Things were not going exactly as Hear had planned. And when Hear’s plans went awry, Hear panicked. And when that happened, Hear made mistakes, and See had to cover for him. Except See couldn’t talk.
It started when Jerald’s two lackeys grabbed the former second. That was good. Just as See had expected, those who acted the most loyal turned on their master when a weakness revealed itself. However, then some of the old-timers blocked their passage to the door, stopping them from putting Jerald in the dungeon. That was not to plan. Far from it—it was stopping the one thing Hear was hoping would silence Jerald.
“What are you doing?” Hear shouted in Otto’s voice. “Take him down to the Castle dungeon. That’s an order!”
The fattest and largest of the older Paladins stepped out, stroking his beard. “I respected your father, but . . .” The fat man cleared his throat. “He never would’ve treated another Paladin this way before the proof of his crime was provided.”
See shook his head, trying to make himself look bigger than Otto was. “What is this, a coup? You voted for me. I’m your captain now, and whether it’s going on dangerous missions, bowing to the right king, or putting a traitor in a dungeon, you will do what I tell you.”
Two of the older Paladins pulled Jerald’s lackeys off him and pushed them aside, letting Jerald go free. He was shuddering now.
“Y-you believe me?” said Jerald.
The fat Paladin shrugged. “Truth is the way of the Goddess. Guilty before proven innocent is not truth.”
See looked back to see a few of the other Paladins nodding.
“You voted for me!” Hear cried.
“And now I am regretting that,” a thin, blond Paladin said, shaking his head. “Your father would be ashamed of what you’ve become, Otto.”
Panic filled Hear’s voice, and See shifted toward the door. “Fine. If the Paladins won’t lock up a spy of the Dark Consul, then let’s see if the Crown Guard will.”
If the Crown Guard didn’t obey the captain of the Paladins, they would still obey the king’s seneschal. Fortunately, I can take the form of either one.
Then things went from bad to worse. The doors to the Council Chamber were opened wide and a familiar Riftling walked through them. Many of the Paladins stepped back and gasped at the sight of a Riftling, one of their ancient enemies, in their very Tower.
“Aelyph Maleroth?” Hear hissed in See’s ear. “What is he doing here?” He then grinned. “No, wait, I can use this!”
See pointed in the Riftling’s direction.
Hear cried in Otto’s voice, “You see? One of Jerald’s friends, an agent of the Dark Consul, has come to his aid! If you truly don’t believe that he is a spy for the Dark Consul, see who comes to him at his time of need. What kind of Riftling would save a Paladin—unless that Paladin was himself a friend of the Dark Consul?”
Not a second after these words had passed his lips did someone else pass through the door. Not another Riftling, but Princess Sapphire herself. She pointed her sword toward him, and See’s fear seized him like cold, wet fingers.
“That man is not Ottovius the Paladin Hero!” she shouted, and her voice echoed through the room. “He is an imposter!”
Even if he could speak, See would have been lost for words. However, Hear was far more tenacious than See. “On whose authority do you come barging into a Paladin’s meeting making such accusations? What proof do you have that I am an imposter?”
“I speak with the authority of the Crystalian royal line!” she shouted. “As for proof . . .”
There was a boom as the doors were swung wider still, and from the light of the outside corridor, a figure came into view.
“The proof is that the real Ottovius . . .” said Otto, the real Otto, panting exhaustedly, “. . . is standing before you.”
Everyone went silent.
All but Hear, who never knew when to shut up. “No! How did you . . .” He trailed off and pointed. “You’re not even supposed to be . . .”
See knew that Hear was losing it, so he nervously looked around for a good chance to escape. Whatever Hear’s plan had been from here on out, he didn’t think it involved being revealed to everyone and then being captured by Paladins.
However, it didn’t seem that See needed to come to his friend’s defense. The two younger, sniveling Paladins who were so eager to take Jerald away before were now shouting at the real Otto, as though thinking they could cover their actions by doubling down in their support for him, the fake Otto.
“Oh yeah?” The male called. “You say that now, but how do we know you’re not the imposter?”
The female sneered. “That’s right. Either one of you could be lying, so why should we take your side?”
These two and Hear seem to be the only people who don’t realize the jig is up.
Otto straightened. Despite his fight with the troll, he appeared completely unphased.
“A test then.” He then suggested, “Maybe ask me something I’d know that only the real Otto would know.”
“That won’t do!” Hear shouted. “You could have been spying on me for some time and know all my secrets!”
See thought Hear had a point. After all, they had done that very thing before taking the identity of the seneschal. Oh, how simple it had been to play that old fool in comparison to these pure-hearted people.
There were murmurs around the room as the other Paladins thought of a test they could use to determine who was the real Otto. It wasn’t until a stooped Paladin with short hair stood from his chair and walked in between them that everyone went silent.
“I know how to determine the true Otto from the phony.” He pulled out his longsword and pointed it at both of them one at a time. “We fight, and the one who can last one minute with me in a contest of swords is the true Otto. What do you say? Which of you can face Gregorro?”
See started to sweat, and a few of the Paladins began to cover their noses as his fishy smell filled the room. He had no skill in swordplay, but then he wondered if Otto even had the energy for a match after fighting the troll. How early had the Riftling and the princess intervened to save him? Or had he fought the monster all by himself?
The true Otto smiled and slowly drew his own sword. “All right. That sounds fair to me.” He caught See’s gaze, his eyes confident. “If you want, I’ll even go first.”
See was frazzled by the prospect of watching Otto prove him wrong in front of the others. Could the young Paladin really last a minute with this strange warrior, or was he actually too tired to fight? And what if he wasn’t? Would Otto then be declared the fraud if Gregorro defeated him effortlessly?
“He’s bluffing,” Hear whispered in his ear. “Look at him, he can barely stand.”
See sweated under his helmet, shaking hand going to his sword, hesitating, and then pulling away. What if he wasn’t bluffing? After all, from what they had heard, the young Paladin had fought an army of Nether Elves, then a horde of kobolds, and then Nightsong the Eternal all in the same night—and he’d won.
What if the stories of this young Paladin were true? What if he was just as heroic as everyone believed him to be?
See pulled his hand away from his sword belt, and with a quick glance, darted for the door.
“No! What are you doing?” Hear hissed. “You fool!”
A sea of pointed steel appeared, and he was stopped in his tracks by the rest of the Paladins. He had barely made it to the entrance before he was surrounded. He panted and sweated, and they winced at his smell.
“Only a coward would be the imposter. What do we do with him, Otto?” one of the Paladins said to the real Otto.
Otto staggered a few meters and nearly collapsed, but a few of the other Paladins caught him and placed him on a seat. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.
Willis was suddenly at his side. “You won the election, Otto. They’re looking for your guidance.”
Otto sighed. “We have to question him about the location of Sister Claire and the king’s seneschal. Saving them is our utmost priority now.” Otto’s glance met See’s. “The shapeshifter could transform into anyone at any moment, so don’t let him leave your sight. We have to make sure he can’t escape. Bring him to the room beneath the Crystal Chamber. The magic there will block his illusions and we can see what we’re really dealing with.”
“Yes, sir,” a dozen of them called. With their swords still pointed at him, they led him out of the room.
“I knew it! I knew you were bluffing about being able to fight!” Hear cried as they were led away.
To See, he whispered, “You blasted fool, why didn’t you stay in place long enough that I could call his bluff? You’re always screwing up my plans!”
For this once, Hear was right. See had failed to stand his ground, and now they were caught. Maybe he wasn’t cut out to be a spy anymore.