He won the battle—he managed to stay awake, though he pretended the spell had worked. If he and his companions weren’t going to be killed, better to stay still and feign sleep.
Karla looked down at the fallen intruders as she slowly descended the stairs. Two mercenaries emerged from the furthest door with their weapons drawn; their breaths caught at the sight before them.
“Wh-what happened, Lady Karla?” one of them asked.
“I’m sure you can guess,” she replied. “If you truly call yourselves mercenaries, you should always be prepared for battle. You would’ve ended up like these two if I’d been slow to awaken.” Karla then gestured to the attackers. “We can’t leave them here—the effects of my spell won’t last forever. Lock them upstairs, in any room but the girl’s. And be sure to take all of their weapons and put them in a separate chamber.”
That would take care of the intruders. They wouldn’t be able to escape a room locked with magic.
But what was she to do next? She was down to two mercenary guards, and she doubted she could take the princess through Valis’s front lines with so few. She’d brought mercenaries from Marmo because she’d been sure it would take sacrifices to get this far, but now she was concerned. It seemed best to return to Kanon and bring her own subordinates.
At the same time, she wondered if these intruders could be swayed to her side. They’d impressed her with their finesse, and an elf and a wizard would make formidable companions. If they were simple adventurers, she was sure she’d be able to persuade them with a few well-chosen words—promise a big enough reward, and they’d gladly become her allies. If they were sensible and ambitious, perhaps they’d understand and even join her cause. Those were her most useful allies—she had many of them spread throughout Lodoss, carrying out missions on her behalf.
She’d failed to assassinate the King of Alania, but this time her goal was almost within reach. Once Princess Fianna was held captive by the Marmo army, perhaps the tide would turn their way. King Fahn of Valis was not the type to throw his kingdom away for his daughter—he would not hesitate to sacrifice her life in the name of justice. But having their princess taken hostage, perhaps executed, would destroy the morale of Valis’s soldiers and knights. The war was at a stalemate right now, both forces equal in military might. A severe drop in morale could be all it took to tip the scales toward Marmo.
Karla made her decision—her top priority had to be summoning her subordinates for help. She went upstairs to check on the mercenaries, who had just dragged the last intruder into the room.
“That’s it,” one of them said. “So, er… What now?”
“Continuing as we have been would be too dangerous—the fort by the border is one of the Valis army’s major strongholds, and it’s possible that they’ve been warned about us via messenger. We need more manpower to push through. I will return to Kanon and bring back reinforcements.”
“I get that we need more people, but what should we do until you get back?” The mercenaries looked uneasy—they’d known this would be a dangerous job, but they hadn’t expected so many of their number to die. They’d known about the sorceress’s fearsome powers and trusted her to use them. Now, they couldn’t shake the suspicion that they were being abandoned.
“Don’t worry, I’ll return soon. For now, stay here and keep watch over the girl and the intruders. I’ll summon a magical guard for their room, so you won’t need to interact with them at all. Just be careful that nothing happens to the girl.” She gazed at them steadily as she gave her instructions. “If you’re attacked by Valis soldiers, you may escape or surrender. I won’t blame you, and I promise to rescue you from prison. However, if you leave this place for any other reason…” She continued to stare at them both, face serious. “No matter where you go,” she said, “I will find you, and your lives will be forfeit.”
Both men gulped and quickly told her that they understood.
“Good,” Karla said with a smile. “I need a moment to prepare, but then I will depart at once. I hope to return as quickly as I can.” She turned then to the door. “Just in case,” she said, “I will tell you how to open the lock on the intruders’ door. Say the word ‘Lasta,’ and the door will open—without it, even trying to destroy the door itself will not work. Magic will make it as strong as iron and seal it as tight as solid rock.”
Next, Karla began casting spells. As she finished the first, the doors closed slowly. As she completed the second, she took a dragon fang from her hair and tossed it onto the floor of the hallway. It shattered, and a white mass grew from it—the mass became an armed skeleton, frozen in position with a sword held limply in its hand.
The mercenaries recoiled in horror. “Wh-what is that?!” one of them stammered.
She gave the Spartoi a command in the ancient language, then said, “Don’t worry—though this skeleton warrior’s entire purpose is to fight, it won’t attack you—only your enemies. It is both more skilled and more staunch than you, for it knows no fear and will thus neither falter nor run away.”
The two mercenaries were so shocked by the Spartoi’s appearance that they didn’t notice the insult. They shared a glance and wordlessly vowed to stay away from that room at all costs.
“I’ll be leaving now,” Karla said. “Stay vigilant…” With that, she retreated to her room. When she reemerged, she was wearing her usual purple dress and carried a staff in her right hand. She descended to the bloodstained first floor and cast a spell with fierce arm gestures.
When the spell finished, she vanished.
The two mercenaries sighed deeply and started carrying their comrades’ bodies outside for burial.