Velmardian cells were suites compared to the cells found anywhere else in Yomidgard. They were spacious rooms, with a toilet separated from the main area. Yes, the entire cell was enclosed by metal bars and brick walls, but even so, it was far more humane than anything found in the wastelands or castles outside Velmardia.
They were well protected. An entire detachment of soldiers guarded and watched over the prisoners, whether temporary or perpetual. However, the prisoners being held there were of a special kind, so Nero, Siphone, and Alastor were surprised to find Saint Reena standing guard.
She was a tall, slender woman with a sturdy build. Her armor was polished, and the green gems embedded in it made it seem even more luxurious than it already was. Her hair cascaded down her back, loose, dark red like lava in a volcano, waiting to erupt. When she saw them, she did not smile, but neither did she show disdain. With Alastor, however, it was different. The saint crouched down to fuss over him, and the wolf welcomed the attention.
—We’ve come to see the prisoners from the Raven’s Order Academy —said Siphone at the desk. A tired-looking guard wrote down their names and the time, and handed them a pass, not before glancing at the saint and asking for her consent with a nod.
—Why do you want to see them? Do you miss being on an undercover mission? —said Saint Reena.
—I’ve had enough of that, thanks. I’m concerned they may have let themselves be captured and that this is a trap —said Siphone.
The saint stood up and rested her hand on the hilt of her sword. Her expression shifted, forming an amused, almost sinister smile.
—You’re not the only one who thinks that. Your sister, Saint Iris, told us as soon as we learned who had been captured. It seems she doesn’t get along very well with that Ecila —said Saint Reena.
—Ecila is here? —said Siphone.
—You know her? —said Nero.
—She’s from the advanced classes, a place only the most select of us could access. She was always in a corner of the class, admiring her sinister collection of stuffed rabbits. What a creep, eh? And yet, she was extremely skilled and powerful, one of Professor P’Zain’s favorites —said Siphone—. Let’s go. Something strange is happening here.
—I’m not missing this —said Saint Reena.
They entered the cell wing. It was very large, and although half of it was empty, it remained perfectly orderly and clean. When they reached the outer door of the cell where the prisoners were held, Siphone asked Saint Reena to wait outside, or at least out of the prisoners’ line of sight. With them, it was possible they would open up more easily, at least more easily than with a saint present.
Inside, they found a rather peculiar scene. There were only five people in the cell: one was a student dozing off, whom even Siphone did not recognize. Two were sitting in opposite corners: Ecila and Nob, two of the advanced-class students. Finally, in the center, speaking as if they were in one of his many lectures, were Professor P’Zain himself and Noihs, the self-proclaimed “Sylthmir’s Mastermind.” When they saw them enter, they showed little surprise, quite the opposite, in fact: they greeted them rather enthusiastically.
—Oh, Siph, long time no see! —said Noihs, with her usual radiant smile. Even inside the cell she stood out, as she was the only one dressed in red, and her outfit showed no signs of struggle or conflict.
—Well, well, well —said Professor P’Zain, examining Siphone from head to toe—. You are full of surprises.
Siphone dragged a stool to the front of the cell and sat down, arms crossed. Discreetly, she traced a magical glyph in the air with her fingers, unseen by the others. Nero leaned against the wall behind her, uncomfortable in the presence of one of his teachers: he wanted to put distance between himself and everything related to the Raven’s Order Academy, as each day he became more convinced that what they did there was wrong.
—Tell me: what have you come to Velmardia for? —said Siphone, her voice authoritative.
—Are you asking on the queen’s behalf, or your own? —said Professor P’Zain.
—Let’s not be rude. Siph just wants to know whether we’re enjoying our vacation —said Noihs. From the corner, Ecila let out a sharp giggle.
—I’m not joking —said Siphone—. I suggest you talk.
Ecila rushed to the bars and slammed against them, trying to grab Siphone with her hands.
—And what happens if we don’t? Will you lock us in a darker cell? TRAITOR! —shouted Ecila— Come where I can reach you! COME ON!
The guards had gone on alert at the sight of the situation. Siphone calmed them with a composed gesture.
—You’re no match for me —said Siphone—. None of you are. Your “advanced class” is nothing but child’s play to me. Tell her, professor.
The professor gave a slight nod without changing his expression. He was enjoying the spectacle. Nob came forward from the back of the cell and grabbed Ecila, pulling her away from the bars by force.
—What do you want to know, Siph? We were captured while trying to prevent your sister from being abducted, but we soon realized it wasn’t a kidnapping, but a rescue mission, and we ended up here, stripped of all magic —said Noihs.
—You said it yourself, didn’t you? For the Velmardians, facing us is child’s play! —said Ecila. Her voice was filled with hatred, just like her gaze.
Siphone pointed at the professor and shook her head, still with her arms crossed. She leaned back, tilting the chair onto its rear legs, and waited, her eyes fixed on Professor P’Zain.
—I was defeated by Velmardia’s hero, Sir Lionel. His feats are known across the world —said the professor, holding Siphone’s gaze.
—I don’t believe you. I’ve seen you hold back before, arguing with Principal Valion. You are the second or third most powerful warlock at the Raven’s Order Academy —said Siphone.
—Are you in that ranking? —said the professor.
—No. But Professor Morgana is —said Siphone. She smiled, but only for a moment. She knew Professor P’Zain and Professor Morgana did not get along, so undermining his ego by comparing him to her would work.
And it did. The professor raised a hand and unleashed a discharge of dark blue lightning straight at Siphone. The magic burst against the protective glyphs inscribed on the bars, causing no damage beyond leaving an unpleasant smell of ozone in the air.
—Magic without using a wand? —said Nero, surprised.
—He’s the one who taught me —said Siphone.
—You will pay dearly for your insolence when I get out of here —Professor P’Zain told Siphone.
—You’ll never get out of here —said Siphone, standing up and turning her back on them—. So, if you don’t have a plan or something to confess, we’re done. In the morning, they will cut off your heads. Goodbye. May the Goddess Velmar be merciful to your souls.
Then Nob, who had been holding Ecila, fell to his knees. A thick tear rolled down his cheek and dropped to the ground. He pressed his forehead against the floor and pleaded.
—Please! Tell them everything! I don’t want to die! —he cried out.
—Shut up, Nob! —said Ecila.
—What do you have to tell me? —said Siphone, intrigued.
—The plan! If you don’t say it, I will! —said Nob, without lifting his head from the ground.
—Nob! Don’t say anything! —shouted Noihs.
Professor P’Zain stood up, grabbed Nob by the chest, whispered a few words into his ear, and released him. The boy fell to the ground, hitting his head like a mannequin, completely limp.
—That was a petty trick —the professor said to Siphone—. Did you think I wouldn’t notice the mind-control rune you used, girl?
—But it worked. There is a plan—one you don’t want revealed —said Siphone, proud of her ploy.
Noihs had flushed with embarrassment. Her cheeks burned, and her eyes dripped with fury.
—It's fun to know things that others don't —said Noihs.
—It’s sad that you think I won’t find out —said Siphone.
—Tell her —said Professor P’Zain suddenly.
—What? —said Siphone, Noihs, and Nero at the same time.
—Have you gone mad? —said Ecila.
The professor removed his glasses and cleaned them with his robe as he walked toward the cell’s only window. From there, the night sky could be seen, now beginning to glow with the first light of dawn.
—The sun is rising. Secrets no longer matter: only vengeance does —said Professor P’Zain.
—What do you mean? —said Siphone. She turned to Noihs and shouted at her— What does he mean?
—Velmardia is not a safe place —the professor continued—. The queen has overestimated the power of the Goddess Velmar.
—Demons have no power here —said Nero.
—The Velmardian defenses cannot be overcome by demons. But what about humans? Did you hear my music? —said Noihs, conjuring her hydromonica out of thin air. She grabbed it and danced with it, playing as she spun, in a loud and strident performance—. The Velmardian streets are going to be filled with songs of praise for their new masters.
—But… your magic… —said Siphone.
—Our magic is fueled by demons, and demons are children of the Goddess Velmar! Almost none of them can pray to her, but some… —Professor P’Zain let out a laugh—, some can.
Suddenly, the ringing of distant bells began to echo. The two soldiers in the room looked at each other, worried. Siphone turned to Nero, her face pale.
—The rhythm of those bells… there is an attack on Velmardia! —said Siphone.
The bells were accompanied by a trumpet fanfare, its sound cascading louder and louder as it approached the city of Tower, where they were. Alastor began to bark.
—It’s worse than I thought —said Siphone, upon hearing it—. That alarm… they have a dragon. Saint Reena! You must alert your order, the dragonslayers!
Nero stepped into the corridor. The saint was already running toward the exit. She turned for a brief moment, fists raised.
—A dragon in Velmardia! Perfect! —she said, before disappearing from sight.
Siphone ran after her, with Alastor at her side. Nero and she communicated without words: they both knew what they had to do: join their mentors in battle. But instead of running, Nero stopped in his tracks. He felt something pulling him toward another cell, toward its tightly sealed door.
—It’s Varkuzhal —said Nero—. The demon’s head is in there!
—Do we have time for this? —said Siphone.
—What do you think will happen if the people of Sylthmir get their hands on Varkuzhal? —said Nero, forcing the door. When his shoulder wasn’t enough, he tried with magic—a detonation glyph. Surprisingly, it worked—. This isn’t right. That’s demonic magic.
—Something evil is happening —said Siphone, opening the door.
Inside, in a room whose walls bore more protection and sealing glyphs than any spellbook Nero had ever seen, bound with luminous white cloth to a stone pedestal, was Varkuzhal’s skull, its eyes nearly extinguished. Even his magic was weak there, and he was one of the most powerful demons in Yomidgard. Or at least, he had been.
—This cloth is from an archangel’s robe —said Siphone—. It must be its antithesis.
—Varkuzhal? Are you still there? —said Nero.
—I KNEW YOU’D COME BACK, BOY —said Varkuzhal—. YOU’RE SO GOOD IT MAKES YOU STUPID.
—That’s not helping. Do you want us to get you out of here or not? —said Nero.
—THEY’RE ALREADY HERE —said Varkuzhal, as soon as Nero freed him from the bindings—. HOW MANY ARCHANGELS ARE IN VELMARDIA RIGHT NOW?
—We’re not giving you information, demon —said Siphone.
—THAT MEANS THERE ARE NO MORE THAN THREE. NOT ENOUGH. NOT AGAINST THEM —said Varkuzhal.
—Who are they? —said Nero. As he removed Varkuzhal from the pedestal, the room burst into flames and began to collapse at a terrifying speed. They managed to escape because they were alert and on guard due to the attack on Velmardia, but it still caught them off guard.
—THE DEMON WHO WHISPERS OF THE FUTURE, KAIM. THE ABYSSAL TYRANT, MEPHISTOPHELES. AND THE DEATHBRINGER, NIDHOGG —said Varkuzhal—. THEY ARE COMING FOR THEM.
Nero and Siphone looked toward the cell where the students and Professor P’Zain were still locked up, but now their expressions were no longer downcast, but proud—they no longer felt like prisoners; they were waiting to be rescued.
The ground trembled beneath their feet. The entire cell collapsed, and the corridor with it. The prisoners fell into underground tunnels. Nero and Siphone reacted in time and cast a levitation rune, for themselves and for Alastor. From the tunnels rose the unmistakable scent of polished steel from the armor of Sylthmir’s swordsmen.
—What is this? Tunnels? —said Nero.
—There are places in Velmardia that even I didn’t know existed —said Siphone—. They may have been built as an escape route, but now they’re being used to gain access to the interior of the kingdom. It’s an invasion!
A large dark figure emerged from the dust where the cell floor had once been. The bars screeched and bent outward as if they were toys. The magical glyphs engraved upon them ignited one by one, their flames a beautiful shade of purple. The soldiers raised their weapons against the figure forming inside the cell, ready to die for Velmardia.
—THAT’S KAIM! HE CAN PROPHESY THE FUTURE, EVEN IF ONLY THE HORRIBLE PARTS! WE MUST GET OUT OF HERE! HE MUST NOT SEE US! —said Varkuzhal, agitated. Nero had hung him back at his waist, and the demon was nervous.
—That demon whispers prophecies of the future?! —said Nero.
—THEY ARE THE WHISPERER OF RUIN, BOY! —insisted Varkuzhal. Nero tried to press further, but Varkuzhal was certain of what they had to do— RUIN, I SAID!
Nero and Siphone ran out of the prison. The sky was darkening, the complete opposite of what should happen at dawn. In the distance, the walls of the middle plateau burned. Fire licked the surrounding fields, illuminating the scene. A gigantic figure flew over the walls, rising and crashing down again and again upon the Velmardian army.
The city of Tower was awake. Its people had trained for this their entire lives. Those who could fight let those who could not help them put on their armor or mount their horses. Women and men raised their swords before leaving the city, riding swiftly toward the walls of the middle plateau. Only a small detachment, led by Saint Iris, would remain in Tower as the last line of defense. They reached her, out of breath.
—Sister! There’s a demon in Velmardia! —said Siphone.
—Siphone! I know! Queen Matelda is riding toward the wall! —said Saint Eisha.
—The queen? —said Nero, surprised.
—Yes! She always fights in the front. The Goddess Velmar guides her hand, her armies, and us, her faithful —said Saint Iris.
—No, you don’t understand! In the prison! They’re coming in through underground tunnels! —said Siphone.
—The Smugglers’ Forsaken Passage? Saint Eisha ordered it sealed years ago! —said Saint Iris.
—And it was —said a woman’s voice.
The people surrounding them stepped aside. It was a dragonoid woman and Saint Eisha. Her body glowed with a blue radiance. The saint adjusted her glasses, then removed them. Suddenly, her entire body shone with the most intense light Nero had ever seen. Three pairs of wings unfolded from Saint Eisha’s back, and her clothes transformed into a white-and-blue robe. Above her head, a crown of icy feathers appeared, and a sacred halo of light formed just above her.
It was Saint Eisha’s angelic form. Soldiers and citizens knelt before her, for they were witnessing a miracle of the Goddess Velmar. Few knew that it was an angelic pact that allowed the Saints to transform into angels.
Saint Eisha’s companion was Ylfi Liaskr, the Golden Claw. A dragonoid dragonslayer with golden scales and a regal bearing. She was the best in her field. Though not Velmardian by origin, she fought with all her soul for the country that had allowed her to become who she wanted to be.
—They’re telling the truth. I’ve seen it in the crystal ball —said Saint Eisha. Her eyes were as deep as the sea. She waved her hand through the air, and a fan of ice formed in her left hand—. I will lead the soldiers into battle against the demon in the prison.
—How can we help? —said Siphone. Nero nodded, and Alastor listened, unable to take part in the conversation.
—Saint Iris must raise the barrier. You two, the boy and the dog, protect her while she does it. Siphone, Ylfi Liaskr, and you go alert Saint Heiko. The aviary is too isolated; she may not yet know we are at war. Soldiers! Follow me! —said Saint Eisha, before taking flight toward the prison.
All the armed people followed Saint Eisha, as they would any general giving such a direct command. Every person in Velmardia was trained and prepared to fight and die defending the kingdom if necessary, even children, though they never entered battle. When they were almost alone, Siphone and Saint Iris embraced, resting their heads against each other.
—This is not a farewell —said Saint Iris.
—No. It’s just another Thursday —said Siphone. They both laughed. Then Siphone turned to Nero—. My sister doesn’t need protection. But with her, you’ll be safe. Find Larinca and meet me at the aviary. Ready for some action?
—Of course —said Nero. Alastor pressed against Siphone’s legs.
—See you soon, boy —said Siphone, as she and the dragonoid ran off.
Nero and Iris did the same, heading toward the Holy See. It didn’t matter who they passed, people made way for them. All the citizens of Tower knew the importance of the Saints, so they did not interfere. Soon, they began to see skirmishes here and there. The people of Tower fought tooth and nail against hooded figures dressed in black and purple, wielding short swords and daggers. Nero wanted to help, but Saint Iris did not stop.
—My mission is to raise the barrier —she said, seemingly out of nowhere—. I know what you’re thinking, because I think the same. Leaving the people of the city to fight without helping them may seem unfair, even heartless, but it’s what we must do. Don’t worry: once I raise the barrier, I will personally deal with any attackers left, and I will show no mercy.
—I didn’t think you were an aggressive person! —said Nero, out of breath from running.
Saint Iris did not respond, but she cast a healing glyph on both of them. The Saint’s magic was very powerful, and Nero felt completely restored instantly. With their strength renewed, the run toward the Holy See continued without further interruption.
When they arrived, they found an unexpected visitor at the door: Larinca. She was leaning against the massive wooden gate, tightly shut. When she saw them, she smiled sincerely and threw herself into Nero’s arms, and he hugged her just as happily. Alastor barked with joy.
—I’m so glad to see you, Nero! —said Larinca— You too, Alastor!
—We were looking for you! Are you okay? —said Nero.
—Well… I… was with… —Larinca’s cheeks flushed slightly— the hero, Lionel, taking a walk.
—At dawn? —said Nero. Saint Iris lightly struck his shoulder and urged Larinca to continue.
—The thing is, we saw a very strange glyph and a demonic shadow with the magical aura of Beelzebub fall upon one of the citizens —said Larinca— who was also awake early in the morning, doing something completely ordinary, like me, but Lionel rode off toward the wall on his lion, because…
Saint Iris placed a finger on her lips, silencing her with a smile and a wink. Larinca sighed in relief, while Nero watched the scene, confused.
—I must raise the barrier. That will strip all the demons who have entered Velmardia of their power and allow us to protect the citizens. But I will be vulnerable for a few minutes, so please, protect me —said Saint Iris, looking at both of them—. I know you have been treated as prisoners of war, but you are my friends. Do it for me, if not for Velmardia.
Nero and Larinca looked at each other. Their resolve had been tested many times already, and this was the moment they had been waiting for to take a stand.
—The Goddess Velmar does not force us to take sides in a war we were dragged into simply for being born in a different place than you. That’s what King Valgott demands of us, but I’m tired of it. I will protect you, because even if I don’t share your creed, I know what is right —said Larinca.
Nero saw a luminous sphere ignite within Larinca’s chest, light spilling from all her features for a brief moment. She did not seem to notice, but Saint Iris did. Seeing that both she and Nero could perceive things others could not, Saint Iris mouthed the word “infused,” made a gesture of approval with her hand, and placed the other against the gate of the Holy See. The cracks and gaps between the wooden panels shone like the sun for an instant, and the door slowly opened.
The interior was completely dark, but the light radiating from Saint Iris allowed them to take in the magnitude and beauty of the Holy See, even at night. They stood in the central church, where dozens of wooden pews, all facing a statue of the Goddess Velmar, adorned the place. It exuded opulence, as befitted the most important temple of Velmardia’s faith. The Saint guided them through corridors and stairways, ascending higher and higher, until they reached a small square room where there stood a statue of the Goddess Velmar, different from all the others. Larinca frowned, puzzled, but Nero had stood in the presence of the Goddess Velmar and knew it was exactly the same design as that statue.
—I don’t understand —said Larinca, observing the statue more closely—. If this is the Goddess Velmar, then whose statue have I been seeing until now? It’s even in the church on the ground floor of this very building!
—This is the true Goddess Velmar —said Saint Iris—. Few people know it, but it’s clear which of the two of you knows the secret, and which does not.
Nero shrugged. His look suggested there was an explanation, but that he would give it later. Saint Iris began to pray very softly, kneeling before the statue of the Goddess Velmar. One by one, glyphs carved into the walls and floor began to light up. They were all protective glyphs, but with a design Nero had never seen before. They glowed with varying intensities, but they all had one thing in common: each was linked to another placed right beside it.
Suddenly, Alastor perked up his ears and turned, his whole body pointing toward the door. An explosion sounded from below.
—They’re here —said Nero, preparing for battle.
