NOVEL WEB DT4 - Chapter 44
The drop caused Garrett's stomach to flip, but after only a second the wings snapped open once again, rapidly slowing their descent, until Ryn, light as a cat, landed on the roof of a home in the noble district. Still holding on to Garrett, Ryn rapidly scaled down the wall of the building, entering an alleyway. After a few turns they emerged onto one of the main streets, which was packed with people, and a minute later a carriage pulled up, with Obe nodding at them from the driver's seat.
They piled in, and with a crack of his whip the horses lurched forward. Though the streets were busy, Obe kept the horses moving at a rapid pace, scattering people right and left, until they finally pulled into a quieter neighborhood, soon arriving at a relatively simple looking brick home. When Ryn opened the door she had changed, and was wearing a simple black suit with a gold mask. Obe tossed a wheelchair down to her, which she caught and placed on the ground, before helping Garrett out of the carriage and into it. Garrett had changed as well, though he didn't wear a mask, like she did. They proceeded to the house, entering through the unlocked front door without knocking. Once inside Garrett closed his eyes for a moment, and then gestured toward the back of the home.
"He's in the library."
At an unhurried pace Ryn pushed Garrett's wheelchair down the hall and into the small library Victor Klein normally used. There was nobody in the room, but Garrett pointed to a figurine on the mantle, and after Ryn pulled it the entire fireplace, which still had a fire burning in it, shifted to the side, revealing a narrow hallway, just wide enough for the wheelchair to pass through. At the end of the hallway was a door, which Garrett leaned forward and opened, causing the man in the room who was busy packing a bag to freeze.
Shock covered his features as he spun around, a long curved dagger in his hand, his eyes staring wide at Garrett and Ryn. If the curved dagger wasn't enough proof, a discarded robe, crimson in color, and a red mask that had a crude vertical eye running the length of it, lay discarded on the bed. In silence Garrett watched his father, Victor Klein, as the man tried to find something to say. Suddenly Victor's breath seemed to come back, and he straightened up, tossing the dagger onto the bed.
"How long have you known?" He asked, as he calmly began to pack once more.
"Since I met you," Garrett said, "after sending the letter. The deal you made leaves marks."
With a forced laugh, Victor sat down on the bed, his eyes flicking to the gold-masked woman behind Garrett. He felt as if she was shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to get a good reading on her strength. But that didn't matter. He knew that he was outmatched.
"And here I thought you were on my side."
"But you will condemn me to death."
"Oh, undoubtedly," Garrett replied calmly.
"So much for the bonds of family." Victor's words contained a hint of bitterness, but Garrett just chuckled.
"You erased the bonds of family long ago, father.”
“Have you been planning your revenge since then?"
"Truthfully, no. I was just happy to be out from under your thumb. But then you decided that the power that came along with being steward wasn't enough, and you set your sights on my people."
"You mean the princess?"
"Queen," Garrett corrected. "Besides, the being you made a deal with is a mortal enemy of mine."
This time, it was Victor's turn to laugh. "Your enemy? You speak as if you're somehow equals. The power she wields is beyond anything you can even imagine, son."
"There I'd have to correct you," Garrett said. "My imagination's pretty good. And besides, having faced her three times, well," Garrett spread his hands and smiled. "I'm doing pretty well."
"Will you let me go?" Victor asked.
"No," Garrett replied, shaking his head.
"Then will you at least kill me? I'd rather die by your hand than another. After all, it would be in keeping with the Klein family traditions."
"Those traditions have ended with your generation, father. No, I won't dirty my hand with it. Instead, you'll face the royal family. To account for what you have done."
"Do you think that wise?" Victor asked, a gleam flashing through his eyes. "If you leave me alive, you never know, I might turn things around."
"Now that is an impossibility," Garrett said, slowly lifting his hand.
Victor, staring uneasily at Garrett's finger, which was extending toward him, suddenly reached down and grabbed the dagger, trying to hurl it at Garrett. It flew through the air straight and true, stabbing towards Garrett's chest. But before it could touch him, a wave of black feathers swept in between its sharp point and Garrett, wrapping it up and casting it off to the side.
At the same time, a bright burning seed of mental energy shot into Victor's head, rapidly growing and maturing until six blooms exploded from it, unfurling their rainbow brilliance. Crimson streaks began to appear as the remnants of the crimson eyes that had been planted in Victor's body tried to emerge. But the flowers went to war immediately, wrapping roots around them to prevent them from opening and biting down on them with teeth hidden by their petals. Victor screamed, flopping back on the bed as his soul began to tear. But Garrett's finger remained outstretched and a spark of white flame jumped to Victor's body, beginning to repair the damage as life force surged into him.
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For 10 minutes, Victor wailed in agony, but the room was well hidden and nothing could be heard beyond its walls. When the eyes were finally defeated, he rolled from the bed to the floor, struggling to get up, his eyes gleaming with a rainbow of colors.
The catastrophe at the palace had ended, and thanks to the protection offered by Cynen and the Grave Walker gang, along with Coleridge and Cleaver's Edge, the majority of the nobles had been spared a grisly fate. Additionally, the supernatural entities who had swarmed through the palace had been killed, and the shield that was supposed to block their entry into the palace had been restored. It was only when its power surged through the palace that Duke Arkov and the Queen even realized that it had been compromised.
When the Queen stepped out onto the steps of the palace to address the nobles crowded down below, cheers rose. The sight of Duke Arkov standing firmly behind her, his raging aura barely suppressed, caused immense relief in the hearts and minds of those who had gone through the tragedy. Though the Duke suggested she rest, Queen Eloise would have none of it, and clutching the flower pendant Garrett had given her in her hand, she walked to the palace wall, where she had planned to address the crowds that afternoon.
The explosion at the palace had sent rumors swirling through the city, and almost 100,000 citizens had gathered, stretching in all directions. When they saw their new Queen appear on the wall above the gate, a tremendous shout rose, filling the entire city. It contained exuberance and happiness, as well as a clear sense of relief and a hope for the future. For almost 20 minutes, the shouting continued, until Duke Arkov clapped his hands together, forming a wall of sound that radiated over the crowd, silencing them. The wave of silence spread as Queen Eloise lifted her hands.
"My dear citizens," she said, her voice amplified through a mysterious artifact placed on the wall in front of her. "I stand before you today as your new queen with mixed emotions. In truth, it was not by choice that I took up this position. And with every fiber of my being, I truly wish that my father or even my older brother still lived, so that they might stand before you and address you today. But fate is a twisting thing, never content to leave us in peace and prosperity. Yet even as fate attempts its tricks, I know that it will not be able to overthrow us.
“Though many are its schemes, we stand strong. Even now, seditious elements attempted one final effort to wrest control of this city from our hands. From your hands. But thanks to the brave efforts of many of our citizens, they have been defeated once and for all. You may hear rumors in the coming days of what happened in the palace today. But know this, the only thing that matters is that we still stand strong. No matter what fate throws at us, we will not falter. We will continue to grow and improve, continue to spread peace and prosperity until we have formed a city the likes of which this world has never seen. It is my great honor to serve each and every one of you as your queen."
Clasping her hands together in front of her chest, Queen Eloise bowed, her head so low it nearly touched the stone wall in front of her. Down below, the citizens clapped and cheered, their voices rising once more. Straightening, Queen Eloise stood tall, an easy smile on her lips, as she gestured.
"For the next three days, let us make merry!"
Even though they had already begun the celebrations, this was the signal the citizens had been waiting for, and a great shout rose up as the people prepared to party. Inside the palace, it was not so joyous, and it was almost four hours before Duke Arkov allowed any of the nobles to leave. One by one, they were brought in for questioning, which he carried out personally, his immense aura causing more than one terrified noble to confess their crimes, even though they had nothing to do with the attack that had just happened.
Those who were found to be blameless were allowed to leave, and they quickly hurried off to begin attending the social parties that they had been scheduled to participate in. The Duke had made it abundantly clear that no one was to ruin his niece's Ascension celebration, and that he fully expected each and every one of the nobles to demonstrate just how happy they were in the coming days. The nobles could smell the blood in the air, and knew exactly which way the wind was blowing, so they hurried to assure him that nothing would please them better.
A few hours after the attack had ended, a nondescript carriage pulled up next to the palace gate, and three figures got out. The first was Victor Klein, who looked immaculate as always. Turning around, he helped Ryn down, and then the two of them assisted Garrett in getting down. The guards standing in front of the gate hesitated to let them in, until a servant from the Duke ran over to instruct them to open the gate.
The Duke was still in the middle of interrogating the nobles, and it was an additional two hours until he was finally free. When he walked into the waiting room where they had been passing the time, his aura was back under control, though it flared slightly when he saw Victor.
"Where have you been?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.
Taking a deep breath, Victor didn't respond and instead looked at his son, a rainbow sheen flashing across his eyes.
"Your Eminence, might I speak first?"
"As long as what you have to say is worth me listening to, I don't see why not."
Garrett could tell he was on thin ice. The Duke was furious, both with the failure of the palace defenses and of the nobles, who should have been the first to protect the royal family but instead seemed eager to watch it be eliminated.
"I would request that you listen to me until I'm finished speaking," Garrett said, "as it's likely that what I'm going to say will cause you intense anger."
The Duke's eyes narrowed as he transferred the entirety of his attention to Garrett, yet to his surprise, the young man didn't flinch even a little. Though Garrett was sweating internally, his outward expression was completely calm, helped in large part by the power of the dreamer’s throne that thrummed through him, isolating him from the weight of Duke Arkov's aura.
Ever since he had unleashed the power of the throne against Karis, the Crimson Eye of Shalmoroth, Garrett felt as if he had made a breakthrough, and had begun to touch on the manifestation stage, understanding how he should manifest his aura, allowing his soul spark to directly impact the world around him. Though he could barely scratch the surface of its power, just that was enough to shield him.
Taking a deep breath, Duke Arkov nodded.
"Speak, and I'll judge whether what you're talking about is worth my time."
"Thank you."
As the Duke listened, Garrett started at the beginning, explaining what he had discovered about the Black Raven assassins who had been smuggled into the city to initiate the first attack. When the Duke heard that his stationary and seal had been used to issue the orders, his face paled and fury caused the air around him to crackle. Remembering Garrett's warning, he forcefully suppressed his anger and gestured for Garrett to continue.
Next came Garrett's explanation of the various forces that had intended to finish the job they had started, using him to eliminate his niece, only to find their plan untenable when he had instead embraced her return and offered the throne to her wholesale. After that, Garrett spoke of the plan his father had wanted to carry out, and the corruption of his soul by a mysterious power from outside the city.
He explained how he had discovered the oddities in the Mind Crystal, and about how after the event had started that morning, he had realized that it had been compromised, and so he sent Ryn to go and reset it, though he didn't explain how that process had taken place. Finally, he explained how his father, under the control of the Crimson Eye of Shalmoroth, had tried to kill the Queen. The Duke's anger had settled into a cold, hard rage.
"Tell me," he said when Garrett fell silent, "why I shouldn't just tear your father to pieces right now."
"If that is what you wish to do, then by all means, do it," Victor said, bowing to the Duke. "Though I was possessed, there is no excuse for my actions. I am guilty of each of those crimes, and I do not shy away from taking responsibility for them."