
I nodded, filing the information away. "We'll see about that." Then, without ceremony, I knocked him out cold with a swift blow.
Laine and I left the backroom, and I closed the door behind me.
"We could always toss him in the sea," Laine suggested brightly.
"I'm not going to kill him if I don't need to," I said, heading for the tavern's exit.
"Speak for yourself," he muttered. "What's the plan now?"
"First, you're going to lead me to the temple. Then we'll save Sara, and take her to Erwin."
Truthfully, I would have preferred to send Laine to Erwin immediately to report everything the veiled man had revealed. Eris was still in danger, and Erwin needed to know at once so he could make the necessary preparations. But I still needed a guide to the temple.
As we stepped outside, I felt a prickle on my neck. I turned sharply and saw a scruffy-looking man. Lurking in the alley was one of the thieves I had thrown out earlier. He was the one who had tried to stab me and had instead been used as a weapon himself. I could see a large bump on his forehead.
"Didn't you have enough last time?" I asked him, exasperated.
He lunged wordlessly, blade flashing—but the sound of his knife snapping echoed through the alley. He stared at the broken blade in shock. I grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up.
"Seriously man. What were you expecting?"
He looked at me sheepishly, an embarrassed grin spreading over his face.
As I was wondering what to do with him, an idea came to me.
"Know where the Temple of Erephi is?" I asked him.
The thief gulped. "Y-yeah."
I grinned. "Good. You're my guide now. Laine, you have another job. Head to Erwin's hideout and tell them Eris might be attacked again."
Laine didn't protest, which told me he wasn't too keen on storming a temple filled with mercenaries. I left him behind and followed the thief into the city's depths.
The thief led me to a tunnel near the city walls, inside a decrepit wooden shack. I had to bend to navigate the narrow tunnel, but this was better than trying to sneak past the armed guards at the wall.
"How did you know about this?" I asked the thief.
"Smugglers use it frequently sir. I do business with them often so I know their secret routes."
We emerged outside Baran a few hours after leaving the inn, the midday sun beating down on us as we circled the walls for a while. The thief pointed to a hill we needed to cross, and we moved away from the city.
Once we had climbed the hill, the thief halted and pointed into the distance. I squinted, trying to make out what he was gesturing at. On the far horizon, a structure loomed.
"That's the temple sir. See ya."
I grabbed his collar as he tried to get away. There was a chance he might inform the guards about me.
"We're not there yet."
The man looked at me, his eyes pleading. "Please, sir. That place is dangerous. No one goes there anymore. There are rumors that Erephi's vengeance will fall upon anyone who dares trespass in Her domain."
"Who are you more afraid of—Her or me?"
The man pondered for a second.
"Well… she's never used me to beat my own friends."
He seemed to decide that it was better to follow me than risk another horrible beating. So we went on our way.
As we drew closer to the temple, I noticed that it was a truly impressive structure. Multiple stone spires jutted into the sky, their edges worn by the centuries. The once-grand entrance was now barely visible under a thick blanket of ivy. Faded murals lined the outer walls, their colors muted and cracked. But even in ruin, the temple retained an eerie presence.
I made sure to keep my eye out for the mercenaries that the advisor had warned about. There were none to be seen yet, at least not outside the temple.
"Wait here," I told the thief once we reached the temple gates.
"Yeah, sure," he said, backing away. I didn't expect him to stay, and honestly, it didn't matter at this point.
I stepped inside cautiously. Ahead of me was a vast hall, empty except for a giant statue in the center. It depicted a serene woman with hands raised, and beneath it, an inscription read: Erephi, Goddess of Magic.
Recognition struck me like a punch to the gut. I knew that face.
It was the woman I had seen in the hut when I first arrived in this world—the one who seemed to be responsible for my presence here.
"You," I muttered bitterly, spitting on the base of the statue. "This is all your fault."
With that, I moved on. I searched the main building from top to bottom but found no trace of the Council, their mercenaries, or Sara. The building was massive, spanning three floors and filled with strange rooms that I assumed were used for rituals. One such room had an altar with a giant misshapen skull at the center, cobwebs covering its eyeholes. Another had a mural depicting a lone man standing against a shapeless dark void.
Once satisfied with my search of the main building and certain no one was inside, I returned to the ground floor. I walked past Erephi's statue again and exited through the rear entrance. Outside, I noticed that the sky had darkened considerably, and the sun was setting. It hadn't felt like I'd been inside the temple for that long. A sudden unease crept over me. The temple seemed to have warped my sense of time. I decided I shouldn't stay any longer than needed.
I looked ahead at the solitary structure in the temple's grounds. It was a tall stone tower, its silhouette stark against the darkening sky. A faint flicker of candlelight glimmered from the top window.
"Bingo."
The tower was deathly silent. As I entered, I found only a single old man dozing in a chair, arms crossed over his chest. His leather armor bore the symbol of the Council of the Eye.
I nudged him with my boot. "Guarding Sara Baramund?"
The man startled awake. "N-no!" he stammered, obviously lying.
I raised an eyebrow. "She upstairs?"
"No!" he repeated, eyes darting around nervously.
"Great. That's exactly where I need to go then. Where are the other mercenaries?"
The old man sighed. "They left. Said she wasn't worth the trouble. Not even for all the gold in the world."
He looked at me earnestly. "Just rescue her quickly, son. I would have left too, but I have twenty grandkids to feed. If you take her, I get to keep my job without having to deal with her."
I was unsettled by how readily the man was willing to let his hostage go. What kind of person was Sara Baramund to inspire such fear in him?
I climbed the spiral staircase and reached the top door. I knocked.
"Come in," a soft voice called from inside.
I entered to find a lavishly decorated chamber, lit by flickering candlelight. Seated before an ornate mirror was a woman in her mid-twenties, brushing her dark hair idly.
"Are you one of the new guards?" she asked without turning.
"Uh, no," I replied. "I'm here to rescue you."
She turned slowly, setting down her brush with an air of casual boredom. Her eyes studied me carefully.
"Oh? Well..." She gestured around. "You've found me. What now?"
I frowned. I had not expected such a calm demeanor from a hostage. "We leave. Now."
"Hmph. About time someone came," Sara said, tossing her hair over one shoulder as she studied me with an appraising eye. "I've been stuck in this dreadful place for weeks. I'm amazed you managed to find it."
I stayed silent, not knowing how to respond.
Sara scoffed, already heading to a nearby wardrobe and pulling it open with a flourish. "Typical. Father's men never do anything properly. I swear, it's a miracle this duchy hasn't completely collapsed." She began rummaging through the clothes, tossing silken gowns and embroidered scarves into a small bag with surprising efficiency.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
Sara barely spared me a glance. "I'm not leaving without my essentials. A lady must maintain her dignity, even in dire situations."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You're being held hostage. Maybe leave the luggage behind?"
Sara stopped and gave me a withering look. "Do you have any idea who I am? A Baramund does not simply flee like a common thief!"
"Someone call me?" a voice piped up from behind us.
I turned sharply to see the thief I had dragged along earlier peeking through the doorway, looking nervous.
Sara wrinkled her nose in disdain. "And who is this grubby little man?"
"I told you to wait outside," I snapped at the thief.
"Yeah, well," he said, scratching his head. "Some dangerous-looking men were approaching. Didn't want to be alone, you know?"
'Great,' I thought. 'More guests.'
I sighed and turned back to Sara, who was now glaring at me expectantly. "Carry my bag," she said. "I can't be expected to carry something so heavy."
I was tempted to toss the bag out the window. Instead, I turned to the thief. "You carry it."
"Why do I have to—"
I silenced him with a glare, and he hoisted the bag over his shoulder with a grumble.
As we descended the narrow spiral staircase, Sara complained endlessly about the cold stone floors and dim lighting. I tuned her out, focusing instead on how to deal with the men the thief had warned were approaching.
At the bottom of the steps, the old guard was snoring in his chair again, arms crossed over his chest. I briefly considered waking him but decided against it. Let the guy get some rest. He had twenty grandkids, after all.
I stepped outside and immediately froze. Three figures stood in the courtyard, cloaked and veiled just like the Duke's advisor. The symbol of the Council of the Eye gleamed ominously on their veils.
Sara gasped dramatically. "Oh no, assassins! I demand you take care of this immediately."
I ignored her. "Back off," I said to the three figures. "I'm not in the mood."
They didn't reply. Instead, they unsheathed their weapons in unison and began to advance slowly.
I sighed. "Alright, fine. You brought this on yourselves."
I raised my palm toward one of the figures. My plan was to disarm the men by pulling their weapons toward me with magic. I imagined the man's dagger flying right into my open palm. To my surprise, the entire man was suddenly pulled forward, screaming in alarm.
"Whoops," I muttered, ducking just in time for him to fly past me and crash into the tower wall with a loud thud. He slumped to the ground, groaning weakly.
"Careful!" Sara shouted. "That almost hit me!"
The remaining two figures stood frozen in shock, their eyes wide beneath their veils. I decided to take it easy this time and focused on pulling the hammer from one of their hands. The hammer jerked free, but instead of flying to me, it began swinging wildly in the air and repeatedly bashing its former owner over the head.
"Ow! Ow! Stop!" the man yelped, stumbling around and flailing his arms.
The man ran off into the night, shielding his head and pleading with his hammer to stop.
I turned to the last man standing. Even through his veil, I could almost sense his fear and confusion. Out of sheer stubbornness, I decided to try one last time. Fixing my gaze on him, I pointed a finger, concentrating hard on drawing his weapon to me.
Instead, the man himself shot straight up into the sky, disappearing into the clouds with a faint scream.
We waited.
Sara craned her neck, peering up at the sky. "Is he... coming back down?"
I stared into the distance, unsure.
"Let's just go," I said, avoiding the carnage.
The trek back to the city was long, and Sara's constant complaining made it even longer.
"Why didn't you bring a carriage? I cannot believe I have to walk all this way," she whined.
"You were in a prison tower. Carriages don't exactly line up outside for kidnappings," I replied.
The thief, still carrying Sara's bag, groaned heavily. "Are we almost there?"
"You're the guide," I shot back.
"Oh, right," he said, embarrassed.
Sara sighed dramatically. "This is unacceptable. I will let Father know about this incompetence. Heads will roll."
I had a feeling the days ahead were going to be anything but easy.