Chapter 106

The priest released the [Zone of Truth] and motioned to his guards. "Sheathe your weapons."

The guards looked uneasy but did as they were told. The priest of Morkinnen sighed and scratched the back of his head. "That news is in one part reassuring and another part troubling. However, at least I can say that we're on the same side here." His eyes scanned the five of us. "I no longer have reason to distrust the beastfolk you've brought here with you but I am curious why so many demon hunters would travel together like this, were you aware of the situation here before you brought them?"

Tarklin shook his head. "No, it just so happens that all of us here gained the title on our last mission together. There was a dungeon break outside of Traehall, a demon-spawning dungeon that had recently been destroyed, releasing a large wave of weak and mid-powered demons. It was lucky we already had the dungeon surrounded by adventurers. At the time we were escorting some members of the Tamin church to verify the dungeon had been destroyed for a proper reason. It became quite clear the ones who destroyed it had made the right call. The five of us here helped slay the escaping wave until it was over, there weren't any signs of demons escaping the area last I'd heard."

The priest's face became grim over the course of Tarklin's explanation. "So the rumors out of that area are verified? There are in fact demons on the edges of Torlimal too?"

Tarklin nodded. "What is the situation here? What I've told you about the late Baron's death is all I know."

"Frankly the city is barely functioning." The priest sighed. "It's not like we were completely unprepared for something like this to happen but the number of people who were slaughtered in the Baron's castle was staggering. Whoever killed the Baron also attempted to kill as many people in the city's governance as possible. The damage wasn't limited to the castle either, secretaries, high-ranking guards, scribes, and people all across town were murdered within a couple bells of each other. Several of the murders happened with large-scale collateral damage, including several taverns and residences being burned to the ground and at least three mid-level demons being let loose. Whoever did this was very well organized, this event looked to be methodically planned out."

"The Tamin church seems to think it was a cult, they fought a battle with people in black brigandine armor in Norta. Several of them attacked us because the Baron's daughter's former slave was with us at the time," I threw in.

The priest grimaced. "Yes, I've read reports of them. The same group were the ones who stormed the Baron's castle as well. I was surprised when I heard such a large armed group was able to get that close to the castle without anyone noticing. By the time that group was at the gates, people inside the castle had already slain all of the guards in charge of closing them. They quickly took the courtyard and summoned a demon right in the center of the castle while their people searched the halls for the Baron and his daughter."

"Did the Baron have a wife?" I asked.

The priest shot me a glance. "No, the Baron is a widower. His wife died a number of years ago while their daughter was still young. Anyway, the guards in the city proper were too focused on all of the arson and demon attacks to notice the castle had been taken. By the time the city had regained some order, they discovered the corpses and the rampaging demon they left in the courtyard. Less than half of the castle's staff members survived, none of them important ones, chefs and maids and the like are all that's left. We never found Sera Faelyn Morrister's body so we were hopeful she was still alive. It's not surprising her bodyguard had her leave the city entirely with what happened to the Baron in his own home."

It struck me as a bit odd he listed Fae's entire name but perhaps it was a noble thing.

Tarklin was looking a lot more relaxed now, still guarded but not in the sense that he was worried about soldiers stabbing any of us anymore. "Lots of people are fleeing the city right now."

The priest nodded. "Unsurprising given the damage to the city. Lots of civilians were killed through all of this, not to mention all of the damage to people's homes and businesses. They also burned fields of crops outside the town, meaning we might also have a nasty food shortage coming up if we don't already. We've already had to stop several merchants from buying up all the grain. Anyone who could leave probably already have by now. The people in the reports with black brigandine have left or blended back into the city but we're still trying to find any signs of them we can. Our remaining guards that survived the initial attacks are stretched so thin right now we've had to keep our men posted on the city exits, hoping to catch a clue of the young lady's whereabouts and stop things from getting worse. If we lose control of the gates the city will collapse entirely. Unfortunately, that means the guard have had to give up on keeping order in many parts of the city. We just no longer have enough guards left to keep everything under control right now. While you're in Goldenhearth you should stay to the main roads, there are few other places we can say are safe at the moment."

Tarklin cleared his throat. "That brings us back to the matter at hand. The fate of Sera Faelyn Morrister."

"Quite," the priest replied.

"I have no choice but to bring her back with me to the Northern Greens. She has a crest that grants her protection from my queen and I'm sworn to protect her for the time being. This place is dangerous right now, especially for her, but our plan was to go to the capital before I could head in that direction. At this point I'm not sure what the merchants we have been escorting will want to do, we might disband tonight."

I looked over at Tarklin, "What? That's the first I'm hearing of this."

Tarklin returned my stare with a sad smile. "I'm sorry Lilith, with everything happening, there have been calls to disband the caravan early here in Goldenhearth. This was supposed to be a return trip to the capital but some of the traders have already expressed interest in disbanding and selling all of the building materials we've been bringing along with us here instead. From the sound of it, Goldenhearth needs it more than the capital right now and the merchants smell an opportunity. They will likely want to take their chances buying and selling here for a while before continuing to the capital in a smaller caravan later. If that turns out to be the case I would be free to head to the Northern Greens with the girl now instead of after we reach the capital. As much as I would love to take you the rest of the way myself, the situation no longer calls for it. The young lady has forced my hand. But if it helps, you would get your full payment and guild credit now instead of upon reaching the capital."

God, what a disaster.

"Is there any way to make you reconsider taking her up to the Northern Greens?" the priest asked Tarklin.

Tarklin shook his head. "At this point no. You have said it yourself, the city is in shambles. If a force this large could invade the castle before the city guard even noticed then the only way for the girl to remain safe is if we continue to keep her hidden. I will send a missive to the king informing him the Baron's bloodline still thrives but she likely won't return until either things stabilize here enough for her to be safe or the elves send over a detachment to guard her themselves."

The priest's eyebrows sharply rose. "The elves would go that far to protect her?"

Tarklin nodded. "The crest she holds is more significant than even she knows. I'd bet the only one who had any idea of its value was the late Baron himself. The crest represents the Queen's protection. As a member of a great elven house, it is my duty to escort her there. After that, it will be up to the girl and my Queen what happens next. The Queen of the Elves is likely to follow the young lady's wishes but it is hard to say right now how directly involved my Queen will want to be."

The priest looked away, lost in thought for a moment. "If she waits too long the King may strip her of her peerage and give it to someone else. The likelihood is higher because she is so young. If she were older she would have greater claim to keep her peerage but I am unsure what the King will do."

Tarklin shrugged. "That is not of consequence to me. It is up to my Queen and the young lady to decide what their intentions are. Do you wish for me to ask her if she would consider staying to maintain the right to her barony?"

The priest closed his eyes briefly before shaking his head. "No, it is as you have said. We probably can't protect her here. It's better if she goes to the domain of the elves."

"...Do you have the proper authority to make that kind of decision?" Tarklin asked.

"Normally no, but right now the town is being completely controlled by the Church of Morkinnen in place of the nobles. My church doesn't often claim land, certainly not at the seat of a barony, but there would be a total power vacuum here otherwise and things are bad enough as it is. I have enough authority right now to let you go without issue. But you may want to impress on the young lady that if she does wish to maintain her peerage, she would best return as early as possible. She should also make an effort to make contact with the King's men as soon as she can," the priest said.

Tarklin nodded. "Very well. Then I suppose that's it for this conversation. I take it you have no other issues with our caravan entering the city?"

"No, I have no further complaints. Just know that the city's guard is spread thin so we do not have the proper resources to protect merchant's wares to the same extent we normally would," The priest added.

"I will inform them, though I get the feeling there will be plenty of cheap mercenaries willing to guard some merchant's wares right now."

The priest put on a tired smile. "That may actually be a relief. Better a guard for a merchant at a low rate, than another bandit along the road, looking to take it instead... did you run into bandits on the way here from Traehall?"

Tarklin nodded. "Unfortunately yes."

"Then it has already begun." The priest sighed. "Thank you for your time Tarklin Silvergrove. May your trees stand ever taller," he said with a slight bow.

"And may the winds be at your back," Tarklin replied with a bow of his own.

Without further fanfare, our group left the room and headed back towards the caravan. I turned to Tarklin. "If the caravan disbands, how long till I hear about it?"

He shook his head. "You will know for sure by tomorrow morning, probably earlier. Just help protect the carts until we find a stable, for now don't sit on the coach, stay on the ground. I will come find you personally as soon as I know."

He removed one of the coin purses from his belt and handed it to me. "Here, this is your party's share. Whether we disband tonight or not, I believe you've already earned it. We have asked you to do much more than Raksha'va promised me. Just be here in the morning if I haven't come for you already. I unfortunately have some merchants to talk to." With that, Tarklin cut away from us and headed to the front of the caravan.

I noticed Silva impatiently walking towards us. Once she got close she looked over our group. "Is everyone alright? You were in there a while."

I smiled. "We're fine Silva. They wanted to ask us a few questions about our [Demon Hunter] titles."

Morrigan stretched. "Boy was that stressful. I'm glad I don't often have to pitch in for stuff like that."

I sighed. "At least you wouldn't make a fool of yourself, I feel like I can't help but pick the dumbest questions to ask."

"Ah, you were fine. I think asking for relevant information is normal when you're not familiar with it. It's not like you're from... this country." She waved off my concerns pretty easily.

"Right. Well good, I was starting to worry I would have yet another new master in the span of a week," Silva joked.

I... didn't really find it that funny.

I cleared my throat. "Let's get back to the caravan. We need to escort them to the stable and figure out our next move from there. It turns out that we might not be able to get to the capital yet after all. Things got a bit more complicated and apparently the city is in disarray right now."

Silva just laughed. "It seems like things go this way often for you lot."

I sighed. It was unpleasant how true that statement was.