Dreadlords Lets Talk

[Chasmine]

She wanted desperately to crawl into that feeling. To find safety and security in the strong embrace of arms. Wanted it so badly it might've seemed she would never let his hand go. But after a few moments Chasmine drew in a deep and shuddering breath and reminded herself what happened to every other person she'd allowed herself to become attached to.

They'd left her.

Azzerin's words did not stop echoing in her mind. How he spoke of the way others treated her like a plague. The leper of the Academy, too embarrassing to be seen with. How Dorian had only spent time with her away from the eyes of others. How Noel wouldn't consider training with her unless it was at first light of the day when no one else could witness it. How time and time again, people only came to her for their needs while no one cared for hers.

The way Edric had looked at her at the dance. How Gaage had made his promise to her with such distaste on his tone.

"They don't care about you," Azzerin had said to her, "and I suspect most of them wished they'd killed you when they had the chance."

Chasmine's grip on his hand loosened as she pulled away, wiping the remaining sting of tears from her eyes. Azzerin may have been right, but even he hadn't cared in the end and she hadn't seen his intentions through all the lies he'd fed her.

"What message did you want me to bring to him?"

 

[Edric]

As Chasmine pulled away, Edric's hand did not chase her.

Yet the expression on his face spoke volumes. It screamed of loss, yearning. His eyes almost pained as that sense of calm and comfort was taken away from him.

The quiet seething anger returning to his core.

For a few moments Edric didn't answer Chasmine. He only stared up at her in silence, processing what he had just felt. What he was now missing again. His lips thinned for a brief moment, and he took in a long breath as he finally found his words.

"Tell him..." He began, then shook his head. "Ask him."

Yes, that was what he always did for them. "Ask him not to hurt the others."

Everleigh, the Initiates, that weirdo who had come to see him and the others. He didn't want them to get hurt, not if they didn't have to. Edric stared up at Chasmine, and continued softly.

"Our family." He said softly. "The Kids."

The Dreadlords grown? The Guard? They knew the score.

 

[Chasmine]

It was hard not to miss the look on his face and the way he stared after her. Chasmine had no idea how to take it, but it made her feel like she'd pulled a drink of water from someone lost in the desert. She maintained her space, actively pushing her own wants away and replacing them with the reminders of her own loss and pain.

His words were strange and she would later more deeply reflect on the ones he specifically chose to use. For now, she was far more interested in setting her mind to thinking of something else other than what just happened. A silent nod was her response, then with one last look to him she faded from sight and then from senses. Off to relay these words to Him.

 

[Lumen]

It was mid-afternoon the next day that Lumen entered the undercroft of the high security dungeon. Mud stains and other liquids less favorable stained parts of her armor. Boots were caked in dust from the road all signifying that she'd just returned from a mission. One of the many missions the Academy chose to send their initiates on.

She'd been told about Edric and a chance to visit him as a reward.

She wasn't sure how she felt about it but it seemed as if another illusion of a choice anyway. And she more than doubted the stories that anyone could've actually caught Edric unless he really wanted to be captured. But that wasn't why she was here. Even as she stepped into the room with his cell. The torchlight flickering off her face as she faced him.

Tawny-eyes swept his form, as if trying to find a clue among the shadows. There was no malice in her voice as she took a step toward the bars but not within reaching distance.

"Do you remember me?"

 

[Edric]

Edric had been sitting on his steel bed when Lumen arrived, a book in lap that one of the Guardswomen had given him.

She'd felt bad he had no one to talk to and nothing to do. Her guilt apparently growing when she'd seen him reach out and touch and talk to the air as though there were anything there at all.

Edric had almost corrected the woman when she'd spoken to him, but managed to catch his tongue and simply accept the book. It had proven surprisingly interesting so far, some fiction about an orphan stealing books and hiding them in his home.

His head pulled up as she approached, eyes flickering over her stained armor. Eyebrow raising. "I do."

He confirmed.

"You were with Henk and Alistair in Vel Draza." Edric recalled.

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

“I was,” eyes flickered briefly to the book he held. Then back to his snake-like eyes. “I’m Lumen. In the class, well, that was below yours.”

Before ‘graduation.’

The teenager hesitated a moment.

“Those friends you left us to face in the undercroft, they were very strong.” If it wasn’t for Alistair, she was sure herself and Aelita would be dead. It hadn't helped that Edric had drained her before he’d taken Henk over the edge. But even if he hadn’t…she knew it wouldn’t have changed things.

And she couldn’t asked so many different things. Said so many different things. Like why he’d betrayed them? Why he’d surrendered in the first place? If he’d planned on killing her.

Instead, she said.

“I saw what you did with Henk. Before you two hit the water. Were you trying to protect him?”

 

[Edric]

Edric nodded at first, confirming Lumen's words along the way as she spoke."They are."

Erodin, Nicholas, the others. One of them would have done it, all at once? He was glad they'd been told not to kill any of the Initiates. Edric frowned, taking a breath as she asked her question finally.

Then he paused.

"I was." He answered simply.

 

[Lumen]

She was right!

Wait, did Ysobel have Edric on her wall?

No, no that wasn't important right now.

She took a breath and stepped a little closer to the bars of his cell. "Well, that's why I'm here. Just like you, I want to protect my own."

She thought of Zinnia. Of Ysobel. Of Caeso. Of Lothar. Of Kor. Even some of the others.

"Can you help me? Offer any advice?"

She didn't have to say the rest because he knew. Knew that this wasn't the end. That more was coming. Gilram and his men and women weren't going away. In her mind it was far too late to stop the storm but she hoped to find a way to survive it and keep those she cared about safe.

 

[Edric]

"Advice?" Edric said, looking around the cell, pointing to the bars. "You see where I am, right?"

He asked, leaning back on his cot. "I'm not exactly the person to be asking for advice."

Edric said with a chuckle.

Then shrugged.

"But, best I can say..." Kress, what did he even say. "Listen to them, I guess."

He'd never been good at that, maybe if he had been he wouldn't be climbing a mountain now.

Well, that and he'd been made to brutalize every one of his peers multiple times on the training grounds. That probably didn't help.

 

[Lumen]

Oops.

That hadn't been exactly what she'd meant. Not that it wasn't good advice. Oddly enough, for speaking to one of the most formidable dreadlords of his class and as he said, behind bars.

It was good advice.

"I meant more like advice or intel that can help my class when we face the ones you're working with again."

Because he knew like she did, nothing was over with that group.

 

[Edric]

"Oh." Edric said, frowning ever so slightly.

For a few seconds he paused, frowning for a moment and wondering if this Initiate even had any idea of what she was asking. Who else had asked the same questions, and how they had asked it. A breath filled his lungs and he shook his head.

Then finally he answered.

"Don't." He told her simply. "Don't fight them."

He answered. "You will die."

The words were simple, perhaps insulting, but they were also true. Slowly Edric picked himself up from the metal cot, his chains clinking as he made his way over towards the bars. Never taking his eyes off Lumen even as he reached the bars.

"None of you are prepared." He said simply. "None of you are strong enough."

His hands wrapped around the bars. "You're all children, we're[/I] all children, bigging ourselves up because our entire lives we've been told we're training to be the best. That our control of our magic, our skill with a blade, all of that will be better than what anyone else has."

Edric said plainly.

"Well guess what, all of these guys have that same training." He reminded her. "Except they spent years in a system where they got even better at it."

Years under the old ways, a decade, far more for some, operating as true Dreadlords. With missions structured to kill, slaughter, and deal out the sorts of cruelty Edric and those younger could only dream of.

It wasn't true for all of them of course. There were weaker Dreadlords whom had joined Gilram, but Lumen wasn't asking about them. She wanted to know about Erodin, Amelie, Duncan, Gilram. The ones that mattered. The ones who were powerful. "If you see them coming, don't fight."

He told her simply.

"Just run." It was a fair warning. "Because if you don't, You'll just be another body Erodin has to run through before reaching the real threat."

Edric said the words with considerable distaste. Remembering the man and their encounter.

 

[Lumen]

She took a step back as he stepped closer to the bars. Yes, she had a healthy fear of him. She wasn't an idiot. He was stronger and bigger than her. Even behind bars. And well, look at what happened the last time he'd been close to her.

Head shook slowly. Sadly.

"You should know as well as I that orders are orders."

Running wasn't an option unless you wanted to be branded as a traitor.

"We've been raised our entire lives knowing our life wasn't our own. That it belongs to Vel Anir. Protecting those who aren't strong enough to protect themselves."

She paused, lips thinning as she thought of what her father did to her brothers before she stepped in.

"If that's all you can tell me," she shrugged partly in defeat. Training in the old system up until two years ago, none of them were naive enough not to treat death unlike an old friend. Death was always around the corner for them. So was pain and suffering. But it was all she'd ever known. And it was the path she'd been placed upon.

"Wait. Who or what is the real threat that Erodin is trying to reach?"

 

[Edric]

Edric's face seemed to slump, sadden as Lumen said the dreaded words; "Orders are orders."

He shook his head slightly in disappointment. "No, you don't get it."

Edric said softly, smiling at Lumen like he already knew he would smile at so many of his friends. Fingers tightening against the bars.

"You're just going to die." He told her. "You're not going to protect anyone, not in the long run."

A genuine look of distress crossed his features, as if he were actually trying to make her realize that fact. His knuckles becoming a solid white as all the blood drained from them. Eyes staring down hard at her through the bards.

"Don't throw your life away for them. Don't do it." He pleaded with Lumen.

Never bothering to answer her question, though, he didn't know the answer anyway. Part of his entire 'strategy' of getting close to Gilram was never asking a single question. Always being the blind and loyal follower. He had absolutely no idea what the Archon was planning, or who any of his compatriots would try and reach.

It had worked too, seemingly, the man was coming to save Edric himself.

Couldn't argue with results.

 

[Lumen]

She just stared at him.

Those golden eyes of hers' widening.

There was something more scary about this version of Edric than the one she'd faced in the tunnels of Vel Draza. The Edric that only cared about himself or at best seemed disinterested, she could handle. This one?

The one that actually seemed like he cared?

She didn't know what to do with.

"You're saying it like there's a choice. When you should know I, we," the rest in her class, "don't have one. You know monks were murdered in the tunnels that day? And who protected them? No one did."

The Academy sent them on missions all the time where they could easily lose their life. How was this any different?

Another sad shake of her head.

"I can't leave my own behind just to save my own life. I...," she began then shook her head, changing her mind on what to say and what not to. She thought of Zael. Of Everleigh. Of Ysobel. Of what happened to Edric and his class. Of Noel.

"I wish things were different but they're not."

 

[Edric]

"They were Guardsmen." Edric didn't say it as though they were less, he said it as though they were the enemy. "They don't care about you."

He reminded her sternly, as if anything else couldn't have been true. "They see you as a weapon, a thing."

His head shook as he continued. "That's what I'm trying to tell you."

Edric insisted.

"They. Don't. Care." It was like arguing against a mirror. "They are going to throw your life away for nothing, the only people who care about you, who will only ever care about you, are those you can't leave behind."

He told her flatly. "So tell them. Tell them that you give enough of a fuck to see them live, and then take those who are smart enough to go...and fucking go."

His hands finally released the bars, palm emphatically waving before he suddenly let out a dramatic sigh and slumped.

"Get it?" Edric asked, leaning against the bars. "Because honestly that's all I got."

In truth, Edric was astounded he was the only one who'd figured it out.

Vel Anir fucking sucked.

 

[Lumen]

She stared at him. For the flicker of a span of a second, an unexpected emotion crossed her face. She was like all those that were still here. Noel. Ralene. Evie. Those that hadn’t left at Gilram’s graduation.

A small part of her was suddenly grateful that Ysobel left. That she’d gotten out. As long as Gaage didn’t mess things up.

“For what it’s worth. Whether you get brought to trial or are executed or just escape. I don’t hold any ill-will against you. Not even after Vel Draza. I am sad that the old way still exists. Dreadlords are still fighting dreadlords. The guardsmen aren’t all like you said. But remember that Erodin and the rest are just as bad. We’re all just collateral to both sides. It’s not a question about escaping death. It’s about choosing who to do it for.”

She’d leave room for anything else he’d have to say, then with slumped shoulders she’d turn to go.

 

[Edric]

Edric watched her, and only offered her a quiet nod in answer. Though to which of her statements it was hard to tell.

A part of him wished that he had something more substantial. That he could have been the type of person to actually inspire or push Lumen in the way she needed, but that wasn't Edric. He was a force of nature on both his best and worst days, but just like a hurricane it was often nearly impossible just to tell how anything involving him might actually turn out.

As he watched her walk away, Edric realized just how difficult the next few weeks would actually be.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

THE DAY OF THE EXECUTION OF THE EXILE KNOWN AS EDRIC

One final visitor arrived to the cell block where the exile had been kept. Dressed in the black militant attire of those who were involved in the executions of inmates, this person also wore a black hood and obscured their face with a black mask. Their signifying mark? A red and gold cross pinned to the upper arm at either side, marking them as the attending Physician who checked the departed for the full passing of death and, routinely, attending to sick, ailing, or wounded convicts during their sentence periods.

Slight of frame, the fitted attire clearly outlined a woman's form, and as they stepped down the hall to come to a stop before Edric's cell they seemed to take a moment of silence to consider the young man before them.

"This was not how I hoped our next meeting would go, Edric."

 

[Edric]

The Guards stirred nearby this time, Edric noted as he sat on the metal cot. He watched the cloaked and masked figure from his perch, letting out a yawn as he leaned back. "I think if I counted right."

Edric said, lying through his teeth.

"Today's the day." Chasmine had told him of course. She had also told him Gilram would be coming while he was on his way to the executioners platform. "So I'm guessing you're here to make sure I'm all healthy?"

He had never understood why they did that. They even did it with Elven criminals, something he knew for a fact. Edric had witnessed it during his blooding. "Never really needed a doctor before."

Edric noted curiously.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

The woman said nothing in response to the remark of the day.

"Checking the health of inmates before their final walk is part of my duty today, yes," she replied, failing to go any further into the reasoning behind it. Despite the many things she found wrong within the laws and governing agenda of Vel Anir, this law in particular she did agree with. That an inmate must be of good health before execution. It was a right that given the context of how the law came into effect, presently was one of the few rights that were shared with non-humans as well. She supposed this did not count toward those who did not receive public trials.

The Physician nodded to the guards who had followed her in and stood away from the door, allowing them to move in, unlock the cell gate, and secure the prisoner within.

"You gave up no information, as I have learned," she spoke as the Guards attended to Edric, her voice curiously sullen, "truly, all else aside, you should be commended for your loyalty. It is a shame that loyalty was placed within the hands of Vel Anir's enemies. I hope what you have gone through here for them was worth it."

 

[Edric]

Despite the rumored lack of his intelligence, Edric had always had a great memory. Had it not been for the mask muffling her voice, he might have been able to tell nearly instantly who it was that had come to see him.

As it stood though, he felt only a pang of familiarity at the back of his head. "It was really a collosal waste of time for everyone involved in the process."

Edric admitted as the guards reached him. Dragging him from his place and pulling him to a chair that had been set up earlier. His chains put down against the ground. His rate of movement low, but he could still shift if he had to.

"But in a way." He said with a chuckle. "I'm glad I went through it."

Vel Anir did not have confessors, not officially anyway, perhaps that was supposed to be the other role of the doctors. "Prison's not so bad when you get to see old friends."

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

She waited outside the cell patiently for him to be properly set, and once he was ready for her a Guard nodded as they both stood to either side of him, prepared to subdue should he deign to cause trouble. The woman strode in, coming to stand behind him and removing a black glove so that she could place fore and middle finger at his neck at the carotid to check his pulse.

It was strong and steady.

"A small mercy granted to few with your convictions," she admitted, though she surmised it had less to do with mercy and more to do with hoping he might talk given the right visit from the right old friend. It had, indeed, been a collosal waste of time ... for his keepers. For him? Well, seemed he was rather content about it.

His pulse was, as she ever expected it to be, that of a healthy young man. She moved around to his side next, "Light."

The Guard at his side reached for a lantern hung near the cell door and carried it around to hold up for the Doctor. Having taken out a viewing instrument, she carefully took hold of his head and turned it to side to inspect his ear, and then shifted slightly to his front to get a good look into his eyes.

But that would also give him a good look at her own through the eyelets of her mask. Would he recognize them? Would he notice the telltale faint scar that crossed just over her left eye? Would he even remember that about her?

"I have always wondered," she said while gently tipping his chin up, "are your eyes inherited or are they a by-product of your magic?"

 

[Edric]

Elspeth didn't interfere in the doctor's works, at this point doing so would've just been obstinate.

"I guess It's my charm." He knew of the real reason of course, just as Elspeth did. They had hoped he would spill some kind of information.

As she shifted Edric's gaze followed her.

It was when her eyes met his that the recognition finally struck him. A small breath flickered into his chest, and a smile touched his lips. "I'm not sure. I heard my sister has them."

He told her truthfully.

"But the Proctors never came for her." Edric wouldn't have answered the question if he hadn't figured out who was behind the mask. His hand shifted in his lap, chain rattling, one of the guards tensing. 'How have you been, Elspeth?"

Edric, asked, looking up at her.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

The Physician's head tilted to one side in curiosity, "I was not aware you had a sister."

Was anyone else? Did the Proctors of the academy know? Is that why they never collected her or was that simply because she had never shown signs of magic? Or, perhaps more likely, had been hidden like so many others.

'How have you been, Elspeth?"

Those blue eyes behind the mask crinkled upward just slightly, a sure enough sign of a smile he could not see. As a person involved in the executions, however removed she was from them, it was important that her identity remain unknown. For the safety of herself, her familiars, and her family. Especially in the instance of exiles in relation to Gilram - one could never be certain if eyes or ears in attendance might belong to him and his ilk.

But here in the cell, with two Guards who had seen her face and known her identity since the start of the days rounds, she was safe enough. Despite the reputation Edric held and the many horrible things he'd done both for the Academy and for Gilram, she could not bring herself to fear him.

She did fear what his presence here implied, however.

"I have been well," Elsi replied, tucking the hand that held her viewer back into her pocket to withdraw an ivory depresser, "I reconnected with my brother, I visited my childhood home and spent time with my betrothed, and I have made great strides in several goals."

"Aside from being requested to stand in for the normal Physician who has taken ill today, my life is going well. Thank you for asking, Edric." She looked down upon him with soft eyes, "When I saw your name on the list earlier this morning I dreaded this moment all day, but... even after everything they say you have done, I have good memories of you, so I am glad I can perhaps offer one last friendly face to you. I just wish there was more I could do for someone who saved my life than just ensuring your good health."

She let a short sigh escape her, then lifted the hand with her tools.

"Now open your mouth and say 'ahh'."

 

[Edric]

Edric complied, though not before he spoke. "Would you mind taking off the mask?"

He asked, as if complying with her wish of doing more.

"If I'm getting a friendly face." The Rogue Dreadlord said. "At least I'd like to see it."

The jest came with a chuckle. "Besides, if It's going to be the last one I see...it's a pretty one to go out on."

He said, smiling before complying with her demand.