Book 7, Chapter 5 - Idonea Argyris (1/2)

Idonea Argyris was livid.

Even to this day she couldn’t understand why her family would arrange this ridiculous marriage. Some dandy noble from Byzantium, the third son no less? She’d rather they asked her to jump off a cliff!

This never would have happened if her father was here. He would have fought for her, but it’d been two months since he left to fight the rebel realm with no word. She didn’t even know if he was alive or dead.

His disappearance had forced the family to seek out this political marriage in order to strengthen their position as leaders of the city. The Argyris family had to maintain their status in the Governor’s mansion and it just so happened that Lance’s brood – the Nilam family – was looking for a foothold in Fulmulta. Both sides saw an opportunity for mutual benefit, and Idonea became the bargaining chip.

Father would never have agreed to this if he were here!

When she thought about her father she felt a pang in her chest. He was the strongest man in the realm, now and throughout its history. She adored him and was convinced he had no equal.

But why had there been no word? He answered the call of the mighty Thunder God and left with other great warriors to defeat the heathens, a task which should have been easy for him. But it had been months of silence.

The disappearance of this pillar of their family was why they’d gone ahead with this farce of a marriage! News had started to spread across the realm that her father and the other three Masters had all died on foreign soil. A terrible, demon-like man had taken their lives.

Rumors claimed that this fiend was stronger than any other human in recorded history. Even the great Supremes were wary to face him. It was widely assumed, then, that the beloved Governor Bruno Argyrys had perished.

Idonea couldn’t believe this, of course. Or perhaps she simply refused to.

Her vociferous objections were ignored by her family, so Bruno’s daughter was left with no choice but to take drastic measures. She gathered a small group of loyal followers and endeavored to eliminate the Nilam family dandy as he slept at the inn.

When she first learned of the marriage proposal, Idonea had sent someone to Byzantium in order to learn about her betrothed. She learned that the Young Master was not anything like the sort of man she would like. He drank like a fish, ate like a pig and gambled like an addict. As far as she was concerned, men like him were a waste of air. Erasing this idiot from the realm was doing everyone a favor.

Bruno’s rambunctious young daughter was in her seventeenth year. She was in her rebellious phase, where little thought was given to consequences. It didn’t matter – if father were here, he would have supported her.

“We have our target. Do it right, do it quick,” Idonea whispered to the group by her side. They nodded in understanding.

They were positioning themselves around the room when suddenly a fog appeared from nowhere, catching them unawares. It was so immediate and unexpected that they were left stunned.

“What’s going on?”

The demonhunters, whose skills were average at best, looked around to discover that the room they’d entered was gone. Everything was gone – all the sights and sounds of the world vanished, as though erased by the fog.

One of the demonhunters voiced his concern. “Mistress, this is starting to feel like a trap. We should leave and reassess our plan.”

Idonea was equally as confused. “Yes, let’s fall back. We can form a new plan.”

The would-be assassins fumbled back through the mist, traveling a couple hundred meters before realizing something was very wrong. It was all the same, like they hadn’t moved at all.

Shit! It was a trap… but what kind of setup is this?

Panic started to creep in. Idonea had brought only average protectors with her, assuming her target was an easy one. Even this simple mental illusion was too much for them to see through, for though the illusion was simple the mind that commanded it was strong. They were caught.

“Split up!” She growled through gritted teeth. They scattered in all different directions. Idonea ran and ran but still didn’t seem to be getting anywhere.

Idonea was starting to lose her composure. She shut her eyes tight and tried to listen for any sort of clue. Taking a deep breath she launched herself forward, thinking that if her senses were closed off it might dispel the illusion. Several more minutes passed until suddenly she crashed into someone.

Ah? Am I out?!

Her eyes popped open then widened in surprise. Wrapped in fog, she looked up to see the one she ran into. Attractive, golden hair. Deep blue eyes. A young man in his twenties.

**

A few minutes before Cloudhawk had been crouched by the window with a simple relic in his hands. He watched the black-clad figures fumble around then scatter. As they fled a smile touched his lips.

In order to preserve this new identity Cloudhawk had to limit what relics he used. It wasn’t much of a restriction, of course. He had hundreds of different tools hidden away. He’d gathered quite the collection after numerous run-ins with Skycloud’s army. Some he gave to members of the Alliance, some he kept for himself.

Most of these were lower-grade relics, but in his hands that didn’t make much of a difference.

During the battle for Sanctuary, Arcturus had fought off the Khan and the drunk with nothing but an exorcist rod. Cluodhawk was now slightly stronger than the late Governor, so he was more than the average person could handle even if he only used the basest relics.

Indeed, even without these tools he could ravage a group with the power of his will alone. Releasing tongues of flame, spikes of ice and blades of wind, many were not his equal. Though he looked like an ordinary man, Cloudhawk was very nearly the pinnacle of human capability.

Playtime was over. Cloudhawk put the relic away and strode into his own illusion.

A fatigued young woman with silver hair was running in circles. Fear, anger and confusion danced in her eyes. Never in her life had this young noble encountered such a harrowing experience.

It was clear to her she’d fallen into a trap. It felt like she’d been caught in the mist for hours. Only once she shut her eyes did she encounter another soul.