The Demons of Rome

XXII - Thoughts on Loyalty

Once again Iatus felt the twinge of conflict inside him, he longed to feel like he belonged and, here he would, here was perhaps the only place in the world where people would treat him as an equal, somewhere beyond the reach of Rome.

"Iatus, your friend Max, isn't much of a mage, is he? Don't bother answering, I can see it in his eyes, he doesn't know power, only fear. Has he even summoned a jinni yet?"

"Yes, yes he has!" Iatus insisted.

"Well, that may be, but he will not climb much further. But you, Iatus, I see in your eyes true power. In your eyes I see an imperviousness of the soul, you truly believe nothing can harm you, don't you. For someone so young to feel that you must be something special."

He leaned in close to Iatus' face, his eyes burrowing into him, "You will not betray Max because you feel that you will escape somehow, that the universe will conspire to protect you from harm. Well, join me now, or I will have Jalec run him through."

"What?"

"Do it for Max, Iatus. He needs to go home."

"I... No. I won't do it."

Urien sighed.

"What a shame. Well, in that case, Jalec, would you bring Max down here as well, thank you."

Jalec smiled and nodded, sheathing his sword and leaving.

"No!" Iatus shouted, "You can't!"

"Why, because you don't want me too? Perhaps because it isn't fair, is that it? Well Iatus, life isn't fair. No one is coming to save you, no one cares about you! Your only way out is if I let you go."

Iatus clenched his fists and prepared to attack the man, just as Jalec returned with Max, carrying him off the ground by his shirt.

"Join us and he lives, you can save him if you only would say yes, but cast that spell you're thinking up and he dies before you finish the first syllable."

"Iatus, help me," Max begged.

Iatus bit his lip and cursed under his breath.

Gods, what now? I can't let Max die, not after everything...

"Fine! You win! Let Max go."

"Excellent. I knew you would see reason eventually. Now, hold out your arm and roll back your sleeve."

Iatus frowned but did so. Urien reached under the table and drew out a feather quill and a pot of ink. He grabbed Iatus' arm and began to draw on it.

"Ow," said Iatus as the quill scratched the skin off.

"Sorry, but this is necessary. It is a promise rune. It can only be used on a willing person and, as the name suggests, it makes your promises binding."

"What happens if I break a promise?"

"You won't be able to."

"How?"

"There we go, all done. Now, if you try to break the promise the rune will stop you, or make you, as the case may be. If you promise to complete a task you have no intention of doing then it will draw on your mana to complete it with magic, until the task is done or until you die. Now, say 'I promise that I shall never aid the cause of Rome, I shall never bring harm to the people of Gaul, I shall follow the orders given by Urien and Jalec and I shall strive to bring about the freedom of Gaul with all my actions'."

Iatus repeated the words and the rune began to glow. Iatus cried out as it started to burn. Eventually the light and pain faded and Urien smiled.

"Very good Iatus, now, Jalec, take Max out into the square and kill him."

"What?" Iatus almost screamed.

"Like I said before, he has no real power to speak of so would be no use to us in the Ether cannon and I cannot justify feeding a Roman over one of my own people."

Jalec picked up Max again and carried him outside.

"No, stop! You can't do this!" Iatus screamed.

"Iatus, help me!" Max shouted before being muzzled by Jalec's hand.

Just as Iatus made it out into the forum Urien shouted after him, "Iatus! Stop!" and Iatus felt his body freeze up mid stride.

Iatus couldn't even move his hands to break his fall and landed face first, smashing his nose and blurring his sight.

Urien walked over to him and picked him up, looking into his eyes with unbridled hatred and, something more, an unquenchable madness that would never be satisfied until all Roman's burned.

"He's a Roman, Iatus!" he spat vehemently, "He has to die, they all have to die! Why can't you see that?"

He looked at Iatus' dazed face with disgust and threw him to the floor, "There will be fine Jalec."

Iatus groaned in pain and, regaining just enough movement, looked up in desperation as Jalec plunged his sword into Max's stomach.