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Falco's Reign - Part 16

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For a moment it had seemed as if everything had worked out like Falco wanted it to. The assassin was lying flat on her belly on the ground and Narvi was ready to capture her. But then, almost as if in slow motion, he saw Vili falling against a support beam and everything went to hell in a matter of seconds. Wooden beams started to crash down, knocking out Narvi. Earth rained down on them in huge chunks. His first instinct was to jump forward and try to reach his friend, but he immediately realized that would be suicide. The whole tunnel was now collapsing at an alarming rate. Narvi had already disappeared under a mountain of earth and rocks.
Falco spun around and desperately tried to outrun the collapsing tunnel. A very heavy beam came down and missed him by mere centimeters, crushing the body of the unfortunate worker who had been killed by the hybrid. The beam and the rock and sand that came with it blocked his way, save for a narrow hole. He pressed his body through it, almost choking on the earth that was falling all around him. To his despair, he got stuck, just when he thought he would make it! He struggled violently to pull free. With a dry cracking sound, his baldric suddenly snapped and he was catapulted forward, crashed against the partly removed planks that covered the opening towards the ancient tunnels and fell right through them. Then, all went dark.

Falco grunted and opened his eyes. For a moment he saw nothing in the pitch darkness that surrounded him, but then his demonic night vision kicked in. He had no idea how long he had been knocked out. Could have been minutes, could have been hours. Cautiously, he moved his arms. They didn’t seem to be broken. He panicked for a moment when he realized he couldn’t move his legs. But then he saw they were buried in a large heap of sand. He wriggled and wrestled until he managed to pull himself free. So far, so good. Apart from his painful shoulder, where the hybrid had cut him and a slight headache, he seemed to have survived without too much damage.
He got up and stared at the wall of sand and stone, where the opening to the tunnel had been. He hesitantly put his hands on the heap of dirt, considering for a moment if he could dig his way back in, but almost immediately rejected that idea. There was no way he could do that with his bare hands. Maybe if he could use his sword …
His sword! Bondbreaker! It was gone! Desperately, he looked around, hoping in vain it would be lying on the ground somewhere. But it wasn’t. He vaguely remembered the snapping of his baldric and realized what must have happened. Frustrated, he kicked against the dirt. His sword was gone, buried under tons of dirt and debris. He might never get it back!
He suddenly froze. A deep sense of shame came over him. Narvi! His good friend Narvi was buried under there as well and here he was, worrying about a sword. He placed his hands on the dirt again, but had to conclude once more there was nothing he could do, except hope that Narvi’s habit of always wearing his armor would have saved him. If it hadn’t … he didn’t want to think about that.
He couldn’t help Narvi, but he could at least try to save himself. Turning his back on the collapsed tunnel, he stared into the ancient one. If it really was ancient. Maybe the ones who had prepared this ambush, had created a fake old tunnel as well. In that case he could only hope his friends would dig him out before he ran out of air. Somehow, however, he didn’t think that was very realistic. How could they possibly have made a tunnel like this without anybody knowing or noticing?

Slowly, he began to walk down the tunnel. To his relief, it wasn’t too narrow. If he stretched his arms out to the left and right of him, he could just touch the walls. That was good, because he really didn’t like tunnels and underground narrow caves. They reminded him too much of the mines in Utgard. The tunnel itself was rather plain at first, but as he progressed, he noticed there were marks on the walls on regular intervals. As if the builders of this corridor had had more plans for it but had never gotten around to it, when the tunnel was abandoned.
The tunnel continued for a while in a strait line Then it made a sharp 90° turn. Falco noticed the nature of the passageway started to change once he had passed the corner. In the walls niches had been carved and dug out. The first ones he passed were empty, but soon he saw the dusty, skeletal remains of humans. Some had clearly been warriors as they were still wearing rust covered chainmail and swords and shields were lying by their sides. Others were more difficult to identify, as they had no weapons. Maybe they were noble ladies, but as their clothes had long decayed and disappeared, it was impossible to say. The walls around most of the niches were either painted or carved in the shape of old Viku longboats. Small funeral gifts of gold and silver coins, jugs of mead and precious little gifts were placed near the dead.
So, the legend was true. Under the city really were old catacombs where the Viku invaders of over a thousand years ago had buried their dead. When they couldn’t bury them at sea, they had decided to shape their tombs like longboats instead. Falco picked up one of the rings and looked at it for a moment. Then, he slowly put it back. These were his ancestors too. According to legend, the Adlers had come from over the sea, as part of the Viku fleet. As had the Thorolfsons. It would be wrong to steal from these old tombs.
He continued his journey, walking quickly along the niches. The tunnel made a few more turns before the system got a little more complicated and he saw several side tunnels. He ignored them and followed the main one. He was beginning to feel a bit scared. In his imagination, he saw the skeletons come to life and coming for him, like in the Battle of the Triple Trap. Only this time he didn’t have his armor or even his sword. But that wasn’t what really scared him. He knew in his heart it was just a silly fantasy. After all, the Viku had closed these tunnels centuries ago and nobody had ever found them since. Why would there be a necromantic curse? It was more the ‘nobody ever found them’ bit that worried them. It was difficult to see how he would find a way out of this, considering all the entrances had to have been sealed off. Maybe, it would be better to go back and hope they would dig him out. Unless of course the entire sewer had collapsed. In that case, it would be days, probably weeks before they got to him.
He didn’t turn back but went on. The tunnel was getting more damp. Maybe he was close to one of the rivers? If so, maybe there was a weaker spot where he could try and dig himself out? Nah, ridiculous. If that had been the case, the river would have broken through and flooded the corridor a long time ago.
Finally he reached the end of the tunnel, which was closed with a wooden door. It was locked, but the wood was so rotten, he could easily break through after having thrown himself against it two or three times. Behind it was a large room. In the middle stood an actual ship, about three  meters long. In it lay an ancient, mighty warrior, still wearing his ornate armor and holding a heavy axe in a bony hand. A helmet covered his skull. The funeral gifts were of great value, beautiful carved wooden artifacts, jewelry, extra weapons, gold and silver. Weapons, once powerful but now rusty, were placed against the walls.
In awe, Falco respectfully approached the ship and stared at the body. This had to have been a Viku king. He caressed the ancient sword with his finger. Suddenly, he noticed the king was pressing a stone tablet against his chest. Runes were carved into it. Elven runes, Falco could understand. He bent over the body and started to read:

‘Burdened by the heavy load
of prophecies yet untold
the boy faces the threat alone
and will be buried in cold stone.

Ragnar, chief and seer of the Adler clan I was.
I expect my young descendant here to pass,
If to the gods he remained true.
To get out I better give him a clue.

Behind my statue you will find
A door that leads into the light
But if you dare to take my stash
I swear to Thor, I’ll kick your ass.’

“That’s just freaky!” Falco whispered. “And kind of funny. Ragnar must have had a sense of humor. Well, thanks, great, great, great … grandfather. And don’t worry, I won’t disturb your tomb or steal your treasure.”

Following Ragnar’s instructions, he found a narrow corridor behind the statue. To his surprise, however, the tunnel didn’t go up, but stayed at the same level. To his even bigger surprise, it ended in a big rectangular stone slab. He stared at it for a moment and mumbled:
“Either Ragnar isn’t as funny as I thought, or this thing has to open somehow. Right! Better get to work then.”
He braced himself and started to push against the slab. Slowly, it started to give way, until it finally swung open and, in a cloud of dirt and dust, he fell out on the other side. His eyes were stinging from the cloud of dust, but even through his blurred vision, he could see a semi-circle of people, all aiming swords and other weapons at him.
“Fenrir’s fangs!” he exclaimed startled, feeling with his hand for his sword that wasn’t there.
The circle of people didn’t move. In fact, it seemed as if they were frozen, holding up their weapons in mid-air. Falco quickly rubbed in his eyes, clearing the dust. To his surprise, he saw a lot of familiar faces surrounding him.
“By the gods!” Eric whispered.
“Are you … real or a ghost?” Calvin asked in a trembling voice.
“Of course I’m real, why …?”
Suddenly, Anya made a half gasping, half sobbing sound, jumped forward and held hem in a tight embrace.
“You’re alive!” she cried, “You’re alive!”
“Of course, I … Anya? Eric? What are you doing here? You were supposed to be at your old home!”
“We came back,” Eric said, his voice no more than a whisper. Cautiously, he poked Falco with his finger, as if he wanted to make sure he wasn’t a ghost.
“Stop that! Anya, what’s going on? Why are you all here? Where are we anyway?”
“What do you think is going on, you fool!” Anya replied, still too happy to be angry. “You are dead! Buried under tons of stone and earth! We were mourning your death in the crypt of the Adlerburg.” She held him for a moment at arm’s length to look at him. “It’s really you! You haven’t left me. Thank the gods for giving us a second chance.”
Falco gently kissed his wife. “I don’t know about the gods, but … wow!”
Suddenly, almost all the others, except for Arcala and Odokar jumped forward as well and joined Anya in a big group hug. They yelled excitedly and cheered and slapped him on the back. Falco gasped and squirmed, surprised at this sudden, friendly attack.
“Air, people!” he gasped.
They finally calmed down somewhat and gave him some room. All, except for Anya, who was still holding him.
Eric asked: “But how? How did you do it? How did you end up here?”
“It wasn’t that hard. The stories are true. Odokar’s people really did find the old burial grounds of my Viku ancestors. They are down there. Quite impressive. Especially Ragnar’s tomb. Funny guy. We’ll have to make sure we seal them up again. Might be a security problem, tunnels ending up in the Adlerburg.”
“And the body we found?” Calvin asked.
Falco walked to the casket on the stone table.
“Probably that unfortunate worker that got killed by the hybrid. Why did you just assume that was me? Didn’t Vili tell you I wasn’t the only one in that tunnel? Hey! My sword! You found it! Great!”
Calvin gently put his hand on Falco’s arm and whispered: “I’m so glad you’re back, boy. I thought I lost you for good this time.”
“Oh, Calvin, you should know by now you have to check at least three times before you declare me dead.”
“I never believed it,” Arcala stated. “I always knew it was foolish to think you were dead.”
“Thanks for the confidence!”
“Well,” Talisin said, “finding your sword is great and discovering those tunnels is fascinating and you still being alive is best of all. I couldn’t be happier with that last one. That being said, you, Falco, are the biggest idiot walking on this planet! What the hell were you thinking, sending all your friends away like that!? What could you possibly have hoped to achieve with that?”
“I didn’t send everybody away,” Falco replied defensively. “Mostly because things happened faster than I expected. I was still looking for an excuse to get rid of Calvin and Arcala. Narvi was on to me and refused to go. Narvi! Is he …?”
“Still unconscious, but alive,” Anya said.
“Fenrir’s Fangs, that’s a relief.”
“But why did you send everybody away?” Anya asked. “Even me and Miranda.”
“To protect you all. And considering what happened to Narvi, I was right. He should have listened to me as well and left.”
“Falco, it was stu…” Talisin began to say.
“I can’t lose any more people!” Falco snapped. “I just can’t! And if anything would happen to you, Anya, I don’t know what I would do! When I realized from the book I borrowed from Calvin that the Stalkers were behind it, I wanted to lure them out. Set myself up as an easy target, so I could catch their assassin. I could never have done that with Miranda around. She would never have allowed it. But it was necessary!”
“Necessary?” Eric asked. “What do you mean?”
“Four attempts on my live in not even a year’s time, Eric! That must be some kind of a record. They tried it in Svartelheim with that demon. That almost killed not just me and Anya, but Miranda as well. Then the arrow in Heimdall. That one was almost a success. Then the ambush of the demon hunter, when I was hurt and that nice brewer was trying to help us. And now this. If that Stalker cell remained active in Griffnar, they would either succeed sooner or later of they would hurt or kill someone I care about in trying. If we ever wanted to feel secure again, I had to get rid of them! And that would only happen if I drew them out in the open. And I have. The hybrid, is she caught?”
“Yes,” Calvin said. “But that doesn’t mean you have eliminated the cell. Just the assassin. And we’re not even sure that animal can talk!”
“It’s just a matter of solving the first murder.”
“But you haven’t really solved it,” Anya said, “You only caught the killer, not the brains.”
“Haven’t I?” Falco replied with an enigmatic smile. “I guess we’ll see. If the reply on a message I sent a few days ago has arrived, I will call everybody together tomorrow evening. And then, we’ll see. Yes. We’ll see …”
“That’s for tomorrow,” Talisin said. “You have more pressing concerns right now. It’s already dark outside, but now that the Varangians have left the Market of the Lion, it is full of people who are convinced you’re dead! You better show your face up there and stop any rumors, intrigues and other sneaky stuff that is going on! Starting with captain Volsung and the Varangian Guard!”
“Yes, you’re right, Talisin. Thank you. Come Anya, let’s quickly pop out there.”
“Shouldn’t you first clean up and get that wound on your shoulder taken care of?” Anya asked.
“No, I would rather do this first. Then the people’s minds are put at ease and I have an excuse to keep it short. ‘Really have to go now, people. Wounds to be taken care of and all that.’”
“Well … okay then.”
Hand in hand with Anya, he walked out of the crypt.

“Volsung! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Halem yelled angrily.
The captain had been on his way to the main building. He sighed and turned towards Halem. He could already guess what this would be about.
“If you are talking about your Tarquinian girlfriend …”
“I’m talking about the jarl’s champion! Your superior! I was on my way out of the castle when I heard one of your men saying you had confined her to her quarters!”
“I did. And she agreed with it voluntarily.”
“What? Why?”
“There’s something going on between her and that creature. I want to know what. Anyway, you don’t need to worry. Count Falkhorst will be here soon and I’m sure he’ll order her house arrest to be lifted. You probably just have to ask him. After all, I hear you and Falkhorst are very good friends,” Volsung said with a mocking smile. Looking over Halem’s shoulder in the direction of the crypt, his smile quickly changed into a look of total confusion and disbelieve.
“You filthy son of a … Why are you giving me that weird look?”
“What’s going on here?” somebody asked behind Halem.
The warrior turned his head and said: “Ah, Falco! This idiot has arrested Miranda and …”
Halem jumped half a meter into the air and stumbled back, bumped into Volsung who seemed just as shocked, and almost pushed both of them to the ground. “Falco??! What the … ? How …? Where …?”
“Hi Halem. Glad to see you’re back. No need to startle like that. I’m not dead. Captain Volsung, I’m sure you meant well but arresting my champion just won’t do.”
“My lord, I … I had … good reasons.”
“You can tell all about them later. For now, you can tell Miranda the house arrest has been lifted. No, wait. I’ll do it myself after talking to the people, when I’m on my way to the infirmary.
“You are alive!” Halem yelled, wrapping his arms around Falco and holding him in a bear like embrace and almost crushing him for the second time that day.
“Okay, okay, mind the wounds and bruises,” Falco squealed.
“Sorry, sorry!” Halem said, putting him back on his feet on the ground.
“Are you coming along? Me and Anya and the others are going to show our faces to the crowd.”
“Good idea. Shall I carry you on my shoulders?”
“Ehm … Nooo,” Falco said slowly, slightly frowning at Halem. “I don’t think we’ll do that. I have another ride in mind.”

A few moments later, the drawbridge of the Adlerburg went down and the portcullis went up. The crowd on the market place expected a herald, announcing formally the death of the jarl. Instead, a dozen Varangians appeared, forming half a circle around the gatehouse. The inner circle of the jarl, consisting of Halem and Talisin, Eric, Calvin, Arcala and even Odokar, Volsung and Jorvik assembled behind them. It was weird but they didn’t look very sad …
Suddenly, two riders, side by side came out of the gate. One was Anya, looking very proud and noble on her white horse. The other one was … a dirty looking Falco, dressed in torn clothes, riding his faithful griffin Bloodwing. The whole market place turned silent, staring at the jarl with open mouths.
“My friends,” Falco shouted, riding right in front of them, “the rumors about my death have been slightly exaggerated. I’m afraid, you will have to suffer my tyranny for many, many more years to come.”
“Gladly!” somebody in the crowd suddenly yelled. The next moment, a thundering cheer went up.  

Earl Sorenson wasn’t happy. He wasn’t happy at all. Sure, Anyon had made it all sound very nice, but the more he thought about it, the more dangerous and impossible the whole thing seemed. Murdering count Falkhorst? Even with proper preparation, that wouldn’t be a small task to accomplish. Even Caitlin and Otar have never succeeded in taking him out! He had to face facts! As long as Falkhorst was alive the regular army would not join another pretender to the crown! The count was too popular, not just with the army, but with the nobles and the commoners as well. And then, there were the Varangians! Why would they ever defy the will of the late jarl!? How could Anyon think to convince them? It just couldn’t be done!
He reached a crossroads and hesitated. If he went to the left, he would be nearing the barracks of some of the most important companies of the army. But if he went right, he would be passing by some taverns with an excellent reputation, both for their beer as for their food. Maybe … maybe he should go there. To think things over. Yes. That was a good idea. It would help him clear his mind. He gestured his two bodyguards to follow and went to the right.  

Miranda leaned against the wall, her arms crossed in front of her chest and stared out of the window. The moon was shining over the gardens. They were very pretty, but it wasn’t where she wanted to be right now. She wanted to be on the other side of the castle, in the crypt, where they had taken her young friend. She sighed.
“So, what are we going to do now?” Cailida asked. She was sitting on Rodey’s bed. Rodey was lying on his belly on it. His back was treated with an ointment to dull the pain of the whiplashes. Miranda shrugged.
“I’m not sure. Depends on several things. Now that Falco is gone, there’s no place for me here anymore. The only thing I want to make sure of, is that Anya and her family is alright. After that, I guess I’ll join Halem. Maybe he and his brother will decide to settle down in their new home. Then I’ll do that as well. If not, it’s the road and adventure for me again.”
“Arno!” Rodey said, suddenly opening his eyes.
“What, kid?” Cailida asked.
“I … I think I hit Arno on the head. You should send someone …”
“We already did. He’s alright. Just a bit of a headache. He came by to visit you earlier on. Don’t you remember?”
“No …”
“You should rest. Try to sleep,” Cailida said.
“Are you leaving too, if Miranda goes?”
“Yes. Thialfi … I mean, Falco, was the main reason I came here. I guess, as soon as I know Miranda and Anya are safe, I’ll go home. Find a new job as a merc.”
“Can I come with you?”
Cailida raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“That’s a fucking dangerous life, kid. Wouldn’t you be happier, living with Anya’s family?”
“I don’t know. I would miss Arno. But I would still rather go with you.”
“Well … we’ll see. Just take a nap now.”
The boy sighed and closed his eyes. But Cailida could see he wasn’t really sleeping. He was still too much troubled by the events of the day. Miranda closed the window and dropped into a chair.
“I hope Volsung doesn’t cause too much trouble with his suspicions,” Miranda said. “It would be damn inconvenient if we had to sneak out of here.”
“Yes. Especially with you being Tarquinian. But I’m sure you’ll have Anya’s support and then there’s Halem and Talisin. I don’t really know that count Falkhorst, but I didn’t get the impression he had it in for you.”
“No, not really. But he isn’t exactly on friendly terms with Halem and Talisin. Gods, I feel like crap! Why did Falco send me away? I could have … What is that sound? Are they cheering outside?”
“Fucking unlikely, considering the circumstances, although I have to admit, it does sound like cheering. But It has to be something else.”
“Yes. Maybe Frederik has returned unexpectedly and they are already cheering for their new jarl. I don’t really care,” She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair. “I should have brought a few pillows and a blanket,” she mumbled. “This seat must be one of the most uncomfortable in the entire castle.”
“Too bad. Lucky for me Rodey’s bed is big enough for me to sit on,” Cailida replied as she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes as well. They sat for a while in silence. Cailida and Rodey were slowly falling asleep, but Miranda kept wriggling on her chair. Suddenly, she jumped up from her seat.
“Screw Volsung!” she said, startling her companions. “I’m going to my room to get a few pillows and a blanket.”
“Why don’t you just sleep in your own bed?” Cailida yawned.
“We better stick together for now. I’ll be right back.”
She walked to the door, opened it and … stood face to face with Falco, who was holding up his hand, about to knock on the door. She gasped and stumbled back. Cailida, alerted by Miranda’s weird reaction looked up. When she saw the supposedly dead jarl, she startled so badly, she fell off the bed. Rodey just stared at the door as if he was seeing a ghost.
“I’m not a zombie or anything!” Falco quickly said. “It’s really me. Don’t be afraid!”
“Falco …” Miranda whispered, “you magnificent little asshole! You did it again!”
“Coming back from the dead? Yes, I did. But you guys shouldn’t be so fast in declaring me dead! You should know better by now.”
Miranda embraced Falco wildly and held him firmly in her arms. Tears were running over her cheeks. Falco, feeling rather awkward and a bit emotional as well, mumbled something inaudible and held his champion tight. Cailida got up from the floor.
“Pft, cry babies,” she said, quickly wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. Falco, still embracing Miranda, held out his hand to her. “Oh, why the fuck not!” Cailida said and joined the hug.  
“I lifted your house arrest of course,” Falco said, when they had all calmed down a bit. “You don’t need to worry about that anymore. If you like, you can come along. I’m going to the infirmary.”
“Sure,” Miranda said.
“Are you coming too, Cailida?”
“No. I want to keep an eye on Rodey.”
“How is he?” Falco asked.
“Difficult to say. Physically, he wasn’t hurt too badly. Miranda and I arrived shortly after that asshole Anyon had started on him. It’s his mind I’m worried about. Sometimes he seems perfectly lucid and then, he’s completely gone. He didn’t remember Arno visiting him.”
“That’s worrying.”
“Yes. Talking about Arno,” Miranda asked. Does he know yet you’re alive?”
“He does. Anya and I met him before I came here. He was … rather happy.”
“I can imagine. Alright, let’s go. It’s getting really late and I bet you must be tired as well. Better get this over with quickly,” Miranda said.
“Falco …?” a shy sounding Rodey said.
“Rodey?”
“I’m glad you’re not dead.”
Falco raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Me too, Rodey.”

As they were walking through the corridors, Falco noticed that Miranda glanced at him several times, as if she wanted to say something. But so far, she hadn’t. He decided not to ask her about it. Not much later, they reached the infirmary. Falco walked to Narvi’s bed and stared down on him. The dwarf had bandages around his head and left arm.
“He hasn’t awoken yet, not even for a few seconds?” Falco asked.
“No. Not that I know of,” Miranda replied. She shifted nervously with her feet and suddenly said: “Look, Falco, I have to get this off my chest. I’m incredibly glad you’re alive. More than I can say, but I’m also furious at you. So furious, I could beat the crap out of you.”
“Yeah, I was already afraid you would be,” Falco replied. “I think Anya, despite being happy, is a bit angry with me as well. It’s about sending you away, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is! How could you do something as stupid as that?”
“I just … I wanted to protect everybody.”
“That’s what I guessed. And although that is nice, it’s no excuse! I’m your damn champion! Your bodyguard. You gave me that position yourself! That means it’s my job, my responsibility to keep you safe! You made sure I couldn’t do that! I felt guilty when I heard you were dead.”
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t want that. I was only thinking about keeping you out of harms way.”
“That’s not your job. And if you allow fear of losing any of us dictate your actions, you will end up achieving nothing and destroying yourself.”
“Better me than any of you. Look at Narvi! He didn’t want to go and now … maybe he’ll never wake up again.”
“Don’t talk such rubbish. Do you have any idea what the consequences of your death could be? A lot more serious than if any of us died. And Narvi wanted to stay. It was his decision, not yours. Neither can you make that sort of decisions for the rest of us. Especially not for me. When you got rid of me like that, it felt like a betrayal. Like you didn’t trust me enough to join in whatever plan you had! So, in short, what I actually wanted to say is … I’m not sure I can be your champion anymore.”
Falco startled. “You’re not going to resign, are you?” he asked.  
“Well, what’s the point? You don’t let me do my job, so why would I stay on?”
“Because … I need you!”
“Need me? Don’t make me laugh! You like to take on the enemy on your own. You clearly don’t need anybody! And as such, I’m afraid I just have to …”
“No! Miranda, please. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted to make Griffnar safe for all of us by taking out the Stalkers. That’s all. And I do need you. We investigated the high priest’s murder together, remember?”
“So? That didn’t stop you from kicking me out when it got really dangerous.
“I won’t do that again, I promise. From now on, I’ll discuss everything concerning my security with you. Just don’t go or resign, okay? Please?”
“Oh, for Sindri’s sake,” Narvi groaned, “Don’t give that whelp such a hard time and just stay on as his bodyguard! Then I can get some rest.”
Falco and Miranda jumped up and stared at Narvi. The dwarf weakly smiled at them.
“You’re awake!” Falco laughed.
“Sure, Falco. It takes more than a collapsing tunnel to kill a dwarf. And I’m glad to see you got out alive as well. I want to hear all about it later. Now, I just want something for my headache and then take a nap.”
“Alright,” Miranda smiled. “It’s good to see you awake, Narvi. We have to find a doctor to take care of Falco’s wounds anyway. And then I have to put Falco to bed. Not really part of my job as champion, but I’ll do it anyway.”
She took Falco by his arm and escorted him away from Narvi.
“Does that mean …?” Falco asked hopefully.
“Yes, I’ll stay. As long as you allow me to do my job.”
“I will. I really will. Thanks! Give me another hug!”
“No! Let’s just find you a doctor for your shoulder.”

“You were lucky, my lord!” the doctor said. It was still a relatively young doctor and not the one that had been taking care of Rodey. “The wounds are quite deep, but for some reason, they stopped bleeding unusually fast. And despite the fact you were in the filthy underground, they haven’t even gotten infected. Quite amazing!”
“Yes, I’m lucky that way,” Falco smiled, winking at Miranda and playing with his talisman.
“All done! You’re ready to go.”
“Not quite. Now that I’m here, I might as well pay a little visit to somebody else than Narvi.”

Anyon was sleeping uneasily. The potions has helped in dulling the pain somewhat, but that didn’t mean he was lying comfortably. In his feverish dreams, he had heard people cheering. Cheering for him, because he had saved the city from demons and ruin and had given them a more suitable and worthy jarl. But somehow, it had seemed wrong. Were they cheering or jeering at him?
“Anyon?”
He grunted and moved painfully.
“Anyon!”
“Wh… what? Who is there?”
“Wake up, Anyon. Look at me.”
Anyon reluctantly opened his eyes. Beside his bed stood a familiar figure. He gasped and leaned back in his pillows.
“Jarl Falco! But … you are dead! I’m still dreaming! Or demons are playing with my mind!”
“No, Anyon. It’s none of that. I’m still very much alive.”
“Alive …?” Anyon whispered, suddenly realizing the terrible situation he was in.
“Almost sounds like you’re disappointed,” Falco remarked.
“No, no … my lord. I was just surprised, that’s all. I … I’m very … happy …”
“Really? Because I’m not exactly happy with you, Anyon.”
“Not happy, my lord? Why?”
“You really have to ask? Who told you you could torture my prisoners? And what’s even worse, how dare you abuse Rodey?! Whip him, like some kind of animal?!”
“My lord, I, everybody thought you were dead. I was so grief stricken, I wanted to do something to help solve who killed you. That’s why I offered to help questioning that monster. And as for Roderik, I caught him, trying to free that thing. He confessed, my lord.”
“What?”
“I have it right here on me, my lord. His written confession. He is a demon worshipper. He was when his father was alive and he has never stopped. He served Caitlin voluntarily. That’s why he was always so angry towards you. He told me all that, before I had laid a finger on him.”
“Why would he do that?”
“He was under demonic influence, no doubt. He shouted it at me, to provoke me when I cought him freeing that thing. After that, it was my duty to arrest and question him. He was about to admit he was involved in the assassination attempts at you, my lord. He tried to rescue the monster, remember?”
Falco raised one of his eyebrows and looked doubtful.
“Where is that confession?” he said.
“Here, my lord,” Anyon said, pulling a folded piece of parchment from under his robes. “Of course, you understand, my lord, there can be no question of freeing that evil boy now. If you allow him to live, he will have to remain a slave for the rest of his life. And for all my good intentions, I was rewarded with that horrible woman, attacking me and putting me in the state I am in now! I insist she will be arrested and punished!”
“With this weak light, it’s difficult to read what this parchment says,” Falco mumbled. “Miranda, hand me that candle, will you? Ah, yes, that’s better. Woops!”
To his horror, Anyon watched as Falco simply set the document on fire.
“My lord! What are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m burning this document, filled with lies and deception. Rodey was ill, almost delirious with fever, when he stumbled into that dungeon. You could easily force him, even without torture, to confess to this crap.”
“I’m sorry to see you still don’t want to believe me. Anyway, I did my duty. You can’t accuse me of anything illegal and neither was it justified that I would be attacked in such a brutal way. At worst, I damaged one of your slaves. And that’s just a matter of paying damages and a fine.”
“Indeed. Torturing a slave is only that. Unfortunately for you, I am aware of a little detail you have conveniently forgotten to tell me. Miranda found this after your little trashing.” Falco held up a scroll. “The reason, I gather, why you were coming to the Adlerburg in the first place. The formal decision to revoke Rodey’s enslavement and set him free. Which means you weren’t attacking and whipping a slave, but a free boy, under the protection of the jarl. And that’s a matter that is a whole lot more serious. Not to mention the somewhat weird remarks, Volsung told me, you made to him. Almost as if you were trying to convince my Varangian captain to take control of the city.”
“I never did that! It’s a lie!”
“We’ll see. As for Cailida, it’s true I am a little upset with her for beating you up like that. If she hadn’t, I could have thrown you out of the window right now, instead of just telling you, you’re under arrest. Just can’t do that with a cripple. Would be bad for my reputation. And I really would like to throw you out of the window. Anyway, that’s what I came to tell you. Rodey is free. You are under arrest for abusing a child. I’ll have a Varangian keep an eye on you. Have a good night’s sleep. You will need the rest. The beds in my dungeons aren’t that comfortable.”

Without saying another word, he turned his back on a very upset Anyon and left. Miranda walked by his side.
“You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”
“Sure did.”
Happiness and confusion. Also some anger and reproaches. Oh, and Anyon gets into trouble...

Previous chapter: Falco's reign - Part 15“Where do you think they took that fucking hybrid?” Cailida asked her cousin.
They had walked through the throne room and into the military wing of the Adlerburg with its barracks, training grounds, armories and of course, prison. Miranda absent mindedly shrugged. She had preferred to stay on the market place, near the shaft, but somebody had to make sure Cailida didn’t do anything stupid.
“To the dungeons of course,” she replied.
“I know that,” Cailida said, rolling her eyes. “But which one? It’s fucking big down there, you know. All kinds of levels, with different kinds of dungeons, from quite nice to vomit inducing filth.”
“How do you know that? Have you been down there?”
“I was arrested the first time I came here, remember? But that’s not when I found out how fucking big it is down there.”
“Then when …?”
“When Falco gave me that letter that got me into everything. I ha


Next chapter: Falco's Reign - Part 17The next morning, Falco quickly descended the stairs on his way towards the prison cells. The prison was one level below the ground, under the military wing of the Adlerburg, but it was still above the true dungeons, which were further down. A staircase and several corridors led directly from the jarl’s wing to the prison, but it required several keys to get through the doors that sealed them off. Miranda joined him.
“On your way to face the creature once more?” she asked.
“Yes. I want to question her, if at least, it is possible to have a normal conversation with that hybrid. Maybe she knows more about the Stalkers. But I’ll probably just get some ferocious snarls out of her. I … ehm … I brought Anya breakfast in bed this morning.”
“Ah. You wanted to atone for your sins?”
“Something like that.”
“Did it work?
“I think so. Of course I also had to promise I wouldn’t exclude her from my plans anymo
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Nonagesimal's avatar
Oh man oh man oh man