Chapter 36

“What’s going on here? Master Eric? Master Flint?” Kvera immediately demanded as she came down to the first floor of The Drunken Beaver, which had become something of a refuge for them after everything that had happened. Everyone was here except Sovt and Lekh, who was recovering in a room similar to Yan’s, as well as the Abyss Chasers. “Why is the ground shaking?”

“No idea.” The sorcerer spread his hands. “But I can feel powerful surges of ancient magic.”

“The Beyond?” Tissa asked sternly, stepping beside him.

“No, I wouldn’t say so,” Eric replied. “The magic is ancient, but by no means destructive.”

Then the tavern door suddenly flew open, and Sovt barged inside along with the Amressa brothers.

“Did you find Zolot?” Flint immediately asked, rising from the table.

“No, may your beard split, old man,” the knight replied. “But we have much bigger problems now. We need to get out of here, and fast.”

“What happened?” Maya asked.

“My Order has come here,” Sovt said in reply, and the entire atmosphere changed at once.

“We can’t leave. Yan still hasn’t recovered,” Kvera answered immediately. “We’ll fight.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sovt said.

“We defeated Viktor Faraday—the most powerful anti-mage in Existence,” the girl persisted, drawing her double-bladed sword. “We can handle an Ancient Knightly Order too.”

“More like you didn’t ‘defeat’ him so much as lull him to sleep like a baby, slap-dash,” Chadun snorted, and immediately caught Tissa’s murderous glare. “All right, all right, slap-dash, I was just joking.” The mage raised his hands.

“I’ll say it again: you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sovt replied. “Maybe you defeated Yan, but my Order is something else entirely. How exactly do you plan to defeat an entire army of warriors whose Order is older than all the Faradays put together, huh?”

Kvera snorted.

“So what do you suggest?”

Sovt fell silent for a moment, unable to believe he was about to say the next words.

“I suggest we buy some time. And give Yan and Lekh a chance to escape.”

“So you’re suggesting we die heroic deaths?” Eric asked. “There goes my villa in Encantaria…”

“Master Eric!” Kvera and Maya clicked their tongues at him reproachfully.

“I’m joking, I’m joking. Like I’m not used to this by now. Out of the frying pan and straight into the fire.”

“Glad I got to be your friend, old Eric,” Flint said.

“You have no idea how thrilled I am,” the sorcerer replied, rolling his eyes.

And then… the tremors suddenly stopped. The entire group began looking around, unable to understand what had happened.

Then a voice rang out from beyond the door:

“In the name of Queen Illida the Gold-Bearing, ruler of Veradia and sovereign of the Order of the Blue Paths!” came a thunderous voice. “Sovt Gratz, and all those with you! We know you are here. Come out, bend the knee, and the Queen shall grant you mercy!”

“I hate monarchs,” Eric hissed, and immediately received a smack on the back of the head from Kvera.

Sovt looked at everyone present, waiting for their answer.

They all nodded in unison.

The knight sighed, drew the hilt of his sword from its sheath, and tossed it onto the floor.

“I hear and obey Her Majesty!” he called back, then headed for the door. He opened it. And, just as he had expected, saw an entire army.

“Thank the Gods you decided to come out without a fight,” said one of the knights standing at the front. It was Sarag, a Master of the same rank as Sovt. He waved a hand, and the rows of knights abruptly parted in opposite directions, forming something like a living corridor that led toward the center of Aradeyn, to its main square.

“I’m glad to see you too, Sarag,” the knight said with a smile.

“I wouldn’t be smiling if I were you, my old friend,” Sarag replied. “You failed your mission. You entered into an alliance with Zolotoros and some pathetic rogue named Yan Di Wonderwalk. We know everything.”

At the mention of the “pathetic Di Wonderwalk,” Sovt suddenly felt a strong urge to rearrange his old comrade’s face. After Yan had been knocked over the head yesterday evening, the knight had had some very meaningful conversations with Kvera and the others, enough to understand that…

That he already knew all of this about the rogue anyway. His stupidly acute sensitivity to injustice and to that whole business of putting yourself “above others.” And also the insane power that broke loose whenever something bad happened to his friends, acquaintances, and so on.

“Tell your companions to come out with their hands raised as well. And hurry. The Queen is waiting.”

Sovt stepped out first. The Amressa brothers followed him.

At the sight of the crowd of warriors encased in magical steel, Khad let out a loud whistle. Julius, meanwhile, began coldly studying the weak points in their armor.

Mekh came out next, his plate armor still completely mangled after yesterday’s clash with Faraday.

Then came Chadun, who immediately decided to go right back into the tavern, only for Kvera to grab him by the scruff and drag him along. Maya, Nika, and Tissa followed. Flint and Eric brought up the rear.

The latter, upon seeing an entire army, choked on his own saliva so badly that Flint had to pound him on the back to keep him from dropping dead.

“Where are the second adept and the rogue?” Sarag asked, flinching when Maya started making faces at him.

“Lekh… died,” Sovt replied.

“Lekh? Who are you talking about?” Sarag asked in surprise.

“Doesn’t matter,” Sovt cut him off.

“And the rogue?”

“Ah, he ran away,” the knight said, looking his old comrade straight in the eyes. “You know those ‘pathetic and cowardly’ rogues. Give them half a reason and they’ll bolt.”

“I understand. That makes sense,” Sarag nodded.

Whether through inattention or simple ignorance, the knight forgot to ask about Semyu. The innkeeper had a surprisingly masterful talent for slipping out of other people’s field of vision. Which, in this case, was for the best. He had stayed behind to guard Yan and Lekh until it was time for them to run.

But first—they needed a commotion. And they needed to buy time.

“Well then, let’s go,” Sarag ordered. “You will stand before Queen Illida. And together with her, and with all of us, you will witness a new Era in the history of the Blue Paths.”