Dedicated to Kizaqt. Though you'll probably never see this again, you've always been my biggest supporter. <3

---

Chapter 5 - Trust the Instinct

---

The Silverborn made it to Darni's outer posts before their don't-tell-Donovan strategy fell apart. 

"I'd say we should be..." Luke's sentence drifted off, his eyes sliding past Tayne's as his lips curled into a sneer. 

Tayne suppressed an internal groan. There was only one thing in Lerelia that could inspire such hatred in his second-in-command, and to Tayne's eternal exasperation, it wasn't the demon population the Silverborn struggled to keep under control. And that meant...

"I do hope," began the Advisor as he levelled his loaned horse beside Wing, "that you Silverborn understand that this is not the most efficient way back to Alguarde from our previous location?" 

The nasal voice saw Luke flick Blaze's reins and drift back into the Silverborn ranks to simmer in silence. Tayne nearly breathed a sigh of relief. Luke may have been his best friend, but even Tayne wanted to smack some sense into him when it came to the Advisor. 

They couldn't have chosen a worse man to delegate to us. 

Tayne turned his attention to the Advisor. 

"Advisor Donovan, I assure you we're aware of the direction we are currently taking." He chose each word carefully. One loose syllable and the Advisor would pull at it like a thread and tear down the argument. "A matter has been raised that requires our immediate attention, and it has forced us to detour on our usual route to Alguarde." 

The scrawny man with a face like a rat sniffed. "I see. And why was I not informed of such?" He gave Tayne less than a second before he continued on, staring ahead. "You do remember that all matters are to be deferred to myself for approval? Or did that slip your minds?"

Tayne caught a knowing gaze from Wrain two horses over. When the elder knight nudged his mount towards them, Tayne placed his trust in his companion. 

"The decision was only just made. We were just about to inform you of the change in plans," said Tayne, bringing Donovan's notice to Wrain. 

It quickly became clear he was leading another horse with a less than willing participant upon its back. Tayne had to stop himself holding his breath when he realised the horse was Flira, Nathaniel's steed, and pray to the Celestial that Donovan paid as little attention to the horses as he did the majority of the Silverborn's ranks. 

Because if that's Flira, thought Tayne, his eyes flicking to the brown haired rider trussed in rope. Their face, though it was wrapped in a crude face mask, looked familiar. That means the rider is most likely Nathaniel. 

Wrain's deep voice held more respect than Tayne knew he had for the Advisor. 

"Advisor, this man was found attempting to infiltrate the Silverborn ranks," said Wrain. Tayne noted how vague he left the statement, and how little of a chance he gave Donovan to question it. "We handled it quickly and have since learned that this man is part of a group operating out of Darni. We believe them to be a direct threat to Alguarde's safety, and as such, shall handle it before the shadow cycle falls upon us." 

Donovan frowned as Wrain spoke. 

Usually, that look meant he was scanning through the lawbooks in his head, looking for some clause or loophole that would force the Silverborn away from Darni and doing their duty. 

Tayne kept his expression in check. If it was left to Alguarde's nobility, we'd be nothing more than flashy palace guards. 

"I'm concerned." Donovan tapped his finger. "As your Advisor, I am bound to tell you that, since this area is under Jendarlin law, any act or violence by a party associated with an outside city, such as Alguarde," he said, giving Tayne a meaningful look. "May be seen as an act of war, and the Lord or Lady of the land has the right to respond how they wish. As such, I would advise that you release this ill begotten venture from your minds, else you may find yourself weighed down with... problems when we arrive at Alguarde." 

The threat didn't go unnoticed. The King's order to saddle the Silverborn with the Advisor wasn't to aid them. There was no one in their group that wasn't aware of it. 

It was intended to keep them in line, and more importantly, as close to Alguarde as possible. By the King's logic, the Silverborn's activities were only serving to draw additional notice to Alguarde--like he didn't realise there were easier targets for the corruption to pick off at leisure before attempting to siege a self-sufficient city protected by magic. More than once, Tayne had heard the veiled warning that, should he draw the Master's attention to Alguarde, the Silverborn would be disbanded. 

 It was something that frustrated Tayne, not to mention the rest of the Silverborn, to the point where they'd seriously considered their options outside of the protected walls. 

Alguarde isn't the only city who needs help. Tayne took a deep breath. There's villages and towns that need it a lot more than those safe inside Alguarde's walls.

Tayne looked to Wrain, hoping he'd have a reply. 

The elder knight wore a small smile that amounted to one of Luke's devilish grins. 

"Then by your law," said Wrain, giving the 'prisoner' a shaking for good measure. "When this man attacked me, he thereby declared an act of war against the Silverborn." The Advisor went to open his mouth but Wrain held up a hand. "And, before you point it out, I will remind you that Tayne's position as the Silverborn captain automatically instills the rights of, if not greater than, a current Lord of the land in any human province." 

Tayne did his best to look seriously concerned over the matter, nodding along with Wrain's words. "And I just can't let this clear declaration of war stand, Advisor! My own knights, attacked! Perish the thought." Tayne directed his eyes ahead, the only place he could be sure he wouldn't burst into laughter. "We must march upon Darni at once and settle this wrong!" 

The Advisor's eyes narrowed. "I must object. I really don't--"

Whatever the objection was, it was interrupted by a shout from the sidelines. 

"Eagle!" 

Tayne stood up in the stirrups, keeping with Wing's movement easily despite the added height. He found the Silverborn who'd made the alarm and followed their gaze to the trees. A rush of movement caught his attention as something pushed past the trees, upsetting the smaller branches and leaves in their flight to safety. 

"A scout," muttered Tayne, leaning back into the saddle. "Something is definitely wrong with Darni." 

"And I'd say we may have just been spotted," said Wrain dryly. 

*+*+*+*

In the dark room with only one window and furniture she didn't care about, Skye bit down a scream as the Commander's blade tasted her blood yet again. 

He made it slow. Deliberate. The cold edge licked her skin as he lifted it from the weeping red line and dragged it across her arm, painting the pale, bruised skin crimson. Inside her silent agony, she heard the sound of the blade being placed on the table, followed by the rustle of paper. 

Once more, the Commander placed the map in front of her. 

"Where is your village located?" His voice didn't hold his usual anger. It held a cold disregard, instilled by whatever the Master had done. It terrified her more than she cared to admit. "Indicate on the map now, or this process will be repeated."

Skye lifted her forehead from the heavy wooden table she was shackled to. Her head swam, the lines and drawings shifting across the scroll though she knew they should be still. She felt dizzy. The inside of her cheek was bleeding along with her arm, but somewhere inside there was the will, however dazed and disoriented to continue with this insanity.

I will not give in. 

She spat on the parchment. Her saliva landed directly where the word Alguarde ran across the map. 

The Commander's face didn't change as she stared at him, breathing hard. 

She didn't have the capacity to speak, even if she'd wanted to. The mark left by the Master was leeching at her strength, and it was taking everything from her to hold herself together under the pulsing waves of fire that consumed her. 

"The Master promised you would be more willing this time around, but it seems this is not the case," said the Commander. "But he has given me an alternate option."

He skirted around the table with heavy steps and reached for a small, intricate box. 

Skye's heart nearly stopped as he drew a thin, lilac blade with black detailings from the box. 

The Commander had shown it to her once before, given her the slightest taste of the agony it could provide after she made her first escape attempt. A soul blade, he'd called it--a weapon that went beyond the mortal realm and reached into a person's body to scrape against their soul and damage the essence of a their being. 

To tear a soul to shreds.

He stepped towards her, finger on the point of the blade. 

Skye found a new source of energy inside of terror. She thrashed against the unyielding shackles embedded into the table so hard that her wrists turned raw in seconds. The wound in her arm gave a spurt of blood under the effort, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered--nothing except protecting her soul from that blade. 

The Commander stopped beside her. Skye hissed a warning through her teeth as he brought down his free hand and pinned her elbow to the table, effectively keeping her forearm still. 

"Those shackles are enchanted with shadow magic," he said in that same, dead voice. "You aren't getting out unless you have magic of your own to unlock them."

Skye threw herself out of the chair, forgetting her ankles were linked to rings on the floor with chains. She stumbled, elbow screaming at her as it bent the wrong way but she ignored it, still trying to struggle out of the Commander's iron grip. 

There was nothing she could use as a weapon. Nothing she could do to put distance between her and the Commander. Even breaking her own wrists inside the shackles was out of the question. The shackles conformed to her skin upon locking. 

Her fingers gouged the wood of the table as the soul blade touched her skin. A spectral finger rested on that internal part of her she couldn't see but knew existed with every fibre of her being. 

I can't betray them, thought Skye as the temptation lurked on the surface of the map. I won't betray them. Not even with my soul on the line. The corruption will not take them because--

The Commander's voice pierced her thoughts. "Last chance." 

Skye squeezed her eyes shut and dug her cheekbone into the table. 

--because I was too weak to turn the blade upon myself when I had the--

The blade bit down. 

Skye gasped, air choking her throat from the shock. The spectral finger dipped inside her soul, scratching against her essence as the lilac blade lingered inside her flesh. She felt it searing her memories, her values, everything that made her who she was. 

The blade lifted. 

She couldn't do this. She couldn't hold on to herself as her mind lay scattered, a divide torn down her sanity that she didn't know if it could be repaired. 

Instead of repeating his question, the Commander started talking. 

"I was an experiment of the Master's, to see if tainted could be granted magic," said the Commander. "Much as I expect you may become in the following weeks." The rustle of cloth entered her consciousness. "The blade likes your blood. Care to see how it glows?" 

The blade went down. This time, Skye didn't bother holding in her screams. 

*+*+*+*

Tayne strode over to Luke, trying to hide the building nerves from his movements. 

The Silverborn had dismounted on a tree-covered hill that overlooked Darni. Since they'd lost the element of complete surprise, Wrain had agreed it was in their best interests to observe what they were dealing with before they charged in despite limited time constraints. 

"Anything?" asked Tayne, glancing at Luke, who stood with two other Silverborn. 

"A fair bit, in fact." Luke looked uncharacteristically serious, which was when Tayne knew this wasn't going to be a simple in and out retrieval mission. "Apparently Darni's been occupied by corrupted. Citizens turned or killed, for the most part."

Tayne ran a hand through his hair. Another one lost. "I see. Any demons?" 

"Not from what we've been able to glean," said one of the other Silverborn with Luke. Rayume, if Tayne remembered correctly. "But it's worse. The shadow Sentinel--the one the corrupted refer to as Master--was here earlier."

The look on Luke's face suddenly made sense. If the Sentinel were here, the Silverborn had to abandon the mission and get behind Alguarde's walls before he found them. Even if they were at their full strength, Tayne would be hestitant to launch an attack. 

"He left an hour ago," the second Silverborn added in. "Or we think he did. That winged creature, the humanoid girl we've seen a few times with the demons? She appeared as some prisoner was trying to make their escape, and then disappeared with the Master."

"She does seem to possess the ability to shadow-step outside of their cycle," said Wrain as he approached from behind. "And the Sentinels of shadow, before the corruption took hold, were known to take Sentinels of other elements with them when they stepped. It makes sense that this girl possesses the same ability."

"Why was the Master in Darni?" asked Tayne. "They've captured towns before and he's never shown himself there."

The scouts had the answer to that."The winged girl was seen escorting a group of demons with several tainted three weeks back. The group was headed in Darni's direction."

"And whatever they had was important enough for the Master to have her escort it," said Tayne, catching the drift. He fingered the hilt of his sword where it protruded from the sheath. "It's risky. Even if everything goes to plan, we'll be pushing it to make it back to Alguarde before the shadow cycle hits, and that's assuming the Master doesn't send demons after us to get whatever it is back." 

"We're already pushing it by being so far out when the spike hit," said Luke. 

Tayne clucked his tongue. Why had he put them at risk like that? He remembered some vague instinct telling him to continue, but nothing solid. When he'd consulted Wrain's wisdom about it, the elder Silverborn had told him not to ignore it, to trust that sense that made him a Silverborn. 

"More than one Silverborn has been affected by the celestial deity at some point in their lives," he'd said. "Enough that, in my time, we learned well not to ignore it."

Still, it'd been hard for Tayne to explain to the rest of the Silverborn why they were risking their safety, but they trusted him. With Wrain and Luke backing him up, they'd kept onward. 

"So, what's the plan, boss?" asked Luke, the flippant tone back in his voice once more. 

Tayne raised his eyes to the sky, searching for anything that could be taken as a sign from the Silverborn's deity. The gut instinct was back, cementing his decision beyond doubt.

 I just hope I'm not imagining things. 

Tayne met the waiting eyes of the Silverborn. 

"We're going in." 

*+*+*+*