There are some stages in life where one would feel a sense of profound danger, where one’s instincts scream at them to get out of a situation, or they’ll die.
It was exactly what I felt then as I stared at the two of them whispering together. ’Danger! Danger! Danger!’
I turned, but not fast enough, because I saw Kren reach behind him and pull out a rod that gleamed with red wetness. Arranged on it were little dolls, like fruits on a tree, jingling as he moved it.
I didn’t want to see what it meant. The impression I got from the enchanted tool, no....artifact, because this one was surely more powerful than an enchanted tool, was a sense of extreme danger, blood, and death.
I tensed and then broke into a run. I didn’t wait, passing Tiber and the others as I shouted, "Run!"
Tiber, Slya, and Taiwo didn’t know what was happening, but they had been in the Borderlands long enough to know that when someone as strong as I started running, all they needed to know was how far they had to go.
But we didn’t get far. A pulse of energy ripped through the air from the front, covering all of us like a wave. It entered our bodies, reacting with something and locking our limbs and muscles.
I tried to open my mouth, but it was as heavy as iron. ’Shit! Shit! Those madmen, things aren’t as simple as I thought! Far from it, even!’
’It must be the potion they gave me when we were leaving the Borderlands. That red potion. Shit, I walked right into this!’
A slow clap sounded from behind me, and Arvas said, "Indeed, you are as smart as I expected you to be. So, you’ve been suspicious all this while, Vale? Or were you just looking for evidence?"
"He’s sharp, I’ll give him that," Kren said with a sneer in his voice. Then he raised his voice. "All of you, turn around!"
The air on my back raised, my limbs felt like lead, and then they moved by themselves. I turned, moving along with the others, to face the Errant Knights.
I gritted my teeth and tried to move. I reached into my core, drawing essence into my body, but my body wasn’t mine anymore, it wouldn’t obey me.
But my eyes were still mine, and I saw that the team leaders had now joined the Errant Knights.
Arvas surveyed us. "I know you’re wondering why you’re like this. I’ll tell you, it’s your right to know at least the reason you die.
"It’s simple. You lowlifes have been chosen as sacrifices to open the door to the treasure room. Your blood, essence, and life force will drain into the door to open it. At first, I thought we’d use it to open the palace itself, but Kren had that covered.
"But for this, we’ll finally need our prepared sacrifices," he said.
I felt as if the ground had been yanked from under me. ’Sacrifices? So that’s it! The whole reason why Errant Knights would trouble themselves with bringing Squires and ordinary humans to a ruin!’
’Shit! I guessed they had other motives, but to think it’s to use us as sacrifices for opening a door! A door!’ Indignation ran through me at that, and my blood simmered with anger.
I’d been fooled. Blinded by my greed and thirst for knowledge about the Forbidden mark.
Kren snorted and lifted the rod artifact with the dolls. "We would have brought more people, but Vale is like a well-wrapped essence storage with his massive core. He’ll provide the bulk of what’s needed for the sacrifice."
Arvas stretched out his hand to Kren. "He’d have made a powerful Knight. It’s really unfortunate. Here, bring the soul drainer; let’s see what it can do."
Kren pulled back his hand. "No need for that. I’ll make the sacrifice now."
Arvas turned to face him fully. "Are you sure? The backlash might be too much for you. I insist."
"No. I’ll do it," Kren said firmly, the smile on his face strained.
’What is going on? Aren’t they going to kill us?’ I thought sarcastically, still trying to move. Then suddenly, one of my toes moved! ’Wait! Is it because they’re not fully focused on the artifact that its effect is weakening?’
’Come on, argue more! Fight!’
Arvas’s eyes darkened, and the shelf behind him quivered. "I know how to use it. Bring it."
"No," Kren said flatly.
"Have you forgotten?" Arvas said softly. "We are both captains; we both have the right to use the artifact. Bring it, Kren."
Kren shifted, a smile easily crossing his face. "Or what? What are you going to do?"
They stared at each other in silence, their eyes clashing as tension flowed. Their auras rippled around them, making the air heavy. My skin pebbled and crawled. ’This is the aura of an Errant Knight and it isn’t even directed at me!’
But then Arvas relaxed and smiled, shaking his head. "Alright. Do as you will; there’s no difference anyway."
Kren stared at him for a while longer before he looked down at the soul drainer in his hand. He touched one of the dolls and caressed it before brutally ripping it away.
One of the workers collapsed immediately, twitching on the ground as silver light poured out of her mouth and condensed into a loose ball beside Kren. The man directed it at the alchemist door.
"It worked," Arvas said.
Kren nodded and turned to look at me, his face filled with glee, making my heart turn to ice. ’Is this it? Am I going to die now?’
But Kren didn’t attack me through the soul drainer. In fact, he made no move at all. Someone else did.
I heard the swish of a sword, the gleam of metal, and then Arvas was suddenly in front of me, sword aimed at my neck, a bitter smile on his lips. But he didn’t get the chance because another sword was there, blocking it with a clang of ringing steel.
It was Kren who had just saved me from losing my head.