16. Alistair
sixteen
Alistair
A strange sense of déjà vu stole over Alistair as he watched Erys join the other three council members at their raised chairs near the back of the chamber.
Just like his previous visit, twin hearths blazed along the walls, and benches sat stacked out of the way.
The only noticeable difference lay in the demeanors of the gathered elders.
Erys looked much the same as he had, a twinkle in his eyes and his face wrinkled in a perpetual smile. It was difficult to imagine him as some evil mastermind, though the potential connection to runeflame meant that Alistair couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility.
But whereas the others had seemed if not exactly eager to greet him before then at least begrudgingly respectful, now their faces were twisted into expressions ranging from Brother Kelvin’s narrow-eyed contemplation, to Mayor Maxwell’s alarm, to Liliana’s open hostility.
Alistair ensured that his back remained straight and his face maintained its impassive mask of authority.
He was still a Knight of the Order, and he intended to act like it.
Protectiveness hardened his resolve when he noticed Iggie scooting behind him as if to use him as a shield from the village leaders’ stares.
What happened in this meeting would affect more than Alistair himself.
He owed it to Iggie to ensure they both made it out of here in one piece.
“Greetings, esteemed elders,” he began, bowing his head. “I’ve come with an urgent update on my mission.”
“I should hope so.” Liliana leaned forward, fixing him with a fierce glare. “Where in the Void have you been, paladin?”
“Now, now, Liliana,” Maxwell said with a nervous glance toward Brother Kelvin. “I’m sure our brave Knight has been hard at work.”
Alistair offered Maxwell a stiff nod. “Indeed, I have. And I believe I’ve uncovered more information about the fiend responsible for your missing villagers. If you’ll allow me to explain—”
“But of course, Sir Alistair,” Kelvin interrupted smoothly.
“We should be only too glad to hear your heroic tale and discover what has kept you from returning to our village for so long.” His calculating gaze fixed past Alistair on Iggie, and Alistair fought to keep his expression neutral.
“First, however, it seems introductions are in order.”
Iggie shuffled closer to Alistair’s back.
When it became clear the necromancer had no intention of answering, Alistair replied, “This is Ignatius. He is a wayward traveler seeking refuge in these mountains for the winter. I…chanced upon him the other night in the course of my duties, and he saved me when I took a nasty fall. I’ve been sheltering with him in an old tower a few hours’ journey from here. ”
The half-truths soured Alistair’s gut. Honesty might not be one of the five Dawn Virtues embraced by the Celestials and extolled by the Church, but it was still ingrained into every Knight as a core tenet of their oaths.
He loathed lying, especially to another dawnflame wielder, and leaving out vital information was hardly any better.
Sensing the current mood of the town council, however, it seemed like little would be gained by exposing Iggie’s necromantic heritage.
Iggie would need to come clean eventually and seek to make reparations for his thefts, but that could wait until after they’d resolved the true threat.
What mattered now was ensuring everyone, Iggie included, stayed safe.
Unfortunately, Brother Kelvin didn’t appear to agree.
Alistair’s heart fell when he caught the hint of a sneer curling the priest’s lip.
“How curious,” Kelvin murmured, never taking his keen eyes off Iggie.
“Surely, if one sought refuge, it would make more sense to shelter in Singer’s Rest or another village in these mountains.
Why, wherever would he get the supplies to last all winter out there on his own? ”
The other elders watched the exchange with interest. Erys frowned and Maxwell squinted in apparent confusion, while Liliana’s gaze narrowed on Iggie. She, at least, seemed to catch the priest’s implication.
Alistair hesitated, unsure how to reply in a way that wouldn’t implicate Iggie or force him into an outright lie. To his surprise, Iggie spoke up from behind him, his voice tremulous.
“I-I’ve been stealing the supplies I needed from your stores to survive.
I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice!” The words fell from Iggie in a rush, as if now that he’d started talking, he couldn’t make himself stop.
“I never meant to cause you any harm or hardship. And I swear, neither my servants nor I have ever touched a hair on anyone’s head! ”
Liliana leaped to her feet, brandishing her finger at Iggie like a blade.
“Necromancer,” she hissed. Her furious eyes locked on Alistair.
“How dare you bring this…this villain before us without warning! He should be chained, his magic dampened. Or do you let all your prisoners walk freely by your side?”
Alistair sought to maintain his composure, bracing himself for the explosion he expected at his next words. “He’s not my prisoner. Ignatius has come here under my protection.”
A beat of silence followed his pronouncement.
He thought he caught a hint of a grin flicker across Erys’ face, quickly vanishing beneath an inscrutable mask.
Maxwell paled while Kelvin regarded them both like a predator sizing up its prey.
Lilian’s stunned disbelief gradually morphed into fresh fury.
“Your…your protection?” She whirled to glare at Kelvin. “Is this the kind of help proffered by the Church’s vaunted Order? We asked for aid eradicating our undead infestation and they sent us a toothless pup!”
Kelvin’s face hardened. “Choose your words carefully, Liliana, unless you wish them to reach my superiors in Qori.”
Liliana flushed, but the warning did little to dim her anger as she turned back to Alistair and Iggie. “Explain,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Y-yes,” Maxwell stammered. “I think that would be for the best.”
Nodding stiffly, Alistair took several steadying breaths to clear his thoughts. Remember, you are a Knight of the Order—the person others turn to in times of peril. Act like it.
Channeling memories of his father’s calm assurance, Alistair launched into a bare-bones account of the past week, starting with his pursuit of Iggie’s undead at the warehouse and concluding with their recent return to town.
He glossed over most of the details of their time together, especially their last night in the cave.
However, he made sure to capture the abomination in vivid detail.
“Ignatius claims to have no knowledge of the missing villagers,” Alistair concluded. “And after everything I’ve witnessed, I believe him. Some manner of magical beast lurks in these mountains. It is what attacked your missing villagers, much as it did Iggie’s tower.”
Liliana raised a condescending brow. “And we’re just supposed to take Iggie’s word for all this, are we?
” Alistair winced when he realized his slip of familiarity hadn’t gone unnoticed.
It wouldn’t help their case if he and Iggie appeared too close.
“He’s as good as admitted to terrorizing our town and raiding our precious supplies! ”
“I am truly sorry for any hardship I’ve caused you,” Iggie whispered. The misery in his voice chipped away at Alistair’s heart. “Like I said, I didn’t see any other choice. There aren’t many options for…someone like to me to hide. I swear, I’ll do whatever I can to make amends.”
“Your head in a noose would be a start,” Liliana said.
“Enough!” All eyes in the room locked on Alistair, Liliana’s narrowed in appraisal as if really seeing him for the first time.
He flushed and continued in a quieter voice.
“Iggie—Ignatius—faced a difficult choice. Sometimes, necessity demands that we do things we’d rather not.
And while his situation does not excuse his thefts,” he said with a placating gesture toward Liliana, “surely, such thefts don’t warrant death. ”
“Those supplies—” Liliana began.
Alistair cut her off with a raised hand, focusing his attention on Maxwell. The mayor wilted beneath his steady gaze. “Master Maxwell, tell me—were those supplies critical to the town’s survival? Is the village in danger of running out of food or freezing to death without them?”
“Well…er…no,” Maxwell admitted, looking for all the world like he wished he was anywhere else. “Most of what was taken had been set aside in extra storage and is easily replaced. We remain well-stocked without it.”
“That’s beside the point,” Liliana said, pounding her fist on the table. “Theft is theft! We can’t simply turn a blind eye.”
“I’m not asking you to,” Alistair said. “Ignatius has already made it clear that he is more than willing to offer suitable reparations. As a start, we’ve brought what remains of those supplies back with us.
We can discuss other appropriate measures at a future date, once the current crisis is resolved.
” He looked at Maxwell, who paled. “I assume that’s an acceptable compromise? ”
Maxwell sputtered helplessly, turning to the other elders for guidance. It was Brother Kelvin that came to his aid.
“That is all well and good, but petty larceny is hardly our gravest concern.” His lips curled in a cold smile as he regarded Iggie. “This man has admitted to practicing necromancy. Khordan’s laws are clear. So far as the Church is concerned, such a crime has a single viable punishment.”
Iggie shuddered hard enough against Alistair’s back that he felt the motion past his breastplate.
“You can’t!” Kelvin’s brows shot up, and Alistair cleared his throat, struggling to slow his pounding heart.
“Apologies, Brother Kelvin, but I strongly disagree with that chosen course. We have far bigger problems right now than a necromancer who wishes to be left alone.”