The Black Lotus | Vol.1, The Eldenarian Artifacts ✓

33.

It had been decided.

Using Makaela's jumpkey, the four of them were going to sneak into Castle Braexus. With the shadows as their cover and Sebastian's knowledge of the fortress' layout, they would rescue Olivier and retrieve House Brynjir's stolen Eldenarian Artifact.

Makaela had been seconds away from going alone.

Had Sebastian shown up a few seconds later, she would've done it.

She was glad he did. After what she said to him the previous night, she wasn't sure he wanted anything to do with her anymore.

She hated herself for what she said to him. The words came out automatically, seemingly spoken by someone else entirely. Her head had been all out of sorts during her short trip through the woods. What was meant to be a moment of clarity only brought her more confusion. The funeral hadn't made things any better. All she could think about was how all those lives disappearing down the river were lost because of her.

Their blood was on her hands.

The voice in the back of her head fed off those thoughts. It started as a whisper. A tiny, annoying sound originating from the darkest parts of her psyche. Now she couldn't tell the difference between her voice and it. Perhaps there was no difference at all.

It had ceased for now, but it'd be back.

Coming up with a plan to sneak into Castle Braexus and rescue Uncle Ollie was enough to distract her mind for a bit.

Sebastian led her, Remy, and Imogen through Hodvekt toward the village's armory. Almost everyone had convened around the arena, which hosted most of the day's celebrations.

Makaela couldn't see how any of them were in any mood to party after what happened. Their leader was dead. Their artifact was gone. Their home was nearly reduced to ash and rubble. Yet, they were still able to find joy.

She envied them.

The armory was one of the only buildings in Hodvekt crafted out of stone brick. Shaped like a circle and only one-story tall, the armory was situated near the barracks and the western wall. The entire area was empty, left unguarded by the battlemages joining in on the festivities.

It was easy enough to sneak inside. The door wasn't even locked.

"This place is in desperate need of a makeover," Remy complained as he skirted past a row of spears. "You could accidentally kill yourself in here if you're not careful."

"Be careful then," Sebastian said.

"What a brilliant idea, Sebby."

"How many times-"

"Yeah, yeah. 'Don't call me that'."

"I hate you, kid."

Makaela ignored them and delved deeper into the cluttered building. It reminded her of a library. Except instead of shelves full of books and ancient scrolls, the shelves harbored axes and halberds. Barrels overflowing with javelins and lances were placed about with no rhyme or reason. Just looking at them inspired a thousand tiny, invisible cuts all over her body.

Tearing her eyes away from a rack of ornate swords, she turned to Sebastian.

"What're we doing in here?" she asked.

"If we're going to hit Castle Braexus," he began, "we're going to need some supplies."

He grabbed a brown bag from a pile of sacks and satchels stuffed in the corner. His hand disappeared inside as if it were deeper than the ocean. "Score."