|Mianite| The Missing Woman

[Chapter 38] Alister

[Alva's Perspective]

When we got to the small orchard just outside of Martha's house she noticed us immediately.

"Mot!" she shouted as she ran over to us, hugging Mot.

"Hello Martha," he said, hugging her back. "It's been awhile, has it not?"

"That it has!" She said happily. "How's dad doing? Alyssa?"

"They're doing just fine," he said. "And Alyssa has grown up so much. I miss her already."

"I'm sure she misses you too," Martha said. "Come, let's go inside." She waved us over towards her house. When we got through the trees we saw a strange hooded man sitting at the picnic table.

"Hello?" Jordan asked him. He sat up straight but did not face us. Martha walked over to the other side of the table and looked into his hooded face.

"Al?" She asked. The man sighed and stood up, pulling down the hood as he did so.

"I suppose there is no point in hiding anymore," Alister said. He turned to face us with a solemn expression. "I have traveled a long time in search of you all."

"Have you seen Guard Tom?" Jordan asked him. Some times that man has a one track mind. "How did he get in the river outside of Dagrun in the first place?"

"He was here?" Alister asked. Jordan nodded. "He must have fallen into the water after he was fired. I thought everyone died. Have you seen any other guards?"

"Nah," Tucker said.

"I saw what happened to them," Alister said. "It was horrifying. I knew our oath of services was unending, but turning their corpses into undead guards is a step too far."

"What do you mean?" Sonja asked.

"He turned the dead guards into zombies," Alister said, "and kept reanimating them every time you lot defeated them."

"I didn't realize they were the same guards over and over," Jordan said.

"You did not realize it?" I nearly shouted at him. "Are you blind?"

Jordan just shrugged.

"Why would they agree to that?" Sonja asked.

"All things serve him," Alister said. "Dianite has been dead and Ianite has been missing for over a decade. One goes with him or goes without divine aid. Their suffering is unending."

"Why did you come back here Al?" Martha asked him, still standing across the table from him.

"I heard Dianite was back," Alister said. "I just wanted to make sure you all protected him once he was returned to the realm."

"What do you mean?" Tucker asked him. "Do you have any information about what Mianite has planned?"

"I know not what Mianite will do to him," Alister said, "but despite what you may have been told, everything we did in Dagrun and The Inertia was ordered by him."

"Mianite said he wished to resolve this without a fight," Tucker said strongly.

"Anyone who calls himself The One God doesn't take competition well," Alister said. "He also said that we wouldn't need to hurt Andor and Steve; that locking them up would be enough to end the rebellion and keep the peace."

"Uuuuhhh..." Jordan and Sonja both said together.

"I thought that was the king though," Tucker said. "Not Mianite."