Delilah sat atop Solla, reading the Book of the Key. In particular, her attention was drawn to the two new pages Irielle had given her — really two tablets, amounting to four pages. The first and last of the new pages were cut off, missing the connecting pages, but the two in-between were complete, and particularly interesting. Their text was accompanied by a hauntingly beautiful painting of bombed-out, charred ruins amidst an ocean of fire.
“To go where all else nigh availe to tread, there lies untraveled road. Loste travails help shattered souls meet, collide, in pyurifying ascent. One, three, toogether is all, apahrt is lost. The fires will choose.”
“Clear as freaking mud,” Alice said, sitting beside Delilah, reading with her. “Pretty picture, though. Think it’s a real place?”
“I do,” Delilah said.
“Irielle didn’t seem so sure,” Alice said, leaning back.
Irielle had given them a lot to think about, and a great deal of information. Afterwards, they’d decided to return to Revue Palace. Firstly, because Revue Palace was a base of sorts for their team, and the best place to go over things and try to consolidate and make sense of what they knew so far. And secondly, because Delilah missed it. She missed the Palace, and she missed Revue.
It’s a good place to rest, think, and recover before we set out again. Something tells me, once we leave Revue Palace this time, it’ll be a long time before we see it again.
They’d left the Bell Towers behind. All three Bells had tolled, and there were times, when Delilah listened very closely and was very silent and still, that she thought she could hear them, echoing across the universe.
They were heralding what was to come. And they would not go silent until the deed had been done, until the journey was complete.
Until the Key of the World was found and turned.
Their tolling made Delilah think of her sisters. How were they doing? What journeys were they on, and were they safe?
Had Fae gotten her body back yet?
Please be safe. Please be okay.
It’s not just because I need you to help me in finding and turning the Key. It’s because…
But Delilah couldn’t think long on her sisters without tears threatening to burst forth. Her failure to speak to Fae before she left still stung her heart.
“Here you go,” said Isabelle.
Delilah blinked in surprise. A fuzzy white teddy bear was held out right in her face, and it took her a moment to process what was happening.
“Go on, hold him,” Isabelle said. “He’s soft and fluffy and makes all the heart-hurt go away.”
Delilah giggled, then gratefully took the offered Teddy and held him tight. He was, indeed, soft and fluffy. And while holding him didn’t make the heart-hurt go away…
It did make it a little easier to bear.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” Isabelle said, taking a seat beside Delilah. “You let me cuddle up with your kitties all the time. I’m happy I could do something for you.”
“You’re awfully nice for a kid,” Alice said.
“Of course I’m nice,” Isabelle said. “I had a proper upbringing. Your mommy taught you proper manners too, didn’t she?”
Delilah immediately looked aside at Alice, and saw her stiffen slightly. Alice hopped to her feet, strolling forward to the edge of their protective bubble on Solla without a word.
“What was that about?” Isabelle asked, pouting at Alice’s back.
“She… didn’t have the same kind of upbringing,” Delilah said softly. She hesitated, not knowing if she should say more, and if so, how much.
“Having a good mom makes a big difference, huh?” Alice asked without looking back. There was a tight, flat tone to her voice.
Isabelle, to her credit, didn’t immediately respond. Instead, she leaned towards Delilah, and asked in a tiny voice, “Did I say something wrong?”
“It’s just…” Delilah started, struggling over how to explain Alice’s past. “Alice… didn’t have very good parents. And she doesn’t have any parents anymore.”
“Oh.” Isabelle stared at her lap for a while, then looked up. “I never knew my Daddy, though. I… hear daddies make a big difference. Especially the good ones.”
“I’m sure they do,” Alice said. She whirled around, fixing Delilah with a strange look. “And what do you mean, I don’t have parents anymore?”
Delilah understood, and immediately felt a pang of guilt. “I just meant… I’m sorry.” She bowed her head.
“Don’t apologize,” Alice said. She came over and kicked Delilah lightly in the foot. “I had wicked, pathetic parents. But now I’ve got yours.” She cocked her head to the side, a surprising innocence in her white eyes. “They’re… good ones… right?”
Delilah looked up at her, smiling. “Yes. They’re the best.”
“Well, there’s something nice,” Alice said, turning with a flourish and walking back to the front of the protective bubble.
“You never knew your father?” Delilah asked Isabelle after a while.
Isabelle shook her head. She tilted her head back, looking at Maribelle. “Even Mari barely remembers him,” she said. “And Mommy doesn’t talk about him.”
“There were four Princesses of Solitude before me,” Maribelle said. “When I was little, I knew we had a father, but hardly anything about him. Then one day… he was simply… gone. I used to ask my elder sisters over and over to tell me about him, since Mother never would. But neither would they.”
“You’re Princesses, so that makes Kodoka the Queen, right?” Alice asked. “So there used to be a King of Solitude… but you never had any brothers, either? No Princes?”
“Mommy’s not a queen,” Isabelle said, giggling as if it was a joke.
“The hierarchy is… not what you might expect,” Maribelle said. “No, there are no Princes of Solitude. Nor do we have, or have had, any brothers. There is neither a Queen nor King of Solitude. Mother is the Prime Paladin, and she is the leading Paladin of the Library of Solitude, but she holds no royal title.”
“So how are you guys Princesses, then?” Alice asked.
“It is not a title like you know from your world or history,” Maribelle said. “A Princess of Solitude is not someone with a governmental obligation or authority, not someone with hereditary claim to a throne or power. Mother was once a Princess of Solitude — the Princess of Solitude, the only one — but she no longer holds that title, for reasons I do not know. All of her daughters, all of our sisters, however, claim that title, but not because we are her children. It’s…” She paused for a moment, musing. “Hmm. To be honest, I’ve never tried to explain it before.”
“It’s magical!” Isabelle said.
“In truth, even I am not entirely certain of our role or status,” Maribelle said. “Mother rarely speaks of it, and never in much detail. While I have been able to read a little bit about it, it’s not enough to understand. Let’s… just leave it at what we know.”
“Does it matter?” Alice asked. “You’re Princesses of Solitude. Why get caught up in what that means and all the technical details, you know?”
“It’s a question I can’t seem to let go of,” Maribelle said, but she smiled. “Sometimes, I think it would be nice to be able to.”
“Hey, something’s happening!” Isabelle said, hopping to her feet. Delilah stood, too, still holding Teddy. The space they flew through opened up into a swirling vortex of light and color, and far in the distance…
A door.
Delilah knew what to do. She handed Teddy to Isabelle, drew the Key from beneath her shirt, and pointed it at the door. A beam of silver light shot from Key to door, and a soft click sounded. The door opened, and they flew through a blaze of light.
The light swiftly faded, and they found themselves in a vast, dark place. Huge chandeliers hung overhead, shedding dim orange light that cast long shadows. As Delilah’s eyes adjusted, though, the place appeared less foreboding, and more familiar.
“It’s a dock,” she said. “Like on the Moon, but this time…”
“This is Revue Palace, isn’t it?” Alice asked, excitement rising in her voice. “We’ve never seen this area, though!” She looked back at Delilah, a mischievous grin on her face. “If we’re fast and careful, we could totally sneak up on Revue and surprise her.”
Delilah grinned right back at her. “Let’s give it a try,” she said. “Come on, everyone. Let’s be as quiet and careful as we can.”
Isabelle was incredibly excited, and Maribelle and Marcus agreed to go along with it. Delilah gave her thanks to Solla and Lunos before leaving them, leading her group up a wide, spiraling staircase into portions of the Palace she’d never seen before.
They came out into an atrium with a glass roof, and three halls branching off from it. Through the glass roof, colorful nebulae could be seen, providing enough light on their own that the atrium, without any lights lit of its own, was brighter and more welcoming than the docks below. Delilah felt bad about leaving Solla and Lunos there, but they hadn’t seemed to mind.
I’ll just have to make it a priority to clean that place up and get more light down there. Maybe I should have left Reginald with them to get a head start…
But there was no time for that now. They needed to find Revue. And to do that…
Well. Delilah was going to have to figure out where she was in relation to the parts of the Palace that she knew. Luckily, she’d had Reginald mark every single room they’d visited in the Palace, so when she used Divination Magic, she could see small, blue cat’s-head marks gleaming in the distance. She could see them even through walls, no matter how many walls lay between her and them, and that immediately gave her a sense of just how huge the Palace was — and just how far she was from anything familiar.
“This way should take us to the Lobby,” Delilah said, pointing to the right hallway. “While that way,” she pointed left, “should get us to the Main Theater.”
“So we go straight,” Alice said, pointing.
“We go somewhere we don’t know?” Isabelle asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s what she’ll least expect!” Alice said. “And we might discover some juicy secrets along the way, you know?”
“Ohhhhh!” Isabelle said, eyes alive with excitement.
“We should really stick to what we know, though,” Delilah said. “The Palace is huge. If we get lost, it could be for days.”
“But you’ve got your cat radar,” Alice said. “So if we get lost, you’ll get us on track.”
“We also do have quite a lot of work to do…” Delilah started.
“And this is going to be our home,” Alice said, hands on her hips. “So we shouldn’t be scared of anything. We gotta know the whole place eventually, so why not now?”
“Why not now?” Isabelle asked, pumping her fist as if it was a rallying cry.
“Why not, indeed?” Marcus said, a twinkle in his eye.
Wait, you’re going along with this?!?
Delilah couldn’t get the question out, though. Alice and Isabelle’s energy had spread, and all she could do was resign herself to following Alice’s lead, and do her best to keep everyone out of trouble.
This wasn’t at all what she’d expected. But even so…
She had to admit. It was a bit exciting. And if they were going to sneak up on Revue and surprise her — whether or not that was possible within Revue Palace, Delilah honestly doubted — sticking to places they hadn’t explored or cleaned yet was a decent strategy.
That said, the fact that these weren’t only unexplored halls and rooms, but also uncleaned halls and rooms presented a challenge. Dust puffed up in magnificent clouds whenever they disturbed something. The carpets were torn and moldy, sometimes squelching with moisture beneath Delilah’s feet. Tiles and wooden flooring were cracked and crumbling. Curtains hung torn, barely clinging to crooked banisters. A chandelier lay shattered in the middle of their path, and the group made their way carefully around it, Maribelle lifting Isabelle to sit atop her shoulders in safety.
“It’s not a theater or backstage,” Delilah said softly as she walked, taking in everything thanks mostly to the multi-colored glow of her Summons and Rabanastre. “It feels… like a gallery, or a wing of a museum.”
“Kinda feels homey,” Alice said, pausing to peer inside a crooked doorway. “Check it out.”
Inside was a bedroom, with a huge, four-poster bed atop a low stage in the center, though its canopy had fallen and lay in a dusty heap across the mattress. A dresser leaned at an angle, one of its legs shortened by decay and wear.
“Why a bedroom in a museum?” Isabelle asked. “Was it for someone important?”
“I’m not so sure this is a gallery or museum,” Marcus said, looking around.
Maribelle nodded her agreement. “The arrangement of things, the size, the layout… it’s extravagant, or once was, so that might be confusing your instincts, but I do believe we’ve found the residential wing of the Palace.”
“Whoa, this is where people live?” Alice asked, stepping back into the hall and looking all around, spinning in a slow circle. “Well… it… really is a palace, huh?”
Delilah didn’t know what to say. She knew that Revue Palace would be her home, she’d accepted that, but she’d expected simple bedrooms and otherwise a massive complex of theaters and performance areas. To have a whole wing of the massive palace be for living in, it…
I grew up in a mansion, and never wanted for anything. I thought I knew wealth, but this is… it would take all the combined wealth of all the prominent mage families in Grimoire to even begin to build and furnish something like this. And this is just one hall?
“Well, I get dibs on calling dibs on a bedroom,” Alice said. “I’m reserving it for when we see them all cleaned up and stuff.”
“Why don’t we clean it all up now?” Isabelle asked. “I wanna see what it’s supposed to be like!”
“Because we’re trying to find and sneak up on Revue, remember?” Alice asked, a finger to her lips.
“You started talking loud first,” Isabelle muttered, pouting.
“Reginald will mark this place,” Delilah said with a smile. “We’ll be able to find it easily when we’re ready.” Reginald drew his mark, a mark only Delilah could see, on the clearest and cleanest section of wall with his cane. When he strolled back to Delilah’s side, she patted his head, and he purred softly.
They continued on, eventually finding the end of the hall. Stairs climbed up the center to a new area, but to either side were open, individual-sized lifts for accessibility.
Up the stairs and out through a set of glass doors, they entered a glass-roofed atrium with two other branching areas. Alice was the quickest to inspect them, and found one of them to be a kitchen that led into a marvelous dining room, while the other was another hall, sloping gently upward around a curve. They took that route, treading cautiously through dust, debris, and darkness. It had been a very long time since Delilah had faced the decayed, despondent areas of Revue Palace. Her first reaction in these dingy halls had been of shock, of wondering how things could possibly be worse than they’d been, but then she remembered the Premier Theater, the centerpiece stage where she and the others had battled the Sons of Night in the Revue of the Night.
It had been partially flooded. There was so much mold, so much destruction… I still can’t believe we got it looking so good. Reginald was a huge help.
Back then, before the Palace was restored, it was called the Drowned Palace. I guess Revue’s influence had quite an effect — we haven’t seen a single other hall, room, or theater with so much standing water.
She grimaced at another squelching footstep.
Still plenty of evidence of prior flooding, though.
Alice led the way with gusto, often far ahead of the others, and when they reached the end of this hall, she was crouched at the exit door, peering out into the next atrium. She hastily motioned for the others to get down and stay quiet, so Delilah crouched low, sneaking over beside her.
“Revue’s right there,” Alice said in the barest whisper, the hint of laughter in her voice. Delilah could see her, tall and beautiful and ever so dramatic, out in the atrium. Revue had her back turned to them, and seemed to be practicing, but silently, which struck Delilah as odd. She was dancing, moving with marvelously graceful gestures and light steps, but she wasn’t speaking or singing. There was no music to be heard from anywhere.
“I’m going on three,” Alice said softly. She counted down with her fingers. Three… two… one…
Delilah shot out into the atrium at the same time as Alice did, both of them screaming like elementary school children. Delilah couldn’t help but laugh, it was such a silly, outrageous rush. Revue turned in a graceful arc, her masked face contorted in an expression of surprise — but only for a moment.
“Oh, you silly children!” she said, laughing, reaching out and ruffling both girls’ hair. “Welcome back, loves! Welcome back!”
“You’re supposed to be shocked!” Alice said, squirming out of Revue’s grasp. “What gives?”
“It takes an awful lot to surprise me, love,” Revue said, smiling broadly. “And in my own domain, at that! I knew you were here from the moment the Travelers landed, but I thought I’d let you have some fun.”
“Travelers?” Delilah asked, gazing up at Revue.
“Solla and Lunos,” Revue said. “Haven’t they told you? That’s what they call themselves collectively — the Travelers.”
“Don’t you think that’s too simple for them?” Alice asked. Delilah nodded.
“Don’t just take the word,” Revue said. “Like when you speak with them, you have to feel it. In your soul, in the air, in the world around you. There’s much more to it than the word alone.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Alice said with a smirk. “So? How have things been since we left?”
“Marvelously quiet,” Revue said.
“I thought you wanted this place to be noisy and full of life,” Delilah said.
“Oh, I do, love. But not the kind of noise that’s been trying to break in lately.”
“Break in?” Isabelle asked, hopping down from Maribelle’s shoulders.
“Oh, yes,” Revue said, chuckling. “Lady Kodoka, I must say, is quite cross with me. And all of you, as well.”
“She seems to run on anger lately,” Alice said, shoving her hands in her pockets.
Maribelle put her hands on her hips, eyeing Revue suspiciously. “What did you do?” she asked.
“Me?” Revue asked, gesturing at herself dramatically. “Why, Princess, I don’t know why you would make me out like some kind of villain. The nerve!”
Maribelle sighed, shaking her head. “Ah, well. No doubt Mother deserved it.”
“Deserved what?” Isabelle asked. “Hey, hey, what’d you do to Mommy?”
“I merely banned her from the premises,” Revue said. She lifted a hand to her mouth, laughing. “Ah, she was determined to search the Palace, to root out every last hint of the Key and see that they were locked — pun entirely intended, I assure you — well away so none of you sweet darlings could make use of them. She also wanted to find all of you, calling you each out by name. I, of course, wasn’t about to let her waltz in like she owns the place. Even the Prime Paladin cannot simply do as she pleases wherever she likes. I won’t have her fear and bias corrupt these hallowed halls. And, well —” she held out her hand, eyeing the rings on her long, elegant fingers with no small measure of pride, “after so long divided, Lost, it does feel good to demonstrate my power.”
“You kicked Mommy out?” Isabelle asked in a shocked, hushed whisper, both hands to her mouth.
“In truth, I never let her in to begin with,” Revue said. “So naturally, she has guards posted at every single entrance to the Library, waiting for one or all of you to return.”
“As if we’re gonna go back there,” Alice said.
“I was thinking about it,” Maribelle said, “but now… hmm. I could certainly escape even if Mother intended to keep me there, but I’d rather not enflame her wrath if I don’t need to.”
“You wanted to go back?” Alice asked.
“She is my mother,” Maribelle said with a long-suffering sigh. “And, well, I’d hoped I could talk to her about some things. And perhaps procure some books, but… I’m too important to our next destination. If anyone’s going to be our guide there, it must be me. I’ll have to save my questions and thoughts for Mother for another day.”
“I could try to calm her down,” Isabelle said. “Everybody’s acting like she’s such a mean, vicious witch, but she’s not anything like that. If I could just let her know not everyone thinks so badly of her, then maybe…”
“Hey, when in doubt, send in the cutie,” Alice said with a shrug and a smirk. “Could work.”
“Your innocence and graciousness is endless, Belle-Belle,” Maribelle said, ruffling the little girl’s hair. “I won’t stop you if your heart is set on it, but I would caution against it if you intend on coming with us to find Terevalde. Though our road is the dangerous one, while going to Mother will, regardless of all else, undoubtedly be safe.”
“Do you really think she’d try to trap me in my own home?” Isabelle asked.
“It’s certainly possible,” Maribelle said.
Isabelle frowned, pulling Teddy out of her backpack and cuddling him close. “I need to think about it.”
“I’ve also had to ban the Maestro — such an ill-fitting name for a warrior,” Revue said, “from the premises. He is, perhaps not of the same mind as Lady Kodoka, but he is of a similar mind. More beholden to her than in harmony with her, but, I digress. One charming visitor was allowed, and he left some messages for you.”
“Charming visitor?” Delilah asked. “Wait, do you mean Twelve was here? Did he find out anything about the Key of the World?” She thought back to the clockwork robot, himself a Paladin as well, who’d promised to research the Key and tell them about any discoveries he made.
“Indeed he was, love,” Revue said. “Such a respectful, humble, kindhearted soul. There are many Paladins who could learn from his example.” She turned with a marvelous flourish, leading the way down the hall. “Come along, loves.”
It had seemed to Delilah that they were still quite a distance from the cat-head symbol that marked the Lobby, but Revue took them through surprising twists and turns — “Shortcuts, loves,” she said — and they were in the clean, restored Lobby in just a few minutes. Standing here again after so long away, Delilah noticed that there was still quite a bit of work to be done. It had been restored so well, cleaned up and spruced up nicely, but that was in comparison to its ruined, forgotten state when they’d found it. For it to be what it needed to be — the magnificent, proper introduction to all that Revue Palace had to offer — they still had a project ahead of them.
“Here we are,” Revue said, plucking a cog-shaped brass disc from a counter. She tossed it lightly, and it landed on the floor in front of Delilah, where it whirred to life, displaying a hologram of Twelve. His pearly, doll-like face smiled, and his glass eyes blinked twice before he spoke.
“Greetings, Delilah Greyson, Alice Greyson,” he said, and Delilah already found herself at ease hearing his pleasant voice. “Please do not be regretful or apologetic for not being here for my visit. You have work of great importance to see to, and I would not see that delayed. And it is on that topic that I have come — though I would not object to a social visit, all hands must be on deck in these dark times. First of all — unfortunately, I was unable, so far, to find any other missing pages from the Book of the Key. I will continue my search. However, I have two valuable pieces of information. The first regards those behind the Book itself. Three were involved in the events detailed therein, and two still live. Both went into self-imposed exile after a terrible Tragedy, and while I know not where Terevalde has gone, I have discovered a clue behind the name-unknown Author. She, it seems, found her way to where the Key was forged ages ago — a place of endless golden light, by all accounts. Though I could not seem to find a name for the place. I’m not sure if you can reach it, but I hope that clue can help you.”
Delilah’s heart sunk slightly at that. She’d learned of where the Key was forged, though she still didn’t know the name. It was also the home of Solla and Lunos, and the one place they said they could not take her.
“Secondly, there are three Paladins whom you should meet. Be mindful of what you say to them — though I trust them dearly, they hold Maestro Siegfried in very high esteem, and owe him a great debt. They will undoubtedly tell him anything you tell them if he asks, so don’t tell them everything. But they had an encounter with a frightening creature — when they told me the details of both that, and their subsequent report to Lady Kodoka, I knew they needed to meet with you. Revue will facilitate the meeting, as I will have returned to my own Bastion, Shimmerveil Pike, for continued research and shoring up our defenses. I will remain in as much contact as I can, and will think of you fondly at all times. Until next time, I remain your friend and ally.” He bowed low, and the hologram vanished.
Delilah and Alice were both smiling. “He’s a real charmer, huh?” Alice asked.
“He really is,” Delilah said. “Revue, can we meet the three Paladins he spoke about?”
“They’re waiting for you,” Revue said. “I’ve kept them here, in as much comfort as is possible in what we’ve restored so far. I must say, they’re marvelously respectful guests, if a bit on the boring side.”
“Boring?” Isabelle asked.
“Oh, they have an appreciation for fine art, I suppose,” Revue said, starting to lead the way, so everyone followed. “But it’s the kind of appreciation of someone who only sees, hears, and feels with their physical senses. They don’t have the soul for art, not one bit. Uptight, too, the lot of them — very prim and proper, dedicated to duty and honor and all that.”
“It’s times like these when we have greatest need of such Paladins,” Marcus said with a smile.
“Yes, yes, I know that,” Revue said. “It’s just a disappointment, is all.”
They went to the Premier Atrium. Connected to the Premier Theater, it was both spacious and luxurious — and, Delilah noted, one of two places they’d put the most work and time into cleaning and restoring, so it was the best place to make a big impression on newcomers. It was also quite relaxing — plenty of cozy fires, plush armchairs and couches, and beautiful paintings and mosaics on the walls.
It was on the far side, near the stairs to the Premier Theater, where their guests waited. Three Paladins, all of whom looked to be in their mid-twenties or perhaps early thirties — Delilah struggled with identifying specifics in that age range — and wore white uniforms. But Delilah only got to take the trio in before a fourth guest came charging out from the trio’s place, bounding towards Delilah and the others.
“A dog!” Alice cried, staring.
“A dog!” Isabelle shouted with glee.
It was, indeed, a dog. And it charged straight at Delilah and leapt at her, knocking her flat on her back. She was stunned, confused, but when the energetic canine started licking her face, worry turned to laughter.
“At least you’re friendly,” she said, rubbing all over the dog’s neck and sides. “Come on, now, get off of me please. I haven’t even been able to look at you, you were too fast.”
“Clover!” cried a worried voice, and footsteps sounded on the marble floors. “Clover, come on, greet people with a little more respect. These are Paladins, and you’re in their domain.”
“Oh, it’s all right,” Delilah said, rising to her knees as the dog, Clover, sat in front of her, tongue hanging out of his mouth, tail wagging energetically. He was a Shiba Inu, with the trademark curled tail and pointed ears, and had a beautiful orange-brown coat with a white tummy and lower legs. Around his neck was a beautiful blue color with two metal tags — one in the shape of a four leaf clover, and the other an engraving of a delicate flower — its leaves pale blue, its core golden. “Clover, hmm?” She scratched the dog behind the ears, and he seemed to love it. “You’re a real charmer, huh?”
“He’s perfectly kind,” said the worried voice from before, belonging to one of the guests, a man with fiery red hair in thick, messy curls, and scarlet eyes to match. He knelt across from Delilah with Clover between them. “He’s just…” He sighed, shaking his head. “He’s just extraordinarily sociable. He loves meeting new people, though he’s not always on target with his etiquette.”
“I really don’t mind,” Delilah said, smiling. “He’s wonderful.”
“She’s used to affectionate animals,” Alice said, kneeling and petting Flynn with Delilah. “Oh, by the way, I’m Alice, she’s Delilah. We’re the Paladins of Revue Palace.”
“Yes, Twelve told us about you,” the man said. He stood. “I’m Hayden, and these are my friends and fellow Paladins of the Astral Wall — Camellia and Botan. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“You say ‘finally’,” Alice said, chuckling, “but we only just became Paladins a little bit ago.”
“And restored Revue Palace,” Hayden said, “not to mention your many other exploits. Whatever Lady Kodoka thinks of you, the two of you are quite famous already.”
While Alice puffed up with pride at the praise, Delilah continued to pet Clover, and also finally got a good look at the trio, now that she wasn’t being accosted by a cuddly canine. While all three carried themselves with excellent posture and noble bearing, there was a clear weariness to them, and though their uniforms were stylish and well-tailored, they were also torn in several places, scorched in others, with a few small dark stains that Delilah thought were likely to be blood. Hayden had one sleeve rolled up, making room for a heavily bandaged cast around his left forearm and hand. Botan bore a large, cushioned bandage on his right cheek, and Camellia seemed to be favoring her left leg.
Hayden was clearly the leader, from the way he stood in front of and in the center of the trio. He had a bit of boyish youth to his face, and clear laugh lines, both of which reminded Delilah of Caleb, but there was an intensity in his eyes she didn’t often see. He was of rather average height, of a lean and athletic build, but not heavily muscular. On his collar was a sigil of a red sword embraced by spirals of golden flame.
Botan was tremendously tall and heavily muscled, with especially huge shoulders, a squared jaw and rather blocky face overall, and short, military-cut hair. Even so, Delilah thought he had a rather kind face, and inquisitive eyes. On his collar was a sigil of two weapons Delilah recognized, but only from reading and research rather than ever seeing them in person, as tonfas. Normally rather simple in design — essentially a pair of rounded sticks with handles off the side — those in Botan’s sigil were blue, silver, and ornately designed, crackling with blue electricity.
Camellia immediately reminded Delilah of her mother. Though her hair and eyes were silver, rather than the raven of Deirdre, she had similar angular features that created a stern first impression. Her narrow, gold-framed glasses made her eyes seem sharp, but a moment’s longer look and Delilah thought that, rather than stern or scary, Camellia seemed more of a quiet, introspective, serious sort. On her collar was the sigil of a green-and-gold bow and arrow, surrounded by swirls of cerulean water.
All three of them wore white gloves, and on their right gloves was a shared sigil: a pale blue flower with a core of golden fire.
“Is Clover a Paladin, too?” Isabelle asked, timidly approaching the dog. Clover eyed her happily, wagging his tail, and when she started petting his neck, her face lit up.
Hayden laughed. “I suppose you could say he’s an honorary Paladin.”
Camellia pushed up her glasses. “Perhaps it’s time we delivered our report,” she said. Her voice was smooth and soft, betraying little emotion.
Hayden cleared his throat. “Right. Well… I guess… we should start by explaining what we’ve been up to.”
“You’re in charge of the mobile strike force,” Maribelle said. “Something happened?”
Hayden lowered his gaze. “Yes. We were doing well for a time, extinguishing pools of Darkness in many Locations. Until… we encountered something new. Something we’ve never seen before.”
“We’re still not sure what it was,” Botan said, his voice deep and mellifluous. “It… had no consistent form. Like a shadow, like a cloud. It wasn’t of the Darkness, but something… different. It attacked us, and we stood no chance against it. Magic couldn’t touch it, nor weapons, nor any force we had at our command. It was vicious, and yet…”
“It did not seem its quarrel was with us,” Camellia said. “As it tore through our team, eventually, it simply stopped. After killing fourteen of us and viciously wounding the rest, it left, as suddenly as it had appeared.”
“When are they holding rites for the fourteen?” Marcus asked.
“Two cycles,” Hayden said, head bowed. “Most of them were from the Astral Wall, so that’s where we’ll hold rites.”
“We will do our utmost to be there,” Marcus said.
Hayden nodded. “Thank you.”
“The reason Twelve suggested we speak with you as well,” Camellia said, “is that, after we and the survivors were seen to be the Library’s Healers, we gave our report to Lady Kodoka and Maestro Siegfried. When we finished, Lady Kodoka looked pale. She said only one word, that seemed like a name: ‘Gioracchi’.”
Delilah’s eyes widened slightly, but only at confirmation of what she’d suspected from their report. What else could it be? An unexplainable apparition, one that no magic or weapons could harm, let alone stop?
The Lingering Will…
“I heard a voice on the air,” Hayden said. “Before it attacked us, and when it left. Just two words, like a whisper: ‘The Key’.”
“And it tore through fourteen Paladins like they weren’t even there?” Alice asked.
“I’ve never seen the likes of it,” Botan said, nodding.
“Not just any Paladins,” Hayden said, clenching his unbound hand into a fist. “Handpicked by the Maestro. Some of the very best of the best, the strongest and bravest. Some of our greatest fighters, made helpless.”
Delilah found what comfort she could in the soft warmth of Clover. But she found herself staring at the floor, her heart heavy with guilt.
Ringing the Bells is what woke up the Lingering Will… isn’t it?
And now he’s killed fourteen of the best Paladins. Just because they were in the wrong place. They had nothing to do with what he wants, and once he realized it, he left, but fourteen dead? Just like that?
Is this… my fault…?
“Was there anyone else?” Maribelle asked. She pointed to Hayden’s glove, and the flower sigil it bore. “Anyone else from your group who…?”
“Oh, no,” Hayden said, shaking his head. “We can be thankful for that, at least.”
“What’s the flower for?” Isabelle asked.
Hayden smiled at the girl, kneeling down so he could talk to her at eye level. He held out his hand, showing her the sigil. “Flowers speak their own language,” he said. “This flower symbolizes a deep, enduring promise. It reminds us of the promise we made to each other, and… one other. We’ve been separated from the other one, but we’ll get back to her one day.”
“You’ve all been friends for a long time, haven’t you?” Isabelle asked.
Hayden laughed. “Yes. We’ve been together…” He paused, seeming at a loss for words. “Goodness. Since we were born, I think. It certainly seems that way. I’ve never really thought about it.”
“We’ve always been together,” Camellia said.
“Clover, too?” Alice asked.
“Clover, too,” Hayden said. “He’s a special dog, there’s no doubt about that.” Clover turned and trotted over to Hayden, rising up to place his front paws on Hayden’s chest, and licked his nose. Hayden laughed, ruffling his fur with his uninjured hand. “Yes, I know. I love you too.”
“Ah, but your report better explains Lady Kodoka’s fury,” Revue said. “Fourteen dead to this enigmatic monstrosity. A monstrosity she thought she could prevent.”
“Prevent?” Alice asked, looking up. “How did she…” Delilah leaned over, whispering softly in Alice’s ear:
“She knew ringing the Bells would wake him up, and she knew how dangerous he would be in that form.”
Alice’s reaction wasn’t what Delilah expected. She sat back, narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips. “If she knew all of that, she should’ve told us everything before we left!” She threw her hands up, letting out a sigh. “Don’t keep secrets when those secrets could get people killed.”
“You know more about this apparition?” Hayden asked.
“We… do,” Delilah said hesitantly.
Botan held up a hand. “You needn’t explain or apologize,” he said.
“Right,” Hayden said, standing. “There are things happening here, things that are leaving the Paladins divided. But… just because Lady Kodoka does not approve of your secret mission doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Your reputation speaks first and foremost. But Marcus, two Princesses of Solitude, Revue, and Twelve all also vouch for you. How can we possibly oppose the path you now walk?”
“Please, don’t tell us anything more,” Camellia said. “We would feel duty-bound to tell the Maestro at least, and Lady Kodoka if she asked, and that would do you no good. What we do not know, we cannot share, and thus keep your journey unimpeded.”
“Did we just make more friends?” Alice asked. “More Paladins we don’t need to worry about getting in our way?”
Hayden laughed. “That seems to sum it up,” he said. “We can’t actively aid you. But we will keep in contact with Twelve, and he will know if there is anything of value to pass on to you.”
“Perhaps in the future,” Botan said, “we will be able to work directly with you on some other, less divisive, mission.”
“Or better yet, just visit,” Hayden said with a smile. He held out his hand. “As friends.”
Delilah smiled as she shook his hand. “I’ll look forward to it,” she said.
The three Paladins and Clover said their goodbyes, and once they were gone, Delilah and her group got Revue up to speed on everything they’d learned at the Bell Towers.
“Basically, we gotta leave you again soon,” Alice said.
“The gall of you!” Revue said. “To say something so casually! At least show some care or concern, love! At least act like you’ll miss me!”
“I’m not a drama queen,” Alice said, rolling her eyes.
“We will miss you,” Delilah said, laughing. “All of us. But we won’t leave immediately, I don’t think. At the very least, we need to rest. But…” She looked at Marcus. “How long is two cycles?”
“Less than two days,” Marcus said. “And actually, with how time flows in Revue Palace and the Library of Solitude, it could be even shorter than usual.” He smiled. “You wish to attend the rites of the fallen fourteen.”
Delilah nodded. “I… want to know who they were. And I want to make my own promise to them.”
“It isn’t your fault,” Maribelle said.
“Whether it is or isn’t, I still feel the same,” Delilah said.
“I want to go, too,” Isabelle said. “It seems only right.”
“If the leader goes, we all go,” Alice said. “And…” She shrugged, seeming uncomfortable. “Yeah. I’m… not so good at this kind of thing, but I feel the same. I want to be there. You know?”
“Then it’s settled,” Marcus said. “We’ll take some time to rest, and then see what time remains before we must leave.”
“Hopefully enough to do some more work around here, loves,” Revue said. “The Palace desperately misses your delicate touch.” Her gaze especially rested on Reginald.
“We’ll do as much as we can,” Delilah said. “I was hoping we’d have time, too.” She smiled. Even if it was only for a short while, it was good to be home.