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I CALLED OUT TO MY FRIEND, ‘Tarasque, whoever you think this is, I can assure you it’s not.’ The crimson smog rose to the heavens, pouring from every nook and cranny of the palace. ‘Please, trust me.’ I almost begged, a crippling pain in my chest.
My words alerted the ghostly girl to our presence, a worried expression pained her pale face. I could just about make out the tears streaming down her cheeks before she ran away. My thoughts began running wild of possibilities of who the woman could’ve been, it was obvious she was important to our comrade, but what was their relationship?
Tarasque glanced back at us and shook her head, ‘I’m sorry.’ Were her last words before she dashed after the spirit.
Mitztail groaned, ‘Great. First ghosts, which I didn’t thank mew for. By the way I hate ghosts, they rub my whiskers the wrong way,’ he shot me a glare and I turned my head away, ‘Now our paladin is off chasing girls. Can’t say I blame her, she’s pretty cute for a spirit.’
I glanced back at him. He can’t be serious.
‘You can’t date across planes of existence,’ Barcius said, as matter of factly.
‘We can’t leave her,’ I replied, pointing up at the rising smog. ‘You see that, the same crimson energy that tainted the skeleton horde, what if this is where the fiend hides?’
The tabaxi looked up at the tiefling and said, ‘She makes a good point.’
‘Indeed,’ Barcius replied. ‘Perhaps you’re correct in deducing that the trial lies within the castle.’ He appeared ready for what might be thrown at us next, and the wound on his bicep was barely a scratch.
Mitztail rolled his eyes and said, ‘There he goes again, confusing us with big words.’ He placed his paws on his hips and gave a single nod. ‘Tara would never leave us behind, now it’s our turn to help her.’
‘Then we’re all in agreement?’ I asked the group.
A single nod of both my comrades' heads sold me on the idea to jump head first into the eerie palace. While the white stone walls were probably once beautiful, years of dirt and ash had eroded its beauty. What once stood as a beacon of hope for the city was nothing more than an empty husk playing host to a wicked fiend.
Mitztail took the lead, his catlike eyes more adapted in the darkness and his keen senses shielded us from danger. We walked through corridor after corridor with no sign of any spirits nor any monsters. Only debris, shredded wallpaper and dimly lit candles greeted us, yet something felt off. Every room we searched was filled with the same crimson haze, and furniture either overturned or raided through. But still there was no sign of Tarasque. I only hoped we reached her before the fiend did, not that I doubted the ability of our paladin, she just hadn’t seemed herself when she left.
When we reached the west wing we heard a conversation in the distance, yet I couldn’t make out any words. Mitztail ran ahead on all four paws and skidded to a halt once he reached an open set of doors. He waved a paw, gesturing for us to join him and we quickened our steps.
‘She’s in there,’ he said, and I assumed he was referring to Tarasque.
‘Is she alone?’ I asked.
The tabaxi shook his head and turned to his blue-skinned comrade, ‘Any ideas?’
Barcius sucked in a breath then said, ‘Best thing to do is approach her about the situation. We forget, this is her homeland. It’s clear something horrific happened here in her past.’ He turned to me, ‘We may have journeyed together for years, but being here, we’re like strangers.’
I couldn’t imagine how he felt, I’d only known all three adventurers for two days. They never told me how long they’d been travelling as a group, but then again I never asked.
‘I’m going in,’ I announced. My comrades were close to my heels.
Tarasque was at the north end, surrounded by towering bookcases and was knelt before the spirit of a woman she’d called Verity. They held hands and gazed longingly at one another. I soon realised their relationship and why the fire genasi had run away without uttering a word.
I stepped over the books that littered and joined the two women, our male comrades not far behind me. Mitztail crept closer, wanting to keep his distance from the ghostly girl.
‘You must think I’m crazy,’ Tarasque said and turned to us without releasing the spirit’s hand, ‘If you had a chance to see your betrothed one last time, I doubt you would squander the opportunity.’
‘Not at all,’ I replied, keeping my tone soft. My thoughts drew me back to the fateful night I’d encountered the Darkling, for years I’d waited to be reunited with my brother. I missed my homeland, and despite the way they’d treated me, I also missed my tribe.
Mitztail lent against one of the dusty bookcases, his paws folded across his chest and his hardee tipped forward hiding his face. ‘I understand,’ he said softly.
‘What happened?’ I asked and slumped down onto the ground ready to listen.
There was more to their story that met the eye, one was alive and well and the other was still lingering between this realm and the next. All they needed was someone to listen.
Verity perched on the single stool beside the window, the glasses broken in places, but never once let go of the fire genasi’s hand. ‘Tell them our story,’ she said.
Tarasque sucked in a breath then said, ‘Fine, but only because you asked nicely.’ She turned to our party. ‘You already know my history, how I became the esteemed leader of the Knights of Delmuph and the personal guard to a member of the royal family. May I introduce Lady Verity, daughter of King Melion.’
I stared wide eyed from my comrade to her betrothed.
So that’s how it was.
The fire genasi trained her golden orbs to the ground, ‘She didn’t speak for me for months, whenever I greeted her, she turned her head and I followed at her heels like a whelp.’
Mitztail scoffed, ‘How embarrassing for mew.’ But his words sounded more like a backhanded compliment. Tarasque was bobbing her head in agreement, she must have thought the same but it was Lady Verity that turned to the tabaxi to comment.
‘I thought it was rather charming,’ she retorted. ‘After a while that is. My sisters teased me endlessly about needing a personal guard. But they were both older and father was busy with other things. Tara was always there for me.’
‘Even though you pushed me away more times than I can count.’
‘Yes, well-’
Tarasque’s laugh cut through her betrothed words. All seemed to have been forgotten. ‘We’re getting off topic a bit, but it’s been a decade since I last saw you,’ she said, her expression solemn. ‘Slowly we began to get closer, just as you were starting to accept me being around, you were taken from me. Do you remember what happened?’
Lady Verity slipped her hand from Tarasque’s grasp and replied, sadness chilling her tone. ‘Father said your military were sentenced to a realm overseas. He didn’t delve into the details, however I knew there was more to the story, but I never had time to find out.’
The fire genasi trained her gaze away from the spirit and said, ‘I don’t like to speak ill of the dead but your father kept many skeletons in his closet. Someone was threatening him. Threatening to expose his secrets if he didn’t hand over the city.’
‘So what was the mission?’ Barcius asked. He knew her better than anyone, yet it was clear he’d never heard this story. ‘You never agree to something unless the coin’s good.’
‘Things were different back then,’ Tarasque scoffed, almost offended by his admission, ‘The mission he sent my squadron on was suicide. We were charged to eradicate a horrific fiend before she came for the city, I’d no choice’ she glanced to Verity then turned to the rest of the group, ‘It was a suicide mission. What greeted my men was only darkness and death. No sign of the wicked fiend we were sent to destroy.’
What fiend had the power to command an undead army?
Who could bring an entire city to its knees overnight?
‘The Raven Queen.’ Lady Verity said.
Tarasque got to her feet, a little perplexed the spirit knew the fiend. ‘She came to the city while your father’s military was away. He didn’t just gamble his life away but the lives of the citizens. Most importantly, he gambled away your life. It’s unforgivable.’ She said, ‘I should’ve never left your side. If I hadn’t left I-’
‘The Raven Queen would have murdered us both.’ Verity cut her off. She held her hand up to the fire genasi’s cheek. ‘It is good to see you again.’
But Tarasque refused to meet her gaze and said, ‘This is her handiwork, isn’t it?’ She pushed away the spirit’s hand. ‘The reason you plague my dreams and occupy every thought.’
‘I have no idea what-’
‘You wouldn’t,’ she added, ‘This is all too good to be true and this can’t be because of Saria’s magic. Not a single spirit is here but you. And why is that?’
‘I don’t-’
‘Where is she?’ Tarasque demanded. The tips of her tresses ignited.
‘Who are you talking about?’ Verity looked as if she was on the verge of crying.
‘The wicked temptress,’ the fire genasi said. ‘I arrived back to the city, broken and bruised from the battle, the only member of my squadron to survive. The streets burned to the ground in flames and you. You were there, in the throne room, begging me with your last breath to never forget you. Not a day goes by that I don’t remember that day.’
I reached for my ears, I hated confrontation, it brought back too many bad memories. But their screams pierced through me, ‘Stop,’ I shouted, dropping to my knees and slamming my fists into the ground. A loud cracking filled the air.
‘Saria,’ Mitztail was at my side, clutching onto my forearm. His other paw rested on the ground, splits running through the stone tiles.
Had I caused this?
I blinked, slowly coming back to my senses as my tabaxi comrade hauled me off the ground. I suddenly felt completely sapped of strength and I couldn’t understand why.
Maybe it was to do with projected these spirits?
‘For the record,’ Tarasque hadn’t let up her side of the argument, ‘I’d prefer to die a thousand times just so we could’ve spent an eternity together, than have lived the last decade alone.’
But both the party and I knew who she was directing her words too.
Without uttering a single word the ghostly girl stood from her perch and darted past us all. We heard her cries echoed throughout the hallway. Tarasque trained her golden eyes to the ground, her expression barely readable.
‘She’s here, I can feel it in my gut,’ she said, her hand grazing the hilt of her blade, ‘And when I find her, her soul will know repentance.’ She stormed out after the spirit of her betrothed, leaving the rest of her behind.
‘Tara certainly has a cattitude,’ Mitztail said with a sigh.
Barcius pursed his lips and replied, ‘Perhaps, but put yourself in her shoes. It must be difficult to lose someone you once loved, and in such a horrific manner. It’s worse knowing you could’ve aided in her survival.’
‘But it wasn’t her fault!’ I found myself defending our comrade, even when I only had her side of events to go off of. ‘She was right though, Verity’s ghost didn’t appear because of my magic.’
The tiefling narrowed his brows, ‘What are you proposing?’
‘Well,’ I said, and crossed my arms. I tapped my temple with my index finger. ‘Perhaps Tarasque was correct, what if the Raven Queen never left the City of Delmuph? What if she’s here within the castle?’
‘An excellent suggestion, but what do you propose we do?’ Mitztail perked up.
My mind drew a blank.
‘If it’s a trial then it needs to be completed,’ Barcius said, ‘What if this was the element of the quest the Ser Raexius talked about?’
A clicking erupted from his pack and out popped Cogsworth, the copper automaton the Sorcerer gave to us.
‘Perhaps this little guy could help?’ he suggested.
Mitztail hissed at the creature.
I clapped my hands with glee and said, ‘What a wonderful idea. I did wonder what happened to him when we were separated.’
Barcius pushed his glasses up his nose, ‘When we tumbled out of the portal, it appeared a little worse for wear,’ he replied. ‘I tried to fix it up as best I could but it appears all it required was a moment's respite.’
The tabaxi edged toward the pack and spat at the creature, ‘Freeloader.’
Barcius scooped Cogsworth up and placed him on the ground. Its cogs began to whirl and its bulbs started to pulse with an amber glow. ‘Perhaps he’s able to locate Tarasque.’
Cogsworth marched towards the library entrance, its copper legs clinking as it walked. My comrades began to follow the automaton, placing all their hope in a single object.
I chose to keep my mind open, none of us knew our way around this palace nor the derelict city that lay outside the doors. But yet, we needed to keep moving forward, for the sake of our friend.
‘Let us hope we find her soon.’
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