Chapter 44 – Stone

Turning the corner, Hector had half a mind to pull out his blade, consequences be damned, when he paused short.

“What is…”

In front of him, six of the little red creatures were kneeling. And, he only just now noticed that the constant background noise was gone.

All the scurrying, the excitement, the chittering. Silence. It was just silence.

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, he began walking up the steps. “Kairon?”

“In here. Please, come in,” came a soft reply.

As he passed, he examined the creatures. They didn’t move a muscle. Each had their eyes closed and claws clasped together, as if in prayer.

When he reached the top of the steps, he spotted Kairon. His walking stick was planted firmly, body silhouetted against a golden glow. One that wasn’t from the sun.

The black demon looked like the focus of a painting. Around him, the entryway was like an archaic, black frame. In the background, as if the demon was the center of the divine, moats of golden light shined. From here, it looked almost like a star.

It was… unnatural.

“Kairon… What happened?” he asked, mind not fully understanding the scene in front of him. His anger and irritation, so raw, was fading. In its place, a horrified fascination grew.

“I owe you an explanation, Hector. But I thought it best you see for yourself,” said the demon gravely. Still, in that soft, quiet tone. As if speaking too loud was a sinful act in whatever scene awaited him.

Stepping up beside the demon, he got his first good look inside the chamber.

The lordling’s gaze went straight to where the sunlight directed. A pedestal. In front of it, his servant wept. “Hector… It was the Solari. They did this. I told you, boy! I told you! To tell them of what you planned. And now they’ve forsaken us. Just look!”

Aldous had always been a steady, reliable servant. One that thought he knew best, and considered himself entirely faithful to House Hallen. Even with the fall of his father, Hector never saw the man shed a single tear. And here he was, openly weeping.

It was jarring, to say the least.

Seeing his lord silent, Aldous kept going. “That medallion! It was different. Before, it was golden and mundane. But now it glows. It’s morphed and burned. A sign from The Five!”

It was only at that point that Hector noticed the signet. Set next to the orange gemstone, a golden coin glinted in the evening sunlight. The iconic sun sigil of the Solari clearly displayed in its bent, singed surface.

Without realizing, Hector began walking. His guards had stopped at the door, jaws slack. The lord couldn’t care less what they did.

All he had eyes for was the divine scene before him. Like something from scripture. Something of the arcane.

“And… And Elson?” he asked. His voice echoed in the chamber, carrying easily.

A new, feminine one answered. “The golden energy was beyond what we could contain.” Shadows unfurling, an elegant demoness revealed herself on the opposite side of the room. And beside her, a marble bisected torso with orange and purple veins stood erect.

“No. That. That can’t be…” His gloved hand lifted, hovering over his mouth. He strode forward, stopping just short of the marbled figure. Hector knelt, looking closely. It was difficult to make out details, as the face had been smoothed over and there was no hair to speak of. “Elson?”

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“It was,” said Kairon solemnly.

“Is he…”

“Alive? We don’t know. We hope not. What would a life be, in such a form?”

Hector processed that. Softly, he rubbed one hand against the smooth, polished figure. “My god… Kairon… What did you do?”

A claw gently pressed on his shoulder.

“No. What did they do, Hector?”

“They?” he asked.

Kairon nodded at the medallion.

“They.”