A Little Bird Told Me

A HUMMING SOUND ECHOED IN THE THRONE ROOM, as its massive doors were pushed open by a pair of knights. They were members of the Royal Guard, clad in masterfully crafted plate armor, a red cape hanging from their backs, and a sacred tree emblazoned in their chest plates.

As the massive door leaves crawled to a halt, the royal guards stood at attention.

Then, the broad figure of a lone man entered the throne room, his composed gait carrying such gravitas that even the veteran guards broke out in cold sweat.

It was none other than Silvano, the former leader of Lightbringer, and Hero of the Realm. He had been summoned by Princess Camila at first light, and given no explanation other than his presence being immediately required.

Not that he needed the intel, of course.

He knew every step taken by anyone worth a damn in the Kingdom, including the recently arrived agents of the Inquisition. Whatever business the Princess had in store for him, odds were he already had an inkling of it.

He crossed the grand central aisle, his stride firm with confidence as he approached his liege upon the throne. Princess Camila was flanked by two familiar figures: Sir Roderick, commander of the Royal Guard, and Nia, the court mage in chief.

For other than them, the throne room was all but deserted. The stands on both sides of the aisle were empty, with only the artwork on the walls bearing silent witness.

… Or so it seemed to be.

As he drew close, he noticed one crucial element that was entirely out of place, quietly perched atop the Princess’ shoulder.

It was a raven, brimming with magic that Silvano had seen once before… and given the identity of its master, the creature’s presence in the throne room meant something had gone catastrophically wrong for Radomir.

“Lord Silvano,” the Princess greeted him with formality.

“My Liege,” he replied with a bow, racing to formulate a course of action.

Due to the presence of the Imperial Inquisition, Silvano had cut communications with the Cult of Croxas, and he knew nothing about the results of Radomir’s mission.

Based on everything he knew about the Rose’s Thorns, their odds of survival against his squad were close to zero, especially with a Demonic Scion in their midst.

Yet Cerys’ familiar was alive and well, gingerly sitting on Princess Camila.

Whatever had happened in the Forbidden Forest, it drastically deviated from Silvano’s plan, and it had come back to bite him.

“I received a report last night, regarding the Rose’s Thorns,” said the Princess, cutting straight to the chase. “Are you informed about this matter?”

“I am,” Silvano replied. “I received a copy as well, sent by Grandmaster Godwin. He said the Thorns had gone silent, and presumed dead, but I’m pleased to see that isn’t the case.”

His eyes were fixed upon the raven, desperate to get a read on it. There was something inscrutable about the creature that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“This bird arrived an hour ago,” said Princess Camila. “Nia has confirmed it to be Cerys’ familiar, with an active mana link.”

And that meant Cerys was still alive.

If she were dead, the bird would’ve gone feral, but there it was in the throne room. This could only mean that Radomir failed his mission, and might be dead himself.

“Furthermore,” the Princess’ voice dropped, “the creature brought an item to us.”

Silvano raised an eyebrow at her words. Going by the Princess’ tone, he could tell the item in question was far, far more important than the bird, or even Cerys.

“Nia, if you please,” said the Princess.

“Yes, Your Highness,” replied the court mage, and she presented Silvano with a white box. It was gilded with magic crystals, and heavily enchanted with the highest degree of warding spells.

He’d seen such boxes before, inside the temples’ reliquary vaults. Whatever it was that the raven brought with it, Princess Camila had deemed it as holy.

“I swear, it’s been nothing but trouble these days…” Silvano lamented to himself, before opening the box with a pop.

Alas, no matter how hardened he was by decades of adventuring and subterfuge, he was not ready for this. His breath was taken away the moment he saw the item. His jaw grew slack, and his hands trembled.

The box contained a piece of dried root, more ancient than the Kingdom itself. It gushed with a tempestuous aura of magical energy, unlike anything Silvano had ever seen before.

It was impossible to mistake.

In that very moment, he was holding a fragment of the Dead Tree.

“The Thorns fulfilled their mission,” said Princess Camila, shutting the box in Silvano’s hands. “And as we speak, they are still in danger out there. I trust you know what this means, Lord Silvano.”

“I will save them,” he replied, forcing himself back to his senses. “Give me a team, Your Highness. I will lead the search and rescue operation in the Forbidden Forest.”

Princess Camila hadn’t called him for a mere report; she wanted muscle.

The Adventurer’s Guild was under interdiction by the Inquisition, which also blocked the military from mobilizing a response force. Princess Camila had no choice but to deploy her personal agents, as far away as she could from prying eyes.

Had the Thorns remained as presumed dead, the Princess would’ve lacked the urgency to summon Silvano out of retirement. But with a root of the Dead Tree in her hands, and Cerys’ familiar in tow, he had no way to refuse the assignment.

“You shall go with Sir Roderick and Nia,” declared the Princess. “It’s a matter of national security that the Rose’s Thorns are brought back alive.”

“It shall be done, Your Highness,” Silvano pledged an empty oath. Having the leader of the Royal Guard, and the court mage in chief as companions was certain to be an inconvenience.

Each of them was the strongest in their respective branch, and even for Silvano, it would be difficult to take on both in his old age.

To make matters worse…

“Take the bird with you,” said the Princess, before handing it over to Nia. “It still has a connection to Cerys. Make sure to use him as your guide.”

It was a three-to-one disadvantage, and the raven was no slouch. Silvano had to even the odds before departing, or the Thorns could live to tell about Radomir. In a worst case scenario, they could return with even more fragments of the Dead Tree.

Silvano was moving on borrowed time already, with the disappearance of the Dread Dragon. The Cult’s leadership remained unaware of the incident, but if Princess Camila managed to heal the King, he would be scrutinized in a heartbeat.

He could not let it stand.

“Can we take the root with us?” Silvano asked, meeting the Princess’ eyes. It was a desperate gambit, but if he convinced her, he’d deprive her of the root, and turn the tables on Nia and Roderick in one fell swoop.

“Lord Silvano,” said Princess Camila, “I trust you understand the enormity of what you just asked of me.”

Her eyes were sharp and piercing, leaving no room for pretext.

“I do understand, my Liege,” he replied, “but it’s my understanding that the Dead Tree is hidden by a powerful barrier. And I don’t mean to besmirch Nia’s ability, but I’m not confident we’ll find the Thorns on time if we wander the forest aimlessly.”

The Princess fell silent at Silvano’s argument.

He was well aware about the personal history she shared with each of the Thorns, and he was confident she couldn’t bring herself to abandon them in their time of need... especially on a mission that was penned by her own hand.

“Very well,” said the Princess, her gaze somber as she pressed the box into his hands. “I shall entrust you with this relic... May the will of Lady Faydan be done.”

“It shall be so,” he replied with a bow, an image of his beloved Meredith floating in his mind. What kind of face would she make if she saw him in that moment?

He didn’t need to ponder it. He already knew.

“Let’s get this over with,” barked Sir Roderick, breaking his stern silence as he beckoned Silvano and Nia to walk. The two of them bowed to Princess Camila, and made their way to the exit through the central aisle, the raven riding on Nia’s shoulder.

The emergency summons had thrown a wrench in Silvano’s plans, but he managed to avoid disaster. With the power of the Dead Tree in his hands, not only would he dispose of his unwanted entourage, he’d also have a fine offering to save himself from the Cult’s wrath.

Dealing with the aftermath would be a whole different beast of its own, but Silvano would cross that bridge when he got to it. In the meantime, he would do the same as he always did, coming out on top one fight at a time.

That was the plan, at least.

As the group was about to reach the door, the raven turned its head toward Silvano, its eyes glowing with magic. The reliquary in his hands snapped open with a roar of incandescent light, unleashing an overwhelming wave of magic.

It was so sudden that Silvano had no time to react, and was swiftly ensnared by chains of golden light that erupted from the box. Before he knew it, they clamped tight around him with a thunderous clang, their burning mana searing his skin, and throwing his aether pathways into disarray.

By the Dark Lord, he’d been had.

A number of teleportation spells activated around him. One in front, and two behind. He expected the new visitors to be Inquisitors, but to his surprise, the person in front of him was…

“Amelia...?” the name escaped his lips.

The exiled paladin stood tall and proud in front of him, her eyes burning with cold fury. She had long awaited the day to confront the man who had framed her father, and now, the time for reckoning had come.