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Chapter 24 - Kill to save
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Murmurs from the crowd arose as the Queen spoke.
They were a dull reflection of the cheering that greeted Skye as she’d entered the arena. Much like the women who’d passed her earlier, they whispered to each other, faces hidden behind hands. Unable to hear what they were saying, the tips of Skye’s ears burned as her imagination ran wild.
Tayne gave Skye a hasty glance before returning the Queen’s gaze once more.
“I... I’m not entirely sure why that would be necessary to put your mind to rest, majesty,” said Tayne. The words were respectful and his voice was restrained. The underlying tension in his tone was the only thing to give his true feelings away.
Queen Alice raised a regal eyebrow in response.
“Ah, but it is not your place to question my decisions, Silverborn. I act for the good of Alguarde, the good of humanity. The elf will complete the trial of soul if you wish to present her as a master of blades.”
To his credit, Tayne remained reverent to the royal. “I understand, majesty. I merely wonder what it is that unsettles you so about Sentinel Skye.”
He inclined his head deeply, and Skye was tempted to do the same.
No, she decided. I will not be cowed by this... whatever it is.
The queen’s intentions were not as honourable as she claimed. Skye lifted her gaze from the ground and watched the woman’s aura flicker. Dark colours spanned its length from time to time, before disappearing beneath waves of shimmering red.
A moment later, a throbbing sensation made itself known at the back of Skye’s skull and she was forced to let the aura fade. She stood steady, refusing to bring a hand to her aching head. Summoning a person’s essence into the physical form was something she was yet to master. She clenched a fist and blinked in rapid succession several times before the ache dulled.
Queen Alice’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Tayne. She lifted a manicured hand and gestured to where the King sat, watching the byplay between the two with an indeterminable expression on his face.
“My husband and I have been talking in private recently. We have, among other things, come to the conclusion that the elf may not be entirely trustworthy,” she said.
Tayne opened his mouth to speak. Alice lifted her hand sharply, pointing her sceptre at the Silverborn before her as if she held the power of a deity in her grasp.
“Silence! I will not be interrupted! Now, Silverborn,” she said as she stepped forward to the front of the pavilion, sceptre still pointed accusingly at Tayne. “You said in your mission report that she has been marked by the corruption, and by the master, am I correct?” Not waiting for a reply, she turned to Skye. “Show me, Sentinel. Show me the mark.” Her eyes dared Skye to refuse.
Unable to see a way out, Skye adjusted her armour until the edge of the mark was visible on her shoulder. She met the glare of Alice unwaveringly. “You see now, I stand against the corruption, majesty,” said Skye, adopting Tayne’s tone. “He marked me. He tried to claim me, and failed. If you--“
“It does not change the fact, young Sentinel, that you have been marked. We have all seen proof,” said the Queen as she gestured to the crowd, “that the wards are not as secure as they once were. And I must say that until you came, Sentinel Skye, this was not the case.”
There is was again. The unmistakable dark colours spiking across the Queen’s aura. The pain flared in the back of Skye’s head again and she gritted her teeth, determined to remain balanced.
“The wards have been degrading for years! I’ve researched it. They were never intended to last forever! That is no fault of Sentinel Skye, merely a coincidence!” The frustration leaked into Tayne’s voice. From the corner of her eye, Skye noted his right thumb fidgeting with a signet ring. He took a deep breath before continuing.
“Skye is the first one since their downfall that stands a chance against the corruption, majesty,” Tayne said as he regained his composure. “She has been nothing but loyal. I do not understand the reason for your... concern.”
Skye found herself wondering why Tayne was so opposed to her undergoing this trial. Was it a question of honour, or something deeper? Did the Silverborn leader not trust the queen? Or worse, she thought. Did Tayne not trust her? Did he think the mark had actually--
“It is my concern when Alguarde’s citizens are threatened. You of all people should know this.”
The Queen’s dark eyes switched between Tayne and Skye slowly. The skin on Skye’s neck tingled. She had the distinct sense that a trap was about to be sprung. The feeling that she was being backed into a corner was growing by the minute.
Alice lowered her voice. “You can claim, Tayne of the Silverborn, that she is pure but the truth remains. She has been marked. I will not be satisfied until she is proven free of the corruptions taint, and her loyalty to us,” she said firmly. “The Sentinel must prove herself.”
Tayne glanced at the King for support. Skye saw the man’s eyes deliberately shift. Tayne’s mouth set into a hard line. He took in a breath to object, but Skye beat him to it.
“I will take the trial of soul, if it will allay your concerns, majesty,” said Skye.
At the unexpected words and completely focussed now on Tayne, the Queen flinched.. Alice regained her composure quickly, folding the sceptre under her hands once more. “It shall, Sentinel. I thank you for your co-operation,” she said.
Skye didn’t miss the smile playing at the edge of the woman’s lips as the words left her mouth.
*+*+*+*
Skye strained her ears to catch Wrain’s words.
“The chalice is the key to the trial of soul. You must remain steadfast, despite what happens. Do you understand?”
He whispered with an urgent need, as if the entire world depended on the silver cup sitting in the small, ornate tabernacle before her now.
I suppose it does, thought Skye. If I fail this, they’ll exile me from Alguarde.
It was one thing she didn’t want to think about. If she failed, the Sentinel lurking outside the borders would capture her, and... She shuddered, dispelling the thoughts from her mind. She couldn’t take another shadow flame like that, let alone hundreds.
“What exactly does it do?” asked Skye.
“It’s a trial. It has two parts. The first tests your strength of soul - if you meet the requirements of the cup, it will fill with a silver liquid. For the second part, you must consume all the liquid. It will show you something, and you must overcome its trial. It is completely mental,” he added, noting the way she reached for her sword.
“Trial?”
Wrain shook his head slightly. He moved his fingers around the locking mechanism, never actually touching it. He was stalling, Skye realised.
“I don’t know what it will be. After you come out, it wipes all memory of the trial from you,” he said. Wrain glanced down at her. “I will remain next to you, whatever happens. All I can offer is this advice. Do not doubt yourself. You are stronger than you know, Skye. This test is something that many are afraid of, once they learn of the consequences.”
Finally unlocked, Wrain slid the glass doors of the tabernacle open, revealing the silver chalice completely.
“Consequences? What consequences? Is that why the Queen is--” She cut her sentence short as Wrain turned to face her, his face serious.
“Once you start, there is no going back until you have completed the task, wherever that point may be. Are you ready?” he asked gently.
Skye swallowed her nerves and nodded. “I’m ready.”
If Wrain doubted her words, he did not say so. “Then, young Sentinel, take up the chalice and let your trial of soul begin.”
Skye touched her fingers to the cool metal of the chalice and lifted it to chest height.
She held her breath, staring at the bowl where she assumed the liquid would appear. After a long moment of nothing happening, panic reared its head.
What if the chalice didn’t fill? What if her soul wasn’t strong enough? Doubts swarmed her mind as worry ate away at her.
Somewhere near the pavilion, metres away from where she stood in the dusty arena, someone sniggered. Skye glanced up. She bit her lip and searched the crowd for the cause.
Only then did she realise how every pair of eyes was trained directly on her, and the chalice she held in her hands.
Skye tore her gaze away, forcing herself to look at the cup. The prickling sensation returned to her back and her skin crawled.
Please, she thought. Please fill, cup. Please. I’m not tainted, I’m not corrupted!
It was all she could do to clutch the chalice in her hands and stare at the shining metal, as if the strength of her gaze alone could force liquid into the cup. Her eyes stung. Never in her life had she felt more alone than now - standing alone, a failure.
From the pavilion, Donovan leaned over to the Queen. “The liquid is supposed to materialise in under a minute, majesty. If it does not, the participant is deemed to have failed the trial,” he said.
Beside Skye, Wrain stiffened at the words.
The queen replied a few seconds later. “Ah. We can only hope that our Sentinel shall not fail then, Advisor.”
A minute passed. The cup remained dry.
Skye squeezed her eyes shut and wished that she’d just disappear.
You can do this, Skye.
The voice came unbidden to Skye’s head. She opened her eyes, staring at a distorted reflection in the metal. The reflection was an elf and had brown hair, like hers, but instead of teal streaks, the reflection’s were a deep silver.
Let the magic flow into you. Focus on the chalice. It cannot perform its duty without seeing the soul of its holder, and it was not designed to test a Sentinel. You must make it listen.
The image faded from the cup.
“Silverborn,” the Queen said. “I believe a minute has passed, has the liquid appeared, or not?” she asked Wrain.
Skye softened her grip on the cup and released a breath.
Chalice, she thought. I am here. Recognise me. Hear me.
Voices echoed through her head.
Soul...dispersed. Has been claimed, bound to the Nether.
A Sentinel?
Yes, yes, she is strong, protected...
“I am not sure, majesty. I shall inspect now,” said Wrain. He took slow steps towards Skye, but she barely noticed. The voices floating around inside her head were prying into the deepest places of her soul, and she could not stop them.
Ah... A nature.... She is good, good, she is in touch...She will listen....
Yes... The Sentinel shall pass... Continue, O great spirit, and unite the elements within your realm once more...
The chalice warmed beneath Skye’s hands. As Wrain leaned over, a smile lit his face.
“Majesty, the liquid has appeared. She has passed the first stage of the trial!” he announced.
The crowd sighed in unison and once more, whispering broke out between friends and neighbours. This time, Skye’s cheeks flushed with warmth.
The Queen’s voice was no longer amused when she spoke. “Proceed to the second part of the trial, Silverborn.”
Wrain nodded to her, and Skye lifted the cup to her lips.
It didn’t taste like anything, really, she decided. Like water, cool, smooth... although, it did smell of honeysuckle. It was pleasant. It reminded her of the days with her father, training under his watchful eye when she’d acquired her first blade. Nearly half way through the liquid, Skye wondered exactly what the trial would be.
That was when the darkness took her.
The breath was stolen from her lungs as she was pulled head first down a dark corridor with silver fireflies lighting the air around her. They danced in complicated patterns, writhing and swirling through the ether.
As suddenly as it’d begun, Skye found herself standing in a dimly lit room.
She blinked, trying to shake the disoriented feeling that plagued her. Skye took a hesitant step before realising she had no idea where she was, or why she was here. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness and took in her surroundings.
She was in a kind of white-marble pavilion. Columns held the roof up around her. Vines twisted around their length. The marble gave the plants an eerie sheen, as if they were glowing. It was beautiful, but it had no attachment to the trial.
Trial? she wondered. Why on earth would I think this is a trial? Maybe I’ve finally gone insane.
The thought slipped away from her, although it left with a niggling feeling that perhaps, this was significant. Perhaps she’d had a purpose, only to have her memory stolen, but by who? Skye frowned and leant on one of the many columns, lost in thought.
Her head jerked up as a scream splintered the silence.
“Help me! Oh, deities, please! Somebody help!”
Another scream pierced the air.
Skye took off at a sprint, following the desperate plea for help. She reached unconsciously for the scabbard at her waist, only to find her sword missing. In its place was a sharp dagger. Skye had no recollection of where she’d acquired it, but she drew it regardless.
Good enough, she thought. Any weapon was better than none. She clutched the dagger in one hand, point downward, and continued running. It wasn’t long before she found the source of the distress.
In the shadows against a wall, a woman lay on her back. Cheeks streaked with tears, she held her hands in front of her face, trying to shield herself from the man towering over her. The woman screamed again as her attacker stepped forward. The man rewarded her with a kick to the thigh, eliciting another terrified wail from her lips.
“Help me! Please!” she cried. She shook violently, breath coming in ragged gasps.
“Shut up,” growled the man. He placed a booted foot on her stomach and applied pressure. The woman gagged, feet scrabbling desperately against the marble as she tried to find purchase and push herself further against the wall.
“Please, please! I’ve done nothing wrong!”
Skye started forward again, having frozen in shock. How could one living creature do this to another? How could they inflict such pain?
She spent her entire life dedicated to wiping out the corruption, yet there were people still willing to serve it? There were still people that allowed the hatred into their hearts and helped it spread? Anger bubbled to the surface. How dare they. How. Dare. They.
“Stop that, right now!” said Skye, closing the distance between herself and the figures with five swift steps.
The male figure turned. His familiar face caused Skye to gag. The image ran through her head, but her brain refused to process and connect face to name.
“Tayne? They... they got you too? But... how?”
Tayne stared back at her with eyes dead of emotion. Dead of the empathy, of the warmth she’d known them to hold. She trusted those eyes. Was this him?
He smiled at her, recognition lighting his face. “Hello, Skye. I’m sorry you’ve got to see this - but it’s necessary. For the good of Alguarde, I promise.”
The woman, chest heaving, looked up at Skye with frightened eyes. “Please, please help me. Don’t let him do this-- ahh!” Her plea was cut short by Tayne’s boot on her stomach.
“Tayne, how could you do this?” Skye asked, although barely trusting herself to speak.
He glanced over his shoulder at Skye.
“Do what? You’ve been helping me Skye, but it’s not enough. The stress, the anxiety, it eats away at me. I’m protecting Alguarde. This woman is a threat. I’m doing what has to be done.” With that, he withdrew his sword from the scabbard and poised to strike.
“No! What are you doing?” she said. Skye lunged forward, grabbing his sword arm. He shook her off, annoyed.
“What are you doing? You’re getting in the way. Let go!”
“Tayne you can’t do this! This isn’t right! What’s gotten into you?”
Skye searched his face. Receiving no answer, she searched for the magic.
She blinked and the air around her shifted. The woman’s aura was blue tinged with silver at the edges. It reminded Skye of the way light caught the waves on the surface of a lake.
But Tayne’s. What she saw there chilled her to the bone.
Tayne’s aura was dark - impossibly dark. The silver she’d come to expect from him was almost gone. Black rings pulsed in malicious circles, grasping and throbbing with negative energy. It hummed around his form, twisted around his limbs and leaked from his ears. The corruption had taken him.
“What’s gotten into me?” He lowered his sword for the moment. “What’s gotten into me? You, Skye, are the problem in all of this. You are the reason for what I’ve become,” he said. The tone of his voice was so assured that Skye took a step back.
“I... I am?” she asked, stumbling over the words. “How?”
Tayne narrowed his eyes at her accusingly, the woman temporarily forgotten.
“For all your power, you can’t do anything to stop the corruption spreading. You won’t do anything. You cower inside Alguarde for fear of the Master, yet you fail to see that all along, there were people right beside you that needed your help.”
“But I didn’t--“
“It’s your fault that people are dying Skye. No one elses. The demon attacks? They attack because you’re here. They can’t find you, you’re too well hidden, so they take out the weaker targets. The people that can’t defend themselves. Oh, you might think yourself noble, defying the Advisor and healing the injured, but what about the dead? What about the ones you didn’t heal?
“What about the Silverborn who died protecting you? Were their sacrifices in vain?” he asked. He stood barely an inch from her body. Fury radiated from his stiff movements, his clenched hands.
Skye did nothing but stand there, paralysed by Tayne’s words as he went on. The prickling feeling built in her cheeks at each word. Her body felt cold. The woman lay in the corner, sobbing quietly to herself. She seemed oblivious to everything around her. Tayne’s boot was still pressed to her belly, preventing her from fleeing.
“You’re scared of being captured, but you’ve trapped yourself! Alguarde isn’t safe, but you’re too focussed on the Master to realise!” shouted Tayne. “The royals force you to their bidding, the people demand your attention and you refuse to trust anyone entirely! You’re--“
“I trusted you!” The words burst forth from Skye’s mouth before she realised they were there to begin with. “I trusted you! I told you everything! How can you do this? Why didn’t you fight it!”
Tayne gave her a grim smile. “I did. But finally, his agent convinced me that you were never going to do anything,” he said with a tone of finality.
He raised his sword to strike the woman before Skye could stop him. The woman squealed in terror, raising her hands again as if it would stop the deadly blade from cleaving her in two.
Skye had less than a second before her choice became irreversible.
Her mind was clouded with doubt. Was he right? Tayne’s words ran through her thoughts over and over. She became all too aware of the dagger, still clutched firmly in her right hand, but had no wish to use it.
The Tayne she knew would never have said those things. He’d have reassured her, comforted her when the doubt became too great. But was this what he’d really thought all along? Was she the problem in all of this? Was she so helpless and afraid that she relied on others to sacrifice themselves for her?
She glanced at the woman. People like that woman, the stranger cowering in the corner, were dying because she wasn’t doing anything. But she could do something now. The dagger was clutched in her hand. Tayne seemed frozen. One strike to the chest could take him down and end the threat to the woman.
Skye squeezed the hilt in her palm. Could she kill him to save this woman? Was this stranger worth more to her than Tayne’s memory? Tayne was corrupted - by allowing him to do this, was she opening a gateway for more death? More misery? Was he the same person - the person worth saving?
His aura, she thought desperately. The silver wasn’t completely gone - the old Tayne was still there beneath the surface. The one that’d rescued her from her own darkness more times than she cared to count. The one that stood up for her, that’d been by her side and never let her face the corruption alone. The Tayne that she knew better than she knew herself.
Kill to save, a voice whispered in her mind. Make your choice...
The thoughts jumbled around in her head as Tayne began his downward stroke, blade flashing through the air.
No, thought Skye. I can’t let him do this to himself. I won’t.
Skye lunged through the air.
I can save her.
The dagger clattered to the floor.
And I can save him.
Her hands made contact with Tayne’s bare skin.
Lit’anikryda!
*+*+*+*
Golden light flooded the arena, spilling into every corner and crevice.
Spectators shielded their eyes at the brilliant display of light. Shouts of surprise filled the arena. People stood up in their seats, disoriented and confused. In their pavilion, the royals gasped. Alice leant into Darien’s chest. He covered her with his arms, protecting his queen from whatever caused the light.
“What in the name of the holy deities is going on, Darien!” cried the Queen.
Skye didn’t see any of this. She felt it. It moved around her, through her as the light blossomed from the sentinel mark on her arm. Heat radiated up her shoulder and warmed her body. A mixture of thoughts, feelings and sensations washed over her in a tidal wave of emotion.
Fright of the unknown. Happiness from the way the light felt on their skin. Wonder at its beauty.
None of that mattered, though. Skye was focussed on one thought.
Tayne was here.
Tayne was safe, protected from the darkness that’d eaten away at his soul. In a detached way, she realised that her trial was over. Despite what it’d felt like, it hadn’t been real. Tayne had never been in any danger. Although, she thought, feeling her way around his form with the light. There was something growing within him that she couldn’t identify.
Air rushed behind her, but Skye was too distracted to speculate its source.
She promised herself that she’d never let him lose his way as he had in the trial’s vision. She’d never let him destroy himself like that. Although it had never occurred outside her mind, she knew it was a possibility that the darkness would come after Tayne.
Doubts swarmed through her mind as she felt the minds of the people. Reality crashed down as she realised the trial-Tayne’s words were true. While she couldn’t pin point the source, she realised that some blamed her entirely for the deaths. Some were afraid of what she might become, the threat she might later pose.
The light began to contract - slowly at first, then faster as it gravitated back towards her.
Skye lifted the cup from her lips, bringing it back to chest height. Silence met her. The light was gone, she knew that. She could sense it without opening her eyes.
“What... what did you do, Skye?” asked Wrain, still standing beside her.
Skye’s eyes flickered open. The chalice in her hands was no longer silver, but a deep, rich gold that reflected the sunlight and echoed it around the arena. It gleamed from within.
Was she the reason for Alguarde’s diminished safety? The reason that once safe people now feared for their lives?
“I... I’m not sure,” she said quietly.
Skye swayed, and Wrain caught her from behind. Her vision swam. She heard footsteps coming towards her. She assumed they were Tayne’s, but the figure was blurred.
Her head felt light. It wasn’t the ache from before, but something different. As if she’d run too far too fast.
“What did she do?” whispered Tayne. “Why is the cup gold?”
Wrain’s arms moved around her as he shook his head. “I have no idea. I’ve never seen or heard of a Sentinel with that kind of power before.”
“Skye? Hey, you still with us?” asked Tayne gently. Skye looked towards where the noise was coming from. She could barely keep her eyes open.
“Did you learn that in the library? What did you do to the chalice?” he asked.
Warmth blossomed on her arm as Tayne placed his hand on her.
“The chalice is pure now, too. It can banish corruption... Tayne I couldn’t let you be turned, I can’t lose you,” she said, surprised at the words coming from her mouth. She fought the urge to giggle, knowing somewhere deep inside that she was borderline insane. She felt unstable, as if her legs had turned to jelly.
“How do you know that? Did something in the library--“
“No... and... and she didn’t teach me either,” Skye said, frowning. Something sounded wrong with the sentence, something she wasn’t supposed to say. She brushed it off and continued. “I don’t know where it came from, Tayne. I just... couldn’t... I couldn’t let you...”
The words faded from her mouth as her knees gave way. She felt completely unstable, as if her legs had turned to jelly. The ridiculous urge to giggle was gone, replaced with fatigue.
“What is she talking about?” said Alice softly. From her hazy vision, Skye could make out the Queen’s form still pressed close to the King’s. Her black hair contrasted against the King’s white attire. “Is there another Sentinel, teaching her, here in Alguarde?”
The warmth left Skye’s arm, and Tayne’s voice rang out in the arena once more.
“Majesties, do you accept that Sentinel Skye has passed the trial?”
The rough voice of Darien replied. “I do. She is eligible to represent the Silverborn. She is pure!”
Cheers erupted from the crowds once more. Skye wished they’d be quiet. Her head was pounding and each whistle sent a sharp pain through her skull.
“I propose we postpone round three until tomorrow, to allow her time to recover. We shall, with your permission, continue with proceedings as planned tomorrow.”
The rest of the words folded together for Skye. They lost meaning as King and knight traded words, losing awareness of everything around her. Her limbs felt heavy, she could barely hold her head up... why was she so tired?
She felt herself change hands as someone scooped her under arms and knees, and carried her, she hoped, out of the arena. She curled against her carrier’s chest. Despite the armour plating their chest, their hands were warm.
They squeezed her arm in response. “I’ve got you,” said a voice she knew well. “I’ve got you, Skye.”
Satisfied and glad the day was at an end, Skye let the warm comfort of sleep take her.
*+*+*+*