Joan gave a soft yawn and softly rocked back and forth. Things were looking, slightly, better now. Andreas’ laziness had finally gotten the better of him and he hadn’t retied her after bringing her back to the cage after she had to go to the bathroom, so she was able to finally stretch out and walk around in the cage once more.

But it was a minor victory. Being trapped inside a cage for days was miserable, she ached all over from sleeping on the hard wood, none of them had any chances to clean up so the smell of sweat and dirt was getting to her. Worst of all they were almost there. Judging by what she had heard from bits and pieces of conversation between the demons they were expected to arrive late tomorrow. So even though she was supposed to be sleeping, the notion seemed all but impossible.

A part of her was tempted to try and escape again tonight. But no, she’d be patient and wait. If she was being brought directly to the Demon Lord, she’d find a way to escape when Andreas wasn’t there.

She’d be--

‘Are you ready?’ a voice said in her head.

Joan almost rolled her eyes before she went entirely still. It hadn’t been Andreas’ voice. It had been Searle’s. “What?” she asked.

Joan didn’t receive an answer. She looked around for a moment, before reaching out to check that bond between her and Andreas. ‘Hello?’ she asked.

‘What do you want?’ Andreas asked.

‘I just heard Searle. Did you do that?’ Joan asked.

‘What?’ Andreas asked. ‘Listen, I’m trying to sleep. Get some sleep yourself.’

Joan frowned before laying back down. She swore she heard it. She had to. Hadn’t she? Or was she so desperate to be saved that she was now imagining things? ‘It wasn’t you, was it?’

‘Go to sleep, Joan, there’s a busy day tomorrow.’

Joan sighed and looked at the other two in the cage. Caius was asleep on the ground. Lamberto was in his corner, either sleeping or just silent, she didn’t know. If he was moving much it was too dark to tell. She closed her eyes and listened, desperately hoping to hear something, anything. Some screams from the guards, some alarm, some sign that things were going wrong for the demons. Some hint that the Chosen of the Shield was here.

But there was nothing. Had she really just imagined it? “I’m ready,” she said, but received no response.

Joan waited patiently for some sign that it wasn’t just her mind playing tricks on her, that Searle really was there.

Eventually, though, her tiredness won out and she began to drift off, the darkness of sleep enveloping her once more.

------

Joan awoke to the slow thudding sounds of the burdensharer and the creak of the wagon being pulled along. She slowly sat up and looked around.

Nothing seemed amiss, everything was fine. Her captors didn’t look tense at all, though they did seem to be taking care to act professional. They walked straighter and seemed, somewhat, better groomed. It looked like a few had even shaved. That or she was overthinking things.

Joan sat up and slowly crawled to the bars of the cage, leaning against it. Everything seemed normal and calm. Aside from the fact she was incredibly hungry. She wondered if she’d ended up sleeping through breakfast. Or perhaps they wouldn’t even be fed today. Of the three of them, it was likely only Joan would be alive come sunset. Maybe now that they were almost there, their lives were no longer worth extending.

She glanced down at her arms. She hadn’t actually thought about it, but had she always been this bony? Had she lost weight? It was a strange thing to think right before her possible approaching death, but she had to think about something.

Joan gave another sigh before looking around for Andreas. She found him near the front of the caravan and felt a small bit of annoyance when she saw he was now carrying both of her swords on his back. She wished she could walk over and slap him for it, that sword had been a gift from the Chosen of the Shield. If he wasn’t going to take up the spear then he had no right to it.

In fact, she was going to tell him so. She tried to reach out through the bond to speak with him, except it wasn’t there this time.

Despite everything else, that struck her the hardest. Of course. After today he wouldn’t ever have to worry about her again. He didn’t need to keep a connection with her anymore. So it was only natural that he’d break the bond.

Joan gave a soft sigh and finally just collapsed onto the bottom of the cage, laying on her back and staring up at the sky. “Why did you even send me?” she asked the gods. “Why choose me for this if it was impossible?”

Unsurprisingly, she didn’t receive an answer.

Joan closed her eyes and gave another sigh. This was the worst part of being normal. The waiting. Wondering if she would get an opportunity to even try to escape. She wondered if this was how all those people she had rescued had felt. Had they watched the sun dip behind the horizon again and again, always asking the gods when a hero would come? How many of them had never had a chance to be saved because she had been too slow?

She glanced over towards the other two in the cage and felt a small swelling of guilt. She’d been trapped with these two for days and she still knew nothing about them. The most she had done was yell at the old man and ignore the other. They’d likely be dead by the end of the day and she hadn’t even tried to offer them the smallest amount of compassion or comfort.

Joan rolled over and then got to her feet, walking over to sit by Lamberto. “Hey?”

He glanced up for a moment, but didn’t speak.

“I’m sorry,” she said gently.

“Why are you sorry?” Lamberto asked.

“For yelling at you,” Joan said. “You were just singing and I lashed out at you.” To her surprise, the old man laughed. She stared at him with bewilderment. “What’s so funny?”

“If anyone should be apologizing, it is me,” Lamberto said with a shake of his head. “And I truly am sorry. I know this must be absolutely terrifying for a child like you. No. It is terrifying for anyone,” Lamberto said before glancing to Caius and giving a soft sigh. “I will admit I was never the best at comforting children.”

Joan blinked a few times, trying to process that. “You thought singing about the Hero would comfort ME?”

Lamberto gave a small nod. “Indeed. This isn’t…” He gave another soft sigh and she could see him sink a bit more against the bars. He looked as exhausted as she felt. “I have lived a good, long life. While this isn’t the way I would have liked my life to end, I can at least accept it. I can even trust that the gods will have a purpose for my death.”

“I’ve thought that a few times myself,” Joan said softly.

“No child so young should have to ever say such things,” Lamberto said before, very softly, he reached out and patted her on the head. “You owe me no apology, Joan. If anyone owes an apology, it is me. If I could do something to save you from this fate, I would.”

Joan slowly pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them close, resting her face on her knees. “You really don’t. I’m not the one likely to die today,” she said. “If singing songs like that brings you comfort in times like these, I shouldn’t stop you. I’m not that young, either. Or at least, I’m a lot older than I look.”

“It is probably the silly thoughts of an old man facing his death,” Lamberto said. “I know the Hero won’t come to save us, the chosen either. But I do still believe that they will fix things and, in the next life, things will be better.”

Joan nodded but didn’t say a word. Ironically, she couldn’t help but wonder if she failed again, what would happen to this man’s next life? What happened to all those souls who had died after the gods had been cut away? How long had the world before the world had begun to sink into nothingness once she had separated them from it? What if the Inferno God grew ever stronger in power and the world was instead melted away into a puddle once more, what would happen to them then? She gave another shudder, hugging her legs tighter. “Do you know what happened to Caius?” she asked. “The demons, right?”

“I don’t believe so,” Lamberto said before glancing to the boy who just sat there, staring out from the cage. “He was like this when they found him. He hasn’t spoken much about it. Gerard tried to get information from him, but all he managed was the name in the end before he gave up.”

Joan nodded before glancing back to the boy. The demons hadn’t done this? So something else had broken his mind in such a way? Wait, when was it? She dug through her memories as best she could, trying to remember if there had been anything terrible that had happened in the regions near here during that time. “Where was he?”

“I’m sorry?” Lamberto asked. “Who?”

“Caius. When they found him, where was he?” Joan asked.

“Ohhh, that I remember,” Lamberto said. “He was sitting on a bridge over a lake. Interesting thing, that. He didn’t even try to run from the demons. He seemed almost happy to get into the cage when they moved him to it.”

“A lake?” Joan asked. “Oh by the stars themselves,” she said, her voice filled with annoyance and she barely resisted the urge to bang her head back against the bars. She remembered that monster. In the dead of night it had snuck up on them and tried to seduce the Hero. It had almost succeeded before Hardwin had lit the area with fire and revealed its true form. A monstrous hag with rotting flesh and tendrils of ivy. They’d slain it a moment later. The village it had been terrorizing had been incredibly thankful, but she had mostly ignored them because no sooner did they complete that mission that another messenger arrived with news. At least it was a minor threat and, as this was demon territory now, not really her problem. How it had broken the mind of Caius she didn’t know, nor was she certain she wanted to know.

“Is something wrong?” Lamberto asked.

“Many things, but don’t worry about it,” Joan said before shaking her head. “Just poor memories is all. This one, at least, is minor in comparison.”

A sudden shout drew her attention and she glanced up. Unfortunately, with the massive beast in the way she couldn’t see much ahead of them so she had no way of making out what the issue was without getting up again and going to the other side of the cage.

‘Joan, keep yourself safe,’ Andreas’ voice said in her head suddenly. ‘The back of the cage, just outside of it, under the tarps. Your sword is waiting.’

Joan went entirely still, her eyes going wide. ‘Wait, what?’

‘No time, just keep yourself safe!’ Andreas said.

‘Why? What’s going on?’ Joan asked.

‘Joan, I know you want to ask a lot of questions but now is really NOT the time!’ Bauteut’s voice said into her head.

‘Wait, Bauteut? Wait, does that mean--’

‘JOAN!’ Searle’s voice all but screamed into her head.

‘SEARLE! I knew it! I knew I wasn’t imagining it!’ Joan said, the excitement building up inside her.

‘Joan, was it? I don’t think we’ve met but, please, do as you’re told. This is not going to be prett-- oh dear,’ a new voice said, one she didn’t recognize at all.

‘Wait, who are you?’ Joan asked.

‘FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY! JOAN! GET! THE! SWORD!’ Bauteut’s voice screamed in her head.

Joan paused before leaping towards the back of the cage. She reached through the bars, shoving aside the tarp covering and revealing her sword beneath it. The sword that Searle had given her before they had begun any of this. How? It had been on Andreas’ back, hadn’t it? How could he have gotten it here? Oh, right, magic. Still, she hadn’t thought he knew how to do that spell yet.

Her fingers wrapped around the hilt. ‘Got it!’ Joan said through the bond once more.

Piercing light enveloped the area, blinding them all for a half a second before the entire world was covered in a warm, smothering darkness.

A familiar darkness.

The Chosen of the Spear now wielded their weapon.

“Ha! I knew he’d never betray me! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!” Joan said, unable to suppress the giddy glee in the knowledge that she had properly judged her friend once more.

Not that anyone could hear her in that moment, as the screams of battle began.

MelodyAvant

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