“Is it?” asked Sharess, also standing. “Safe?”
“No.” Scorio laughed darkly. “Not for anyone. The Blood Ox is coming. Did you know?”
“Yes,” said Valdun, though the other two shook their heads. “Bravurn revealed his agreement with the True Fiend just yesterday.”
Scorio crossed his arms. “Yet you remained and fought for him.”
Valdun raised his bearded chin. “I didn’t have a choice. Amity and I agreed to hostile Heart Oath contracts in exchange for deeply important favors from Bravurn. I only realized how… predatory… the contracts were when I started trying to confront him.”
“Really?” Naomi’s tone was as sharp as a knife. “You want us to believe you naively signed your soul away?”
“Not naively. I was cornered. It was either sacrifice myself, or allow someone I cared for to die. Bravurn saved my friend, and I took the penalty upon myself.” Valdun’s expression was cold. “It’s an explanation, not an excuse. I didn’t want to let my friend suffer, so I agreed to what I shouldn’t have.”
“I can understand that,” said Scorio. “As an explanation, not an excuse. Because of Bravurn untold hundreds died. Who knows what havoc’s taking place in deep hell with both Imperators wasting their time tracking the Blood Ox through the Telurian Band and the Iron Weald.”
“Two Imperators?” asked Faridian, brows raising. “Then there is still hope to destroy the fiend?”
“Only if we can draw him out,” continued Scorio. “He’s hidden in his Sanctum, which I was told is tethered to his army, somehow, and is hard for even Imperators to dig him out from. He’ll only emerge if he thinks it safe, which means the Imperators have to remain far enough away, and that we have to hurt his forces enough to force his hand.”
Faridian nodded. “How many fiends is he bringing?”
“Hundreds of Gold-ranked ones. Symmetrons, Nethercoils, and Ixithilions.” Scorio tried not to let his despair enter his voice. “We were able to fight them to a standstill and draw the Blood Ox out, but that was with Plassus, Charoth, and Aezryna’s help, not to mention Plassus’ own Blood Barons and Pyre Lords.”
“Whereas now we have two Pyre Lords, three Dread Blazes, and perhaps sixty Flame Vaults and Tomb Sparks,” said Valdun darkly. “It can’t be done.”
“We need to flee before they arrive,” said Sharess.
“Where did Bravurn keep his Gold mana?” asked Scorio.
Faridian and Sharess looked to Valdun, who stroked his beard. “I’m sorry. I can’t reveal that.”
Naomi smiled. “Careful with your answers, big man. You’re not out of trouble yet.”
“My Heart Oath,” said Valdun simply. “It was comprehensive, and safeguarding the Gold mana was preeminent amongst my responsibilities.”
“Even though Bravurn is dead?” demanded Scorio.
Valdun shrugged. “The Heart Oath was lashed to my Heart. It cares nothing for the outside world. If a higher-ranked Great Soul was present to remove the Heart Oath, then that would be something. But there’s not one here.”
“Damn.” Scorio stared at the wall abstractedly. “So Jarex won’t reveal it, either.”
“It can’t be far,” said Naomi. “Bravurn wouldn’t leave that much Gold mana lying around undefended. He’d want it where he’d know it was safe.”
Alain grimaced. “Unless he had a couple of Pyre Lords just guarding it around the clock in some hidden cave a mile underground.”
Valdun’s expression remained stoic.
“We don’t have the mana,” said Sharess pointedly. “And we don’t have enough forces to fight the fiends. We need to evacuate and make for the Fiery Shoals.”
“Bravurn knew the Blood Ox was coming,” said Naomi stubbornly. “He wouldn’t waste the True Fiend’s time transporting all that mana here from a remote location.”
Sharess raised a brow. “Fine, but even if we find it, so what? Gold mana will give us a boost in a fight, but how will that equalize the numbers? The Tomb Sparks can’t even use it. We’d be slaughtered. You said we need to inflict enough damage to draw the Blood Ox out. We can’t do that.”
Faridian hissed. “And the new queen? Xandera? Can she call on sister queens for help?”
“Not likely,” said Scorio. “Seeing as they were the ones who betrayed her to begin with.”
“Then…” Faridian spread his hands. “I’m as appalled as you are, but I don’t know what else we can do. When do you think the Blood Ox will arrive?”
“Soon,” said Alain darkly. “I mean, we don’t have an exact time, but I’d bet my life on ‘soonish’. As in, really soon.”
“Thanks, Alain,” said Naomi. “But he’s right. We don’t have time to fetch reinforcements from the Telurian Band. Everyone headed to LastRock.”
Scorio rubbed his face. “Valdun. Until I make an official decision about staying or going, I want your help. Will you do everything you can to make good on your mistakes?”
Valdun exhaled, his expression grim. “I will do literally everything I possibly can to help you. Everything within my power.”
“Limited by your Heart Oath,” said Naomi sarcastically.
“Yes.” The Pyre Lord looked truly conflicted. “But I would urge you to listen to Sharess. It’s not safe for you here.”
“For any of us,” agreed Scorio. “But I guess I’m getting used to that. Alright. I’m going to go talk to Xandera. See what she thinks, and then I’ll make a decision. Post some lookouts at the front door, or higher up the spire so that we have a warning of the Blood Ox’s arrival. Alain, let me know when Moira reaches out to you. I’m going to speak with Xandera. Oh. One last thing. Do any of you three know anything about the Herdsmen?”
Valdun grimaced and shook his head. Sharess and Faridian looked mystified.
“Fine. Naomi?”
“Let’s go.” She glared at the three. “And despite what happens here, don’t think anyone will forget who you fought for. There’s no forgiving that kind of betrayal.”
Valdun nodded thoughtfully, even as Sharess glared back and Faridian paled.
“We need to remain focused on survival,” said Scorio. “We can let the higher-ranked folks decide your fate later. Stay where I can find you.”
“Understood,” said Valdun softly.
The three friends left the quarters and made their way to the royal suite.
“We obviously can’t trust them,” spat Naomi. “And I don’t buy Valdun’s penitent act. We should remove them from the equation and only deal with the Flame Vaults and Tomb Sparks.”
“We’re trying to gain forces, not get rid of them,” said Alain.
“We can’t trust them,” hissed Naomi. “Valdun especially. Are you both mad? He knows far more than he’s letting on, and I’m sure he’s hiding behind that Heart Oath.”
“Or just simply constrained by it,” said Scorio. “But he was arguing with Bravurn when we arrived, remember? He sounded really upset. I think he’s genuinely doing his best given his limitations.”
“Don’t be a fool,” said Naomi. “He admitted that he’s still constrained by the Heart Oath. Who knows what Bravurn made him swear?”
“Let’s talk to Xandera,” said Scorio. “We’ll decide what to do from there.”
They soon arrived at the upper level. Much of it had been destroyed by the battle against Bravurn; the iron cylinders had disappeared, but the damage they’d done was tremendous. Entire sections of the ceiling and floor had given way, collapsing to the levels below.
“What a mess,” said Alain, shaking his head in disapproval.
“I want to search Bravurn’s rooms before we go,” said Scorio softly. “What’s left of them. He said some damned suspicious things before he died.”
“Good luck.” Naomi looked down the broken hallway. “Between Xandera’s lava and his own attacks, there’s practically nothing left.”