Lasting Damage

“Madame Elysia!” Duran smiled at me, which didn’t suit the situation at all. “You beat it, too!”

“That’s one way to say it.” I tried to pull away from Durandus the first’s arms as he dragged me into the little section where Flaviana was keeping prisoners, but his hand was tight around my elbow.

I took the chance to look around, now that I was standing and walking. We were in what looked like an antechamber. It wasn’t decorated beautifully like the rest of the temple. In fact, it was barely decorated at all. It was dimly lit by a few flickering candles and smelled of dirt and mud. The walls were a mixture of dirt and stone. There was one exit, a looming tunnel that seemed to lead to stairs. Otherwise, the only place I could go was down- into the small pool that I knew led into the larger chamber elsewhere.

I took a minute step away. Who knew if that squid was still loose? Andrena certainly wasn’t still in charge. I tried to put my hands towards the sword, but Durandus the first dragged my hand away. There went that plan.

By far, the most interesting part of the chamber was the people inside of it. Duran was tied up back to back with Herminius, Duran looking excited and Herminius looking extremely put-out. Next to them, manacled and with several long cuts along her arm, was….

I frowned. Aemelia had been right. It was the Voice of Teuthida, and she looked bad. Worse than I’d seen her before. Her skin was near-transluscent, and her breathing was slow. Her entire figure was slumped against the wall, eyes half-closed.

That was the other thing. Her eyes didn’t look right. Her pupils were normal, but her irises… they were glowing an aquamarine blue. Unnatural.

“Uh,” I tried. How to start my interrogation? Last time I’d spoken to this woman, I’d accused her of arson and murder. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t speak to mortal fools,” said the Voice of Teuthida. “Leave me to my folly.”

Before I could respond in time, Durandus the first shoved me down and began tying me to Duran and Herminius. My shoulders were tight against them as he lashed the ropes tight. I wasn’t even facing the main cavern, which meant I couldn’t see what Flaviana was doing. All I got was a top-tier view of the wall. There was a worm crawling out of the dirt.

Great. Your first mission as a Paladin, and you’ve just failed completely.

“What have you learned so far, Duran?” I made sure to whisper. Unfortunately, this room was very small. I could hear the words echoing.

Flaviana was walking behind me. I didn’t like that she was out of my sight. What was she up to, over there?

I should have asked her where she was going, all of those years ago. Foolishly, I’d just thought she was adventuring for profit. It was the smart thing to do. All of those nobles, wanting some beast killed or some cave cleared out.

In my wildest dreams, I’d never pictured her joining some… necromantic cult. Then again, I’d never seen myself becoming a paladin, either.

“Um,” said Duran. “Well, I found my father.”

“Very good,” I said. I tried to turn and glance over my shoulder, but all it did was hurt my neck. Maybe Flaviana would take mercy on us. Surely she didn’t want to hurt her own son?

Then again, it had been years since I’d seen her. Who knew what she was willing to do.

“What else have you seen?” I said. I had to keep him distracted. I shifted, trying to access the blade. It was still in its sheath. Flaviana hadn’t disarmed me, presumably because she’d thought I wasn’t a threat tied up like this. But if I could just reach it….

Herminius’s arm was blocking me. I couldn’t reach it in a million years, not without some impressive acrobatics. I held back a groan of irritation.

“Uh, the squid keeps coming up and throwing people,” said Duran. “That lady doesn’t seem to like it. I guess it’s not supposed to do that.”

“Very good.”

Wait. If I leaned forward and to the right a little bit, it would move my thigh back. Then Herminius might be able to grab the hilt of the sword and pull it out of the sheath and towards where everyone’s hands were. If I was able to grab the hilt…

Well, I didn’t know what my plan was then. Maybe Andrena could fix it.

I had made a deal. “Herminius,” I said, as quietly as I could manage. “Could you lean forward-”

Blessings for all gods above and below, Herminius understood. I couldn’t see if Flaviana was approaching, even as he leaned forward and fumbled for the hilt. It felt like I held my breath as he grabbed for it, losing track of the hilt multiple times before he finally began to pull it back.

Then it was my turn. I heard footsteps approaching as I fumbled for the edge of it.

“It looks like you were the last person to join us,” said Flaviana. “It’s time I- what are you doing?”

Too late. She was too late. My hands closed around the hilt. I opened my mind up to Andrena and sent out the closest thing to a prayer shout that I could. I need some help here. Fast!

It felt like solid heat running down my spine and through my hands. I couldn’t see it at first, but I could feel it. The ropes began to grow, forming vines and blossoming into what felt like flowers. I moved my hand cautiously at first, but Duran moved with confidence. He pulled his hands apart, breaking the now-weak vines.

Andrena had made the plant material in the rope grow. Now it was just living vines that moved apart at my gesture. I drew the sword and stumbled to my feet, turning to face Flaviana.

She was kneeling, pressing a vial to the crook in the Voice of Teuthida’s elbow as blood dripped into it. Her brow furrowed as I stood, flourishing the sword.

“Someone needs to tell me what’s going on,” I said. “You look important. Go.”

“If you don’t already know, it’s not for you to learn,” she said. With what looked like a slight movement of her wrist, the vial disappeared. The Voice of Teuthida closed her eyes, making the slight light emanating from her irises disappear. In the absence, the flickering light of the candles left the chamber dim. Flaviana rose to her feet and drew a long, thin sword. “Stand down. I don’t want to hurt you, but if I have to…”

I glanced towards the stairs. It wasn’t too late to betray Andrena, was it? “If you give me Durandus the First, I’ll leave. You can do… whatever this is.”

Andrena gave a yell in the back of my mind. I ignored her.

Flaviana gave a snort of laughter. She didn’t look amused. “As if I would allow myself to lose manpower. No one will miss him.”

“I thought you moved on from that.” I gave a vague gesture. “Clearly you’re past all of that, and we need him to pay taxes.” When I said that, it sounded rather unimportant. “Also, he’s Duran’s father. You’re going to let him just… be this?”

“He’s serving a higher purpose now.”

I had expected further discussion. Instead, Flaviana went right for my throat with her rapier. That solved that question, then. I ducked and reached forward with the blade. It went wide, Flaviana dodging easily.

In this space, there weren’t many places to go. I was already aching from my previous practice. Flaviana nicked my cheek with the rapier, then darted back next to the Voice of Teuthida. “It’s not too late to give up,” she said. “I will accept your surrender whenever you choose to give it.”

I tightened my grip on the blade. “That isn’t the way it works. It’s just a little blood.”

“It’s a pity to ruin the good side of your face.”

“I own a mirror. My face doesn’t have a good side.”

I could see Herminius running for the stairs. Good for him. It meant less harm for me. I ducked, then rolled. But as I leaned out with the blade, trying to hit Flaviana, she darted across the room and grabbed Herminius by the back of the collar. He yelped. The front of his tunic had cut across his neck, cutting off his airflow. His eyes were bulging, his face going red.

Before he could pull in any air, his hands scrabbling across his neck, she reached into her cloak and pulled out a vial of blood.

“I hate to do this so last-minute,” she said, almost conversationally. “I do apologize if it leaves any lasting damage. It’s not personal.”

Then, as I tried to run across and bring the blade up to stop her, she smashed the blood across his shoulder. I launched the blade toward her, but she dodged, keeping a hand on Herminius. She was chanting something, some strange words. He twitched. I heard something crack.

Then there was a flash of green light. When he turned, it wasn’t Herminius anymore. My hand tightened on the blade. I could hear Andrena in the back of my mind, yelling to get rid of Flaviana.

I glanced towards Duran. “You need to run.”