The Secrets of Lore Seymour

105. We'll Be Ready

Cyan POV

"Did you plant the device?" Ristain asks after I reappear at his side near townsquare. I used Lore's transporter to hop into Trinia. I barely managed to put the listening device by the Prophet's door without being caught. A frightening and abnormally large paladin stood by the door. Would have been an unpleasant experience, had I been caught.

"We're ready to go and I do expect a lot of thanks after this. You do realize none of this would have worked if I weren't around right?" I grin at Draven, who shakes his head. "Stealing from Vexsis turned out better than expected, and this is why I support thievery."

"That isn't what you should have learned from this experience," Draven says and is ignored.

I managed to create a frequency that would overtake all the radios or anything similar to play Ebony's recordings. Townsquare has a few speakers too that are used for large events. It should cover a lot of ground. Other than that, survivors also joined us today. They're scattered throughout the city with Red Moon members protecting them. I hand over Lore's transporter to Ristain. He's going to use it to get the speakers out first at designated locations.

Draven and I stand hand in hand as we listen to Ebony's voice carry over the city. She sounds a lot younger than I expected, though I know she was a few centuries old by this point. There's power to her voice though, something that keeps everyone in place. The city grows silent as all stand about listening to Ebony announce who she is and how she believes the Holy Church is going in the wrong direction. All that she predicts of the future is true; how she believed they would use the fear of vampires to make themselves practically a governing authority, how she feared people would be made into soldiers rather than healed from horrible events. It's crazy, and I think it's working because, soon, the city is in an uproar.

First there's minor whispering. Then people choose to go home or head to the nearest church to ask questions. Then Trinia burns. Ash and smoke stain the sky, blocking out the sun. Blazing lights cast the world in orange light. Knights of both the monarchy and the church rush to force the people back inside. The citizens do not take kindly to that, asking again and again if what they heard was true. When they're met by violent orders to get back inside, that seems to be answer enough.

All throughout the city, the Prophet's words continue playing on repeat. Those in the squares, dozens around the city, spoke of their past at the church and the people heard. Now they scream at the knights, demanding answers. Some headed for the church, though now they run in all directions to avoid the flames. We're running too. Draven and I scoped out a few good areas to get cars. The Red Moon had a few vehicles that were used for the speakers. There weren't enough for everyone to have their own. We agreed that we wouldn't risk waiting too long to meet up. It may get us caught.

Draven and I cut through the streets. When Draven and I round the next corner, we run straight into a group of knights. They were definitely given posters of us because they don't hesitate to attack. Three have guns and the other two carry magic infused weapons. Bullets fly past us. One hits Draven in the shoulder. My stomach sinks even after I see the skin heal over like nothing.

I cast a shield around us. Draven searches the area. We're the only ones here, so I'm not surprised when he holds out his hand. I haven't seen him use his trait in a while. It's always fascinating. A mist almost invisible to the naked eye drafts off his hand to cascade at our feet. The knights stumble back, confused, but the mist moves swiftly. It circles all of them. Draven and I retreat until we're hidden behind another wall. Then Draven closes his hand. I hear the soldiers mumbling to themselves, confused on what they're doing and why.

"You freak me out," I whisper, earning an exaggerated eye roll.

The streets have become a mix between deathly silent or outrageously loud. Families have gone to their homes to peek through the curtains to inspect the damage. Some run through the streets, taking advantage of the chaos to break into stores. Others seek out cathedrals to search for answers. Draven and I pass one where there appears to be two sides; those who are so desperate to believe the church that they ignore what they heard and those who become enraged at the priests blundering through answers.

"I didn't expect it to get so bad," I say, unsure of what to do when a man grabs a priest by the collar to violently shake. Others come to the priest's aid, but others aid the man too.

"The people are upset and confused. Their lives have been overturned and they're questioning what they've always known. It will be bad for some time," Draven says, tugging me towards him to rest a gentle hand on my shoulder. He smiles when I press my cheek against his hand for a brief moment.

Voices down the street garner our attention. Holy Knights round the corner to approach the cathedral. They're focused on the fight so Draven and I get away. We find a car to steal, hoping to escape before roadblocks are set up. Plowing through them is more troublesome than simply driving out of the city.

"How do we get around them?" I ask, then shriek when something slams on my window. It's Lore. He stumbles to the backdoors, opening one to ease Seren in. There's bloodstains on his side and his arms lay limp in his lap. They're strange in color, a deep gray and cracked as if he has been left out in the sun for years.

"Cyan, get in the back with Seren. You're a better healer than me," Lore orders and I know that is a tone I cannot argue against. Not that I would because he's right. Lore and I exchange seats. Draven pushes on the gas, searching the streets for the easiest escape.

I check Seren's side to see a faint scar. Lore managed to heal that wound, but whatever is wrong with Seren's arm is something else entirely. Seren explains what happened. Even that leaves me clueless on how to proceed. A basic healing spell makes Seren groan. I catch Lore glancing nervously at every pained noise Seren makes. Then Seren's right finger twitches. The first good sign.

"I'll keep this up, but Olere will probably have to look at you. I don't... I have no idea what to do," I admit. Seren offers a restrained smile.

"It's okay. It doesn't hurt," he says, though it does little to ease the tension in the vehicle.

Draven has found a backroad to take out of the city. I continue healing Seren, relieved that his right hand shows progress. Some color has returned around his elbow and his fingers are able to barely move. His left hand, however, remains limp.

We manage to get to the designated safehouse after over an hour of driving. I assist Seren out of the vehicle. Lore takes over from there. He hurries Seren into the house to join the others. They're celebrating, which makes me think everyone has managed to get out safely. Though that celebration dies down a little when people notice Seren. Olere runs over to help, easing them into another room. The door shuts behind them and the celebration continues. I don't join in, keeping my back to the wall so I'm as far away from all the hugging.

"He'll be alright," Draven says, standing next to me. "And everyone made it out. This is more of a win than expected."

"For now," I mumble. "The church is gonna be pissed."

"Yes, but we dealt a heavy blow, one that they are unlikely to recover from."

That puts a slight smile on my face. "Yeah, I hope so."

Draven stiffens for a brief moment when I I press a kiss against his arm. His light blush doesn't go unnoticed. Smiling, I rest my head on his arm. He grasps my hand, smiling. We stand like this, basking in the celebratory mood around us. People hug and pass around drinks to cheer the first of potentially many successes. This is nowhere near the end of the trials to come. The church, the monarchy, and the vampires of Vexsis will put up a fight, but we'll be ready.

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

Everyone has made it out of the city. Celebrations are happening for the success of their mission. Cyan knows this is just the start, but he's happy to have gotten to this point. Next episode will be the last. If you'd like to start thinking up questions for the Q&A, go ahead. You can leave them here or on the final update.