No Way

Osric awakens to the clang of metal, spitting the dirt out of his mouth. He watches Elayne fight.

She trades blows with both beastkin warriors. The tan one swings at her side — she blocks it while ducking under the other’s strike. She springs back, planting both feet on the trunk of a tree, then propels forward, slicing the tan warrior's shoulder as she flies by.

When did Elayne get so… cool? Osric thinks, eyelids growing heavy.

>>>

I recognize this ceiling. Osric stares at the intricate coffered panels — it's Angus’ mansion. He flitters his eyelids, unsure if there's something in his left eye.

He sits up and notices a maid standing in the doorway — a beige-furred wolf maid. The sight of her dress stabs at his heart. Forcing memories of Cinder into his mind. I doubt she made it out alive...

She sets clothes on his bed. "Master instructed me to send you to the dining hall if you wake. I will notify the other maids to have a place set for you at the table." She paces out the room.

Osric changes out of his pajamas. As he does, his eyes fall on three books on the nightstand: the "Book of Sloth," the "Book of Wrath," and the "Quadra Codex." A leather messenger bag leans against the nightstand. He shoves the first two books into the bag, then hesitates, staring at the "Book of Sloth." Is it gonna possess me again if I touch it?

He takes one of the books back out and uses it to swat the "Book of Sloth" off the nightstand and into the bag. He then slings it over his shoulder.

On his way out, His reflection in the mirror atop the dresser stops him in his tracks. His blonde hair and red eyes are gone, replaced with black. Faint, vein-like markings trace across his face. He runs his finger over them. His finger settles on his eyelid, pulling it down reveals a black crescent-moon shape on the inside.

He makes his way through the eerily quiet hallway and down the staircase. He swings open the doors to the dining hall to find a packed table. Elayne and Helen sit across from a girl with blonde hair and glasses, and an older man with gray hair. Beside him is a half-beastkin cat boy. At the far end of the table sit Angus and Edith.

Osric plops down in the empty seat next to Elayne, eyeing a juicy steak. He picks up a fork, ready to dig in, when the screech of a chair makes him perk up.

Angus stomps over — then slaps him across the face.

"Hey! What the hell?!" Osric shouts, but Angus simply turns around and returns to his seat.

"That hurt! I could be injured for all you know!"

“How do you think he feels?” Edith interjects, her voice sharp. “How do you think he felt when a wagon arrived at the estate with the bodies of his daughter, son-in-law, and maid? Some sage you are — you can’t even protect your own mother.”

The words sting, but Osric shovels steak into his mouth to stave off his ravenous hunger, clamping down with each bite to temper his anger.

“Edith, please. That’s too far,” Angus says, his breaths shaky.

Osric, the only one eating, flicks his eyes up at the tension hanging over the table. His flapping lips the only reprieve from the silence.

“Mister Sage… or can I call you Osric?” the blonde-haired girl asks, standing.

“Mmm!” Osric replies, his mouth full.

>>>

Anne explains everything, from meeting Elayne and Helen up until now.

She removes her glasses. “These purple eyes are proof that I am of the royal family. We have returned to the kingdom to expose its corruption.”

Osric pulverizes the meat in his mouth, teeth clacking together.

"So, what you’re saying is… you’ve been planning a rescue mission this whole time?" He slams his fork to the table, springing from his chair. "Where the hell was it!? Do you know how long I was stuck in that cell in that horrible—"

“There’s something I should add,” Angus interrupts. “After the Queen died, a few of my lord friends and I found it suspicious how quickly he remarried — she never made any public appearances. When I heard she was pregnant, I devised a plan to get Edith closer to the King. She could potentially serve as the Queen’s midwife, finally giving me a way to make contact with her.”

“You decide to tell me this now?” Osric asks through clenched teeth.

“I had planned to tell you before you met the king, but everything happened so fast!”

“Wait…” Osric mutters, stroking his chin. “This adds up nicely. That would mean the Queen could also be a demon.”

"A demon?!" Angus gasps.

"What? You were suspicious of the Queen?"

Angus shakes his head. "Heavens, no! We all suspected the Queen might be working for the Aurelith."

"What do you mean by this, Sage?" Anne leans in.

>>>

Osric explains everything that happened during his kidnapping, leaving out the parts involving the angel and Sloth, and replacing them with a story about the demons having an evil book that possessed him... He also left out the part where he ogles that demon girl's breasts.

“Caden, that’s true, right?” Anne asks.

“Yes. When I arrived at the Demon Capital… it was gone. Nothing but a huge hole in the ground.”

Angus and Edith gasp.

"And what of this evil book?" Anne asks.

"I’ve got it taken care of. It should never be a problem again," Osric says, pursing his lips. So long as I don’t touch it again… I think.

"I trust the Sage’s word. But what evidence suggests the Prime Minister is a demon?"

“The Prime Minister and the adventurer girl who tricked me had the same bright yellow-blonde hair. It seemed… off — artificial, almost. I’ve didn't see any demons with blonde hair… except the adventurer girl with chopped-off horns. And how did she know Angus’s name? The only way is if they had contact with the kingdom.”

Osric wets his mouth, slams the cup down, and continues.

“When I first met the Prime Minister, he mentioned knowing of a boy with red eyes. Nobody in the village had seen my eyes up close except one boy and the priest. So… how did he know? The priest told him. That would explain my suspicions about the church. If the demons control the government, it makes sense — they’d want to control the church too. That’s why it’s taught that beastkin are lesser than humans, so they can’t unite against the demons, and why incantations have unnecessary words at the start. Why nerf your cast time?”

"Nerf?" Anne asks.

“Don’t worry about that part,” Osric waves off her question with a hand.

"But how do we prove this?" Anne asks.

“I don’t know, this is just my speculation.” He pauses for a moment, then snaps his fingers. “Catch the Prime Minister and check for demon horn nubs under his hair.”

“And how would we do that?” Anne asks, leaning in, hands pressed against the table.

“That’s for you to figure out.”

“What?” Anne drops into her chair.

“Yeah, I’m getting out of here.” Osric turns toward the door.

“You don’t have a plan?”

“Osric, where are you going?” Angus jumps from his chair, rushing after him. “You’re a wanted man now. You killed the Holy Knight commander!”

“That’s why I’m going to find a quiet place in the middle of nowhere, where I can be alone.” Osric rests his hand on the door handle.

“I can give you the key to the old Lord of Lumora’s mansion. He was a hermit and lived in the woods past Sunvale Village. You might be able to live there unnoticed.” Angus places his hand on Osric’s shoulder.

“Um… but why?” Osric turns.

"Because you’re my grandson," Angus says, tears in his eyes.

The words make Osric's heart twinge. "Angus, I’m sorry… sorry I couldn’t protect your daughter." He turns away to hide his own tears.

"I'm sorry." Angus places a hand on his back.

The two step out of the dining hall.

“Wait.” Osric tugs at Angus’s sleeve. “Do those three know anything about the books on the nightstand?” he whispers.

“No. I found them and left them for you.”

“Wait!” Anne chases after them. “Does the Sage truly intend to abandon the kingdom?”

“I’m not the Sage. I never was.”

“I don’t believe that! You’ve proven yourself an amazing tactician.” Anne steps closer, reaching for his hand, her eyes wide and pleading. “I would love to have you on our team!”

Osric yanks his hand away. “No way I’m helping the kingdom that left me to rot in that dungeon.” He walks off, a disheartened scowl burdening his face.