“You really are a rat.”
Ghell howled with pleasure as his dagger sliced cleanly across Mayor Rumpus’s throat. Unlike his other victims, the mayor did not gurgle, his eyes did not widen in pain, and he did not fall forward. With his neck leaking blood, the mayor stumbled forward and raised his finger, pointing it at Ghell, his eyes shining with defiance. Then he fell backwards and didn’t stir again.
“And that’s how it’s done.” Ghell looked over his shoulder at the human child, who pounded against the door and screamed for help to the soldiers on the other side. His magic wouldn’t hold for much longer. It was time to go.
“Come now, girl,” Ghell said. “I’m taking you to a special place in the sky. You should be happy. So few ever get to see it. It’ll be my first time, too.”
“Rina doesn’t want to,” the girl said, weeping. “Rina hates you! You killed her friend.”
“I’ve killed lots of people’s friends, so save your tears—you’re going to need them.”
By the time the death rainbows had finally vanished from the night sky, Sehn’s eyes had been practically blinded. He growled each time he bumped into the Champion as they ran together through the streets. Fortunately, his vision was slowly returning to normal.
The magic he’d used had created a bit of panic, and now citizens were up and about in the middle of the night, shouting down at passing guards from second-story windows and demanding to know what had happened, and why the night sky had bloomed with such bright colors. Sehn reminded himself to charge each one of them later for the privilege of having seen his light show, which was what he was calling it now.
It’s better than something with the word ‘rainbow’ in it
,
he rationalized.
Light show is more masculine
.
Sehn ignored the locals and continued on, occasionally shoving a soldier aside as he and the Champion stormed their way to the mayor’s mansion, where they would meet up with Cah’lia and the others. For some reason, the closer they got to the mansion, the more crowded the streets became. People were exiting their homes, muttering to each other, and then proceeding to hurry down the same path that Sehn and the Champion were traveling.
“Tell me it’s not true
,
” an elderly woman whispered to someone whom Sehn assumed to be her husband. She walked at such a hurried pace that she and her man passed them up. “This cannot be.”
“Perhaps it’s a mistake,” her husband said, panting. “It could be another one of his foolish games.”
“Pray the Gods it is so!”
The conversation struck Sehn as odd, and he had the notion that something bad must have recently happened—something beyond his Godly light show, which had no doubt frightened the people of Hahl. He couldn’t make out much from their whispers, but their tones were grim and their faces were pale with shock.
As he neared the center of the city, where the entrance to the square housing the courts, the mayor’s home, and the guildhall resided, the crowds became too thick to shove people aside, and he was forced to slow down to a walk. Catching his breath, Sehn looked at the people scrambling to get through the silver archway that served as an entrance to the city’s center. Many carried torches, giving off enough light that Sehn was able to see things clearly. Up front, dozens of guards held back the forward-pressing crowd. They shoved anyone who got too close, and they bludgeoned over the head those few who were brave enough to try getting past them with force.
As Sehn pushed and prodded his way closer to the archway, he noticed that the uneasiness among the gathered citizens was escalating. Many shouted unintelligible cries at the guards, who either nodded sadly or said nothing at all. What was going on? Sehn made his way to the front, where at least four soldiers were busy at any given time trying to hold back the masses.
Things were quickly turning from odd to ridiculous. Children buried tear-soaked faces into their mothers’ skirts, while grown men sobbed openly and in plain view, something that Sehn would rather be dead than caught doing. A child brushed against his leg, a small human girl who bore a quaint resemblance to Rina. She ran to her mother, who picked her up and held her tight against her chest. Something very bad must have happened. Whatever it had been, these humans were clearly in mourning over it.
Sehn nudged himself closer to the archway, until he and the Champion were now the closest people to the guards.
“You,” he said, addressing a soldier he took to be the woman in charge; the insignia of a guard captain was engraved on her breastplate, and two orange feathers trailed from the back of her headgear. “What has happened here? What’s with all these people?”
The woman stiffened. “Have you not heard, elf?”
“Of course I have! There is nothing the Great Sehn has not heard. But tell me anyway.”
“The mayor,” she said. “He’s been slain.”
“The mayor’s been…?”
“Slain,” she repeated. “About thirty minutes ago an assassin snuck inside the mansion and killed him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Aye, I’m as positive as can be. His poor daughter is a wreck.”
Sehn remembered Mayor Rumpus Pumpus, the tiny little man whom he had met while impersonating Prince Saerith. Not long after the battle, Sehn had overheard the other soldiers praising the mayor for his ability in combat; they claimed he had singlehandedly defeated dozens of the enemy’s warriors, and that he had even saved the prince’s life.
“Is that why all these humans are in tears?” Sehn asked.
The solider nodded, and he could see a damp glow forming in her eyes. “He was well loved, he was.” She placed her hands over her chest a moment with her fingers interlocked—the human gesture of prayer to their chief deity, Raurum. “May he find tomorrow’s happiness.”
Sehn noticed the Champion stirring beside him. “This is…not good,” his minion whispered. A few of the citizens shot angry glares his way, as if aware that the Champion had been one of the antagonists during the battle of Hahl. By now, rumors had spread of the fearsome warrior who had been defeated by Sehn, joining him in return for having his life spared. It was close to the truth, but only a select few knew what had really taken place.
Sehn gave a false smile to the woman guard then tapped the Champion on the shoulder, gesturing for him to spin around so they could speak privately. Lowering his voice, Sehn asked, “What’s the matter?”
“If…the mayor is dead, we must assume my former master has…played a hand in it.”
“And why would we assume that?”
“Who else is…powerful enough to kill the mayor? Ah…by that, I mean other than you, master.”
“What are you getting at?”
“That…someone powerful killed him for a reason.”
“I see,” Sehn said. “Perhaps he was overheard saying something bad about the Great Sehn’s name, and one of my worshippers decided to kill him for it.”
“Or perhaps he…was in the way.”
“In the way of what? Why would that little man be in the—?”
Sehn felt the blood drain from his face as he realized what the Champion was implying. If Mayor Rumpus had been killed inside the mansion where Rina was being held, was it possible that there was a link between the two? Sehn doubted it; after all, Patrick had assured him that Rina was being kept in a well-guarded room protected by his finest soldiers. But if rumor was to be believed, the mayor
was
the prince’s finest solider.
Sehn refused to allow paranoia to impede his thoughts. If someone had taken the mayor’s life, it must’ve been because of a personal grudge. Rina was fine—she had to be. There was no link, and it was simply one large coincidence.
Then why are my arms trembling
?
Sehn wondered—then he cursed under his breath.
Gah
!
I mean
,
why are my arms
,
umm…NOT trembling
?
Sehn turned back around and signaled for the guard captain’s attention. She was busy staving off an elderly man who demanded to see the mayor, refusing to believe that Hahl’s beloved guardian had been killed.
“You!” Sehn called to her. “Was the mayor protecting a child when he was killed? Specifically a very young human girl with black bushy hair and a cheery, high-pitched voice.”
Grunting, the woman replied while shoving back the advancing crowd. “I don’t think I’ve got the authority to answer that question.”
“You don’t have the what?” Sehn shouted. “How dare you refuse to answer one of the Great Sehn’s questions? Do you have any idea who I am?”
The captain, ordering one of her men to take her place in holding off the demanding citizens, gave Sehn a thorough look, eying him up and down. “Actually, I do. Aye, you’re the elf that Prince Patrick’s gone and brought here, aren’t you? The hero who fought the monster.” Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “And that there,” she said, pointing at the Champion, “that’s the very same monster, isn’t it?”
Sehn nodded. “Yes, I am the hero of Hahl. Now, tell me what you know, and I promise that I will only rain fire down upon your city for five days and nights instead of six.”
The guard captain’s expression became visibly troubled. She removed her helmet and frowned. “Now, I should warn that this is the sort of tale you’d hear spun from those with head illnesses.”
“Out with it!” Sehn demanded, losing patience.
“Well, word is that an invisible man has gone and snuck into the mayor’s home, slipping right on past the guards Patrick had set up to protect that very same human girl you were just on about. They say you could smell him even though the eyes couldn’t see him. Anyway, the invisible man bested the mayor in a duel and snuck out the window with the child.”
For a nauseating moment, Sehn felt as if his heart had just risen up to his throat; then a sharp pain stabbed at his midsection. This was what he had dreaded hearing. He ran forward and grabbed the woman’s wrist. “Where is she?” he shouted. “Where did he take Rina?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know,” the woman said apologetically. “Everything’s just happened a few minutes ago. Right now the priority’s on securing the area and keeping—hey, you can’t go there!”
Sehn shoved the guard captain out of his way. He and the Champion stampeded through the guards, catching them unaware. A shock traveled through Sehn’s left shoulder as he slammed aside one of the men blocking his path through the archway. Then he marched right on through, the Champion following quietly behind him. He knew the guards wouldn’t bother chasing; they were too busy keeping back anyone else who might attempt something similar.
All hope of keeping away paranoia was now gone as Sehn took in the area around him. Desperate and panicked, he began sprinting towards the mayor’s home, his eyes searching for any sign of Rina. If this had happened recently, then there was still hope—they could still find her.
He paused when he was halfway between the archway and the series of gravel pathways that led to the various halls and assemblies. He realized he had no idea what he was doing or where he was supposed to be going. The leftmost pathway led directly to the mayor’s former home, but the guard captain had said that the man who’d kidnapped Rina—Sehn suspected him of being Ghell—had fled the scene. Did that mean he needed to search somewhere else?
This damn place is bigger than I remember it being
.
The original plan had been to meet up with Cah’lia in the mayor’s home, but that alone could cost him hours of precious time that would be better served finding Rina. The real question then became a matter of where to go next. The girl must’ve still been around here somewhere.
“Master,” the Champion whispered. He pointed to the leftmost path. “Are you confused? We are to meet with Cah’lia, remember?”
Sehn was in no mood to argue. “Forget that. It’s a waste of time. If we don’t find Rina and Nero now, we’ll lose them forever.”
Sehn whipped his head around every which way, frustration causing him to struggle to keep his thoughts straight. He felt hopeless, lost, and confused. There were too many places Rina could be, and he didn’t know where to begin looking.
For the second time, he looked around him. He spun in a circle, catching sight of all the elaborately constructed courthouses and large, multi-story buildings that served various administrative functions. She could be anywhere. The guildhall alone provided several hundred hiding places inside, along with a great many areas to remain hidden in the surrounding gardens.
It became difficult for him to breathe. He ran his hand through his hair and, for the third time, spun full circle, hoping to gain some insight on where she could have been taken. He needed to find her. He needed to find her now! For him to lose both Nero
and
Rina…this couldn’t be happening. There had to be someplace to go, some battle to charge into.
“Master,” the Champion whispered, “get a hold of yourself.”
Sehn ignored his minion. Something terrible was rising within him, a feeling of dread so pronounced that it became a challenge for him to stay on his feet. His hands became clammy. Sweat poured from his face, chest, and from between his toes. But he didn’t care; all that concerned him was finding Rina and Nero. Before it was too late.
They have to be around here somewhere
.
They can’t be gone
.
They can’t
!
“Master,” the Champion said again, “you must remain calm.”
It wasn’t until Sehn began gasping and struggling to breathe that he realized he was losing control of himself. It was as if the air could no longer reach his lungs. What was happening to him? His gasping worsened: loud choking sounds that were alarming even to his own ears. Yet he couldn’t take his mind off the children.
What is this
?
Sehn could no longer deny that he had changed in some ways since leaving Elvar. He had learned a great many new things, and he had felt new emotions, new depths of both joy and sadness. Now, he felt something entirely different: utter despair.
It was not the first time he’d felt hopelessness since beginning this journey, but this time it wasn’t the same. It was different from what he’d felt those times he’d thought he was going to die, or when being so far from home had caused him sadness. No, this was somehow deeper—it originated from a place that housed his most terrible nightmares.