Zion: Light of the New Moon, Myre Milestone 1a
Zion - Light of the New Moon Milestone One
Myre Unbalanced, Part 1
The party has decided that Cornelius Cymbeline may be an important ally to include on their journey; the vote was unanimous to try and recruit him. If the Moon Pelted Shepherd is right and the Wayside truly IS doomed then it just might save his life if he says yes.
Siyh moved quickly down the keep's hallway; Lord Belarius had made it perfectly clear that the members of the caravan were required to stay to the main halls, but the lizard was not one of his subjects and didn't have to answer to him. For the sake of amiable relations, Lady Marion, head priestess of the caravan had decreed that all travelers were to remain in the designated locations, but the messenger was not beholden to her... no... his orders came from a higher source.
The lizard kept his talon in his belt-pouch, claws brushing across the finely crafted metal container, thumb brushing along the alchemically sealed lid out of habit; it was still secure. "Of course it is." he told himself, "You're still alive." Siyh took a right turn, and then a left, moving through the memorized route with the ease of someone used to getting from place to place unseen. Things became a little more difficult however when he got to the hallway leading to the stairs.
The Wayside had a shortage of soldiers so the fact that there weren't enough to guard the stairs came as no surprise to Siyh. What did surprise him however was the fact that there were two young humans there keeping watch. It had to have been for show more than anything else. "Twelve year olds don't know how to stand guard," the lizard told himself, "much less fight.". Of course, Siyh was not much of a warrior himself, and chances were that at least one human would survive his initial strike long enough to alert the watch. No... he couldn't have that.
Pulling the intricately inlaid metal jar from his belt pouch, the messenger brought it up to his muzzle and slowly slid his long, sinewy tongue around the seal, which began to melt at the presence of his saliva. Siyh gave the lid a quick twist, and knelt down next to the wall, peering around the corner of his hallway and down toward the two boys. Turning the metal container on its side, the lizard gave it a powerful shove, sending it rolling toward the two sentries.
"Jace... look." Siyh heard one of the boys speak.
"What is it?" asked the second boy.
"Dunno..." noted the first, "Hello?" he called, raising his voice.
"It looks like the candy jar Quinn has." the second boy spoke.
"Don't pick it up!" the first chastised.
"Why not? Look... it's just--" and their discussion ended. Siyh licked his muzzle and began counting in his head when he heard the sound of two small bodies land on the stone floor. Closing his first set of eyelids, the lizard rounded the corner and walked into the quickly enlarging wall of mist. The blue vapor continued to pour from the opened seal, blanketing everything in a softly glowing aura. Siyh could hold his breath for ten minutes and, between the nicticating membranes over his eyes and his self-sealing nostrils, he could fare far better in the mist than anyone or anything else... precisely the reason why he was chosen for the task. His count was up to 30.
The lizard knelt down and picked up the metal container. Looking around amidst the fog, he saw that the corpses of the two boys were already dissolving, their flesh liquefying as their muscles and viscera turned to gel. His scales protected him from the worst of the effects of the Death Mist, but he was also acutely aware that they wouldn't protect him forever; already his wool clothing was starting to fall off his body. Siyh moved to the stairs and opened the door. It took almost a minute, but the mist, now with somewhere lower to fill, began to flow down-hill. By the time Siyh had counted to 60, the mist began to empty out of the hallway and down the stairs.
The lizard, muzzle still closed, knew better than to smile lest he risk any portion of the Death Mist finding a way into him. Instead, he just accepted the satisfaction of a job well done, tossed the metal container down the steps, and closed the door. After that, it would just be a matter of waiting. Siyh continued counting past 70... 80... 90... and, after reaching 100 he opened the door, stopping only long enough to pick up two daggers and several various pieces of metal from the piles of goo that had once been the two boys standing watch.
There was no sign of the mist that had been released; it emerged quickly from its container and lost its power after less than two minutes... of course, that was more than long enough to do what it was made for. The lizard paused, glancing back at the still bubbling piles of organic muck; in another minute or two even those would have evaporated. Anyone who knew anything about Death Mist would be able to see all of the (lack of) signs of its use-- once Siyh was done with the Keep, that little fact was going to be very important. In the meantime, it would help keep his activities a secret.
Closing the door behind himself as he started down the stairs, Siyh smiled; there'd be no warning to the Wayside that he had passed through, just the thought that two irresponsible youths had abandoned their post. He silently wondered how long the keep's commander would spend looking for the boys so he could berate them for their insubordination. The lizard, muzzle still closed firmly settled for smiling on the inside; the commander would never find them, of course.
Siyh passed two separate landings as the stairway stopped and turned to the left every 20-or-so steps. On the third landing, the lizard encountered the empty metal container. Pausing to reach down and pick it up, he pulled the lid off and discarded the rest. Hooking a single claw under the fabric lining the inside, Siyh pulled the cloth away revealing a highly reflective interior-- exactly what he was looking for. The lizard continued walking, reaching a final landing where he saw two empty suits of armor laying on the ground. The blades from two halberds without their wooden poles lay collapsed next to the armor piles on either side of the hallway. "At ease, men." the messenger offered, passing by them, a dark-humored kink to his tail.
He stopped in front of the remains of a wooden door; the Death Mist had done everything for him. With a casual backhand, the lizard broke down the feeble remnants of the barrier, knocking the metal barring off its hinges and out of his way. He stepped into the room beyond, finally letting the membranes over his eyes recede as he walked into the unspoiled air of the keep's basement. The Death Mist would have lost its potency before he'd even reached the first landing of the stairs, but he hadn't survived for so long by not taking extra care.
The lizard glanced around the barren room. It wasn't hard for Siyh to locate what he had been seeking; the enormous Silver Gate took up the entire center of the room, easily wide enough for two carriages to pass through it side-by-side, and just as tall. Other than the gate, the room was devoid of anything else... no furniture... no amenities... no decorations. That worked just fine for the messenger; comfort wasn't part of his task. He walked the short distance to the Silver Gate.
Moving one talon to rest against the metal archway, Siyh gazed into the reflective metal disc in his other talon that had served as the Death Mist container's seal. He felt the thrumming power of the ancient portal flow through him and into his scrying device. Looking for the point of contact with his inner sight, the lizard let the disc become his window to the person he sought. Despite the great distance, contact was made thanks to the amplifying power of the Silver Gate. The clear image of a gray-haired human woman appeared within his scrying device. "The Caravan is at Attood Keep." he spoke to the old human woman through the disc.
"And how are things progressing, Siyh?" she inquired, her steely gaze astute and perceptive.
"As planned." Siyh lowered his head in deference.
"Except that you are behind schedule." the woman countered with casual dismissal of his optimistic comment.
"My apologies..." he bowed his head, "I would have worked faster, but these things cannot be rushed." the messenger offered in his defense.
"Are the wagons are inside the keep?" the image within the disc asked, adjusting her robes as she spoke.
"They are." Siyh lowered his head again, "All of them."
"And the seals will break at midnight?" she continued.
"They will." the lizard acknowledged, "The keep will be flooded with Death Mist."
"Make certain that no one survives." the woman directed.
"Not a soul will live." Siyh promised.
"Good." the human woman smoothed out her graying hair, pulling it back into a neat bun.
"It will go as you had planned." the lizard added.
The old human woman finished securing her hair and added an intricately gemmed cap atop her head. "Tell me, Siyh..." she gazed out of the disc at him, "When you were granted the chance for redemption for your past misdeeds, did you realize just how well your skills would be put to use?" a faint smile creased her wrinkled lips.
"I had no idea." he bowed his head, "As always, the insight of the temple never ceases to amaze me."
"And now you understand your part in the great design." the smile slowly disappeared from her lips.
"I will be the catalyst for the new beginning." the lizard spoke, gazing at her reflection even as she stared at his, "Once the caravan is destroyed there will be no chance for peace with the other cities."
"And this poorly engineered peace will finally come to an end." the old woman stated.
"Many people will die." the lizard voiced his first quasi-objection.
"Do not worry about them, Siyh... everyone has a part to play and some exist as extras in the play of life. You, on the other hand, are far more than a nobody with a single scene. You have saved your soul by doing the will of the Goddess." the woman acknowledged, affixing her holy symbol around her neck as she continued looking at him through her mirror. Siyh had a partial view of her private chambers; she looked as though she was preparing for midnight mass. "There can be no balance with the temples divided, and the people of Myre will need to see just what this unsteady, false peace can cost us."
"Which of the other cities will be to blame for this attack?" Siyh asked.
"Any of them." the old woman responded, sliding her shawl into place on her shoulders, "None of them... it doesn't really matter. I've already warned the General that dozens of crates of Death Mist have gone missing, and there are any number of convenient clues that could point to any of the false believers. When you get back to us here, tell whatever story you feel like telling. The people of Myre will not stand by and let such an outrageous attack go without a response."
"They'll cry for blood." Siyh agreed, "The people will be furious when they discover that your granddaughter was slaughtered by false worshipers, Great Matron."
The gray haired human stiffened slightly at the comment, but quickly recovered, "There is no price too great for the salvation of the empire, Siyh... even losing my granddaughter will be worth it in the end."
The lizard half contemplated asking if that was the case then why it was Lady Marion and not the Grand Matron with the wagons, but he thought better of it. "I am certain Lord Dalton will call for blood." Siyh changed his approach, "His daughter will not die painlessly." the messenger licked his muzzle.
"Also worth the cost..." the older woman nodded thoughtfully, "I'm certain that Lord Dalton losing his daughter will provide us much support from the nobles... there is nothing he would not do for her... so to lose her would certainly increase his insistence for war." the High Priestess acknowledged. With all the talk about losing her daughter, Siyh didn't miss the fact that the Grand Matron didn't bother shedding a tear; the truth was, he realized, was that the High Priestess of the Temple of Myre had colder blood than he did.
"I will seal up this room and return to the courtyard, Your Grace." Siyh announced, bowing again, "I should have enough time to find a way up onto the wall and down the other side before the Death Mist is released."
"Do that, Siyh..." she nodded, her image fading from his disc, "As the caravan's only survivor, you are a pivotal part of this plan... see to it that you don't let me down."
"Never, Your Grace." he bowed his head, "I will not fail you." the lizard stowed the metal disc back into his belt pouch before turning around to face the stairs... and the Moon Pelted shepherd standing casually in the way.
"I do beg your forgiveness," the dog noted, "but I couldn't help but overhear that your plans are going to inconvenience me in a most unacceptable manner."
Siyh dropped into a combat stance immediately, holding one talon out in front of him aggressively, brandishing his claws to get the dog's attention while he slid his other behind himself until he could grasp the hilt of a throwing knife sticking up out of his belt, "You don't have to get involved..." the lizard stalled, "perhaps we can talk this over."
"I'm afraid there's little on which we could come to an agreement..." the shepherd offered, "unless you were willing to stop any harm you plan on inflicting." Cornelius crossed his arms over his chest, "Of course, you will still have to answer for the deaths of Jason and Benjamin.
"Who?" the lizard inquired.
"The two boys you killed outside the stairway."
"I have no idea what you're talking about..." Siyh answered, slowly drawing the blade from its hidden sheath at the small of his back. He was certain to move slowly; the poison on the dagger was too dangerous for anything other than utmost care, "there wasn't anyone up there when I came through."
"I've seen Myre's assassins before... I know what to look for when Death Mist is involved." the Captain acknowledged, taking a step closer, "Tell me... what did you do with their buttons? Their belt buckles? What about their daggers?"
"Over there." Siyh answered, motioning to the side. He waited only long enough for the dog to look where he pointed, and the lizard quickly followed up with a lightning-quick throw. The dagger sailed through the air and connected with the white shepherd's shoulder; Cornelius Cymbeline stumbled back one step from the force of the impact and looked down at the blade.
The shepherd's ears went up, "What did you use?" he asked, falling back against the wall.
"Lord's Lament." Siyh answered, giving the plant's casual name.
"Ah..." the dog nodded, slipping down to a seated position, "That's a fast one."
"Yes..." the lizard acknowledged, "yes it is." and he didn't have to wait long for the shepherd's body to slump to the side, falling the rest of the way to the ground where it landed with a thump, unmoving.
Siyh knew he was already behind schedule. Another hour at most before the Death Mist was released, and he had no doubt that even he could not survive that many barrels opened at once. The lizard paused just long enough to retrieve his dagger from the unmoving dog. He wiped the blade off on the Captain's tabard; Siyh found it lamentable that he had to use two doses on one target. Normally he wouldn't have cleaned his blade, but the dripping blood from it increased the chances that he would be exposed to some of the poison... a poison so toxic that even touching it could result in death.
The lizard slid his knife back into its sheath and started up the stairs... but he didn't make it far; a powerful grip grabbed hold of his tail, squeezing so hard that Siyh could almost feel his bones breaking. With a quick spin, the lizard about-faced, blade coming out again with the motion, but he paused when he saw the white shepherd standing, gazing back at him, holding the end of his tail. The Captain spoke slowly and purposefully, "Lord's Lament is a very fine poison, do not misunderstand... but it is unfortunately useless against a target with an acquired immunity."
Recovering quickly from the surprise, Siyh lashed out with his dagger but the shepherd casually yanked his tail across his line of attack, unbalancing the lizard and sending him stumbling back down the steps right into the shepherd's grasp. Without missing a beat, Cornelius grabbed the lizard by his shoulder and hauled him off the ground, "When will the Death Mist be released?" he demanded, pulling the blade out of the lizard's stunned talon.
Siyh struggled against the dog's vice-like grip, pausing only long enough to pull a foot free from his boots. The lizard lashed out with his long, hooked foot-claws, but Cornelius casually moved his body aside and the attack was deflected as a glancing blow against his armor. Siyh hissed as the dog's clawed digits punctured his scales and dug into his flesh, "It is considered rude by most cultures to refuse to answer a courteous question." the Moon Pelted dog offered amiably.
"You're just wasting time asking me." Siyh answered with a hissing laugh, despite the pain, he realized he had the upper hand. The longer he kept the dog busy the better. The lizard grinned around the agony in his throat, "The Death Mist is released at midnight." the messenger explained, then stopped, blinking as he realized that his own tongue just betrayed him. He coughed through the dog's grip, squirming uncomfortably at so many uncertainties hitting him at once.
"Thank you." Cornelius answered, his glowing, amber orbs staring right into Siyh's eyes. The lizard paused for a moment in disbelief, blinking again before realizing that he must have seen the reflection of his own eyes in the dog's. He was even more surprised when the shepherd set him down.
"I..." Siyh began, "...what are..." he realized then how powerful the magical coercion must have been if he hadn't even felt it.
"You answered my question..." Cornelius answered, "we're done were." and he tossed the messenger's confiscated knife off to the side as he turned back around toward the stairs, "And you're right... I have more important things to do than to tend to you."
"Are... you letting me go?" the lizard asked in complete shock. He glanced for a moment at his discarded knife and then to the exposed back of the dog. Siyh considered his options for several seconds until Cornelius answered him.
"You can consider it release, I would suppose." the shepherd responded, "But you won't get very far... not with Lord's Lament in your system."
Siyh paused, confusion slowly parting as realization settled in. Looking down, the lizard saw a thick streak of the captain's blood smeared onto his shoulder where the dog had grabbed him, "You--" was all he had time to say; Siyh never had time to appreciate just how quickly the poison worked.
Cornelius quickly turned away from the lizard's corpse. He paused long enough to look at the wound on his shoulder, waiting the eight seconds it took for the cut to close and seal itself. He spoke a single word of power and the cut and bloodied cloth likewise became as new, sewing up as the blood disappeared from it. He realized he didn't have much time but he also had to take a moment to think. If he managed to do things correctly then it was possible to save more than just the lives of the caravan.
Making his way back up the stairs, the shepherd went directly to the armory. He didn't have to bother explaining his orders as he gave them and he left, heading back into the hallway knowing his men would follow them without question. Cornelius didn't have the time to offer them any more information because time, as it was, had become a precious commodity. The Captain of Attood Keep stood at the crossroads of two great halls; in one direction was Lord Belarius' chambers; in the other direction were the guest quarters. It took all of a half-second for the shepherd to make up his mind.
Cornelius stopped outside the finely crafted, stout oak door. He reached up a paw and gave it a soft, polite knock. The shepherd waited serenely at the sound of movement from within, peacefully patient as the occupant fumbled around. It only made sense to the shepherd-- after all, it was far later than most decent people remained decent. The door finally opened and a set of eyes stared out at him.
"Good evening, Sergeant Reilly..." the white shepherd offered with a faint bow of his head, "I hope I am not disturbing you."
* * * * *
It's been two weeks, but here it is: the first part of Myre's Milestone!
Remember: readers have until midnight on September 30th to place their vote(s) to save their favorite character(s). Go here for details:
http://www.sofurry.com/page/288668/
Every Contributing Reader in this chapter (this includes wolf_skinchanger even though Anor-Roc has already been sacrificed)) also has a chance to vote:
1) Exchange 2 Favor to gain 1 Luck. 2) Exchange 2 Luck to gain 1 Favor. 3) No changes, thanks! 4) Let Valda and Agnes die and the party gains 2 Luck.
Here's the clencher: votes must be unanimous. Talk amongst yourselves if you wish-- you may not change your vote after voting.
That's all there is to it! Now sit tight; the Milestone concludes next week!