Chapter XXX

“Marquise Nerissa, your sister is here. She wishes to speak with you.”

“You did not let her into the castle, did you?”

“I did not. She waits outside the gates.”

“Then send her away,” said the marquise as she returned to her maps. Wooden tokens were spread out on the map, indicating where each of the March's armies were set to patrol, as well as the Nihilite armies' patrol routes. Nerissa's knights all stood around her, looking over the map and plotting their strategies for the upcoming conflict.

The messenger shifted his feet uncomfortably. “Marquise...the queen regent insists...”

“The queen regent no longer has any authority here!” said Nerissa, with malice on her tongue. “Go tell her that she is to leave at once. Muri is a sovereign nation now, and she is a foreign power here. She must depart before I declare this an act of war!”

“I...aye, your grace,” said the messenger before departing.

Nerissa turned her attention back to the rest of those in the map room with her. “Kefah has reported to us that Adon successfully slew Tamas, but that Khol is still at large.”

A bald knight with a gruesome scar across his face nodded, “Fecking Nihilites! Tell me we're not going to let the little schyte escape!”

“Of course we won't,” said Nerissa. “But first we have to figure out where he's going. He'll want to get home, that much is certain, but in order for him to get back to Aius he'll need to pass through Muri. I want constant cavalry patrols along the foothills of the mountains. Check points at every bridge. Rangers on every road. We have to stop the boy before he escapes!”

A knight with his hair pulled back into a single braid chimed in, “If we send more cavaliers to the foothills there won't be as many to protect our borders from any soldiers Aryn sends at us.”

“It's worth it to ensure that a Nihilite never becomes emperor of Arx,” said Nerissa. She stepped away from the war table and leaned on the windowsill. It was a sunny day, and the green hills of Muri stretched out before her. “How do those idiots in the capital not see what a threat Khol is? The boy has his own personal guardian demon! Clearly the forces of the Void have big plans for him. They're just biding their time until they can bring about the end of everything!”

“Sarahi should have killed all the Nihilites when she had the chance,” said one of the knights.

“The Nihilites cannot be allowed to rise up again!” said another.

“Have centuries of religious wars taught our people nothing?”

“Never trust the red-headed fiends!”

As the knights of Muri all vocalized their opinion of the Nihilite people, Nerissa stared at the map. The quickest way for Khol to return home was through the March of Muri, which was like a lamb passing through a lion's den. His alternatives were to go to Nihilus first, then head either south or north before heading west. If he went south he would go through Sabura, a land plagued by dangerous beasts and deadly jungles. If he headed north he would pass through Shadia, a frozen and desolate land full of barbarians. No matter what Khol did he would surely die. On the one hand, Nerissa hated the thought of how badly that would hurt her sister, the death of her first grandson. On the other hand, Nerissa took comfort in the idea that Therion's dynasty would finally come to an end.

If Khol died then the throne would pass to his younger brother, Barzillai, who was in Caelum training to be a paladin. Barzillai may have had Therion's blood in his veins, but at least he had already dedicated his life to the God of Erets in a most irrefutable way. Maybe once Barzillai was the emperor Muri would return to the fold, but until then the Marquise had decided that they would not suffer under Nihilite rule.

. . .

“What do you mean I have to leave?” Sarahi shouted at the messenger. Milo always felt bad for messengers. They were constantly in the middle, delivering news that no one wanted to hear. “I am the queen regent! Empress Aryn sent me to negotiate with my sister! Now, tell the guards to open the damn gates, I command you!”

“I'm sorry, your grace,” said the messenger, “But Marquise Nerissa says that Muri is no longer part of the Arxian Empire, and thus we do not take orders from you or your daughter.”

“I can return with an army,” said Sarahi. “I told them to camp just outside the border because I didn't want Nerissa to see this as an act of war. Is that what she wants, though? War? I'll do it! If anything happens to my grandson you better believe there will be war!”

Milo placed a hand on Sarahi's shoulder to calm her and said, “Listen...we're family. More than any of the rest of it; titles and whatnot...really, what are titles? Just things we call ourselves. A woman who calls herself a queen bleeds the same red blood as a slave. What's more important is that we are the Marquise's...Nerissa's family. Sarahi here is Nerissa's sister. I am Nerissa's brother in law. The thing about siblings is...they fight. It happens. Sad, but it happens. But it doesn't mean they don't love each other, and they deserve a chance to work it out. What's your name?”

“Arnon, sir.”

“Arnonsir,” Milo repeated, making levity of the situation with his joke. It seemed to have the desired effect, Arnon chuckled under his breath. “Do you have any brothers, Arnonsir? Any sisters?”

“I have two brothers.”

“You ever fight with them when you were younger?”

“Of course. It's just what brothers do.”

“You ever feel so mad at your brothers that you said you never wanted to speak to them again, Arnonsir?”

Every time he heard Milo say his name wrong the messenger smiled a little. “That's...happened once or twice.”

“Aye, and did your parents make you sit down and talk it out?”

“They...they did, yes.”

“Are you furious with your parents for doing that?”

“No! Not at all!”

“You feel grateful, then?”

“Yes.”

Tamas nodded. “So, Nerissa and Sarahi are having a fight. Don't you think that if they reunite the Marquise will be grateful to you?”

. . .

“I can't believe that worked,” said Sarahi as guards escorted her and Milo through the keep.

“More people need to realize that titles are meaningless,” said Milo. “People are people, no matter their station.”

“By that line of logic there is only one real difference between a noble and a peasant.”

“And that is?”

Sarahi tried to smile, but her eyes betrayed just how sad her statement truly was. “When two peasant brothers fight the worst that happens is a few bruises, maybe broken bones. When two noble brothers fight hundreds die.”

Milo cringed. “That's...true.”

The messenger before them pushed open the double doors to the map room, “May I present Queen Regent Sarahi and her husband, Sir Milo.”

Nerissa slammed her fist down on the table. “Damn it! I told you not to let them in!”

The messenger slowly backed away, allowing Sarahi and Milo to step closer to the Marquise.

“Nerissa,” said Sarahi.

“Sarahi,” said Nerissa.

“It's been a long time.”

Nerissa sighed and unclenched her fists. “Yes...yes it has.”

Sarahi reached out for a hug, but Nerissa raised her hands to refuse it.

“Are you angry with me?” Sarahi asked.

Nerissa thought for a moment and looked over her sister. “No. I'm not angry with you.”

“That's good to hear,” said Sarahi. “Do you mind if we speak privately?” Sarahi glanced around at the knights in the room. All of them were clearly on edge, shifting their feet and trying to avoid eye contact.

“I would rather we didn't,” said Nerissa.

“Why? If you're afraid I will disarm...”

“A paladin is never truly disarmed,” said Nerissa. “And a sister carries weapons no one else has.”

“Then we can discuss all of this here, in front of everyone,” said Sarahi, a note of annoyance in her voice. “Fine. Why are you breaking away from Arx?”

“You mean why have I broken away from Arx?”

“Call it what you will. Why have you committed treason?”

Nerissa looked away from Sarahi, out the window again at the hills of Muri. “Why has Aryn committed treason?”

“Pardon me?”

“King Therion ordered his armies to invade Arx. It was under his orders that General Meriel rode into Muri and skinned our people alive. It was under his orders that Nihilite witches and warlocks infiltrated our cities and our homes to bring chaos to the realm. Under his orders Cory besieged Aius, destroyed the Grand Cathedral, shattered the obelisk of the Law, and slew Hadar, our beloved king. Your best friend.”

“And Therion is long dead,” said Sarahi. “His own people rose up against him and God himself smote him.”

“Aye, but his seed still lives,” said Nerissa, glancing at the mountains on the map. “Only a generation later your daughter marries the son of the man who did all of that. She had his children, joining together Melech's bloodline with Therion's.” Nerissa all but gagged as she said it. “She polluted the sacred bloodline of Arxian kings with that of our enemies.”

Milo laughed and scratched the gray hairs of his beard. “Please, you can't really have started all of this because of blood! Who cares who Tamas' father was? Tamas is not the same. Therion was a beast. Tamas is a kind man. Seriously, he's married to my daughter. No one has more reason to be suspicious of him than I.”

“Tamas is an Aeon,” said Nerissa, glaring at Milo. “A demon born in human flesh. His soul is from the Void. Doesn't that concern anyone?”

“He's also a faithful Agalmite,” said Sarahi.

“He says he is,” said Nerissa. “And yet, it seems his eldest son has a Familiar protecting him. Do you know what that means? The demons of the Void have some special destiny in mind for young Khol. If Tamas has turned away from the faith of his father, how do we explain that?”

“I...I have no explanation,” said Sarahi. “But surely you must understand, Khol is just a boy! He's innocent!”

“Is he now?” Nerissa said. “Innocent! Of course! He's done nothing wrong! Not yet. Then let us wait. Let us wait until he is a full-grown man and rules over all of Arx. Let's wait until he's the most powerful man in the known world. Then if he turns out to be just like his grandfather? Then we do something about it. But only after he's slaughtered hundreds of people and started a new crusade to end the world.”

“Your sarcasm does you no credit,” said Sarahi.

“Aside from that, it's not funny,” said Milo.

“You're right,” said Nerissa, “There's nothing funny about it! For centuries now the Nihilites have waged constant holy war against us! They've proven over and over that they will not stop until Erets is completely destroyed!”

“We're at peace with the Nihilites,” said Milo. “They're part of Arx now.”

“We've been at peace with the Nihilites before!” said Nerissa, ruffling her own hair in frustration. “You're paladins! Your whole lives have been dedicated to fighting demons! Do you really need a history lesson? Our people have signed many a peace treaty with the people of Nihilus. Every time the Nihilites broke the treaty and started a new war within a generation. No more! We cannot allow this cycle to continue! The people of Muri suffer the most each time the Nihilites break the peace. As the Marquise it is my duty to protect them, no matter what it takes!”

Sarahi shook her head. “Nerissa, don't do this...”

Nerissa looked away from her sister. “I'm sorry.”

“If you're so sorry then put a stop to it,” said Sarahi. “If you choose to break away and then start a war with the Nihilite people the Arxian Empire will come down upon you. The people of Muri, our people, they'll suffer because of a war you started if you do this!”

“The people of Muri are behind this,” said Nerissa, pointing out the window. “Already they have formed militias for this very purpose. We will defend our land at all costs, and put a permanent end to the Nihilite threat. Were they the sort of people to keep their teachings in books we could simply destroy all of their holy books. But the Nihilite people keep the teachings of their faiths in their hearts, so it's up to us to cut out those hearts so that their poisonous doctrine will be gone forever. It's the only way to save Muri, to save Arx, to save the world!”

Sarahi drew her diamond mace from her belt and spread her feet. “Then it's come to this.”

All of the knights in the room drew their weapons, ready to defend their lady.

Milo touched Sarahi's shoulder, “Put it away...”

“No, Milo,” said Sarahi. “I make my stand here. I have a chance to end this war before it begins, and I need to take it!”

“She's your sister, love,” said Milo, a sad look upon his face. “Can you really-”

“She's threatening our grandchildren, Milo,” said Sarahi, her brow furrowed in rage and her lip quivering with sorrow. “The Marquise is no sister of mine.”

Milo hung his head in defeat and reached for his sword.

“But if we fight we will surely die,” said Sarahi. “I will not ask you to-”

“I will always fight by your side, love,” said Milo. “Even if I think you're wrong.”

“Milo, love, I don't want you to die...”

“We're paladins, dear. Both of us. We have to be ready to die. You made your choice, now I'm making mine.” Milo drew the diamond claymore on his back and stared down the knights who now stood between them and Nerissa. All of them stood waiting for the inevitable attack. Each of them praying under their breath that they would not have to fight the two paladins in the room. “You don't have to lose your lives today,” Milo told them. “We only seek a way to end this war before it starts.”

Nerissa looked at Sarahi. “Please reconsider this. Go back to Aius. Tell your daughter of my decision. Let this be decided on the battlefield, not here.”

“I will not back down,” said Sarahi. “The people of Nihilus are innocent, and so a paladin must stand for them. I strayed from the paladin's path once before, I will not do so again.”

“Fine! Throw your life away!” Nerissa said as she drew her sword. “Slay them!” she commanded her knights. Then she pushed open the window and yelled, “Help! I'm under attack! Everyone to the map room, now!”

The knights rushed Milo and Sarahi, who struck back immediately with their diamond weapons. The steel weapons scratched and bounced off of the paladins' armor, but the diamond weapons tore right through the knights'. Like it was a violent waltz, Milo and Sarahi made short work of the knights in the map room.

Nerissa lunged at Sarahi and pushed her blade through Sarahi's chest-plate. The blade cut Sarahi's skin, but stopped just at her ribs. Sarahi responded in kind with a punch to Nerissa's temple, knocking her unconscious.

“Is it our honeymoon again?” Milo asked with a chuckle. Anything to lighten the gravity of everything that had just transpired.

Sarahi smiled at him, but there was no true joy in either her smile or his laughter. “Can you carry her?”

Milo lifted Nerissa's body with one arm and slung her over his shoulder. “I can. Why?”

“If we make it out of here she'll be a valuable prisoner.”

“That's a big 'if.' Alright, let's move, then.”

The two paladins peered out of the map room only to see the castle guard charging down the hallway at them from both directions. A regiment of these soldiers blocked their only way out. Milo cursed under his breath. The guards at the front raised their crossbows to fire. Milo and Sarahi ducked back into the map room just in time to dodge the bolts.

“Barricade the doors!” Milo said.

Sarahi took Nerissa's sword from the ground and wedged it in between the door handles. The guards banged on the door from the other side and pushed against it to get it open.

“That sword won't hold for long,” said Sarahi.

“I'd suggest we use the window, but...well, that's a long way down,” said Milo.

“We both knew there was no way out of this,” said Sarahi.

Milo's shoulders sank. “But we did what we had to,” He dropped Nerissa's unconscious body on the floor. “There's no place in all the world I'd rather be in my last moments than here.” Milo stepped closer to Sarahi, held her face in both hands, and kissed her on the lips the same way he had when they were first married, the same way he'd always kissed his beloved wife.

Sarahi pressed her body against his as he enveloped her in his arms. She knew that death was imminent, but Milo never failed to make her feel safe. Even now.

The sword snapped in two and the door burst open. Dozens of castle guards poured in with weapons drawn. There was no need for the paladins to fight them, they simply would not win. And there was no good to come from taking as many of these soldiers down with them as they could. Sarahi and Milo were ready. Ready to stand before their God and tell him that they did all they could.