going unnoticed for some time yet—maybe even hoping to frame a guard. The murderer seems unaware that I've been wrathful and unbending with my men since you were harmed. Right now, no one dares forget to so much as polish their helmets."
"I see," Koray said, frowning. "Shall we go see the bodies, then? Afterwards I want that wall down, paladin."
"What?" Emel asked, baffled.
Mouth quirking briefly, Sorin said, "Find some men to knock down a wall. Send a knight to the library; tell him to stand guard at the place where a door was walled over."
Emel shook his head, but only said, "Yes, High Paladin. The bodies are in the empty room in the armory. I'll go see to the wall."
Sorin led the way to the armory, where paladins stood guard and the enormous room itself stood uncharacteristically empty. People milled non-too-subtly in the yard, waiting to be told what was going on.
Admonishing the guards not to let anyone, but Emel enter, Sorin led the way inside. They walked past all the weapons, armor, and additional equipment neatly stored to a room in the back that had once held tools and devices long ago outlawed.
The room gave him chills whenever he entered it, and he could feel the pain and regret of the Goddess herself; whatever had happened because of the items in that room, she hated it.
Three bodies lay on the floor, respectfully wrapped in their cloaks, purple goddess blossoms on their chests and over their mouths. Sorin knelt by the one in the middle, running the backs of his fingers along the man's cheeks. "He's only been a paladin a few weeks. His stepmother will be crushed; he was all the family she had left. There is a damned demon right beneath my nose and I cannot find the bastard. Where could he be?"
"We'll find him," Koray said and sank to his knees beside one of the others, reaching out to gently touch the blossom that had been placed over the man's mouth, secured with the stem between his lips. "There is not even a hint of the soul left. Whoever the bastard is he must be changing rapidly and starving for power to sustain himself. That means he'll kill more, but it also means he's not going to look normal for much longer."
Sorin grunted, horrified and angry that anyone in the royal castle would willingly let himself turn into a demon. That someone he knew, someone he had likely trusted, had skin slowly turning a mottled, unhealthy brown or black, nails turning to claws, body warping to accommodate a tail and the stubs where wings would grow should the demon live that long. "Why would anyone choose to be a demon?" Koray did not reply, but Sorin had not expected him to. Slowly standing up, he said, "We need to find the bastard before he kills again."
"Then get me beyond that wall," Koray said. "I feel whatever is there will tip this matter to our favor, though only the Goddess knows why."
Sorin started to reply, but the sound of footsteps halted his words. He went reflexively for his sword, though he knew by the rhythm of the steps that it was only Emel, who opened the door a moment later. "The wall is ready to be torn down whenever you are ready, High Necromancer," he said to Koray.
"Then let's go tear it down," Koray said and pushed by him to head impatiently for the castle. Sharing a look with Emel, Sorin then went after him, motioning for Emel to stay with them.
When they reached the library, Sorin cast the hovering master librarian an apologetic look, then gestured for the men waiting with mallets to begin their work. The banging of the heavy mallets against stone was near deafening in the small space, and by the time they were finally finished, the entire room was filled with a cloud of thick dust.
Sorin and Emel followed Koray into the newly revealed room, which proved to be filled with crates, chests, rolls of rotted fabric that might have been rugs or tapestries once, and other dust-covered items that Sorin could not immediately identify.
Koray ignored most of it and headed straight for a long,
"I see," Koray said, frowning. "Shall we go see the bodies, then? Afterwards I want that wall down, paladin."
"What?" Emel asked, baffled.
Mouth quirking briefly, Sorin said, "Find some men to knock down a wall. Send a knight to the library; tell him to stand guard at the place where a door was walled over."
Emel shook his head, but only said, "Yes, High Paladin. The bodies are in the empty room in the armory. I'll go see to the wall."
Sorin led the way to the armory, where paladins stood guard and the enormous room itself stood uncharacteristically empty. People milled non-too-subtly in the yard, waiting to be told what was going on.
Admonishing the guards not to let anyone, but Emel enter, Sorin led the way inside. They walked past all the weapons, armor, and additional equipment neatly stored to a room in the back that had once held tools and devices long ago outlawed.
The room gave him chills whenever he entered it, and he could feel the pain and regret of the Goddess herself; whatever had happened because of the items in that room, she hated it.
Three bodies lay on the floor, respectfully wrapped in their cloaks, purple goddess blossoms on their chests and over their mouths. Sorin knelt by the one in the middle, running the backs of his fingers along the man's cheeks. "He's only been a paladin a few weeks. His stepmother will be crushed; he was all the family she had left. There is a damned demon right beneath my nose and I cannot find the bastard. Where could he be?"
"We'll find him," Koray said and sank to his knees beside one of the others, reaching out to gently touch the blossom that had been placed over the man's mouth, secured with the stem between his lips. "There is not even a hint of the soul left. Whoever the bastard is he must be changing rapidly and starving for power to sustain himself. That means he'll kill more, but it also means he's not going to look normal for much longer."
Sorin grunted, horrified and angry that anyone in the royal castle would willingly let himself turn into a demon. That someone he knew, someone he had likely trusted, had skin slowly turning a mottled, unhealthy brown or black, nails turning to claws, body warping to accommodate a tail and the stubs where wings would grow should the demon live that long. "Why would anyone choose to be a demon?" Koray did not reply, but Sorin had not expected him to. Slowly standing up, he said, "We need to find the bastard before he kills again."
"Then get me beyond that wall," Koray said. "I feel whatever is there will tip this matter to our favor, though only the Goddess knows why."
Sorin started to reply, but the sound of footsteps halted his words. He went reflexively for his sword, though he knew by the rhythm of the steps that it was only Emel, who opened the door a moment later. "The wall is ready to be torn down whenever you are ready, High Necromancer," he said to Koray.
"Then let's go tear it down," Koray said and pushed by him to head impatiently for the castle. Sharing a look with Emel, Sorin then went after him, motioning for Emel to stay with them.
When they reached the library, Sorin cast the hovering master librarian an apologetic look, then gestured for the men waiting with mallets to begin their work. The banging of the heavy mallets against stone was near deafening in the small space, and by the time they were finally finished, the entire room was filled with a cloud of thick dust.
Sorin and Emel followed Koray into the newly revealed room, which proved to be filled with crates, chests, rolls of rotted fabric that might have been rugs or tapestries once, and other dust-covered items that Sorin could not immediately identify.
Koray ignored most of it and headed straight for a long,
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