Revenant's Resolve Chapter 26

Reznik stared at the wall. 

In his mind, he ran through ideas like he was chasing a herd of deer that perpetually scattered in every direction. 

Zarah had been taken by the Queen and her men to some dungeon. 

He needed to free her, somehow. 

Reznik was sure that in the moment, he could’ve easily torn through the guards, killed the queen, and possibly escaped safely with Zarah and Luminita in tow. He had been about to, in fact, as Zarah was removed by the black-clad men. 

Instead, she had simply shaken her head while making direct eye contact. For some reason, she didn’t -want- him to fight back, to free her. 

Then, she’d smiled in a way that pulled emotions he couldn’t quite parse up from the depths of his chest and into his head. 

There were a great many terrible options on what to do now, and scant few truly good ones. In addition, those ideas that might genuinely be good were buried under the sea of awful ideas that always seemed to leap to the forefront of his mind. 

Like storming the castle to free her. 

That was, in fact, a bad idea - Revenant or not. 

Thinking of a good idea felt like searching his way through a haystack to find a needle. 

No, not just a haystack - a veritable hay mountain. 

Reznik heard a thud from the second floor and turned fractionally to eye the stairwell. 

Should he go check on Luminita? 

She’d stormed abruptly up the stairs as soon as the Queen’s men had slammed the door behind them with punctuative finality.

She’s probably taking this… not well. 

I… fuck. I don’t know how to comfort a woman! 

I can barely string a sentence together! Granted - far better than I was a month ago, not to mention a year. 

But still. 

What good will I do, she’ll probably sort out her own feelings by herself, and then can tell me what to do. 

A door upstairs slammed. 

Boots thudded.

And then Luminita emerged from the staircase. 

Ah. I may have misjudged this. 

Luminita was wearing one of Zarah’s spare, pouch-laden belts cinched around the waist of her dress. She also wore a steel breastplate, and a sword belted at her hip. 

In her hands, she held a crossbow with a bolt racked and loaded. She looked like she’d been crying. 

Luminita sniffled once and nodded her head towards the door. 

“Well? Let’s go.” She stated matter-of-factually before exhaling a shaky breath. Her knees also shook just enough to rustle the folds of her dress. “We-we’re not leaving her to rot in some dungeon. If we leave now, we might be able to take some back alleys and catch them off guard while they’re heading back to the castle. 

“From there we… uh-uhm… we’ll get out of the city and try to make it to Prussany - or, or, Francia. Somewhere not… here.” 

Reznik watched her for a moment longer, head tilted thoughtfully before he simply said:

“Nnno.” 

Luminita blinked confusedly, then scowled and took a step towards him. 

“No? NO?!” she balked, staring him down with an incredulous look. Luminita lowered the crossbow to her side, holding up her left arm in a gesture that further communicated her frustration and confusion. “You just want to leave the person who took you in, fed you -WEEKS- of expensive meat, paid for shiny high end armor, and made sure you could live without being killed out of hand to rot in jail?

“You know, I’ve talked a -lot- with Zarah about you. About what she saw in your head, about what she thought of you - all of it.

“She said you were brave, had a natural protective inclination, and to top all off - somehow, after years of -eating people-, you still had, in her words, ‘an unnatural level of altruism’.” 

Well, that certainly does stroke the old ego. How do I tell her that I would love to free Zarah.

Be a true knight in shining armor, storm the keep, and rescue the pretty Elf from evil queen’s clutches! 

But we can’t - we have to find a different way - preferably one which doesn’t involve us trading a life for a life - mine or hers. 

“Where’s the man who leapt through the trees to save me when I’d never even met him?” Luminita questioned in a much softer tone, one that was tinged with grief instead of wrath. “He wouldn’t leave her to her fate like this…” 

Mmm. Yep. 

That hurt. 

Zarah said no, though. Whatever way we get her out, I’m sure she doesn’t want it to be with a proverbial sledgehammer.

“Z-Zaahh-rah s-saaid nno.” Reznik rumbled a moment later, trying and likely failing to add a comforting note to his tone. 

Luminita stared at him unblinkingly for several long seconds after he spoke before she closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. Then, she sat down against the wall behind her, setting the crossbow aside and curling her knees into her chest. 

“We have to do -something-.” Luminita explained in a volume barely above a whisper. “But I don’t know what to do - I’m just… a farm girl that can talk to birds. I don’t know what’ll happen if we try and save her, but I know without Zarah, all that’s going to happen is me out on the street - or worse.” 

Luminita sounded outright defeated. 

Hmm… 

People find contact comforting, right? 

Maybe I should give her a hug, or at least not stand all the way across the room. 

Yes, I’ll just go and sit down next to her. If she wants to hug me, she can do that. 

Reznik crossed the room, turned his back to the wall, and pushed the idea at his body that he wanted to sit down. 

The back of his armor hitting the wall resulted in a loud bang, followed by an odd grinding, scraping noise as he lowered himself to the floor, resulting in an almost comically quiet thud as his rear hit the floorboards.

Luminita watched him with a hard-to-read expression for a moment before she snorted and shook her head. She pressed a thumb into each eye and wiped before sniffling and saying;

“Thank you… I needed a bit of laughter.” 

Well… yeah, I suppose being clumsy can be a bit entertaining. 

“But that doesn’t change the fact that we have to do something to get Zarah out of this.” 

Reznik began to slowly nod his head as he pushed through his next words to his body. 

“W-weee d-doo.” He acknowledged, trying to come up with an idea that they could reasonably try. 

Nothing came to him. 

He wasn’t nobility, nor was Luminita - and he believed that some kind of noble backing would be the key to any non-violent means of freeing Zarah. 

The only question was how to get it…

Reznik tried to remember the names of the nobles Zarah had introduced him to, but drew a blank. 

Then, there was a knock at the door. Luminita leaned around Reznik and stared at it with furrowed brows, before she groaned and began to push off the floor. 

The door was gingerly opened and pushed inward, revealing the backlit silhouette of a tall, broad-shouldered man. He had a hand resting atop the pommel of a long, straight sword as he surveyed the room with a slow, deliberate pan of his head. 

The man took two steps into the room, eying Reznik and Luminita when Reznik’s eyes adjusted to the abrupt change in brightness. 

Sir Botezatu clucked his tongue before he hooked his thumbs in his belt, eyes jumping to the weapons Luminita brandished, halfway to standing and frozen still. 

“Is this a bad time?” Botezatu grunted, lifting an index finger to point at the crossbow on the ground. His face was cleanly shaven, save for a bushy mustache, and it prominently displayed the deep scars covering his face that looked to still be in the process of healing. 

Scars that Reznik had likely caused in their fight. 

Well. I honestly forgot about him. I wonder if he’s here to try and settle the score.

“I… Sir Botezatu. I-I’m afraid that Dame Bukewicz is, well, unavailable at the moment, an-“

“I’m not here to see the Dame, Luminita.” Botezatu shook his head as he softly interrupted Luminita with a short wave of his hand. “Believe it or not… your mother actually sent me to check on you. Said she had a ‘bad feeling’ and wanted me to check in.” 

Luminita finished standing up and looked at Botezatu with a half-open mouth. 

“My-my mother?” she questioned a moment later, sounding stunned. 

Botezatu’s eyes dropped to the floor briefly as he reached up to scratch absently at the back of his head. When he looked back up, he wore an odd expression between that of a smirk and a grimace. 

“Yes… I tried to help her more after Velis died, but I was clapped in irons for helping our friend there. When I was set free after the fight with him, I decided that it was time to retire, but not before one last adventure…” the smile on Botezatu’s face grew wider, deeply pronouncing the crow’s feet on his eyes. “I actually just returned the other night from the road.” 

Oh. Well that’s interesting - I wonder if she’s doing okay.

Though… does this mean if there’s something more between them. Maybe that’s why there was such tension between him and Luminita’s father.

“I- well, is she okay?” Luminita demanded, stepping forward as she too began to smile. “What city is she in?” 

Botezatu guffawed and nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest, a faint air of pride coloring his smile. 

“Yes. She’s very much okay. At least now. I found her in a refugee camp to the west of Crai. As for what city she’s in… well, considering I’m retired, with such weary bones, I figured I would need an incredible cook for my kitchen.”

“That’s… wonderful!” Luminita cheerfully exclaimed, before she quickly waved her hands and pressed them to her eyes as if to reset her train of thought. “Wait, wait, wait. I need to tell you something. The… the Queen - she came and took Zarah away. She said it had something to do with her brother kidnapping Prince Vezemir.”

Botezatu’s smile dropped flat and he looked to Reznik, then back to Luminita. 

“Pack your things. Both of you. If you can carry it, and feel like you might need it in the next day or three, make sure you bring it.” Botezatu instructed calmly, nodding to the top of the stairs. 

“O-okay.” Luminita stuttered then turned to run up the stairs, leaving Reznik and Botezatu to eye one another. 

“Don’t have anything?” Botezatu asked with a raised brow as soon as she’d left the room. 

Reznik started to shake his head, but then realized he -did- have something, his sole possession.

By way of reply, he thudded his fist against his armor demonstratively. 

Botezatu closed his eyes, inhaled, and let a hint of a smile tug at his lip.

“In that case, go and help her.” He pointed to the top of the stairs. “I don’t know that many women that are good at packing light.” 

  *

Reznik lifted a finger towards the flickering green flame. He’d never seen a candle that let out a green flame. 

Nor had he seen green fire in general before. 

As his finger hovered above the flowery-scented candle in an elaborate wall sconce, he wondered they managed to shape a wax flower inside of the clear wax body. 

He reasoned it must’ve been done in many, many layers. 

Then his finger began to sizzle, and he pursed his lips with a frown. The fire felt unusually hot, at least compared to the candle in Zarah’s basement. 

Ah yes.

Fire hot. 

Such powerful news, a true marvel of discovery!

We must tell the Czar. 

Reznik paused and tilted his head.

Just what was a Czar? He could feel the answer at the edge of his mind, just painfully out of reach.

“H-hot-t” he said without prompting, as if his body had randomly decided to state that singular thought on its own. 

As it turned out, Botezatu’s home was actually outside the walls of the city, and it dwarfed Zarah’s by a wide margin. 

It was two stories, and nearly twice as wide, and seated on an almost fake-looking picturesque plain. 

The inside was also cluttered with trophies, tapestries, and oddities that seemed to have little connection to one another, save that they clearly held some value to Botezatu himself. 

While he was making his rounds around the home, exploring, smelling, and likely touching items he was not supposed to touch, Luminita, Botezatu, and Luminita’s mother - whose name he had forgotten - were in the library, plotting. 

Reznik wasn’t good at plotting. 

He didn’t feel his input was needed, not in any of it. 

But poking weird things he hadn’t seen before? Now that was a task worthy of a Revenant such as himself. 

Though, probably not a lit candle that seemed to burn at an unreasonably hot temperature. 

“Decided to try out life as a candle?” Botezatu chortled, causing Reznik to jump slightly as he turned over his shoulder to see the man standing behind him with a knowing smirk. “You know, I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t done the exact same thing when I bought those. 

“You’re lucky you were wearing your gloves when you did, unlike myself.” 

Reznik felt his cheeks get slightly warm, and didn’t fully understand why. 

He also tried to think of a reply, but in the moment, only one word slipped from his mouth. 

“Hot.” Reznik lifted his finger, still burning, demonstratively. 

Botezatu blinked several times.

“Godsgivemestrength. Yes, so I gathered… those candles are enchanted to burn hotter, brighter, and as far as I know, indefinitely longer than normal.” 

Reznik grunted thoughtfully as he stared at the fire on his finger. It was far less hot, but also far more orange than the candle. 

“You should probably put that out.” Botezatu instructed in a tone that felt tired. 

He’s right. 

It’ll probably burn through my glove here shortly. 

But uhh… I don’t think there’s any water nearby. 

As if a candle sparked to life inside his mind, he had an idea. 

Reznik simply plopped the finger inside his mouth and closed around it, sucking gently. 

“Uhhh. Okay, yeah. That one’s my fault.” Botezatu sniffed and scratched at his temple as he continued to eye Reznik with a concerned stare. “Luminita and Oona are going to make supper. The two of you will sleep here tonight, and possibly for the next few days. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the castle and request an audience with the Queen on what’s happening with Zarah and see what I can do. We’ll adapt from there, but thankfully she’s in the noble dungeons, so she’s likely more comfortable than many of the inns she’s stayed at over the years. 

“As for you, I don’t know if my dining chairs can support the weight of that armor, and I really don’t want to find out. Can you take it off by yourself, or would you like help?” 

Reznik glanced down to his arms as he thought about the question for a moment, then nodded. 

“H-help.” He answered after he gathered the thought together for his body. 

Botezatu grunted, shrugged, and beckoned over his shoulder. 

“To the armory, then.” 

Reznik followed the man through his house, and into an offshoot of the front entrance that was sealed behind a thick, heavy wooden door locked with three separate locks. 

When the man threw it open, Reznik wished that he knew how to whistle.

Botezatu’s collection of guns, swords, spears, shields, and other odds and ends was a sight to behold. 

Neatly organized on racks, mannequins, and shelves, the man had enough to equip an entire team of soldiers, if not more. 

I wonder if he bought all these, or if they were taken off of dead foes. 

Or maybe he just took them from whatever armory was under his care. 

I wanna learn how to use a sword. 

“Come on.” Botezatu grumbled, waving Reznik deeper into the room and pointing to a clear spot in the center. When Reznik reached it, Botezatu reached out and lifted Reznik’s arms up and began to deftly remove his gloves and gauntlets. 

The man worked quickly, in an effortless way that told Reznik that this was not his first, second, or even hundredth time taking off a set of armor. 

“You know, I have to give it to Zarah, putting a Revenant in armor is a creative and terrifying idea on its own.” Botezatu set a pauldron on the ground with a thud. “But putting you specifically in a set of heavy Dwarven plate - now that’s a thought only she would have.”

I hope she’s doing alright… and that you can find a way to get her out, Botezatu. 

I should ask him what his plan is for her. 

Or at least meeting the Queen.

“W-whaat… i-is thhe pla-an?” Reznik rasped as Botezatu removed the breastplate. 

“For Zarah?” Botezatu clarified, walking behind Reznik to work at the back of his armor. 

“Uhh-huh.”

“Well. That’s the problem, lad. Situation’s complicated. There really is no plan - other than to ask the Queen and make one from there.” Botezatu growled, struggling with one of the buckles before it finally came free and Reznik felt a weight leave his back. “But whatever comes tomorrow, I fear Zarah’s path to freedom may take time, violence, or both.

“We’ll take it as it comes, though.” Botezatu chuckled before it turned into a rattling cough that let out in a groan. “Well. This is good enough for my dinner table. Let’s not keep the ladies waiting, mmh?” 

Reznik missed the reassuring feeling of his armor, but the prospect of food quickly drained any lamentation he felt being simply his normal self. 

Food could heal any wound, after all.