Wishes: From the Past - Book 2 - Chapters 1-3

Chapter 3: Faults in Fealty

As I walk, my boots drag against the floor, sliding over the carpeted tile. With my hands jammed into my pockets, I glare down with an empty sensation in my gut.

I push the feeling away and lift my eyes.

Ahead of me lies an endless hallway. The walls are lined with bricks of chiseled, smooth gray stone laced with intricate masonry patterns; the corridor is adorned with paintings depicting grand battles and notable landscapes, while others display various men and women dressed in refined, gaudy attire.

"Mr. Johnson?"

The name makes me sick now, at least hearing it from her voice.

I turn to find Paladin Silvershine at my side. Her eyes meet mine, though they're vacant and cold.

Like a statue, she stares, her movements robotic and stiff as we walk.

"What?" I ask.

"Do you feel unwell?"

"Certainly not great."

"I presume the court proceedings are fixed in your mind?" she asks, folding her hands behind her back. "I won't pry, though should you fall ill, I am responsible for ensuring you receive medical attention if need be. Or a bucket."

I wave my hand at her, sniffling.

"I'm fine," I mutter, reaching over my shoulder; from behind my neck, I pull Llami down, cradling her in my arms. With a toothy grin, she wriggles, rubbing her face against my chest and purring. "Just...trying to process everything."

"I understand."

The paladin goes quiet, walking beside me with her usual icy stare.

I glance at her, looking her up and down.

"How about you shed some light on the subject," I ask, to which she turns, eyes still empty and cold. "Why leave that...monster alive?"

"You should know that by now; we require information."

"But why did it have to be from him?" I clarify, my voice stinging in my throat. "With everything he's done, I assumed the empire would leave him for dead."

Paladin Silvershine wavers, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Timur Callen has been an Ainsalian loyalist for nearly seven years," she states quickly, my posture stiffening as she speaks. "For the past two, he's been at large among the front lines; many in the militia view him as a leading man, and his connections in the allied Ainsal courts reflect that. He'd have proven an indispensable source of information.

"Even still, I'll not dissuade your beliefs; Lieutenant Callen was a ruthless killer deserving of the headsman's axe for his atrocities. However, given the state of affairs with Ainsal's militia, information trumps all other moral obligations or imposed ideologies. It's our duty to ensure this conflict ends swiftly, without needless bloodshed."

"...yeah. Of course."

"You seem quite disgruntled."

"Are you saying you aren't?"

Ms. Silvershine pauses, her eyes scanning my face.

"You're asking if the lieutenant's survival bothers me?"

"I imagined it would."

"Mm."

We walk in silence for a moment, our footsteps echoing through the hall.

"Lieutenant Callen's death would satisfy me purely for the fact he opposes the empire's rule," she states, stopping in her tracks and facing me. "However, you wish to see him dead for your own self-satisfaction. Nothing more."