Chapter 17: Ruled by Madness Chapter 19: Two Faces of Evil
Chapter 18: River of Regrets
We passed back through Jehanna, heading east of the Hall, and turned north. We came to the one major river of the desert country: Narube River. Its sad brown waters flowed sluggishly through farmland and low mountains.
“I sent the Frelian army ahead to clear a path for us,” Innes said as we paused next to the southern bank. Ephraim and I were riding our white horses.
“Innes!” called Tana from high up. She sounded panicky. “They’ve been routed! I can only see Syrene’s regiment left! They’ve got civilians with them. Enemy forces are approaching!”
“Calm down, little sister!” barked Innes. “We’ll have to join with Syrene as soon as possible…”
A warp appeared right in front of Ephraim and me. Lyon appeared.
“Lyon!” I cried. He might help us save Lady Syrene and the Jehannian villagers. “Where have you been all this time? Are you well?”
“Wait, Eirika,” Ephraim said, a stern note entering his voice. “Lyon, we met recently in Grado, remember? Do you remember what you told me then?” His voice was harsh, and I shuddered and Lyon flinched, a terrible hurt look on his face.
“Ephraim… why are you so angry? I’ve so wanted to see you both… it’s been so long since I have…” His lovely soft violet eyes seemed to be filling with tears. “I saw Eirika in Jehanna, but I don’t remember meeting you…” He cowered away until my brother’s face changed to one of comprehension.
“Ephraim-” I began, angry.
“Eirika, I’m sorry. I thought- I thought- remember, we thought something was controlling Lyon when he told me he killed-”
“Ephraim, there must be something wrong with you! Lyon is one of our dearest friends!” I didn’t want to reproach my brother like this, but he had picked the very worst time to push his hunch. “Right, Lyon?”
“Yes, Eirika… Please-” I dismounted. “Thank you.” Suddenly pain seemed to wrack his body.
“Lyon?” I cried, stepping forward in concern. Ephraim dismounted hurriedly and blocked me.
“Eirika, wait!”
“…Eirika… run… get away… quickly…” The words were gritted out between Lyon’s teeth as he writhed where he was standing. One hand clenched his long hair, the other stretched out in warning. “If you don’t… I… will surely… destroy you…”
“Lyon! I need to help you!” I dimly heard Seth calling my name, and Ephraim grabbing me around my waist to keep me from running to Lyon’s side. I thought they were all crazy.
“GO!!!” Lyon shouted, before giving the most horrible scream I had ever heard.
When he straightened, even I could tell it was not Lyon who stood there anymore. “Hi, Ephraim, Eirika. Long time no see.” I gasped. What a voice. Deeper, gravelly, more nasal – it was another’s voice using Lyon’s mouth.
“Who are you?” demanded my brother. “Because you’re not Lyon.”
“Heh, I’m not Lyon?” the… thing answered, grinning grotesquely. “That’s rich.”
“Lyon would never betray us,” we said, the twins of Renais, in unison. “Not in a million years.”
The face that had once been the handsome, almost girlish face of my friend twisted. “Fine. I’ve had my fun pretending to be human, but now I can be normal.” It grinned again.
“Who are you!” Ephraim shouted again.
“Do you truly not know? What a poorly educated prince.” The awful voice tutted. “Think on the name of terror…”
“No!” Ephraim.
“Not…” “It can’t be…” Innes’ and L’Arachel’s words overlapped.
“I guessed,” said I, just barely audible. “The Demon King…”
“Full points, Princess,” the demon grinned at me. I noticed that the eyes were entirely black. “Oh, Lyon, Lyon… prince of misery… come out. Be not shy. I will make all of your darkest dreams come true. This body is mine to do what I please with… it is lost to you. I will kill Prince Ephraim and take Princess Eirika for my own.” Ephraim’s grip on my waist tightened protectively. “Is this not what you desire?”
The face changed again. Some violet returned to the eyes. Lyon cringed away from us, shielding himself with his hands, crying “No! no!” in such a piteous tone… His face… so tormented, so anguished… And then the fleeting moment was gone, and the Demon King had control again.
“Yes… you want this… I will accomplish it…” He warped away.
“Come on!” Ephraim bellowed, waving Sigmund at the others. “We have to find the Demon King and destroy him! Free Lyon!”
Tana flew ahead to where the Frelian commander, trying to shield a family of four, was fighting against three druids at once. The woman turned and nodded, and four of us – Tana, Syrene, Ephraim, and I – took one civilian each. Tana took the grandfather, Syrene the mother, Ephraim the little girl, and I the little boy. We brought them back to Danny and left Kyle and Forde to guard them. Our group looked to be spreading out very thin… but nothing mattered to me except Lyon. I was glad that Ephraim and Innes were now the commanders, and not myself and Seth. Oh, yes, Seth helped compose tactics with the other two, but not like when it was him and me alone.
Syrene dealt with a dozen druids by herself; Cormag dealt hits right and left to wyvern riders on the mountain, commencing a lightening-swift duel between himself and a wyvern knight, while Saleh and Myrrh dealt with four or five heroes on the southern flank.
We came to the gate of a castle. The possessed Necromancer was standing quite straight – I almost thought it was Lyon again. His ragged robes swirled around him as he laughed at us. It was just the three of us in the castle gate…
“Lyon! Please, come back to us!” I begged. “I don’t want to fight you!”
“What have you done with our friend?” Ephraim roared, his tenor grinding in his throat. I was a bit afraid of him, he was so angry. “ANSWER ME!”
The Demon King frowned. “Pitiful girl, wretched man, do you not realize? Lyon is dead. I ate his soul. Oh, it was tasty. I’m still saving the last bite.” He laughed. I turned away, sick.
“Oh, Eirika!” Ephraim looked at me with sad eyes. Then he glared at the Demon King. “You filth! Stealing our friend! I know you are using his body, but I’ll kill you anyway! Come on, Eirika. If Lyon’s not there, then -”
“No, I won’t kill him,” I rasped.
“Lyon, is this truly the girl you loved? I shall tear her to pieces with my magic!”
Riding swiftly forward, I drove Seiglinde into the Demon King’s shoulder. Fimbulvetr and Luna swirled around me. Ephraim’s Seigmund bit into his belly. I could not look at the demon’s face – possessed or not, it was too much like Lyon for me to maintain control if I saw it. The demon warped away.
I heard someone shriek from behind a mountain on the island in the middle of the river. Amelia, I think. Ephraim and I rode back to the bridge as hard as we could.
The Demon King was picking himself up from under a bush. Yes, it was Amelia, because her horse had thrown her. Franz looked grim as he brandished his sword, although what good would that do against a demon? The thing was growling, pouring blood, moving painfully, yet I was afraid of it. It cursed at us and warped again.
“We’ll find you!” Ephraim vowed. “We won’t let you get away!” He turned to the army, no longer raging. “Everyone, find a partner and search everywhere! I cannot allow him to desecrate my friend’s body any longer!” He turned to ride off, and Innes came up to him, showing him a great bow and lance wrapped together in cloth. After short deliberation, Innes kept the bow, and gave the lance to Tana. The family we had saved came up to us also, thanking us with a magic staff. L’Arachel took charge of that.
“Don’t thank me,” Syrene said to the woman. “We only prevailed with superior leadership,” she said, bowing to me, the closest noble.
“Oh, please,” I smiled bashfully through my uncertainty, mounting Aureola. Syrene mounted Glindara, her pegasus; the family went into their house, and our cavalcade, lead by Innes’s best trackers, moved off on the trail of the Demon King.