Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Is he awake?” said a feminine voice that Keo did not recognize, but which seemed familiar.
“It doesn't look like it. What kind of spell did you hit him with?”
“A basic sleeping spell. It shouldn't leave him with any lasting or permanent damages, though he did knock his head against the doorknob when he fell.”
Keo heard those voices talking, but his mind was at first too sluggish to understand what they were saying. He was conscious enough to register that he was sitting on a chair and that his arms and legs were tied down to the chair by some kind of rope, but with his eyes closed and his senses dulled, he found it impossible to tell much more than that. He also felt his forehead throbbing, although the pain felt like it was going away, at least.
But Keo's senses were starting to recover, and in a few seconds, he decided to try opening his eyes. Opening his eyes, he blinked several times in order to clear his vision. Once his vision was clear enough, Keo looked around at his surroundings in curiosity.
Keo was sitting in a medium-sized office, with a large wooden desk covered with papers and books and writing utensils on one end and the door on the other. Bookshelves lined the walls, a mishmash of thick tomes and slim volumes, some clearly brand new, while others looked like they were about to fall apart any second. On the desk itself was a strange device that resembled glasses connected to some kind of glass vial, which was filled with a bubbly purple liquid that he could not identify. The room was lit by a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling, but the lights within the chandelier moved, like fireflies at night.
“Oh,” said a voice to his right. “He's awake.”
Keo looked to his right and saw two people in the right corner, a man who stood and a woman who sat in a comfy chair. The man was the middle-aged assistant he had knocked out earlier, the one who had seen through Keo's lie that he was here to meet Nesma. Aside from the fist-shaped bruise on the side of his face, the assistant looked well, if a bit angry. He also carried a large book under his right armpit, but what was written in it, Keo did not know.
As for the woman, she was young, about Keo's age, but her hair was much darker than his, almost as black as midnight, and her skin was pale due to a lack of exposure to sunlight. She wore black robes with a silver trim and had bright green eyes that stood out against her pale skin.
Keo blinked slowly. “Nesma? Is that you?”
“It is,” said her assistant, before Nesma could reply. “But how dare you try to speak to her without her permission. So disrespectful, but then, I guess that is what I should expect from an assassin like yourself.”
“Gers,” said Nesma, looking up at him reproachfully. “Keo is not an assassin. He is my friend. I would appreciate it if you would not falsely accuse him of being something that he isn't.”
“But Madam Magician,” said Gers, looking at Nesma in shock as he gestured at Keo, “this young man viciously assaulted me when I found out that he was lying about having a meeting with you. He is a danger to everyone in the Citadel. I believe it is foolish to treat him with any kindness, especially if he is at all related to that woman terrorist who attack the lobby earlier.”
“Woman terrorist?” said Keo. “What?”
“A female Magician caused a ruckus in the Citadel lobby half an hour ago before fleeing,” said Gers, looking at Keo with disgust. “The Enforcers are trying to find her in the city, but have had no luck as of yet.”
Maryal got away, Keo thought. Good.
Aloud, however, Keo said, “I'm sorry for assaulting you, Gers, but I had to. I wasn't thinking. I thought you were going to report me to the Council, which would have messed up my plans.”
Gers folded his arms across his chest, with his book in his right hand. “Hmph! I doubt you are truly sorry. Otherwise, you would have been quicker to apologize.”
Nesma rolled her eyes and pointed at the door. “Gers, please leave. I wish to speak with Keo alone right now. You can stand outside the door if you like, but I want you to give us some privacy.”
Gers looked like he thought that that was an awful idea. Nonetheless, he nodded to show that he understood, crossed the office without looking at or saying anything to Keo, and was out of the office in an instant, pulling the door closed tightly behind him on his way out.
Once Gers was gone, Keo looked at Nesma again. A powerful excitement rose in his heart when he looked at her and, despite the pain in his forehead and the fact that he was tied to the chair, he found it hard to know what to say to Nesma. It had been so long since they had last spoken that he had almost forgotten how to even talk to her.
Thankfully, it took Keo only a couple of seconds to say, “Nesma, it's been so long. You look pretty much the same as you did when you left the Low Woods, except that your robes are fancier and cleaner.”
Nesma smiled, though it looked a little forced to Keo. “And you look pretty much the same, too, except you smell like the Hanuf River for some reason.”
Keo cracked a grin. “Long story, that. But that's irrelevant. I'm just glad to see you because I have something important to tell you.”
Nesma rested her hand on her chin. She did not look surprised. “Oh? What possessed you to come all the way from the Low Woods to Capitika? That's not exactly an easy or quick journey, you know.”
“I know,” said Keo. “I ran into all sorts of people and problems along the way, but that's also irrelevant. What matters is that I have some urgent news to share with you, news that will affect all of Lamaira if we don't act on it.”
“And what is that news?” said Nesma, still not looking surprised.
“The demons from the old legends are coming back,” said Keo. He leaned toward her as much as he could in his chair, as uncomfortable as that was. “In six months, they will rise from the pit that the Good King sealed them in and will destroy us all unless we act quickly. I came from the Low Woods to tell you this because I knew that you were the only person who could convince the rest of the Magical Council to stop the demons before they rise again.”
Nesma did not meet Keo's gaze, which Keo found strange, because Nesma usually was not afraid of making eye contact with anyone, much less Keo. Yet Keo did not question it. He just looked at her, wondering what her reaction would be.
Finally, Nesma said, “That's … an interesting story, Keo.”
“It isn't a story,” Keo insisted. “It's the truth. Look at Gildshine. I know you can read weapons. Use your weapon reading ability to read Gildshine and see who its last victims were. I can guarantee you that they will be the two demons my friends and I slayed during our trip here.” Then Keo looked down at his belt and saw that Gildshine was missing. “Speaking of Gildshine, where did it go? And why am I tied down to this chair, anyway?”
“Gildshine is over there,” said Nesma, pointing to a chest of drawers near the door. Keo saw Gildshine in its sheath standing against the drawers, well outside of Keo's reach.
“Oh,” said Keo. He looked at Nesma again. “Will you please untie me so I can go and give you Gildshine? Or maybe just walk over there and touch it yourself. Then you will see the undeniable proof that the demons are returning and then you can tell the rest of the Council and maybe we can save all of Lamaira before it's too late.”
Keo's tone was excited and optimistic, but Nesma did not seem to share in his optimism. She looked like she was steeling herself to say something that she didn't want to say, but that she had to say anyway. Keo did not know what she would say, but he doubted it would be that bad.
Then Nesma finally looked Keo straight in the eye and said, “No.”
Keo blinked again. “No? No what?”
“I will not untie you,” said Nesma. “I was the one who tied you up in the first place because I did not want the rest of the Magical Council to know you were here. I was aware you were hiding in the broom closet listening to Daoli and me talk, but I didn't act because I didn't want Daoli to know about you.”
“But …
why?” said Keo. He struggled against the ropes, but they did not budge whatsoever. “You know me. You know I'd never harm you or anyone else. Well, okay, I did harm Gers, but I was acting impulsively, like I sometimes do. Otherwise I wouldn't have even touched him. I'm not a threat to anyone, much less to you.”
“You don't understand,” said Nesma. She rubbed her forehead, looking stressed out by all of this. “I can't risk you walking around Capitika or the Citadel talking about the demons coming back. I don't want the Magical Council to know, because if they did, then they might act against them.”
“Wait …” The implications of Nesma's words sank in instantly. “Are you saying that you are working for the demons?”
“No,” said Nesma, shaking her head. “What I am saying is that you are wrong. They aren't even demons at all.”
“Aren't even demons—?” Keo repeated. He could barely finish the sentence before interrupting himself. “Nesma, I was told several times by these demons that they are, well, demons. They used that term to describe themselves to me.”
But Nesma shook her head again. “I don't believe that. I believe you believe that, but the truth of the matter is that they aren't demons. You misheard them, most likely.”
“Misheard them?” said Keo incredulously. “My ears are working just fine. I know what I heard. I heard them gloating about the coming Kingdom of Demons and how they are going to destroy us all once they rise again.”
“Just because you think you heard something, doesn't mean you actually have,” said Nesma. “I think your mind has been clouded by the ancient stories, the ancient lies, told about those who we call 'demons' but who aren't actually demons at all.”
“If they aren't demons, then what are they?” said Keo. “They certainly aren't human, that's for sure.”
“They're angels,” said Nesma simply. “Angels who were attacked and sealed away by the so-called 'Good King,' who was in fact a tyrannical dictator who used his power to cement his rule over the people with an iron fist.”
“Where did you get that idea from?” said Keo. He tried to break free of his ropes again, but they still held taut. “Who told you that?”
“One of the angels, of course,” said Nesma. She cupped her head in her hands, a dreamy expression appearing on his face. “He came to me two years ago, before I joined the Magical Council. He told me the truth about what really happened a thousand years ago and he asked me for my help and I promised I would help him, because I believe in justice and freeing the angels is the just thing to do.”
“What did this angel call himself?” said Keo. “And how were you supposed to help him?”
“He calls himself Love of Light,” said Nesma. “As for how I was supposed to help, why do you think I joined the Magical Council? I knew that in order to help the angels, I would need a lot of power. And Love of Light helped me by giving me unimaginable magical power. Otherwise, I would never have been allowed to serve on the Council, because I am simply too young and inexperienced for it normally.”
Keo gulped. “Did this 'Love of Light' character also help you trick the rest of the Council into letting you join?”
Nesma looked down at her knees. “I didn't 'trick' them, not exactly. Just very effectively persuaded them to let me join. But even if I did trick them, it is all for the greater good, I can assure you. The rise of the angels will do far more to help Lamaira than anything else, because Love of Light has promised to share his angelic knowledge with humanity so we can rise to new, previously unforeseen heights.” She looked up at Keo, mania in her eyes. “To become like gods, in his own words, gods with the power to dish out punishment to those who have evaded justice for so long.”
Nesma spoke as fervently as if she were a prophet that had received divine guidance from the ancestors themselves. She rubbed her hands together and did not even seem to be looking at Keo anymore. Instead, she seemed consumed by the promises of Love of Light, promises that Keo did not believe.
“Did you send those demons after us, then?” said Keo. “Were you even aware that I was coming to Capitika to stop them?”
Nesma looked away as if guilty. “Well … Love of Light said that you and a few others were trying to stop him because you still believed in the vile propaganda that has been taught as truth for centuries. He told me that you needed to be stopped, that you had evil intent for him and his people.”
“And you believed him?” said Keo.
“Not at first,” Nesma admitted. “I told him you were my friend and that I knew you weren't a bad man. Yet I gave him permission to stop you anyway, because I knew that you, like most people, were misguided. I did not ask him how he planned to stop you, but I did not think I needed to, because I trusted Love of Light to do the right thing.”
“His friends tried to kill me several times along the way,” Keo said. “The demon in the Low Woods … the demon in Castarious … and the demon here, in Capitika. I barely escaped all three of them alive.”
Nesma bit her lower lip. “I don't know that I approve of that, but I do believe that Love of Light ultimately has the best intentions for us. I don't want him to kill you, but if that's what needs to be done—”
“Needs to be done?” Keo interrupted in astonishment. “Nesma, I am your friend. Are you saying that you'd approve of this demon murdering me in cold blood if that's 'what needs to be done'? I thought we were best friends.”
“I'm not saying that,” said Nesma, holding up her hands to calm down Keo. “I'm just saying that I have seen how wrong everyone in our society has been about the angels and how I think that the angels need to do what they can to survive. I don't even know if you're telling the truth about being attacked by them anyway.”
“Then check Gildshine,” said Keo, nodding at his sheathed sword that still stood against the chest of drawers. “Use your magic to see the demons for yourself. I can guarantee you that you will see the true face of your 'angel's' friends.”
But Nesma shook her head. “I did check Gildshine when I took it away from you, but Light of Love told me that the 'demons' I saw were merely corrupted angels. He told me that the seal that the Good King put on the angels has corrupted many of them and that as a result they sometimes look like monsters and may behave in ways that we normally don't approve.”
Keo shook his head in annoyance. “Nesma, you have to know that that is the biggest load of dung I've ever heard. These demons were exactly like the demons in the old stories: Bloodthirsty, violent, eager and willing to kill humans, especially humans who got in their way, and insane.”
“Propaganda, all of it,” said Nesma, her tone becoming sharper. She sat up straight in her chair. “Tell me, were you there when the so-called 'Good King' sealed away the so-called 'demons'? If not, then how can you know if they really were as bad as the old stories claim? You are relying on the biased legends of a people prejudiced against the angels, while I am relying on the eyewitness testimony of someone who was actually there and experienced the events.”
“I don't have to have been there to know that the demons are evil and are tricking you into supporting their agenda,” said Keo, looking up at her in defiance. “They are not peaceful or oppressed or kind. They are monsters, pure and simple, and you've been tricked into believing that they are your friends.”
“I haven't been tricked by anyone,” said Nesma, folding her arms over her chest. “And maybe the angels are right to be angry at you. They've been sealed away for so long that I can't imagine that they or anyone else would come out of that situation nice and peaceful. I don't think they're going to slaughter anyone, but I'm not going to say that they are wrong to be angry with us humans for what we did to them so long ago.”
“Are you going to be angry with them when they are finally released and start slaughtering innocent people left and right?” said Keo. “Because that's what they want to do. And once they do that, the blood of innocent people will be on your hands.”
“There will be no innocent blood shed,” said Ne
sma. “No one is going to die. Once the angels are freed, they will make us better. Maybe they will even make us all immortal. Don't you want that?”
“The demons aren't going to give us that or anything else,” said Keo. “They are just going to kill you as soon as they don't need you anymore. Don't you get it? They're nothing more than monsters, pure and simple.”
“And you are wrong,” said Nesma. “But that's why I have to keep you here. I don't want you or anyone else getting in the way of the angels' freedom.”
“Are you going to keep me locked up here forever?” said Keo. “Like some sort of prisoner?”
“I will keep you here as long as Love of Light tells me to,” said Nesma. She looked troubled when she said that. “And he says that there should be no obstacles in the way of the freedom of his people. He said that you were the biggest obstacle to the freedom of his people, which is why I had to capture you like this. But don't worry. I'll free you as soon as the angels are free, and then you can join us in the bright and glorious future that they will build with us.”
Keo shook his head. “I don't believe that, and I don't think you believe that, either. There isn't going to be a future for us if the demons are released. The only future we can look forward to in that scenario is death.”
“Well, you're wrong about that, but it's clear that you are too brainwashed by society to even listen to me,” said Nesma. “So I am going to just cast you into a deep sleep. You won't sleep forever. Just long enough for the angels to rise again.”
Nesma raised her hand, but then froze. She tilted her head to the side, like she was listening to someone speak. She reminded Keo of Dlaine whenever he was listening to Jola, except Keo knew that whoever Nesma was listening to was nowhere near as kind or helpful as Jola.
“But …” Nesma frowned. “Why …?”
Keo did not like the shocked and questioning tone in Nesma's voice. Yet he did not speak himself. He just watched as Nesma continued to listen to whatever voice she thought she heard, telling her to do whatever it was that it was telling her to do.
Then Nesma nodded and said, “I understand. Sacrifices must sometimes be made for the common good. But Keo is my friend. Are you sure—”
Nesma abruptly stopped speaking and then winced, like she had been slapped in the face. She nodded quickly and said, “Okay, okay, I understand. I'm sorry. I will do it. For the good of Lamaira.”
Then Nesma looked at Keo, but her eyes even less kind than before. “I am sorry, Keo, but it looks like I will have to make a change of plans. Love of Light told me not to put you to sleep. He says that you will be a threat to the angels even if you are asleep.”
“Then what does he want you to do to me?” said Keo, although he had a feeling that he already knew what Nesma's answer was going to be.
Sparks of flame danced across Nesma's fingertips as she said, “He wants me to kill you.”
***