Emerali: A War Song Tapestry

Chapter 4

A pleasant sight greeted Emerali upon entering Thori's house. The dinner table was set with a delicious meal of roast porgus, wine and soup.

"We warriors can cook, too," Thori told her, smiling. She ushered Emerali to a chair and proceeded to serve her.

"This is very kind of you, Thori," Emerali remarked, humbled by this display of kindness and hospitality.

"Not at all. Now, tell me everything. What happened with Devaen and this Irgon?"

Thus Emerali told Thori all that had transpired that day, and all that Irgon had told her. She even told her about Devaen's curious behavior and parting words, wondering what Thori made of it.

Thori reflected quietly on the whole tale. "Well," she said presently, "I suppose only time will reveal the truth about your memory and all that's happened. Betrayal by a fellow legionary is a terrifying thought, but not at all shocking. As to Devaen, well, I don't know much about him, but from what I've seen of him, he looks a strange character indeed. He seems to be a very intense sort of individual."

"What makes you say that?"

"People who say little often have volumes to say, and if they said it, they'd shake worlds. Mark my words on that, Em," Thori said. "So what's your plan now?"

"Get a home, get situated, then I'll do what a Daeva's ascended to do: fight. Battle is what we need to save Elysea, and that's what it'll take to get back my memory. The pieces will come together in their time."

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Emerali followed that very course of action. Once having secured a small apartment, she reported to Sanctum and offered her services to Sanctum's governor Fasimedes. Thori immediately volunteered to join her in her battlefield endeavors. Emerali accepted her help with eager gratitude, but enlisting Devaen's help was a more difficult choice. The idea made her uneasy, but she proceeded in spite of herself.

In less than two months, the trio had built an impressive reputation for their daring exploits throughout Elysea. They uncovered treasonous acts, battled the krall and staved off Asmodian attacks. They were honored among the humans and even among their Daevic peers.

In that space of time, even greater and more invaluable to Emerali was the bond she had formed with her two allies. A sisterly affection had grown between Emerali and Thori. Intelligent, benign and often wiser than her age accounted for, Thori had become Emerali's confidant. As for Devaen, he had quickly begun to earn Emerali's trust and admiration. He was an invaluable asset on the battlefield, but more than that, he had become an important key to Emerali's past self.

Devaen didn't press any information upon Emerali that she didn't ask for, as she rather feared he might do in an effort to get her to believe and confide in him. He never told her anything more than she asked of him, and what he did say was always in a direct and unembellished manner.

Despite this productive life that Emerali was now living, two points harassed her daily. Firstly, nothing new and concrete in the way of discovering her betrayer had surfaced. She listened to the wisps every dawn and dusk, but though she regained her skills and strength of mind, no new revelations came to her. This disturbed her to no end and even haunted her dreams at night. Then there was a private fear that gripped her relentlessly: the fear of depending on her comrades.

Thus far, Devaen and Thori had not let Emerali down. They were always there by her side on the battlefield; they always had her covered. Still, Emerali never rested easy. She took the leadership of their trio into her own hands unasked. Often times she would charge headlong into the fray against the warning of her friends as though she were soloing a mission. Neither Devaen nor Thori had remarked much on this behavior, but Emerali knew that in their innermost hearts they were displeased. Emerali had even noticed Devaen regarding her with a distant look of rueful disappointment. But she couldn't help it; she truly feared desertion and failure as a result. Total independence seemed to be the best way. She directed prayers for guidance to Aion.

Despite these issues, however, the three of them pressed on in efforts to secure Elysea's safety and discover the traitor of the Iron Wings. At last one day, an unexpected event occurred that set the trail ablaze.

Solorius season was near, and Emerali and Thori had made a trip into Sanctum to buy some dresses for the upcoming celebration and to have a pleasant lunch on their much-needed day off. On their way back from the shops, Emerali spotted Devaen disembarking from the airship. He seemed to be scowling as he made his way up the dock.

"It's Devaen," Emerali told Thori. "He looks upset about something." She led the way to the dock and called out to him.

Devaen looked up at them and his features softened. "Hi. You're just the people I wanted to see."

"Is everything okay?" asked Thori. "We noticed that you seemed disturbed about something."

Emerali then noticed some fragments of glass on Devaen's shoulder. She flicked them off. "Visiting Dionysia's, eh? Looks like a nasty tavern brawl."

"Hmm?" Devaen glanced at himself and brushed off the remaining shards. "Oh, yeah; brawler's confetti. And I wasn't even involved. They're gonna need a new shipment of glasses after today. But that's only the aftermath. I just learned something that's going to shed some light on the Iron Wings' demise and your memory loss, Emerali."

Emerali felt a charge up her spine. "I want to hear all about it. Let's go to the Sky Garden and talk there."

The three of them headed to the Sky Garden where they took seats on the benches by the fountain and huddled close to converse.

"Okay," Devaen began. "Now, I don't frequent taverns, but I went today to see if I could find out anything of use. And I certainly did. Remember, Emerali, that I told you that only three members of the Iron Wings made it back to Elysea? Well, I had heard that one of the survivors, Centurion Qelin, had become a recluse-that he had gone a bit mad since that day, but I never knew anything more. Today I learned that he actually took up residence in the monster-infested Kyola Temple in Eltnen."

"By the Five! He has gone mad!" exclaimed Thori. "What then?"

"Well, Qelin has a human brother--Ansted-whom we knew well. But I almost didn't recognize him now; he's a broken man. He came into the tavern looking so forlorn and wild, I couldn't believe it." A sad shadow crossed Devaen's face, but he quickly recovered and went on. "The instant Ansted sat at the counter, one of the customers started harassing him. He told Ansted that Qelin was worse than an Asmodian--that he was a traitor, and that it was no wonder he had to hide his cowardly face with the rest of the demons in Kyola Temple.

"Well, all hell broke loose at that point and a huge fight broke out. The language that spewed out was enough to make the Balaur cringe. Tankards were hurled, glasses, too. I managed to pull poor Ansted out of that mess, shielding us both with a table. Everyone got too busy hiding or exchanging fisticuffs to pay much attention in the end. I offered to take Ansted home, but he refused and just sat outside, telling me to leave him alone. I... don't even think he recognized me."

Emerali shook her head. "The poor man..." she whispered. The next moment her expression changed. Her green eyes glowed with angry suspicion. "So, Qelin has been named a traitor, then?"

"I don't know, Emerali," Devaen said. "I remember Qelin; he was one of the wisest, most loyal members of the Iron Wings. He always had my back. I can't believe he was really a traitor. There must be some mistake."

"No possibility can be ruled out, Devaen. If he's been deemed a traitor, there must be something to it. There's only one way to find out: I'm going to pay a visit to the Temple. With Aion's aid, I'll find Qelin and uncover the truth," Emerali declared.

"You're not going alone," Thori objected. "You'd be dead before you made it past the main chamber. You'd spend more time at the Soul Healer than in the Temple."

"If you go into battle, we do," Devaen said, gravely.

"Agreed," Thori said.

In spite of the dark thoughts that were brooding in her mind, the oath of her friends touched Emerali's heart, and she smiled faintly. "Thank you," she said, quietly. "It's settled then: we set out for Eltnen first thing in the morning."