In Which Raia Is Witness to the Unlikely Outcome

September 28, 1167

It had been stupid of her to come, Raia had known even before she'd agreed to do so, but as the minutes dragged by, that understanding swelled to the point where she had to consciously force herself not to turn around and fetch her horse from the smaller clearing and ride back home, safely into her father's arms. She didn't even feel as though she was helping--all she and Had could do was try to keep a straight face--but it was too late to run. They couldn't just abandon Lorn like that, especially now that Deian had arrived.

She and Had had agreed to be there, but not fully involved. They wouldn't move, nor speak. They would keep their faces straight. Their role was to let Deian know that Lorn was not alone, but they would not interfere unless they had to; Lorn's plan was risky and foolhardy enough without one of them making an impulsive mess of it.

Raia and Lorn had both grown up among tall men. Her father was tall, and her grandfather was tall; Lorn's father had also been tall, as was his stepfather. But Deian could only be described as towering, monumental; even at Raia's distance, her neck ached from looking up at him. The strain was far worse for the shorter, nearer Lorn, she was certain--but if he was in pain, his voice did not betray the fact. "Deian."

The being's pale lips curled into an unpleasant smile. "I take it you're Lornian, correct? I must say, you don't look a thing like your father."

Lorn's hand twitched; not for the first time, Raia wished he hadn't insisted that they left their stolen weapons with the horses. "I've been told I take after my mother's side."

Deian sniffed. "You would make a pretty little girl, I'm certain... then again, I suppose a lot of men would. Clearly, your leader is one of them," he added, glancing Raia's way; it was warm for late September, but she had the sudden urge to shiver. "But I doubt that's what you care to discuss. If you spent that latter part of yesterday seeking out my grandson to have him tell me to meet you here, I take it you consider the matter at least marginally important."

The young duke looked even further upward. Raia's innards churned; she knew what was coming. Deian would laugh in Lorn's face, she was sure of it--right before he smote him. "Well, frankly, I don't think killing our people would be at all beneficial to you, my good man."

Not to Raia's surprise, Deian didn't look convinced. "No, really, it would."

"How so?" Lorn crossed his arms and waited for an answer. He'd said he would wait all day for one if he had to, and his stance did not argue.

The creature sighed. "Well, if you must know, myself and my woman and sons are the last of our kind, and our ancestors will not allow us to ascend to their plane so long as this valley is otherwise occupied. They claim that if we are willing to live amongst the humans, then we are unfit to live amongst the gods."

Lorn nudged his foot against the dry grass of the forest floor. "Then why don't you just go somewhere else?"

"You think we haven't tried that already?" Deian snorted, though Raia doubted he found the situation at all funny. "No, that hasn't worked. By driving you out, and slaughtering you all if we don't, then we may be able to prove ourselves worthy."

Lorn leaned back and opened his arms, as he was about to point out an obvious flaw. Raia braced herself; this wasn't going to end well. "But I can't imagine that would be much fun for you, you know."

Deian raised an eyebrow--or at least, the part of his face where his eyebrow would have been if he'd actually had one. "What are you talking about? Of course it is."

"Yes, but what would you say is more fun? Crushing a roach with a brick, or cutting off its head and following it around for a month as it attempts to survive without the ability to eat?"

The creature fell silent. This, Raia hadn't been expecting--but perhaps Deian was just toying with them. "I can't say I follow."

"If you kill us all now, it'll be over too quickly," Lorn clarified, "and then what will you do to amuse yourself? I doubt being a god would be all that enjoyable without the ability to torture all those worthless mortals who kept getting in your way--you know what I'm saying?"

Against all logic, Deian actually seemed to be considering this. Raia exchanged a quick glance with Had before looking back at Lorn. It was too early to be sure of anything; it was possible that Deian was stringing them along, just as he had done to her father. "I see... however, how do you propose that we manage to leave this accursed realm, in that case?"

Lorn shrugged. "Surely another way can be found--and surely it will be worth it. It would make your divine revenge that much sweeter, would it not?"

"So if I go out of my way to find some other way to achieve my ends, I'll be rewarded with the pleasure of making your lives miserable," Deian mused, his head cocked slightly to the side. "I admit that this does sound rather more appealing in the long run. But what if another way cannot be found?"

The duke froze; he had not thought so far ahead. Raia hadn't meant to speak, but Lorn was stumbling, and someone needed to help him find his feet. "Well, you won't know that unless you look first, will you?"

Renewed, Lorn nodded vigorously; Raia didn't know if she'd helped yet, but at least he seemed appreciative. "What she said."

Deian fell silent for a moment, his cloudy eyes narrowed as he took a moment to consider. "Hmmm. Perhaps I will try to find this other way of which you speak--but if I cannot, don't think for a second that I would think twice about returning to my original plans."

"Oh, we would never make that mistake," Lorn assured him. "Best of luck, and if you need our help, don't hesitate to ask."

"Don't think I will."

Relieved, Raia allowed herself a rather long blink; when she opened her eyes, Deian was gone. "Lorn... how the hell did that actually work?"

Had shrugged. "Who cares? At least it did."

Shaking her head, Raia approached the young duke and gave him what she felt was a well-deserved hug; sure, he'd done something stupid and reckless that had only had about a one in a million chance of actually working, but now that it was over, it didn't really matter. After all, he'd just saved the kingdom. "I think your father would have been proud of you, Lorn."

"Not to trivialize your victory, your grace, but I'm not sure I'd agree."

Shocked, Raia released Lorn and turned around, the boys following her suit.

It was her father, her Uncle Ovrean and Master Indruion at his heels. Rarely in her life had she seen him angry, but somehow, that made the fact that he was seem all the more frightening.

"Now, don't think I don't appreciate what you did for the kingdom just now," he seethed, the angle of his brow steepening with each word, "but I believe it goes without saying that the three of you have a lot of explaining to do."

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