The Lesser Evil - 12. The Betrayal

“I will hunt you down, demon! I will get my sister back!” Isolde yelled furiously as she looked around the temple, but the object of her rage was already gone.

Edwin could not believe it. Lothar had betrayed him and taken Ida. After everything they had been through, after he told the shopkeeper to trust him, he had betrayed that trust in the worst possible way. Shocked and heartbroken, Edwin only managed to come to his senses when he heard Isolde’s shouts behind him, realizing they were standing in the middle of the burning temple. Panicking, he rushed over to his blacksmith friend, who looked more furious than ever.

“We need to get out of here,” he shouted, pointing at the door. “Isolde, Reiff, let’s go!”

The old hermit stood nearby, not moving. His eyes were still locked on the angel that used to be his wife, still unable to leave the demonic trap Lothar set for her.

“Helga… I can’t leave her,” Reiff shook his head, refusing to budge as Isolde tried to pull him towards the exit.

“Go, you fool!” the angel’s shouts startled them as they all looked up, seeing Helga staring at Reiff for a brief moment before she continued slamming her sword against the invisible barrier that was slowly starting to crack. “Go and save yourself! There is no point in you dying here,” she ordered, her voice authoritative and cold. Edwin realized she was not trying to save Reiff because she cared. She was simply stating facts. Whatever feelings she had for him as a human seemed to have been long gone.

“Reiff, please, we’re not going without you!” Edwin grabbed his other hand and pulled, finally managing to pull the old man away from his spot. Turning away from the angel, the two of them hurried toward the door along with Isolde. They were just about to leave the temple, when a voice from behind them cried out, desperate and weak.

“Don’t leave me here! Please...”

Edwin stopped in his tracks, looking at Isolde, realizing who they had forgotten about in all the commotion. They both turned around, getting a glimpse of Agilmar through the smoke and fire. The old man was still laying on the ground in the far end of the chamber, struggling to free himself from the ropes he was bound with.

“Please… Have mercy,” the high priest coughed, begging to be saved.

“Isolde…” Edwin looked at his friend, knowing she could not leave her father to die if there was a chance to save him.

“I am not a murderer like him. I have to get him out of there,” the woman replied, striding across the room between the burning benches. Grunting in annoyance, Edwin rushed to follow her. As quickly as they could, they grabbed the old man and carried him out with ease, leaving the temple along with Reiff. As soon as they were outside, they dropped Agilmar unceremoniously to the ground as if he were a sack of potatoes.

“Ahh!” the high priest groaned as he fell onto the cold ground, coughing and struggling to catch his breath. “Can… can someone please untie me?” he asked meekly, a far cry from the arrogant man from before.

“There,” Isolde replied curtly as she cut the ropes around his legs, not even looking into his eyes. His hands, however, remained bound. “And don’t even think about going anywhere. You’re going to help us get Ida back.”

“Of course I will,” he nodded, clumsily trying to stand up. “Isolde, I am so…”

“Don’t bother. You’re lucky I didn’t leave you there to burn,” she cut him off and moved over to where Edwin and Reiff were standing. They observed as one of the two guards they had fought helped the other one get on his feet and limp away. The shopkeeper and his friends followed suit, wanting to distance themselves from the burning building and find a place to sit and finally breathe.

The once majestic and sacred Temple of Dawn now stood charred and ruined as fire engulfed it from the inside, thick plumes of smoke billowing through its many windows into the night air. Throngs of people could be heard yelling and praying as they started gathering in the streets, watching the temple being ravaged by fire. Its stone walls stood unwavering, but it was more than obvious the inside of the building was completely destroyed.

As if in a trance, Edwin observed the tragic scene before him as he sat on the cool grass under a large walnut tree across the street, Isolde and Reiff next to him.

Agilmar sat alone, some distance away from them, watching the same scene and sobbing. “My temple…” he lamented, his voice coarse, almost a whisper. “Gone, just like that.”

Edwin clenched his jaw as he heard the hateful old man sniffling behind him. There was some twisted satisfaction in knowing that everything Agilmar had worked so hard to achieve was burning to ashes right before his very eyes, but even that could not fill the hole that was left in his heart when Lothar disappeared with Ida. He was not sure what hurt more - losing his friend after having just rescued her, or being betrayed by the demon he foolishly allowed himself to get so attached to.

Watching the Temple of Dawn burn felt almost cathartic to him, as if he was releasing all of his anger and using it to fuel the fire. It was supposed to be a holy place, a sanctuary where people would come to pray and get solace. Instead, it was a cursed building, corrupted by one man blinded by his fanaticism. Edwin wanted to scream, to punch the high priest and make him feel all the pain he was feeling. Was he wrong for helping Isolde save her father? He was not sure of it, but perhaps she was right. Perhaps Agilmar could at least be useful in helping them find Ida. If he managed to summon her once, maybe he could do it again.

“We’ll find her, you know,” Edwin finally broke the silence as he turned to look at Isolde. He wasn’t even sure in his own words, but he had to believe. If he said it out loud, maybe he could actually speak it into existence. Or maybe Isolde would find a way to convince him.

Sadly for him, that was not the case. The woman refused to even look at him, her gaze fixed on the crowd that gathered in the street to observe the great fire.

“And how do you know that?” she responded frostily, her face like a stony mask. “Do you have any more demons willing to help us? We never should’ve trusted him. You never should’ve trusted him.”

“That’s not fair. I didn’t know this would happen. I wanted to find Ida as much as you did,” Edwin replied, turning away. “We wouldn’t have even found her in the first place if it wasn’t for…” he suddenly stopped, unable to say Lothar’s name out loud. Just thinking of him felt like getting stabbed in the heart.

“Maybe so, but what does that do for me now? Nothing. Ida is still gone. I have no more family left.”

“Then we’ll find her again. We don’t stop until we get her back. Is that right, Reiff?” he asked as he turned to the large man to his left, expecting support. The hermit, however, merely stared into the distance, a sad look in his teary eyes.

“I don’t care anymore,” Reiff spoke after a while, shaking his head slightly so that it was barely noticeable.

Edwin could feel another wave of guilt washing over him. Even though he was not responsible for Helga’s fate, he could not look at the innocent man next to him and not feel sorry for what he had to witness that night. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Reiff cut him off.

“It’s been eight years. Eight years since she disappeared on me. I lost everything trying to get her back, but I didn’t care. My work, my house, my friends… Because I didn’t care about anything else but finding her. Even when I thought there was nothing else I could do, when I’d stopped trying, I still didn’t lose all hope. I thought that no matter how much time had passed, there was still a chance I’d see her again. That’s what kept me going, but now…”

A pang of sadness tearing at his insides, Edwin put a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Perhaps she’s found a way to escape,” he said, glancing back at the burning temple.

“Even if she did, she’s still gone. You saw her with your own eyes, Edwin. Whatever they did to her… That’s not my Helga anymore. It just looks like her,” Reiff replied, his voice weaker than Edwin had ever heard it. “All I care about now is making sure he gets what he deserves,” he turned, staring at Agilmar with eyes full of hatred. The high priest flinched at the threat, but did not dare to reply.

“I hope you find your friend. Perhaps it’s still not too late for her,” the hermit replied, sounding resigned to his fate.

“And it’s not too late for you either,” Edwin insisted. “Do you think Helga would have wanted you to spend your life suffering, isolating yourself from everyone and withering away?” The hermit did not move nor make any indication that he heard Edwin’s words. Taking his silence as permission to continue, the shopkeeper went on. “She would’ve wanted you to be happy, to laugh, work, spend time with friends. Even just now at the temple, she wanted you to go and save yourself.”

“That wasn’t Helga and you know it.”

“How can you be so certain of that? Perhaps there was a small part of her left, something that even the angels could not erase,” Edwin continued, saying whatever he could to lift the man’s spirits. “There is still so much you can do with your life. You were a great carpenter, I’m sure whoever takes over the temple would hire you to help them rebuild it.”

“Why would I want that? I’d rather if the whole place burned to the ground,” Reiff responded gruffly, glancing at the church with hatred.

“Because, even if that monster defiled it with his evil, you can help turn it into a place Helga wanted it to be. You can make sure people remember her and all the good she did. And Agilmar will never set foot in it again for as long as he lives.”

~~

Lothar moved through one of the many dark hallways of the Obsidian Keep, his prisoner obediently walking next to him. He had not spoken a single word since he blinked them both to the Demonic Domain, too busy thinking of Edwin and the state he had left him in. The image of his beloved’s face, looking at him heartbroken, pleading with him not to go, would not leave his mind.

“Who are you? Where are you taking me?” a timid voice stirred the demon from his thoughts, but he pressed on, dragging the girl along with him. He could not stop, and would not look at her. The truth was, he was ashamed of what he had done. He hated himself for lying to Edwin and taking his friend away. The young woman was clearly frightened and on the brink of tears, far from the witty, carefree girl that Edwin used to tell him about.

Perhaps Nyra was right, he was so stupid. After centuries of being loyal and doing his job brilliantly, he just had to fall in love with a human and develop a conscience.

Still, he had to see things through, there was no other way. If he failed Cromwell, or worse yet, betrayed him for a human, there was no telling what the demon lord would do to all of them.

“Don’t worry,” he finally spoke quietly, addressing Ida. “Just don’t cause any trouble and you’ll be fine. We just need information about the angels. Tell us what we need to know, and I’ll take you back to Edwin and your sister.”

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know,” Ida replied readily. “Do you… do you know Isolde and Edwin? Will they be fine?”

Suddenly, Lothar stopped as they arrived in front of a large, heavy door carved with demonic runes - the entrance to Cromwell’s chambers.

“We’re here,” the demon said, ignoring her last question. “Don’t oppose Cromwell. Tell him whatever he wants to know.” With that last warning, he knocked on the door.

Rather than Cromwell himself inviting him in, the door was opened by two guards who stood nearby. Their faces were unreadable as they stared at the new arrivals, but Lothar paid them no mind. He walked into the chamber with Ida, looking at the demon lord with all the confidence and courage he could muster. There was no one else inside aside from Pang, the large black panther that laid on the ground, lazily licking its paws, not paying attention to anyone.

“My lord, I’ve done as you asked. I’ve found the girl and brought her to you,” Lothar announced, every word feeling like a stab in the guts.

“So you did,” Cromwell raised an eyebrow, lifting himself up from his seat. “Well done… well done indeed.”

Lothar could not help but detect the note of surprise in his voice. Was the demon lord expecting him to fail? Did he doubt Lothar’s abilities, or even worse – his loyalty?

“So, this is the human that angels deemed worthy to steal?” Cromwell asked as he approached Ida. Nearly three times her size, he circled around her like a predator around its prey. The girl stood silent and looked straight ahead, clearly suppressing the urge to shake in fear. “Well – can’t you speak?!”

“Y-yes,” Ida stuttered, still not daring to look Cromwell in the eyes.

Lothar stood aside, his eyes trained on the other demon as if he was about to tear the girl’s head off at any moment.

“Good. So you won’t be useless,” the burly, red-haired demon lord grunted, stopping in front of the girl. “What did the angels want with you?”

“They… they spoke about a plan. They wouldn’t tell me all of it but… They said I was perfect because I was a priestess, that I was spreading faith among people. And that once they were done with me, I would be even more useful,” Ida replied obediently.

“It confirms what we thought. They’re trying to convert even more souls to their cause, as if humans aren’t dumb enough to do that on their own,” Cromwell scoffed, talking to no one in particular. “If they’re risking going to Earth and exposing themselves, that means they’re desperate. They want war.”

The panther suddenly stopped cleaning herself and looked at her master, as if understanding what he was saying.

“What did they do to you?”

“When they brought me… there, I don’t even know where that is, they took me to a lake. It was silver and shimmery, but so cold. They held me and pushed me under until I was almost drowning. Then they took me out and brought me to a tower. I pleaded that they take me home, but I hardly ever got a reply. They put me in a chamber, laid me on a bed and covered me with something. I don’t know what it was, but I fell asleep soon after. They did that almost every day,” Ida spoke. “There were others like me there, lost and confused.”

“Others? How many?” Cromwell asked.

“Dozens. I didn’t know what to think at the time, but now I know they must’ve been humans like me because they weren’t wearing the cloaks that all the angels wore. I tried talking to some of them, but the angels wouldn’t let me. I just needed a friendly face, someone to talk to, but there was no one.”

Once Cromwell was finally satisfied that he had gotten all the answers he needed, he motioned to the guards by the door. “Take her to the dungeon. We’re done here.”

Lothar cast a panicked look at Ida, then back at Cromwell, feeling a knot in his stomach. He could see the poor girl looking at him pleadingly, but there was little he could do. “My lord…”

“You’re dismissed. Be on your way,” the demon lord replied, not sparing Lothar a second glance as the guards grabbed hold of Ida and blinked out of the room.

“Very well, I just… Do you not want me to take her back? If you’re done questioning her, that is.”

“Take her back?” Cromwell let out a booming laugh, crouching down to pat Pang along her strong neck. The panther closed her eyes, enjoying the attention. “Why would we do that? Think someone on Earth is gonna miss her?”

“No, I… I know you said we just needed her for information.”

“And we got the information, so we don’t need her anymore,” the demon lord replied. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to set her free. We stole one of the angels’ playthings, and now its ours. Any problems with that?”

Clenching his jaw, Lothar shook his head. He knew better than to defy Cromwell. “No, my lord.”

“Then leave,” the other demon demanded, his tone serious and final.

Without another word, Lothar obeyed, vanishing from the room. He knew there was nothing else he could say. Any attempts to go against Cromwell’s orders would lead not only to Ida’s swift death, but to his own as well.

As he walked towards his home, leaving the Obsidian Keep behind, Lothar wondered how Ida was being treated. Were they going to hurt her? Starve her? Whatever happened to her, it would be on his conscience, as he was the one who brought her there. The feeling of guilt that was eating him up was not subsiding, but another emotion was starting to grow even stronger inside Lothar – the desire to slit Cromwell’s throat.

~~

It was still night when Edwin and Isolde started making their way to Sigrid’s house, taking Agilmar with them as their prisoner. To Edwin’s surprise, Reiff did not abandon them. Despite what he had said earlier that night, he came along, always keeping an eye on the high priest.

“I’m not letting him out of my sight,” he muttered as he walked alongside Edwin, glancing at the old man in front of them.

The rest of the walk was mostly spent in silence. Even though the shopkeeper tried to initiate a conversation a few times, neither Isolde nor Reiff seemed to be in a talkative mood. After a few minutes, Edwin gave up trying.

As he expected, Sigrid greeted them with a mixture of shock and anger when they appeared at her doorstep with Agilmar in tow.

“What is he doing here?” the old woman asked, pointing at the man she despised, the man who killed her sister.

“I’m sorry for bringing him to your home, but we may need him to find Ida,” Isolde was the first to speak, casting an apologetic look at the mystic. “I know he’s the last person you wish to see, trust me.”

Sigrid nodded and took her hand, squeezing it in support. “You mean to say you did not manage to find your sister?”

“We did, but… It’s a long story,” Isolde replied, entering the small wooden house, and the rest of the group filed in after her.

Edwin took it upon himself to recount the events of the night, as painful as it was to go through it again. Sigrid stayed silent the entire time, running her bejeweled fingers through a translucent bowl filled with small crystals of various colors. Clearly, she and Mildburg shared many interests, the shopkeeper noticed. Actually, it was more than that. It was a lifestyle for them.

It wasn’t until Edwin finished that Sigrid finally spoke, shaking her head. “I knew I should’ve come with you. I could’ve helped.”

“You could’ve gotten yourself hurt, or worse,” Isolde said. “I never said it, but… I’m really sorry about your sister. I barely knew her, but I know she was only trying to help, just as you’re trying to help us now. Even though I shouldn’t be the one apologizing,” she added, looking at her father out of the corner of her eye.

“Thank you, child,” Sigrid replied before Agilmar had a chance to react. “I appreciate it, but I don’t need an apology. What I need is justice, and I know it will come.”

The tension in the room was getting more palpable with every passing moment, entirely caused by Agilmar’s presence. It was Sigrid who broke it by turning to Edwin as she clasped her hands together. “So, what do you intend to do now? I would like to assist however I can.”

“We need to try and get Ida back, and he will be the one to do it,” the shopkeeper replied, turning to the high priest, who sat in a chair in the corner and had not spoken the entire time. “Whatever you did to summon her in the temple, you will do it again, or show us how so that we can do it. Understood?”

“Of course,” the old man nodded, nervously looking at the stern faces staring at him. “I shall do what you ask of me. I just… do you have a copy of the holy scripture in your home?” he asked, turning to the old mystic. “I shall need it to recite the prayer.”

Sigrid frowned and stood up, the chair squeaking as she did. After rummaging through her wooden cabinet, she returned with a small leather-bound book in her hand. Without a word, she dropped the book at the table in front of the priest, letting it fall with a light thud.

“Thank you,” he replied curtly, his eyes focused on the book. He opened it, turning the pages until he found the section he needed.

The tension and awkwardness in the room morphed into anticipation as everyone silently observed the old priest, watching his mouth move as he muttered the prayers from the scripture.

Edwin thought of how only a few hours ago, he was at the temple, watching Agilmar do the same exact thing. Once again, he felt the same anxiety mixed with hope, wondering if his dear friend would somehow return to him. Only this time, nothing was happening. There was no shimmering golden light suddenly appearing out of thin air. Minutes passed, but Ida was nowhere to be seen.

Edwin’s stomach dropped as he feared the worst. He could not believe that Lothar would harm his friend, but would that be so difficult to believe after everything that happened?

“What’s happening? Where is Ida?” Isolde insisted, glaring at her father. “What did you do?!”

“Nothing, I… I did everything exactly the same,” Agilmar stuttered, looking up at his daughter’s angry face.

“I don’t believe you!”

“But I promise, it’s the same prayer. Here, look...” he replied nervously, offering the book to her. “You can try it yourself if you don’t believe me. It’s all he-”

Not waiting for him to finish, the young woman snatched the book from his fingers, eyeing the verses he had pointed out.

“Do you want to try?” Edwin asked her, leaning over to look at the book.

“Of course I want to try!” she replied abrasively. “As if I can trust him ever again.”

Once again, silence fell over the room, only broken by the soft sounds of prayers. Only this time, it was Isolde who was reciting them. Over and over she tried, and with each attempt, Edwin was losing a little more hope. He wondered if the prayer could ever work if spoken by someone who never showed much faith, such as Isolde. It was certainly easier to believe that was the cause.

Whatever the reason was, the prayer showed no results, no matter who was reciting it. As the dawn started to break, the first rays of cold, morning sun sneaking through the curtained windows, Edwin placed a gentle hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Isolde, it’s not…”

“Leave me alone! I have to keep trying,” the young woman sobbed as she wiped her nose with her hand, still staring at the book in front of her. “I can’t give up.”

“Edwin is right,” Reiff grumbled from his chair, where he had been napping on and off throughout the night. “We have to try something else.”

“But what?”

Looking up from her tarot cards that she had spread on the table in front of her, Sigrid spoke: “I cannot be sure, but if the demon indeed took your sister to his realm, perhaps that is the reason we cannot summon her back? I suppose a holy prayer would not be designed to bring anyone from the dark realms.”

“Then what do we do?” Isolde inquired.

“I have never done this, of course, but… what if we alter the prayer - reverse its effect so that instead of bringing Ida here…”

“...it takes us to wherever she is,” Edwin finished her sentence.