Chapter 158: Loose Ends (1/2)

“I’m with you on this one. Perhaps some of them can redeem themselves, or they already have.” Kyrian said to her and she thought about it.

It would be much easier to just kill all of them now. She sighed and walked up to the first person. A young man, early twenties it seemed and he looked at her with fear in his eyes.

“Can you remove the gag?” she asked and promptly the behind the man’s head opened up and the sphere moved out of his mouth. He coughed a couple times before he looked up to Ilea again. She was surprised that he didn’t chose to talk immediately.

“Why should you live?” she asked the man. He looked at her for a moment and then turned his attention to the ground before him.

“I… I shouldn’t…,” he said and opened his mouth again but nothing came out. Ilea grabbed the man and moved him towards the farm house. Entering, she watched the survivors and Trevor turn towards her as she dumped the man in front of her.

“All of you, tell me what you know of him. What did he do, what did he not do.” she said and leaned on the wall behind the man. Getting closer to his ear, she whispered. “If you talk without me allowing it, you’re dead.”

“I don’t know him.” Trevor said. Some of the survivors shook their heads. One of the women looked to the ground.

“You, can you speak? You don’t have to.” Ilea said, pointing at the woman who looked up, tears forming in her eyes.

“He… can he say a few words?” she said in a quiet voice.

“Go on.” Ilea said, kicking the man lightly. He looked at the woman as tears formed on his eyes as well.

“I am so sorry. They made me…,” he said but stopped again, looking at the ground.

“It’s him.” the woman said as she looked at Ilea. “He… he violated me.” the woman said and Ilea went to grab the man again but stopped when the woman continued. “He came back in the same night… to clean me up and bring me food. He apologized. He was scared…,” she said and Ilea lifted him up with one hand.

“He did what he did. You always have a choice.” Ilea said. “Do you wish for him to live?” Ilea asked, locking eyes with the woman. “Decide in the next minute.” she said and walked outside, throwing the man on the ground before the house.

When she returned, the woman had tears in her eyes. “What… what will happen to him if he lives?” she asked.

“We will bring them to Riverwatch, where the guard takes over. After that, I don’t know.” Ilea said.

“Let him live then.” the woman said, looking into Ilea’s eyes. She nodded and walked out again, grabbing the man and throwing him next to Kyrian. “Can you prepare a wagon or something? We’ll have to move all these people and I doubt you can do that much with your magic.”

“It would be too much, yes.” Kyrian said as he got up and went to the wagons. “I’ll keep an eye on them, go on.” he said, looking back at her.

The next prisoner was taken and his gag removed by Kyrian. He started smiling as he looked at Ilea.

“You fucking bitch… we could’ve had the whole city if it weren’t for you...” Ilea crouched down in front of him and sighed. She unsheathed Aki and swiftly moved the blade across his throat. The cut was so deep she nearly took his head. He gurgled and died as she looked into his eyes. The man sacked down a moment later and Ilea moved on to the next one.

It took them two hours to go through all of them, Kyrian took over after ten people and Ilea did the last three of them. They killed eighteen out of the twenty two that were there, most of them because of their actions against the prisoners. Three didn’t do anything and even smuggled in food and water from time to time. Two of them tried to save the people even, going as far as planning escape routes and preparing supplies. They thanked Ilea for intervening and killing Melian. They’d still go to the guard with the evidence and the witness reports that Trevor begrudgingly wrote down.

“Any fire mages among you?” Ilea asked the survivors and one of them lifted their arm. A young woman with a scar running across her face. “Good, we need to burn the corpses.” she said and walked outside, the woman following.

“Kyrian, can you dig a big hole?” she asked the man who had finished preparing three wagons, no horses had been prepared but he probably didn’t know how to do that. Neither did Ilea. “I’ll go ask them if anybody knows how to saddle and strap horses onto the wagons…,” she said as he started to form metal plates to cut into the ground in the nearby field.

“How recent is that scar?” Ilea asked as she passed the waiting woman.

“Two months… I think.” she said.

“Let me try…,” Ilea said and carefully touched the woman, using her healing mana to work on the scar. The color around the scar turned a little more healthy but she couldn’t remove it completely. “A little better at least.” she said and smiled to the woman.

“Any of you know how to prepare horses?” Ilea asked the survivors who came out of the farm house. Two nodded and walked over to the animals.

“The old man woke up.” one of them said to her as he passed.

“Thanks.” Ilea said and walked to the house, entering and going to the room where the old man sat in the bed, a woman sitting next to him and talking about a knight saving them. Ilea smiled as she entered, a knight out of all things?

“You woke up. How are you feeling?” Ilea asked.

“Did you kill that monster?” the man asked as he looked at her.

“I did. Remember me? I think I know you.” Ilea said and watched him thinking. She motioned for the woman to leave and removed her hood afterwards. Recognition dawned in his eyes as he started laughing.

“Fate has brought you here.” he said after a while. “I am forever in your debt young woman. I feel like last time I could see your level though.” he said with a grin that missed more than one tooth.

“You could. You seem oddly happy, I remember you being tortured…,” she said and his grin vanished.

“I am happy it’s over. Experienced worse, though old wounds have reopened. I don’t think I can stay on this farm anymore.” he said and she nodded.

“I can see that. Well you were nice to me back then so why don’t I buy you a house in Riverwatch, how does that sound?” she said and he started laughing again immediately.

“I died didn’t I?” he asked, touching his face.

“Maybe we’re both dead.” Ilea said in a quiet voice, leaning on the wall next to her.

“I forgot your name I’m afraid.” she said and he smiled.

“Old Greg didn’t leave enough of an impression it seemed. I must admit the same, knight.” he said and laughed.

“Greg, it’s nice to see you alive. I’m Ilea.” she said and smiled, putting her hood back up and covering her face.

“To know the name of a Shadow. Now I do not want to be rude but I feel like I haven’t pissed and eaten in a week.” he said.

“Need help?” she asked as she pushed herself off the wall.

“Ah don’t mock me woman. I look older than I am.” he said and hopped out of bed. She nodded warily and quickly touched the man who walked past her to check him for damage. He spoke the truth though it seemed.

“Wagons are prepared.” Kyrian walked up to her when she exited the house. A fire was burning in the field, a thick black smoke rising and the smell of something akin to pig spreading in the vicinity.