Chapter Text
Essek took a slow but deep breath as he scanned the court. He could see the bright pop of pink that was Caduceus’s tall head, as the firbolg stood across the way from him, eyes shifting slowly as he too kept watch. It helped to ground him, keeping the swelling of anxiety at bay, to know that the Mighty Nein were here as well.
But of course, they would be. They had been the ones to hear the secret plans of the attempt on the Queen’s life. It had happened during a scrying, much like the last time they had brought in secret plans from the empire. Essek had not asked who they had been watching and was simply grateful that they trusted him with this information.
That they had let him still be involved.
When they told him of the attempt, he agreed to meet with them at the court. There was little time. He had immediately sent word to the Dusk Captain, knowing she would be by the Queen’s side at that exact moment. With her permission, he began the perilous task of teleporting back to Roshona.
It was only logical that if he knew, and could return to court in time to help fight off this assault, then he should. The fact that it could help ingratiate him with the Queen, and possibly assuage some of the suspicions aimed at him, was just an added bonus.
Besides, if the Mighty Nein were going to arrive to assist, it would be logical for him to as well, since he was still technically in charge of them when it came to the royal court of the dynasty.
Perhaps this could also have an added bonus of showing them how desperately he wanted to prove himself to them. But, he dare not ask for such a chance.
He turned his gaze to Quana Kryn, locking eyes with the Dusk Captain for the third time that evening. He blinked once, letting his head drop only slightly in a subtle bow. Still nothing suspicious.
Essek was an incredibly patient individual, but the wait for an assassination attempt was never a fun one, even when it wasn’t against him. And yet wait he did. It was all any of them could do.
When the violence finally did break out, it was sudden. They knew that there would be multiple individuals involved, but to have a dozen figures abruptly lurch into movement was still more than Essek had expected.
The chaos was instantaneous, with shouting and magic flying in all directions. Essek kept close to the Queen and her captain, as was the plan, using dunamantic pulls to move and shift various people around the court turned battlefield, some even against their will. The nobles and politicians, none of whom had been informed, squawked with indignation as Essek shoved them into safer hallways, but their resistance was weak otherwise. The assassins, on the other hand, were harder.
A blast of vibrant fire pulled his gaze for just a moment. It seems that Caleb drew his eyes even during battle. Perhaps foolishly, Essek had a hard time looking away. The control Widogast exerted over the strands of fire that laced through the crowd, lighting up the assassins and no one else, was incredible to watch.
He would end up being grateful for watching his friend during that moment.
The figure appeared behind the human so suddenly, that Essek was surprised he was able to move fast enough. He reached out across the room, pulling Caleb to the side, and just out of reach of a wickedly sharp dagger. The strange drow woman, haloed by vibrant crimson hair, snarled as her blade sliced through empty air, before falling into the floor and disappearing.
Essek watched in confusion, for only a few seconds more, before he heard Beau shout across the room. “It’s the Caedogeist! Keep an eye on the floor!” Had he heard that name before?
He wished he was closer to the Nein, but they were quickly spreading across the room. Besides, he had other things he was supposed to be attending to. If the Caedogeist came from the floor, then he had a simple solution.
“Pardon me, your majesty,” he said before lifting the three of them up into the air. Fortunately, both the Queen and the Dusk Captain were familiar with the feeling of weightlessness brought on by dunamancy, and they balanced themselves easily as they hovered in the center of the large chamber.
“What is the meaning of this Shadowhand?” Quana said, looking around the room, her sword still in hand despite the distance between her and the enemy.
Before Essek could answer, their eyes were all abruptly drawn to the flash of red below. The figure had returned, cutting down a guard right beside Quana’s echo. The assassin’s dagger drew out of the fresh wound and slashed backwards, cutting past the echo’s armor. The shadowy form dispersed right as the woman slipped back into the ground, the guard she had killed falling down after her.
And then he remembered. The Nein had told him that the Caedogeist had been released. And now, with the Angel of Iron’s cult gone, she was free to go back to her old mistress.
“This is not good,” he said, partially to himself, but also to the Queen and her partner. “She is Lolth’s chosen assassin, the Inevitable End. At least we know now who would be so bold as to attempt this.”
“She will fail today,” Quana said, resummoning her echo as she did.
Essek couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw a familiar human wizard floating in the air as well, held aloft by a different strain of magic than his. Most of the Nein had also fled the floor, each in their own ways. Fjord flew as well, while Veth levitated about ten feet off the ground. Jester and Caduceus stood on the tables that sat at the edge of the room, each surrounded by tiny spectral forms of shifting colors. Beau and Yasha still stood on the floor, however.
Essek considered trying to lift them as well, but thought better of it. They were hardier than some of the other members of the Nein, and would be of more use in close range combat. He wasn’t even sure if Yasha had a ranged attack.
He was suddenly wrenched from his thoughts by a sharp pain in his side, as a poisoned bolt dug deep into his flesh. The dunamantic power holding them aloft wavered for only a second, but he managed to hold his concentration. He needed to focus.
The assassin who had shot him was loading another bolt. Essek fought strongly against the urge to crush the man’s body into a tiny ball, and instead continued his job, moving people across the battlefield. He knew his assailant wouldn’t be standing long.
Beau closed the distance between her and the assassin, and Essek knew that the man would not be aiming for him again. It was strange, feeling such confidence in the Mighty Nein. He wished that he could feel that same confidence for the other guards in the room, but he simply did not.
He was momentarily blinded by a bright beam of light. As he blinked the spots from his eyes, he couldn’t help but wryly admit that at least he could feel assured in the Queen’s combat capabilities. Her and her partner’s.
A flash of red pulled his attention once more, and he watched as several more guards fell. They keep clustering and making her job easier, he thought with frustration. But a thought was forming in his head, and he began to lower himself and the two women who he still held aloft.
They touched down right as the Caedogeist reappeared, and Essek grabbed for her immediately with a boosted telekinetic hold. He lifted her up into the air, struggling to keep a hold of her as she resisted his magic. He could hear her cursing in Undercommon, eyes darting around to identify who was restraining her this way.
Their eyes met across the battlefield, and he smirked at the frustration in her glare. If he could just keep her here until everyone else was taken care of, they would be okay.
“WOOOH! Go Essek!” Jester shouted from across the room. Essek couldn’t help but smile at her genuine cheer. Only she could manage to be so happy in the middle of battle. His smile immediately fell though, as he ducked out of the way of a blast of magic.
When did another mage get there? The plan had been to remove any enemy mages immediately, but this one seemed new. Essek contemplated sending some of his own magic shooting off towards the caster, but his focus was wrestled once more back to the Caedogeist he held. She was struggling against his grip, and he had to focus.
“Not used to being held, are you,” he called out, grinning internally as he kept a hold of her. She snarled back at him, before shouting out a command in what sounded like Abyssal. He could agree that it was smarter not to communicate in Undercommon, despite all of the assassins being drow. He just didn’t like it when his enemies were smart.
“Watch out Essek, she’s targeting you now!” Beau shouted across the room. Ah. Well, that was helpful.
He didn’t have a chance to say anything about it before Quana pulled him back behind her, her Echo covering their back.
“Focus on holding her still,” the Dusk Captain said as she took a defensive stance, now guarding both him and the Queen.
“We will end this scourge,” the Queen said, rage barely contained in her voice. A beam of pure light shot down from the ceiling and surrounded the red-headed assassin. Essek watched as she was engulfed in ghostly flames, her scream echoing through the marble halls.
Then his world was filled with fire, and he was flung from where he floated as pain blasted through his body. He landed on the ground hard, and for a moment, all he could see was the smoke rising from his body.
But now was not the time to lay down. He struggled to his feet, looking first for the Queen. Quana was helping her partner up. They were singed and burned just as he was, but they were alive and well.
It was then that he realized he had lost his spell.
He looked around, suddenly and sharply, straining to see that flash of red hair.
Then he felt a stinging pain arch through his back. He fell down to his knees, feeling the poison already spreading through his veins. He tried to look around, but he felt his head snap back as a strong grip pulled him by his hair. He was forced to look up at the blood-red eyes of The Inevitable End as she stood behind him, poised to attack.
“No more of you,” she muttered with an angry grimace before she plunged her dagger into his chest.
And everything went dark.
Caleb felt a familiar feeling of weightlessness fill him before he was abruptly pulled forward some ten feet, as if by a single point in his stomach. The pull felt like falling sideways, and he recognized the magic easily, but it didn’t make him any less confused.
He looked across the room to where he knew Essek to be and saw the drow mage looking at him with confusion. He was about to shout out to him when he heard Beau instead.
“It’s the Caedogeist! Keep an eye on the floor!” she shouted, and Caleb suddenly realized just how lucky he had been that Essek had been watching. He may be stronger now, but a hit from the Inevitable End was no joke, and he was still one of the squishiest in the group. Maybe that’s why she had targeted him first.
The Mighty Nein all shifted into different actions with this new information on the table. Caleb watched as Jester and Caduceus both moved to climb onto nearby tables, while Fjord took to the sky.
It’s not a bad idea, though they would become targets for archers, he mused as he pulled out a long dark feather from his pouch. He considered casting the spell on Beauregard as well, but as he glanced at her, she saw him and shook her head. She must prefer to stay on the ground.
It was a valid enough choice. Veth was already levitating from her own magic as he finished the incantation and mentally willed himself into the air.
The new vantage that he found himself at was nice in its own right, and he took advantage of it to target assassins that had previously been unseen to him. The rays of scorching fire that he sent flying across the room cast a strange warm glow across the normally cooly lit throne room. It almost felt wrong. Like he was tainting it.
His internal musings were cut short as he saw one of the archers aim towards the queen. The group had been lifted into the air by Essek, and while that made them an easier target for the archers, it did protect them from the more dangerous threat. Just as Caleb was thinking this, the bolt was loosed. Not at the queen, but at Essek instead.
“Kill the mages first.” It had been their plan. It would make sense that the enemy would think of it too.
That didn’t change the fact that he was feeling great rage at the action.
Fortunately, they protect their own. Beau closed the distance between her and the archer, and she was far too much of a threat for the man to ignore. Caleb couldn’t help but smirk slightly as he saw the fear in the man’s eyes. Beau was pretty intimidating in a fight.
Caleb sent more rays of fire off in a different direction, targeting the various archers he could see. If they could make the sky safer, then they would have an easier time. It seems he wasn’t the only one to think that either, as the Queen herself smote the man he was targeting with a vibrant ray of light. The archer fell, cloaked in ghostly flames. He couldn’t help but muse on how her flames fit the aesthetic of the palace far better than his own did.
Suddenly, he saw a dart of bright red hair. He felt a sickening drop in his stomach, turning to see who would fall this time. Instead, Caleb watched as the Caedogeist was lifted into the air, struggling against an unseen force.
“Woooh! Go Essek!” Jester yelled, and Caleb couldn’t help but smile. Essek was smiling too, though it was smaller and more contained, even now. This was good. This was very good.
He couldn’t help but feel lighter as they continued the fight. Essek was a valuable ally at the best of times, but if he could keep the Caedogeist at bay, then he was the key to this fight.
Caleb just wished he could slip back into that easy admiration he had once felt for the man. It was just hard now.
He wanted to. He truly did. Especially as he watched him during this fight, pulling and pushing figures across the battlefield like a tactician. And yet, there was still some doubt. That reservation still hung in his chest, despite everything that Essek did to try to atone.
A blast of magic shot through the air and both mages immediately honed in on the source. They had cleared out the enemy casters before. Where had this one come from?
Caleb turned his focus to the new mage, maintaining his height advantage despite the Caedogeist being restrained. It limited some of his options, since he had to focus on it, but he did not want to risk being her target once more should she manage to slip away.
He sent more fire towards his target, aiming all three rays at him rather than splitting them among the other enemies. How were there still so many?
The chaos in the room had at least died down some, now that the civilians had been vacated. But there were still far more actors in this fight than Caleb was used to. And it was dragging out longer with the sheer amount of enemies that they had to deal with.
Movement out of the corner of his eye warned him just in time as an archer shot. His magic shield came up just in time, and he saw the bolt skid off of it and fly off towards the ceiling.
In almost that same moment, another beam of bright light fell from above. It surrounded the Caedogeist, still held aloft, and lit her aflame once more. It was so much easier to fight her when she was held like this.
Then, he saw it out of the corner of his eye. That familiar thin ray of bright orange light. And he just wasn’t fast enough. The counterspell was still on his lips when the fireball exploded outwards, sending the three most important people in the room flying.
Caleb saw the red-headed drow fall from the air and slip beneath the ground in just a second. That light feeling of confidence was abruptly killed.
It felt like he was moving through molasses as he searched for the familiar form of his friend. Essek was lifting to his feet, grounded in the aftermath of the fire that had distracted him when the imposing figure of death rose from the ground behind him.
Caleb watched, his hand lifting far too slowly, as a deadly blade pushed out from within Essek’s chest. He fell down, back onto his knees as his eyes grew wide. Then he looked up into the eyes of the Inevitable End as she plunged the dagger into him once more.
Caleb finally got his hand into position, after what seemed like an eternity of watching this exchange. His other hand grasped the lodestone in his pouch and a thin line of green shot between him and the Assassin.
She was fast. Too fast.
He watched with rage as the ray hit her arm instead of her chest. Dark gray dust spread across the limb, and she staggered. Even though it hadn’t taken her out completely, it had hurt her at the very least.
She sank down into the ground rapidly, disappearing once more from the fight. Essek collapsed backward and lay motionless on the cold marble floor.
Caleb couldn’t quite describe the feelings that passed through his head as he broke rank and flew over to Essek. One could call it reckless, to drop the fly spell he had been focusing on, to land at the drow’s side. He was almost even foolish when he realized that the potion in his hand would do no good.
He struggled with the urge to cast the Globe of Invulnerability that he had prepared for the Queen. But there was no point, was there? Essek was already dead.
Still, he did not leave his side. He was out of position, but he didn’t really care. He was at risk, and yet he foolishly wanted the Assassin to reappear. Only she never did.
In the end, the last enemy was finally killed by an Echo Knight’s shade. They, too, had been waiting for the Caedogeist’s return, but she must have fled.
The rest of the Mighty Nein converged quickly, the battle not quite over for them. Caleb felt his heartbeat in his throat as he watched Jester pull a diamond from her bag while Caduceus helped her prepare for the ritual resurrection. He didn’t even notice that they were surrounded by other figures until one of them spoke.
A drow woman had appeared at some point, wearing fine clothes that had not been damaged by battle. Everyone else stood aside, regarding her with great respect. Even the Queen and Dusk Captain seemed to hold her in some regard.
“There is no point child,” she said, her voice gentle. “He is consecuted. He will not return.” The various kryn who looked on nodded, solemn, but not sad.
Jester stopped as she held the diamond in her hand, looking sad and confused.
“But… does that mean…” she began to ask, her lip quivering as she did.
Caleb knew what she was thinking. Knew what she was feeling. It was hitting him at that moment too.
Essek was gone. And he would not return to them, even if they tried. Not for several decades at least. And even then. It won’t be the same. He would be different. They would be different.
He felt the hollow disbelief in his chest as he looked down at his friend. Every doubt seemed so silly now. He knew that they weren’t. That they were reasonable doubts, but still… At that moment, he was just so angry with himself.
“Do not mourn him,” the woman said, lifting her hand to her chest as she did so. She grasped a geometric holy symbol as she did, but something about her felt hollow. Something felt… wrong. “He is already born again. He will return in time. Fear not.”
“But— It’s not…” Jester muttered, still trying not to cry. Caleb understood. This woman’s hollow words meant nothing to them. At least not at this moment. It didn’t change how they felt.
He felt the warm and heavy hand of Yasha as it rested on his shoulder. He couldn’t bear to look up though. He did not want to look away from the friend he had failed.
“Wait.”
The voice of the Queen sounded strangely hesitant. There was something thoughtful and distant in it that brought a spark of hope into Caleb’s heart. He looked up right as she spoke again.
“Do the ritual,” she said, her eyes focused on Essek’s still form, confusion and thoughtfulness plain on her face.
“But… Your majesty,” the first woman began, confusion on her face as well.
“The Luxon wants the ritual completed,” the Queen interrupted. Her voice was firm now, and any argument died at that moment. She looked to the woman as well, and Caleb couldn’t help but feel a spark between them. As if something was communicated, unsaid.
Then, movement at his side drew his attention as Jester immediately turned back to Essek and began to prepare once more for the ritual resurrection.
Caleb couldn’t quite clear his head at that moment. Nothing about this made sense, but some part of him still felt that desperate hope.
“This is going to be a little different this time, okay everyone,” Caduceus said, his voice still quiet, though with the tiniest hint of a hush to it that Caleb knew meant he was worried.
“Yeah, we gotta do our big spell,” Jester said as she continued to lay out the various elements for the ritual.
“What’s going to be different,” Yasha asked, her voice strained still from the earlier battle.
“We need contributions,” Caduceus said before leaning back and looking at all of them. “This time, we have to call him back to us.”
“What do you need us to do?” Fjord asked, ever pragmatic.
“Anything that you think will convince him to come home,” Caduceus said with a soft smile as he lit the last few candles. The two clerics looked at each other and nodded with a look of grim determination. Caduceus took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Time to begin.”
The sound of the room surrounding them dampened as a gentle breeze began to pick up, spiraling around the group as they kneeled on the floor by their broken friend. Caleb couldn’t bring himself to look away from Essek, as the gentle glyphs began to glow while the smoke from the incense swirled around them.
He didn’t want to admit it, but he needed this ritual to work. He couldn’t quite explain it. But he needed Essek back.
“Who would like to go first?” Caduceus asked, his voice deep and grounding.
“I… I can,” Yasha said, causing a couple of surprised looks among the Nein. They did not question her though, but rather shifted to the side to allow her to kneel next to Essek’s body. She held her hand to her chest, her eyes sad and thoughtful.
Gently, she unfurled her hand, revealing a delicately pressed pale purple flower. With utmost care, she placed the flower onto Essek’s chest, her eyes downcast as she did.
“I… I know that we didn’t know each other as long as everyone else,” she began, her voice barely over a whisper. “But… I think I know how you feel. I know… I know regret. And guilt. But I also know that everyone here, in the Mighty Nein, I mean…”. She paused for a moment, taking a shaky breath. Caleb glanced up in time to see Beau gently take Yasha’s hand. Yasha swallowed and continued.
“We can help. They helped me. And besides… we’ve already lost one friend too many. So please, if you can, come back. I guess… Well, that is all,” she said, finishing with an endearingly awkward huff. Caleb couldn’t help the slight upward quirk of his lips, despite the stress permeating through his whole body. He hoped that Yasha never changes.
There was a moment of silence before Jester leaned forward, her fingers anxiously drumming on her knees.
“You know Essek, I’ve been meaning to show you something,” she said, her voice cracking. “I made this for you, because you really are just so cool Essek.” Jester gently held out a tarot card. One that Caleb hadn’t seen before. Regardless, he could easily recognize the figure painted on it, surrounded by dark geometric magic and a multitude of stars.
“But you aren’t just cool. You’ve helped us so much when we are out here in this weird place that we didn’t know anything about. And you cared about us even though we were super annoying and kept asking for things. And… I can see that you’re getting better Essek. You are! You’re doing so good. And I just… Just, please Essek. Please come back.”
Jester finished and slumped inward all in one breath. Tears streamed freely down her face as Fjord leaned gently against her shoulder.
Silence fell over the group again, save for the gentle swaying of wind that still circled them. No one looked directly at him, but Caleb could feel it. They were waiting for him.
It made sense. They all knew how he felt anyway. Or at least that he felt something. He wasn’t sure even he knew how he actually felt.
Regardless, it was his turn.
Perhaps he should have tried to think of something?
He looked back down at the still face of his friend. His window to a younger version of himself, despite the hilarious reality of their ages. His mirror.
How terrible it would be to have that path cut short. That redemption.
“You aren’t finished yet, Schatz,” he muttered, barely realizing that he was speaking aloud. “You still have so much more left to do. So much more to be.”
He paused, looking down at his side. When had he grabbed Essek’s hand?
“And we will help you.”
The diamond flickered away into dust. The wind died down. And they all fell silent, listening intently for that gentle inhale of breath.