Theonis was having tea with Aylmer. It was a foreign blend from the far east. The sound of work could be heard outside, but it was eerily calm within the tent. Theonis was still amazed by how removed from his workers Aylmer was. Dimileios would never have this kind of setup.
He chanced a glance outside. Eiscilla was out there, barking orders at everyone. As if sensing something, she turned to look at Theonis through the open flaps of the tent. Her eyes narrowed. Theonis looked away and took a sip of tea.
“How are you feeling, Theonis?” Aylmer asked.
“Comfortable,” Theonis replied. “You’ve gone out of your way to make me feel welcome. I appreciate everything, I really do. Hopefully we’ll be out of here soon, though.”
“No doubt we’ll find the vault before long.”
“If it exists.”
“I’m confident it does,” Aylmer said, smiling. “No need to worry.”
Theonis smiled softly and replied, “Nothing stops you once you’ve set your sights on something, does it?”
“That’s correct. I wouldn’t have gotten this far if I weren’t utterly determined. Staging that affair at the party, for instance, was quite a feat.”
“You’ll do whatever it takes to reach your goal,” Theonis said, trying to force some awe into his voice. “What exactly would it take to convince someone like you to give up?”
Aylmer chuckled.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” he insisted.
“The navy is on its way,” Theonis reminded him.
“Yes, but we’ll be gone before that.”
Theonis mused, “So, there is one thing you’re afraid of.”
“Not afraid, no,” Aylmer said slowly. “But we know not to enter a fight we can’t win.”
Aylmer stood up and walked behind Theonis. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. When Aylmer placed his hands on Theonis’ shoulders, a shiver went down his spine.
“I should probably let you get back to work,” Theonis muttered.
“Oh, I have time—”
“Sir!”
Both Aylmer and Theonis spun around to see Eiscilla step into the tent. Theonis hoped that she could sense all the gratitude he felt toward her. Aylmer looked annoyed.
Eiscilla continued, “We’ve found it.”
Aylmer released Theonis and swiftly walked out of the tent. Eiscilla followed him and Theonis stood to pursue. As they reached the edge of the camp, though, Eiscilla held out an arm to stop Theonis from following.
“You!” She pointed to a worker. “Watch her. Make sure she doesn’t go anywhere.”
The worker saluted and Eiscilla rushed up the steps after Aylmer. Theonis took back all the gratitude he had felt earlier. Growling, he turned around and headed for his tent.
Once inside, Theonis started pacing back and forth. This was bad, really bad. He needed to get in contact with Myrova. How was he supposed to—
Theonis still had the medical alarm. That hadn’t been removed from him when Aylmer confiscated his weapon. If Theonis could activate it, the trinket would signal Kosgoris and Myrova would know to contact him!
He stepped outside and scoured the ground for a sharp rock. Finding one, he returned to the tent and pulled the small device out of his pocket. It was a large green gemstone surrounded with gold wire. Theonis placed it on the ground and hammered it with the rock until it was completely thrashed.
Theonis!
Myrova! It worked!
Are you okay? Myrova asked. Your alarm—
I damaged it so it would signal you, he replied.
…Those are very expensive, Theonis.
Aylmer found the vault!
Myrova swore, then asked, What do we do now?
Our only chance is to take out Aylmer. And for that, we need to get him alone. I have an idea.
The workers spent the rest of the day preparing. Carts and empty chests were placed outside the capitol building. The actual excavation would begin the next day. Unfortunately, it seemed that Aylmer had come prepared with enough resources to transport everything from within the vault. Theonis had to stop him today.
Once again, Theonis had dinner in Aylmer’s tent. He listened to Aylmer talk on and on about his own life, feigning interest the best he could. Like Theonis and Nikoris, Aylmer had also come from a wealthy household. Unlike Theonis, though, he had actually gone to university and reminisced about it fondly.
The meal was bland.
“Come walk with me,” Aylmer insisted, standing up and offering Theonis a hand.
Theonis stood on his own and nodded. Keeping Aylmer near him would help with the plan. Now he was just waiting for Myrova.
Aylmer led Theonis to the outskirts of the camp, just barely within the lamplight, where they walked side by side. There was a sword at Aylmer’s hip, but hopefully that wouldn’t be an issue.
“Are you excited to see what we’ve found?” Aylmer asked, placing his hand on Theonis’ arm.
Theonis nodded, then sighed in relief when he heard Myrova’s voice.
We’re in place. It’s your turn. Good luck.
“Aylmer,” Theonis said softly, turning to face him, “I want to see the inside of the vault, before they start moving things. I want to be swept away by the sight of all that untouched treasure.”
Aylmer chuckled and nodded, replying, “I’ll show you, then. Grab a lantern.”
Theonis did as he was told and the two started walking toward the steps of the capitol building. His heart was pounding. This was working: he was going to get Aylmer alone.
“Hold on,” came an unwelcome voice.
Theonis cursed and turned around to face Eiscilla, who was watching the two with her arms folded.
“If you’re going in there,” she said to Aylmer, “I’m coming too. I’m not leaving you in there with her where no one can see.”
“Very well,” Aylmer replied. “Come along—”
“Aylmer,” Theonis said softly, placing a hand on his arm, “I was hoping that you and I could have some time alone, actually. It’s so crowded in the camp.”
Aylmer chuckled and said, “Good point, my dear.” To Eiscilla, he added, “Stay here and watch the camp for me. I’ll be fine for a little while.”
Theonis couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder as they walked away. Eiscialla stood there, glaring at him. But before too long they were up the steps and inside the building.
He’d seen some Apositan buildings before, so this was familiar: stone walls, a few alcoves, high windows. Rooms were large and open. It wasn’t long, though, before Aylmer brought Theonis to a series of winding steps down into darkness.
“There are lanterns down here, but we’ll have to turn them— Now hold on, that’s odd. Why weren’t the lanterns put out?”
At the foot of the stairs was a long, tall hallway, leading to an open doorway surrounded with rubble that may have once been two stone doors. Inside, lanterns were flickering, and Theonis could barely make out the glint of gold and silver from within. As they got closer, he saw that the room was occupied by a series of stone tables piled high with jewelry, coins, and small statues.
Aylmer stepped through the door, muttering, “I’ll have to chastise—”
An orange aura surrounded Aylmer and his arms were pinned to his sides. He couldn’t move. Theonis stepped by him into the room to find Myrova in one corner, hands glowing. In the other corner was Kateni, who stepped around one of the tables to throw Theonis one of the swords she’d stolen.
“What do we do with him now?” Kateni asked.
Myrova replied, “Now we collapse the entrance.”
“With the navy on the way and no leader to inspire fear in them,” Theonis explained, folding his arms, “the rest of the crew will give up and simply leave to avoid being arrested, since they won’t be able to clear the rubble in time.”
“Theonis,” Aylmer said slowly, “call her off. This isn’t going to work. You’ve made a grave mistake, but I can forgive that. This doesn’t change anything.”
Myrova came to stand over by Theonis, forcing Aylmer to move deeper into the vault. Kateni kept her sword out, ready to strike if things went wrong. Theonis just shook his head.
“You don’t understand, Aylmer,” he said. “I was never going to betray my friends. You’re not the brilliant speaker you think you are. You’re nothing but a petty thief who believes all his own lies. We gave you plenty of chances to give up and go home, and now—”
Theonis landed with a thud on the stone floor before he even realized anything had happened. Looking up, Myrova was facing the open doorway with a translucent green barrier in front of her. A bolt of lightning was drilling into the shield, flashes of white light flooding the room.
Aylmer could move again, but Kateni had moved forward between the tables and kept her sword pointed at him. Aylmer scrambled to his feet and drew his own sword. Myrova was forced to step back as Eiscilla entered the room with her staff before cutting off the lightning.
“Did you think,” she cried through heavy breaths, “that I would fall for such an obvious trick?!”
“Like I said,” Aylmer added. “This trap won’t work. Now, Theonis, simply put the sword down and tell your scary friend here to do the same. I promise nobody will get hurt, and that I’ll take care of you. All you—”
Kateni took another step forward and snarled, “You will not speak to her that way!”
Eiscilla pointed her staff at Kateni and fired another bolt of lightning, but Myrova was fast enough to block it. Aylmer drew his own sword, shorter than Kateni’s, and locked blades with her. Theonis glanced between the two fights, panicking. After a moment, he charged at Aylmer to help Kateni.
Aylmer still had his back to the wall. Theonis rounded a table and came from the side, hoping to flank him. Aylmer turned just in time to block his sword and stepped back so both opponents were in front of him.
“Very disappointed in you, Theonis,” he said. “I offered you a life of adventure that most people could only dream of.”
Kateni swung at him. He blocked, but she stepped forward and knocked him back with her shoulder.
Glancing back, she told Theonis, “Go help Myrova! I can take care of this cretin!”
Myrova’s fight had brought her closer to where Theonis was standing. Eiscilla’s back was to him, so he charged in her direction. Sensing his approach, Eiscilla turned and blocked his swing with her staff, then spun it to knock his blade off balance while projecting a green barrier behind her to block Myrova’s blast of fire. While Theonis was recovering his footing, Eiscilla rammed her staff into his gut and caused him to flinch.
“Fine, then,” he muttered. His ring started to glow with a violet aura. “How well do you handle two of us?”
He started to play with her perception, getting her to see two of him. Eiscilla scowled and her staff glowed green, blocking his magic. She dodged a blast of fire by ducking under a table. When she emerged, Eiscilla was pointing her wand at Theonis and her staff at Myrova.
“I knew it was you!” she snarled at Theonis.
Her wand started to glow orange and there was a loud crack. Theonis jumped back and a stone table missed him by a hair, crashing into another and sending fine metals flying everywhere.
“Theonis, I’ve got this!” Myrova cried. “Help Kateni!”
Everything was a blur of light and sound. Theonis bounced back and forth between these two fights for a while. Kateni managed to stab Aylmer in the shoulder. Myrova’s outfit caught fire for a few moments. Aylmer’s blade nicked Theonis over the eye; blood poured down and blinded Theonis to his entire right side.
At some point, Theonis and Kateni switched. Kateni was pushing Eiscilla back while Theonis was locked in combat with Aylmer. Swords clashed, Theonis parried, Aylmer dodged. Aylmer thrust, Theonis blocked, Aylmer growled. Theonis was pushed back into a table, then cried out in pain before circling around Aylmer.
Finally, Theonis lowered the sword and charged. Aylmer, surprised, was knocked off balance before managing to get his hands on Theonis’ shoulders. The two grappled, but Aylmer was bigger and stronger. Theonis pulled away and took two swings. Aylmer easily dodged the first, but the second connected with his stomach and knocked the wind out of him.
Theonis brought his foot up and slammed it against Aylmer’s knee, bringing him to the ground.
“Myrova!” Theonis cried, “pin him!”
There was a blast of cackling lightning and a stone table all but exploded before collapsing on top of Aylmer, who cried out in pain.
Theonis grinned, but was immediately jerked away by Kateni as a lightning bolt passed through the spot his head had been. Kateni turned and charged at Eiscilla. Theonis picked up his own sword and followed suit, ring already glowing.
Even with both her staff and wand, Eiscilla was outmatched. Slowly, the three pushed her out of the vault and into the hallway. But as long as Eiscilla had her weapons, Myrova couldn’t bring down the ceiling. Theonis had to do something.
“I need you to counter her magic!” Theonis told Myrova, who nodded.
Theonis charged forward, using his ring to throw Eiscilla off-balance. She used her wand to counter it, then pointed her staff at Theonis. Myrova countered that magic, though, leaving Eiscilla undefended as Theonis rammed into her. They went tumbling and Theonis latched onto the staff. She could hear Myrova and Kateni running up.
With a loud cry, Theonis yanked the staff from Eiscilla’s hands and pointed it at the ceiling behind his friends. He pictured what he wanted to happen and the staff started to glow with a dark blue energy. It was warming up in his hands and starting to shake.
“You idiot!” Eiscilla cried, struggling beneath Theonis. “You’re not strong enough to—”
There was a tremendous crack as Theonis pulled the staff down and the ceiling caved in. The group was completely cast in darkness. The smell of dirt and the roar of falling stone overpowered everything.
A small light started to glow from Myrova’s hands. Everyone was dirty, but unharmed. Theonis, staff in hand, climbed off of Eiscilla. She scooted back a ways before climbing to her feet and pointing her wand between Theonis and Myrova.
“Give up, Eiscilla,” Theonis told her. “You’re simply outnumbered.”
She scowled, then shoved her wand into her coat pocket before raising her hands in surrender. Theonis gestured with the staff toward the stairs. Eiscilla glared at him, then turned and started walking.
“What now?” she asked as they ascended.
“Now, you and your crew go home,” Theonis replied, following behind Myrova. “And I keep the staff to make sure that you don’t try anything reckless.”
“You know we outnumber you, right? In the end, we’d still win.”
“Are you going to try?” Kateni asked from behind.
“…No point. Not worth the casualties. And you can keep the staff; it’s probably stolen. I’ll simply find another when I get home.”
When the workers finally saw the group coming down from the capital, there was a sudden burst of sound and movement as they scrambled for their weapons. Before they could make a move, though, Eiscilla signaled for them to stop. They looked confused, but obeyed.
“We’re going home!” she announced to the camp. “The tunnel leading to the vault has caved in. It would take too long to excavate. Our only option is to leave now to ensure that the navy doesn’t capture us. Pack everything up. I want us back on Prudelyn before dawn.”
There was a lot of murmuring, but nobody moved to obey.
“Where’s Aylmer?!” someone cried.
“Dead,” Eiscilla answered simply. “In the cave-in. I’m in charge, now.”
“Why should we—?”
Theonis didn’t even see Eiscilla grab her wand. In less than a second she was pointing at the worker and a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of his feet. That started a flurry of action as it sank in for the crowd how serious she was.
“Alright, you win,” Eiscilla said, turning to face Theonis. “But mark my words: this world doesn’t reward people with your sense of idealism, girl. You’re going to learn that, sooner or later.”
“Lovely,” Theonis replied. “Get out of my country.”
Zyla Cat.
hehe =^^=
Am excited for the resolution, this chapter was so good :3
Well, it's not like Eiscella's the good guy here, but honestly, neither is Theonis. Theonis is just the less bad, as you talk about in your opening note.
Yup, just another form of nationalism which favors current institutions rather than supporting everyone. Good job on the fight though. That was written real fun❣️
True but it's not like they have a better alternative, them siding with their government is better than the imperialists.
I don't think Aylmer is dead. I bet he is missing when they get back into the vault.