Chapter 56
Tarashak the Smoldering Storm looked up at the burning sky and sighed. No, he did not feel like a general anymore. Even his army was just a glorified garrison confined to a small town, condemned to wait in infuriating inaction. There was nothing they could do, nothing he could do except watch the hillside becoming smaller little by little as the tens of thousands of minotaur mages and miners worked themselves to the bone to render Scaragar’s foundations non-existent. Their progress was slow — the hill was a giant, rocky boulder as hard and unrelenting as anything — but Tarashak knew that if something wasn’t done, the enemy would succeed. Eventually. How many days has it been since Hyde had left? Ten? Twenty? How many more days until he’d deliver on his promise and capture and shut the gate between Fourth and Third? Only then the hated minotaur king would realise his target was elsewhere. But as of now Hyde was still a couple of days away from Orroth, and who knew how long it would take to get Riaret and her army out of there.
Tarashak turned around to face the city and leaned his back against the parapet wall. He absently called up a small ball of fire through one of his more basic skills — Flameshaper, which he hadn’t used for a long time — and began to juggle the glowing smudge of fiery Hell Mana from one hand to the other, while keeping his eyes on his soldiers loitering together with residents down in the plaza, or walking about listlessly among the houses deeper in town. What a depressing sight for a time when his army should be out there fighting battles and burning minotaurs to cinders! He wondered in what kind of state of mind Hyde would find Riaret; if there was anyone in the Ring who loathed this kind of waiting game more than he did, it was her. Was she even still alive? He could easily imagine Riaret finally losing her mind and deciding to throw strategy, planning and caution out a window in favour of a glorious last battle in which she’d die with glee. How long would it take her to get to that point? How long would it take him? He didn’t want to find out.
General! I found them. Finally. The mind-voice of Sekitar, one of his oldest captains, came to him.
Found them? Where? What are they doing? Tarashak demanded immediately, the fireball vanishing from his hands in a puff of sparks and mana.
Well, I found two of them. They’re … taking a couple of wheelbarrows filled with rocks and dirt somewhere. The high-level scout reported.
Follow them! I want to know where they’re based and what they’re actually up to! He gave the order.
I’ll do my best, general, but they seem to have a well organised operation going on. Sekitar said. I spotted numerous lookouts — the town overseer’s people — and others who clean up the trails. These demons are zealous, whatever it is they’re doing.
Follow them and report when you have their hideout. Tarashak reiterated the order.
Yes, general. The scout-captain acknowledged it then went silent.
Wheelbarrows filled with rocks and dirt? The little brat, Flamey, had said they were digging, so it made sense. But even if she believed they could dig their way out of Scaragar — which he didn’t — why would she do that, especially against her father’s orders to hold the city for as long as possible? Was she just that bored? And her personal guards helping her was one thing — it was their job to do that — but how in all that was damned and cursed had she managed to get the city overseer and his people to play along? She couldn’t have had her psychic skills advance that much, could she? Tarashak regretted not having studied psychic skills or at least asked more questions about them whenever he’d met Kralsen or one of his captains. Despite the obvious potential of such skills, they just weren’t something that really whipped a fire- demon’s interest into a frenzy. Ice-demons like Kralsen … maybe. But not fire-demons. He had always thought Ugrathar’s choice of having some such skills were nothing but one of his eccentricities — not unlike his horrible naming habits or his unusually violent outbursts — and so far, it seemed Flamey had her own peculiar habits, such as proclaiming herself a princess. Whatever a princess was. He had never listened to her explanations. But now? Could her psychic skills be at play here? There was only one way to find out.
***
Tarashak the Smoldering Storm waited impatiently at the edge of the plaza, standing still out of sight behind stacks of crates piled up against the wall of a house. He’d been waiting for more than ten minutes, and he was eager to go and do something, even if it was to catch Flamey doing something wrong instead of a glorious, fire-drenched battle against the Third Ring scum. The first of his soldiers arrived after another minute: Duranak, a mage captain. Then another two arrived, both warriors, then another two, one mage one scout. Five of his longest serving soldiers who had been with him since time immemorial. This would do, and they weren’t the only ones taking part in this operation.
‘We’re ready, general,’ Duranak said.
‘Excellent. We’ll know soon where the digging is taking place. Once I get the word from Sekitar, Helkoret and her warriors will march to the part of the city to make some noise and distract the enemy lookouts, and Sekitar will guide us to the actual place.’
‘Good plan, general,’ Duranak commented. ‘But … “enemy” lookouts? They’re not really enemies, are they? The Hellfire Lord’s heir, I mean?’
‘Oh no, of course not,’ Tarashak corrected himself. ‘But they’re up to something, and I want to know …’
General! I got them. I know where they are. Sekitar’s report interrupted his sentence.
‘We got them. Let’s get moving!’ he ordered his troops, both Duranak’s five who were with him, and Helkoret’s dozen who were ready and eager to start some trouble with the residents of a certain part near the centre of Scaragar.
Oh, he was going to enjoy this: the look on the brat’s princess-face when he would finally find her hideout and discover what childish games she was playing with the locals instead of doing something useful. At this point Tarashak realised that he had stooped this low because he himself was bored and irritated, but at this point he didn’t care — he was going to enjoy this.
***
Tarashak the Smoldering Storm walked fast, leading his five soldiers from street to street, alley to alley. He could already hear the commotion — the banging, shouting, yelling and swearing — coming from not too far. Helkoret and her brawny and unruly soldiers seemed to have passed the point of being satisfied with simple shouting matches with the locals, but Tarashak didn’t mind it; a brawl was an even better distraction. He doubted anyone would die, and the healing aura Hyde had bestowed upon Scaragar would deal with all wounds in a day or two. What a strange, unheard of, but useful thing that was.
He followed Sekitar’s directions, navigating through the narrow streets around the ongoing altercation between his demons and the locals, and after a minute he spotted him on a rooftop a few buildings down the street. The demon jumped down to the ground and beckoned Tarashak and his group to follow him. They were nearly there, rushing between the houses unimpeded, Flamey’s so called “followers” fully occupied with Helkoret and her demons. The scout captain stopped at the corner of the next street. Tarashak went to stand next to him, peeking around the corner as the soldier pointed at the third house down.
‘That one, general,’ he whispered. ‘The wheelbarrows are going in and out of the back entrance of that house. Better than that, the heir is there right now. Saw her enter not five minutes ago with a few of her guards.’
‘Oh, that scheming little brat! Now we’ll see what she’s up to.’ Tarashak growled with delight. ‘Let’s move!’
They were at the door of the house in seconds. Tarashak didn’t hesitate, the door and the demon on the inside leaning against it no match for his level 40 strength. He barged in with his collection of high-level soldiers behind him, stormed through the few, protesting but ultimately helpless demons in the hallway, and burst into the large central room of the house.
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‘A-ha! Flamey! Now I will …’ Tarashak bellowed victoriously the moment he laid eyes on the girl, pointing at her, but then the words got stuck in his throat as the full view of the room hit him.
‘Tar-Tar! You shouldn’t be here!’ Flamey squeaked, flailing her arms around, but the demon general and archmage barely heard her.
Instead, his widened eyes were fixed on the giant minotaur standing a few steps behind the heir, right at the edge of a large hole in the floor, and a huge chunk of rock and dirt hovering and undulating in the air above a wheelbarrow and the startled looking fire-demon holding its handles. In a split second a hundred thoughts flashed through his mind, and as his eyes narrowed, a single one of them remained to burn every other thought away: treason.
His arms moved slowly as Hell Mana condensed in his hands, igniting and producing the small fireballs that would grow into a whirlwind of flames that would consume this … this travesty, this blatant treason, in seconds. He almost couldn’t believe this. How could she? How could the ungrateful brat do this, after having been spared the fate of her old father, being adopted into a new dynasty, after his new father, Hyde, had done everything to protect her?
The heir’s … no! The traitor’s guards in the room stepped forward, drawing their weapons and preparing spells, Tarashak’s escorts doing the same. The minotaur behind the hole used his horrid spell to shape the rock and dirt into spikes, pointing at Tarashak, the fire-demon let go of the wheelbarrow and small flames appeared in his hands.
‘Now, now, now, General Tarashak, let’s not be hasty here!’ the traitor’s guard captain stepped in the middle as the fireballs began to grow in the archmage’s hands.
‘Silence, Khartagar!’ he roared at the guard captain who used to be in his army before the traitorous brat had picked him out to serve her. ‘You shall all pay with your lives for this betrayal!
‘Betrayal? Oh, no no no no no!’ The brat wailed, stepping forward. ‘I can explain everything, Tar-Tar, so just please listen …’
‘No!’ he bellowed, unable to contain his anger anymore. ‘I can see just fine what you’re all doing here! Digging, huh? That’s what you said you were doing. Digging. And I couldn’t in my wildest dreams imagine you were doing it so you could bring the enemy here and hand them the city! What did the scum-king offer you? That you’d all get away with your lives? We are the Fourth Ring! We don’t trade ourselves to our enemies for anything!’
‘That is correct, general. We don’t. And we didn’t,’ Khartagar said, taking a small step to position himself between the brat and him.
‘I never thought I’d live to see the day when a human, a human of all creatures, would fight for the future of the Fourth Ring while my own kin would betray us.’ Tarashak yelled, his voice almost buckling under all the emotions that wanted to manifest through it.
‘No, Tarashak, we’re fighting for the Ring, too. Daddy would understand,’ the traitorous girl cried out, trying to brush past Khartagar to stand before him, but the guard captain didn’t let her.
‘You have lost the right to call the Hellfire Lord your father, or daddy, or anything else,’ he stated coldly. ‘I will tell you this once: surrender, and your punishment will be quick and painless. Resist, and I will burn you all, slowly and painfully.’
‘Tarashak, listen …’ both the brat and her captain tried to speak, but Tarashak wasn’t listening anymore; he had to do one more thing before ridding the Ring of the traitors.
Hellfire Lord Hyde! He sent his mind-voice out to the ruling demon lord of the Fourth Ring.
Had the traitor been anyone other than the sole heir of the lord’s dynasty, he wouldn’t have hesitated to turn her and her followers to ashes. This, however, required the ruling demon lord’s involvement; he at least needed to know what was happening, otherwise suddenly losing his heir without any explanations might disrupt the ongoing campaign. Which was a campaign that was going surprisingly well so far. Human or not, Hyde had earned a level of trust and respect through his determination to lead the Fourth Ring to victory, and through the results he had produced so far. He had to be informed.
Tarashak, what is it? I’m kind of busy over here, you know. Two days away from Orroth, and the Wilds isn’t making it easy. The lord’s mind-voice came.
I regret to inform you, Hellfire Lord Hyde, but your daughter and heir has betrayed us all and is handing your Seat of Power over to the enemy. He explained the situation as calmly as he could manage it.
Hold on, hold on! Did I hear that right? Flamey’s doing what? Are you sure? The lord asked, his mind-voice incredulous.
I am looking at her right now, at the edge of a tunnel she had dug. She has a minotaur mage with her. I suspect there might be more of them already in the city. She has sold us out, Lord, a betrayal most foul. I’m going to execute her and all who are involved.
Just … take a deep breath, Tarashak, and take a step back. Flamey isn’t that kind of girl. Hellfire Lord Hyde said, just as he knew he would; as strong and cunning as the surface world human was, he had too big of a soft spot for the brat.
I’m looking at it as we speak, and the evidence is here. A minotaur mage, working to enlarge the tunnel, no doubt in preparation for flooding the city with enemies. She needs to be dealt with! Tarashak countered.
Right. Okay. Do me a favour, alright? Don’t be like Ugrathar. Remember: master of yourself first, of others second. Before you do anything that cannot be undone. The lord said, his tone calm and careful.
Tarashak took a deep breath.
What would you have me do, Hellfire Lord?
Just ask my daughter how many minotaurs are in the city, and if all of them are under her Princess Charm. Tell her I’m the one asking and tell me everything she says word for word.
Tarashak hesitated for a second. He was right. Hellfire Lord Hyde was right; giving in to his anger and frustration would simply turn him into another Ugrathar, another demon who couldn’t stem the tide of his own nature. So, he relayed the lord’s message, and the obnoxious runt was all too happy to try to explain everything away.
‘Yes, I have six minotaur mages here,’ she began, and Tarashak relayed her words to her father — even though it already sounded like her fate was sealed just by her first statement. ‘And, well, I don’t have Princess Charm anymore, because it reached level 10, then became Allure of the Princess, but then it reached level 10 again and it changed to The Bewitching Princess. It’s a good skill, really, and very strong. The minotaurs do whatever I tell them to do. Which is digging. And they’re really good at digging with their earth spells and skills. And that’s so I can get down and close to the hillside and turn more of them into my servants and make them fight for us. And if we’re lucky, we’ll have an escape tunnel to the Wilds over the hills, too. That can’t hurt. See? I haven’t betrayed anyone. I’m doing what any responsible princess would do. Also, how are you, Daddy? How is the campaign going? Do you have any Crunchymel bars left, because I’m … well, out. And I miss them. Not as much as I miss you.’
Tarashak, as he repeated the girl’s words to her father using his mind-voice, suddenly didn’t know what to think; his anger was still there, but having heard the explanation, he knew he couldn’t just do away with the girl and her followers.
Well, if what Flamey says is true, I think you can check and verify it yourself, then you can decide if you still consider her a traitor. I don’t think she is. Reckless, maybe, but not a traitor. The lord said. That psychic skill of hers had grown a lot more than I knew or even thought it could. Over 20 levels now, she said? I did ask her not to use it on you, just so you know. I suppose the fact we’re having this conversation shows that she hasn’t.
Tarashak felt dizzy — which didn’t happen often. A psychic skill over level 20? On its third iteration? Was it the same spell Hyde himself had almost fallen victim to shortly after adopting the runt? Was it the reason why she had been getting away with this secretive operation for so long? Was this why her followers had been doing everything they could to keep him and his army away and unaware? Was his army still his army? He stared at the girl, who was trying to smile, waiting for a reply from him almost as if nothing was wrong, while a minotaur was towering over them in the background. He had to be careful what he said next; the ruling demon lord’s potential wrath for killing his heir was a small problem now. The big problem, or the big question, was how long it would take for the heir to exert her influence on him. A second? More? Less? Ah, did it even matter? The minotaur was now kneeling on the ground next to the heir and she was patting the foul beast on its horned head, promising him that she wouldn’t let anyone else kill him and she’d do it with her own hands when all was done, while Khartarak and the guards were hovering there protectively, making sure no-one could get to the girl without a fight.
Tarashak, my friend, you went awfully quiet. The lord’s mind-voice pulled him out of his spiralling thoughts.
Yes, Hellfire Lord Hyde. I am assessing the situation. It seems being reckless and hiding her plans from me is the most I can accuse your daughter of.
Okay. Tell her I require her to stop playing weird games and hiding her plans from you. I can’t deal with these things when I’m not there, so the two of you need to be on good terms and helping each other. He gave his instructions. I know you might find it annoying, Tarashak, but want you to have an open mind and to be at least a little supportive of her plans. She’s a good kid with a good mind. So, are we good?
‘Yes, Hellfire Lord,’ Tarashak said it out loud as well as sending the thought to him.
‘What did he say?’ The girl asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.
‘That you and I need to sit down and talk.’
‘Yay, I’ll have some drinks prepared!’ she cheered.
Tarashak sighed and signalled his demons to stand down, just as Khartagar and his soldiers relaxed, and the old general and archmage readied himself for deploying the most amount of self-control for a conversation he had ever needed to.
