User blog:AloofComputer/Dark Winds: Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Black Ops

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“Is everyone ready?”

A small group, consisting of salamanders and werewolves, nodded. Veronica and Wilmaria checked their gear, before giving Alatar and Pallanto a thumbs up.

“See you on the other side, love.” Veronica said before kissing Alatar deeply, ignoring the stares of the armed group.

Later…

“Who goes there?”

“The ones you seek.” Pallanto said, raising his hand and forming a hand sign.

 The two cloaked men relaxed, and let go of the hilts of their swords. “ About time you two showed up.” one of the men grumbled.

“ We had to avoid a couple of patrols. Seems our mutual friend has tightened the security.” Pallanto said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“Whatever. Let’s get this over with.” the other man said in a very unfriendly tone. The two of them followed Alatar and Pallanto from behind, as they made their way to the hidden base.

“They certainly don’t look look that excited to see us.” Alatar whispered to his friend.

“Well, most of the people from the Order of Shadows don’t know of your motives or plan behind your actions. And, from those that do, most don’t approve.”

“I thought that the results would convince them of the necessity of all that.”

“ The mages were mostly convinced, but disapprove nonetheless. The knights disapprove of it altogether. I told you it was a crazy plan, turning yourself into an incubus. And, in the long run, they may even be proven to be right.”

“I’ll have to make you explain that last part in detail, after we finish up here.”

“That, I will. If we manage to pull this plan off in one piece. You do have a knack for crazy plans.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Don’t. If you laugh at death, eventually he’ll laugh back at you. Now that you are a happily married man, or rather incubus, you should look after yourself and your family more.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You sound like a parent.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Well, I did watch over you during your training days with Frederic. You have to work on your attitude towards recklessness. A little restraint never killed anyone.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“It’s a bit late for that. Anyway, what do you think of our chances?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“The priest will be wary, sure. But me and you are something he can’t ignore or refuse.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ Isn’t it a bit too convenient? He was defeated at a major operation, and then his objective just pops up to his front door? He’ll surely be suspicious.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ Not quite. I’ve let out a few false rumors to keep him on his toes, about me going hunting some runaway members that managed to kidnap you. It shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to assume they succeeded in capturing me as well.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You sure don’t like taking chances, do you?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ You know me. M y successor was also proactive in this. Those knights following us are two of the undercover agents that have infiltrated the radical faction, posing as regular knights. It was a bit of a risk, knowing that a rogue member could rat them out. They have been laying some groundwork, corroding the faction from the inside out. So, bear with them for a while, their assistance is vital.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ I understand as much. I must say I even intended it. You understand-”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Yes, I do, pal. I am a wizard too, you know. I understand more than you think. Now prepare yourself. We are close, and we must make the arrangements here.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> Pallanto turned to the two figures that were following them in silence. “This is the designated spot. Now, gentlemen, if you will?” The two figures pulled out a length of rope from their cloaks, and tied Alatar and Pallanto’s hands behind their backs. The sound of metal made Pallanto turn; the two men were holding blessed swords. “Blessed swords, nice! Just make sure you don’t touch Alatar with these. Even a small cut can be a serious wound for him.” The men nodded, and gagged them.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">One of them shoved Alatar forth. “Get going, heretic scum!” he told him with a harsh tone.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; border-top: none; border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0.03in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; font-style: normal">''Good training, Frederic. They surely act the part.''

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ Halt! Who goes there?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“It’s us.” The two knights pulled their hoods.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ You were missing for two whole days. Father Alfonso is very worried.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Secret mission. We need to see the Father.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“He is praying right now-”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Tell him we got him.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The guard frowned, but when the knight pulled the hood from Pallanto’s face, his eyes widened in recognition. “Well, surely Her favor blessed you, brother. The heretic himself!” he spat at Pallanto’s face. “I’ll inform him right away.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> The two knights shoved their captives inside, keeping their swords pointed at their backs. Beads of sweat formed on Alatar’s face; the very air felt scalding hot and breathing became painful. ''Blessed ground. Damn. This will complicate things.'' He shot a side glance at Pallanto, who seemed to already notice the problem.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The four men moved deeper inside the narrow corridors of the base. Most doors along their way were closed, but the few open ones revealed empty beds. It must be the time when shifts of patrols change. While this thought was comforting, the number of closed doors kept Alatar uneasy. It would have to be an extremely well executed attack, if they were to slip out alive and unnoticed; the number of troops inside the safehouse could be much larger than they estimated.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I’ll take him from here.” A deep voice interrupted his train of thought. A monk with bright blue eyes and shaved head stood before them. They had reached a room that seemed to be the central hub; six open doors revealed ever-stretching corridors. Just how big is this safehouse?

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“The heretic?” One of their accompanying knights asked, nudging Pallanto.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“No.” the monk responded, and closed in on Alatar. “The Forgotten One.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">A moment of stunned silence passed all too quickly, and the knight holding Alatar grunted and shoved him forward. “Careful with your blade, brother.” came the calm reply of the monk. “I want him alive and well. Follow me.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; border-top: none; border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0.03in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; font-style: normal">Alatar shot a quick glance at Pallanto, his eyes betraying the feeling of unease at this development. Separating them would complicate matters considerably. Pallanto’s eyes hardened; he clearly wasn’t anticipating this, either. It seemed that they would have to improvise.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The monk guided Alatar to a small room with a lone sturdy iron chair at its center. Two guards stood there, watching in silence as he was shackled to the chair with steel chains.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Leave us and lock the door.” the monk ordered.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The two guards took his accompanying knight out and closed the door without hesitation. Obviously, they were used to this command. The monk waited until the loud clank of the door signified that they wouldn’t be bothered, before taking his gag off.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Better now, Forgotten One?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“What do you want?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I want to talk.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“...”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I learned many things about you, Alatar. Most are actually quite inspiring.” The monk pulled a wooden chair from the corner and placed it in front of his captive, and sat. “From what I’ve gathered, I find it hard to believe that you, of all people, would be working against humanity.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Alatar said nothing, his violet eyes studying the curious monk intently. The monk seemed calm and composed, a far cry from what he expected from the radical faction. “Don’t look too surprised, now. We know many things. Your past… I can only imagine the pain you had to go through.” Alatar’s eyes lost focus momentarily, but the monk made no indication that he noticed. “And your training… well, it makes our elite forces look like a joke. Also, resisting a full-blown… attack, from a succubus and not turning…”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The monk sighed. “I find it hard to believe that anything you’ve done would be in order to harm humans, or lead them astray. So, you turning against us makes no sense whatsoever. That story your friends fed the council and the Order, I never believed it.” His blue eyes looked deep into the violet eyes of his captive. “Also, the Seals of Nemesis can only be cast by someone granted approval by the Goddess. Father Fullmoon would not be so hesitant, for someone favored by Her, to cast them to you. So, I came to the conclusion that you turned by your own volition, after being sealed. Quite risky and, of course, very questionable, morally speaking. But the logic was undeniable. And the result… was one of a kind.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Alatar’s sense of unease grew. The man was talking like a friend, praising and chastising him. He spoke, for the first time since entering.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“So, I guess this is the part where you try to convince me that you are my friend? Don’t bother.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I guess so. You have been trained, and trained yourself, on many things, including interrogation. So, I can safely assume that such feeble techniques are of no use. No matter, I am not interested in that anyway. I am more interested in your reasoning. Why did you side with the monsters in the end? And how can you accept that kind of truce that was established?” The monk leaned a bit to him. “I think I can answer both of these questions for you. See, we have quite some experience, as we have successfully created some artificial incubi already.” He leaned back, smiling.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“The reason you sided with the monsters is your own survival. You can’t survive otherwise. Your turning created a botched incubus, something that lives on borrowed time. Our solders are like this, too. Of course, ours are not unsealed, like you are. As for the latter, you estimate that this truce is the best we could manage, all things considering. Well then, allow me to inform you that you are wrong in both aspects.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Alatar struggled to keep his face frozen.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You see, as we experimented around the procedure, in order to grasp its fundamental concept, we found out that we can keep an artificial incubus alive, given that we have the source of the monster energy that turned him at hand. What even the others don’t know, is that this isn’t the only thing that can keep you alive.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Bait and switch?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Hardly. Just demonstrating how much we have progressed in this idea of yours. As for the second matter, I think it answers itself. With incubi soldiers produced at a large enough rate, the monster side won’t have a chance. Their whole shield is their allure and corruption; their fighting prowess, even that of a lilim, is meaningless before numbers, skill and sheer determination. That stalemate truce is just a brief respite. Did you seriously believed it would last for more than a few years? The monsters are growing restless, and quite a few minor violations have already occurred. The Order decided to cover them up and deal with them in secret, to keep this fragile peace. But we both know better. This will end in blood. One way, or another. So, stop fooling yourself, believing that this truce is in any way in our favor. It is not. The demonic side is getting stronger by the day. In other kingdoms, special magical barriers had to be cast to hold the demonic energy at bay. That, unfortunately, is the nature of our foe.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The monk rubbed his temples, and the stern look in his blue eyes reminded Alatar of Frederic, and that day he was initiated into the Order of Shadows. It actually caused his heart to clench. “This truce you achieved, will mean nothing if we don’t push through. Understand that. If things remain as they are, it will be even more dangerous, as more and more countries will be corrupted, slowly but surely, and still maintain the illusion of safety. Don’t try to claim that the monsters will keep it, either; the recent events have already proved you wrong. If there is a radical faction within the Order, there is sure to be one among the monsters as well.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You seem… different, from the priests I have met so far.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I’ll take that as a compliment, especially coming from you. See, Father Alfonso is the charismatic leader of our faction, but I am its brain. Like you, I think logically, and I see ahead. And what I see, is not nice. So, I will ask you this: when the time unavoidably comes, where we will be forced to answer in force, where will you stand?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Alatar kept silent for a while, but the monk waited patiently. Finally, he took a deep breath. “All right, monk, I don’t know your game, but I’ll play along. That thing about keeping myself alive without my wife, it’s a bluff. You can’t expect me to believe this; I created the method-”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“That, you did. But you never got around with testing it on anyone else than you, did you? I admit, we had quite some… unfortunate failures. But my own method is working just well, and without the need of a monster. Our own soldiers are proof of that.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Be this as you say, which I doubt, still I can’t turn back. Humanity has rejected me. Hell, even the monsters are suspicious of me. So, to answer your question, I will be far, far away from the front. I sure as hell don’t look forward into facing the Order; some people in the Order call me friend, despite all this.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The monk fell into silence for a while, lowering his head in thought. “What if… “ he started, and raised his gaze into Alatar’s eyes “… I told you that I can grant you another life? Besides humanity? Fighting for what you believe in?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; border-top: none; border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0in; padding-bottom: 0.03in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; font-style: normal">The answer to the following stunned silence came in the form of a loud explosion, shaking the ground below them.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“They should have entered the compound by now.” Mimil’s tone was flat, but her tentacles betrayed her nervousness. “It’s a real pity we can’t be closer to them.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“It is a necessary risk we must take, dear. If monsters of our caliber are discovered closing in on the border, nevermind inside human territory, the consequences would be disastrous.” Druella answered in a similar tone, but her index finger played with a lock of her long white hair, a sign that she was stressed.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ It’s not that I d oubt the two of them! We sent with them two elite squads!” Mimil protested. Druella would usually smile at this show of childishness; it was Mimil, after all, along with Sasha, that had opposed to Alatar’s execution. Tonight, however, her ever-growing unease made her to express her inner thoughts to her advisor.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Actually, I am. But not for their safety.” Following Mimil’s questioning look, she sighed. “Alatar, even as an incubus, and a married one at that, is still an unknown factor. He didn’t turn the normal way, and he never lost sight of his goal. In his mind, the peace between us and humans was the best he could hope for. Which is true, if you think about it logically. But… I can’t shake that feeling… what if they have found a way, a method, something to upset the base of his reasoning? The former headmaster said that himself. He is a very logical man. Same with his friend, who is even more prone to defect, considering he is still human. They have proved themselves useful to Lescatie, but was it only because they had a shared interest?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I believe that Alatar has a strong bond with us, a bond he won’t ignore. He deeply cares about Veronica. Pallanto, on the other hand… we will have to put our trust to Lady Lucella. If those two defect, only the Commander of the Order of Holy Light will be left to support the treaty. And if those two turn against it...” she shuddered. The memories of Alatar’s attack were still fresh, and the city still bore some scars. “Do you want me to take any precautionary measures, my Lady?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Druella sighed. “No, we will have to put our trust in them not to be seduced by the radical faction. Although there is a big enough possibility that they may aid those fanatics without their will. No matter, if things turn for the worst, I’ll intervene. The treaty be damned, I’ll not abandon my subjects to those barbarians.”

A/N: Read and review.