Page 42

Relinquish

T he trip back into the dungeon was much easier with nearly a dozen soldiers at my back and Captain Boromia at my side.

Well, maybe easier was the wrong word. I wasn’t worried about monsters killing me anymore.

Instead, I was just worried about outliving my usefulness.

When that happened… well, I wasn’t sure I would make it back to the surface. And if I didn’t, Sky would die.

Our first major issue was the destroyed bridge.

I trembled as we neared it, thinking it would set the captain off.

But when I pointed it out to him, he merely laughed.

With a wave of his hand the bridge reformed, the broken stone held together by glowing veins of pure magic.

It was raw, powerful magic, the likes of which I’d never seen before.

The captain didn’t chant, he didn’t draw a magic circle on the ground, hell he didn’t even have a wand or staff to channel his power through.

That put him on par with many of the guild leaders.

I’d expected him to be a fighter with all his armor and his sword, not a mage.

However, it seemed like he was both and twice as dangerous.

As we wound our way through the tunnels, I did my best not to make any wrong turns.

I had no doubts that Captain Boromia would make good on his threats to kill Sky should I mislead them.

A few days ago, I would’ve told anyone that the captain saved all of us when we came to Cindersea.

He gave us coin and a pathway to survival in this brutal new world.

And that was still true in some ways. But this slow and steady shift toward the sinister was quickly tainting my gratitude toward him and his minions .

Why did the RSB enlist us in the first place?

I was starting to realize it wasn’t out of the goodness of their hearts.

Sky had hinted at us being fodder for the expansion of the kingdom, but I couldn’t believe people would be that cruel.

Why would they provide so much coin and food and equipment to us if they just wanted us to die?

No. I didn’t want to believe that. And I couldn’t let Captain Boromia’s behavior color the entire RSB.

It was more likely that he was just a bad egg thrown into the mix.

One I was unlucky enough to get involved with.

We came to a fork in the tunnels, and I hesitated, trying to recall which path we’d taken before. The soldiers behind me shifted nervously, armor clinking in the silence.

“Well?” Captain Boromia’s voice was honey-sweet but his eyes remained cold. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the way already.”

“Left,” I said, pointing down the darker passage. “We went left here.”

As we moved forward, I thought of Sky’s face filled with pain from the wound the captain had inflicted on him.

His blue eyes had been so full of desperation, trying to keep me from making the deal I knew I had to make.

But I had to save him, to make sure he lived through this crazy adventure of ours so we could be together on the other side.

We’d managed to survive the dungeon, what was supposed to be an impossible feat.

And now his life hung in the balance. All I had to do was give up the biggest hoard of magic anyone in Selas or Cindersea had probably ever seen.

But that felt like nothing in exchange to keep Sky alive. He was more important than any of that.

“You care for that Animaru,” Captain Boromia said beside me as if he could read my thoughts, his voice low enough that only I could hear. “It’s a weakness, you know. Attachments in Cindersea rarely end well. Especially here in the wildlands.”

I kept my eyes forward. “He saved my life.”

“And now you’re returning the favor.” He laughed, the sound echoing off the stone walls. “Noble, but ultimately futile. If there’s one thing I know about this world, it’s that everyone is consumed by it eventually. Only the powerful survive.”

“Is that why you’re after the books?” I asked, not attempting to hide my malice.

“Smart boy,” he nodded, smiling wide. “Maybe you’ll survive longer than most clerics.”

I shot him a dirty look, but he just smiled at me.

Of course he didn’t care. Nor was he threatened by me.

I was just some newbie with very little power and not very many friends.

For a brief moment I wondered if my new status as a champion of the Twilight could help me.

But then I remembered what the god himself had said.

The world, including the RSB and the guilds, were out of balance.

If they found out I’d been chosen to correct their course, they’d see me as a threat.

It didn’t take a genius to know what they’d do next.

I’d be dead.

The thought sent a chill down my spine, and I quickly buried it deep. Now wasn’t the time to reveal my connection to the Twilight. I needed to focus on one problem at a time—first, get Sky to safety, then worry about my divine mission.

“We’re getting close,” I whispered, recognizing a peculiar formation of glowing fungi embedded in the wall. They glimmered faintly as if wet, casting eerie blue shadows across our faces.

Captain Boromia’s hand fell heavily on my shoulder. “Good. I’d hate to think you were wasting my time.” His fingers tightened, digging painfully into my flesh. “I’ve never been a patient man.”

The soldiers behind us shifted nervously, their armor creaking in the silence. I wondered how many of them were here willingly, and how many were just following orders. Did they know what their captain was really like?

We rounded a corner and I felt my breath catch. The doorway stood in front of us, the decomposed remains of the wood in a pile on the floor. Beyond that was a spiral staircase leading down into darkness. I motioned for the rest to follow, taking them down the stairs and into the dimly lit chamber.

The bookshelves still stood where Sky and I had left them, towering monuments of ancient knowledge filled to the brim with books. Magical light pulsed from the sconces on the walls as we stepped onto the chamber floor, alighting the room once more.

“By the gods…” Captain Boromia gasped, looking around. “I thought you were certainly lying.” He glanced down at me, his eyes filled with wonder and with hunger. “I guess that wolf boy really does mean something to you, doesn’t he?” He glanced over his shoulder. “Jeremy!”

A timid-looking soldier at the back with unpolished armor stepped forward, a spear in his hand. “Y-Yes sir!”

“Take this cleric back to his beast,” he growled, giving me a shove back toward the stairs. “Round up their party and take them back to Selas.” He glanced back down at me, a malicious grin filling his face. “And if they give you any trouble, kill them all.”

“Yes sir!” The man called Jeremy stepped forward, grabbing me by the arm. “Come on you.”

I was pulled back to the stairs. We were halfway up when the captain called out once more.

“Oh, and Oliver,” he smiled, not bothering to look back. “If you or your friends tell anyone about this, no one will ever know you existed.”

I swallowed hard, nodding as Jeremy dragged me up the stairs.

Part of me wanted to protest, to fight back, but what could I do against a dozen armed soldiers?

And more importantly, what would happen to Sky if I resisted?

Today, more than ever, I’d learned the captain wasn’t a man to be trifled with.

I had no doubt in my mind that he’d make good on his promise should I go against his wishes.

And right now, all I wanted to do was get back to my friends and to Sky. I had to keep them safe.

The ascent through the dungeon felt like a strange mirror image of our descent—the same twisting corridors and eerie shadows, but now I was a prisoner rather than a guide. Jeremy kept a firm grip on my arm, but his touch wasn’t cruel. If anything, he seemed uncomfortable with his assignment.

We continued in silence after that, retracing our path through the dungeon. When we reached the destroyed bridge, now held together by the captain’s magic, Jeremy hesitated.

“Do you think it will it hold?” he asked, eyeing the glowing veins holding the rock together.

“How the hell should I know?” I shot back, my voice filled with venom. “You’re the RSB scout, you tell me.”

Jeremy flinched at my tone but kept his grip firm. “You first, cleric.” Then he shoved me forward onto the magical bridge.

The stone felt solid beneath my feet, but the pulsing veins of magic made my skin crawl.

Each step we took sent ripples over the magical energy surrounding the bridge, like walking across the surface of a pond.

I couldn’t help but wonder if the captain’s spell would hold without his presence, or if it might suddenly dissolve, sending us plummeting into the darkness below.

“How can you work for him?” I asked quietly as we reached the midpoint of the bridge. “Don’t you see what he’s doing?”

Jeremy’s eyes narrowed. “I’d watch your tongue if I were you, cleric. The captain’s orders were clear. Either keep in line or watch your friends die. Your choice.”

His tone was rough, almost forced, like he was trying to put on a show for anyone that might be listening.

But in his eyes, I saw the same fear I felt in my heart.

He was just as scared of Captain Boromia as I was.

I had no doubt that if he should fail in his duties, his punishment would be just as severe as mine.

It was possible that he was just as much a prisoner as I was.