Arc 4: Chapter 30: Consequences
I remember little of what came next. There was much commotion, confusion, and bickering. Stunned by all that had happened and feeling exhaustion slamming down on me, it all passed in a daze.
I recall trying to meet Rosanna’s eyes. Her guard, led by Kaia, bustled her out of the chamber. She couldn’t, or wouldn’t, look at me.
Everything else became noise.
The Storm Knights all but dragged me through the keep. After many winding halls and blurring scenes, I was shoved into an austere room with a dining table, a hearth, and — to my surprise — not a single alchemical lamp.
Inside, Markham Forger waited for me. He stood by the fire, his armor doffed to leave him only in a black-and-gold doublet and high boots, his weighty crown replaced with a thinner circlet.
There were some guards inside, including the nameless First Sword of House Forger, who retained his shadowy helm, the firelight glinting on its twin lightning-bolt crest.
I did my best to stand straight, wary of the four knights who hovered around me with their hands on their swords. My axe had not been returned. Neither had my cloak and rondel. I stood there, bloodstained, injured, my black hauberk battered and rent so it hung like steel rags on my sore frame.
Without looking at me, Markham spoke.
“I should kill you.”
I tilted my head. “Even after all that?”
He nodded. “Even after all that. It would be simpler, and those…” He searched for words a moment. “Those angels made it clear I would face no retribution for any decision I made. So I must make my choice based on the needs of the realms.”