94: Hanged, Drawn, and Quartered
Yesterday had been quite eventful, but the days to come promised to be even more so. She had sold her soul in three ways. Four, if one was inclined to include the elves. Isabella thought it was a little bit ungrateful after all that they had done to lump them in with the devils. Perhaps her father could be deemed the fourth devil vying for her soul. He fit the bill.
She had thought Valerio would be furious at her decision, but instead she found him leaning out on the balcony, looking at the river that ran around the Balat Palace. She put her hand on his back, and he flinched. She withdrew her hand. Was he angry?
“Sorry,” he said immediately. “You surprised me, that’s all.”
Isabella reached her hand back out, and he took it quietly. He was very warm. Ordinarily she’d have thought nothing of that, but after what Valerio taught her…
Heat is fire. And for a Thalvassë, fire is anger.
Even still, Valerio didn’t show any anger outwardly. They watched the river together as it cut across the land.
“I don’t like this place,” Valerio said. “The cold… I’m not suited for it. Dovhain was tolerable, but only just. I like the heat. I like places where it gets hot enough the air shimmers, distorts, so long as there’s water nearby. Even when it gets really hot, you hop in the water… you can cool down.” He chuckled. “Maybe I just like the water.”
Isabella looked at him. “What about the desert?”
Valerio considered for a moment, then turned to her with a curious smile. “I’ve never been to a desert. Once, I nearly went to this place called the Sea of Sand. It was…” he chuckled. “It was a mistake on my end. Their word for ‘sand’ was also a rather common name in their language. I assumed it was a sea named after someone.”
Isabella smiled. She was glad they could talk about something other than the matter at hand, if only for a brief moment.
Isabella looked at him. There was a lump in her throat, but she managed, “You’re not upset at me?”
Valerio didn’t respond immediately, which set her heart beating faster. “If you hadn’t told me you’d be doing this, I’d be furious at you. But you did tell me. And I told you what I thought then.”
“So you’re not angry?” Isabella asked hopefully.
“Of course I’m angry,” he said, his face a scowl as he turned to her. “…but not at you. I’m angry at all of them. What they’ve all done to you. What they want to do to you. What you have to do to stop them from getting what they want.”
Isabella sighed. She had felt similarly lately. But rather than angry, she mostly felt apathetic, tired. Even still, she had to see this through to the end. That was what it meant to rule. She would do what Edgar never had.
“You’re not going to be taking a minor role in this,” Isabella reminded him. “This plan wouldn’t be possible without you. None of this would have been possible without you.”
Valerio scoffed. “You’d have found another way.”
“Edgar couldn’t,” Isabella reminded him. She shook her head. “Either way, it’s pointless discussing this. What I wanted to say, was…” Isabella paused. She had thought about the words plenty enough, but when it came time to say them, found herself faltering. “I wanted you to know that I love you.”
Valerio turned to look at her. He flicked her nose, and she flinched in surprise. “Of course I know. We explored each other’s mind. And you know that I love you too.”
Isabella laughed, her trepidation fading away like morning dew upon the sunrise. Why had she been so nervous to say that? She felt like a little girl again.
“I know why you’re saying that. Because you’re thinking that this might not go flawlessly.” He lurched over and grabbed her, picking her up and putting her on the cold stone rail. It was cold enough she yelped slightly. Even elevated, he stood taller than her. He brought his face so close to hers she could feel his breath. In the cold winter air, its warmth felt pleasant. “But all of us are going to get out of this fine. Justfine, Isabella. Do you know who I am?”
“All too well,” she said quietly.
Their faces moved ever closer, and Isabella felt her heartbeat quicken. Then, the door opened. Alice entered, and Valerio turned to look.
“Your Highness, I—” she froze. “Oh. I-I apologize. It’s just that you said to fetch you when Arthur came to look for you, and…”
Isabella grabbed Valerio and kissed him anyway. It was her first time doing something like this of her own volition. When she felt satisfied, she pulled away stared into Valerio’s silver eyes for a moment. It looked like he’d already forgotten about Alice. It looked like only she existed in his eyes. Isabella hopped off the balcony’s rail and set off, trying to act like she wasn’t embarrassed.
“Let’s go see him right away,” she said.
Valerio caught up to her quickly in long strides. She cast a few glances at him. He definitely didn’t seem angry now.
***
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on NovelFire. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“How could you even think to do something like this?!” Arthur said, shouting. “Cutting a deal with the Khans was bad enough—but now I come to learn Balat, and even Bernadetta are going to be involved in this plan?”
Valerio looked at him coldly. “Keep your voice down. Stop raging like a child.” Were they alone, Isabella might’ve teased Valerio about his own anger, but now was neither the time nor the place.
Isabella crossed her arms and walked before Arthur. “Did you consult me before you decided to destroy your soul traveling back in time alongside me? I don’t recall having that conversation with you. Perhaps I missed it.” She tilted her head. “Were you going to discuss sacrificing yourself to take down Edgar? Oh… I think that’s also a no.” She shook her head. “Of everyone, you have the least right to act indignant.”
Arthur hung his head. “I take your point, but it’s not an act. You actually matter, Isabella.”
Isabella couldn’t help but gape. “And you think you don’t?”
“You have power over time itself,” Arthur said, walking closer step by step. “And now you’re putting your soul in the hands of unethical mages, scheming devils, and web-weaving spiders.”
“I made promises, nothing more,” Isabella said.
Arthur sighed, then rubbed his forehead in frustration. “The only one who you could use that excuse on is Bernadetta. She’s no ancient monster—at least, not as far as I know; who can say, these days? But your soul is at stake between the Khans and Balat,” he said urgently. “The only thing that can undo a pact of their making is once again travelling back through time.”
Isabella narrowed her eyes. “The agreement I made with Khan and Khan was that they could shatter my soul if I failed to hold up my end of the bargain,” she pointed out. “Once Edgar is dealt with, would they dare risk such a thing? No. They desire my power more than anything, and Edgar will be irretrievable once I’m done with him. As for Balat, I made no such pact.”
Arthur looked disconcerted. “Then what sort of deal did you make?”
“The bottom line is that this doesn’t happen quickly unless I involve them,” Isabella said, walking over to the map. “Edgar is gathering an army. The whole point of all of this was to avoid war. While his overeagerness proves my point—that his grip is less firm than it appears—I don’t intend to sacrifice tens of thousands of lives to deal with my father on the vague hope we might win. I need a foolproof strategy.”
Arthur stayed silent as Isabella walked over to a map.
“The ocean.” Isabella looked down at it. “That’s going to be how we trap my father. While we were crossing the vastness of the seas, it struck me how utterly out of control our fate was. If we made a wrong decision days earlier, we may never be able to rectify it. If we found ourselves in the middle of a storm, It could be utterly impossible to survive no matter what we do.” She looked over at Valerio. “Am I right?”
Valerio nodded, and then supported her words. “Sailing is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other. It requires a great deal of forethought and planning, alongside dumb luck. A crewman thinks in weeks, not hours. The state of the rigging, the stores of water and salt meat, the wear on the ropes.” His eyes went distant as he looked down at the map. “A good helmsman plots the weather as much as the course, knowing that a poor decision three days ago can cost a ship her mast tomorrow. You learn to plan for contrary winds, for calm seas that stall you, for storms that drive you backward. Even with preparation, luck decides whether you reach port or drift for weeks off course.”
Arthur shifted his jaw around as he thought. “I know for a fact that Edgar is aware of those problems. Even if you manage to convince him to get on a boat, he’ll undoubtedly have some of the best spellcasters you can imagine on hand to mitigate these shortcomings.”
“True enough.” Valerio walked over to the map to stand alongside Isabella. “I have some firsthand experience of seeing him on a boat. He was definitely paranoid. Then again, we met at sea when I was still a pirate.” He scratched his cheek, then smiled. “Regardless, if you make some mistakes at sea, no magic can fix it.”
Isabella looked out the window. “Bernadetta is going to be personally taking charge of a scheme to lure Edgar out to sea. If anyone can manage that, she can. And she has a rather tantalizing piece of bait.” She touched her sternum. “My complete recovery.”
Arthur looked at Valerio. “You’re okay with her using the elves as bait? If Edgar finds out about their existence…”
“They’re not involved,” Valerio said.
Arthur walked up to the map opposite her. “And what about Bernadetta? How can she be trusted not to act out?”
Isabella stared him in the eye. “This is why I took the sages’ deal. They’ll keep her in line. Besides, she can’t possibly return to Edgar, not after what she’s done.”
Arthur conceded that with a nod. “You’re not wrong. I can’t even imagine the things that he would do to her if he caught her. He certainly isn’t as generous as you are.” Arthur leaned over the map. “The ocean, then. I admit, it’s the best battleground.” He stayed silent for a few moments as he studied the maps. “But what about the devil? You haven’t explained how he factors into this. You haven’t explained the nature of your deal with him.”
“I can’t tell you,” Isabella said. “That was part of the deal.”
Arthur stared at her in concern.
“The devil… is the wildcard, I’ll admit it,” Isabella said quietly. “But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have some manner of advantage over him. The fact is, he’s on his last legs.”
“How do you mean?” Arthur stood straight.
“Before the spread of the Eternal Church, paganism dominated these lands.” Isabella looked outside. “Devils made contracts with minor warlords, using humans as proxies to establish spheres of influence. When the church came through, it wiped all those meddlesome warlords away and put power in the hands of the humans alone. Devils were relegated to the background. Balat may well be the last devil on this continent with any power remaining. And now that his contract with the Balat family died, he’s withering away into nothingness.”
Arthur nodded. “You’re saying he needs us as much as we need him.”
“Just so,” Isabella confirmed. “But rest assured. I’m taking his threat as serious as I’ve ever taken anything. I know that this is a treacherous game that I’m playing. If I don’t walk a fine line, my soul will likely be hanged, drawn, and quartered. But I’m ready to finish this.”
“I suppose I…” Arthur closed his eyes. “I’m sorry that I yelled.”
Isabella smiled. “I merely wished to give you a taste of what it felt like to have a dear friend put their life on the line to save yours. Hopefully you’ll put all that foolish talk of self-sacrifice aside, and instead put your efforts toward ensuring that I don’t give my life in pursuit of this crusade against my father.”
Arthur nodded, his head hung low.
“Now, Valerio…” she looked over to him. “I believe we have a boat to catch.”