Much as Dalia had predicted, it soon became clear that her brother was not the type to hold a grudge. Before the banquet was even over, he joined Arran and Kaleesh at their table, excitement written across his bruised face.
"You're staying, right?" he asked. "At least another few days?"
Arran cast a cautious glance at the captain, who gave him a small nod. "We might."
"Then we must spar again tomorrow," the young Ranger said in an eager tone. "Other than Knights, I've never seen anyone fight like you."
"We can train together, if you wish," Arran replied. "But I don't know how much I can teach you in just a few days' training." He looked at Lady Raina and her husband, then added, "And it seems like you've already got better teachers than me."
To this, the young man responded with a firm shake of his head. "Father always says that every teacher has something different to share. Anything you're willing to show, I'll gladly learn."
Arran could not help but nod in agreement. This, at least, was something he'd found to be true as well. He'd had many teachers over the years, and he'd benefited from all of them.
"Very well," he said. "I'll teach you what I can."
After the lesson he'd received from the Knight, it only seemed fair to give the man's son what little he could offer. Not to mention that teaching her son could go a long way in winning Lady Raina's favor.
The young Ranger lingered for some time, now listening eagerly to their stories of the battles in Kadun's lands. And in return, he offered stories of his own — stories about the Desolation.
Much to Arran's surprise, Raina's son had already spent a year in the Desolation, fighting the Blight to earn his status as a Ranger. And he spoke of this time with great enthusiasm, almost as if he longed to return.
"You have to understand," the young Ranger said, a glint of fervor in his eyes, "in the Desolation, you're never safe. You might find battle at any time, and though it's mostly just Blightspawn, there's also—"
"That will be enough, Kalin," Lady Raina interrupted him. "You know better than to discuss these things so openly. In fact…"
She cast a glance around the hall, then continued in a louder tone, "As much as I've enjoyed your presence tonight, I fear it is time for this banquet to come to an end."
Abrupt though the announcement was, none of the guests dared object. In a matter of minutes, they cleared from the hall, though none left before offering their thanks to Lady Raina.
When the last of the guests had departed, the Lady turned to Arran and Kaleesh. "The two of you, come with me. There are matters we must discuss."
It only took a short walk through the keep's hallways before they reached Lady Raina's chambers, and as they stepped inside, she gestured at a pair of velvet-clad chairs.
"Sit down."
Although they did as she said, the Lady herself remained standing. And as she stood before them, she sighed deeply, her expression suddenly one of extreme weariness.
"Had the two of you not been outsiders," she said, "I would have had you hanged tonight."
"Hanged?" Kaleesh looked at her with wide eyes, and shock crossed Arran's face as well. "What for?"
"For entering my lands while bearing my enemy's mark," she replied. "And for boasting about the part you played in the murder of one of my allies."
"Kadun was your ally?" Arran stared at her in shock. "We didn't know… If we'd known…"
"Then you wouldn't have come here," Lady Raina said. "But you did, and so, I am faced with a dilemma. Tell me the truth — what is your relationship with Rannoc?"
Before Arran could answer, Kaleesh spoke up.
"He was a tool to us," the captain said, his voice now deathly serious. "Your ally would have kept us as slaves, working the mines until we died. Rannoc offered us a chance at freedom — a chance at facing the Blight and earning our place in the Imperium."
The Lady raised an eyebrow. "Honesty, at last." She smiled wryly, and continued, "I will admit that Kadun was neither just nor competent. But he was an ally nonetheless, and in recent years, our camp has grown too weak for comfort."
"Your camp?" Arran asked, brow furrowed as he stared at the woman before them.
She gave a weary smile in response. "As I suspected, you still remain ignorant of the conflict you unwittingly entered. But then, you are outsiders, and there are few who know of this matter even within the Imperium."
"What matter would that be?" Kaleesh asked. From the frown on his face, Arran could tell that he was none too pleased at having missed something so important.
Lady Raina hesitated in answering, but only for a moment. Then, a grave look on her face, she spoke.
"For countless thousands of years," she began, "the Imperium has resisted the Blight, stopping it from advancing and swallowing up our lands. But in the last few centuries, our defense has begun to falter. Blightspawn attacks grow more common by the year, and lands that were once safe now lie abandoned."
"Then the Imperium is losing?" Arran looked at her with narrowed eyes, eager to learn more of the situation.
"Not just yet," Lady Raina replied. "But in time, unless the present course is reversed, it will."
"What does this have to do with Rannoc?" Kaleesh asked, his interest no lesser than Arran's.
"There are some among us," the Lady said, "who believe that we should strengthen our defenses. That we should flood the Desolation with troops and push back the Blight no matter the cost. This is the view I hold, and the one Kadun held, as well."
"Then what does Rannoc want?" Arran asked, already feeling a hint of unease at the answer he expected to hear.
"Rannoc and his allies want us to pull back," Lady Raina said. She gestured around her, and continued, "To abandon these lands to the Blight and retreat to the east."
A frown crossed Arran's face. "But that only buys time. Even if you retreat, won't the Blight advance until you face it again?"
Lady Raina nodded. "Of course. Which is why many of us have long resisted such a course of action. But some centuries ago, we learned of a natural barrier — a great range of mountains to the east, with the lands behind it fertile and unprotected. It is there that Rannoc and his allies wish us to go."
Arran went pale with shock at her words. "They want to invade the Empire?!"
The Lady gave him a curious look. "You know of this place?"
"I was born there," Arran replied, a sinking feeling in his heart as he realized that in helping Rannoc kill Kadun, he had endangered not just the Shadowflame Society, but also the Empire. "But conquering it won't be as easy as you think."
The interest in Lady Raina's eyes grew even greater, and she said, "It is said that this Empire of yours is only defended by a small group of mages, weak enough to be defeated by a handful of Lords."
Arran shook his head. "Those mountains continue to the south for ten thousand miles, and they're crawling with mages." He hesitated, fearful of saying too much, but then he continued, "And even if you defeat the mages who guard the mountains, you will find far stronger ones in the Empire itself."
"Stronger?" The Lady gave him a puzzled glance. "From what I've been told, the mages within your Empire are so weak that they barely even deserve the name."
"There are more powerful ones," Arran said. "There's something called the Academy… they control the mages within the Empire. And it's said that their leaders' power is unmatched."
"It is said?" Lady Raina asked. "So you haven't witnessed their power with your own eyes?"
Arran clenched his jaw in frustration, but he had no choice but to shake his head. "I haven't."
Lady Raina sighed, a look of disappointment in her eyes. "I suppose it doesn't matter. Even if what you say is true, the others would never take an outsider's word for it."
"Lady Raina," Kaleesh said in a cautious tone, "this conflict of yours — we have no part in it. As I've explained, Rannoc is no ally of ours. Surely there's no need to involve us any further? All we wish is to battle the Blight."
"An admirable wish," the Lady said. "But it isn't that simple. For you to travel into the Desolation, wearing Rannoc's mark and carrying his gifts…" She paused before continuing, her expression dark. "He intended it as a message — a display of the riches that lie in the east, and the untapped potential of its people."
Kaleesh cursed loudly. Then, facing Lady Raina, he said, "You can remove the mark. Our equipment was no gift. We earned it ourselves, and Rannoc had it marked without my approval. Had I known its meaning, I would not have accepted it."
Lady Raina remained quiet for some moments as she considered his words. Then, finally, she gave a small nod. "Very well. It won't be enough to undo his message, but if you intend to face the Blight, that makes us allies. And it would not do to have my allies hanged."
Both Arran and Kaleesh breathed a sigh of relief at her words. From the look of it, they would live to fight another day.
Seeing their expressions, Lady Raina laughed softly. "Don't be too relieved. In the Desolation, you will yet face plenty of danger."
"So we've heard," Kaleesh said. "Though other than your son, few have been willing to speak of it."
"Kalin is too careless with his words," the Lady said. "But if you will face the Blight, I suppose an idea of what to expect would be useful. If you wish, I can share some knowledge with you."
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