The Land Set Aflame

Chapter 84: The Deal

He tested the chains again, but only half-heartedly this time. Svenden knew he wasn't strong enough to actually break free. Maybe with the strength of a centaur, he could do it; but the wooden ring mocked him on his index finger, refusing to come off, no matter how hard he tried.

In the corner of the room, the shadows suddenly tweaked and twisted, and Ilyssia popped into existence there. She looked at Svenden warily, but impassively. "You're awake," she said.

"Funny how that's the first thing everyone notices," he responded, refusing to feel silly for the lame retort.

She studied his face for a few more moments. "It's about time for me to start my ritual," she said, "I'll have some people here soon to bring you along, but before we left, I thought we should talk. Just you and I."

Svenden wanted to show Ilyssia that he wasn't scared of her. He wanted to say something cocky and defiant. He wanted to feel defiant. But, in reality, all he actually felt was... awkward. Self-conscious. This whole situation was just strange, and he didn't feel enough confidence to try to think of something defiant to say. So, he said nothing.

Ilyssia opened her mouth to speak again, but there was a noise around the corner, as of several more pairs of feet shuffling quietly on stone. It was Abdus Garrafey, and another squad of those not-quite-human things that made Svenden's eyes hurt.

Ilyssia closed her jaws and stepped back in deference as Abdus walked forward. "Ah! There you are!" he said, "You're right on time. I've brought your escorts. Do you have everything you need?"

As they began conversing over minutiae, Svenden's eyes darted longingly towards the bow, sitting in that pile of things well out of his reach. He nervously began rubbing his thumb against the wooden ring again, unsure whether he actually had the courage to try to work it off his finger now, in front of them.

There was a strange prick in his heart then, as the ember flared to life. He could almost swear he heard Callyndia's voice whispering in his ear, as if he still had the whisper blossom. He had to choke down the sudden lump of sadness that caught in his throat before he could firmly set his jaw and commit to not being a coward.

He worked his thumb against the ring, prepared to slip it off.

"Where are the guards?" Ilyssia's voice asked suddenly, drawing Svenden's attention away from his ring. She was looking down, over the edge of the open ruin.

A mere moment later, another group of those odd people shuffled into the room. They were gathered in a cluster around another person, and Svenden thought he could see a flash of red hair among them.

His ember burned again, and he suddenly felt his fears and insecurities flood back into his mind. "Callyndia?" he asked in shock.

Sure enough, the cluster of odd people parted, and Callyndia stepped forward, bold and beautiful and smiling as sweetly as ever. She turned that smile towards him, and he could feel a wave of calming warmth wash over him. Wordlessly, she reminded him that he was a noble hero and a competent warrior, and assured him that everything was going to be alright.

"Ah!" Abdus said as he stepped forward to meet her, "This is unexp... well, let's be honest: it's not unexpected, is it? I guess it's not surprising that you'd show up here. Disappointing, perhaps. But not surprising."

"I'm here to negotiate for Svenden's release," Callyndia said sweetly. The look of calm innocence on her face filled Svenden with dread.

"Callyndia!" Svenden said, "Get out of here! What are you doing?"

"Mr Moon, a gentleman wouldn't interrupt a lady when she's speaking," he said, "Go on, Lady Sablesong: I'm curious to hear how you intend to negotiate."

"Oh, I think you know what I'm going to say," she replied, stepping forward again, "And what I'm going to offer."

Svenden swallowed another lump in his throat. She couldn't!

"Enough of these silly games, woman!" Abdus said dismissively, "Lay it out, and we'll discuss it."

Callyndia nodded politely. "Of course, I'm going to offer myself in his place," she said, "And you're going to accept, because from your perspective, it's a very good deal."

"Callyndia, don't!" Svenden said anxiously, still working at that stubborn ring. When had it ever been this hard to remove? "You can't do it! I'm not worth it!"

Abdus sighed and reached into his pocket. He crushed something in his hand and blew on it, and a puff of powder dispersed into the air. Suddenly, Svenden's voice disappeared. He tried to continue speaking, but he was unable to produce any sound.

"Go on, Lady Sablesong," Abdus said, "Please explain why this is such a good deal for me. The way I see it, I don't really care which one of you I get. Ilyssia seems to have a preference, and I suppose her reasons make sense. But, I'm already content with the one I have, and I see no reason to negotiate."

"You need a person with hybrid ancestry," she said, "Svenden meets that criterion, but I think you know that half-fairy ancestry will work even better for your purposes."

Abdus smiled a patronizing smile. "And, what do you know of my purposes?" he asked, "Do you even know what I'm doing here, my dear?"

"Yes," she said simply. Svenden knew that was a lie, but she surely didn't look like someone who was lying. "You need the blood of a half-breed to power a transformation ritual for Ilyssia. Svenden's a half-breed, that's true. But, his blood isn't nearly as infused with magic as mine is."

Svenden tried to cry out, tried to beg her to stop, but his words were simply swallowed whole by whatever magic Abdus had cast on him.

"And why, pray tell, do I need his blood to be 'infused with magic', as you say?" Abdus replied.

"Well, you're not really certain the ritual is going to work, are you?" Callyndia said, "I'm sure you're well-read, and you know what you're doing; but you've also been experimenting with different things, and no one has ever attempted magic like this before, have they? So, there's still some guesswork in what you're doing. So, I should you'd want to avail yourself of every possible advantage."

Ilyssia shuffled a bit uncomfortably. "Master Garrafey," she said hesitantly, "I don't think—"

Abdus held up a hand to silence her. "No, I think she has point, actually," he said, "There is every reason to believe her blood would give us the better chance to succeed. Alright, Lady Sablesong, you've convinced me. If you want to sacrifice yourself for this... simpleton, then far be it from me to stop you."

"Then release him," she said simply, "And I'll take his place."

Svenden pulled angrily at his chains, and yelled as loud as he could, but he still had absolutely no voice. She was going to sacrifice herself for him, and he couldn't even speak out against it.

Abdus seemed terribly bemused by all this, but he pursed his lips. "Alright, I'll indulge you," he said, "Of course, you know I don't have to: I essentially have both of you now, so I'm under no real obligation to give you anything in exchange for your offer. But, I do consider myself a reasonable man."

"That's very civil of you, Master Garrafey," she said, "Then it's done, and you'll release him."