Chapter 2

As we approach Melek, a city under complete control of the royal army, Darton points out that I probably shouldn’t enter it dressed as a rebel captain.

“I think you’re right,” I reply.

I make the black ribbon vanish from my sleeve and transform the brown outfit into the beautiful blue and gold uniform of the royal guard. Both my companions are transfixed by the sight.

“Do it again!” Darton exclaims. He is like a child sometimes.

“That would be a waste of resources,” I tell him.

Esmer gives Darton a warning look. He thinks his man should be more respectful. Darton, however, is completely at ease with me. I find it refreshing.

“Can you walk through a wall, sir?” he asks.

“With or without breaking it?”

“Both!”

“If necessary. Don’t ask me to demonstrate though.”

Esmer shakes his head, but sees me smile and says nothing.

We travel on horseback, after first leaving Castle Berkadar in a black wagon with Lagdan’s insignia that gave us safe passage through the rebel territory. I ditched the wagon the next day and got us horses.

“You know, Captain Blaze, when I first saw you there, at the castle, I thought you were a turncoat,” Darton says. “Oh, was I mad! Wanted to smash your head.”

“Darton!” Esmer whacks him. “Forgive him, sir. For some reason he just can’t grasp who he is dealing with.”

“Ouch!” Darton rubs his arm. “I do grasp, and I’m honored. I just like talking to Captain Blaze. You don’t mind my big mouth, do you, sir?”

“Not at all. Don’t worry, Captain Esmer, it’s quite all right.”

My assignment is almost complete. All that is left to do is to escort Captain Esmer and Darton to the nearest regiment of the royal army. They could have made it without me, but there is no callback yet. I’m enjoying this extra time.

We enter the city. It’s a bright summer day, not too hot. Noisy streets are bustling with people and animals taken to and from the market. Both my companions are enjoying the sights, the breeze, the freedom… life. I wish all my cases ended so well.

“Ha!” Darton points at someone in the crowd. “Would you look at that old fellow! Is he good or what?”

I turn to see and freeze for a moment. It’s a small group of street performers, decked in bright red pants and yellow vests, with faces and hair also painted yellow and red. The oldest one has to be at least a hundred, small, scrawny, all made of bones and joints, and yet he’s the liveliest of the bunch, dancing and kicking as he juggles four apples and a big knife. It’s not his noteworthy performance, however, that makes such an impression on me.

“See the royal banner over there?” I ask my companions. “That’s the regiment’s headquarters. Go ahead, don’t wait for me. It so happens that I need to have a word with this juggler.”

“Uh-oh, what has he done?” Darton wonders.

“Nothing. Please go ahead.”

He and Esmer ride away. I dismount and approach the juggler. He has just finished his performance, catching one of the apples on the knife and earning applause with some coins.

“Algeron. What on earth? What is this masquerade?”

He smiles, flicks his fingers and spreads the muffling cover over us, making us suddenly uninteresting, barely noticeable to everyone around.

“Bear with me. I don’t get to materialize very often, so I’m making the most of it.”

“I can see. So what’s going on? Why are you here yourself instead of the callback?”

“Because you are on a new case, and there is no need to prepare. You are already familiar with it. You don’t even need to change.”

I think I know who it is. “Kelman?”

“Yes.”

I keep tabs on all relevant aspects of the current case, so I know that Kelman’s situation has taken a drastic turn. Castle Berkadar is retaken by the royal army. Kelman knew there would be no mercy from the king, so he fled. At the moment, he is on the run, hiding in an abandoned barn. Running out of food, shaking in his boots, mad at the world. And to top it all off, his faith status is blank. Non-existent.

“Why do we interfere?” I ask. “He’s not even redeemed. The dark side won’t be too happy.”

“Their happiness is none of our concern. We interfere for the same reason as always: mercy. In this particular case, per Captain Esmer’s prayer.”

So Esmer, despite what I had told him, still felt partially responsible for Kelman’s crime, and found it in himself to step over his hate and say a prayer for Kelman. Good for you, Esmer. Not so good for me.

Oh well. I’ve had tougher cases.

“When should I leave?”

“Right now.”

“No farewell to Esmer and Darton?”

“I can do it for you, if you don’t mind.”

Algeron squares his shoulders, grows taller and transforms into a mirror image of me, uniform and all. I do mind, I would rather see them myself one last time. But, unlike humans, my kind knows very well that it’s not about us; it’s about serving Him.

“All right,” I answer. “Anything else before I depart?”

“A finishing touch.” Algeron reaches out his hand and places a neatly embroidered golden ax on my chest.

I lift an eyebrow. “Seriously? The man is wanted for treason, he is a coward, and you want me to show up as a member of the royal execution squad?”

“I want you to have his immediate and full attention.”

“A heart attack in the making. Which, given his faithlessness, will send him straight to you-know-where.”

“No. His heart is treacherous but healthy. I checked.”

***

The abandoned barn is on the edge of a small village, next to a river. The house that used to stand here burned a long time ago, I see the charred ruins overgrown with grass. The barn is half-hidden behind thorny bushes. Its roof is falling in on one side, there’s a gaping hole instead of a door.

I enter quietly. Kelman is sitting on a pile of old straw, looking out through a crack in the wall, watching the surroundings. He knows the king’s forces are searching for him. He didn’t see me coming, I used invisibility.

“Good afternoon, Kelman. Did you really think you were going to get away?”

He jumps. I do get his immediate and full attention. He recognizes me, takes note of my uniform, the insignia on my chest – and drops to his knees.

“Captain, have mercy! Don’t kill me! It’s not my fault! Please, hear me out!”

I grab him by the scruff of the neck and haul him up. “Don’t kneel before anyone except the Creator. What is it you want to say?”

“I didn’t do it!”

“Didn’t do what? Didn’t betray your regiment and your captain? Didn’t steal the keys from the southern gate of the castle? Didn’t open the gate for the rebels? Didn’t take the rebels’ side and join them?”

Kelman is shaking. “Please, let me explain! I’d never steal the keys or let the rebels in, I was forced to!”

“Oh? That’s an interesting turn. Go on, but let me warn you: lying to me is useless.”

“I’m not lying, I swear! There was this man in my unit, Raven. He was a bad lot, everyone feared him. He threatened me! He made me steal the keys! And the rest!”

“Nice try. There was no man named Raven in the whole regiment.”

Once again, Kelman doesn’t heed the warning.

“That’s – that’s a nickname! His real name was Vandark.”

I look him in the eye, and he shrinks under my stare.

“Another nice try. Only I shouldn’t say nice, it’s actually rather disgusting. Sylvester Vandark fell in the battle for the castle. You saw him dead. He can’t defend his honest name, so now you smear it, trying to blame him for your crime!”

Kelman finally sees that I do know too much to be lied to. He breaks down and weeps.

“Don’t kill me, Captain! I’m begging you…”

He is so far from redemption. I can’t get a truthful confession out of him, let alone repentance.

“Do you realize that you have earned your death sentence?” I ask.

“Please, no!”

“Do you, or do you not?”

“Yes, but I swear I’ll do anything to earn His Majesty’s forgiveness! I will gladly take any prison time, hard labor, anything!”

“Do you regret what you’ve done?”

“Yes, yes, yes! I regret it, I fully repent! Please, tell His Majesty! Ask him to give me one last chance!”

Alas, this isn’t repentance. It’s only fear of punishment. But I must work with what I’ve got.

“Listen to me very carefully. You asked for mercy. You don’t deserve it, but I will give it to you. Do not waste it. It’s not unlimited.”

Kelman looks up at me, still whimpering. “W… what do you mean, sir?”

“You must turn away from evil completely. That’s what true repentance is. Do you understand?”

“Yes! I’ll do it, I swear!”

“No need to swear, just keep your promise.” I hand him a tight bundle. “Here’s some clothes, you will not get far in this rebel outfit. There’s also bread, cheese, and some coins. Go to the farthest end of the kingdom where no one knows you. Start a new, honest life.”

Kelman gapes at the bundle, then lifts his eyes to my face. “You’re letting me go, sir?”

“Yes. Remember, this is indeed your last chance. There will be no other. Now, gather whatever belongings you’ve got and go. The search squad will be here in half an hour.”

“Thank you, sir.” Kelman grabs the bundle, stuffs it in a sack and starts gathering other stuff scattered here and there. “I’ll be quick, I don’t have much. Thank you, Captain. I will never forget it, sir.”

“What’s that knife for?”

Kelman drops the knife, picks it up and hurries to put it away. “Protection, sir,” he mutters. “Maybe hunting. Just trying to survive, nothing else.”

Lying again, unless he has changed his mind about robbing someone at the village.

“Make sure it’s nothing else,” I tell him.

“Test him.” Algeron’s voice that only I can hear.

I take a few steps around. As soon as I turn my back to Kelman, he hurls the knife at me, demonstrating the depth of his repentance.

The second it takes for the knife to fly is a very short time for a human, but not for me. It’s enough to consider two possible reactions. One is allowing the knife to strike and go deep in. I would pause, for dramatic effect, then turn around and continue the conversation. It’s very effective, makes an unforgettable impression on mortals. Unfortunately, it also tends to mess with their minds. Kelman is messed up enough, so I choose the other option: the knife bounces off. Kelman thinks I’m wearing armor underneath the uniform.

I turn to him. “Excuse me?”

Kelman falls on his knees again. “Forgive me, Captain! I don’t know what came over me!”

I shake my head. This case is hopeless. He can go on like this forever, promising anything under the sun, begging for his life, and yet ready for evil at the drop of a hat.

I pick up the knife and break it in half. “What did I say about kneeling?”

He struggles to his feet, trembling. “I’m sorry… I panicked, I couldn’t believe you’d really let me go…”

“You wanted my uniform, didn’t you?”

“N-no… No! I didn’t!”

I’ve had enough of his lies. “Get out of my sight.”

He stares.

“I said get out!”

Kelman grabs the sack and bolts out the doorway.

I am not in the best mood as I leave the barn. The assignment hasn’t gone well. I’ve done all I could; we can’t force humans into redemption, can’t make their decisions for them. I know all that, but still…

“A word with you, Blaze.”

I see a hulking figure dressed in black with streaks of red standing next to a tree. It’s Erfagor, a warrior of the dark. Just as I thought, they won’t stay out of this.

I approach. “What do you want, Erfagor?”

“Would you oblige me by removing your disguise? I can’t take you seriously when you look like one of those half-animals.”

“I wouldn’t mock the crown of His creation so boldly, if I were you,” I reply. “Feel free to look away if my appearance disturbs you.”

Erfagor frowns, but does not look away. “What business do you have with this mortal?”

“Same as always.”

“He belongs to us, and you know it. I ask you again, what right do you have to meddle?”

“The right of mercy.”

Erfagor smirks. “So, technically, none at all.”

“Technically. But His mercy supersedes all rights.”

“How convenient.”

“Let us not start a discussion on a topic beyond our comprehension. Neither you nor I can fully grasp the concept of mercy.”

“Why not? I, for one, understand it perfectly. It’s used whenever your side decides to stop playing by the rules. You just pick a pet and go easy on it.”

“You most certainly don’t understand it. As to playing by the rules… Please. You are not qualified to lecture me on the subject.”

Erfagor loses his patience. “Very well, let’s end this pointless conversation. Listen and take note. No more meddling. No more last chances. When he messes up again, which he will, you will not get involved. He is ours, he gets what he deserves. Do you understand?”

“I do. You have made your point.”

“And? Do you promise to stay out of the way?”

“I cannot make any promises, Erfagor. All I can say is that I will follow my orders. If I am told to stay back, I will. And if I am commanded to help again, I will help.”

He narrows his yellow eyes and lets out a low growl. “Then we shall fight!”

“So be it.”

“Fine!” He swings around, starts walking away and disappears in midstride.

A second later, I get the callback. That’s it, then. The case is over. The powers above have decided that my part in it is complete.

***

I receive a sad update regarding this case when I’m already working on a new one. Kelman made it to the next village down the river. There, he tried to rob a house. He had first thought of robbery because he needed civilian clothes, food, and money. I had given him all that, yet he still decided to proceed with his plan. He watched the villagers and singled out a house of a middle aged woman who appeared to be living alone. I broke his knife, so he used a stone to attack her. Unfortunately for Kelman, the woman lived with her adult son who had been away for a couple of days. The man returned and caught Kelman red-handed. Furious, he gave Kelman a good beating and threw him in the river. Kelman was never a good swimmer. He drowned.

Erfagor was right there, waiting, ready to fight me off. He waited in vain. Kelman had run out of mercy. Neither myself nor any other of my kind were sent to the rescue.

***

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