LIGHTNOVELONLINE Book 3 Ch 27: Gerda - The Keeper of Fate
I walked on to the bridge connecting to the West Wing tower, some twenty floors above the ground.
And simply chose not to bring my erstwhile shadow with me.
The sky bridge was reinforced with magic, and there was a protective barrier just below that would catch anyone who slipped and fell off its surface. Ornate coral pink railings came up to my hip on either side of the bridge.
From this vantage point I could make out the faint shimmer of the magically engineered barriers set up by the Grand Duchess. Whatever guards she had up against nefarious ne-er-do-wells did not ward against bridge magic. They were different skills entirely, but also different magics.
Non-specialized portals had a space limiter issued by the system. A portal user could portal to spaces they had previously been, or within a certain distance depending on their portal perk.
The portal skill tree could be blocked by simply creating a counterspell to the space limiter. If the portal couldn’t open up on the other side, then the portal wouldn't work.
For this event, there was a counterspell barrier around the entire city. This allowed no one to portal in or out, but that didn't prevent the skill use while traveling around the city.
There was an extra space limiter around the palace, and I assumed Calisto had other types of barriers placed all over the palace to prevent people from sneaking into places they shouldn't.
It didn't help that her daughter walked out of the palace on her own two feet.
Anyone who kidnapped the Paladin of Light wouldn’t be able to portal her out of the city, but they could move her around to help escape search parties.
The magic to deter portals was simple, but I didn’t need to worry about it.
Bridge magic used dimensional travel by making permanent, controlled, rifts in space. The bridges didn’t cast a spell across time and space, they were the same time and space. The dimensional rift outside of the realm itself. It was a cheat that let me break into dungeons, by-pass certain barriers and create permanent links in a way that portals didn’t.
I might even tell the Grand Duchess about the hole in her security after everything was said and done.
I made my way off the bridge. There was movement below as soldiers combed the palace grounds for the missing Countess Julia.
Duke Julian’s marker was still on the move, and headed in the general direction of the red zone on my mini map.
I'd needed to wait for him to leave the palace so that John wouldn't tattle that I could bypass the portal limiter if anyone saw me waking around.
I contemplated letting the main characters sort out their problems on their own… but that was no fun. And it was hard to sit back and wait when I knew that I could be of help. And none of this would have happened if I hadn’t changed the future in the first place.
Yes, I had a lot of excuses for someone who simply didn’t want to miss out on the action.
There was no point in hiding my presence and making myself a target, so I simply walked through the halls towards the elevator.
A guard did stop me, but after a quick, “Where are you going?”
“To look around the festival.”
“Have you been in your room this whole time?”
“No, I was helping search for our missing countess since I was with Queen Henrietta when she got the news.”
“If you find anything, please report immediately.”
“I will.”
And then I was in the elevator, out the side door, and walking down the path to the front doors. It took two more interrogations before I was out of the palace. It helped that I didn’t lie, even once.
I was not a travel based character type, and I hated running, so I walked to the main thoroughfare a block away and then found a rickshaw willing to take me to the dock side for extra coin.
The wolfman was gray and long haired, with a toothy grin as he bit the silver coin I gave him before pocketing it and grabbing the handles of his person-pulled carriage. I fit comfortably on a wooden seat and he was off.
“[Oracle].” I said, activating my title. I felt self-conscious about activating it in the open. I usually liked to be sequestered in a private space when using any of the abilities I associated with my Madame Potts side.
[Oracle: You are witness to the strings of Fate and her weave. The story unfolds and the Chosen of each deity mark the way. You have found 8/12 Chosen.
Impending Scenarios effect 3/12 Chosen. Select scenario:
Arbiter of Shadows - the Guild Engagement
Heroine of Justice - the Great Chase
Paladin of Light - the Balance of Fate
Timeline access restricted. Available scenarios limited: All Scenarios within current domain boundaries available. All Scenarios impending within 6.5 days available. All Scenarios involving Gerda Jones available…]
Oracle was one of the primary reasons I could affect the story as much as I could, but it was dangerous.
I didn't bother reading the oracle itself and quickly selected Paladin of Light. Green light engulfed my eyesight.
I was in a warehouse, chained to the wall with St Veralyn’s Restraint Manacles. I felt weak and tired.
“You’re awake, Paladin of Light.” A voice spoke from the darkness.
“Who are you?” My heart beat faster in my chest. This was the worst time to be kidnapped! I needed to escape and find my way back to Chloe.
“I am the Keeper of Fate.” A figure stepped closer and I could make out a small feminine frame. “And I am here with a proposal.”
I grinned up at the woman, hiding my unease with my winning smile. “Sorry Keeper, but I’m already taken.”
“You will want to listen. Because I am willing to let your lover live… for another's fate.”
It was hard, but I kept my light-hearted disposition. Leaning back, I crossed my legs in front of me and shrugged. “I do not make deals with villains. If you so much as touch a hair on my wife’s head then no god or goddess in the nine realms will be able to save you.”
My capture didn’t take the threat to heart and continued. “You don’t need to worry. You have already helped me turn back fate.”
“Oh really?” That didn’t sound good.
“They have started the search, but it is too late.” The figure shook her head.
“How so?” If I wanted to get found, it was better to stay in one place as long as possible. Which meant keeping up a steady stream of questions.
Distraction tactic.
“I am tired of trying to right the weave one fate at a time.” The voice grumbled. “So if I can gather enough of the fated into one place, I can get rid of them all at once!”
“I thought you said that you would free Chloe?” I accused, knowing full well that any search party enroute would have my love front and center.
“Yes. The Necromancer, the Heroine and the Duke may live.” The figure took a few steps to the left, turned and walked back. She was pacing. “But the Dark Lord must have perished, and his General. When once I sought to undo the pattern from the ground up, I’ve learned now that I must start at the head and make my way down.”
“But… why?” Curiosity got the better of me. “The entire continent has been turned on its head from the Blackfog rising. Why permanent death? You've even been caught targeting civilians. It makes no sense.”
“I am like you, Paladin of Light. I have a duty and I serve a path.” The figure snapped her fingers and a single pink light appeared, hovering over her shoulder.
Her hair was blond and her eyes were cornflower blue. She was one of the most beautiful people I’d ever laid eyes upon. Revulsion and adoration warred within me. I was in love with my Chloe, but for a single, heartbreaking moment, I almost felt something for the woman before me.
She lifted a hand. Pink magical threads were bound to each finger. One thread shimmered brighter than the rest and a portal appeared.
“I am the Keeper of Fate,” She shot me a too-sweet smile as she reached out and grabbed my manacles. “and I’m going to make everything right again.”
Without a by-your-leave, she pulled me through the portal.
I broke from the trance, breathing erratically. It was mentally draining to wrench my mind from the scenario, but I was just in time. We were only two streets from the port gate. “Driver! You can let me out here!”