45. Now What? #2
“The Unity Ceremony is in five weeks,” Oderin went on. “It seems logical that the Valiant will make their move then—in fact, I’m counting on it. If we want to facilitate a coup against Lord Haron, we’ll need the distraction.”
A coup. Faren had known it would come to this—he welcomed it—but the word still made him queasy. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You mean to have Lord Haron and Heris destroy each other at the Unity Ceremony?”
“Yes.”
“Fuck.” Faren rose to his feet, wincing at the sudden throbbing in his leg. “My family will be in attendance.”
“All the more reason to make a show of your promotion,” Oderin reasoned. “The honor will put the three of us—you, me, and the Lord—in plain view of anyone who might attend.”
Including the Valiant.
“The closer we are to the Lord,” Oderin continued, “the easier it’ll be for us to control the situation.”
Bile rose up Faren’s throat. “No. No. It’s too risky,” he argued. “Innocents will be caught in the melee.”
“The Valiant rebellion is inevitable, Faren,” Oderin said.
“No other Order has the skills to infiltrate the Valiant hideout in the Western Wood, and even if we did, the Lord refuses to waste resources on anything that could reveal the truth of his abominations. He will not use his forces against anything other than Marona.”
Faren remembered Yar and grimaced.
“Meanwhile, the Valiant are too clever to meet us on a battlefield outside the capital,” Oderin went on.
“They will infiltrate the city covertly. For all we know, some already have—and my Oath has me so tied up that I can’t investigate.
” He sighed, sounding resigned. “Innocents will be at risk no matter where we meet the Valiant. We can’t prevent it—but we can use it to our advantage. We can mitigate the risks.”
Faren imagined the clash of Valiant, former Morta, and Mighty, and felt the acid rise up his throat again. “What of our Oaths?” he asked. Refusing to protect the Lord or actively putting him in harm’s way would be an Oath-breaking offense.
“What of them?”
“I intend to keep mine,” Faren said, not liking where this was going.
The Mighty Oath was not easy to break, and even if he managed it, what then?
His Fate had not changed; he would still die in his golden armor.
Now more than ever, he wanted his duty to matter.
He wanted to atone for his association with the Lord, and he couldn’t do that if he didn’t see the realm through to a brighter day.
“Do you?” Oderin asked. “Interesting.”
“Do you not?”
Oderin lifted his square jaw. “I’ll do what I must.”
“Even in the face of Fate?”
“Especially then.”
Faren scrubbed a hand over his scruffy beard. He didn’t begrudge Oderin’s willingness to break his Oath to save Fenrir, but it was unnerving, knowing that he was more loyal to the sanctity of the Mighty than his Major.
“My Oath is who I am,” Faren said, his voice muffled by discomfort.
“No, it isn’t.” Oderin gave Faren an empathetic smile. “I will not force you to forsake your Oath, Faren, but if you intend to help me with this, I do suggest you get comfortable with the possibility.”
Faren licked his chapped lips. Squared his shoulders. “I want to help,” he confirmed. “But I have a condition.”
Oderin raised a brow, waiting.
“When this is over, Mariana goes free.”
A short laugh. “That’s…not what I expected you to say.”
“That’s my condition.”
“I can’t make any promises,” Oderin said slowly, “but you have my word that I will do what I can to see it done.”
Faren gave him a quick nod. “What’s the rest of this disastrous plan?”
“You have an acquaintance with Archer Loth, do you not?”
“I do,” Faren said slowly.
“Send word to him of your promotion,” Oderin suggested. “Tell him to bring a few extra knights of his own—friends of yours, perhaps. Folks who might want to see your triumph.”
Oderin’s meaning was clear: in case of interception, a letter like that would appear innocent enough. Faren didn’t know Archer well, but the man was cunning. He would easily understand Faren’s underlying meaning.
“He’s likely already on his way,” Faren pointed out. “I’ll have to send a private messenger to intercept their path, and even then, summoning more knights from Lothgaim will take time.”
“Then it’s a good thing you arrived here when you did.”
Faren shifted on his feet. “Everything in me recoils against the idea of breaking my Oath,” he said hoarsely. “I despise the Lord for what he’s doing to Fenrir, but my loyalty to the realm remains.”
“Then you should have no trouble breaking your Oath to save it,” Oderin said simply.
“An Oath is like armor, Faren. It grants us strength, but it doesn’t make the man underneath.
” He smiled. “I will not force you,” he repeated, “but I do ask that you consider what you care about most, and what you’re willing to give up to defend it. ”
Faren loosed a heavy sigh and shoved the scroll in his pocket. “I’ll send the letter.” He made for the door, then hesitated with his hand on the knob. “Was my connection to Archer another part of the reason you sent me to Yar?”
“Did you fall in love with Mariana before or after you learned about the Lord’s corruption?”
Faren huffed. He’d only realized it recently, but when he thought back on their travels together, Faren had the distinct sense that he’d been in love with Mariana for quite a while now. “I’m not sure you’ll like my answer.”
Oderin smirked as if his answer was the same.
He crossed the room until they stood face to face.
“Archer possesses a retinue of Mighty Knights who are not bound to our Lord; they might prove useful.” A pause.
“He was part of my reasoning,” Oderin confirmed, “but that doesn’t mean I didn’t also believe in you. ”
Faren nodded, feeling oddly encouraged. One way or another, his mission had been a success.
But his real duty wasn’t finished. “I’ll have the letter sent within the hour.”
Oderin placed a hand on Faren’s shoulder. “First, you’ll see a healer,” he said. “You can’t save the realm on one leg.”