Chapter 69 - [Departure]

I turned away from Edwin and Solana with a feeling of disappointment seeping into my body. I had hoped that the meeting would end on a more amicable note, but I suspected that it would end in such a way. It was only natural that Edwin would act in such a way. I had planned my arguments far ahead of time, so I was not caught off guard by his resistance to my decision.

After taking a step toward the door, I heard Solana ask, “Why, Thale? Why are you leaving? Where? How long?”

Solana asked so many questions that they all strung together into one long query. As she spoke, I could hear the facade of strength she had wreathed herself in start to crack. It was easy for me to forget since she was so much older than me, but Solana was only seventeen years old. She had already lost two family members, and now a third was leaving.

“I’m leaving for a few reasons,” I said. “One of them is to kill the Red Knight. I need to leave home if I’m ever going to become strong enough to do it. To that end, I don’t know how long I’ll be gone or where I’ll go. I will certainly travel beyond the Realm of Northwind, and I might even leave the Kingdom of Etronia. I don’t know when you’ll see me again.”

“Why!?” Solana demanded. “Dad already left on a suicidal revenge mission. Why do you need to leave as well?”

“Never in a million years will Count Armond be able to defeat the Red Knight; he relies far too much upon his [Hellfire],” I said.

I turned toward my two relatives in the room. Solana’s shoulders were square, and tears were welling in her eyes. Edwin was visibly fuming with rage, but he did not dare to say another word. He knew that there was nothing he could do or say to make me stay.

“Armond has decided to take his anger out on the orcs and the Church of Nyx, anyway,” I sighed. “If the Red Knight is going to die, I need to be the one to do it.”

“You don’t need to go, Thale. Please, we need you,” Solana begged.

A flicker of sorrow entered my mind. “I’d stay if I could, sister, but there are factors at play here that you don’t understand. I have to leave; I don’t have a choice.”

“If I don’t understand, then explain it to me!” Solana cried, tears now falling down her face. “I’m not stupid, Thale. I can understand if you explain.”

“I will explain,” I had to bite my lip to prevent myself from crying, “later. Now is not the time. One day, I will send you a letter explaining everything, I promise.”

“Please, don’t…” Solana’s voice eked out. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I walked away. If I had stayed there any longer, I would have started weeping myself.

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The sun was high in the sky the next day when Beltane, Eadric, and I left. There were threats, promises of retribution, and shouting from my uncle, but neither of the men traveling with me cared. Both owed me a life-debt. The rage of a powerless nobleman would not sway them from their decision.

Everyone was there at my departure except for Merrick. The pain of seeing me leave must have been too much for him. He must have figured that it would be too painful to see me one last time.

Just before our heavily laden carriage left, I turned and said one last thing. “You might not see it now, but I respect you, Uncle Edwin. You have held the Realm together for many years, and you will hold it together for many more. In any sane system of governance, you would be in charge. I hope that, one day, you will receive the reward owed to you.”

With that, we left. Miriam and Nina were sobbing, and I heard the word “abandoned” come from the direction of the crowd over the sound of the horses’ hooves hitting cobblestones. It would be better this way, I was certain. I would have to leave eventually, so it might as well be at a time when most of them would forget quickly. Like Armond and Tabitha, their memories of me would soon fade into the opaque haze of childhood.

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The guards eyed us anxiously as we left through the southern gate. They must have been worried that my departure would cause a fight to break out, and the tension of restrained violence pulsed through the guards’ bodies. Despite the worried looks on everyone’s faces, we passed through without incident.

When we were about a hundred meters beyond the gate, Beltane shouted a command to Eadric. “Stop the carriage!”

The carriage quickly came to a stop, and Eadric turned to me with a look of confusion. The two of us were sitting in the carriage’s front seat, and Beltane was sitting in the passenger compartment. Beltane stepped out of the passenger compartment and walked to the back of the carriage where our cargo was held. I could hear a shuffling sound of Beltane rummaging through our bags before he shouted an exclamation.

“Ah hah!” Beltane shouted triumphantly. A moment later, Beltane re-entered the view of Eadric and me. In one hand, he held aloft the small form of Merrick Feldrast. “We have a stow away. It’s a good thing I heard him before we got too far away from Northwind.”

“Merrick…” I said disapprovingly as I stepped down from the carriage.

“Please take me with you,” Merrick said as Beltane put him down on the ground.

“It will be too dangerous. I’m sorry, Merrick,” I said with a sad smile on my face. I placed a hand on the top of his head and ruffled his hair as I said, “We’ll meet again, brother.”

“But when?” Merrick asked.

“I don’t know,” I sighed sadly. “You need to defend Northwind while I’m gone. One day, you will grow into the greatest fighter in history. Stay here and use your natural talent to protect our home.”

“Okay,” Merrick said. “I’ll stay here.”

Beltane took a step forward and said, “He’s lying.”

Naturally, the Hero of Ferrum would be compelled to become embroiled in the kind of adventure I was undertaking. Some instinct within Merrick must have pushed him toward world-spanning adventures.

“Well, then, what are we going to do?” Eadric asked as Merrick’s eyes fell to the ground in embarrassment. “I guess we have to go back to Northwind and make sure somebody stops him from following us.”

“Not necessarily,” Beltane muttered. He looked toward Merrick and pressed a single finger to the back of his head. “Somnus,” he chanted.

After a second of resistance, Merrick’s eyes fluttered closed, and Beltane gently lowered his unconscious body to the ground.

Beltane lifted Merrick from the ground. He said, “I’ll take him back to the guards.”

Merrick and Beltane left back toward Northwind, leaving only Eadric and me staying with the carriage.

In the few minutes before Beltane returned, I opened one of the locked boxes we had brought with us and retrieved a thick leather pouch from inside the box. I looked inside of the pouch, seeing the glittering golden contents within. From the pouch, I removed five Etronian gold pieces. They completely filled my small palm.

“Eadric,” I said, holding the coins out to him. This small handful of gold was half of what a normal person would make in a year. “Thanks for the loan.”

With a look of confusion, Eadric held out his palm, and I dropped the coins into it. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the glittering treasure resting there.

“Did you steal this from the castle?” Eadric asked. His words weren’t necessarily a denial of the payment, though.

“No, I’ve made twenty gold pieces so far from my business arrangement with Sendrick Grimhold. I figured you should be the first person I reimburse,” I said.

“If it’s from that guy, then I’ll take it,” Eadric chuckled. “He’s got gold to spare.”

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Beltane returned soon after, and the carriage departed once again. I closed my eyes, trying not to think about the difficult circumstances of my departure. In that darkness, a line of text formed as a voice spoke.

This is for the best. We won’t be able to hurt them when we’re gone.

Maybe, maybe.

I still don’t know your name, interloper. I refuse to call you “Thale,” and “demon” seems inaccurate.

My name?

I thought about how I would answer the question. After a few seconds, I formulated and sent my response.

Just call me Johan.

Is that it? Don’t you have a last name?

Johan Fost, Doctor of Medicine.

It was as good a name as any. The man I used to be was dead. Johan Fost might as well be my name. I removed the pocket watch from my pocket and looked at the warding sigils etched into the silver. I was Johan Fost, and I held the chained Mephistopheles in my hand.

I chuckled at the memory of that old folk tale. Hopefully, my tale would have a happier ending than that of old Johan.

End of Arc 1 - [Childhood]